The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-30
1nE ror1os ABoUr Town.


mail box at small expense, attach II 10 the front
Of his house, and rest assured that all letters left
in that box will be collected just as regularly and
as surely as are tho letters left In the street
boxes; but this is q fact. Several years ago tho
house-to-houso collection scheme was agitated
in New York, and some Of Its advocates were so
vigorous in their pleas that such a concession
seemed TO be necessary II New York hoped to
hold them as citizens. Other cities have tried
It with success. Tho Postmaster Of New York
now has the authority to begin q house-to-houso
collection of letters, but as yet not q single
householder has put in q lettor toH and applied
to the Post Once TO have his mails collected
from Il, AS soon as any one does take advan-
tage Of this opportunity the system will be
the initiative. however.
There is always a good deal Of reckless criu.
ciaI yesterday, "and people are in the habit Of
saying that our method OF collecting and dis
t~rfbuting. tho mail has improved very little in
travaeant statement, and l firmly believe that
we have the bost mail service in tho world.
amazed to find that l couldn't get my mail on
Sunday at my, hotel. There was no delivery of
b @si hotels on Ss'G and dd@s Such anq business E y '4 hou sSs' as svs mis sRf
to wait until Monday for it."
The recent death Of William @. Dore, tho
banjo player, recalls tho extraordinary jump into
popularity that tho banjo made about q dozen
years ago. There are peoplo to-day who win
not classify a banjo as q musical instrument,
but their number is small comparatively. For
many years the banjo was associated with the
colored people In tho South and the negro min
strel In the North, and the average person, who
had never enjoyed the delights Of twanging ono
rated 1t about as high In the musical scale az
the tom.tom. The DorS brothers and several
- u L--I-
players saw the possibilities Of the Instrument,
Some OF them wrote music for it. and here and
learned to play the banjo as q pleasant relief
from tho piano. -Four or five Of the large col.
leges added banjo clubs to their glee clubs, and
tho Princeton glee and banjo club In concert
here last winter can have little doubt as TO the
R {ssSion. AND q o ons i az our e Ine s1 SlS2s Se'a pnt the the
England and winning royal approval. II 70 an
Southern girls who had been thrown on their
banjos, and within q short time they were as
much In demand for musicales as II they had
been grand opera singers. Probably the fact
the ear may have aided them. The banjo has
found its place, and 1t 10 not likely to be rele-
gated again TO negro minstrelsy.
Several days ago THE SUN told Of q suburb
ante who had been 80 annoyed by tradesmen
anxious to get his orders that he hung out at
his gate the sign, We are actors. We neither
eat nor drink and I confess that I didn't thor
oughly appreciate the story" said a man who
has Just moved into the country. II do under.
stand It now, and II the sign hadn't been ex.
plotted 1 might try 1t myself. On the first
afternoon that I reached my new house. and be-
fore the moving vans had been unloaded, I was
smaaed to see . procession of men bearing
few drove wagons Of various kinds. In 1--we min.
utes my bell began to jangle, and 1t didn't
put out. Each man wanted to sell me some.
my maid had her hands filed with cards. Each
man ratified over half q dozen names of peo-
pie who lived near me and whom he supplied.
It was the same half dozen in each case, and l
Woman Sought aiHf milk Of fourteen serp different mt' mike Tx
men,, and knew that her family was small.
! had difficulty dn;a in keeping my cellar from being
man wanted TO leave a sample OF his ice so that
might Judge for myself how much colder it
city man whirI ile 3 top; i finally got relief
Of Mrs: Jones's milkmen, the only newsman
who alleged that he delivered papers TO Mr.:
~en.G "a s. and the butcher. baker. and
whirl Of New York. It's q slow old top in some
A lot of chsats. bags. and valises left behind
by sailorme2 who have deserted from American
ships were sold at auction several days ago,
and as none of the bundles was opened, the sale
partook of the character of a lottery. The bid.
ders gave good prices for neat.looking chests,
in the hope that they might contain valuables,
but the curiosity Of the spectators as to wheth,
er or not any prizes were drawn was not graft
fed. 1t ID q curious commentary on the ere.
| lulity of naODla WIN attend Guch salaz that tbny
are willing TO buy old bags and bundles that,
as far as they can see. give no indication of be-
this fashion every year by some OF the rail,
roads and express companies, and the total re-
cess Of the real value Of the articles sold. It
occasionally happens that a man buys a trunk
money, and such luck always spurs on a lot OF
people. each OF whom expects 10 find something
Of value. In one of these sales OF unclaimed
baggage several years ago the fierccst bidding
was over n prosperous looking trunk. 1t was
strongly made, and although not heavy, the
Guided that It Contained articles Of value. One
of them finally secured 1t for $55, and promptly
Pried II open; His disgust was only equalled BY
found within 1t n disjointed human skeleton
undoubtedly the property OF some medical stu
dent.
Some Of the most desirable cottages at q
watering place once very popular with New
Yorkers are unrented this year, there Is little
activity Of any kind. and the whole place ha,
little OF the brilllancy Of only two years ago
when 1t was bustling and lively with the gay
ETY. Of a muoh-frequcnted resort. All this sort
Of atmosphere has disappeared. and a few Of
the property owners who have gone up TO 90
cupy their cottages this summer are wonder
ing II anything like tho old prosperity will evel
return to the place. They are not much en-
couraged by tho result Of their reflections OF
this subject, and when they contrast the dreary
scene with the view that used to meet thoil
eyes they regret tho unlucky moment In which
1t was decided that tho old-time excluslyenes
Of the place was disappearing too rapidly ant
that some steps must DO taken to keep dow
adopted to bring about this reform was u rul,
in connection with the. government of til,
Casino. 1t was decided that no visitors should
be admitted to It's privileges until their names
had been for six weeks before the Governing
Committee. This rule seemed harmless enough
as a means of starting the change, but the efec
who took cottages for the first summer discov
cred that they were to BIO excluded for SIX week
to return in the following year. Then tn,
yachtsmen, who visited tho place in great NUN