Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-17
rnsn Sa5 Sass JACKSON BROS s5ss7 7th

ton, on the principle most likely. that half
an education Is better than education
at all. Maybe it is, but there was a very
wise old contemporary of Shakespeare. one
Ben JonSon, II memory serves, who re-
marked that "a little learning is a danger
Gus thing Anyhow, they're figuring on
adopting the Copenhagen educational sys-
tenn here In New York. 1t is a good open
ing for the funny men.
Meanwhile, also. New York Is running
decidedly shy in the matter of room in the
reform schools for youthful criminals as
direct result OF the enormous lack of pub
lie school accommodate ton The situation
could hardly be otherwise, with 10000
youngsters, most of them with exceedingly
inferior home surroundings. running loose.
maVe rick-wise- The lads are taken in hand
by the latter-day Fagins, in whom this
admirable city abounds, and the little girls
become entangled in the meshes of a vicious
padrone system, well understood by the
New York police, but only languidly COM
bated by them.
Bayreuth in Gotham
Bayreuth is to be transported TO New
YORK bodily and in entirety. That Is to
say, the Wagner tetralogy is to be given
here In all of it's completeness and the
performances are to begin at or O'Clock
in the afternoon-the exact hour has not
yet been decided upon. Then. after an hour
or 50 Of the chanting and anvl-hammerng
and dragon-b awling and dwarf-howling the
audiences are to be given a much-n eeded
recess for feeding purposes. At o'clock
or half after they are to round themselves
up In the Metropolitan Opera House again
and pretend to rhapsodize and swoon with
delight until midnight or whereabouts.
Nothing in the original Wagner scores is
TO be cut out" 1t will be worth while,
when this enterprise is under way for peo
pie from other cities to come on here and
attend a performance or two just for the
run OF watching New York audience en-
gagged IN the act of pretending to absorb
ana asslmilate and suck in and masticate
the complete, uncut, unIopped score of a
Wagnerian Neurological opera A few up-
pright citizens who charter boxes at the
metropolitan Opera House every season
have humbly asked the management to
give EN- a little Lohengrin and Tannhaus-
er-they haven't dared to ask for Rigoletto
or Aida-to sort of offset the crushing
grueling, merciless effect of the trilogy or
tstralogy.
Would Prefer Music.
IF it's to be all Wagner won't you
please, give US little Wagner with some
music in it?" they prayed of the manage
ment, in terms to that general effect
There's tune or two in Lohengrin and
Tannhauser, you know. Can't we have a
tune or two?'
They We're scroonched and regarded with
wrath and suspicion, these bese echers. Ii
they don't care to watch a puffy, fat blonde
with papier mache sledge, the while he
shouts on one note, drowning the clatter
or the L. trains, in language they don't
understand even when it's spoken, they
don't need to subscribe, that's ALL There
are plenty of eager, clamorous people here
who want the whole "Byroit' outfit, with
out elimination, elision deletion
And yet. why is it that three-fourths of
an audience of New Workers emerging from
a performance of Siegfried, say mum the
Mlserere from Ii Trovatore as they make
for their cabs or cars? Is it to quiet their
nerves? Or do they really like Music, with
an upper case NJ?
A PrecOciOus Youth.
Precocity is in the air over here. Infant
prodigies develop in all the walks of life
A twelve-year-old race track tout was
rounded up at Sheepshead Bay on tn,
closing day of the race meeting last week
He was gotten up in swagger style. and he
was dead goime." He admitted. with a
good deal of sang froid, that he had been
working his game for a couple of wears
With simply prodigious success, without
ever getting nabbed at ii before. lis method
OF operating was simple. Women bet openly
on the races at the racing courses here
ahouts-and they don't bet gloves or candy.
eilher. This small, weazen-faced boy with
ms quite dazzling array of diamond rings
pins and link cuff buttons and his mans
hne tailor-made clothing in miniature
operated among the women in thu grand
Stahd. he pretended to be q stable boy.
Women who bet on the races have a pro-
digious opinion of the knowingness of stab,
boys on how races are to result. The boy
would get his women clients to bet on
long Shots'-horseS that went to the most
at % or 100 to ], and that had not a ghost
of chance to win. The boy would pocket
the money, and not go near the betting
ring. On his own confession, he has work.
ed the game for two years. making from
$tD TO AJU Qay IT and he has baJ
luck that not single long-shot horse upon
which he induced his foolish women clients
to bet has come in ahead. The kid had
plausible way about him, and, after the
races were run, he'd appear in the grand
stand with Better luck next time" and
inGuce the same women to bite" over and
over again
On Saturday last, the closing day of the
Sheepshead Bay race meeting this sweet |
scented little scheesix circulated among his |
women patrons in the grand stand and told |
them that the usual good thing of get
away day W as to be brought off in the |
last race. A horse named Ten Spot would |
go TO the post with odds of 100 to / against !
him. and he was bound to win by eight |
city blocks. The boy had heard So-and-So,
the owner of the horse, say this and that,
ETC., and SO OF course, the lad was |
lying He had heard nothing whatever
but he simply picked out the longest shot |
him chance to pocket the commissions |
of the women who permitted him 20 do |
their betting. !
But Ten Spot Won.
Sure enough, the horse named Ten Spot |
did go to tie post with odds of 100 to l |
against him. Thu fayorite in the race was |
to be ridden by Tod Sloan, the famous |
jockey who departed from these shores |
for England on Tuesday last-and his price
was even money. A poor little apprentice |
jockey. stable lad named Moody, had the |
mount on Ten Spot The stable boy Moody |
took the plug Ten Spot out at the fall of |
the nag, and opened UP gap of 1--WE
lengths between himself and about nine of |