The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-05
New York Notes.

This is the time of year when half the
leople in New York City are strangers.
1t is the busy season of the con men
and the funny men-the former find the
strangers within the gates very profitable
subjects for financial analysis; the latter
md ready copy in the unsophiSticatet
manners of the variegated crop of hu
rnanity that seeks the city to get rid of
coin and curiosity at the same time It
IS interesting to observe the change of
attitude on the part of the new visitor
from day to day and to note how his
preconceived prejudices and fancies be-
come Jolted as he ventures more and
more openly into the gaslight unattend-
ed
Strangely enough it is the Westerner
who comes to New York most strongly
impressed with the idea that it is d
modern revival of the days of Lots wife,
and it is the Westerner who soonest be-
comes thoroughly inoculated with New
forkttes, and reVises all his previous
conceptions of man and nature. The
Westerner is by nature adopted to all
kinds of conditions and can easily rear
range his philosophy to fit the new con-
ditions. He adds just the right amount
OF ginger to make culture tOlerable; and
1t is no uncommon thing to find the
Western man settling down in New York,
after the briefeSt acquaintance with an
air of natural inheritance and telling the
natives how I'VE must" do things. But
short time ago young man from Denver
walked into the office of the president of
great manufacturing corporation and
pointed out the great opportunities for
business in Mexico, and insisted on the
company looking into it. Today he is a
member of the firm In many branches
Of industry the Western men are at the
front in New York.
Poor old John L. Sullivan is on the
rocks again. The big electric sign which
spelled out the once famous name is now
dark, and the old champion has again
learned the sad lesson of flames tickle
ness. He is pretty well broken down.
and is drinking heavily again. Every
day he meets men who were raised up
by his own generosity and who now
in the hour of his need coldly pass him
by. 1t is a pathetic spectacle What
ever else be said of Sullivan he surely
had a great heart and when he was
on the top no one in need ever appealed
to him in vain. He might well expect a
return of this kindness now But graf
itude has no place in a great "comme~-
cial age" There is talk of giving him
a benefit
The laborers of New York city are TO
start an agitation for public ownership
and operation of city franchises. The
civic council has sent out letters to thou
sands of wage-earners asking them to
express their sentiments on the PROPOSE,
tion to replace by direct employment on
city work, and on the right Of cities to
determine the wages, hours and condi-
lions of all city employees The question
of a gradual municipal ownership is also
submitted. 1t is believed that a unani-
nous sentiment from a large body of
workers will be instrumon. al in agltat-
ing the questions and will be of distinct
educational value. The matter is TO be
discussed in a nOn-partisan way.
The friends of the late James A. Herne,
the distinguished actor, playwright and
single tax champion, are arranging plans
to secure funds for a suitable monument
to his memory. Few men have been so
fortunate as Mr.. Herne in their friend
ships. His death came as a personal
bereavement to many people throughout
the country. To few men is it given to
so win their way into the hearts and
lives of the public which they serve; and
to few men is it given to serve their fel-
lows with larger helpfulness. No
American of the last thirty years has CON
trlbuted more of permanent good to our
stage, or more Of real worth to our
dramatic literature. There have been
a.
Herne and much greater actors; but i'm
the combination of the elements that go
10 make a really great artist-in keen in
tellectual power, -well-balanced human
Sympathies, sincere purpose, enthusiastic
optimism, undaunted perseverance,
steadfastness of aims, wise simplicity
and the culture Of sturdy manhood-he
stood almost alone. He, set himself a
task ard stuck to it, patient through all
misunderstanding, serene through all ne
glect; hopeful through all failure His
influence upon our native drama cannot
be estimated; it is still dominant Shore
Acres" has redeemed more men with its
simple creed than all the sermons preach
ed. Literature and drama can get along
without our Richard Carvels and our
Zazas; but neither life nor literature can
spare our Eben HOldens and Uncle Mats
One Westerner has set forth his first
impressions Of New York as follows
New York is as short on morals as
soubrette is on clothes; and yet we have
glartug inconsi5tency-the New Yorker
cannot swear. You hear a New Yorker
swear and you are shocked-it sounds
wicked. When a -Westerner swears you
wonder at his ingenuity and inventive
ness and are delighted out West
swearing is an art which exhibits the
picturesque possibilities of language.
The life saving service. gives a medal
to the man who visits Coney Island and
gets back with his clothes. If only rich
men visited Coney those pretty maps
showing the distribution of wealth would
be revised every six MINUTES"
1t amuses a Western man to see what
they call mountains down here. II a rock
gets tipped up above the level of the
railroad track they plant grass around it
and call 1t mountain. The loudness Of
hotel uniforms especially in the smaller
hotels-leads enc to observe that some
men are born great, some men grow
great, while others wear uniforms It
is pleasure, however, to meet a man
who can be great when his uniform is in
the laundry. The literary lions Of New
York If the papers are TO be believed,
are Jim Corbett, Ella Wheeler Wilcox
and Bird Coler. We must remember. Of
course, that Steve Brodie is dead