Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-06

dozen OF these musicians. OF all sorts anH
conditions. but all resting upon the same
lever OF mediocrity. make their little APP
pearances, usually to empty seats. go
through their little PAGES falteringiy ara
with hopeless expression of eouutenance-,
ana lhen wait up until daylight 20 see what
the musical critics have to say OF them
In almost every case the musical critics
attack the mediocrities with siedge-hammer
ferocity that really Is unnecessarily cruel!
Ihen the other announced concerts OF the
mediocrities are Cancelled by their Disguised
mans gers-and the untaiented ones pass OUT
of view so far as New York is concerned.
Few of them achieve more than one concert
in New York. However. let 1t not be sup
posed that they pass from view altogether.
Far from that. Believing. naturally IL flu
tilely enough, in their own prodigious ge-
MUS. they forthwith secure managers TO
take them through the provinces The
managers get out 10; of press work.
notices obtained Heaven knows where. but
invariably ascribed to the very New York
papers that have done the most roasting
on the occasions of the first land only New
hork appearances of the medocrities-and
tne latter are prepared for the road" In
me, me provinces some of them contrive to
PICK up Just about the amount of money
their woIk entities them to- and the re.
mainder go to smash altogether.
great many OF the musical nonentities
VINO make these hopeless exhibitions in
New York are Americans, who however
are by no means proud of that fact after.
their long periods of study abroad. These.
when they fall down hopelessly In New
York. often hurl maledictions upon the un-
appreciattve land of their birth, and depart
from these shores leaving behind them the
distressing. not to say narrowing. an
nouncement that they never, no, never
mean to return TO the United States. land
OF oaroarians and mere money gatherers.
Story About Col. ochiltree.
When. in the calamitous Hotel Windsor
fire OF few years ago. the late Colonel
Tom Ochiltree lost all OF his personal pos
sessions, including every stitch OF his
clothing, he took the tier with his usual
benign philosophy. He surrounded by
group OF newspaper reporters as he stood
contemplating the tragic confiagration.
The newspaper men were expressing their
sympathy for him In the loss of everything
he owned. but he only shook his head and
smiled in a rueful sort of way.
Il don't SO much mind the burning of all
or the rest of the stuff boys" Colonel Ochil-
tree remarked. but | do hate to lose those
written around me during the past thirty
years Or so. l was going to make a book
out of the MATERIAL
What were you going to cali the book
colonel! the amiable Texan was asked by
one of the reporters.
Il was going to call IT," was the quick
response, My personally conducted me-
moirs, as fallaciously set forth BIZ genera
ton of young gentlemen OF the space-writ-
ing fraternity who need the money"
The Chop-Suey Fad.
The chop-suey fad has developed into
large proportions over here during the past
couple of years Not SO many years ago tha
knowledge among New Workers of chop
suey and other Chinese dishes was confined
exclusively to FOUNDERS who. late at night,
or. rather. in the morning. repaired TO the
obscure little Chinese restaurants and par
took of the suey more or less as an offset
to their alcoholic indulgenees. At that time
the Chinese restaurants were confined all
most exclusively to the Chinese quarter.
-Four or five years ago. to accommodate
the white FOUNDERS, the Chinese restau-
rateurS began to start their diminuiive and
unembellished places uptown streets.
generally in or near the Tenderloin. and
from that time the rise of the Chinese res
taurant in New York has been rapid. From
the patronage of FOUNDERS and, night fowls
merely the Celestial restaurants began to
receive the support of settled folk" who
had heard Of the delights OF Chinese cook
cry, and it was not long before the men
were taking their women folks 10 the Chi
neSe eating houses thus impa rting an air
of responsibility to the establishments that
long since drove the purely rounder class
in disgust back to the restaurants in the
distinctively Chinese quarter.
Now several of the Chinese restaurants
have developed into quite large and ornate
institutions. Instead of having as working
lOTce one COOK anu one waiter, several or
the new ones now keep half a dozen cooks
and as many as twenty walters busy, and
the dining rooms, so bare and uninviting in
the Chinese restaurants of other days, have
become delightful with an oriental COST
ness, with subdued lights and all that sort
of thing. The larger establishments
now receiving the patronage of theater par
ties, and, situated these new Chinese
places are in the theater district. they are
getting a large share of the patronage of
the gaudy restaurants up in the Long Acre
Square region. 1t is no uncommon sight to
see the carriages of well-known society peo-
pie in front of the Chinese restaurants,
generally. however, during the afternoon
hours. 1t is plain that the chop-suey scheme
has come not only to stay. but to grow in
New York. c. l.. c.