The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-07
as an ornamental plant In country gardens.
whore II was styled love apple"
M.

-
Iu.
In the early decades OF the nineteenth
century ~ o'clock was the normal dimes
hour. luncheon being u very modern word
30 far as New York IL concerned. By slow
stages. however. the lot Of the noon meal
was pushed forward until ) O'Clock became
and long remained the ultrafashionable
limit for the meal called dinner The City
Hotel was among the first TO adopt the
innovation. and 3 o'clock was a%nnounccsl
as the regular dinner hour, though "A noon
table was spread for the accommodation
OF such persons IN would not conform
to the new fashion. As most OF the guests
OF the tavern were business men the change
was 81 but slight -seque AZ these
would not at any hour OF the day have
devoted to the discussion Of a repast the
time needed for good digestion. A Mrs.
Trollope and Dickens noted. dyspepsia was
an American weakness The choice viands
OF the City Hotel table were dealt with in
the most summary manner. az the hungry
partakers felt constrained to hasten back
to store. counting house or Office to resume
the broke thread Of business. The wine
cellar OF the hotel was a well known institu~
ton. the memory Of which is cherished
by the author OF this book. That the shelves
were loaded tier upon tier with choice
vintages seems demonstrated by the fact
that when the City Hotel was closed the
remnants Of it's stock of wines commanded
fabulous prices. IL is OF course well
known that in 1880 light wines from the
Rhine and clarets from France were not in
vogue. and even champagne was but little
affected. The prevailing taste ran to
Madeira, port and sherry, which seem hen
10 have possessed "A quality and a perfume
now understandable.
Mr.. Dayton calls TO mind the fact that in
the third decade of the nineteenth century
dancing was INDUCED in only 10 a moderate
extent in New York. The pastime was
disoountenanced by the Dutch Reformed
Church, and though IL was not condemned
by ~Episcopalians as absolutely improper
the majority even OF these. who had no
desire TO be leotured on immodest levity,
chose to forego participation In dancing.
which consisted at the best only OF a hum
drum ~cotillon and an occasional Spanish
dance" so-called, which would now be
deemed about IA exhilarating as would be
a glass of orgeat to an inveterste topper. In
the circumstances il was to be expected
that bathrooms would be few, and as the
ladies dining room on the second floor
Of the City Hotel was central. and az is
surroundings were eminently respectable.
it was now and then converted into a salon
dr. danse. The decorous assemblages held
there. however, were not denominated balls.
but we're announced a. "publicks," a mis-
homer. for they we're not public in any sense.
the attendance being limited TO the pupils
~ .Inhp ChaHranau1 fhn laaIinn la noinn
master in New York for more than half II
century, and to their parents, who came
partly to watch with pride, but mainly to see
to il that no levity or Irritation occurred.
Il seems that for years Charruaud used this
room for instruction and in fact up TO the
time when he built his celebrated ballroom
on White street. between Church and Chapel
streets. on what was then the very border
Of civilization. This enterprise was con-
sidered AT the time extra hazardous, 40 far
al speculation was concerned. hut the pro-
lessor lived and grew rich in his vocation.
He saw White street and its neighborhood
flourish and decay and his pet assembly
room become IA dogpit where nightly
gathered the scum Of European vagabond-
ism. The main dining room OF the City
Hotel was afterward the scene OF real
DdIIb, OI Ouo eSpSCldny, TIC DtCnclOIs
ball, which was the great social event OF
every season and for many years was given
on the night OF February IL. Ii was a rather
exclusive affair. Tickets cost $40 and were
printed on glazed cardboard from elsbo-
rately en- graved plates. On ono occasion
these plates bore beneath a picture repre-
senting dancing youths and maidens the
oouplet,
The brightest Joys that Life can give.
Terpsichore. are thine,
which created merriment when some critic
called attention to the liberty taken with
the name OF he muse, which properly pro-
nounced would rhyme better with hickory
b with ~.store.' This same dining room
was hired for concert purposes o and
then by European musicians who by some
accident had learned that there we're dol
lars obtainable In New York.
At the time OF which we speak there still
remained In the immediate vicinity Of the
City Hotel a few private residences, though
tho majority Of the buildings had been
changed into shops or stores; as yet there
were but few places OF business worthy
to be designated ~ warehouses. and these
were adjacent to the East River. where
all the ~seagoing chipping Of the port was
moored. For instance. Abraham Bininger
4 Sons. the most extensive retail grocers
In town. occupied . store on the block
above the hotel. not far removed from
which wa the jewelry establishment of
MarquAnd 4 Co., with an Immense gilt
eagle over the door; the book store OF
Edward Long, Milhau's pharmacy. Rush