The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-19
Stray Topics From New York
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 New York, April 1s--(speciall- Greatly to the regret of the oioer generation of New Workers the lower half of Manhatten is rapidly giving away to the demands of the present day commercialism. One by one the old homes are being torn down to make room for business houses, and the famous old landmarks are being cleared away and gigantic skyscrapers erected on their sites.
 Comparatively few years ago, Four teenth Street was considered one or the uptown sections of the city, and now 1t is designated as being downtown and i25th Street presents all the nus tie and hustle of the first named thor ouehfare fifteen years ago. The rapid changes that are taking place were strikingly brought home to old Man hattanites the other day when the famous Fifth Avenue Hotel and the Sinclair House closed their. doors. Those were two of the most noteo hostelries in New York.
 The Fifth Avenue Hotel was promi- nent for years as being the Repubh- can headauarters, where Senator Platt and Boss" Odell ruled with high mana the political destinies of the Empire State and so accustomed were their adherents to accept their dictates that the spot where they gathered became known as the Amen Corner. The Sin- clair House, at the corner Of Eignth Street and Broadway. was even older than the Fifth Avenue, part of the former being built before 17s7.
 In recent years this hotel was run by a Mrs. Ashman. who was one of the old time hotel keepers. Every Tall, aground Thanksgiving time, she would go to the kitchen and superintend the making of a large quantity of mince meat. As a result the hotel was famous for its old-fashioned mince pies.
 Andrew Carnegie. the millionaire steel magnate, counted his chickens be- fore they were matched. with the result that a modern version of the old riddle about Humpty Dumpty and all the kings horses and al the: kings men. can be applied. as far as eggs are concerned, to the ineffective wealth of New York's multi-millionaire.
 It all happened when MT. Carnegie asked his valet who was returning from Scotland to bring back with him a dozen and a half of guaranteed black Minorca eggs. The steel king is anxious to raise some Scotch bred black Minorca hens which he believes are the best layers in the world. The big ship. however. on which the eggs were brought was so tossed about that the eggs were badly shaken up, and 1t Is the opinion of poultry experts that they won't hatch even under the downy warmth of one of the millionaire's breeding hens.
 The model for St Gauden's beautiful figure of Diana which twirls on her big right toe on the gilded ball at the top of the Madison Square Garden tower is today a scrub lady" at the Hotel Plaza.
 She no longer has that litheness of limb and delicate waist which caught the eye of the famous sculptor and led him to reproduce her in bronze. It was twenty years ago that her proto- type in bronze was first unveiled to the clements, and the intervening years have robbed her of all of her former classic outlines,
 Only to very few does she confide her sad history and only occasionally does she visit Madison Square to view the image of her former self. There is a show on Broadway in the theatre district that takes one back to the old home on the farm, or at least to the little village clustered among the hills way down east.
 The attention of the passerby is at tracted by Ioud-Volced parker Who promises to show all the wonders of nature for the small sum of ten cents. Glaring posters. In many colors, show pictures of the smallest horse in cap tivity as well as the largest, the COW l with human skin and the smallest monkey in the world.
 | Cautious and economical New York CTS do not enter. for they recall a similar show that advertised a horse with his tail where his head ought to be, and upon entering found horse with his tail on the manager. New Workers are awaiting with eager interest the outcome of the suit