Year: 1876

70 tee EattOT OF the O6SeTUef :.


The American people who, here


tofore, havenever seemedto hay
time for holidays, and who, for


century, hadnotmore thantwo O


three days in the year besid


Sundays when they could sto
! work without their conscience


pricking them, are now rapid,


growing toward the condition
| of older nations in this regard
| Were any argument necessary


to support this assertion, the


facts in connection with Deco


ration Day would furnish it,


When the 30th of May was Sc


apart for the purpose Indicated


it was rather for a private anC


unostentatious tribute to thC


memory of friends and relations


who fell in the late war. But


with the increasing need of ree-


reation which the nation has


felt, the occasion has beer


nursed and developed into q


regular gala-day, with process


sions, flags, bands Of music and


all the paraphernalia Of public
demonstrations. Of course this
change is more marked in the
older parts of the country and,
probably, most of all here in
New York.


On last Tuesday the celebra-
tion was more snowy and also
more comprehensive than ever
before. The fact of it's being
the Centennial year gave an
opportunity for greater ceremo-
ny than usual, which was i'm
proved by beautifully decorat-
ing the graves of 1872 and even
Of the Reyolution-what few
still remain to us,-by a pro-
fuse display Of bunting and by
a procession to. Greenwood,
which was nearly an hour and
a half in passing a given point.
The colossal bronze statues of
Washington and Lincoln in
Union Square were covered
with eyergreens and flowers,
the Centennial character of the
day being shown by the much
greater attention paid to the
former. Speeches and music
were also given at the same
place, and business throughout
town quite generally suspended.


An occasion of great inter-
est to the curious was the re-
cent funeral of an eccentric Ba-
varian nobleman Baron de Palm,
who died ten days ago at one
of our city hospitals. His body
was embalmed by his order, and
after being kept a week was ta-
ken to Masonic Hall where fu-
neral services were held accord
ing to some ancient pagan ritu-
al by the heather society of
Theosophists to which the de-
ceased belonged and to whom
he left all his property. After
the incense burning and other
weird ceremonies the body was
removed by the society by whom,
it is whispered, it is to be burnt
after the ancient fashion.


The business outlook, ] am
happy to say, shows at last some
points. The re-
cent large trade sale Of 25,000
pieces OF domestic cotton goods
has had a magical effect in
Frightening mp that interest,
and is almost certain, by show
ing that there is a bottom soEe-
where, to react fayorably upon
other branches. IF something
of this sort would turn the eb-
bing tide ever SO little, the re-
turn Of confidence and legiti-
mately good times would be
certain to follow.


1t was the general impression
that A. Z. Stew art had few or
no blood relations, but now
there springs up suddenly from
a whole army of cous-
ins, all hungry for a slice Of
the estate. A lawyer having
been found, equally hungry
with themselves, proceedings
have been Instituted to set aside
the viii on the ground of insan-
:ty Or something else equally
gauzy, and to procure a "new
deal" If these claimants have
no other means Of support than
what they get out of this claim
they bad better step around to
The poor house or insane asylum
at once.


Commodore Wander bilt ispay-
ing one Of the penaIties of
prominence. lowering, as he