Newspaper Page Text
2
BEHIND THE
FOOTLIGHTS.
Reminiscences of Charles Fech
ter and Adelaide Neilson.
A DINNER WITH CHARLES DICKENS
Llvins Like a King and Dying Like a Beg
gar—The Pcerleu Nellsou—Her Marvel
ous Success A Fateful Premonition,
Untimely End of a Gentle Soul.
[Special Correspondence.]
New York, March 9. —When somo
genius in the art of dramatic differen
tiation a couple of generations hence
shall come to write the history of the
stage in this country, full and exact jus
tice will perhaps bo done to tho marvel
ous ability of Charles Fechter, who,
though his triumphs were won princi
pally on the other side of the water,
was nevertheless an American actor in
tho sense that some of the best work of
his career was done in this country, und
his bones rest in a little village in
Pennsylvania.
Tlie Great Feohter.
Fcchtcr was a man of good impulses,
but ho lmd a temper which was really un
controllable. The great actor when suf
fering from one of these frequent ebul
litions was like a crazy man. Ho would
stop at nothing for the moment, but was
STAGE MANAGER VINCENT AT THE AGE OE 85.
always sorry afterward and willing to
repair any mischief he might have done.
Still, to mo ho was a lovable follow.
Beneath liis uncouth exterior there boat
as truo a heart as man ever carried, aud
I must admit that I never suffered from
his violent temper during my connection
with him as tho stage manager of sev
eral of his most important productions.
His greatest fault, which not oven his
warmest admirer could fail to observe,
was his intolerance.
In tho opinion of Feohter, no one who
hold a different view from him on any
matter connected with tho stage was en
titled to tho slightest consideration, and
tho temerity of others in differing from
him was something which was always a
source of genuine surprise to this pecul
iar individual. Those who met Fechter
in tho usual professional way knew prac
tically nothing of tho man’s character,
except perhaps its worst, phases, but in
my intercourse with him—a necessarily
closo one wliilo it lasted—l had tho op
portunity to study him like a book,
which I did, for even his enemies ad
mitted that he was u remarkably inter
esting figure.
It is not generally known how Fechter
was induced to visit this country.
Charles Dickens, who was a warm ad
mirer and personal friend of the great
French actor, had for years been trying
to get him to accept one of tho many
engagements which woro offered fur an
American tour. Fechter, however, for
some reason or other, was under tho im
pression tliat ho would not be so great
a success hero as ho had been in Eng
land, and every offer waS declined. Fi
nally in 1860 Dickens succeeded in in
ducing Fechter to sign a contract to ap
pear iu this country under the manage
ment of Harry Palmer, who was a great
friend of the novelist. I was then the
stage manager for the firm of Jarrett <&
Palmer, aud I was sent over to arrange
tho preliminaries for the productions
which were to be made in this city.
When I arrived in Paris, I hunted up
Mr. Fechter, and ho insisted that, his
opening iu this country should be in
ilio rule of Jules Obenreizcr iu “No
Thoroughfare.” I did not like tho selec
tion, but beyond a few mild protests I
said nothing. I hurried over to London
to see Mr. Dickens, who was as much
opposed to Feehtor’s choice of an open
ing play for America as I lmd been. He
oommuuieated with Ins friend, and it
was finally decided that the first bill in
New York should be Victor Hugo’s ro
mantic drama, “Ruy Bias.” In this
piece Mr. Focliter made his bow to an
American audience at. Niblo’s Garden
in this city Jan. 10, 1870, and scored
an instantaneous triumph. Despite a
few discordant notes from some of the
critics, tho people were delighted—elec
trified.
Dili ins: With Dlcketis.
Apropos of my consultation with Mr.
Dickens concerning Fechter, a descrip
tion of tho great novelist as a host might,
be of interest to the thousands of ad
mirers whom ho won in this country.
Tho fact and result of my visit to Mr.
Fechter had boon reported at Mr. Dick
ens’ newspaper office in Wellington
street, Loudon, mid he invited me to go
to his home at Gad’s Hill, Kent, where
he expected Feohter on a visit. Natural
ly I was not slow to avail myself of this
opportunity. When I reached the place
found, to my great delight, that Tom
Taylor, the author of scores of really
good plays, was also a guest there. A
dinner for three, plain but well served,
lusted from 6 until after 8 o’clock.
■What ’‘ a feast of reason and a flow of
soul” that c 'niii'r was for me! I ate lit
tle or nothing, although I was very bun-
gry after the ride on the train and the
bustle of a busy day in the city.
I shall never forgot that occasion.
These two brilliant men were in high
spirits, and the jests and repartee flew
back and forth with bewildering rapid
ity. What a picturesque figure Dickens
made too! He wore a velvet jacket
bound with gold braid, a waistcoat of
black, bordered with a small gold cord
end ornamented with beautifully em
•ossed flowers, and a watch chain of
liberal proportions. His scarf
el satin was decorated with flowers in
much the same manner as the vest. His
ruddy face, set off by curly hair, with
the stray lock hanging down upon his
Wow, gave him a poetio appearance
which was never conveyed by his por
traits. After the tablecloth had been re
moved I was invited to occupy the his
toric revolving chair, and, snugly en
sconced therein, I listened to the dis
cussion between the two great men as to
the founding of Punch in Vinegar Yard.
I had no idea tha.t tho stories I had
heard of the remarkably humble origin
of tho paper which boasted such a list
of contributors were true, but it seems
they were, “and more, too,” as the
clown says. That night I was assigned
to the formal guest chamber which had
been occupied by scores of famous men.
Naturally I did not sleep, and next
morning I was really sorry when a tele
gram was received from Fechter saying
that he would have to delay his visit to
Dickens for a few days, owing to the
serious illness of his friend, Frederic le
Maitre, the man who, tho French people
like to assert, was the greatest actor the
world ever produced. By the way, I en
joyed the distinction of an introduction
to this wonderful player when I return
ed to Paris a few days later. Ho was
then just passing from the public view,
although still performing at the Porte
St. Martin.
IVculiaritloH of Gening.
I had a taste of Fechter’s stubborn
ness soon after his arrival in New York.
He decided that “Hamlet,” must be the
opening bill, but the managers, who
were paying him $5,000 a week, object
ed, and after a wordy war they carried
their point, and the original plan was
adhered to. “Hamlet” was given as the
last play during his engagement and
was more praised and condemned than
anything tho French actor had previ
ously done.
Feohter illustrated strikingly tho dif
ference iu the methods of preparation
for the stage in France and this coun
try. He painted, danced, boxed, design
ed, fenced, read music at sight, and, in
a word, was adept at all the accomplish
ments which were likely to bo of service
to an actor. His foreign accent was a
drawback to him in this country, but it
was minimized by the man’s great mug
netisin while ho was on tho stage.
I remember how, after the postpone
ment for two nights of one of the plays,
a dress rehearsal was called, und be
cause I had provided artificial instead of
natural grapes for one of the actors to
eat Feohter stopped the proceedings
summarily and declared that nothing
should be done until the real fruit was
provided. And the grapes were got at
an expense of just sl.
It is not. to be wondered at that
Charles Fechter died in poverty. When
he played in New York, his apartments,
at the best hotel in the city, were sump
tuous, and he entertained like an eastern
potentate. Never did a greater spend
thrift. live. He lmd no more idea of the
value of money than a child, aud when
he became poor and retired to a farm in
Pennsylvania there were many of his
warmest admirers who declared that it
would have been better for him had he
never visited America. Critics may dif
fer as to tho exact, place Feohter should
occupy with reference to the other great
actors of recent yeartj, but they will all
agree that the most brilliantly versatile
genius that over came to us from a for
eign shore was this same Charles Fech
ter.
Adminicle Noilnon.
“Stay but u little. 1 will come again.*'
Liman Ai>ei.aidu Lek-Keilson.
This was what that magnetic actress,
Adelaide Neilson, almost invariably
wrote in the autograph albums of the
fiends who pursued her incessantly and
would have made life unbearable to one
with less amiability. The quotation is,
of course, from “Romeo aud Juliet,"
which in her opinion was the grandest
play ever written.
Adelaide had married shortly after
her great success at the Hay market the
ater, London, a Mr. Lee, the sou of a
clergyman, and Jack Ryder, who had
trained the budding genius for the stage,
told me in the cafe of the Haymarkct
one day some of the curious and quaint
remarks which his old pupil had made
about her home life. My brother Felix
I were at the time guests of our old
friend, Ned Sothern, and the little epi
sode occurred after one of the latter’s
performances. Besides our little party
there were present at the time the Prince
of Wales, who was then known general
ly as “Mr. Bertie;” Sothern, Buckstone,
Ryder, Chevalier Wyekoff, Lord South
ampton, Lord Rosebery, the present
earl, and two or three others.
The conversation had drifted to Ade
laide Neilson, aud Ryder said: “Why.
she calls her husband ‘the pink of man
ly babyhood. He is so tender, ’ she says,
‘that. 1 am afraid that he will melt in
my presence some day. His good heart
and Dolly Spanker ways make me think
that Dion tiouoicuult had a type of Lee
in his mind’s eye when he wrote “Lon
don Assurance.” ' ”
Miss Neilson was a lovable creature,
lmd there never was an actress iu Amer
ica or England who attained greater
popularity. Her supposed gypsy ante
cedents were noticeable in many little
ways. She was excessively superstitious.
Ou one occasion while she was playing
Booth’s theater I received from Mr. Ab
bey, for temporary storage, a large mir
ror. I directed the carpenters to put it
iu the office. Iu so doing they contrived
to drop it, and it was smashed into a
thousiuid pieces. An hour later Ade
laide’s picture was blown from its fas
• tcuiugs in front of the theater aud bro-
THE TIMES: BRUNSWICK, GA., MARCH 14, 1897.
ken into smithereens. That same even
ing an ivory backed mirror presented to
Miss Neilson by the Countess of War
wick years before slipped from her hi Ad
in her dressing room and was ruined.
Turning to me, tho actress observed
with an expression closely approaching
terror: “Fate, fate, Vincent! Something
is going to happen. ”
Her Untimely End.
Later in the week, during a perform
ance of “Twelfth Night, ” at the request
tf Oakes Ames, second, one of the pro
prietors of the theater, she consented to
have his daughter presented to her. Iu
the course of conversation, without any
warning, Miss Neilson fell backward
into my arms. It was generally given
out at the time that it was a faintiug
fit, but I and many others knew better.
I got some alcohol from the gus man’s
torch and applied it to the region of t.ho
heart. After vigorous rubbings and a
glass of wine Miss Neilson was restored
sufficiently to be enabled to finish the
performance. When she was preparing
to go home that evening, she observed
to me: “Fate again. A repetition of
that attack will some day kill mo.”
And, sure enough, it did. Oue day she
was driving iu the Bois de Boulogne,
Paris, when a similar fainting away
rendered her unconscious. The physi
cians treated her for a swoon instead of
heart failure, and the career of this
beautiful and talented actress was at
an end.
Miss Neilson was as accessible as the
most bumble person in the world. I re
member thut I was breakfasting with
her when an old man was ushered in.
He presented a portrait of herself which
he had painted and wished her to accept.
She took it most graciously, compli
mented him highly, aud then, after a
few pleasant words about lack of appre
ciation of artistic ability, took out a
checkbook, and calling a boy sent him
to the office for the amount, SIOO, for
which she had written it. This she put
into an envelope, with her signature and
a sentiment on a card, and handed all
to the artist, who little suspected that
the package contained aught of value.
It used to amuse me when Miss Neil
son called for Tommy Sheridan, a car
penter at Booth’s theater, to “tuck her
up” in tho tomb scene when she played
Juliet. Tommy was very painstaking in
his work, for which he always received
a present of $2. She would not allow
any one else to do this. I mentioned
that fact one evening at the Manhattan
club, and Leonard Jerome aud Wright
Sunford promptly inquired whether I
did not want some volunteers.
Miss Neilson was another of the many
generous souls of the stage. At the con
clusion of an engagement at a theater
she would present a check to every one
connected with the stage, from tho high
est to the lowest. I have still a valuablo
malacca walking cane for which she
paid $(55, and after having it suitably
inscribed presented to mo.
Adelaide Neilson was excessively
gentle, but she was one of tho best busi
ness women that ever lived. At her
death she was possessed of a considerable
fortune, most of which, I believe, she
bequeathed to a British admiral to
whom she was reported to have been
betrothed at the time. Some estimates
placed the value of her estate at about
$850,000, She probably made money
more rapidly and consistently than any
foreign player who ever came to this
country. L. John Vincent.
NIAGARA IN WINTER.
No Ice Ilririge This Year—Planning a Dig
Hotel.
[Special Correspondence.]
Niagara Falls, March 9.—They say
Hoyt’s comic song, with its refrain of
“I’ll never go there any more,” did an
immense amount of damage to business
ou the Bowery in New York. In the
same way a catch phrase has done Ni
agara Falls incalculable harm. “As
great a thief as a Niagara Falls hack
man” has been quoted so often that peo
ple who plan to visit the falls are often
deterred from staying more than a day,
or possibly a few hours, between trains.
Travel iu this direction is just as great.
Niagara is as much a Mecca for the
tourist as ever. But it is no longer a
summer resort, aud this is in spite of
the fact that tho village has done much
to redeem itself from the bad name
which it gained many years ago. There
are honest hackiuen in Niagara now.
But in these days the principal travel to
Niagara is the excursion business. Tho
New York Central had to run its trains
in two or three sections on tho Saturday
before Washington’s birthday, and every
car was packed. These excursions are a
boon to the people of tho village in win
ter. They are all that make business for
the place, and since the ice bridge failed
to form this year there lias been noth
ing but the unfailing attraction of the
falling water to draw excursionists here.
It takes a long cold snap to form the
ice bridge over the falls. Two or three
times this winter it has begun to form,
but each time a warm spell has rotted
the ice, and it has been washed over the
falls aud down the gorge. Ouce or twice
the dashing spray has frozen on the is
land trees aud made a beautiful spec
tacle. But altogether the winter has
been far from lively here.
The opening up of the electric power
works and the starting of many new in
dustries promise to give new life to the
place within a few years, however. It
may not become what it once was—the
summer resort of rich, old southern
families. The southern families which
are old are not rich now, and those
which are rich are not old. But it may
be made more attractive as a general re
sort for tourists. Already there is talk
of a great big hotel, one that will rival
the Florida hotels in size and beauty.
The suggestion that the falls become an
American Monte Carlo has-
“but it has not meUwitfTmuch eneourage
rnent. Since Saratoga became virtuous.
Long Branch is the only gambling place
in the north, and there is a demand for
more of them. But gambling brings
only a temporary prosperity to a resort,
and it loses more than it gains.
Grant Hamilton.
LACK OF “LEARNING.”
PRESIDENTS WHO WERE NOT EDU
CATED IN SCHOOLS.
Andrew Jackson Could Not Spell Cor
rectly—Few Presidents Have Been Col
lege Bred, but All Were Well Informed.
The PrcHident’s Bible.
[Special Correspondence.]
Washington, March 9.—A writer on
oratory recently called attention to tho
fact that Garfield was the best educated
of the presidents. Now that we have a
new president, the statement still holds
good. But I don’t believe Garfield was
any better informed than President Mc-
Kinley. Few of our presidents have been
college bred, though almost all have
been men of good education. Andrew
Jackson was illiterate—almost as illit
erate as he was positive—and thereby
hangs a tale which has come down to
me from one old department clerk
through another. It hinges on the fact
that the president in early days not only
signed land patents, but passed on the
accounts of officers in the consular serv
ice.
Susceptible to Change.
This old clerk, whose name was Mus
tin, had charge of tho accounts of the
consular officers. To him came one day
a consul who had arrived in the morning
and was anxious to get away from Wash
ington on the afternoon of the same
day. He had his accounts made up, and
he handed them to Mustin, with the
statement that the president had seen
them and said they were all right. There
was no indorsement, on them, and Mr.
Mustin declined to audit and pass them
to the treasurer until the president’s
name was written across the batik. The
consul hurried to the White House,
much annoyed. Apparently the presi
dent was quite as much put out by the
necessity of handling so much red tape,
for he wrote across the back of tho ac
count: “Correct. Andrew Jackson. Let
this fiat be obeyed. ” But unfortunately
he wrote fiat with an “o” instead of an
“a,” so the injunction lost much of its
dignity and force. The “fiot” of An
drew Jackson is on the files of the treas
ury department to this day.
Mustin was hardly more than a pen
sioner toward the close of the war. He
came to the office every day, but he did
very little work. Ho had positive opin
ions on politics though, and he was a
strong Lincoln man. It happened that
most of the people in the office with
him were opposed to Lincoln’s renomi
natiou, and one of them, taking the old
man aside, said: “I wouldn’t be so pos
foil
iljpf j
MRS. M’KINLEY ACCEPTING THE BIBLE.
itive in my expressions of opinion if I
were you, Mr. Mustin. The administra
tion may change, you know. ’ ’
“It can’t change any quicker than I
can,” said the old gentleman cheerfully.
Fortunately he was not compelled to
change, but no doubt he could have
adapted his political views to any emer
gency. That has been the way of his
kind.
The supreme court people were much
amused when the present Kansas state
government took office to read that the
new state officers objected to being
sworn in by the old method of kissing
the Bible because thtjy believed the cus
tom spreads disease through disease
germs transmitted from oue person to
the book and from the book to the next
person whose lips touch it. The disoaso
germ has become a bugaboo in medical
circles, and every time some oue has
blood poisoning from contact with a
roller towel or with paper money—like
the bookmaker iu New York who died
because of the habit of holding money in
his month—the germ is brought out and
paraded for public entertainment.
The Prosidfint’s Bible.
Usually the book used at the inaugu
ration of a president has been one pur
chased for the occasion by Clerk Me-
Kenny of the supreme court. Mr. Mc-
Kenny is a figure in the inauguration
ceremony, though a modest oue. He
hands to the chief justice of the supreme
court at the proper moment the Bible on
which the president elect is to take the
oath of office. Mr. McKenny talks inter
estingly about the Bibles on which the
presidents have taken the oath. He lias
officiated at every inauguration since
that of General Grant. He was not clerk
of the court at. the time of Hayes’ in
auguration, but he was selected to pres
ent the Bible on which Mr. Hayes was
sworn in to Mrs. Hayes in accordance
with the invariable custom to present
the volume to some member of the pres
ident's family as a souvenir.
Mr. McKenny presented the Bible tc
Mrs. Huycs in oue of the parlors of the
White House. As was customary, lie
had marked as the president's lips
touched the book the page aud the pas
sage. Mrs. Hayes, when he told bei
this, sail!. "I Inin.- Mr
lie kind enough to read the verses
aloud. ’ Several members of the presi
dent’s family were present. Mr. Mo-
Kenuy opened the book at the place he
had marked and read, “And they op
press me—yea, they persecute me—but
in tho name of the Almighty God will 1
destroy them. ” Mrs. Hayes smiled and
said: “Oh, no! I don't believe that any
body will be destroyed.” Then she took
the Bible, asking Mr. McKenny to con
vey to Mr. Middleton, the clerk of tho
court, whom he represented, her warm
est thanks.
The Bible on which President Elect
Grant took tho oath was presented to
Mrs. Grant. The Garfield Bible was
presented to Mrs. Garfield by Mrs. Mc-
Kenny March 5, 1881. The Arthur Bi
ble was presented to Miss Nellie Arthur.
Up to the time of the first inaugura
tion of Mr. Cleveland it had been the
custom of the clerk of the supremo court
from time without record to buy anew
Bible for the inauguration. Mr. Mc-
Kenny bought a Bible for the Cleveland
inauguration. It was a large octavo,
morocco bound, and it came wrapped iu
tissue and incased in a stout pasteboard
box. There was no chance of germs or
microbes getniug at its pages. Therefore
it was not for sanitary reasons that the
president elect refused to use it. Mr.
Cleveland is not credited with being a
sentimental man, but ho has a vein of
sentiment in him, and it came to the
surface when he sent word to Clerk Mo-
Kequy that he wanted to take the oath
on a shabby little Bible which his moth
er had given him when he started out to
shape his own career. Mr. McKenny is
a bit of a sentimentalist himself. So
when President Elect Harrison was to
be sworn iu he would not use the Bible
he had bought for the Cleveland inaugu
ration, but purchased a brand new book,
leaving the Cleveland Bible to become
one of the relics of the supreme court
files. President McKinley was sworn in,
as you know, on a Bible which was the
gift of tho African M. E. church.
The; Fertile Promoter.
The new secretary of war, General
Alger, told me the other day that he
had lost $45,000 within the last year
through the unfortunate investments of
a man whose business he capitalized. If
General Alger is disposed to use his
money as freely for the relief of indigent
congressmen who have “sure things”
needing a little capital, he will find op
portunities enough. Washington is ope
of the best fields for the promoter in the
whole United States. Senators and
members of the house who are impecu
nious have no conscience about going to
their wealthier colleagues and asking
them to subscribe to the stock of ven
tures in which they are interested. The
people they have “struck” most often
are Brice of Ohio and Cameron of Penn
sylvania, and there was a wail from the
poverty stricken when these two “good
things” left congress on the 4th of
March. Next to these two rich eastern
ers the wealthy Californians have been
visited by the promoters most frequent
ly. Men like Stewart and Jones of Ne
vada are known as good speculators.
Stewart is not a “producer,” although
he is always ready to go into anything
involving a risk.
Some time ago a member of the house
was trying to get capital to establish a
factory to make anew explosive. This
sort of thing appeals to men in congress
because they know the government can
be persuaded to buy large quantities of
an explosive if it is good and their in
fluence with the appropriations commit
tees of congress will be of great value
in getting the matter through. The ex
plosive in which the Massachusetts man
was interested was very remarkable, to
judgo from the tests made, and the
member had little difficulty in interest
ing a number of capitalists iu it. To
ward the end of the session of congress
he called on one of the California sena
tors and urged him to subscribe for some
stock. He commended the explosive es
pecially for use in mines.
“I’m not a practical miner, ” said tlie
senator, ‘ ‘but here are two members of
the bouse, B. and C., who are. Perhaps
you can interest them.”
How It Worked.
The two members, who were sitting
at the other side of the room, were called
over, and the virtues of tho explosive
were explained to them.
“If it will do all you claim for it,”
said C., “I will not only subscribe, but
work up an interest for you in Califor
nia. But I want to ask about one thing.
Many of these explosives have been in
vented. All of them go off with a great
noise aud display enormous force. But
the difficulty with all of them is this: In
exploding they create a gas which is
dangerous to life, and this gas so fills
the mine that work has to be suspended,
sometimes for a day or two, until the
gas can be pumped out. ’ ’
“That is all right,” said D., who had
the explosive in charge. ‘‘l inhale the
gas from this explosive every day.”
And to prove what he said he put some
of the explosive ou the register in the
floor, and leaning over seemed to inhale
the fumes.
“Let me inhale it, ” said C. More of
tho explosive was put on tho register,
aud C. took a good lungful.
“It seems harmless,” he said. There
upon an appointment was made for the
following morning.
Toward noon of the following day C.
came into the office of the senator. His
face was yellow, his hands shook, his
legs gave way under him at every third
step.
“Can you tell me what happened yes
terday?” he said to the senator’s clerk.
“I have a dim recollection of being here,
but I remember nothing else except my
dreams. My wife tells me I have been
out of my head, and I have seen the
most wonderful things I ever saw in my
life. What happened? Did I have a
fight? Did any one hit me on the head?’ ’
“Well, I can’t remember that any
thing like that happened,” said the
clerk. “You were here with B. aud D.
of Massachusetts, and D. showed you
an explosive. I believe you botli iuhaled
some of it. ”
i.fiy.rrrrp dVv
ing a war dance around the room. “It
"was that explosive. Where is D. ’-"Wirere ■
can I lay my hands on him? I’ll skin
him alive!”
Fortunately D. did not keep the en
gagement, so his skin is still intact. C.
is back in California, but he is not or
ganiziug a company to exploit the D.
explosive.
George Grantham Bain.
NEW SITING STYLES.
JACKETS AND WRAPS THAT MEET
WITH FAVOR.
Great Latitude of Collars —A Stylish Gown
of Brown Cashmere—The Brilliant ami
Sonl Trying Purple—Early Spring Gar
ments Described.
[Special Correspondence ]
New York, March 9. —While some of
the new things mime and provided for
this spring are silly and entirely too
elaborate, there are still some things
that are as solidly sensible as any one
could wish, and among them one may
mention some of the wraps. Oue now
style is of thick bouretted cheviot and is
made in the shape of an ulster, falling
from throat to feet iu one unbroken line
in front. The back is shaped to the fig
ure. There are no sleeves, but a sort of
half cape sewed in at the shoulder and
falling over the arms. Square faucy jet
§
BP
7^
11
or carved bone buttons are placed in a
double row upon the front, making it
double breasted. Neat revers and flat
collar are faced with silk and further
ornamented with looped ornaments in
heavy cord. If the coat is for everyday,
marketing or common wear, it is not
silk lined throughout. But if for steam
er traveling, or for a sort of “surtout”
—ldo not dare call it “overall, ” its
real name, for fear of excluding it from
the art galleries, or at least one of them
—it should be lined with silk of a good,
solid quality. It is a most excellent, use
ful aud even elegant wrap.
Next to that in point, of stylo comes
the new “mantle jacket.” This in the
model was of very thick ribbed velours
in a plum so dark that it looked black in
somo lights. There is a tight jacket
laid in a hollow plait at the back seam,
where there were two rows of black as
trakhan from top to bottom and a strap
of the same across the plait. Two rows
of tho fur also were put down tho front,
which fastened invisibly.
There is great latitude permitted in
the shape of collars. Somo of the oliok
ers have flat collars sewed to their tops,
which stand out straight all around.
Somo of these are wide, some narrow,
some are rounded, others pointed, some
slashed, and others again are made into
tabs. Some are half way around, somo
all tho way. Somo stand up in valois,
Mario Stuart or medici style, and somo
are cut in Vandykes and scallops.
Wliilo brown is not the only fashion
able color, it is a very popular one this
spring, most particularly in tho warm
wood and nut shades; also the tobacco
and seal. All except the tobacco, but
ternut and seal have a definite tint of
red in somewhere. Oue very odd but
stylish gown of brown cashmere double
was of a deep mahogany shade. Around
the bottom of the skirt was a band of
black grosgraiit ribbon, with a row of
very heavy mohair braid at tho upper
edge. The waist is almost indescribable.
First was a wide black grosgrain belt
and then a brick red vest, reaching only
to the upper edge of the belt. This vest
fastened with little gold buttons over
another vest of maize taffeta, with a
stock of the same. Then there was a
short jacket of black, white and gray
louisine check silk, unlined. This had a
plaited frill at tlie neck, stiffened and
bound with the brick red silk. Over all
this was a bolero of the cashmere, trim
med with the thick mohair braid. Tlie
sleeves were trimmed at the wrists quite
as elaborately. The whole made a very
pretty gowu.
The brilliant' and soul trying raw
purple is no longer sold exclusively to
the Italian and German women of tho
uneducated class, for one sees the most
/ INOOWNjT
glaring purples and greens, and often
reds, put together in the best houses.
One novel idea was found in a black
armuro silk with a bright purple over
skirt, cut in a sort of tablier front, it
being slanted upward at the back, to let
tlie full skirt breadths fall over it. The
purple was of ribbed silk and had a
wide bias band all around it. The waist
was made of the black, and so wore the
sleeves and the swiss ■ -
brought down the front
on each side, reaching under the belt
and to a point in the center of Ike-hack—
A saving grace was in. the plaited ivory
colored frill at the neck. A puffed muff
of black.silk was carried with this, and
at each end was a frill of the silk mull,
bound at the edge with* narrow black
velvet ribbon. Such are some of the
early spring garments.
Olive Harper.