Brooklyn Life from Brooklyn, New York • Page 21

1 28 BROOKLYN LIFE. Other national celebrations will be given by various American societies. The Architects' Club, Association of American Art Students and University Dinner clubs all announce special banquets. Even the restaurants now strive to cater to the American taste by placarding special Thank sgiving menus, including pumpkin pie and 4 plum pudding," to the great mystification of all French passers-by. Marie Champney.

Paris, November 23, 1897. i tJT FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. PARIS for the moment is music mad. With the advent of the Russian regimental band, the successful introduction of Die Meister-singer" at the Opera, and the openings of the popular Colonne and Lamoureux concerts, all other interests are swamped. I must confess, however, that Preobrazhensky's famous band was a great disappointment to me so far as the perfection of its music was concerned, and had it not been for the interesting Russian figures and instruments seen at the concert, and the really thrilling enthusiasm at its close over the "Marseillaise 'and the Russian national hymn, I should have regretted the time spent in the crowded opera house.

Perhaps my lack of appreciation of these came from the contrast of their clanging marches with the finished program which I heard so exquisitely given the Thursday previous at the Colonne concert. Here one enjoys every moment. The choice selection of ancient and modern music is rendered with perfect skill and sentiment. Never have I seen so sensitive and graceful a leader as Colonne, whose splendid conducting Of these concerts and whose intelligent variation of hislpro- grams insures him life-long popularity. A delightful custom at these concerts is the reading of short sketches on the life of each composer just before the rendition of a number.

Monsieur Rameau, of the Odeon theaters, delivers these explanatory notes, which are written by Monsieur Charles Malherbe.the distinguished 'record keeper of the French archives. Mademoiselle Chanoin will not be allowed to practise at the French bar. This lengthy controversy is now settled, and in spite of the fact that she has passed all her law examinations the conservative French deny her any active career. The first chamber of the Court of Appeals, to which she sent her application, rejected it on the ground of tradition. Last Saturday afternoon Mrs.

B. F. Tevis, of the American colony, entertained a large number of friends in honor of Princess Ruspoli (Mrs. Riggs). Her artistic gown of black brocade was most effectively trimmed with mauve, which harmonized most exquisitely with the dress of claret velvet worn by her daughter, Madam Goujet, who assisted in receiving.

Among those present I noticed Mrs. Horace Porter, wife of the United States Ambassador; Mrs. Lardner, Mis. Graham Sanford, Mr. and Mrs.

Van Hemert, Comtesse de Fandvas, Mrs. Karrich Riggs, Mrs. Tuck, Mrs. Pratt, Mrs. Perkins, Mrs.

Payson, Mrs. Dortic, Mrs. Charles Perkins, Mrs. General Winslow, Mrs. Henry Drake, Miss.

Stanley, Miss Katharine de Forest and Mrs. Sebastian Schlesinger. The Palais Glace has opened with some brilliant skating feats performed by two Americans, G. A. Meagher, of Canada, and Louis Wilkins, of St.

Paul, whose height of eight feet two inches is the marvel of all the little French dandies. Amid soft lights from pink lanterns these graceful skaters cut maltese crosses and other different figures backwards and forwards every afternoon and evening. La Loie Fuller is immensely popular here. Her six hundredth performance was celebrated last week with a gala soiree'. Thanksgiving afternoon will introduce to Parisians, tnirdbih dictu, a' new sensation.

This long sought emotion will take the form of an Ameri- can game of football played by real, live American savages on the grounds owned by the Racing Club of France at Clichy-Leva Nois. Young French sportsmen are very enthusiastic over the match, and the promoter of the scheme, Robert D. Farquhar, is sanguine enough to believe that it will introduce the game in France, and eventually cause the downfall of the Association Rugby game now universally prevalent. The teams are to consist of ex-college players now in Paris. The final line up has not yet been decided upon, but will probably be as follows: Robert Farquhar, Harvard, '94, quarterback and captain; J.

H. Hunt, Harvard, '93, center; H. G. Acken, Columbia, '94, left guard; C. M.

Gay, Harvard, '93, right tackle; S. L. Pitts, Harvard, '97, left end; E. F. Champney, Harvard, '96, right end; J.

H. Parker, Harvard, '93, right halfback; Howard Greenly, Trinity, '94, left halfback; Richmond Fearing, Harvard, '93, fullback; John S. Humphreys, Technology, '95, quarterback and captain; Pulsifer, Columbia, '91, right guard; Paul Davis, left guard; Dodge, Harvard, '93, right tackle; K. H. Murchison, Columbia, 94, left tackle; J.

H. Lee, Yale, '95, right end; H. B. Hartshorn, New York, left end; Huntington Bosworth, Yale, '97, right halfback; Arthur Brown, University of California, '96, left halfback, and J. P.

Bakewell, University of California, '95, fullback. There will be no grand stands ru'tH Parties nf Americans, however, are already beinp-orp-anized to AS an answer to more than one inquiry concerning the chances for playing hockey of anyone who might join the Skating Club of Brooklyn with that object in view, I am glad to publish the following communication from the esteemed captain of the club's hockey team December 4, 1897. Brooklyn Life Publishing Co. Gentlemen Inasmuch as your paper took violent exception last year to the manner in which the captain of the hockey team representing the above club was appointed, although under the conditions there was no other possible way for the office to be filled, except by appointment by the governing board of the club, it may please you to know that this year's captain was elected unanimously by the members of last year's team. This season we will have a first and second team, and positions on either are always open to any member who can prove, not to the captain's satisfaction alone, that he is deserving of a place.

Very truly yours, Howard Drakeley, Captain. I CERTAINLY am pleased to hear that Mr. Drakeley was unanimously elected captain by the players this year. Barring Mr. James Garvin, who would probably have declined the position, there is doubtless no available man better qualified for it.

The only personal objection against Mr. Drakeley's election last year was the fact that he was an entire novice at the game, and with the best capabilities as a leader such a disadvantage would be fatal. On the other hand, I must take exception to his statement that the only way possible to select a captain last year was by arbitrary appointment from the governing board. At the time Mr. Drakeley was appointed captain there were twenty or thirty men practising, and these men were naturally the ones chiefly interested in the choice of a captain, and best qualified to make a wise one.

Fairness and justice would have dictated that these men should at least have been consulted before the appointment was made. As it was they were not only ignored in this matter, but afterwards. The teams were hurriedly organized before any adequate test or the respective candidates' merits had been furnished, and without explanation or a word of thanks or encouragement all the men who had appeare promptly on the practise nights and worked faithfully, but were not picked for the Crescent or Skating Club teams, were turned down, their interest alienated, and the team deprived of a reserve force and moral backing which might have served it well. this is all in the dead past. Considering the circumstance, Mr.

Drakeley did well with his team last year, and with the experience then acquired and a better pick of players, the effectiveness of the team should be doubled. I shall certainly hope to see Brooklyn well represented in the league this year, and commend the plan of organizing a second team. IT would appear from London Truth that our English cousins actually outdo us in the matter of making innovations in golfing competition, and consequently in the superabundance of prizes offered. It seems that prizes are actually awarded for such inadequate achievements as the best nine holes, and that the veriest duffer is not left out of the counting. My esteemed contemporary, Golf, calls the Truth writer hypercritical, and while admitting that the subject deserves serious attention, points as a counter consideration to the generosity of the gentlemen who donate these trophies.

This, to be sure, is fair enough to the latter, but under the circumstances I can scarcely consider the Truth writer hypercritical, or his statements more than an impartial observer can agree with. The worst feature of this liberal distribution of prizes is the subordination it implies of the true game of golf, to wit, match play to medal play, a mere device of modern origin for the purpose of disposing quickly of a large field of entries. Medal play handicaps in moderation are of course desirable, but their all too frequent occurrence, especially in club competition between members, tends to encourage mug hunting, and the idea that the object of golf is to get a net score for the round of a course which "nobody else can is likely to cut "under instead of which the object of a player should be to defeat a given opponent. Every golfer knows that good luck enters largely into the result of any medal play handicap, and that the most creditable performance is frequently unrewarded. At pres- witness the game seated upon the steamer rugs they will valiantly carry to the field.

Probably there will be several coaches besides, and with good weather we shall rouse enough enthusiasm to quench our homesick feelings and teach the French the true delights of a jolly Thanksgiving Day. 1.