Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, April 14, 1889, Page 12

THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: SUNDAY APRIL 14, 1389, ~SIXTEEN PAGES. - 9 12 A Will continue to strive for further patronoge, and in exchange for your dollars, give you more and better value than any other house in the west. EASTER OFFERINGS IN ALL DEPARTMENTS. This week will be Barr's Colored Silk Department. Our Easter offering in this de undoubtedly the feature of the <eas0 5 Wo open Monday [0 pieces ot Fancy China Silk, special fmporiation, new designs, new colorings. We place them_on_our silk counter ; reguiar value $1 and 8125, Faille Francaise, 23 different new spring colors, 81,2 yard, we offer at 1. 3 pleces spring welglt Gros Graln at 75 regular price 8. Ve fnvite early inspection as the above silks are rare bargains, Barr's Black Silk Department, In Black Silks our Easter offerings will sur- Jusy any bargains ever offered to_ tho ladies of Omaha. Road Carefully. 2-inch pure silk Gros Graln, 65 value We. Z-inch Armure Rovale, ffc; very chean at 31 22{nch Gros de Royale, $1.25; @ bargamnat i1, f-{nch Surah SIIK at f5¢; reguiar prico 85 . A large assortment of Plain Black, China and Surah now in stock At our Usual Low Price: _—_— Barr's Cloak Department. Barr's Cloak Department is filled to over- flowing with an elegant ussortment of Spring Wi Jackets and Novelties, ivery Iady should have anew wrap for Easter and she will find BARR'S STOCK COMPLETE. Imported “Directoire’ Jackets aud Cutaway Coats from #10 to Walking Jacke ¢ length, something new, 1n colors and black, $10. Black Corkscrew, Serge. Diagonal Broadcloth Jackets from #4,60 to £20. ‘An_elezant assortment of Fancy Lace and 8iik Wraps from 30 to $0. B ——— Barr’s Underwear Department, Barr's_carry the most complete stock of Ladies’ Muslin and Cambric Underwear in the o 50 Infants’ Dressos, lobes and Under- Note our Prices. sterling and fes' Muslin and Cambric Drawers from 25 to 8. Muslin Ludle: from 25 to #h. Ladies' Muslin value, - Ladies' and Colored Skirts from 7se to ! e——————————————————— Barr's Shawl Department. Barr's Shawl Department {8 now more com- pleto than ever, as we have just received a mag. nificent assortment of Evening, Opera and Fancy Shawls, ranging in price from &1.50 to 25, W carry at all times a complete stock of Chale's Biack Cashmere Shawls, the finest made, £rom 13,70 to 818, 3 A Biack Embroidered “Visites” from 8250 to and Cambric Corset Covers Muslin Lest Night Dresses, 60c. Special | {Barr's Wash Fahric Department. rd Satteens from Scheurer were received this week, Barr's Dress Goods Depertment Ts now prepated to offer for Easter all the lat and most recherche novelties o both foreign and domestic woolen materinls fo spring and summnier wear, 40 p! i-Inch Halt Wool Challies at 20c pe yar y £00ds for Euster offerings, #) French Combination Suits at $15 ench; Bor. der effects, Paris Novelty Suits at 823 each; our own importation. NO TWO ALIKE Bar's Lining Department, We raspect fully call the attention of the dress. mukers of Omaha to our COMPLETE RI- MENT OF EVERYTHING requisite for the lin. ing of a dres Look at our Fast Black Super Sutin waist lining, our Manchoster Warps, Satteen Silicias, Percaiines, Sicilians, Oxford Bolton and Lonsdale Silicins. Our litie of colors 15 un excelled, Barr's Glove Department, We w this special department. for i Dressed and Undressad Gloyes, with the Iatest stitchin We also keep & varl the latest styles. They #1.50 and 82, All Cloves Kept in Repair Free of Charge. nge in price from $1'2 Barr's Ribhon Department, Ribbons for Easter, in all the newest shadas. f-inch Moire Sash with satin wdge, #1.: yard. eve 16 at 27¢ per yard Ribbons at 10c cand Our imported Foul Rott & Cle, Fran and are without doubt the finest goods shown. D priate for Easter. et Special. pretty for Children’s Dreases. Glo—i2inch Lace Strips Zephyr Ginghams, worth 45c. oo —53-inch French Penan g3, imported by us and guaranteed fast colors. ‘The ONLY line in ———————————————————————— urah for ———— M to call the attention of the ladies to Ladies wishing Gloves taster will find all the latest shades in of Gauntlet Gloves, in 2, We have received a splendid assortment of por All 8llk Gros Grain Satin Edge Ribbon, in width and shade, No, 5, e per yard; No. | igns and coloriugs are very appro- 22-inch Fancy Zephyr Ginghams, very made _noml)lc by l]w: most magnificent display of MILLINERY ever shown in Omaha. Hats and Bonnets early in the week will avoid the great rush of Friday and Saturday before Easter. -| Our stock ot Parasols is now complete, and 1 | we are ready to offer all the latest noveltios in t | Ladies’ and” Children's Parasols. Children's Parasols at ¢, s0c and 85c; also t | Faney Checks at §1, 40 dozen Sun Umbrellas, gold top, at #1.25 conts, bo « | ench, © Ladies' Parasols $1.60, %2, #2.75, #3.00 and up- n | wards, Barr’s Hosiery Department. Durlng the week, in our Hosfery Department, .| we offer many desirable goods switable for | Easter gifts, We would call specfal attontlon to our im. mense stock of noveities in French Lisle Thread Sik Plated and Pure Silk Hose, at prices which @ defy competition. 1 Note a few specials for Easter Week. - ! A new and elegant line Thread Hose, in fancy stripes aud boot patterns, also stainless fast black, Easter pr Our latest Parisian noveity in Ladies’ Hoso 15 A black silk plated boot, with ecru_lisle thread top, which we offer during Easter week at 77c pair, A ‘beautiful line of Lisle Thread Jersey I ting Vests, low neck and sle ecru. pink'and blue. Easter pri ——————— Barr's Art Department, We have just received all the latest novelties in Easter Greetings, also a full line of materials for art needle work. We call special attention this week to our extremely low prives on the | following article Silk Tasse Filling 81l And any We cordially ment. Bar’s White Goods Department, For Baster we offer three snecial values which will show that we have the latest and finest dozen. o do n st d for half price. invite ou to visit this depart- {The prettiest varloty of Brocnded Gauze Neck line fu tho clty Just received a line of Sheer Mull Plaids, inenes, 10c. 40-inh India_Linon, extraordinary valu Ji-inch Sheer Mull Plaids, colorea effe K, blue and red, 1 We' invite fnvestigation of onr Stli Mulls, French , Colored Effects, Indian Dimities, Apron Goods, c., &¢. IR Barr's Black Goods Dapartment Is supolied with the best goods and latest™ styles in the market. Some late novelties tn Stripes and Checks av 40-inch All Wool Henrletta, fc. 6-inch Tamese Mohair Brilliant, of French Lisle = ( a pair. | Bar's Flannel Department. During Easter holidays we will show many new and ateractiv alties in Outing Cloths, Tennis Suitin o and Boating Flannels, and an extensive variety of Light Flannels in | plaids and stripes for men's shirts and summer walsts, &c., &c., are u few articles that are well rour attention s more of the Outing Cloth at 1215¢ per Subjoine wortliy 20 ple yard. A new line of Tennis Suitings at 43¢ per yard, iinch Ladies” Cloth, spring shades, at e pek yard. Barr's Embroidery Departmant Is flowing over with rich and handsome goods. We trust that the public will appreciate the great efforts we shall riake o' establish and ' ml,\llnmnn bLusiness that shall be truly co-oy at B orded Plque Flouncing, 22inch, 8c; worth nch, $1.: 110, Corded Pigue Flouncing, : worth | Bwiss Embroidered 803 worth Tac; 31, £1. Siwiss and Hamburg kflbrotdertes, excellent quality, at 6c and 10c yard, Barr's Trimming Dapartment Is complete with all the Paris noveities in Trim- ming: The following goods we guarantes are shown olsewhere All shades in Tinsel Galoon Trimmings at 2o per yard, Black Cotle d Pure Silk 1ot st style, at $5.50 per Kuotted 'Silk Iringe, Fringes. Anelegant essortment of Persian and Ap- plique Trimmings. Barr's Lace Neckwear Department. Ligten to the volea of reason on the most stu- pendot le and with the most elaborate in- ducem louncing, 45 inch, 60, Toe, Fringe, 8 inches deep, yard, Ball Fringe and Jet e Drapery Ne fsh Guipure and Lace Flouncing, $1.50; regular value » Haling Ve § . Meadquarters for Ruching, Coilars and Cuffs, I WA request nspection. Bfirr's Corset Department, s Corset department takes the lead in lo and qaality | We ¢an Sell youun eleg 50010 16 var; W oxtra longth, §1, Loonier's cutaway hip, j We havo just re T the 7 caut | thy 1t fitting corset from | We employ only the most experienced trimmers. Barr's Millinery Department, nd op aster hats and bonnets, We are no 0 810 the largest and fin. est line of Imported Hats and Honnets ever brought to Omaha |~ Weare showing more varfeties in siyles and prices than all the milliaery departments in the ity put together. T & stock us large as we carry it 1s impossible to enunierate prices. Barr's Calico Department, Easter Bargains in Barr's Domestics We liave unusual bargains in this department this week, Just note a few of our many leaders: ) pieces Merrimac, Winsor, Pacific and this week 3iae yard, Tieco Prints, worth 74 tandard Ginghams, worth 10c, this yard, | 100 pleces fest American Zeph: wortl Lie yard, this week 10 | Barr's Fancy Notion Department, (Qur line of. Fans for Easte i Ginghams, Our Buropean hat he hu; d all the | buy These goods are ei new Folding Japs, Decorating I and fire 8 reens, Flogant line of Pocketbooks and Purses, in assorted loathurs, at 2 worth se, Card Cases itussian and Alligator Leather, at 40c, 67¢, 8¢, 1.5 and §2. Just racetved, another ot 1-oz, Triple Extracts inviolet, waite rose, musk and iwhite heiiotrope 10 ans, Mikado Fans Barr's Gents' Furnishing Dept. Gentlomen wll find it to their advantage to visit Barr's Gents Furnishing Department, as here will bo found @ complete stock of first- class goods at the lowest possible prices. See | our Uress Shirts, Flannel Shirts, Medium and Light Weight Unde Socks, Suspende! Collars and Cufts, Ne Just re’ celved, a0 dozen Gent's znf Merino Shirts'and Drawers, at bie each. | 1 fmported Scoteh Flannel Shirts at §2 Gent's uew and handsome Baster rls at e, Lace Curtains. ved for Eister wesk au im- curtains, Come and see ul patterns and get are's prices on @ goods. Nottingham Lace Curtains, 34 yards long, 5t inches wide, §1.2 pa! Nottingham ‘Lace ( inches wide 5 pair. mense invoice of 1 rtains, 4 yards long 50 [ in Jewelry, also new line of Breast ported by s direct from Viennn. only house n the clty having these goods, fo Those Will surpass any. | HIONEY W ‘areasking for them. mings, from 350 : Bied fihe of | %nd atvles axe ail tho latest, without chain_att | diamond setting a | Handkerc Ladies leaving orders for Barr's Linen Department. Eastor Creeting. We offer some special values this wek which you will appreciate on examination. 5 dozen 5-ix5-4 bleached Damask linch cloths, 00c each, worth §1; heavy linen, handsome de- signs, 0 yards Linen Crash, 8o yard, worth 8ijc. Come early, 20 dozen oxtra size Turkish towels, worth 25¢, each Barr's Jewelry Department. Our Jewelry Department 18 now complote. We are showing the richest and rarost novolties Pins {m- We are the at bargains for the coming Enster week. cs are the lowest., Ladies' Heavy Gold Plated Lace Pins, 40 dif- nt styles wud patterns, trom o up to 8 ins aro_ all new and worth douole t Ask to see 8idd Combs, fn platn and fancy oxydized trim- adr £0 2,60 palr, Our patterns Ladies’ Rolled Plato Sleeve Buttons, with and ments, pearl tortoise and 40c,’ 60c, 7he and 81 pair, se g0ods won't last long at prices glven. Barr's Handkerchief Department. For the Easter season special efforts have beant madeto procure new and cholce designs tn adies This w | With high cliss goods at low and populat prices, i ¢ hoice solection of ladies’ Crape de Chene Neck Scarfs in pl stitched and fancy embrotdered. are a fow of our special prices: gent's and children’s handkerchiefs. cek wo are prepared to suit overy taste In this department will also be found Chipa silk and white hem- The following. ozen lndles' white and fancy embrol dered tofs, 33 each. 50 dozen gent's hand print handkerchiofs, 23c. 10 dozen ladles fancy embroldered neck scarts, Boc. Barr’s House Furnishing Department, At this season we aro In dally receipt of overy Kkind and class of goods forour house furnishe {ing department, hoitd and otie special attractions in this department. Housekeepers will do well by investigating tis VRSt o ! stock line of Baby Carringes from %6 to 3. and throughout the Easter days we will be enabled to offer a_thousand sortment of goods. In addition to our house furnishings, we have an elegant Atullas. Thompson's glove-fitting, | L ) gorument of v alises and hand bags tiom Ko to 1. 810. 1810, and a full line of picture easels from 5c to 83 the city. Dr. Warner's Healths, 8| Heandsome Coringas draperie inch Black and White Best Frenchi Challies, ‘ 2 yard, Samples and goods sent through the United States mail to all parts of the country, and safe delivery guaranteed when orders are addressed to the Wm. Barr Dry Goods Co., Omaha, Neb. SIDNEY DILLON SETTLED IT. He Had the Oasting Vote in the Bridge Relocation. MILLER'S REMINISCENCES. ‘A Critical Time in New York—Dr. Durant’'s Position—A Midnight Visit—Final Victory for Omaha. DR. The Bridge Location. [l PON referring to my last article, which noted my own call into the bridge controversy by the committee that had . been in New York sev- eral weeks,endeavoring to secure the change in the location of the bridge from Child’s mill to Omaha, you will ob- serve I had noted the sarrival of Mr. Hurford and myself in the motropolis and the pondition of the bridge question at that time. It was everything but encourag- Jng. But before I go further with this parrative I will go back and relate an cident which brings Mr. Henry T. 'Einrkm of this city, into the question of ridge location. It is a fact that at Ahat time, as before this, Mr. Clarke, swith his indomitable energy and ambi- » n to secure Bellevue, which he Jargeoly owned, as the great future city * of this country, was no small factor,and J say from kncwledge that he was a fdangerous factor so far as Omaha was . poncerned. It happened this wise: - The day Mr. Hurford and myself left for New York, in an omnibus, from the pld Herndon house, Mr. Clarke ap- ‘pueared in it, like an appartion on that _guestion, tand accompanied Mr, Hur- ford and myself as far as Detroit, and fmmediately joined us in Now York. " Ho had an alliance with the then di singuished James I. Joy, of the Michi- i gan Central, whom he had enlisted in ! causo of Bellevue, and that geatle- went to New York in the interest .ol Mr. Clarke and Bellevue with propo- * pitions that were exceedingly threaten- Jug to the Omaha interest. They in- pluded large offers of oroperty in Bellevue, 1,600 lots and 1,600 acres, to .80 the company, instead of to individual members of the company, to secure the Jocation of the bridge, as I understand t. Then the argument was cheapness . of bridging at that point and "easy and cheap access t the " Platte valley, which was the objective all Pacific railroad enterprises, & and the case was made out so strongly o that alter argument before the bridge " gommittee of the board of directors, on square vote, Mr. Clarke’s Bellevue in- znn was defeated by a vote of six to n, Sidney Dillon casting the vote ich defeated Bellevue, as, it will out, he afterwards cast the vote it relocated the bridge at Omaha. __ This is the much abused Siduey Dil- /i who, as president of the company, B tho first to denounce the Union Pa. depot as & cow-shed, on his arrival here, after Mr. Duff and Mr. Sickles, the general manager, had the cow-shed built up to about half a story. It was at this time, I may say incidentally, that Mr. Dillon begged J\e people of Omaha, in my hearing, to allow him time to tear down the cow-shed as far as it had been. built and build a depot in Omaha that would be worthy of the road and city. The proposition, owing to a very natural distrust, was rejected, and the building went on. To resume a further account of what occurred to induce the Union Pacific to relocate the bridge at Omaha, Mr. Hur- ford and myself, in a pelting rain storm in New York, were instructed by the committee to call on Dr. Durant at his Madison avenue residence. At a late hour of the night we arrived at his home, and after a considerable wait in the drawing-room, the doctor appeared, in dressing gown and slipper, evidently annoyed at being intruded upon by his visitors about the everlasting bridge. I did the principal part of the talking in the case, because of my near relation to Dr. Durant during the period that he had becn with us in building the road, and perhaps [ was called to New Yorlk to see him on account of that relation, Our mission was made known and the first answer wo got was that he had just roturned from Kurope and knew noth- ing about what had been done and did not have power to change the location of the hril‘ge at that time. He stated further that if the change was made at all it would have to be effected by Mr. Dillon and the other gentlemen having the matter in charge. I made adistinet appeal to the doctor personally, and re- cited to him the condition of our town, saying to him that it was a wrong that he could not afford to allow or tobe a party to, to strike a blow of that kind at us, men who had for years been planting homes here and had little pro- pertios. That it would be simply destruc- tion and he kaew it, and that he owed it to the men who had stood by him in Omaha, including myself and my news- paper because I never let go of him, to take hold of and adjust this matter on arght basis, He was told of what Omaha was willing to do iu a financial way, that the committee was there au- thorized to do anything he might die- tate to make up the difference in cost in the construction of the bridge between the Train crossing and Childs’ Mill, And 1 think sums were named that we had been in- structed to name which would be freely given if the bridge could be promptly rolocated at'Omaha. He then urged vostponement very strongly and be- lieved that it would bo impossible for him to do anything unless he could have time, The answer was that time was the essence of the coutract and that de- lay was just as bad and worse than the permanent location of the bridge at Childs’ mill. Everything was pavalyzed in Omaha and this relocation would re- vive the town and save a great many interests from utter wreck. I renewed my personal appeal to him and finally took his instructions for & step next day. In other words, he would under- take to do what he could. He de- nounced all idea of wanting to get money out of the people of Omaha, and when $600,000, $700,000 and $1,000,- 000 was discussed as the amount, he then and afterwards scouted it, and said it was not what they proposed to do, and would not take any such sum of money. The only basis on which he could operate would be to have Omaha the difference in cost of the bridge Potweon buflding at Childs' Mill and this place and furnish depot grounds, is my recollection. The next day the matter took form, and Mr, Oillon was approached by me on the subject with a message from Dr, Durant, which I was author liver. By this tlme the contention be- tween Bellevue, Council Bluffs and Omaha over this question had disturbed things very much. Dr. Durant was to see Mr. Dillon that morning, and Mr. Dillon seemed to be surprised at the suggostion, and said he would see Dr. Durant when he came to the office. And they met. The matter was now largely in the hands of Mr. Kountze, Governor Saunders, Mr. Millard, Dr. Lowe and the other gentlemen of the committee. The inside particulars of what occurred need not be related. Consulting Engineer Seymour was en- gaged to deal with mathematics, and d to de- he was to reduce the alleged cost af building at Omaha that Mr. Williams haa produced in defense of the Chiids’ mill site. Dr. Durant took hold of the matter with his accustomed energy, and in order to stimulate s zeal, I remember that 850,000 was offered to him on be- half of Omaha and Douglas county, by a gentleman, first to reduco the amount that Omaha would have to pay to get the bridge back and then to reward him for his cordial effort to change the loca- tion of the bridge. This he promptl declined, saying that he did not want a dollar and would not take a dollar of the people of Omaha aud Douglas coun- ty. And Isay with knowiedge that it was through the efforts of Dr. Durant and Mr. Dillon that the sum total that was to be paid by the people of Owaha was reduced to more than one-half the figure that they stood veady and were anxious to pay if necessary. What the amount was the record shows. Butitis an essential part of this history, and one that has been disregarded by gentle- men in Omaba who have differed with me about the history of this question, that from the beg'nning no honds were contracted to be given nor were given at that time for building depots in Omaha or shops, or any other improve- ment. All these questions and inter- ests were expressly excluded from tho contract made at the time with the Union Pacific rond. And the question of terminus also was wholly excluded by this one question of the 'location of the bridge, It was for the fixing of this bridge that the bonds were voted and issued, to be paid in installments as the bridge was completed and grounds pur- chased. Then Omaha demanded other condi- tions to the contract, as my recollec- tion is, and refused to deliver the bonds until those conditions were complied with. One of our leading county com- missioners and a committee of gentle- men went to New York, after refusing to deliver the bonds, to confer with the company, and finally delivered the bonds after obtaining a new agreement, After a good deal of controversy und a great deal of figuring pro and con, taking a week or so0 of time, a vote was finally taken by the board on the ques- tion of relocating the bridge under the bargains made with Omaha and it was agreed by one vote, Sidney Dillon casting that vote, that the bridge loca- tion should be changed to Omaha. I dounot feel in the way of talking much more about this question to-day and I will close our seance by remark- ing that from the beginning tothe end- ing of this controversy of the location of the bridge at this point the difficulty of reaching the Platte valley over the Omaha hills was a standing menace to the interests of this city. In no place bad this controversy been mors danger- ous than it was in the location of the bridge aud shortening the line to the Platte valley and lessening cost. ‘The trouble was as much upon the gradients and the length of the line to the Platte valley from Omaha, in the bridge ques- tion, as it was upon the actual cost of the structure itsel Whether this ap- pears in the reports I have time to examine, but this was the fact in the discussions in New York as everybody kunows who was inside of what happened. Our people scem to forget that the Blufls was a power in tho Nebraska was but a teri delegate in congress, and that the Blufls was the state of lowa,practically, backed in all its efforts by senators and representatives from that state in con- gress and by the unanimous voice of the people of the state as against Ne- braska’s interest. All of which told more effectively afterward upon the later question of the legal terminus, which was another question that put us in a great deal of peril and held Omaha back for several years to an extent ve- yond my powor to estimate. This 1s the history of the location of the bridge as I obsc| it. and it is not too much to say that I wasa part of that histo ata critical moment, and had to do witheverything that was doneand that T was ina position to puss us cor- rect a judgment as perhaps any other, It has always seemed to me to be absurd to say that such m as Augustus Kountze, Enos Lowe, Alvin Saunder Fzra Millard and their associates were deluded by any game in regard to Child’s Mill that did not mean any- thing, and it was absurd indfuct. That location was fixed upon as the site with as much faith as was manifested when Train’s crossing was selected,and every candid man in the controversy knew that as well as T know it now and well as T knew it then. 'That’s all, — RELIGIOUS, not had A Mazarin bible brought §10,000 at a reecnt auction sale in London. Rey. Nicholas Ballews, the oldest Catholic priest, in New York city. is dangerously ill, He was born in Anstria in 1808, and ordained when twenty three years of age. Princess Eugeno of Sweden is paying the expenses of a missionary house for the Lap- lauders in the nortnern part of Sweden, over two hundred miles north of the Arctic circle. The Rev. Joseph Jordan, who was or- dained in Philadelphia Sunday, is the first colored man to enter the ministry of the Congregationalist church. Ho is to engage in mission work in the south, The committee having in charge the cen- tenunial celebration of Washington's first in auguration has sent to clérgymen through- out the United States 4 p: of printed documents pertaining tg the religious aspects “of the subject. The mauagers of the building fund of the temperance temple of* the Woman’s Chris- tian Temperance unibn fn Chicago have issued §500,000 worth of stock in order to fa- cilitate the' collcction of ~thie $300,000 neces- sary for the structure, The article 1 the new constitution of Japun guaranteeing freedom of religion is s follows: ‘‘Japanese subjects shall, within limits not prejudicial to peace and order, and not antagonistic to their duties as subjects, enjoy freedom of religiots belief.” The largest cougregation In the world, numbering 4,500 memgt‘rl.l)l on the isiand of Hawail. Over ninety thousand Feejiaus gather regularly for christian worship. Madagascar, with its queen and 200,000 of her subjects, is ranged on the side of the cross. In the Friendly isiands there are 80,000 christians, who contribute $15,000 a year to religious objects. The Roman Catholic church in Great Brit- piais woll organized. In England and Wales here is one archbishop (Westminster), six- teen bishops with two suffragans, and one cardinal (Newman); there ar 2,380 priests, serving 1,800 chapels, churches aud stations, with & considerable number privately em- BlDKM‘ In Scotland there are two arch- ishops, four bishops, and 341 priests. Ire- land has four archbisbops, With twenty- elght bishops. Philadelpbia's Minstre! Ph\lndelrhh suprafla a permaunent company of minstrels, and 1s the only city in the country that does. TRULY "T1S A GRIM MONCPOLY A Combination Which Proposes to Corner the Coffin Trade. WHAT WILL IT COST TO DIE? The: Time Seems Fast Approaching When the Poor Man Can't Afford This Luxury—Kalse Pride at Funerals. A Mortuary Monopoly. lOU BeE folks are in_ terested in everything “{that runsin the line of monopoly. Now tell me, what do you think of this? If that isn’t % monopoly of the rank- Bofest kind T don’t know If things keep on in this way much longer, even death itself will become as exclusive as a trust, and smainder of us poor mortals will 1 plod along here on earth whether we want to or not. The spenker was a prominent under- rand funeraldirector. As he spoke d before Tig BEk man a circular addressed “‘to the trade.” The meat of the thing is in the following excerpt: Whereas, It has been the custom of some funeral directors to buy a portion of their supplies from non-members of the National Burial Case association, and, Wheroas, ‘I'he members and jobbers of said association are unwilling to coutinue to carry a full, complete and expensive line of goods and ouly sell such as cannot pe ob- taived from non-members, ‘Thereforo, it has beeu agreed by the mem- bers and jobbers of the National Burial Case association that they will confine their sales of undertakers' supplies to funerai direct- vho buy their cases and caskets exclu- from said members and jobbers, a list of whom we herewith enclose. Now do you perceive the combination? Here is a firm that makes an excellent line of goods. Their men form a com- bination into which they are trying to force the funeral directors of the west, You see they propose to sell no *‘sup- plies? to those who do not buy their caskets and cases exclusively of them. Talk about a gag! Now look at this: The policy of the National Burial Cuse association declared at its January meeting, is to discourage new undertakers in places where the public is fully and properly served wt reasonable prices, and to protect and pro- mote the interests of those now engaged in the business as provided in the agreement made with the International Funeral Direc- tors association at its meeting st Baltimore, and which was approved by the Natiouul Burial Case association at its last meeting, “You see, wherever it is possible, they propose to .put up the bars o all competition, by refusing to sell to new undertakers when one of their patrous is doing business in the same town. Then again, they bar those who are al- ready in the business from buying any- thing outside of the combination.” *How extensive is this combina- tion?" “Tt covers nearly every state in the union, and the whole business is con- fined to less than a hundred firms, Talk about a coal combination. That is a pigmy when compared toit. In thau case you can quit burning coal if you don’t want to pay the price, but in this case you have got to die, and you want to be buried respectfully, of course. **Say,ns long as we are on this line let me fi‘ivu you another hint or two. As you know, I have always discouraged Of course, I am expensive funerals, not alone in this effort. I believe many of tho best directors ull over the coun- try are with me. “Let me tell you how it works: Some member of A's family dies. He can af- ford to have an expensive funeral and does s0. B hasa death in his family, He is poor and cunnot afford to expend much in an interment. But he must do as well as A did, and a fine lot is pur- chased, and a long line of carriages with a magnificent equipage follows the body Oto the grave. Why, sir, I could show you from my books where cases like this have occurred months, years ago, and the expenses are not yet fully paid. The expenses of the family are curtailed and sacrifices are made to gratify this uawarranted and inexcusable pride.” “What would you suggest as the readiest remedy of the evil?” “You have called it rightly—an evil —and 1t is a growing one, too. It is growing worse every year. The rem- edy? Oh, yes. Why,as tho rich al- ways set the pace in all matters of fash- ion—and this is fashion—I would have them make their funerals loss expe sive. Why, I have had in some of my bills from fifteen to twenty carriages. ail that could be got, for the use of the bereaved family. A halfl o dozen was all that were required to convey the relatives to the grave. As though a rich casket and long funeral procession made the dead any more comfortable, or the grief of the relatives any the Here is one of the most sensible things on thav line I have ever seen. Under tho head of ‘Funeral Folly’ a prominent journal saye: No survival of pagan superstition in man more distinctly warks the progress of the human race than fashions in funerals, ‘I most degraved savages in the islands of the South Pacific are as ceremonious and as absurd in their way of laying away the ompLy caskets that once enclosed life as are the self-flattering western Kuropeans who assumo that in their etiquet of death they have attained the perfection of dignity and decorum, No sutirist has yet seized upon the paradox of mortuary pomp. The hidig of their deaa in the leafy boughs of forest trees to provent animals from routing the bones out of the earth scems to certain tribes of Indians as moral as the christian infatua tion of hired mourners, as is done in England, or of hitching four or even six horses to a nhuge cataralque on wheels and dragging the corpse through public thoroughfares, as is done with even common clay in K The war dance around th ped e of their defeated chiofs by reds on the plains is not loss fantastic than the metropolitan mode of turning & private grief into a florist's fostival for public delectution. The climax of contradiction and absurdity is r ed when penuiless widows and shivering chil- are found at the head of a procession of a hundred hacks lmposingly following to his little cell 1 @& comevery a poor devil who never had a second suit of clothes to his back nor thrift enough to cover his family with a roof. The rich may make fools of themselves if s they will and it's nobody's business. But the extravagance of burials among the poor is a pitiful as well as a grotesque rite which christianity should long since have been at pains 1o end. In & few citics of the Unite States the bishops have contributed maveri- ally to & mitigation of the evil by forbidding the attendance at a funeral of more than five carringes. In Chicago the evil bas pro- ceeded until its limits are at last intolerabl A young and practical ecclesiastic, the Le: e A ey, who has adoroed th southwestern part of the city with a beauti- ful church and 15 8 power for good sense und good taste amowg L people, hias undertaken to put a stop to funeral frenzy within his own jurisdiction. He has organized a burial so- Gioty, each Of whose members subscribes & smull sum monthly for the purpose of huviug funeral expenses paid without taxation upon the little he may leave his family. ‘The members are bound to accept the style of ceremonial ugroed upou, which 18 not to be varied by suy post-mortem exaggeration of their virtues or magnitude of the loss the community suffers in their gnllnx out of it. Father Doruey is & wiss and buwane man. “1 really wish we could arouse a little healthy séntiment in this city in this matter. Say, why don’t THE BrE take tiative in this matter as it usually 8 in all matters of reform.” TiE BEE mau did not know why it should not do o, and it has, —_— MUSICAL AND DRAMATIOC. A daughter of Mme. Judic was recently married. Dumas' ““L’Affaire Clemenceau” is a groat success in Herlin. Mansfield's production of “Richard IIT," cost $30,000, the armor alone being accounta- ble tor §10,000. . Selona Fetter has the starring fover again, She now talks of appearing in a version of Hawthorno's *'Scarlet Letter." ‘“The Old Musician is & new piece givon by the Vokes company. It is an adaptation from the F'rench by Mr. Felix Morris, Grossmith, the English comedy actor, is to writo a book on his travels, and something after the Mark Twan style is promised. Mr. C. W. Couldock has_been engaged b, Manager MoVickor. of Chioago, for i T st,” and Miss Ida Mulle will be the “*Mr. Barnes of New York” has been pro- duced ot the Grand theater, Amsterdam. I'he Dutch opinion of it has 'not been re- ported. Agnes Huntington, the American girl, who has been making a success in London as Paul Jones, has been made an honorary captain in the United States navy. A Russian joint stock company 1s bulldin, an_immense " boat theatre to float up and down the Volga river. Performances are to be given at every large town. M. Coquelin says that ho will play in Paris next winter and in South America the fol lowing summer. He expects to be acting in New York again in the winter of 1590-1. ‘‘Nowadays,” Wilson Barrett's new play, deals entireiy with race track matters, tho hero beng “accused of stealing Thunder- bolt, the favorite horse at long odds for the Derby. Henrik Ibsen is at present all the rage in Germany, and his plays are everywhere ex- citing the liveticst intorest. M., Antoine an- nounces one of them for production at his Theator Libre in Paris H. I3. Conway, a young English actor of prominence and reportea high ability, has been engaged by Daniel Frohman to support Mrs. James G. Blaine jr., when that young wouman is presented as o star. “The (iaicty Burlesque company, headed by Violet Cameron and Klorence St. John, will produce next season @ now burlosque, “Iaust Up to Date,” which is now playing al the Gaiety theater, London, It is now announced that Miss Lydia Thompson and her burlesque troupe will re- main permanently in this country, and that next season the originator of this species of entertainment here will manage her own company of blondes, 0 Hadiog has reached- Paris after hor with Coquelin in this country and be- gins to talk, She says that she went to Awerics with him as a friend, but after her success in Y1) Aventuriere'y in Rio Janeiro he became *ferociously jealous,” and after that was anything but friendly. The regular scason at the Madison Square theatre, New York, will close May 4. Oa the following Monday, May 6, Miss Minnie Maddern will present “i‘eatherbrain,” an English adaptation of *Tete de Linotte," which bad @ very succossful carcer at the Criterion theatre, London, Mr, Heerbohm Tree, of London, has in contemplution anoth hakesperian revival, “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” of which * there will be o series of afternoon perform- ances. Mr. Lionel Brough is cast for the charvacter of Hottom. At evening will be Droduced for the evening bill Mr. Henry A, Jone's new drama, “Mat Buddocke,” in which Mr. and Mrs. Tree, Miss Norreys,Mr. Conway, Mr. Brookficld and Mr. Weeden Grossmith will appear. Sara Bernhardt's long tour is approachin, its termination. She recently “arrived ol ‘Iriesto from Turin, where she did extremely well, as in most of the towns o the nortn of Italy, though her experiences in the soutl were not altogether so satisfaotory. Th uxlwnul of the troupe are very heavy, aver- aging more than $1,500 & day. ‘Tho mansge- went Is said to have realized a clear profit of $10,000 by the five represcutations wm she gave lu Turiu alone.