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1174 The Record and Guide. September 17, 1887 Conoerninq Men and Tblngs. ♦ ** Travelers in Europe hav© noticed what pains were taken at railway stations and the entrance of towns to give a good impression to foreigm visitorfl. Generally on the Continent all unsightly buildings and outhouses are removed, while the stations are comfortable and often luxurious. This i« rendered possible by the cheapness of labor in the Old World. For many long years Httle attention was paid to this matter in this country. One object seems to have been to build as many liues of railroad as possible at the least cost; he'Ce there waa no pretence of supplying comfortable or pleasing way stations. But of late years a spirit of emulation has sprung up among the leading railways, and several of the great lines can boast not only of elaborate and handsome depots, but of outlying grounds, planned by landscape gardeners and embellished with shrubs and flowers. The Pennsylvania, Fort Wayne, Cleveland & Pittsburg and the Boston & Albany, among otherp, employ architects and landscape gardeners to plan their stations and lay out the adjoining grounds. Even our Harlem road, which haa not been particularly generous towards Its patrons, indulges in the luxury of ornamental grounds, in which in summer the name of the station is given In a flower-bed, while in winter letters made of white stones are Fubstituted. Our railway system has made great progress in oonjfort and luxury even, while lately the managers of roads seem disposed to appeal to the iBsthetlo tastes of the traveling public. *•* The financial writers of the dally pre^s have been quite at sea about the market since the beglnniog of this year. As a general thing, they expected that the Interstate Oommerce law would smash the stock market, but the railroads have all done better since the law went into force last April. The writers turned bulls in May and June, but the market has favored the bears during the sumiier. in sptt© of general prosperity and large railroad earnluKs. The clever gentleman who writes the Times' " Financial World" in its Sunday Issue turned b^ar J ust before the springing of the Baltimore & Ohio deal on the '* street " He was bearish last Sunday, and gave the best of reasons why the market phould go down. The Tribune blows hot and cold. In its money article it ia bullish every day in the week, but on Mon¬ day it always publishes an editorial article on the bear side. The Mail and Express has the best and fullest market reports of any city journal. Of the Wall street Jiurnals the Indicator is intensely bullish all the year round, while the Financial Record hops frora one side to the other, accord¬ ing to the apparent drift of things. The Daily Stockholder is tbe most read of the Wall street Journals, and its proprietor, Mr. Matthew Griffln, etijiys the personal acquaintance of Mr. Jay Gould, who frequently gives his views of the situation through that paper. The Stockholder has been expecting all summer a bull movement which never came. Perhaps it may b© more lucky this fall. *** It seems we are to have a national American opera this year, but it is to be managed by an individual Instead of a corporation. Mrs. Thurber and her a^sociate^ did admirable work In raising the standard of operatic per¬ formances sung In Bagli^h. But her management was not economical enough, and hence It c&m^ to grief. A director with sole responsibility would not be likely to ppend money qntte so lavishly or pay such extrava¬ gant salaries; hence we may have thi^ year a native opera that will vie with the German opera, and which will be better, very far better, thau any Italian opera we have had, with the single exception that we oannot expect American Marios, Campaninnls, Pattls or Nillsons. But in orchestra, chorus, sceneries and ensemble, the American musical public will expect; something better than that given by the Italian Impressarios. *•* Charles Bradlaugh, when in this oouutry, made a good impression as a public speaker. He wa^ logical, forcible and eloquent. Since he has got Into Parliament he has made hid mark, for he is a ready debater and has full command of all the weapons In the arsenal of controversy. He can hold his own with the readiest speakers In the House of Commons. But his name never appears In the leading English Journals nor in the regular press reports that are sent to this country. His atheism, republicanism, and his objectionable views of social topics have created a bitter prejudice against him In the minds of conservative Englishmen. In the press there Is a conspiracy of silence against him. In self-defense Bradlaugh is forced to publish a paper, the National Reformer, iu which he prints his speeches. The Sun's London correspondent mentions Bradlaugh occa¬ sionally, and this is what was said about him last week: If anv one doubts the q lality of Churchill's talk, Bradlaugh does not leave them in doubt. In a very few minu^e^ he dissects Churchill, and the more Churchill bobs up and down and tries to defend himself the more he is hammered by a brain at least nine times as big as bis own. After a little while his lordship gets up and goes away. As he sails out his coat tails are just as voluminous, bat the dignity seems to have been taken out of them. Bradlaugh always has that effect on Churchill, whom he hates. At the end of bis speech the universal verdict is that Bradlaugh is getting to be a bigger man every day. The fat police sergeant in the inner lobby, who swfUs Salvation Army choruses when off duty, even confided to me his belief that Providence must either check tbe atheist very soon, or let some deserving Christian beat him in debate just once. Parnell and the Irish members were bitterly opposed to Bradlaugh when he was claiming his seat as a member of Parliament. They vied with the Tories in their denunciations of the atheist. But this has not prevented Bradlaugh from heartily supporting Home Rule and taking sides with the Parnellites against the Tory coercion ists. The new elevated road in Brooklyn is well under way. The foundations for the elevated structure are nearly all laid to the ferry, and the work of putting up the iron work which began at Grand avenue has reacbed Flat¬ bush avenue. The bridge connection will be made with the present Sands street station. An elevated station of considerable magnitude will be made at the triangle formed by Pulton, Main and Prospect streets; fully half the train** will stop at this point. This new elevated road will be a fine thing for Brooklyn real estate, but will it pay the stockholders? The conditions in Brooklya>nd New York for an elevated structure are very different. Audubon Park, The Evening Post is usually accurate in its '* news," so that we were somewhat surprised to read in its columns recently, that Audubon Park, which strangely was spoken of asi public property, was In a disgracefully uncared-for condition. Audubon Park has always been regarded by us as one of the choicest and most picturesque spots in th© city, and being strictly private property {as much so, for instance, as the Post building), and in the hands of individuals of taste and means, we wondered what transformation had converted it into an unkempt public park. There are a great many persons who scarcely know where Audubon Park is, who have no idea of its beauty, and who, consequently, care very little one way or the other what is said about the place. Its reputation is not their affair. But we are anxious, not only that every beautiful spot in this city of much ugliness should be appredated to the fullest; but, in order to Insure this, that the slightest neglect or tendency toward any delapida- tion, such as alleged by the Pt^st concerning Audubon Park, should he arrested. To see how matters stood we visited the Park and found, the R)si to the contrary notwithstanding, that it was still private property, maintained in the same excellent condition as for many years past. The Posts article must have been written in Tompkins pquare aud a confusion of Ideas resulted. In case any of our readers who do not know Audubon Park care to visit it, a word or two on the subject may not be out of place. It is a spot really pleasant to contemplate in the dog-day?, when the thought of Sth avenue increases one's temperature. The park lies on tha west side, between I55th and 158th streets and llth avenue and the Hudson River. It can be reached frora the Battery by the elevated road in about forty-five minutes. In a recent number of the Evening Post, Felix Oldboy, in one of his charming letters, deprecated the desire which people have to rush out of town in the summer. He declared that there are spots in the city, almost at one's door, as cool and deUcious as nine out of ten summer resorts. A visit to Audubon Park almost makes one assent to this heresy. The builder has indeed played havoc with the old beauties of Manhattan Island, but in Audubon Park he has made as ample concessions as can possibly be expected, when it is remembered that each tree there occupies land worth several bundred dollars, Rits in urbe would be an appropriate motto for the park; for the country, not merely a stunted tree or two, does really linger there within the city. Once on those wooded slopes, wil hin ths gates, overlooking the Hudson, it is ditBcult to imagine that the elevated road and the city is within a stone's throw. The green terraces, the beds of flowers, the grand old forest trees, opening her© aud there to let in glimpses of the broad blue river beneath and the overfrowning, tree topped Palisades beyond, do not, by any means, suggest the city. The only sounds one can hear there In the noon of a summer's day are the rumble of the distant traffic and the occasional splashing of steamers passing up or down the river. When Audubon, tho naturalist, settled |on the] spot uow bearing his name, there was more of nature and less of brownjstone front on Man¬ hattan Island than at present. The Oenius loci, revealed in the peculiar soft charm which pervades the Hudson scenery, had not yet been driven from the region which a prosaic race were afterwards to designate 155th street and llth avenue. Audubon converted the " Park" into a sort of menagerie for his pets. He kept there his animals and birds gathered frora every clime. He named, and always spoke of the place, as *' Minnie's Land,'' after his wife. Thirty-flve or forty years ago it became known as Audubon Park. At the death of the naturalist the ownership of the land became divided, and a number of flue residences of the old substantial type were built. They exist still. At the present time the park ia owned by a few gentlemen, and within its limits there are about twenty residences. For all intents and purpose the land Is held as it were in common, there being no fences or other boundary marks between houses. William A. Wheelock, of the Central National Bank; George B. Grinnell, William Foster, Jr., Charles Francis'Stoue and other well-known men live there. Within the past twelve months several new dwellings have been erected, and they are worthy of considerable praise for the manner in which the design has been made to suit the situation, and for their quiet elegance. In building these houses several cannon-balls from revolutionary days were found embedded deeply in the soil. The long-hidden rusty iron helped in the making of history of which the marvelous growth of New York City ia a part. Thus time turns human affairs around strangely—a hundred years after these murderous missiles had spent their energy behold they are quietly removed to make way for the firesidd and the home. The district around Audubon Park contains some of the finest residences in the city, and many others are now in course of erection. A fine dwell¬ ing house is building, facing the horae of the late Sheppard F. Knapp, on 158th street. Several houses are goiug up on 156th street. One row on that street, near the Boulevard, is not only tasty in appearance, but is unusually well-planed in the interior, to meet the conditions of the site, etc. The Boulevard in this neighborhood is to be paved at once. The new viaduct, to be built from St. Nicholas place to Tth avenue, will render thia charming region still more easy of access as well to those who drive as to those who use the elevated roads. The tendency of improvement, which for years has been setting toward the west side, is also of necessity moving northward, but this is not likely to interfere with the quiet beauty of Audubon Park, which for years will probubly remain, imdisturbed, one of the loveliest spots on Manhattan Island. The space given to reporting sporting events in the daily press is exciting much comment. Some years ago the American editors could not under¬ stand why the Titnes and other London papers gave so much space to horse racing, cricket, yachting, boating and the like ; but lately our daily newspapers literally give pa^es dally during eight months of the year to horse racing and base ball news. This klud of journallsra is not satis¬ factory to old-fashioned people aud women. Happily the sporting aeoson is now drawing to a olose.