Letter to Ruth Mallory, from ‘Hotel Flanders’ [Letterhead], ‘Waiting Room, Sheffield Mass’
Brief Summary
Describes his trip to the opera, compares the audience at a classical concert with an English audience, gives his opinion on American women, their conversational skills and lack of intelligence, and his time staying with the Burrs in Boston which he enjoyed.
Detailed Summary
[Starts the letter on 25th Feb in the waiting room waiting for his train] - His impressions of America were more agreeable when he wasn’t in New York. Recaps his time in New York where he had felt ill before travelling to Boston.
He had attended the opera which was reputed to be done better there than anywhere else. He imagined it was the biggest opera house holding 5,000 people and was always full with the boxes being taken for the season. Wonders how many New Yorkers went to the opera because they loved it and how many went for other reasons. The ladies pushed forward in their gorgeous dresses and diamonds and pearls and were illuminated as though they were the sight everyone had come to see. Compares the display of wealth and splendour with France in the time of Louis XIV. The orchestra was extraordinarily fine and sensitive, the singing good, the costume well done and the acting ‘quite amazingly better than anything I have seen elsewhere. Concluded the audience was really fond of music.
The atmosphere of New York was so charged with amazing contrasts it was impossible to generalise. It was vastly cosmopolitan with the German and Latin elements helping so far as music was concerned. He had been to two concerts at the Aeolian Hall. Describes how the audience reacted to Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt. Compares them with an English audience.
The most marked trait was a lack of depth with the atmosphere being sprightly and superficial. Thought the women knew extremely little and had very untrained minds although they appeared intelligent at first. The great subjects of conversation for him were Europe and the differences between England and America. It was amazing how many Americans had travelled to Europe. It was the first thing they did when they got rich enough. They were very conscious of being a new country.
Has to stop writing as the train had arrived.
[27 Feb letter continues] - Boston was being very kind to him as were Mr and Mrs Burrs in whose home he was staying. He was a member of the Alpine Club and gave a large dinner in his honour last night with nearly 40 men present at a room at the Union Club. He did not enjoy these functions, particularly when he had to speak. He was very busy seeing people who were all very pleasant and much more like the English than New Yorkers.
Asks for news of Arthur [wo had undergone a second operation]. He was enjoying bits of things, but the background was all grey. Didn’t hope to get away much before the end of March.
