Evening Star Newspaper, April 26, 1884, Page 2

‘STAR: WASHINGTON * D. C.. SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 1884-DOUBLE SHEET. CITY AND DISTRICT. READING FORK THE CHILDREN. low the Blood and Thunder Nevel is Being Supplanted. OVER 200 LIBRARIES NOW IN USE IN THE PUBLIC LS THE SUCCESSFUL OPERATION OF THE PALL—WHAT SUPER- THE ORIGIN: If a visitor to this city should ask the ques- tion sort of literature do the public ke the average eitizen havi 2 of blood and thunder bly reply “trash.” The er, is not alwaya well in- $ and is apt to mistake ns for tacts. A reply like the above is an illustration. If, however, ‘tion was put toa person who is h what is being done In the public + the inquirer would probably be re- of the school rogps tered through- atalogue of books sing in a convenient formed on all subj niliar Ww rch aisitive stranger, for th y are not aware that a library atalozue is now one cf the adjancts to every school room in the city above the first rade. Suelf, however, is the fact. Th prob- n Je reading matter of a for th d girls that it is but ben- that it is only a thought of long before. in the the other n, “to the reading mat- ter whieh they fe » the desks of the children. For jn: oing toa case They were in ie Library” only ly on cheap paper, The price of these plainly printed on the five cents, and they were for Juvenile reading. The ed fierce conflicts with In- »bery-of tail trains, and other sen- ‘They were good specimens of “blood ané thunder litera- the s smailer, and were 5 with wretched we f reading matter contin- 1 the professor “led me to an evil of crowing magni- ave always appreciated the impor- pod lite ite period of it its im) especially during the «V's mental life, and T ortance can be overesti- sink th mated. But « the remedy? That was the qnestion. I th ver the matter a great a mbers, th g 4.” He hast AS A POOR BOY, and by his industry and energy he had gradu- ally worked his way up until he became provost of the city nburgh and the head of alarge pabl's ise. placing within the reach of the people cheap, but sood. literature. | thought to myselt f the public schools of the he record of such a 1 uid be in making thelr wl in recurred to_m Hew can good books cof the pupils of our er the matter we had no public i no money the agement of ary to prac- the burden on a plan and turned in. the fall, an of Congress. tead, When . Spofford 4 then | communi- in.” tion was ad the scholars s, and they irs of the'association pervision of the teaches. taining books were % |, by dona- The scholars at books they could I they did not wish ht, then they could be only. If the scholars at Would be used themselve ‘Then thre f HO ENTHYSE wild fir Me said the and eatalogues ths that this estimate th. pre- pian has ptai re port to me in tem had worked in their you one of these reports.” © OF A TEACHER. read as follows: Y association, the pupils of the school. wal rights whether contribu- hot. This assoctation is but makes its own Tules t and governs Itseif entirely. All voting Is done by ballot, and is conducted ina strictly orthodox Mann There are two officers, the librarian, thro Sesame” alone the: books can and a treasurer whose duty It 18 to take charge of the money accruing from fines, and the voluntary contrivutions Two months 1s the term of oMice of both. Our library itself con- sists of forty loaned volumes, mostly the works of such as Hawthorne, Dickens, vhomas Hughe er Oplc, &. il carefutly ‘cover ed and num De | Ted In the same way is whose gentlemanly as meriual the approval of ged Lo receive a Fre e Hames of such pul 1 Friday morning. ‘tn he Ubrarian the number of ninutes before 3 p.m. tes the nes. We 1s are t th fall to re Posed. As stoted, thet money, and it 1s 4 booka = This inte to return a boo enthus:: ica was bat one ting vote—the teacher, far, however, no evil las resulted from the rule. MOW TT WOKKS IN ANOTHER SCTiOoL. Another teacher reports as follows: After deciding to open a Mbrary in my School room, I talked with my pupils In regard to the Pleasum and profit to be obtained through this channel. Ithen placed a money-box, (in the very attractive form of 4 mon who bowed his thanks for sil contriivutions,) on the desk; and had the satis- fsction of finding, In the course of ume, suMicient Money tn the box to purchase a number of excel- lent Books This nuinber added to the number of nt, for tbe term, make a collection of sixty- umes, T prog Hon of that tUme if he fine of five cents ts tn ssurer has change of this ed to the purchase of new 4 with a boy who forgot was should m: Two librarians were elected by distribute books, aud to record the number pil +The rm ure of the day, dent of | of the public | He had done much towards , where | zi B- | days, though, he added, he might justly have leged to keep a book one | I found a book among the collection which aid not seem to have an attractive tle, and so was left unheeded on the shelf. 1 selected extracts from the book to be read before the school Allu- sions were explained and the meanings of words discn sed. ‘They grew interested, and at the next distribution that book went forth to perform its missien among the pupils. I have announced that On a speciited occasion all who find peculiarly Pretty ideas, ora passage specially worthy of re- membrance, may speak of such portions before the School ‘The object of this is two-fold: It secures | careful thinking on the part of the pupil, and | helps the teacher to judge of the taste of ‘indl- vidual Leg sie through the selection made, | 4 book be written in the form ofa story I | think @ good plan fs to have pupil select the char- “eter In the book whom she considers the best and give reasons for selection, and to have her select , the character most to be disliked with reasons. ler the pupils have had the opportumity to read Tal books, each, have each one give books read and mention the one she t consider to be the object of an. book. GR T INTEREST DISPLAYED. e “After speaking of the manner of the forma- tion of alibrary, which was similar to that men- tioned In the preceding repo, I have just re remarked the professor, ‘another adds: Belleving teacher that the interest, which 1s apt to the novelty Wears Off, must be kept up er, It iS my plan to possess at least an of the books jh the library, and | lumes or passages girl ts usked to ih one part of | th the author’s provide her Which she cords all books read, Wit n es and, if characters are introduced, a brace includes their names. In another part of the book | is copied any sentence or paragraph she particu- kes, With the author's name. ely for the accommod: but to induce eritical, or at least ea It is Intended to devote a Umtted portion h week or onc zs i given, and to t ses. The money con- | ew cents each week, and | to add one or two books | each month to or Itis hoped that by the | end of the year each pupil wil have accomplished | a falr amount of good reading and have acquired desire for more PERFECTING THE PLANS. “T think,” said the professor, as he concluded the reading, “that these reports give some idea | of how the plan 1s being carried out. If the interest that isnow manifested continues the libraries will have a very beueficial influence, | not only upon the children, but in the homes | | where the books are taken.” As yet the plan Is still in its infaney, and no doubt many improve- | nents can be suggested. At present Dr. War- ren, of the bureau of education, is preparing a lst of books suitable for children in the differ- ent grades. and this list will be furnished to the teachers and will guide them in the future pur- chase of books.” This is asked, | ation of fine pas- | Teading of ume tons In deen rea | quotatior tributed acon suflicientiy to en: as | he 3a us store. . = STAR ROUTE FEES, Curious Correspondence of Bliss and Brewster. HOW THE FORMER I ISTED ON HIS POUND OF GOVERNMENT FLESH NOTWITHSTANDING THE | CAUTION OF THE LATTER 48 TO PUBLIC OPINION: The correspondence sent to the Senate re- cently from the Department of Justice, in re- sponse to Senator Van Wyck’s resolution calling for papers and documents in the star route cases, contains some features of interest. Col. George Bliss in a letter to Mr. Brewster, written from | Washington Just before the latter became At- | torney General, says: “I have been away so much from home—here so much—that my bill must necessarily be large—larger than I think | you will care to yoke yourself to: in other words more than you will feel Ike charging, though I wish you would come up to my mark. If you do not it may be wiser for your bill to go through alone.” It would appear that Mr. Bliss did not want his bill to appear side by side with that of Mr. Brewster, unless the latte | would put his figures up to Bliss’ “mark.” | Another letter from Bliss to Brewster written from the Arlington is: “I enclose a bill, you will see [have charged for fifty-three days absent from office. This is besides immense time spent and house. It isnot acent too much, , Lrecognize that if this thing is to con” ate will be more than any one Thave a plan for future reduc- | TO MAKE A FUss | ai | the reporter entered the alley from the G street side, and presently stopped in front of Smith's |row. This is a row of a dozen low, two-story, flat-roofed brick houses, with narrow doors and | nearly an hour to inspect the yards and write | of the women living in the alley are engaged in about the non-payment of his bills. In one let- | ter he wrote: “I want the money, and, more- | over, want to know if it is to be paid, for if it Is not I go out of the star route cases. Tam in no | | mood for feoli In reply to this letter Mr. | Brewster wrote that he, personally, did not ob- | jJect to the fees, but asked Bliss to remember | that members of Congress, “who are not cit yers, but who come from the country wher | fees are low, will object and complain of fees at | | the rate of 2140 per diem, including Sundays.” | The Attorney sted that the | demoerats mi of the House, | d that they would certainly criticise Bliss and his cha and “try to deal’ with me (the At- al) for allowing them, and espe- | cially so as you (Bliss) are the pronounced as- | sociate and friend of the President, they will | not seruple to el that it as an act of favor partaking of a job Ont of Mr. Brewster Ca his (Bliss needed October, ‘82, Mr. Bliss wrote im to “hoist | .” ashe . Bliss replied to Gen. | . insisting upon his full p: it was understood he was to get $100 a nd ex} The had earned | the had worked twice as many as were exacted from department nary 7, 83, Col. Bliss sent In nd in bis tinued to in- y. InMarch, Attorney General * WS ATTENTION To PUREIC CRITIC «him of his fe an for reduct avoid the necessity of d The At come for p M, 4 that = that would * with any coun- it the time had that plan into execation, but | evidently abandoned all idea of nsisted upon his pound of goy- . and kept calling attention the he admitted was in the fragile ta sort of understanding with Attorney MacVe The correspondence be- eto the former's derable length. In} iss was confronted by a ‘ontroller Lawrence to pass a bill of s3 it was apportioned between the years. Ina letter to Mr. Brewster on this subject. Mr. Bliss said: “I am thoroughly clear that he (the controller) is wrong, and while if I did not need the money I could wait and ‘try conclusions’ with him. “I prefer under the circumstances to yield.” He says further | that to assign the proper proportion of the bill to cach fiscal year is “4 DIFFICULT THING TO DO,” but he had made carefal examination and divided the bill, allotting $4,700 for services rendered prior to June 30, 1883, and $4,500 for services after that time. Further correspond- ence on this point followed, and Mr. Bliss was called upon for something more specific as to his services. On December 29th he wrote that ¥o far as he could calculate, he was engaged in | star route work for sixty-two days in '83 and | One hundred and ten- days in ’S4, but as the work did not take all ot each day, he had lumped it and charged for ninety-two whole sel. | charged for one hundred and seven’ days. He pronounced the requirement that ne should ap- | portion his time as “absurd,” aud sald he had |no idea he would be calied upon for any- thing ofthe kind. In January, 1884, Mr. Bliss | was still pushing his bill and trying to satiafy | the department that It wasall right. In trying | to give aAditfonal partienlars. he wrote that of | the one hundred and seventy-two days he was employed in ’83 and '84 about forty days were in Washington, and the remainder in New York, ‘This was written after he had described the ar- duous portion of his duties as being in Wash- i ington. Later on Mr. Bliss ap) to be wholly In doubt as to the details he had given in regard to his labors, for on February 18, 1834, | he wrote the Attorney General: “If anythii contained in this letter should be inconsistent with anything I have formerly written as to | the distribution of the services, which it does not seem to me to be the case, I have only to say that what I have now said is based upon a careful examination, while my former tetters were based chiefly upon memory,” and he de- sired the last statement to stand. dence between himeelt and the Attorney ‘wag reminded, in connection with the “‘incon- fencies” and that he had sworn to the correctness of the as originally ren- dered. ‘MR. KER'S FEES.- The Attorney General also had some very plain with Mr. Ker as to his fees, the latter against his bilis being cut down. The Attorney General reminded him iy $90,000, and anaes rine cation that near! OU, e 0] ion that ae ample. Mr. Merrick pene in- volved in this question. His course seems to have been one of dignity, consistency and fair- ness. In his corres; Mr. Bliss expressed | himself as indifferent to public criticism, ae i he expected te be criticised because of his | gut ofa little shed, , After cons’ | want to go to your back yard.” had grown quite sharp, and Mr. Bliss fi LIFE IN THE ALLEYS, A Morning Trip with a Sanitary In- wpector. AN EXPEDITION THROUGH JACKSON ALLEY—THE YARDS OF SMITH’S ROW AND THE NEIGHBORING HOUSES—HOW THE PEOPLE LIVE—YELPING DOGS AND BELLIGERENT GEESE—THE BUSINESS HOUSES OF THE ALLEY, ETC. “Board of Health: Will you please give attention to the yards in Smith’s row, between G and H 0.w., and oblige, ‘THE WRITER.” This communication passed through the usual official channels till it reached Sanitary Inspec- tor Short. Inspector Short said that the exam!- nation of the yards ot Smith's row and the neighboring tenements in Jackson alley would afford a good sample of the work of inspectors in such localities, besides” giving the reporter a view of the life and surroundings of the large portion of the population that dweli in the alleys of the city. So about the hour when the department clerk is limbering his pen for the day's work, and the man of leisure is sipping his morning coffee, Inspector Short and a Star re- porter set out on an expedition to Jackson alley. jackson alley Is the name given to the T shaped thoroughfare that cuts up the square on which the Government Printing Office is located. From the upper windows of the printing office one gets a view of the roofs of the Iow houses that line the alley, with glimpses, here and theré; of the cramped yards, with thelr rickety fences, sheds and ash heaps. | The inspector and windows. All of the houses, with one excep- tion, are inhabited by colored people. It required | out the necessary notifications. The inspection was then extended to the other houses of the alley. A few of these were more commodious than those in Smith’s row, but the majority were tumble-down boxes, containing three or four rooms. THE INTERIORS OF THE HOUSES, There were two rooms on the first floor of each house of Smith's row. The door opened right into the front room. In some cases this Toom was reserved as a parlor, but In most cases | it was occupied also asa bed-room. The back | Toom served as kitchen, dining-room, and in some instances also as a bed-room. However early the denizens of Smith's row may have risen, they had not yet seen fit to put their beds in order, Ragged blankets, uninviting-looking sheets and lumpy mattresses lay in disordered heaps on rickety and infirm bedsteads, just as they had been tossed and kicked about in the nightmares of the late occupants. Many lanndry work, and that industry was in full operation at the time of the visit, with all the accompaniments of choking steam, small de- luges of suds, and narrow rooms overflowing | with damp linen. The odors from the washtub, mingled with the smells of the kitchen,rendered the atmosphere of the cloge, crowded and ill- ventilated rooms, such as that one escaped from it to the yards, littered with decaying garbage, witha sense of relief. In some cases two or three families occupied the house. The cook- stove was in the back room, and, as it was a cool morning, such members of the family as were not engaged in the laundry industry were huddled about the stove. Old women, with tur- baned heads, sat on the floor with their hands | clasped about their knees, crooning and rocking | to and fro. Every house had Its quota of tia hee children, who watched the proceedings of the inspector with wondering eyes. The back yards | were each about ten feet square, inclosed by | rickety board fences. Every yard contained an ash heap, at least one dog, anda quantity of miscellaneous rubbish. THE DOGS AND GEESE. Some of the yards had four dogs. In some instances the dogs were tied, and Justified their owners In tielng them, by their efforts to Jump | out of their skins to get at the inspector and the reporter. An ugly yelping dog, with five feet of rope, and considerable neck, can describe a semi-circle ina ten-foot yard of such dimer sions as to make it a delicate engineering prob- | lem for an inspector to traverse the whole | length of the yard with: coming within the | limits of the semi-circle. The difficulties of the situation were often increased by the net works | of rope upon which were hung the products of the wash tub. Inspector Short displayed much skill and nerve when such emergencies pre- sented themselves, and guided the reporter safely through the crises. On one occasion only was he at fault, and then an assault came sud- denly from an unexpected quarter. The dog in the “yard had been passed without mishap, although the ropeappeared frayed and stretched to its utmost tension. A head was poked It was the head of a zoose. rable indignant quacking two un- chained geese waddied forth in battle array and charged, at double quick, upon the intruders. The uncertainty of the result of the conflict, and the loss of. nity that would follow defeat when half } the eyes of Jackson alley were upon them, were considerations which led the inspector and re- porter, after a hasty council of war, to with- draw, and the retreat was rapid but orderly. In some of the yards were goats, and in many of them were chickens, which nov and then made excursions into the houses, though as a rule, they preferred the fresher air of the yards. THE INSPECTOR’S INTERVIEWS were brief and pointe When the door was opened his brief greeting was “G'morning, I Then he strode | through the rooms, dodging the tubs, cloties, lines and other obstacles,and quickly despatched his business. | “You folks,” he would say, “are all in the habit of throwing your garbaye on the ash heaps. That Is very wrong. After a conference with the inhabitants of the house long enough to learn who was the person responsible for the house, he would puil out his book and pencil and write down his notice, like ician writing a prescription. Sometimes | three days, sometimes a week, for the | to have their yards cleaned. In some | ct where the woman of the house pleaded that she could not get the money to defray the | expe of cleaning, he aliowed a further exten- sion oftime. Allofthe dates were duplic in the coupon left in his book after the notice was detached. GAUDY DECORATIONS. A noticeable feature of nearly all the houses, and especially those in which the front room Was reserved as a parlor, was the excessive dec- oration, in acheap way, of the walls. Highly colored prints, the glazed pictures from raisin boxes, and gay advertising cards, covered nearly all the available space. ‘Ihe mantel was gener- ally set-off with a mantel porte, made of glaring red calico, and the window was adorned with a curtain of the same fabric. Pictures of a religi- ous character, but of abominable sameness in respect of the blues and bright reds of the gar- ments in which the saints were rol were abundant. Occasionally the mantelpiece would be adorned with a plaster-statue of little Samuel, or some other character, in an attitude of rayer. e ow here do all these pictures come from?” asked the Star reporter after being threatened with color-blindness by gazing upon a dozen or more “Last Suppers,” in which the apostles were represent In raiment that would rival the gaudy splendor of a Kickapoo chief who has Le 8 pow-wow with the Secretary of the Inte- jor. “That 1s the work of the chromo venders,” sald the inspector. “These alleys are their rich- est field. They sell these things on the install- ment plan, and they never leave a house with- out selling something.” KRIS KRINGLE OUT OF PLACE. At one house, which was scantily farnished, but neater than its neighbors, there was little ornamentation of this kind. A cross, about a foot high, made of some red substance, stood on 8 little table in the parlor. There was no piano, but an accordeon rested on the mantelpiece, No roundings. In another house, in the mi of the tubs and broken ture of the back room, sats one-eyed young man. The surroundings abject poverty. one-eyed young drum str When the ‘showed suis: an terest in is work he bright and spoke Up stairs, in tnawretchedtenemect 2 stowed was puts his uniform. answer her. Her Ing words were, “You old Sent, jou oughter know Setar; Tl teach. you to fei es aber nachna, | boy’s mothe you gray-headed Qld ratcal.” Then the enraged female bolted through an aperture in the fence into the yard where thé: inspector and reporter were, and ran into, the Houge screaming out her Tage at every step: She,was a light colored and dissipated looking mulktto woman, with the disfigurement of the lower lip that comes from an indulgence in the vier of snuff-dipping. She had been on a hostile’ visit to the adjoining honse. The reporter peered in there, expecting to see some white-haired old sinnen The “‘gray- headed old devil” had, lrowever, been metamor- phosed into a black young carpenter, whose eyes Were rolling, and whose mouth was stretched from ear to ear with merriment as he indus- triously plied his saw, A BOY WItt 4 RNIFE AND FORK. Coming to another house, the only occupant was found to be a strange-looking, sore-eyed child, tied up in ai bundie of rags. The shape of the garments hve netciue to the sex of the infant, but a neighbor youched for its being a boy. This creatdre, who had a most serious cast of countenance, was wandering gloomily about the house with a broken three-tined fork and arusty knife in his hand. He had evidently been on an unsuccessftl and hopeless search for something on which to exercise his skill with the’e implements. He continued to hold the knife and fork in his hands, as if he derived some satisfaction irom the mere empty form. | There was a plle ot dirt and offal in the yard. When the inspector inquired of the lugubrious youth with the knife,and fork abont this pile of. dirt, he replied with a most exasperating delib- gration, as if he were stopping between each werd to make a mental excursion through the house to see if he had forgotten any cranny where a piece of meat or bread might be hidde “The—people—leaye—this—dirt—here—when —us—moved—here. Who is us?” asked the inspector. “My—inother—and—me.” The woman in the next house sald that the went ont to work during the day, that his fath Was temporarily absent on ac- count of haying received a sentence of six months in jail, and the boy was lett In charge of the family mansion. The inspector passed on, | leaving the boy still tightly grasping his knife and fork and moving slowly and almlesaly about the house. NARROW ESCAPE OF A BAR OF SOAP. Nearby was a honse where lived a thin, worn- looking German woman. The house seemed more wretched and cheerless than those where | | the colored families lived, because it lacked any attempt at ornamentation. There was a cruci- fix ona shelf, and along Dutch pipe was hung from a nail on the smoky wall. Half a dozen dirty curly headed children hung tothe woman's | skirts. She did not know how soon the yard could be cleaned, because she cid not know where the money was to come from. Her hus- band had no work, and had done nething all winter, except now and then to saw wood for some persons. As the reporter was leaving one of the older children rushed frantically to his mother with the startling information that his half-naked Jittle brother was eating soap. The | child had evidently not been enlightened as to the gases of soap. The mother resoued the bat of soap from the danger it was in of being as- similated into the system of the young Teuton, and the howl of disappointment set up by the latter made itself heard for some time above the barking of the dogs in the alley. A DEAD PET. In another house lived a young white woman, who seemed scarcely more than a girl, and who was surrounded by a family of little children. Out in the shed on aa ash pile lay the dead body of alittle goat, still tied to a post. Its shrunken form suggested the Idea that after vainly striv- Ing to derive from’ the @sh pile the nutriment necessary to sustain Ife, It had quietly lain down on the top of theplle and given up the ghost. It had evillently been a pet of the child- ren, and they stood about it now with sorrow- tuleyes. The situation Was quite pathetic. The inspector, however, took an official view of it. “How long has that dead goat been there?” he asked with some severity. “Since last Saturday,” said the woman. The inspector said she’ would have to have it removed speedity, and this the woman promised todo. THE BUS MOUSES OF JACKSON ALLEY. There are several little stores in the alley. ‘The front window is conyerted into a show win- dow by placing @ome shelving against it. On. these shelves are displayed a bar or two of ‘soap, afew sticks of candy and other delicacies likely to tempt the palates of the inhabitants of thealley. Inside ashort counter, the hall ofa pie, a few bags of salt and a further display of eandy and the luxury known as “horse cake” com- pletes the outfit of these mercantile establish- ments, A sign in sprawling letters, reading “No credit,” notifies the public that business in Jackson alley is conducted on the cash basis. These stores are ran by white women. One of the storekeepers, a white-haired old woman, told the reporter that business was not very brisk. “It's only two pennies or a penny at & time,” she said, “‘and oftenest only a penny.” In some houses great louts of men were lolt- ering about while the women worked. Every- Where was tif Inevitable dog, and the progress of the two visitors along the alley was marked by the yelping of each new dog aroused succes- sively from his reverles by the Intrusion of the inspector. ‘There were evidences everywhere in the alley of the light, irrepressible gayety of the colored people. Caricatures were chalked on the walls and fences. On the door of one hovel were painted the words: : “THEATER BOX NO. 60.” As the inspector and reporter were leaving the alley half a dozen tattered urchins congregated atthe cross roads in the center and began a game of ball with a ball as ragged as themselves, anda bat made of a barrel stave. ‘heir sport was genuine, and their laughter boisterous and hilarious, From Jackson's alley the reporter accompa- nied the Inspector ona trip to make a number of special inspections. Finally they came to Prather’s alley, where the scenes were similar to those of Jackson alley. A conspicuons sign on one of the stores in the alley reads: ‘Groceries and Cooked Vittles.” Cooked “vittles” are evi- ered & luxury. Emerging from the inspector announced his tour of inspection over for the_day, and repaired to the health office, where such incidents of the | morning trip as are regarded jas of official im- portance can be found duly ¢@ntered in the in- teresting records of the office, under the heads “nuisances reported,” “nuisances inspected,” and “nuisances abate Goodnight, Written for Tue Evewnsa Star: Goodnight, beloved! the tender night is falling O’er all the weary world, and through the light ‘That fades the volces of my heart are calling Goodnight! Oh, love, to thee a fond goodnight! Goodnight, beloved! May angels bless thy sleeping With dreams far brighter than the day’s lost light; And may thy waking be to smilies, not weeping. Goodnight, oh, truest friend, and best,—good- night! Goodnight, beloved! though weary miles are lying Between thy heart and mine, yet with the flight Of day my thoughts on wings of Jove are fying ‘To bid thee, even as a prayer, goodnight! Goodnight, beloved: ‘neath that great Eye unsleep- ing I leave thee; lo, His stara are shining bright O’er us and thee. God bave us in his keeping Until we ineet agnin, obtlove. Goodnight! —JERsIg£ PIERSON, A Gentle Dog’s Epitaph. DICK. Written for Tax Evexnye $t.n, Stop, passer-by! and drop a tear For Dick, a dog reposing here; And from his life learn, now and then ‘Some dogs are better than some men. Although “poor Dick” a brute was bora, For leve be never gave back scorn, But, grateful, ate hig daily bread And kissed the hand from which he fed. er ‘What he had not, he aid not spend, Sortie nett betagrhie ieee Nor ever cheated, lied or stole, As does a dog with human soul; But through his life did humbly A true and honest gentle-dog; ————_-e-__—__* Tothe Author of “Whispering Pines.” ‘From the Raleigh (N. C.) News and Observer. ‘With soul attent, you to the pines End awedy when Slow tho elgng “toon aos ST. CBISPIN’S SECRETS. What am Avenue Shoe Dealer Says Upon a Delicate Subject—The Small Feet of the Ladies of Washington— Peculiarities of Ladies’ Feet im Dif- ferent Parts of the Country, &c. “Small feet? Yes, the ladies of Washington have very small fect,” said a popular Avenue shoe dealer to a Star reporter the other day, holding up a pair of dainty French kids admir- ingly. “There’s no city in the country where the ladies have smaller feet, If you leave out the transcients. Sometimes we find big feet among the strangers who come here to spend the win- ter, but the Washington ladies have small feet. The average size gaiter we sell is from ‘twos’ to | ‘threes-and-a-half.” | called for, great man id of ‘ones-and-a-half’ we sell a queried the reporter. “No, not to misses. To young ladies and married women. There arelots of small feet in our fashionable custom. It’s a wonder short dresses are not more fashionable here. If you knew how many pretty feet were hid under coe sweeping dresses it would make you mat Then he squeezed the toes of the dainty little lea and ran his hand over the high, arched instey “No, sir, you don't know,” he continued: “you don't know how many pretty feet are hid by these long skirts. ‘‘Any striking instances of small feet? Why, yes. ‘There’s——but, no; it would not do to give names. But there are |instances enough. There's a young lady who deals with us. She lives up near Connecticut avenue somewhere. She's a big, fine looking lady; tall, and beautifully formed, and would weigh, I guess, about a hundred and seventy pounds. When she came here after a pair of shoes for the firet time I was never more aston- ished In my life. She wore a number one, and had the prettiest little foot [ever saw. Such a foot!» Suchan ankle! You should have se— no, you shouldnt; I didn’t mean to say that. But it was just pertect. A delicatel; fashioned foot, with high, arched instep, and had to move the two top buttons as tar as I could to make the ankle largeenough. You thoed ought—but excuse me; 1 should not speak so familiarly about the young lady’s foot. She would not like it. Yes, our trade’s mostly among fashionable ladies, and we sell lots of small shoes.” “There's lots of difference in teet. The southern ladies have very small teet with high arched insteps and always let their toes zo right up tothe end of the shoe. The eastern ladies have long, narrow, delicate feet, and wear their shoes a tritle too long. The western women, like the southern, wear their shoes | close and have short feet, but they are fat and heavy. The ideal aristocratic foot—small and delicate, with high arched instep—is found chiefly in the south.” “What style shoes are most worn by ladies?” asked the reporter. “Oh, all styles. There are the pointed toe and the medium toe (pointing to two styles in the case); the uftra-French heel, and the same style more modified, but the shoes we sell the most to the best people are the common-sense styles—low broad heels and wide toes. The best stock is put up in this style. We have been selling them for three years, but they are worn more now than ever before. They are increasing in popularity all the time. The pointed toes and ultra French heels are looked upon as a trifle fast for ladies, and are not as mach worn except by a certain class. The ‘moderation shoe is worn a great deal by those who do not care to go to the extreme in the way of broad toes, or who fancy them less comfortable. You can generally tell a person of reflued taste by the shoes they buy, and there Is a deal of character study about the feet. You will find that among the best people the children are not allowed to wear heels to their shoes. Misses often wear no heels until they are twelve or fifteen years old.” “Big feet? Well, we do find a'big foot occa- sionally. A girl of twelve years came in here yesterday, aud bought a pair of ‘sixes,’ and they were a pretty close fit. But anything of that kind is rare. The large sizes are gen- erally sold in cheaper grades of goods than any we have in stock. ‘Sixes-and-a-half and ‘sey- ens’ are the largest sizes sold to white women, ‘but colored women frequently wear ‘eights’ and ‘nines.’ This class of trade, though, is at the cheaper stores.” “Ah, take @ seat, madam,” (to a customer.) “Number —; Yne’s-and-a-half, buttons,” the lady supplies, as she puts her toot up and smiles. eS | Our Sirect Names, ‘To the Editor of Tur Eves! ‘Star: Allow me to correct an impression which has been widely disseminated by the notice in your editorial column of the 17th instant in relation to the bill introduced recently into the House by Mr. Springer providing for a change in the names of the streets in Washington which are now designated alphabetically. As stated in your article, the advantages ot the alphabetical system are well retained in the bill, and it will be observed by the copy of it below that the plan heretofore suggested in your columns of having the streets north of the Capitol bear the names of eminent civilians and those south of itthe names of distinguished iilitary and nayal men has, with a few excep- tions, been carried out. There is, therefore, no duplication of names of streets north and south of the Capitol; no change is made in the aystem of numbering the houses, and the names selected are—the majority of them—famillar as household words in the his- tory of ourcountry. The change proposed com- mends itself on the score of mere convenience in not a few cases. It avoids the constantly re- curring confusion arising from a similarity in the sounds of letters as M and N, Band D, H and 8th,—and to the majority of the residents of the national capital who think as you do, that n initial letter is not a proper name for any- thing—it has neither dignity nor individuality,” the new system will be most acceptable. 5.'@. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre- sentatives of the United States of America in Con- senhied, ‘Tha S85, tlle pames siingion, District of Columbia, which ighuted by the letters of the alphabet, shall ed to the names herein stated, and that ines shall be permanen: First. For the strects ruuning east and west to the north of East and West Cupltol streets the changes are to be as follows: A street to Adams strevi, B street to Benton street, € street to Clay street, D street to Douglas street, E street to Ever- elt street, F street to Fillmore Street, @ street to Gallatin street, H street to Hamilton street, I street to Irving street, K street to Kent street, L Street to Lincoin street, M street to Madison street, N street to Nelson street, O street to Otis street, F street to ‘| Prescott street, Q street to Quincy street, K street to Kush street, § Street to Stockton street, T street to Taylor street, U street to Upshur street, V street to Van Buren street, W street to Webster street. Second. For the streets running east and west to the south of East and West Capitol streets the ‘are to be as follows: A street to Arthur are Sec. that should any streets be now designated by any of the names above the names of Such streets shall be changed under the direction d that all laws or parta-of laws confucting Wit nd all laws or ws thts act are hereby repealed. {The few exceptions referred to by our corre- spondent are enough to destroy the idea of fix- ing in the mind the location of a given street by the character of its name—or rather of the pergon for whom named. Ii the streets north of the Capitol bore the names of eminent civil- Jans alone and those south of it those only of military and naval the whereabouts of Eller? street would at once be indicated. To keep the idea of geographical location or division still more minent, it has been and naval, indiscriminately, only e proper initial in each case,—and those aouth after some of the principal cities of the country. The list would then stand something as follows: North. South. Adams. Albany. ee pe Douglas Detroit, Franklio. Frankfort. % Galveston. tag Thien Know Keokuk. Lincoln. wrence. Marshail. Milwaukee. Nelson. Nashviile. Otis. Omaha. Portland. Savannah, ‘Trenton. ¥ Buren. Vickeburg. ‘an i. Webster. Wheeling. ‘Ones’ are not infrequently | THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT. The Steps Taken to Provide for a Ded- icatery Celebration. In view of the probability that the Washing- ton Monument will receive its capstone in November at the earliest, the joint commission sent a communication to Congress on Wednes- day last, which was in the Senate referred to the committee on public buildings and grounds. This communication said: “‘At a meeting of the Joint commission for thecompletion of the Wash- ington monument, held on the 16th of April, 1884, certain resolutions were received from the Wash- ington National Monument society, of date April 3d, 1554, In substance relating to the approaching completion of the monument and the appropriate dedication of the same. The joint commission in forwarding these resolu- tions to Congress, heartily concur in the recom- mendations of te Washington National Monu- ment society, and ask that the subject may meet such favorable consideration by Congress as its national importance demands, and in view of the early completion of the shaft of the Monument, it isthe opinion of the joint com- mission that whatever action Congress may take should be taken at this, their present ses- sion.” The joint commission to superintend the construction of the monument consists of th President of the United Stat W. W. Corcoran, chairman; Newton, chief of engineers, U.S Clark, architect U.S. Capitol; M. E. Bell, super- vising architect U. S. Treasury deparsment. ACTION OF THE MONUMENT SOCIETY. The resolutions forwarded by the commission to Congress adopted by the Washington Monu- ment society recite that Colonel T. L. Casey, U. S. engineers, in charge of the completion of | the Washington monument, stated to the s0- ciety, at ite annual meeting, held on the 224 of February last, that the shaft and the pyramidal covering designed to surmount it will, in all probability, be completed at the end of the present working season or, at farthest, in the spring of 1885, and that by the terms of the act of Congress of August 24, 1876, providing for the completion of the monument, it is made the duty of this society to act “in an advisory and co-operative capacity” with the joint commission created under the said act “until the completion and dedication of the monu- ment,” request the Joint commission to com- municate to Congress at an early day the facts Tespecting the date of the probable completion of the monument, and, to the end that due preparations may be made for Its dedication, invite the early adoption of such legisiative measures as Congress shall deem expedient for the commemoration of this great event by ap- propriate public ceremonies, to be conducted under the auspices of the national government. THE RESOLUTIONS express it as the opinion of the society that the public ceremonies appropriate to such an occa- sion of surpassing national interest should be projected on a scale and executed with a magni- tude which shall be in keeping with the great event they are designed to celebrate, with the peerless fame which the monument commem- orates, and with the patriotic gratitude of which it is the symbol and token. It is suggested that many states and cities of the Union, especially those which have contributed funds or memorial blocks to the monument, and many civic and military organizations in different parts of the country, will be desirous of taking part in these public ceremonies, if, in the wisdom of Con- gress, they shall be projected on a scale suffi- cientiy comprehensive to admit of such a gen- eral participation. Itis resolved, also, that ‘this society, which for half a century presided over the initial stages of this great national monu- ment to the name and memory of George Wash- ington, will cheerfully and gratefully co-operate with Congress and the government in all measures which sball have for their object to | give the proportions of a great national pageant to the dedicatory ceremonies contemplated in these resolutions.” THE MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY ARE: Chester A. Arthur, President of the United States, ex-officio president; W. W. Corcoran, first vice president; Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, of Maseachusetts, second vice president; J. B. H. Smith, treasurer; Horatio King, secretary; F. L. Harvey, recording secretary; Hon. George ncroft, Mr. Edward Clark, Admiral L. M. ‘owel, General Wm. McK. Dunn, Hon. Geo. W. McCrary, Dr. Daniel B. Clarke, Dr. James C. Welling, General W. T. Sherman, Judge Walter 8. Cox, Colonel James G. Berret, Jonn C. Hat ness, esq., Dr. Charles H. Nichols, D. A. Vi terston, esq., Dr. Joseph M. Toner, and the gov- ernors of the several states. Poe ——— .A TALK ABOUT TERRAPIN. A Delicate Dish Growing Annually More Expensive. WHAT AN OLD WASHINGTON CATERER KNOWS ABOUT THE PART THAT TERRAPIN HAS PLAYED IN DIPLOMACY—THE FINEST TERRAPIN CAUGHT IN THE LOWER POTOMAC — DISTINGUISHED MEN WHO LOVE TERRAPIN, &C. “Twenty years ago I bought terrapin for $6 a dozen,” said an old caterer to a Star reporter, as they sat in a gastronomical discussion the other evening. “Now I pay from $40 to #50. The diamond back terrapin stands way ahead of anything elseever devised or created to tickle an epicurean’s palate. It is the most delicate and the most expensive dish that appears on an American table, No man who isa good eater would give a dinner party without it. The ter- rapin and canvass back must be ona table that makes any pretentions to correctness.” “What Is the usual charge for an order of ter- rapin?” asked the scribe. “A single order? Well, one person ordering terrapin, and nothing else, would have to pay about four dollars. The terrapin would be very small, though, It would take about two big terrapin to go on with the rest of the bill of fare for a dinner of from ten to twelve covers, which would make an extra item of about $10, The demand is increasing, and they are get- ting more expensive every year. It used to be peculiarly a southern dish, but now scarcely a northern or eastern man comes here that he does not call for terrapin. The best market in | the world for them now is In New York. The | only trouble is there can’t be enough had to | supply the demand. The appetite for them is increasing, 80 that they are all being eaten up, and there's always a call for more. There is only one recognized way of preparing them for the table, and that is in astew; but I make them into patties sometimes, and they are very much sought by epicureans.” WHERE THEY COME FROM. “Where do they come from?” asked the Star. “Many of those sold in the New York markets are caught in the Delaware bay. Numbers are caught around that locality, and most persons could not tell them from those caught in the Chesapeake. But the best terrapin foundin the world—the only kind the real epicurean wili have are it it at the mouth of the Poto- mac, Sn aenae eon Theee bring the high- est price in the market, and the taste of one brings delight to the heart of a good eater. They are very scarce and hard to get though. They are caught one at a time, and the oy: boats bring to the market sometimes two dozen, sometimes only a dozen, or half a dozen, oreven only ose single terrapin. They are wilder and harder to get in the summer. They are Sgr ora then only by fishermen while seining for Every time they get one it is a prize, and they mt him in pound until they get more. In the | utterly refused to do anything at all in the Hon. Ben. Tucker and Walter —- epicures. were Representative. Robert Ould, who was district Barton Key. Charies Sumner knew ner, I guess, as wellas any man livi there are lots of them I could name. It used be that certain men were distinguished for breeding them. —————— The First Disappointment. Written for Tur Evesrxo Stam. I saw a youthful mother Once on a summer day Set down a smiling infant* ‘To watch tts frolic play: It gamboled through the sunlight ‘That tell upon the Noor, And sought with childish wonder Each object to explore. But now a something new and strange Its glad carver arrests, And earnestly tt gazes Where a golden sunbeam rests: Upon the new found glory It fixed its wondering eyes, And trustfully reached forth its hand To setze the glittering prize: And now its tiny fingers clasp ‘The treasure rich and rare ‘Which in its baby innocence It surely thought was there. But ah! that hand uncloses And to its wistful gaze Reveals no gem of beauty, No bright imprisoned rays! And then the first of many tears Feli on that cherub face: *Twas the first disappointment In life’s uncertain race, And thus it hath been with us all Who tts dark game have played:— ‘We've sought to grasp the sunshine And only found the shade. —Tarovosia H. BEVERIDOR Plants for Vases. From Harper's Bazar. What shall we put in our vases? isa question which no longer troubles us, for it there is one thing more than another about which we have bought knowledge by experience, it 1s the seleo- tion of plants for vases. When, two years ago, we first decided to buy some vases, we intended to get two only—one very large vase, which was to be placed in the most conspicuous place on the lawn, where it would show its attractions of flower and foliage to the best advantage, and greet the eye of each visitor on his first approach, and a smaller one, which was to grace a more retired situation— but when we came to make a selection we found it dificult to decide. One vase had this attrao- tion, another an equally endearing but totally different charm; that vase we must have because it had such a graceful standard; this one because it had such high and graceful arms; and so on, until we had taken five, not one of which we could relinquish; and we returned home with light hearts and a lighter purse. Those five vases proved veritable white ele- phants on our hands that first year. We made out our list of plants without a thought of fail- ure, for our very ignorance saved us from un- pleasant anticipations. We selected the very choicest plants, for we {Intended our vaseg to be models of elegance and beauty, and we had some kind of an indistinct, haif-formed idea in our minds that they were to be a sort of expo- nent of our individuality and taste. Perhaps they were. As soon as the weather would permit, the plants were put out inthe vases, and, according to our hopes and plans, should have soon filled them with masses of flowers and foliage. But they did not. We covered them if the sun seemed too hot, and watered them daily, but, for all our care, our plants proved a failure, which we did not know how to remedy. The plants which bad filled our mind with visions of beauty when we read in the catalogue of the glories that would cover them in their perfec- tion rewarded our care by dwindling away in a most heart-breaking and anaccountable manner, The Clerodendron baifourti, which was to have been “a climber of great beauty,” with clusters of flowers “upward of six inches in width, ot mounting the spreading arms which rose foot or more about the top of one vase, but I sisted on waving around in a sorry, disconsolate and very exasperating way. Our heliotropes turned yellow in the moet peculiar manner, and our rex begonias, of which we had procured a number, because we felt so confident that their large, richly marked leaves would make a lovely show of color, never sported twe tull- grown leaves at the same time. And so it was with almost every plant—they withered, wilted, and died, in a variety of ways, but surely. A strong suspicion of what the trouble was began at last todawn onus. Our ferusseemed to point their stiff, dried stems at us in contempt because we did not know better than to put them where they must endure uninterrupted sunshine, when they should lave changed places with the geraviums, which were only bunches of greeu leaves because they were in the shade, for geraniums are reguler salaman- ders, and love to bask all day long in the hot while terns care for only a few stray beams. We found that no water must touch the leaves of the rex begonia just in time to save one root, which we removed tc a pot for house culture. It was the Ist of August when we made our interesting discoveries — quite too late, we thought, to have our vases make a very hand- some show that year; but we determined to mend matters as far as we could. A little study and some carefully put questions at the florist’s gave us sume new ideas, We pulled up the dead mementoes of onr folly, transplanted such as still had some lif in them, and filled up the vacancies from the flower beds, using even such common flowers as petunias and blue pansies; and althouzh yerbenas and phior drummondit are not considered particu- larly fitted for vases, we added them, and, much | to our surprise, our vases did become objects of real beauty. Although in our first anxiety to have our choice plants grow we would willingly have held an umbrella over them, and. fanned them with our most breezy fan, if that would have revived them, still, as a general thing, one does not care to devote one’s summer leisure to training flow- ers: so those plants which can take care of them- selves to a considerable extent are decidedly the most desirable. {n each vase there should be plants to trail over the edge, plants to vine over the arms or handles, if there are any, and plants to grow erect, and make a good display of ffower and follage in the center. The situation of the vase must be taken into consideration when the plants to fill it are selected. If it stands in the shade, plants which flourish only in the sun- shine must not be ; or if it gets the sun during the heat of the day, delicate plants must be avoided. The following are good trailing plants Kenilworth tvy, Jj i ‘marmorata, and the pretty nol Il the above will hang down over the edge of the vase from one to three feet, and the firet three will stand almost ‘any amount of sunshine. Sweet alyssum is also desirable for edging vases, and will trail over pete el pm pre — ia hybrida fora tsa variety for ge oe For plants to vine up over the arms of a vase, maurandia, 7 unbergia bakeriand T. 5 ndens, oeane ta Utle or, in, a sword- For a vase that gets or no sun, fern makes a good center,and nemophila and for ivy, fall they are fat and are easier to catch. In their bellies, which worries them makes them thin.” A WASHINGTON DISH. :: i browallia are both plants having blue flowers which do ee somo pyr corniou- latum, Artemisia argentea and ven Lacey or The eoleus stands sunshine well, and is good of bright color. yo The ina vase where they well ina pF, poor man will have tobe hung, They can't get a respite, and the death watch has already been set over him.” how awful it sounds” “¥es, what tan we do now except send him some