Evening Star Newspaper, February 2, 1889, Page 10

10 t THE EVFNING STAR: WASHINGTON, D.C., SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1889. Written for Tuy Evento Sta ETIQUETTE AND MANNERS. What to Do and What Not to Do in Polite Society. BRS. SHERWOOD'S RESPONDENCE COLUMN— RESPONDING TO INVITATIONS—WHEN TO LEAVE CARDS—ADVICE ABOUT WEARING AND DISPENS- ING WITH MOURNING. Many letters are addressed to the editor bear- ing on history, literature and art. These will become valuable hereafter. It is quite impossible to answer the letters individually, as at least ten of them will bear on one point, as “What is the form of a dinner invitation?” “What answer should be given to an invitation to afternoon tea?” &c. There- fore the general principles of all the questions can alone be reached, and that to the best abil- ity of the writer. When a new and puzzling point is made more attention is, of course, bestowed on that letter. Sometimes in order that several authorities may be consulted: sometimes that time for re- flection be gained. Many questions are unan- swerable, as authorities differ. Some are flip- pant and impertinent, and naturally go to the waste basket. Most of them, however, discover & genuine desire to improve. “Young Irishman” writes: “Please puta stranger im this country right on the following points: Is it Recessary toanswer an invitation to an afternoon tear” No, it is not. Either go or send your card. “How should a printed invitation to a dance be auswered?” “Mr. Patrick accepts with p Brown's kind invitation for T! ing.” leasure Mrs. ursday even- ““How soon should a party call be made, and how Jong should it last?” A call should be returned within a week, and it should never last over an hour. A half-hour is better. “Ei jette” asks: “In calling on a young lady in ues evening, Unaubl dhe coon to mnadtn tt meria be the parlor?” Yes, if you do not know her very well. “Should the gloves, overcoat and hat be removed Defore going into the parlor?” Decidedly. INVITATION AND ANSWER. “B. Q. T.” A card written: “Compliments of the Misses Jones, for Thursday evening dancing, 8:30,” is very bad form, ungrammatical and un- It should be: “The Misses Jones at | bold attempts to cheat the gallows. There are graceful. bome on Thursday evening, at 8:30. Dancing.” Or, “The Misses Jones present their complements B. Q. T.’s com- and request the pleasure of pany on Thursday evening. Your answer would be: with much pleasure the polite invitation of the jisses Jones.” ete. The note should be di- rected “The Misses Jones.” Dancing.” romposed of both ladies and gentlemen? Should it be similar to that of a firm composed entirely of men, as Ivison, Blake~ man, Taylor & Co.? Should I say Dear Sirs? No: you would address them Messieurs or Messrs. Second question: “Would it be etiquette for a young lady to shake hands with a gentleman Whom she knows but slight! Yes; in this country every one shakes hands. “In giving a country party should a young lady @r her parents ite the guests?” The parents should alw: invite the guests. If a young man gives a party his mother or some elderly friend should issue the invitations to ladies; that is, it is more usually done. “EF asks if there is “any objection to a gentleman cailing in full dress ona family in mourninj No, certainly not. Full dress refers to the time of day, not to the condition of the family called upon. A gentlemen should always be im full dress for an evening visit. IMPROVEM Years old and Married” asks a pa- am in sore distress, and ask poor education, which I ‘Wish to improve without going to public school. It would not be right fi go there for I am twenty-six years old and married. Can you tell me how | could get instruction in reading, writing, spelling and grammar? I have the entire day to myself and would like to devote it to those studies, but I have no money to pay for private tuition.” Could you not ask the wife of the clergyman of your parish to get up an evening school? Doubtless many young ladies would be de- lighted to teach you. Carl” asks: “Is any kind of a ring more appro priate for an engagement ring than a solitaire diamond? Should an engagement ring be en- graved? Initials and date presumably, and to what extent?” A diamond solitaire is the favorite ring, and there is seldom more put inside than the initials and date, although you can add a posy if there is room. “Common Sense.” “Please explain why conyey- ing food to the mouth with a knife ls wrong?” It is not wrong; it is simply vulgar and un- neat. It is not wrong, moraily, to be a boor; but it is decidedly unpleasant for one’s neigh- Pp ig! P. P. C. CARDS. “Quondam Friend” asks: “Will you kindly ex- Plain the etiquette of P. P.C. cards? My husband and I are about to leave a town in which we have lived for some time. Shall I send cards to those only who are on my visiting list?’ How shall I send them? By post? Our town is a small one. Ought I to inclose my husband's card with my own? Ladies who have called on me have not left their husbands’ cards. Shall I leave cards where I make a visit in person? Is it the correct thing to leave one’s own card as well as twoof one’s hus- band if one is admitted and pays the visit in per- son? Is it proper to leave cards at an evening re- ception, and, if one does, is it necessary to afterward.” To answer the last first: No. Never le: cards at an evening reception, but call after- ward. As to the leaving cards, when paying a Visit in person one card is enough. A card en- graved “Mr. and Mrs. Brown” is better for “P. P.O." if you are moving away, although in this country a lady’s card answers all pur- of etiquette. It is proper to send “pe P. cards by mail. “George Knox” asks: “What should be the pro- Rex form for the calling card of a minister. Rev. illiam Jones, D.D. Colonel George Jackson? Also, is it proper for a titled person, in issuing in- Vitations to a reception, to style himself colonel, doctor or whatever the title may be?” Of course it is, CARDS AT TEA. Several of the questions are on the subject of -leaving a card ata 5 o'clock tea. It is proper to doso, and that is a call for the season. Several others are as to forms of invitation. They simuld be in the third rson, stately, formal and clear, as: ‘Mrs. John Brown re- quests the pleasure of Mr. Horace Clayton's company at dinner, on Thursday, November 22, at 7:30 o'clock: 17 Madison street.” And the answer should be: “Mr. Horace Clayton accepts, with pleasure, the polite invitation of Mrs. Johp Brown, for dinner, at 7:30 o'clock, on November 22.” “Ignorace™ asks: “I have recei' jt renee aed wae Mares Mh home of November. The card reads: ‘At home Wed- nesday evenings in January.’ Now, I do not wish P gall, nor do I'wis to be impolite. What shall Simply send your car2. “W. P. W.” asks: “Is it proper to rise and my seat in a crowded car to a lady dagen} came Abd at churen should I Pees the plate for her col- Yes; she has of course a right to give her ey to charity if she. chooses pot ate < your seat, it is an American custom. tis» polite attention, not a duty, and if a he ought i an is very weary he ought not to be obliged SEFEL MOURNING ETIQUETTE. So many questions are asked on the subject of mourning that it is best also to concentrate the answers. One lady asks how long she should wear the veil “for a parent.” In England mourning for a father or mother @ year, ear dresses — ope tulle veil is worn at the back of the bonnet for six "menthe, Fora mourning is much deeper. It lasts eighteen mouths; with the queen it has lasted twenty-five years. For twelve months the widow's cap is worn, a crape bonnet and long veil and white cuffs. Jet ornaments and dia- monds set in black enamel alone are per. Mourning for your children lasts six months, officially, although many wear it for Years, Dull black kid gloves are worn in first mourn- ing, after that, gants de Suede or silk gloves in summer. In America widows wear deep re two years. Others an it for ‘en wear mou! a year for a mn e1 lightened. Comiplamentasy moe Diack sulk without 3 am absence of col An American is always shocked at the lightness and cheerfulness of French mourning. for Chil- m 3 | gaging in amusements imme: ir. B. Q. T. accepts ‘What should be the proper i light mourning, jet or black silk was once mourning. but it is so much used now for dress that is doubtful if it is mourning, ‘The discarding of mourking ehould be done carefully and by gradations. Itshocks persons of good taste to see-a person who has hada freat grief suddenly jump into colors as if they ad been counting the hours. If black must be laid off let it be done gradually; ment be slowly and poe! shaded off by quiet costume, as the feeling of grief, yielding to the kindly influence of time. is shaded off into resignation and cheerfulness. We do not forget our dead, but we mourn for them more patiently. with a feeling which no longer par- takes of anguish. A deep mourning dress in a place of public anmsement is an anomaly and should never be seen ata wedding. The common decencies of life should prevent a frivolous person from en- ely after the death ofa relative. But if a wedding is to be celebrated the mourning could be put off for that day. M. E. W. Suerwoop. soe — CAUSES OF let its retire- SUICIDE. Men Who Have Nothing Left to Live For. THE IMPORTANT PART PLAYED BY WHISKY IN SUICIDAL DRAMAS—THE MOST POPULAR METH- ODS OF REMOVAL—FALSE ATTEMPTS AT SUICIDE —HOW AND WHY THE ATTEMPTS ARE MADE. “What is the principal cause of suicide?” asked a Star reporter of a well-known physi- cian the other day. “That.” he replied, ‘ia rather a difficult ques- tion to answer. There are a great many causes, and it would be impossible to tell the principal ones. Generally they may be said to be whisky and trouble. But, then, trouble may be the re- sult of drinking whisky, and that would bring it down to one reason, and that is whisky. Liquor drinking, I think, hasa close connection with many suicides. For instance, a person may have considerable trouble in his family, and he attempts to drown his sgrrow with the wine-glass. Of course, this only gets him deeper into trouble, andthe only means he sees of getting out is to end his existence. But, asI mil valores there are many other reasons for taking life. Often it is the result of a man’s being jilted by his sweetheart. Then, again, there have been many cases where escaping criminals have taken their lives to avoid being captured, and where convicted murderers made some poor unfortunates who are driven to suicide because they have played in hard luck. Probably thrown out of employment, unable to make an honest dollar, and too proud to beg. FROM DISEASF. There are others who are driven to suicide by disease. A person will be sick sometimes for weeks or months. He will try various doc- tors, and will apparently get no better. He becomes deepoadent, and feels a desire to die. This is not gratified soon enough, and he takes | & dose of something that will put him beyond all desires. There are many cases of this class, and, indeed, if any person ‘is justified in com- mitting suicide it is when everything has been done for him and he is still inconstant pain for months with not the least possibility of ever getting better. But even in such a case comes in the cheering assertion, ‘While there's life there's hope.” “Any person who will deliberately take his own life,” continued the physician, “surely must be crazy at the time, and if he is not, it is a charitable way to speak of it. Many persons, Ihave no doubt, often Corvus sce suicide or say ‘I wish I were dead’ when they really don’t mean either, but the one who has the former wish in mind isa dangerous man to himself, and had better turn his course in life if it is possi- ble for him to do so, or else he will probably go from this world with his name disgraced and leave a reflection on his family, if he has one. It is a singular fact that a woman seldom takes her own life, although she is spoken of as belonging to the weaker sex. It may be be- cause she thinks more of herself than a man — or because she has more fears of the here- after. RELIGIOUS PREPARATION FOR SUICIDE. “Persons bent on ending their existence often do some peculiar things. I remember a man, who was not a model man by any means. Very suddenly he begun going tochurch, He soon be- came a church member, and for a few weeks w: one of the mostregular attendants atservice. As suddenly as he became a member of the church he became a corpse. He committed suicide, That man I have no doubt contemplated sui- cide before he went to church. le did not think that he was prepared to die, and did not care to meet his Maker without some religious preparation. He adopted the means related, and no doubt felt better prepared to die. MEN OF FAMILY. “Others, but very few, look after the interests of their families before committing the rash act, while a larger proportion of them see that nothing is left behind them when they leave, Men of families usually select some secluded spot about their own premises when they go out such a job, and frequently use a rope and hang themselves. Some prefer a dose of laudanum, while others would rather drown their troubles by jumping from some high bridge or create a sensation by jumping from @ steamboat. SUICIDAL EPIDEMICS. “Persons who select such public places usually commit suicide because there has been a number of such cases within a short time, and not because of any particular trouble. ‘Such persons usually are light about the head, are anxious for notoriety of some sort, and are almost unable to select any other ‘means by which they can accomplish their desires. With single men it is different. They usually take | their life while at some point distant from their homes. In many instances it is done where the victim has left home to seek his for- tune. He fails in his endeavors to become wealthy or be sent to Washington to represent some congressional district. HE STARTS OUT WITH THE Boys, becomes a rounder, and when at last he has no money he finds himself an outcast, and the only to get square with the world, he thinks, is to take a dose of something that will make him sleep forever. MEANS TO AN END. “Of late years,” continued the doctor,“ ‘rough on rate’ has been used pretty freely as a means of taking life, and may be said to be the most popular means of suicide, especially in this sec- tion. The use of the pistol in such cases is also pretty general, while the razor, which leaves hind it a ghastly sight, is not so often used. Persons who use pistols are generally those who make up their minds in a hurry and think ‘the harder the storm, the sooner over.’ They be- lieve in doing the work well and quickly and with as little suffering as possible. It fre- quently occurs that in cases where pistols are used, the victim fails to effect his desvgns, through nervousness, <a sending the bullet through ion of his clothing or through the open The same with some who ison. They misjudge the drug and will not e enough of it to cause death, or they will take an overdose, which makes them deathly sick, and also causes the poison to be thrown off the stomach. BLUFFING. “Sometimes the supposed victim had not the slightest idea of taking his life. He only wanted to frighten his friends and get a little ger regain a friend who had discarded him. There have been many such cases and sometimes death has resulted from some such foolish freak when in fact the victim-had no idea of taking his life. The same may be said in cases of drowni It is said that a drown- ing man suffers but little, and that a drowning Man grasps atastraw. So that in such a case, although death ensues in a few minutes, the man certainly must repent, for when he is reaching for the straw, so to speak, he is mak- ing a desperate effort to save his life. Persons Who simply want to make a bluff at ending life accom some purpose well jum into the" river, provided the; 80 when there are some river business beechrpag mens “There ought to be some way in which to a Ae attempt wulcide and fail,” continued, * weak-minded individuals, Twelen aoe Written for Tur Evexine Star. A.FAMOUS RACE. b Stirring Story of the Gentlemen Riders at New Orleans. THE OLD METAIRIE TRACK AND ITs PATROXS— THE CHALLENGE—TWO NOBLEMEN IN THE 8AD- DLE—RIDING THOROUGHBRED RACERS — DIS- TRIBUTING “‘MOUNTS”—HORSES AND RIDERS. (Copyricht 1889.) You say that an instance wherein the West Point preparation was shown to fit a man toy ride successfully against experts of the turf | woald be of interest. That would imply an | atom of doubt on the part of some of your readers as to the justice of the claim made by Mr. Roosevelt and tacitly endorsed by myself in previous articles. Th: nosurprise. I ex- pected it now, and encountered it fifteen years ago. A man whom I had known in New York, and whom I next met at the beautiful old Met- airie race course in New Orleans, came briskly forward one April morning in ‘72 and laugh- ingly said, “You won't mind. I hope; ['ve bet my money against you. You may be a good cavalry rider, but—these—why, they're all ex- perts,” Now I shall have to tell the wRole story, de- ‘spite its being a personal affair, but if it serve to illustrate the principle referred to—well and | good, BEFORE THE MEETING. It was just before the spring meeting of the Metairie jockey club of New Orleans—some- where toward the end of March, 1872—and a great concourse of prominent horsemen from all over the country was rapidly assembling. It was destined to be the final meeting on the finest course in the south, and the directors were eager to go out in a blaze of glory. The stables of Buford and Swigert, of Kentucky, and of Sanford, of New Jersey, were among the most notable on the ground, but every southernstable of any consequence was repré- sented. Ex-Gov. Paul O. Hebert was then president of the Metairie; Gens. Beauregard and Westmore were among its leading spirits; Lawrence Barrett sported its colors as an hon- ored gue: 0 did Manton Marble, of the New York World, then spending a month at the old Hotel St. Louis; LeGrand B, Cannon, of New York, was a daily visitor to look at the “pr liminary canters”; Cuthbert Slocomb, of New Orleans, was an enthusiastic member, and the invaluable Billy Connor was* then one of the prominent track officers. It is the season of the year, too, when the quaint old city is crowded with tourists from the north, and this spring of °72 was the gayest that had opened | since the war. | NOBLE CHALLENGERS, | Among the daily visitors at the club were two young foreigners, Monsieur George Rosen- lecher, of France, and Count Victor Crenne- ville, of Austria, both light cavalry officers in their own countries; both practiced riders in many a race at Longchamps, Baden-Baden and Vienna; both had brought with them their gorgeous silken ‘‘casaques” (jockey shirts) and complete race rig; both frequently exhibited Cabea a taken in their beautiful jockey ress. and both were eager at the coming | meeting to ride a race against any ican gentlemen who could be induced to “pick up the gauntlet.” For some time there were no | takers. Then they offered to allow seven pounds to any gentleman who would ride against them, i. ¢., carry seven pounds dead | weight on their race saddles—a heavy penalty. | Still no takers, and then there began to be some talk. Just then I got back from duty on which I had been sent in northern Mississippi, and, re- porting to Gen. Emory, on whose staff I was serving as aide-de-camp, spent the evening with him at the St. Lonis hotel, where all these prominent Metairie men happened to be gath- ered. Almost the first thing said to me was by Gov. Hebert: “Why won't you ride against these foreign cavalrymen?” And in this w: first heard of the challenge. Little by little the whole story came out, and turning to my chief—himself an enthusiastic old cavalry offi- t and work of fellows who come alongside. Stu- | Written for Tur Evestne Stan. art, the little Englishman, was the first of the five whom I had a good chance of seeing, and be was a very trim, business-like, thoroughgo- ing rider. “A vast improvement on Lord W**dh**s,” said Westmore and others on the jedge’s stand, who were watching him as he came flyin; — the homestretch straight as horse could run. The yor lord referred to bad been over a year or two before and had, so they‘said, “ridden all ovc> his horse.” Rosch- sclrer, also, was a pretty rider, though too high ib the stirrups to suit me, and more than enced thought that the coach, whom he had { jed—a jockey with a beautiful seat and Bomar a 3 ra pp daleeer aoe eee ye ‘sleeve at him. Crenneville, I only saw in sad- Me’ tyice before the race, and both times it struck me he was ‘too much in the air.” He: ing a Mobile horseman commending the count’s style, and anxious to learn its special points as viewed by him. I asked his reasons, “Why, he’s so light. Never touches his horse's bac! You would think he wasn't on him at all.” “Well, if that horse should suddenly shy or swerve he wouldn't be on him,” was the an- swer that occurred to me, but I said nothing at the moment. The next morning his horse did shy and the Austrian was thrown headlong. These three gentlemen had their coachers or trainers with them a great deal, but after the first day I preferred to allow no one to touch my horse. THEN CAME THE ANNOUNCEMENT of the “‘mounts”—the horses we were to ride— and then I made my bets. Both of them against myself. Of course if riding could do it, Imeant to win that race, There was mat reason why I should. Pride in the fact that was riding for America; pride in the fact that Iwas riding for the cavalry of my country; pride in being a winner, even, But when I looked on the horses and their records my hopes went down. All other things being even Ross would land Ireland’s green silk an easy winner, with the emblazoned arms of the horse of Crenneville a good second. I was willmg to believe that if ‘the rest of us were not “bunched” I could come in a fair third. The ses assigned us were as follows: To Ireland—The brown colt Nathan Oaks. To Austria—The chestnut colt Tom Aikin. To the United States—The chestnut gelding Templar. To England—The brown filly Rapidita. To France—The bay filly Oleander. WHAT THEY COULD Do. I knew every one of them. Nathan Oaks, was a glorious colt—capable of anything. I had watched him in his practice and had seen him win two races, making time that old Tem- plar with any weight couldn't touch, and the very day before our race came off he justified my faith in him and sent my heart farther down in my boots by winning the two mile heat under the eves of the people who were to watch his struggle for the “International” on the morrow. The chestnut colt Tom Aikin was another flyer. He had a record, under ninety pounds, of making his mile on the Metairie in 143— about as fast as it could be done—and while he certainly could not repeat that performance under Crenneville. who was to scale 123 pounds when he came to the post, he ought. even with that weight, to brush close on Nathan Oaks. Rapidita and Oleander were both fleet and retty racers, and under normal weights would Feee rin right away from Templar, but we amateur jockeys could not be made to ride the weights ‘of the professionals—who are mere skin, sinew, stunt and bone—and ail things considered, it was ax fair an assignment as | conld be made with the means at hand. But Thad agreed to ride Templar at the re- est of old Mr. Harrison, who owned him, and Natchez stab He was more of a “hurd- than anything else—had never won a flat race such aswe were to ride, was a notorious and only a day or two before our race pitched his powerful negro jockey over his head and dragged him allover the field. I saw him. But the stable men and experts said Templar and I“got along together first rate.” I had taken a fancy to him and he was accorded to me. Then came the announcement of the weights. That meant that with his saddle, and in fuli ckey dress, each rider must scale in mount- cer and horseman—I asked him if he thought T'ddo. His answer was of such a character that the matter was settled then and there. An American was found to ride against the chal- Jengers from France and Austria, and though New Orleans society at that day would doubt- less have preferred somebody other than a Yankee officer, still—that was better than no- ody. Then, asthe papers began to take the matter up. and interest increased, some English- men came forward and said a young country- man of theirs was in town and had with him the jockey dress in which he had ridden many a gentleman's race abroad. He would gladly ride for the royals, Then, in another day, Ireland added her champion in a tall, slender young trooper,—a capital fellow he proved to e, and all of a sudden it had become AN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIR. By the terms of the race it was to be known, as the International Race for Gentlemen Riders. A dash of a mile and 80 yards (so that the ladies’ stana might have full benefit of both the start and finish). Prize, the Metairie whip—gold mounted. The club to furnish the horses from the racers of the stables present, and these were to be assigned to riders accord- ing to weight. The first meeting of the five contestants, therefore. was the day we “scaled” at the club office with old Generals Westmore (the Admiral Rous of the Metairie) and Abe Buford, of Kentucky, to supervise the ceremony, It was then found that I was the heaviest of the five by 7 pounds (weighing 143) while Count Victor was a diminutive shadow barely touch- ing 112. I had to train down at once. It was arranged that we were to have horses ready for us at the judges’ stand every morning at sunrise—for track practice, &c. My asso- ciates rode in and out, but I arose every morning at 3, and in flannels and over- coat tramped, hard as I could, the 7 miles from my quarters up on Prytania street out to the Metairie course at the end of Canal. Then, after an hour of brisk work in the saddle, tramped again back to town; took a couple of chops and a pot of tea at Moreau’s; then went to the office for a rub down and the duties of the day. In one week I had trained down just 7 pounds and was in tip-top trim. In that week, too, I had learned a good deal about rid- ing thoroughbreds, and that it was infinitely easier, handier, prettier work than what I had been doing for acouple of years previous. teaching two to five hours a day at the prac- tices at the West Point school of horsemanship and doing it on any and every kind of horse but a thoroughbred, After that experience I found riding these lithe, beautiful, springy creatures, no matter how they plunged or tried to “bolt,” simply a delight, PRACTICING. Of course I had watched many a year the jockey seat and jockey hand, and knew that there was reason for itall. For an instant— the first day I*mounted (under the eyes of a crowd of club men eager to watch the perform- ances of the it horses gathered there for the races an ly curious to see how the “amateurs” would get along) I remember that the first thing I did was to slip the reins with my left hand—cavalry fashion—but while my “trainer” (the owner of the horse, but in no sense an instructor), was setting the stirrups under the instep—anything but ca’ fashion —and giving numerous orders to the stable boys hanging on to the head of my pawing, impatient steed, I slipped both hands forward down along the horse's neck, gave the reins a couple of “flips” around wrists 80 as to give gee, of friction against his hardest pull, and told the grooms to let go. In another minute we were off—a jockey from the same stable racing ide on a big chestnut geld- ing. Three and four years previous, on my own beautiful “Tennessee,” when with the oli light batt with which I served in New Or- leans just the war, I had been allowed to 8 over the elastic track, but delightful as it was it was tame work to this. I seemed over the ground and whist- air at a rate I had never It almost took my breath away—but it was delicious, Twice, thrice on different we were sent around that * qe ee ps atime a specimen, trainers wi me, sayil he was vicious and a “bolter,” but he ran @ streak. PREDICTIONS. Of course I wanted to know how my riding had impressed the experta. There was still time to get out of the thing if my cavalry seat of ig as follows: King, 143; Rosenlecher, 185; Stuart; 133; Ross, 130, and de Crenneville, 123. To reach his weight the latter had tocarrya three pound weizht. And thus were the long preliminaries settled. The story of the race itself will take another chapter—but not so long a one. By Carrars Kine. CANDY BUYERS. What a Candy Dealer Says and Thinks of Customers. “Are women, as a rule, more extravagant in their purchases than men‘” asked a STAR re- porter of the manager of a large confectionery store in this city. “Not as a rule.” was the answer. “Men are the best buyers, but there is a certain class of women who spend a large amount of money on “You see,” she continued, ‘candy is ever so much more popular now than heretofore. Why there is scarcely a tea given now without candy, We have several customers, high up in social life, who wouldn’t think of having an entertainment of any kind without having some candy.” “How do you like the busines?” “Oh, charming,” was the reply. ‘You see there is a great deal of pleasure in it; one has such an opportunity to STUDY HUMANE NATURE. “People have but little idea how we amuse ourselves speculating on their characters when they come in here to buy a pound of caramels, You see,” she continued, by way of explanation, “there are so many people coming in every day that after a little experience one is able to distinguish at a glance whether a person is generous, penurious, or cranky.” “Of course men are easier to please than women?” ventured the reporter. “I'm not so sure of that,” she said. “Some men, in fact, I might say the majority, are easy to please, but now and then you come across the finical one, and a woman of the same kind is an angel compared with him.” THE OLD PEOPLE, “How about old people; are they easy to wait on?” “Oh, yes,” wasthe answer; “that is, with few exceptions. You see,” she continued, “we know what kind they want—soft candy; easy on their teeth.” They say it’s for their chil m, but are very anxious to sample it be- fore leaving the store. We have a class of men customers,” continued the clerk, ‘“‘who come in and Bexcendy, and try and make us believe it is for their sisters; but if you watch thema littlo while they won't go a square before you will see their hand wander to the pocket and convey something to the mouth, with a guilty took around. z THE SPOONY CUSTOMER. “But of all our customers the spoony man takes the lead. We can tell one the moment he enters the store; you can see the love oozing out of his eyes. ie is very particular about the kind of candy, but d rately anxious that rou shan’t suspect that it’s for his ‘onliest.’ en again, there’s another class of men who buy candy, dudes—a blind person could tell orfe was about, for he comes Pile like a horse. After staring at the young he says he wants some candy, ‘doncher know.’ Us he supplements with a stupid renee to the girl who serves him, and then laughs at his own wit. Some girls like it and encor it, but it disgusts me, and I soon squelch it with a look.” “How about the society ladies? I suppose you know all about thém?” said the reporter. “Yes, I know them all by sight,” she an- swered, ‘and, with some exceptions, they are all They come in and want to boss you. Oh, I love that kind.” said she, contempt- , and, with a shake of her head, left reporter to cater to the wants of the wife of a prominent official. pa enone The Water Meter. Tm water meter, iter ‘wins face of white’ chamals aet same Ll with brass; But »the soft expression of Simon = mengloaking cut into te furaro ie gold that the carcass of an infant al ys the mischief with my vitals in its through, THE DEAN OF THE CORPS. Minister Preston and His Interesting Family. HAYTI AND HER PEOPLE—HOW THE BLACK REPUB- LiO WAS FORMED—MR. PRESTON’S INTERNA- TIONAL WORK—HOW HE CAME TO WASHINGTON— THE HOME CIRCLE. The caravels of the sturdy Genoese navi- gator, while timidly venturing 900 years ago before tide and wind in the unknown seas of the vague watery expanse of the west, unravel- ing the mundane mysteries of cosmic science, hove in sight of the western end of a rugged insular formation, in what is now known as the Antillean archipelago, and which early Spanish geographers called the Hispaniola, but which political changes subsequently distinguished as Hayti. Itis said of a British admiral that when asked by his sovereign to describe the appearance of Hayti heseized apiece of paper. and crumpling it in his hand, placed table in the royal presence, remarking, “Sire, Hayti looks like that.” For picturesqueness and grandeur of scenery, diversity, and luxu- riance of products Hayti is without a rival on the globe. SPAIN'S DOMINATION. The exterminating and avaricious domina- tion of Spain ran through a century anda half. The bold bucaneers of the Caribbean sea opened a lodgment for France, which, after nearly six decades of incessant conflicts, was acknowledged by the former Spanish possess- ors, The French control made Hayti one of the richest and most valuable of colonial de- pendencies. In order to increase the returns of the fructiferous soil, numerous slaves were imported from Africa. UPRISING OF THE SLAVES. The overthrow of British dominion over the thirteen North American colonies was followed in a single decade by the uprising of the slaves of Hayti. The political disorders incident to the French revolution and the intrigues of factions in the rival interests of the directory and the king ignited a spark of revolt whic! ended in the extinction of French authority on the island. The instinctive military and civic capabilities of the insurgent slave leader, Touis- sant L’Ouverture, the grandson of an African prince, were more than a match for European prowess of arms or arts of diplomacy. The op- erations of France and England were unequal to the task of subjugation. END OF EUROPEAN RULE. After scenes of warlike atrocity extending over a decade, the assemblage of military chieftains, under Gen. Dessalines, in 1804, ledged upon their swords the renunciation of ‘rance and the death of every Frenchman re- maining on the island, Thus ended European domination and the substitution of a constitu- tion modeled somewhat after that gf the United States, It was the first movement in the procession of events which will ultimately culminate in the overthrow of European authority on the western hemisphere. TRE DEAN OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS. It is an interesting coincidence that the dean or doyen of the diplomatic corps at the capital of the great republic of the west should be the envoy of the first republic to follow the United States in the march of American independence, as it was the first seat of Spanish power on the continent, and the point from which the romantic and blood-thirsty expeditions of the early Spanish explorers were fitted out. The rules of diplomatic precedence agreed upon by the congress of Vienna of 1815, having classi- MME. PRESTON. fied the various grades of diplomatiexepresen- tatives, determined their order of individual recedence by seniority of consecutive ri Fenoe near the government to which accred- ited from date of presenting credentials. The senior in the list received the distinguishing title of dean or doyen of the corps, Upon every occasion of the corps appearing in a body the dean leads them, presents them an: receives the first honors. At state dinners his wife is escorted to the table and sits to the right of the president, while the dean escorts and sits on the right of the wife of the presi- dent or presiding lady. By virtue of this rule of international authority and courtesy Stephen Preston, the envoy of the sister republic of Hayti, occupies the first place in the corps on ceremonial and social occasions. He presented his credentials and wasreceived by President Grant in 1873, just two weeks before the end of the Presi- dent’s first term. During his residence of sixteen years at the American capital the dean of the corps has become widely known diplomatically and socially. The life of Mr. Preston has been quite a romance, Although the diplomatic repre- sentative of what is often called the Black re- public, he is of French and English descent. His mother, who died in 1868. was Miss de Laittre, descended from one of the old French families of the island, and his father, who died in 1878, was born in Hayti, during the occupation of part of the island by the forcesof Great Britain in 1798. He was a man of high repute in the affairs on the | aithough the diplomatic duties of the minister THE FAMILY CIRCLE. Minister and Mrs. Preston have around them an interesting family of sons and daughters. Charles A. Preston, secretary of legation, married Miss Margaret Hunt, of New York, where his official duties most of his time. Stephen C. Preston is at the legation at Washington; H. Aristide Preston is attache of legation at London, and Edward F. and A. de Laittre Preston are completing their thon. Their three beautiful and gifted daughters are conspicuous among the social favorites of Washington, not only by reason of their uni- versally gracious and attractive manners, but are greatly admired as most striking types of brunette beauty. Marie C. Preston, the eldest. made her debut in New York just pre- vious to the departure of Mrs. Preston with her three daughters and four unmarried sons for a three years’ sojourn abroad. Up to this time, were in Washington, hie family resided at the great commercial metropolis. Upon the return of his family to the United States in the spring of 1888, the minister established his residence at Washington. The summer and autumn, however, were d among the mountains of Lake George. The event of the season in that historic and romantic locality was THE LADIES’ REGATTA, which took place during the last days of July. There were three boats in the race,each one man- ned by two fair experts at the oars who had been in training for several weeks. In honor of ROSE ANTOINETTE PRESTON. college friends the boats were named the Harvard, the Yale, and the Prin crew of each boat was one of th of the Haytian minister. The were attired in picturesque costumes in the boat colors of red and white for the Harvard, blue and white for the Yale, and orange and Diack for the Pri The boats wer skillfully handled b: i American beautic Mrs. E. O. Rogssle Preston, came Yale, Mrs. ton. In the daught y followed by the , . i holls, of New York and Miss Emile Preston. The Harvard, with Miss Rose Antoinette Preston and Miss Mamie Taylor, of Brooklyn, at the oars, was delayed by an accident to the oar-lock. The award of the prizes, whi some, was followed by a “hop. Miss Marie Preston is a charming young lad; of medium height with expressive hazel e and is a decided brane. She is very affable among her friends, but is naturally of a retire- ing disposition, enjoying society more for the study of its numerous phases than for any special interest in its gayeties, Miss Rose Antoinette Preston is a petite bra- nette of clear olive complexion with lew Grecian forehead, over which the wavy masses of a luxuriant growth of hair falls in soft curls, Her eves are of a soft brown hue, overhung with drooping lashes. She shows great taste in her toilets. Her gowns are always greatly admired for their style and becoming hues. Her manners are quiet and refined. She is very much loved bya large circle of young friends, The youngest daughter of the family of the dean of the diplomatic corps, Miss Louise Emilie Preston, presents a type of beauty in striking contrast with that of her sisters. She tall and full in figure, and stately in bearing. She has a wealth of luxuriant hair, of dark brown, which crowns a classically poised head. Her charms of person are heightened by an effective vivacity of manner, which is increased in interest by her poetical features, illuminate: by a bright blueish gray eye. Miss “*Mille; her intimate frien favorite on brilliant social accomplishments. During th residence abroad the two younger daughters studied the languages at Paris. Their last winter was at Nice and Cannes. At the former delightful winter resort the young jadies atthe oars | ian and | - | because es call her, is a great account of her exceptionally they tell their humble stories in a stolid, im- movable way, but they produce an effect after & while. Tt ocourred one day to a Sram re- porter who had been listening to the mute tales of the weights for some time, that perhaps there was a of natural force that caused men to select paper-weights from a taste born of their callings. He accepted this as a th: and kept an eye open in the future for e' dences in support of it, After many months of watching and observing in the course of his rounds in the departments he has been forced to the conclusion that the theory does not ve itself. In its stead this truth is extab- ished: Men select their paper-weights but seldom: they are mostly presents or official purchases, and when they do select them their taste is exercised only to the extent of getting the neatest, prettiest, aud most con- venient mass of material possible. In fact, men have but little regard for the logic that lies in a paper-weight. This result is pro- duced by glass, It is really remarkable the extent to which glass is manufactured into weights to keep papers in position. Consid- ered officially, glass occupies the front row of paper-weightdom; it is, relatively «peaking, the upper-ten, the bon-ton, the elite of the race. It is especially aristocratic when it as- sumes the shape of an oblong block, with the ’s neetly, carefully beveled, and, some- times, the name of the department or of the don the top. Such a weight, portly, solid, heavy, lends an air of reap. pility and position to a desk cannot be counterbalanced —_ by amount of confusion, At the White House these weights, with the wor “Executive Mansion” cut into the top, predom- jinate. A few iron weights are re, mere time-servers, day laborers, as it were, but glass | is the prevailing element,” Squaros, cylinders, cubes, polyhedrons of every kind andcolor, are to be found in quantities on departmental desks. A neat and effective weight is, in glass, a combination of four balls piled into a py mid. Many officials are not content with one or two, but have four or five glass weights in row on their desks ready to imprison their documents, STONE WEIGHTS, Next in social rank, speaking entirely on a Paper-weight basis, comes stone, a marble blocks make good weights, in that they are heavy and solid. Here some little fancy has a chance to display itself, and many curi- ous bits of rock are to be found hiding on tum- bled desks holding down forgotten scraps of paper. When the monument cap-stone cray was at its height rough bits of white m were strewn around se thick th offices resembled a quarry. Mathem ve calculated the number of « p-stones that could have been produced out of a block of marble big enough to give all the “pieces from the cap-stone” that have found their way into cir- culation. But that is of no moment. SYMBOLIZING SIMPLICITY, Next to stone come the metai, of which iron is the head. Iron paper-weights are symbolic of simplicity, business-like directness and a racy; the man who imprisons his papers | With an iron weight is ve ely to be a good | clerk or an eftic but this rate is by | mo means absolute. There are many good clerks and excellent officiais who use uo paper= | weights at all, but either stick a pin through | the document into the desk or leave it without protection, or dispat ¥ that there ir business in such it } al that can | ent shapes stain the | papers it watches. ‘The most ordinary form is | the oblong or eliiptical flat picce Jon top that nervons v are naaily | unscrewing, thus permitting the weight to fail when itis lifted shortly after the visitor de- parts, Thet is the ouly drawback to an irom paper-weight, t into con- j NERVOUS VISITORS jare by no means uncommon in the depart- | ments. The reporter stood by the desk of a | Navy, department oilicial the other day, cau- tiously feeling his way before asking « dir question, when his gye rested ona mucilage bottle, one of those long bottles with a sponge in the top, lying on its side on the desk before him. He quietly, mechanically reached over and turned the recumbent paster into what he thought was a proper attitude. The official gravely looked at him fora mo: and then as quietly and mechanically ed forth im turn and laid the bottle back on its side. “You are one of the nine,” he remarked, smiling at last. “Please explain?” asked the puzzled reporter. “Nine persons out of ten think that they know how to attend to other folk’s business much better ‘than they attend to their own,” was the reply. “Nine persons out of ten—I have been counting for a week—who come to this desk, turn that bottle upright. I want it | to lie flat; it keeps the sponge moist; but the nine think that it has been tipped over by | accident, and that I have been too lazy to put it back where it belongs. The tenth man prob- | ably does not notice it.” This official has no paper-weights, to speak of, and uses a rolling-top desk that is never locked. NAUTICAL WEIGHTS, As stated, the reporter came to the conclu- sion that men, as a rule, do not select their paper-weights from ideas of consistency with their duties, but there are the usual — to this ri The Navy artment is full of odd bits of metal bespeaking warfare, naval propulsion, and other topics suitable to the place. Miniature anvils abound, and smail nickel-plated propeller screws do good service in keeping the wind from toying with the documents. One common weight is a carwheel tire with an axle lying across the center. One officer is provided with half a dozen small circular discs of brownish metal with myster- ious marks and dents on their surfaces, These are strewn around his desk promiscuously, but no one has ever been able to learn just what engineer keeps his papers flat with what appears to be an oblong biock of stone, about six inches in length and an inch and a of the island, having been a judge, a representa- tive and a senator. He was for many years a leading Free Mason, having served as master of the I e “Etaile” and as grand master of the order. The minister was born at Port-au- Prince, Hayti. in 1832. In 1848 his father. hay- ing been accused of being the candidate of the liberals for the presidency, was exiled from the island, the coup d'etat of Soulouque having taken place. Soon after his departure Soulouque roclaimed himself emperor under the title of Foustin L. ‘The exiled Haytian senator found refuge with his family in Jamaica, where he resided for eleven years. During this time, in 1857, Stephen Preston, the present minister of the republic and dean of the diplomatic corps at Washington, married Miss Rose Alberga, of Kingston, the seatof government of the island, who was ofa distinguished family in the earlier affairs of the Spanish-American dependencies, of the Antilles. , AFTER THE FALL OF THE EMPIRE and the re-establishment of the republic under Gen. Fabre Geffrard, in 1858, Mr. Preston re- turned to his native island. During the civil war of 1858-'60 he was sent to the United States and Europe as agent of the revolutionists, He took part in the opposition to Sylvian Salnave as candidate for the jidency, serving in the army, 1860-'63. In 1862 he was also a eh shape court of assizes at Port-au- y uring the troubles incident to further poli- tical upheavals on the island, Mr. Preston ros formed distinguished military services im - °70 as general of division. SENT TO WASHINGTON. In the latter year President Nissage Saget sent him as minister resident near the govern- ment at Washington, and three years after raised him to the grade of envoy, which high wrote ent, tem meee on liplomatic dut but Totained his rank and station at Washi: the highes' popularity of his wife and | 3 i ge i § F e LOUISE EMILIE PRESTON. ladies were the winners of the “Prix d’Hon- neur” at the *“Batile des Fleurs” for having the most tasteful carriage in the fete. 4 DEBUTANTES. Miss Rose and Miss Emilie are debutantes of the present season, and are greatly admired at receptions and balls within the distinguished circles of the cabinet and diplomatic corps The family group upon these occasions is ticularly observed on account of their strii type of the beauty of the American tropics. Aristide Preston, who frequently relieves his father in the round of unofficial social ures, acting as escort to his mother and home, in one of the most of the city, is surrounded with and and solicitude of a thoughtful and devoted mother, add to the iness of their refined domestic life. Sits SFB es alities truth, that a man’s desk is largely a reflex of his mind. A careful, methodical mind will cause its possessor to keep his desk neat in its arrangement, while a hurried, bustling style a jumbled, littered the face. Of course of. BS li : i i a Cs { i | 3 i | r : e F E i : | f «bell l E : i i E gs & ff rH i i i jl ak i ith half wide, It is aslice of the scale that was removed from the boilers of the old ship Ni- agara when that vessel was rehabilitated. This scale is formed on the inside of a ship's boilers by the gradual depositing of the lime in water, bat ecko or mover gets so thick as that which was taken from the Niagara, This piece is nite heavy, and is of two colors, the side that clung to the metal being almost white, while the other is of a brownish tinge. This, the of- A CHARACTERISTIC WEIGHT. Perhaps the most characteristic weight which the reporter discovered lay on the desk of a sur- | geon in the army consisting of a bronze skull rest- ing on two bones crossed, the whole supported yy amarble base about 4 inches square As a work of art it is excellent, as a ight it moral ef- it 3 E i j E f pve fH I fis i 2 ite | i F fate il ib j : F i § i Fi i G j I f ef F i ® . E t il i fi il Et Li i | i E i f i g He & | ‘From the Musician. __ The latest sensation in musical circles is the discovery of the “Lost Chord,” which has been wandering about the world of harmony for so