Evening Star Newspaper, August 9, 1890, Page 8

AN Dibv A Novel Contest Which is Popular in India. THE GYMKHANA RACES. ——— How They are Being Adopted in This Country—Amusing Feaw eq the Exercise of Skill and WhatOne can do with aGood Bronche, Inv SPORT. u ciliata atari aa ‘Written for Tus Evesine Star. {Copyrncht 1890.) HE Gymkbana races are something new, something amusing and ought to | become popular. As the name indicates they are of eastern origin, having been imported from India. They were intro- duced into this country by Mr. F. A. Blacque in the spring of the year, and only two of the races have yet taken place on American soil. Others, however, are promised before the season for such things closes, Some descrip- tion of the races and of the manuer in which they are conducted will be of interest, First of all the object of the races is not to test the comparative endurance and speed of horses. Indeed. speed has nothiug to do with them, and. therefore, the gambling element is completely eliminated. Instead we have the polo pony or the mustang. and the contest in which he forms a prominent feature consists in the ease with which his rider is able to over- come a series of obstacles which are placed in his way. THE MUSTANG, as is well kwown, bus the endurance and strength of steel, and withal he is small, quick im bis movements and excessively intelligent. He is, asa rule,a thoroughbred and conse- quently nervous, being in this respect far more “gamey” than the ponies of any other bree Brought up on the parched grasses of the lain and accustomed to hardships of every ind, he combines tractability with spirit and answers on the instant toa good rider's com- mand. Almost universaliy used in the far west, particularly on the eattle ranches, his many excellent qualities have lately brought bim into popular favor in the more settled partsof the country. Mustangs are further- more very cheap, good ones being sold from €50 to $100 when first brought from the west, and there are few regions now where they are Bot commonly known, for they are quite equal to the work of a full-grown horse, and if a vicious one is not got will furnish a person with as pleasant 4 ride ascan be had on anything that holds a saddle. The first requisite in the Gymkhana races the presence of a number of ponies in any vicinity, and as good an afternoon's sport can be had as you could wish. The sport, turther- more, 1s ifiteresting as well to the contestant 4s to the onlooker, for superiority in any one of the feats undertaken betokens on the part of the rider skill of one kind or another over bis antagonists, while the situations of the con- testants are constantly uiade lively and amus- IX AN OPEN MEADOW. The races—‘games” they should more properly be called—are given upon a polo field or im any open meadow which can be conven- iently staked off for the events and which is fairly level. A box and railing erected at a convenient spot serves for a jud; stand, while the spectators can roost upon fence rails, if the dignity and comfort of a grand stand eannot be readily had. ‘The ground itself should give a straightaway gallop of three or four furlongs. Around this a course can be laid off with pennants according to the require- ments of each of the races, a longer or shorter stretch being used, according to the problems which the riders are given to solve. In order to give a better idea of the games, however, the writer will describe them as they occurred at Ovater x hurst, New York, this year, the es in which they have yet been At the of course, ail the appanages of corafort a ready provided in the established polo fields, With their stands, dressing rooms and other paraphernalia. Regular entries are made for the different events, a rider usually put name dows for all of and first and second prizes are offered in each event. Polo balis. buckets, svoons, umbreilas and all the objects necessary for the races are provided by the committee getting up the games. oe ese. MANIKIN RACE, The feats to be performed consist in solving Problems with these various articles which re- quire dexterity, good horsemausbip, coolness Or some such qualifica ion on the part of the Fider, while on the part of the pony obedience and fearlessness are prime qualit will be appreciated after m list of events. These may begin. tor example, with the “manikin race,” which consists in assembling all those who take purt at the start- ing point and préviding for each rider a mani- kin stuffed with moss or straw. ‘ihe manikin is laid upon the ground and weighs perhaps ns much as a man. Each rider must dismount and ata signal lead bix pony up to his ma Inn, pick it up and, mounting bis pony. carry the mauikin to # goal at a convenient distanc say 150 yards or more. In this case a fearless pony is agem, but one whose pet aversion is manikins will give his rider i play before be will consent to k y deposited on his back. And when securely ed there there is still some fine work left for the rider in getting his mount. The second race may be a “dressing” race, and affords an equal amount of amusement Riders present themselves at the starting place and must have their cowt and vest and the sad- die lying at their feet on the ground. The pony must then be saddled and in his presence the rider must don bis coat and vest,mount, and by the time he reaches the winning post must bave his garments wmpletely buttoned. Furthermore, there must be at least five but- tons to his vest and three to his coat. and when he reaches the winning post his garments must be in good condition. In ¢t contest over haste works great damage to the rider's chances and the faster his pony goes the harder are the buttons to dud. SPUON AND EGG RACE. | For @ third we have the “spoon and egg” race, ap extremely difficult one, which consists im making the circuit of the field holding an! egg balanced ina wooden spoon. If the egg | drops the rider must return to the start foran- | other and begin his wanderings over again. ‘The fourth race will consist in a quarter-mile Face, the course of which is broken by three | sunken buckets. Each entry is provided with | three polo balls, aud must drive these along | the groan from the starting point, dropping ene in each of the three buckets and then | erossing the finishing line. - . BALL AND BUCKET RACE, Still another very amusing race is the “am- prella and cigar” race, hiiders are dismounted at the start and are given an umbrella, a cigar anda boxof matches. The ci must be lit, the umbrella opened and the rider must reach @ goal zich the cigar lighted and the umbrella in good s! and opened. A mustang is no’ likely to tale kindly to the opening of a vari- colored umirella, no matter what his previous record for docility has been, and surrounded by a lot of plunging companions will make things lively for his rider before he will sub- mit to close communion with such a strange object. UMBRELLA nacr. In this way the races may be added to in- detinitely, according to the ingenuity of those who get them up. Those which are mentioned are among the best, for they all presout situa- tions which are ludicrous and problems whose solution is attended with uo little difficulty. Great skill or practice is not essential ia any of them, while the emul ns which are ex d are of the most wholesome and interesting kind. Nothing, indeed, could be devised which could appeal more strougly to all classes of spectators—mer, women and children, WHERE THE GAMES ARE POPULAR, These races, it appoars, are common enough in India, where the English ofiicers in garrison and the natives as well take very kindly to them. They have recently been introduced into the south of France, at Nice, Pan and at points along the Mediterranean coast, but were never known in America until this season, when the American Pony Racing Association of New York was organized fer the special purpose of establishing a taste for them here. The asso- ciation was organized on the 27th of January Jast, with Mr, kins Van Sehaick of New York as chairman, J. k. Wood as secretary A. B. Purdy as treasurer. In explaining their object the chairman said that the sole purpose of the association was to muke the games a popular form of equestrian sport which all could attend and encourage. and which could teach the youths of the country better morals than could be taught on the regular racing grounds. The association will start the EUROPEAN CAUSERIE. The Growing Brilliancy of the Lon- don Season. MAX O’RELL’S FOREIGN CHAT. —_——2 Receptions and Opera—America’s Ef- fee Special Correspondence of Tux Eventxe Stan Loxpos, July 31. HAT A CHANGE has come over Loi don within the past five or six years! A stranger who had not visited it dur- ing that time could not fail to be struck with the altered aspect of the British capital and its inhabitants. The fact is that Jobn Bull is steadily emerging from the bond- age of Puritanism and awakening to the fact that goodness does not necessarily mean dull- ness, dowdiness and asceticism. ‘Travel does us all good, and its effect upon the Englisn has been to show them that outside their own little island there is actually much that is excellent and worth enjoying. John dines better, ghtera dress better and las beeu for good. With the gr rimonial prizes falliug one after another American belies it became worth while to anulyze the charmers and try to discover wherein lay their fascination, sult: A de- cided move toward unaffected manners and a corresponding increase in natural charm. In the matter of looks the Englishwoman who knew how to dress was always without a rival, but whata rarity she was! Today the English girl must be acknow d without reserve to take the palm for beauty. I say today beewuse she has only lately learned to dress and set off her natural advantages proverly. In this act is fast becoming an adept. Go into any vle evenmg assembiy in London and 6 such A DAZZLING CROWD OF LOVELY womMEN ag can be matched in no other city in the gumes, therefore, in different parts of the country, the next races being booued for Buf- | Werld. All types are represented from the falo, N.Y. Clubs are now being organized in ‘oddess to the piquant fairy. The En- other pisces to take them up. ‘There can be little doubt of the popularity which the Gym races will meet with or of the vast bene 8 they will confer in spreading a taste for a form of exercise and pleasure which has few equals in ite health-giviig qualities and other delights, BENEFITS OF THE SPORT. Of course the effect of these contests is greatly heightened by having proper costumes for them. In those which have taken place the young gentlemen have usually worn a racing cap of silk and vari-colored silk shirts. white trousers and riding bots. In default of these a white loose shirt and trousers. with a colored sash. is enough to give brigutness to the scene and avoids the necessity of getting a special outfit, ‘There is little or no danger in the races which a rider would not encounter under ordinary circumstances, nor is there any rough play at any time. The handing and mounting of a fractious pony is perhaps the most dificult feat to be met with, and ex- perience in this can never do harm to a rider. | On the other hand they teach the value cool head and hand and make us more faw with that prince of good fellows among horses, the Mexican pony or mustang. In the possession of this wiry littie breed of horses Americans are most fortunate, tor it is seldom that the | nap proves any but a most intelligent and willing little beast. Doubtless even he appreciates the fun of this novel sport, and if by chance he should greet his rider with a novel bit of bucking”—his only weakness — | it may be set down to his appreciation of hu- mor and his desire to help the fun along us best he can. The members and executive committee of the Pony Kea itcan to introduce the games into this y. are H. L. Herbert, T. Hitche ir, J.C. Groome, J. Clinch Smith, J. D. Cheever, A. J. Cassatt, J. E, Cowdiu, T. H. Powers moet amlin, $. 5. Howland, G. E. Kis C. Potter, A. B. lliott Roosevelt, r, T. Undertuil, Jenkins Van Schaic« J. M. Waterbury and J. R. Wood, ail of New York. . Purdy, - & TOLD OF LL. A Yarn From the West Related in the Senate Gailery. “You'll notice that this long session is not having any apparent effect on Senator Ingalls,” said a gentieman from the far west to a Stan reporter in the Senate gallery this afternoon, | There was nothing in the Senator's appearance to dispute the assertion, so tho reporter as- sented, and the gentleman from the west went | on: “I used to know ingalls years ago, He was thinner then than he is now and looked just | He lived in Atchison and hed | about the same, the reputation of being possessed of more brain and Jess flesh than any other adult in the state of Kansas, One day he went up to the office of a friend of his, a doctor, and while he was in there 4 newsboy dashed in. Now the kids who sold papers around Atchison in those days were the noisiest I ever heard, and the doctor's assistant, a cheerful young student, was always ou the alert to simut some of them up and to prevent them from invading | the privacy of his room with their feet aud eur-piercing yells of papes.” The assistant had seen this particular oy as he entered the building and in an in- t had pisced inside the doorway of tice a full-growaskeleton, When the youngster threw the door open and was midway through one of his declamations the skeleton fell over on him, With a shriek that was worse even than his regular street cry the boy rolled down oue flight of stairs and tumbled into the street, and his murmuriugs continued right straight along. “You've scared that boy to his death,” ex- claimed the budding Senator, who was over- flowing with indignation. Then he went to the window and bending out called to the grimy but pallid face of the victim: “Come back here, boy; I'll buy some of your papers. He shan't hurt you.” ‘The response was instantaneous. ‘The boy’ sobs ceased and ke shouted: “No, you don't! You can’t fool me if you have put your clothes on, poses That Pigeon-Blood Ruby, From the Jewellers’ Weekly. A friend of ‘The Weekly” writes it the fol- lowing anecdote: I was waiting for an omnibus atthe Southern Hotel in St, Louis, Mo., and stopped for a moment to talk with the gonial Solomon Kay, who is the junior member of a diamond importing house and who had a tale of woe to unfold because his partners had re- cently been sending him colored gems to sell. ~You know,” he began, “I am not an expert in rubies, so when I received a red stone from my house in New York marked ‘gem, ruby,’ I hurried to a good customer and insisted that this time I fea @ remarkable stong—a real pigeon-blood ruby. - he jeweler examined the stone critically, then asked the price, hemmed and hawed, and tiuaily said: ‘Very pretty, but not my color.’ Nothing daunted, I insisted that there was but one good color for a ruby—pigeon biood—and that was the tint of my gem. “The customer smiled at my assertion, and how to prove it became the question. This oc- curred in Chicago, which is infested with pigeons, and asl looked from the window [ saw a tlock settle on the roof of a high building on the opposite side of the street. ‘Hold this ruby a miuute,’ I exclaimed, and ran across the street, where, accompanied by the janitor, i climbed five flights of stairs to the roof. I had to be quick, but I succeeded in catching a pigeon. A quarter satisfied the janitor for his trouble aad in a few minutes I was in the store with the pigeon im one hand and an open knife im the other. ‘What in the name of the world’s fair are you going to do with that pigeon?’ my customer aske im going to settle this pigeon-blood color question,” I replied, as 1 made a stab at the pigeon’s neck. . “Hold on, you chump!’ cried the wicked jeweler. ‘That pigeon’s blood is black; it will have to be analyzed to get the right color.’ ‘This gave me such a shock that I let go the bird, and while it was being chased am the § Association, which is doing | Nicoll, E. Outerbridge, J. | ead of scientitic me | spend no dull time, if } glishwoman who excited the mirt eigner by her sll rannent has di hi has faco and figui ith gr modern dressmaker hi gracetul incurving of tne noti nglishwomen, and in the case of slight ones someti eurve worth speaking of. By astutely ms she gives a waist to her why ney and by clever draping gives ‘round a meager bosom, in fact, comes in to the res 2 8 When a woman is looking her best she ix apt to be at her best and brightest in other respects, and this reform in dress is, U think, a gre fuctor in the increused brilliancy of each ‘suc- ceeding London season, SUMMER PLEASURES, It is a fact that Londoa grows gayer and gayer, e tu look to her laurels n people nse the expression, ‘ought to light the which is such a “the gay capita by 1 it not Paris, but London. Brit The foreigner ia capital ex ot « little amas: iven over ull the if not frivolity, and teisured rives in the butt I find this hu summer Jou for not only thy classes who revel, workers make mt 80 are still pleaty of B at pleasure all the week and put on an extra Jong face on Sundays, but their numbers are diminishing, and Sunday, once a day pressing gloom m Loudon, is more utilized for national recreation, thanks to the d the artistic and lit- visitor to London need erary fraternities. ‘I for almost every one entertains. back upon that growth of modern Engiand, the ght write a volum of the “at home; upon the humors in each to say to the acquaintances she n there that she has four parties to do that af noon, and must positively not stay; of th lady who gives parties and gocs to them for th sole pleasure of secing | i pers and is rewari Mrs. A. Was ev looked | thrillingly lovely in pale green.” Wisely used | | these informal afternoon gatherings give pieas- ure, as, for instance, when busy writers, actors, actresses and artists of all kinds mu me to spend an hour or two chatting with mteresting people whom they already know or are glad gio make the acquaintance of, LONDON LIONS. Each London season has its hon. Three | years ago it was Buffalo Bill, last year it was Gen. Boulanger aud this yeur 1t has been St ley. The latter did no uite so gently as the o: grew tired of being th an- by showing that he could resist their blandish- ments, unsuccessful poets?” asks Miss Edwardes in one of her novels. ‘Lhe history of the real society lion might be quite as pathetic and far more instructive. Iam speakzug of the one who is taken up, wrangle unfold, for instance, who could give us the faithful account of Gen. Boulanger’s brief London career, finishing up with the closing of all his hostesses’ doors on the day after his failure at the French elections! THE OPERA, No one person hus contributed so much to the gaiety of London seasons lately as Mr. Augustus Harris by his spirited revival of o era, With Titiens dead, Nilsson lost and Patti demanding such fees as made it impossible to pay a cast to — her there seemed nothing ‘eft to be done but close the opera house, And this was done for several seasons. But now, thanks to Mr. Harris’ enterprising spirit, we have the best operas of Germany, France and Italy interpreted by worthy successors of the sweetest singers of old; by Madame Melba,who from Australia came, sang and conquere the new star that America has provided ij person of Miss Zelie de Lussan; by Lasalle and the brothers of Rezke, whose singing recalls the most glorious days of opera, and by a goodly company of conscientious artists for secondary roles, A friend of mine is much exercised in mind as to why one sees only young women at the opera nowadays. In the days of Italian opera there was always sprinkling of middle-aged and elderly ladies to be seen in the house, but now they are conspicuous by their absence. I tell him that that generation was sentimental and it is natural that it should regret the decay of Bellini, Rossini and company, and should re- sent the shelving of these composers by keep- ing aloof from the triumphs of those who have ousted them from public favor. Science is killing sentiment in music, as in other things, ‘Those old ladies belong to a generation that married for love and believed that such a thing as dying for love was possible, on the stage at least. Their taste in musi was nourished upon “La Somnambula, — ‘Trovators and such operas; is it astonishing that they take not kindly to much of the m of the present? Was it likely that Wagner, for instance, would charm them? An English friend of min who. without being old, is yet old enough to remember the palmy days of the Italian school, reminded me the other night, after a Wagnerian opera we had been listening to, that a French soldier said of the charge at Balaklava: “It is magnificent, but it isnotwar.” He felt inclined to say of this opera, “It is ee cent, but it is not music.” For my part I not missed the old ladies, In England they occupy such a back seat gen- erally that I have long since ceased to remark it, strange as it used to seem to me when I was new tothe country. In France, one is accus- tomed to see the elderly mamma, or even graudmamma, sail into a room or a box like a pres hen at the head of her chickens. The stseat is provided for her, and alittle flutter of brs ucaped trom tie place with my | erence aad anton gain on aound or al ruby, culy Se be Ssh at tho. Somslen BO070-1 5A, hare pease siziy abe @istaed Sais eee sorted to his little ruse to escape the litter categories: “Dear old souls” and ‘Crabby old that T threatened to mabe.” ings,” and, according as to. whether they The linen ebirt, with ite stiff front, collar and | Come wader ihe, frst oF second of, these, thoy cutls, does duty pow chiefly on Sundays, com- excluded from the social concert altogether. fort and coolness being studied for the re-| This does not come te rere bond Ue eee mainder of the week.—Dry (vods Chronicle. hie yn read Be api Some Ro. some take organize @ linen shied without stare or stiffacss.—New York ribune, because even in younger they have few teem Enopn aah ioe eee LOVE AND MATRIMONY. A correspondent, evidently « lady, asks me we shall come to auderstand | arniy of brain | ial inter- | have a few friends, | Those who | | caunot or will uot give bails und dinners fall | of the lady who rushes from | one houss to another, staying just long enough | phrases as | jin regard to @ renomination. | the statesman from Mis: disputed prey of | Mrs. Leo Hunter and her sisters, and caused | frightful heartburnings and disappointwents “Who will write for us the lives of the | over. coaxed, exhibited, | petted and—dropped, What atalo might he | THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D.C., SATURDAY. AUGUST f 9, 1890-SIXTEEN PAGES. : “Which kind of love | Written for Tas Evaxrme Stan the following question: is better to begin married life with, an ardent ora one?” Tunhesitatiely reply, « one. Why are there so many cooled off mat couples to be met with? Why do two people who start in life together meet with the most ardent pas- ion, often come to find time heavily when in each other’s company, and this in spite of common tastesand sympathies? Simply, in a4 opinion, because these two beings have said ail ey had to say to each other in the first few weeks of their married life; because, like greedy children, they ha ten up all their jam, and there is nothing left but bread and but- ter and sometimes not even much butter, for @ part of that had gone with the jam. Ar- dent love does not reason—it spends in the honeymoon the joys that reasoning love knows how to spread over alifetime. A marriage of ardent lovers is comparable to a five-act play, the author of which, having put all that ne had to give us into the first act, gives us four others 80 tame and dragging that for very weariness we fall asleep or go away. Let himtire us a little in the first act, while he carefully pre- sents to us the idea which he means to develop, but let him interest us more and more until the fifth act is reached, and we listen to him with pleasure and quit the theater with regret. So with married lite. There is no better be- ginning than A PATIENT AND SYMPATHETIC STUDY OF CHAR- ACTER. When the character is understood, then ornament and perfect it. It is a greet thing not to begin with familiarities, which, little by little, engender, if not contempt, at least a certain indifference in an interccurse in which the interest should alw: be kept not only alive but on the alert, man naust have cnongh empire over himself to enable him to He toust ya multiple role before his wife. know how to inspire in her by tu gratitude, admiration and fi iy make her fecl that he is the stronger vessel, but that there is no pleasure, intellectual or other, which he does not desire to share with her. He must never tire in showing her those thousand and one little courtesies which a weil-bred man pays to an: With diplo- macy, which reasoning lov jone capable of, the sacred torch may be kept alive through the loagest n < but it strikes me that silure of the whole undertaking depends entirely upon the start. ‘Ihe respon- ythat oue accepts at the altar is very endous, and 1 cau almost understand the feeling of the Norman peasant who often gets drunk after the wedding feast, 0 as not to be responsible for his actions, FRENCH MARRIAGES. Why are the bulk of French marriages fer happier than the bulk of English ones? In my opinion it is simpiy because according to the French system # man has to wing the affection of his wife after the ling. The Frenea vi pegin at tie first act, whereas 413 yenerally got through all y the time the wedding bells pped ringng. Then in come the pro- res of life und cover everything up. Ont go the lights and, presto! the glamor is gone, too, and nothing vain of it ail but a sieepy numbness and a sort of wonder that the comedy should eujoy such a world wid reputation. Yes, in mairtmony there is a way of cuting sud yet having it, bat you must ake your bites too lurge in the beginuing. ‘As acléver wit says: ‘When you are dead, it is for a long time, but when you are mar- fo 4 A lire broke out a few days ago ina town in Hungary and the account of it which appeared in the newspapers said that the mayor called a meeting of the chief inhabitants to consider whether it might not be advisable to pull down 4 house or two to prevent the possibility of the flames reaching « certain quarter of the town, where the buildings were all of wood, This would read strangely to Americans, who, if their honses take tire, have but to touch an electric Lutton on their own premises and lo! all the doors at the fire station fly open, a whip touches the horses aud sends them for- | ward, the harness comes down on them as they ad iu twendy-five seconds the engine, Jy equipped, is on its way to the scene of the fire, which hus been shown on an indicator, also counceted with the button pressed by the hLousehoider. I saw the whole performance for myself at Pittsburg, and it was the nearest approach to phantasmagoria that I expect to ever to see on this planet, A STAGE RESCUE, ‘The action of that Hungarian mayor reminded me of a scene in an old opera comique called “Les Mousquetaires de la reine.” When the curtain rises a crowd of burly men and buxom maids are making merry in some ornamental News is brought that some one has the Inke hard by aud you naturally think that some of those able-bodied men will rush to the rescue, Notso. The crowd seems very distressed to hear of the accident, but no one budges. What happens is this: They all begin to sing at the top of their voices, “Let us fly, let us fly, let us fly to his help.” In their shrillest notes the sopranos scream, “Let ua iy; in sonorous lower notes the baritones shout, “Let us fly;” “Let us fly!” pipe the tenor respond the contraltos, ‘The trombone booms out three notes which clearly indicate his intention to be of the res- party, and the flute chirrups a mellow o of the same sentiment, Then they all join in together again. When the poor fellow in the lake has had plenty of time to drown y stop singing and presumably go to his re- lief. MaxO'Rew, 2 a HIS OWN STORY. What They Are Telling on Representa- tive Allen at the Capitol. NOV They are telling a story at the Capitol today on the Hon, John Allen and his recent coyness It is said that ‘ippi had up to the time of bis nomination ashort time ago been expressing his entire disgust of political life, and had stated his firm determination to re- fuse a renomination, however pressingly it might be offered. ‘This coyness is said to have kept up until the nomination was all cut and dried for him, when with a very fair grace he swallowed the’ unpalatable dose. One of Mr. Alien’s political friends in speaking of this said that Private John Allen reminded him of a man he once knew who had sworn off drink- ing, saying that he would never, no, never! touch any vile intoxicants again. For ‘several days this virtuous fit kept up and the reformed man sat around home and dilated on how much better he felt and how degrading drinking was anyway. Slowly but surely, how- ever, his good spirits departed and finally on about the fourth morning he said to his wife: “Mary, go to the cupboard and get a glass, put a few pieces of ice in it, then take that bottle of oldrye thatI turned overto you and fill isting leer Wabente hall full,” put in also two lumps of sugar’ ant some water, stir it up, and then, Mary, put about two sprigs of mint on top of this, After you have got all this fixed you bring it tome and if I say I won't drink it, why, Mary, you just make me take it.” ——_-—-+ee- The Villains Foiled. From the Chicago Tribune. It was dark. The hour was late. Here and there glimmered faintly a light in some window in the little suburban town, but the landscape was hushed in repose, save for the puff of the engine of a Chicago and Eastern Illinois train pulling out from the quiet station where it had stopped to deposit a passenger. Nobody saw the two sinister-looking men who climbed on the last steps of the rear coach at this station, and the train sped on its way with its load of human freight, all unconscious of impending danger. Suddenly the rear door of that car was thrown open with a violent concussion and two gaunt masked men of gigantic frame rushed with drawn pistols down the uisle. A moment they stood, as if irresolute, and then a frightful oath burst from the lips of the villains, Emptying their revolvers at the cei ing they retreated to the door, jumped off the car with a yell of baffled rage and the train plumged on through the darkness, its hundreds f py unharmed, i In the dim light of the car lamps the mis- guided scounurels had not been able to see any assengers, They had made the mistake of Ponrtitga aburban fain. Seven Women With Cambric Hearts, Fron the Baltimore 8un. Seven women visited Justice Hebb yesterday and exhibited hundreds of colored cambric hearts, about which they told an interesting story. They say that John Stilman, alias Fischer, . HOW TO LIVE LONG, The Necessity of Being Careful About Diet in the Summer. AVOID OFFENSIVE AND DANGEROUS ODORS—THEY ARE SOMRTIMES FATAL—FAULTS IN THE CARE OF HEALTH DUB TO IGNORANCE AND DISLIKE ‘TO MAKE TROUBLE. © small significance, in this age of in. telligent research, is attached to the study of the matter of longevity. Few ubjects are more worthy the study ‘of a learned body than that to which the Society of Hygiene at Vienna seriously ad- dresses itself—the art of attaining long life. It has sent letters to all the oid men in Ger- many and Austria-Hungary inquiring about their habits, occupations, recreations, elothing, &c., hoping to gain light on the conditions which prolong man’s years. I find so many ailing this summer, old and young, who were hardy and careless hitherto, I find so many active people retrenching their expenditure of effort by instinct, that it seems in the way to look up few of the causes which sap our vitality, in town and out. The great matters of drainage and clean streets are enforcing themselves by malignant lessons, but there are other causes, quite within our reach, which may each cost a life or the strength of life. So great a gilt is to be pre- served at cost of vigilance unceasing, and the delightful wonder is that we live through and past so many risks, Only physicians know how many diphtheritic seizures, typhoid attacks and nervous comph- cations come in the shape of putionts just off a Journey where they have been exposed to all the miseries of foul air, heat and discomfort of every sort. There ho reason why travel should not be altogether a benefit aud a pleas- ure in itself, Chuuge of scene is good. the rush through the country gives breeze and cir- culation of air if only provided ior by large windows and ventilators, If there was less tawdry upholstery and decorations, more clean paint and linen, with the provision for pure air and water, which should be casier to obtain on cars and boxts than anywhere in the world, with a chance at the common decencies of life. travel wou'd be a rest, an atiraction, where now itis unavoidable penance, FAULTS ON BOTH SIDES. The fault lies with travelers as much as with the transporters, So long as people will pay for comfort and safety and endure nearly every ill that nature can bear in silence, or confine their protests to the bosom of their families where they do no good, so long the present fauity state of things will be permanent as the walls of Rhodes. The world has been eight thousaud years and more coming to a glimpse of the truth that comfort is the law of life, and discomfort, disturbance of proper conditions, simply robs man of health aud shortens his life. “You would think it indefensible for a public or private company to rob me of two weeks’ earnings and poison me in my sleeping room hired of them so that the effects lasted a month, But the same thing, done through carelessness or ignorance, by wholesale, daily passes without thought. I say ignorance, for the root of the matter—dense, incredible ignorance, which docs not belong to one class in this world more than to another, As aspeci- men of the ignorance of health which pervades society take the paragraph in several papers about the trouble with rats dying in buildings. r diord complains that there is hardly a month when tenants do not send to him to have a dead rat removed from the floor or the wall, andif it isn’t attended to they will be com- pelled to move out, the smell making the place uninhabitable, “Now, I admit,” says the landlord, “that a dead rat is unpleasant, but it does not take more than six weeks for it to become entirely inoffensive through the ordinary process of decomposition, 1 think tenants migit exer- cise a little patience rather than compel me to go to the trouble of tearing everything up, often at considerabie cost, ail for a miserabie dead rat,” I wonder how many thousand people read these lines without seeing their point. ‘This man and many like him would have tenants live six weeks inhaling the fumes of a decom- | Posing rat till it dried up and the smell dis- persed, the “penetrating and diffusive odor” @ clsewhere speaks of. That is to say, he would have them live in suffocation, with an odor which will so pervade a house that he bas “known two entire floors of a dwelling to be torn up to find its source,” inhaling putrefac- tion in every breath with all the danger attend- ing this most virulent poison, sooner than put him to trouble and expense, THE RAT PROBLEM. That is the way a great many, not to say most Persons, Yeel about nuisances for which they are responsible, Did that man know how he was setting himself down when he made his plaintive lament to the reporter? One dead rat has often enough made a whole family sick with low fever, just as auy putrefaction would, unless it created typhoid outright, I don't hesitate to mention so vulgar a trouble asa dead rut, for rats die everywhere—in king's palaces and uptown hotels, It is only a few weeks since the mistress of a 5th avenue house deplored the necessity of taking up her Turkey carpets and moving all her bric-a-brac for the second time in three months for the obsequies of a miserable dead rat. There is no help for it. The rat holds the winning hand every time, and it is ques- tion whether he gets buried’ properly or you do on bis account. You can killa man quicker by an evil smell than any other way in the world if ea know how to go about it, and all evil smells are in greater or lexus degree poisonous aud reduce vitality not destroy outright. KILLED BY ODORS. The London Lancet gave the case of a gentle- man in a railway car detained along side cars of hogs in an offeusive condition about 15 minutes. He was taken ill with symptoms of prostration, though previously in health, and died shortly paged geen by the intolerable odor. Down in old Quincy, Mass., not so very far from Jobn Adams’ hay fields of the revolution, on a by road used to be, may be now, that distress toa neighborhood known as a pig farm. If you ever come within two miles of such an in- stitution with the wind your way you will re- member and flee the vicinity ever after. I think it was Capt. Adams’ wife living on the straight road from the farm, a hard working, enduring New England woman, who began sinking in health soon after the establishment of the piggery and died in a decline. She pro- tested over and over that the air from the pig farm was killing her, and neighbor women be- lieve to this day that she died of the effluvia, which undoubtedly was the cause of her death. ‘To quote the Yankee formula those most con- cerned “thought 'twas only nerves till she up and died, and then they began to think some- thing was wrong.” When the world isa good deal more intelligent than it ismen and women of acute sensibilities will not be counted dis- turbers of the public peace as now, but valued as videttes, Who are the first to warn of coming danger. when they do ‘ A GOOD SUMMER DIET. More than the usual complaint comes this year of poor digestion, of stomachs enfeebled after the grip last winter. Acute suffering teaches people to let every active source of ferment alone, especially yeast bread or cakes and potatoes, It is impossible to keep a good complexion with digestive disturbance. In such a state the sun burns to angry sore- ness instead of passing sunburn, the eyes swim, the face is easil \ffused by heat and all the cosmetics and lotions known afford but passing relief, The oause is weakened vitality, which tells first on digestion. Many systems, enfeebled by the unconscious struggle of last season, need nothing so much as rest of body and brain in pure air, E heed and pleasing asso- Ciations, outdoor rest if possible. A little amusement goes a long way in such a condition, long naps im airy chambers with dows wide open, or on lawn cots under gur- den Geen ae on ie 3 bamboo chairs on shady pore! fill many hours, and easy chat with good-humored people on verandas is the most congenial dissipation. “ee age system retrieves its losses best suel race, With the nervous it feeds indigestion and ferments, which is like corrosive acid. eat- ing away the internal lining of the tissues. With the lymphatic it is one great cause of the Obesity which is the curse of our women. Trying on gowns at fashionable shops this sen- mn I was surprised at the extreme length of the front skirt, and commenting on it was told by the saleswoman that so many ladies had Prominent stomachs it was necessary to allow for them in making dresses. If Papuan figures are the rule in society it is disgraceful aud the fine flour bread is the great cause, next to indolent habits. The sys- tem is loaded with what should pass off or be Used in activity. Adipose gathers and creates sluggishness, which teuds to adi It is adi » not repose, manner of too many society women, Saimcer Dare. ca CARPETS CLEANED BY STEAM. Steam Only Enters Into the Process to Run the Machinery. STEAM CLEANING IS ONLY HEATING BY MACHINE — IF YOU WANT THE OREASE SPOTS TAKEN OUT THERE IS A PROCESS FOR THAT—FOR VERMIN THEY MUST BE “RENOVATED.” WANT this carpet thor- steam onghly cleaned jeaned, mind you, che customer, “Nothing short of steam, Iam sure, will take ont the grease ots from it.” adam,” replied the up- isterer, with a faint smile, “I know of no pro- cess for steaming carpe: “Bat you advertise - “I advertise, as all other dealers in my live do, to clean carpets by steam, The phrase is always employed in the business, though it naturally occasions some misunderstanding. People almost invariably suppose that the ‘steam cleaning’ of carpets and rugs is per- formed by the direct application of steam to the fabrics, whereas, as® matter of fact, the . oe te only connection it has with the process is to run a stationary engine that supplies the power for the work. That is ail carpet cleanmg ‘by steam’ means.” “How, then, is the work done, pray?” “It is simply a process of beating carpets by steam power, that is all. chinery, it is more thoroughly executed than it can be done by acolored person with a club. All it prete of the dust. hey will probably remain undisturbed, particularly if the nap of the carpet or rug is Jong and thick.’ And the grease spots’ “So that is the reason why my steam-cleaned carpets have always come out with the old ts after a few weeks of us am, in the fabrics an gather dust, it shows again.” “Well, that does seem to mo swindle! But tell speak of actually HOW IT IS DONE, “The ‘steam cleanin huge octagonal cylinders of slats, made to re volve rapidly by @ steam engine. Projecting shelves inside the cylinders and running their whole length keep the carpets bouncing around violently all the time, while the re- volving boxes whirl and every particle of dust 1s knocked out of the material by the action of centrifugal force. beating ‘steam cleaning,’ when you know t it deceives people?” of our trade,” FOR GREASE SPOTS. spots taken out of one’s carpet?” you like, you can have your carpets washed. if he were going to shave it, with a thick lather made froma kind of soap specially manufac- tared for the purpose, After the lather has all been taken off with tin scrapers the carpet will be entirely free from grease. It will be easier, however, to perform the operation without taking the carpet up, by sending our employed to your house.” “What does it cost to clean a carpet in this way?” “Fifteen cents a yard. madam.” “That seems a good deal to pay, though to of « gouge than the bogus ig” process you have described to But does this washing of the carpet dis- my mind it is le: me. pose of vermin’ ‘Not at all. have your carpet ‘renovated,’ as we call it. ‘That is to say Process, the object of which 1s to kill all living things in it, Observe that great box over there, big as anordinary room. It is of iron, and inside it is surrounded with coils of pipes, through which hot air can be pumped by an engine below. In this way the temperature inside that box can_ easily be raised to 200 de- grees Fahrenheit. But 150 degrees is sufficient to destroy all living organisms, Suppose Being done by ma- to accomplish is the shaking out But suppose there should be any vermin?” he ‘steam-cleaning’ process makes no pre- of taking them out; all it removes is tue The grease still remains #8 soon as it has had time to almost a “me what the process you "of carpets is done in ‘That is all there is to the business; itis simply a mechanical improve- ment on the colored gentleman and his ciub.” “But why do you call that sort of carpet pat “-Sumply because every one else does, madam, and if we did not the public would suppose that we were not up to the most advauced methods “Goodness me!” exclaimed the customer. “Is thero then no way of having the grease “Oh, yes,” responded the upholsterer, “If Leave one here and a workman of ours will first spread it out on the floor and cover it, as A To get rid of them you must it must be put through a special THE HAPPY VIENNESE. The Austrian Government and People as Seen by American. Correspondence of Tie Evextwa Stam. S giebt nur cine Kaieser Stadt, Es giebt nur ein Wien. This is the old refrain that has for years, ever since Haydn, charmed the Austrians aud finds an echo im the heart of every visitor, London, Paris, Berlin, Dresden, Munich and Stuttgardt have their att: actions, but not ore of them has that indescribable abandon ar 4 primitive hospitality that is pecultariy char: teristic of the Viennese, Music, song, beer and cheer are the stars that revolve around the axis of their existence, and to live free from care, tomorrow being biotied out of their dictionary, is the height of their ambition. No wonder they are jolly and fat, and it is easy to account for the chic of the But this condition produ Ont of 100 births 40 are born outside of wede lock, The state looks calmly on. as it did in the days of Maria Theresa, only disturbed whea the average male production fails to fill the rauks of the army. In this one particular Vienna even surpasses Paris, a distinction thet does notshake the pride of the average A trian. “Honest and es startling resulta, isa common phrase, aud we have had no ous instances while on our travela “Our fathers did so and so, aud we theretore mot do 60,” seems to be their motto. The spirit of progress and ov Yet they are h at ds Little recognition, contented, have « royal a ware reproduc d worthy Praise, a “Ste- «or cathedr can vie with nd Notre Dam atues erected to the memory of its great men of the past that ara not scarecrows, auda “Schatz Kammer” th contains enough dead capital, rel to make thousands of poverty happ’ Beiveder ’ “ bur old masters, and the arrangements rior of wh ere is an exhib: natioual—which is very good indeed. ricultural and mining products of the country and adjacent countries are lavishly displayed and artistically arranged, and g evidence Of prosperity and commercial euter- prise, THE OBJECTS OF IXTEREST in and about Vienna are famous; the Kable n- berg, @ mountain view that you reach by ele- vated rail is well worth visiting, whil ey run, the home of the great m iy renowned past, and mage dout occupancy by N is KS Ever a Kean set im green emeralds and sparkling dinyp The only and original Strauss is now with us greea Americans. Here they laugh at our “razy adulation, f posers and le superiors, but, said, “The A It is delicate gr of the conservati these people, but i ing or giving offen it leads and dictat r there are a score Of com- red ders who are consid our immortal Bara erican loves to be 1 to give a re “Sieepy Hollow” ways of an be told without mean- The church is supreme; the state follows and lesson tor many of our 3 and especially our own country women, and I was never more forcibly impressed with the grandeur and wisdom of our institutions than during this European trip, ul God forefend that any of our chi dren should live to see our country full inio European rats. THE MILITARY DEMANDS Sap every foundation and exlwust every fount, Acountry where & woman is a mere drudge and where an aged matron and a young child are used as beasts of burden is no coun any decent American to in Every essential of manly and womai, hun vith, inde- rit of obedience and subserviency dominates aud is supreme. ‘ibe character that grows out of the “Frinkgelu” surroundings can never be an elevated one is pretty narrow and local and lacks that browl cosmopolitan spirit which grasps the demancs ofthe hour. Our grammar school children know more, think ker, are more practical than two-thirds of the older people of Europe, While 1 was writing this letter piece of paternal government was made known to me July 141 ent from Berlin to Washington a cablegram; it seems I paid one mark and tive piennig a word, when the tariff is €1.20. lo. day I was called on by our consul g. had been offic ¥ informed to collect the 36 cents I owed the government! question arises, had I paid too much would { have been as Closely followed? Speaking of cousuis general, I cannot speak too highly of our official here. Mr. Julius Guid- schmidt, although ouly one year in office, is beloved by all. “He is intolligcut and energetic and has, against great odds. won the respect of the exporters. Tho resuit of his work is largely increased revenue and an honest, c administration of consuia Grant, our minister, is absent; I understand he is generally Lked. Mr. Chew, secretary of le- gation, an old Washingtonian, received us kindly. In this connection I caunot forego the question 60 often asked, why has the United States no home of its own in the different cw tals of Europe? The State Department allows twenty per cent of the salary for reut when it could own a building, the interest of which would uot be over three per cent, thereby raising and dignifying the position of our officials and saving 17 per cent, or giving the poorly aid consu% avd ministers the benefit, for they are wretchedly paid. The consuls general at Berlin and Vienna are hard worked, driven from early morn to late in the day by hundreds of merchants, They have no neral, who that a ‘set of furniture is ‘sont down | bed of roses and if they do their duty no. #i here by ite owner, with information to the ef-| cure; then the cost of living in fect that vermin have got into it. We simply places is very high. Germany and Eng- put it into thatiron vault, slide tothedoor, turn | land outshine us, because they hare on the hot air, and within twelve hours the | trained foreign officials, and the sooner trouble with that set of furniture is absolutely cured. The hot air bas to be absolutely dry in the box in order to do the work at that tem perature, Mattresses, carpet: tains. eve thing, in short, that furnishes a house we treat in this way for the killing of anything that is noxious. ‘Renovation’ is a euphemistic term for the process.” “So it would seem that the business of get- ting a carpet really and truly cleaned, in every sense of the word, isa pretty expensive affair.” “No so very. At all events, if you have your carpets or rugs first beaten by steam, next washed, and finally ‘renovated,’ you are reasonably'sure that they wall be clean, and the expense will not be more than 25 cents a yard at the outside.” To GET RID OF MoTHS, “Moths are so very remarkably bad in Wash- ington. Do you not have a good deal of trou- bie with them?” “No, madam. It is a part of our business to know how to keep rid of moths. Moths are probably worse in this city than in any other on this continent, but they themselves give us little trouble compared with that occasioned by customers’ anxieties regarding them. You would be astonished to realize how fidgety peo- ps are about the matter, even to the point of ing morbid. Not very jong ago a gentleman of large means purchased from us a very costly carpet and we sent it up to his house, not far from Dupont Circle. When it was unrolled upon the floor a very minute thousand- legged bug was found in it. The purchaser was extremely angry and sent the carpet back, explaining that he did not desire to introduce vermin into his establishment with furniture he bought The insect in question was inclosed by him for our inspection in a box, and we sent it at once to the bureau of entomology in the Department of Agriculture. Answer Was sent us bythe experts there to the effect that the ted bug was a garden insect that would starve on carpet, into which doubt- less it had made its by accident. On re- ceipt of this expert's testimony the purchaser could not do otherwise than receive back the carpet.” “He must have been a very nervous man,” the customer. jot so extraordinarily so as yon suppose,” d the dealer. “People are constantly complaining that moths are attacking their car- pets, ay, because the broom has detached Particles of the nap so as to leave a bit of the web bare. Another trouble commonly re- ferred to moths by nervous customers is what is called i carpets, FEEERES Heil feb A we have it the better for us. We have learned so much in the short time of our political ex- istence, we can learn more. The American is liked and sought abroad, his liberal ways are like an oasis, and the influence we spread ia wholesome and far reaching. ermine Delaware Bay Sturgeon. From the Philadelphia Press. Ten years ago the fishermen of Delaware and New Jersey offered prayers that they might be delivered of the depredations of the useless sturgeon. Instead of the supposed evil being removed a revelation was made of its useful- ness, and today the sturgeon fishing industry is more valuable than that of catching shad. ‘The sturgeon fishing season is just closing and it 18 manifest that it is the most important ever known in the history of fishing. It has not been recognized 2s of sufficient importance heretofore for any one to bother with collect- ing the statistics of the amount invested by the jfisnermen and the value of their products, The Press has investigated this important in- dustry and it is able to grosent many accurate statements concerning the vocation of sturgeon fishing. The Delaware bay is, according to the state- ment of fishermen, the best fishing grounds in the United States, The fish are larger and the market more easily reached from this point Albany beef” is the vulgar name for sturgeon steaks in the market of Philadelphia and New York. As an article of food it has had slow recognition. Only within the last year has it found its way on the bills of fare of ular restaurants, It is no longer plebian, but not yet listed among the dainties The meag of the sturgeon is the least of the fish's value. It 1s not sought for its steaks, but for its roe, its hide and its oil, The sturgeon bas four good commercial uses, Which is more than any other fish, Every inch of it can be worked into dol- lars, and good, healthy sturgeons weigh up- ward of 200 pounds, Asturgeon will contain from one to two buckets of black sturgeon eggs. When ine bucket they look much like common tower shot, This roe is rubbed through asieve. In tuis manner it@s separated and cleansed from the skin and ligaments, It is then salted down and made into pickle. The roe is care! worked by band until itis perfectly clean and each egg separated. The next movement is to place 11 into sieves, where it is allowed to drain and settle for hours. It is then resalted and placed in kegs and mye f and Russia, keg to ship to Germany ‘This caviare is worth €35. cents, In Russia this relish is considered very dainty and no genteel luncheon is served out it, In Germany it is a cafe dish and found are