Evening Star Newspaper, September 26, 1891, Page 8

8 THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D.C. SATURDAY, | OUR SONG BIRDS. Feathered Warblers to Be Found in the Woods of the District. SHY°*BUT MELODIOUS. Glorious Music of the Different Kinds of Thrushes—How They Lock and Some of Their Peculiarities—The Cardinal, Carolina ‘Wren and Other Birds, ——_—— Written for The Evening Star. EW THERE ARE FOR WHOM THE fields and forests fail to hold a charm, and yet very few there are to whom the mere men- tion of a day in the woods is not fraught with eagerness ant 4 wild desire to escape, if only for = day, from the cares and worries of city life and to spend afew short hours amid the beauties of nature's wonderinnd. What rare and countless treasures it holds; what tales for him who will but read from the ever-open pages, and what strange, untold wnysteries are lurking around every corner, to be solved by who will but take the trouble to inquire. Yea, verily, the woods contain all this and more— the song birds—the one thing that makes them what they are—gi'ing to them their chiefest charm, and without which they would cease to be in all save their actual existence. The District of Columbia is not blessed with an over supply of songsters. The majority of the thrushes as they visit us on their northward journey are mute, or at best do little more than practice the music which a few weeks later will fill the woodlands of the northern states. The war- biers, although in ful! song when they reach us, are by no means possessed of musical abil- it te their name, while the orioles and 4. whose no%s are so pleasing to many, follow the thrushes and mingle their music with theirs to the north of us. around the capital are not lacking in bird music. First to arrive in the springtime are the blue birds, and close upon their heels fol- low the robins. | For fow daye they seem to monopolize thin; ly, when » music’ sppers on the reus whonst caly throws these two completely in the shade, but is wit (with one exception) the finest songster on our eastern coast—the Brown Thrasher. or Brown ‘Thrush, as he is more frequently called. Do you remember that frosty morning how. as you pasted along the road with your teoth chatter- and your bands i in your pockets, s big brown bird with a long tail scurried from the fe i g i AR i 3 E m strange, yet one has iikter bins Shs TEE CAROLINA WREN. One of the liveliest and most sprightly little songsters is the Carolina wren, as core- mon as his song is loud, and of never-failing interest and amuse- ment. He is up to no end of tricks, and one is as liable to meet him in one place as another. T heard one the other morning in Franklin Park, while in the yacant lot adjoini: Louise Home, on 16 ee, The fall of them, and e may be said of every valley and ravine in the bacon ‘They are quite ‘and retiring, how- ever, and very fond of stone heaps, wood piles, e., entering at one ce, reappear be ree Bs peering foth brush heap one Zoological Park is th CAROLINA WARS. & song from the center of a moment, and the next darting across open to become lost for » time in the exposed root work of some partly unearthed tree. Suddenly reappearing where least ¢x- pected, he utters an angry chatter as he catches you watching him, and dodges out of sight again. Like the oven bird, he throws bis whole soul into his song, and so vigorous, so gushing aud lyrical is it that it never fails to interest the passer-by. THE CARDINAL. Another choice performer which we all love, and one that will be recognized from the pic- ture as.an old friend, is the Cardinal. I have been asked so often in regard te this bird, as to whether he igabund- does not seem out of lace to give him at t passing ti Of all our song birds he is one of the com- monest; not — only spending the summer RED BIRD. with us, but the winter as well, being found at all seasons in immense numbers in the thickets and briar patches bor- dering the river and smaller streams. The Yellow-breasted Chat found in every thicket is possessed of a peculiar habit not hibited by any other bird known to the writer, frequently launching into the air so bubbling over with song that it almost forgets to fly an all appearances has considerable dificult in ‘reaching its destination. ‘The Bobolin also sings joyously on the wing, but flies underbrush by the roadside, flew in advance of Fods, then gliding gracefully upward top of bush snd poured forth suc! icious music that your very soul seemed warmed within you? BROWN THRASHER. ‘The old adage has it that “music hath pow- ers,” &c., but somehow I never listen to the ahd better for it. Am I des) be scien cokneal Ihave only to seek the nearest copse and for a half hour listen to the lormances of this bird to feel = myself pert again; and di and disheartened? the poe ates ee aptly menage " strains, bid wl he is ever to perform for your Pleasure, and from early darlight until long after sunset he never tires, the air wi the sweetest music. ‘TRE GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH. A few days after the thrasher comes the Golden-crowned Thrush or Oven bird—such a noisy, vociferous little chap that one instinctively asks him- self how so much music can come from so small » Bird. Asa general thing, when the first one is heard a dozen or more are not far off, and the first knowledge we have that he has arrived with us is the sound of « grand concert in the woods at early morning. And how they can sing! Ob, teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher, eacher, Be. says, in rapidly ascending scale. Qb,boly, holy, holy, until one thinks that truly their 8 must be lined with gold and looks im vain for the owners to drop some of it. I know of noocther bird that ap to enter into ita gong with such evident delight and such gest, Wits’ drooping tail and wings, and with head thrown back he seems perfectiy oblivious to everything else about him and pours forth his song in such an ec f delight that to luite ciose it seems as if the little fellows burst themselves in their effcrts to outdo each other. Properly speaking. this bird is a warbler, and as such is classed by ornithologists, although the popular name of thrush is some- Nhat misleading. | Thay are very common with us, breeding in abundance—the peculiar con- struction of the nest giving to them the name @ oven bird. This is built of dried grasses and roots, completely arched over, with just a small opening in the side to permit the en trance of the owner. and placed uaderncath a bunch of ferns, a tussock of grass, or in a pile af dried leaves: generally on « hillside, and al- Ways with the opening facing down hill. They are curious little fellows in their way, their bemg a decided walk: and although flying our approach, if you will remain quiet for a few moments, returning to peep at you from behind some log, apparently as anx- ious to get a glim of the strauge creature who bas invaded his domains as you are to see him. If all is quiet, he comes out from his re- treat, walks gravely about as if entirely unco1 scious of your presence, but keeping a watel straight along, aa though hfe were too short to be wasted in such maneuvers. SOME OTHER BIRDS. Other song birds are here also, and among them worthy of mention are the Scarlet Tana- ger, Orchard Oriole and the Rose-breasted Gros- beak, this last a truly marvelous performer and standing first among the grosbeaks. Aside from these we have many others of lesser note— sparrows, finches, &c.—all of which contribute eir quota of interest. But enough, I think, has been said regarding the best of our musi- cians to fairly introduce the reader to a few of the many beanties that can be found in the woods if one will take a little trouble to search for them. E. M. H. = aagbe a ‘The Game of Lure. A TRAP TO CATCH MEDDLERS. A traveler describes in the Pall Mall Gazette ‘& new game for the benefit of those who do not wish tobe unconscious players at it. It is played in railway trains or any public place, “andI can best explain it by giving my own experience. I was alone in a first-class car- riage, when two young gentlemen and their three sisters, as I suppose, entered. I learned from their conversation that they supposed we should passacertain station, where they in- tended on their way to leave a parcel. I thought it would be civil to tell them that we had already passed it. They thanked me most courteously and the gentleman who had first mentioned the parcel made a pencil mark on his cuif. Shortly after that one of the young ladies asked her brother the time, and as none of the party seemed to have a watch and were very much out in their guesses as to what the hour was again ventured, though a man of few words, to tell them what I thought they really wanted to know. Again I noticed that the young lady who had first asked the time furtively made a mark on her euff. My fellow-travelers seemed to know so little about the route we were taking that,out of pure kind- ness, I interposed several more times; and whenever I did so they thanked me most pro- fusely, and I observed that some one either wrote on his or her cuff or scored something down elsewhere. Presently they divided some money among themselves. “I have since discovered that I was the victim of the game of ‘Lure.’ The game is a simple one. The players take itin turns to start a conversation strictly among themselves with a view to inducing a stranger to break into it. ‘The points are any eum agreed upon. If the lure takes effect. all the players pay the starter. If it fails, the starter pays the players. If the ture takes effect, but the person lured answi :s wrong, the starter is paid double. All the play- ers are bound to support the starter. I learnt this afterward.” ————_ e+ —___ Wife 102 and Husband 103 Years Old. Death has entered the famous Salisbury family, Mrs. Daniel Salicbury having passed away last night at the age of one hundred and two years, says a Lac Qui Parie dispatch to the Cuicszo Daily Nees. The combined age of herself 2nd husband is two hundred and five years, and the celebration cf their eightieth =3|0P THE SHENANDOAH. the | ®nd White Sulphur formed a delightful pro- wedding anniversary last January was 8 lead- ing Minnesota event. A report from their home at Bellingham this evening says the bus- band, Daniel Salisbury, cannot live the night through. He refuses ‘to take any medicine except that prepared from herbs by his wife. Daniel Salisbury was born in the town of River John, Picton county, N. 8., November 20, 1787, and Mary Ann Harrington, the wife, at'the same place December 10, 1789. They were married January 6, 1811. “Have you used tobacco?” was asked the old man the other day. ‘What makes you all so anxious about the tobacco? There's plenty left if it does come high. Yes, I've used tobacco nearly ninety years, and 1 think it has saved my life. Liquor? I was in liguor upto my knees in my younger days. y a drink when I want it and it don’t hurt me. I never was.a drunkard I've defied every law of ‘Till I was nearly seventy I farmed on fal eye on vou.nevertheiess, and at the slightest use for alarm he is awey again. ‘THE Woop THRUSH. ‘To many the Wood Thrush will prove most in- teresting, and I confess that istence of a Creator. At dusk, whe: cfetmer birds sre hushed and the little wit strels are shelter for the the food Thrush entbird. Condemned by many on account of eared bs is a musician Kr morg reiit than be mimic and the seashore, and in haying I would mow till I was red hot and then a into the sea with my clothes on, then go and mow again for an hour or two till the sweat ran off my nose, thén another plunge. I could mow more than acy of my companions. The November when I was one hundred, when it was so cold my spaniel wouldn't retrieve, I stripped off and waded half way across the lake to get some ducks I had shot.” ———+ee____. Fined His Own Mother. From the Indianapolis Journal. ‘Dun Macauley was at one time mayor of Indianapolis, and in those early days petty of- fenders against the municipal laws were aabiemistesmaat eee tendil w* to be & matter of common couphint. cnd-agselal instruations wase ainen fo tle officers to keep an eye upou o@entlare for a time » great part of the judicial bast pomp fing Toayor ‘was the copaideration o of fast driving. fag mg an by pe EE in horse! by of be Mocking | An Interesting Trip From Harper's Ferry to White Sulphur, TWO MILITARY COLLEGES. ‘The Washington and Lee Universtty and tho Correspondence of The Evening Star. - Lexuxotox, Va., Sept. 20, 1891. TARTING OFF DURING THAT LAST HOT Week in August with the one great impulse of escape from steaming asphelt and muggy dog days and buts limited time in which to cool off, we shortly settled upon a trip up the valley of the Shénandoah, already as fertile to ‘the mind’s eye in colonial and war memories a8 we were to find it in beauty and pieturesque- ness under actual sunlight. Harper's Ferry, with @ day at Charlestown and another at Antietam, Luray, the Grottoes, Natural Bridge gramme, each resort adding to an ever-increas- ing admiration of the beauties of “Ole Vir- ginie.” But White Sulphur had to be our turning post and with a desire to alternate the stopping places on our way back, » chance remark led us to decide upon this little “‘city” of Lexington, as interesting for the honored dust it now holds as for nature's bounty in its situation and surroundings. BOW TO Go. If you are going to Lexington, let the en- trance or exit be by the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad. asa change of cars at Balcony Falls affords a few well spent hours in catching the we to be had in either direction. ‘This beginning of the Cumberland Gap ley | place which may well match its deep-cut ¥i and surrounding peaks with those of Harper's Ferny. Here, as there, a river, the James, Joined by its tributary, North river, whose green and yellow waters clearly show the point of juncture, makes the first break for its sage through the Blue Ridge. The bracing, clear air, the hunting and_tront fishing to be found in the neighborhood, added to the fine scenery, raise the query why it has not become 8 place of resort. An extensive but unfinished hotel at the adjacent town of Glasgow bears witness to an unsuccessful attempt to “boom” the place by the so-called “Land Improve- ment” Company, which has spread itself the length of this fair valley. ‘The stations along the road show us grand Hotels, land offices and the manufacturing establishments of the “boom,” but as ret the ‘signs of permanent prosperity are lacking, though many sadder and wiser men loment their vanished sav: A branch line of twenty miles runs from Bal- cony Falls to Lexington, windirg ite pretty way close to the banks of North river, now over a high trestle, then curving slowly around the smooth hills, mary unused dams and running alongside the empty canal, that relic of former activity and sunken bonds. The right bank of the river continues for the most part precipitous and thickly wooded, with an occa- sional break of fiekls, standing thick with the tall and glistening corn, whose luxuriance verily makes these valleys “laugh and sing.” ENTS ON HAND. ‘The cars were swarming with students, a few of whom may prove a host for noise and bustle. They were, like all students, sui generis. Base ball, slang, patronage for freshies, warm reetmgs for last year’s men, but all arty good-fellowship form distinguishing traits of the groat student sect and are quite the same at Harvard or Yale as at Washington end Lee. Cadets of the Virginia Military In- titute, which stands adjacent to the univer- sity, mingled with and itlumined the throng with the bright buttons of their gray uniform | coatees and white duck trousers. It was eafe to conclude the time of opening in both institu- tions to be at hand, and that we should have the advantage of visiting Lexington under its best aspect rather than in ite deserted vacation condition, for it is to these two schools, its citi- zens frankly, acknowledge that the place owes ite life and prosperity. LEXINGTON. Along main street, with its ends high and its center dipping into a depression through the middle, runs north and south. ‘At one ex- treme is the cemetery, at the other the uri- versity aud institute. ‘The spires of Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Episcopalian churches announce a religious community, One hotel accommodates the transient traveler; a sufficient percentage of druggists, dry goods stores, groceries and general furnishing houses and the entire absenee of manufactures denote aconsuming rather than producing people. Narrow streets, large stepping stones af inter- vals as crosswalks and an obtrasive odor from open gutters sum up the general impres- tion of the simple town, but lift your eyes in any direction and behold the circle of hills which surround it, some unique in shape and of great geological interest, such ns House Uth, and all taken together’ forming endless pictures from murn till night. ‘The 3,000 irhabitants dwell in comfortablo and pretty houses, fronted with large verandas and set on spacious lawns, the whole pervaded by « feeling of hospitality, which all the kindly ple help to keep alive. Lexington was the ome of the south’s two greutest gunerals, Robert E. Lee and “Stonewall” Jackson, and ¥ ‘ ' ¢hapel with vaalt below, which was added after Gen. Lee's itain, the the fists ane lidelike secorioeas. sate. ot bent ashea, to which aball ‘MORTUARY CHAPEL AND VAULT. ‘The mortuary chapel ie ed from the pulpit platform by a slight recess and guarded ‘by « high iron gate. Within the tiled floor and tableted walls are lighted from above, while in the center marble | acerg on the west are hung ‘8 por- it of George ‘and two framed docu- ments, the larger Gen, Lee's ‘autogray ph accept: auce of the presidency of the university, other a college order regarding certain Ci mas.holidays An ordinary roil map of Augusta county, Va. completes the mural decorations. The ig nearly covered with o red and black ingrain, several cnue chairs, pen leather lounge and study chair finished with brase nails, « table against the western wall near the’ window, a small stove, writing desk entrance and a large, old-fash- ioned and glass-handled mahogany sideboard, to which were added shelves for books, with ® pile of rough boxes in corner beyond, showing unfinished arrangements, end an le tet, neve for the round table which ftande in the center. On this has Gathered the dust of the years since its occupant last eat before it. One other Luild- ing. not coliegiate, but within the same grounds, deserves a word. ’ It is the fine Grace Memorial Church, bearing on its corner stone, “In Memoriam, Kobert E. Lec. 1807-1870." At the entrance orf the north is the house ors gee by Gen. Lee as president and now used by his son, Gen. G. W. Custis Los, who succeeded to his father's office. TAR VINGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE. To visit the scene of Gen. T. J. (Stonewall) Jackson's scholastic duties you go en to the Virginia Military Institute, situated on the same ridge and lying just beyond the university, of which it appears a continuation, ite castel- lated buildings and officers’ houses, with their towers and parapets, forming w picturesque group around thegreen parade ground. Here, up to the year 1839, the Western Arsenal, in which were stored 30,000 muskets and a large quantity of military material, had. been garrisoned by a company of soldiers ut the expense of the state. In that year the institution was established as a military sehool, the cadets doing the duty of Sarrison and receiving an education in mil- itary and engineering directions. During the war the cadets were actively employed in drill- ing the confederate army and in defensive op- erations at various places, losing in an en- counter at Newmurket, in May, 1864, fifty out of two hundred and fifty men.’ During Hun- ter’s raidall the buildings but one were burned. Since the war the education of the men has been in scientitic and engineering branches, and many good workers have been contributed to these professions. STONEWALL JACKSON. The most distinguished name found among the faculty of this institute is that of Gen. Jackson, who was for ten years previous to the war ite profeseor in natural and experimental philosophy. Under his command us major the corps of cadets went to Richmond in 1861, and he began then that brilliant military career which was 80 prematurely cut short by his death at Chanecllorsville, 1863, A bronze statue of Gen. Jackyon has recently been | erected, the unveiling occurring as lately as July, 1891. It stands at the end of the main avenue of the cemetery, a standing figure, life sige, mounted on a granite pedestal, some eight feet in height. ‘The inseripticn is simply “stonewall Jackson. 1824-1863." A pair of field glasses in one hand suggests the scanning of the southern horizon, which the statue faces, as if reconnoitering. The house which Jackson occupied during his service as professor stands a few doors from the m street in the center of the town and remains very much as when he occupied it. His parior, sleeping, dressing and bath rooms, dining room and office ean be seen, and over the broad baek porch climb the sume vines. A subsequent widening of the street has altered the front somewhat by the removal of a bal- cony and the exposure of rough wallbelow. X. pee Mizpah—Love in Absence. The Lord watch between me and thee when we are sbeeut one irom another. (Gens xxxi: 49.) Go thou thy way, and I go mine: Apart, yet not afar; Only a thin veil hangs between ‘The pathways where we are. « keep Watch ‘tween thee and me”— ‘This is my prayer. He looks thy way, he looketh mine, And keeps us pear, I know not where thy road may lie, Or which way inine will be; If muine will lead through patching sands, And thine beside the sea; Yet God keeps watch ‘tween thee and me, So never fear. He holds thy hand, he claspeth mine, And keeps us near. Should wealth and fam ‘And my lot towly be; Or you be sad and sorrowful, And glory be for me, » perchance, be thine, Yet God keep watch ‘tween thee and me; Both ve his care. Ove arm ‘round thee and one ‘round me Will keep us near. 1 nigh, sometimes, to see thy face, But ince this may not be, leave thee to the care of Him res for thee and fe. here their morta! remain now lie buried and here their famities still reside. ONOWTH OF THE UNIVERSITY. -Ineolonial days, as the first settlers spread thempelyes along the rich valley of the Shenan- doab, the first stop was at Winchester, then Staunton and next Lexington, at the head of the North river. But, with natural wth, it teems to have been only a scattered farming community, not gathering into village form until the college came within its borders. It has been, therefore, first and last, a college town aud derives its local character from this fact. The colonists were largely composed of Scotch Presbyterians, who took under consid- eration the education of the youth as soon as bodily needs were provided for, and from this erm grew the present Washington and Lee Sniversity. It began ita existence as a private school, under one William Graham, at the time of the’ revolution, 1776, maintaining but a feehle life for twenty years. Called Liberty Hall Academy, it was located at Timber Ridge Church, some ten miles from its prosent site, suspended in 1780 for lack of funds, re- moved to within a mile of Lexington and char- tered in 1783; its first real strength came from its endowment by Gen. George Washington of 109 shares (worth $20,000) of the James River canal in 1796, whence it was renamed Washing- ton University. In 1803 it was destroyed by fire and then it was moved into the town and rebuilt out of the insurance. It received a second endowment from the Cincinnatl So- ciety in . which brought it fair pr ity until the civil war. ps u i a] # Hi it H fr i I i t FE Hi 7 i F Ri an [paren 4 in the basement ment and furnishing. ‘brass keep iy eee fashington, Thee. il i i ri Who pu both beneath my wings”— inforts, dear. One wing o'er thee und one o'er me; Soare we near, And thongh our paths be separate, ‘And thy way Js not mine, Yet, coming tw the mercy seat, My soul will meet with thine, And “God keep watch ’tween thee and me,” T'l whisper there. He blessed thee, He blesseth:me, ‘And we are near. Scandinavian Snow Shoes. From Munsey’s Mayazins. ‘The Norwegian snow ard ice of midwinter is surprising to any one accustomed to the En- glish climate. The very snow and ice is what makes Norway and itseustoms so particularly interesting to astranger. Of ecurse the cold is very intense, the thermemeter never rising above freezing point for months, and often standing at zero; but at the same time the at- mosphere is so wonderfully dry that the cold is not nearly so noticeable out of doors, aud in- doors the houses are kept very warm. Tn winter ll ‘dhe ‘vehicles are he carriages, cabs, carts and even the perambu- Intors are on runners. Outside the town whore the road is not trodden hard, it is impossible to walk without the snow shoes of the country. These are called “ski,” pronounced “she,” and are peculiar to Scandinavia. Skiaro long wooden planks, measuring nenrly nine foet for afully grown man. They are three-quarters of an inch thick and about four inches wide, slightly raised at the toos, and pointed off like fhe shove of Chaucer's day. wood for ski is not sawn, but split with the grain, so that they never break, and oan beer s tremendous strain. For Your or five months of the year the vand is entirely covered with snow, and were ft not for ski the natives living outside towne ABOUT HANDWRITING. How the President Signs His Name to Official Documents. LIKE THE FORMER BENJAMIN. Similarity in Pen Srekes—The Different Kinds of Pen—Cleveland’s Delicate Pen- ™manship—The Record Made by Register ia Letter Writing. ‘Written for The Bvening Star. “ ‘ELL, HE HAS COME BACK AND IS at it again.” “Who has come back and what is he at?” The remark was made by » gentleman in official life who isa keen observer of officials and the question was asked by the writer for Tus Stan. “Why,” was his answer, “the President is back and is signing his name." are does other things besides that, doesn't “Yea, of course; but he does more of that than anything else.’ The writer then made an investigation and found out a number of interesting facts about the President's signature. The remarks quoted above are about the tenth. Although Benja- min Harrison shakes hands about as often as uy man in the worid, it is probable that he traces Lar characters that form his name oftener. How many signatu: averages a day it ishard to =, teat "a weeichio et sometimes the number would exceed a hundred or more. From all the departments come piles of documents which are worthless until he has put his name to them, and besides this many documents emanate from the White Mouse it- LIKE BEXJAMIN OF OLD. An old clerk who has made a specialty of this subject of presidential and other distinguished official signatures says that President Harrison writes a band somewhat like that of his ances- tor, Benjamin Harrison of Vi the old records of the governm ber of the original Benjamin. was an old man when thé revolution broke out, but he was notso old as to be useless. John Adams did not like him, probably because he did not understand Harrison's peculiar dry humor; but Virginia thought well of him and sent him to Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Inde- pendence, and afterward made him come home and be governor of the state. Benjamin of Vi ginia signed his name just as Benjamin of In- dinna signs his—thatis, Benj. Harrison, and not Benjamin iv full, or the more usual Ben. Virginia Harrison wrote an excellent letter, full of wit and humor, and his Innguage was forci- ble. Of course, like the other gentlemen of his time, he tossed in his capital letters in a most | reckless manner aud was clear and hi Even now, after and made the writing ie clear « THE PEN USED. | about him, noting the lay of the land passe: His descendant, now President, also has a heavy stroke and makes a black sheet. Benja- | min of 1776 used a quili pen, taken from | goose and sharpened with his own penknife, | and Benjamin of 1891 uses'a stub-pointed 1 ft black lend peucil. the "Signe ‘y on his spelling, although be was | better educated than most of his contempo- | raries, but our chief magistrate is a man of the | day, and nowadays peopie are able to spell—an accomplishment that few people had a century | ago. Take a page of the elder Harrison's writing and put it by a page of the President's | and you will sce a family resemblance—not a | very stroug one, it is trae, but still a liken Bat if you should examine the haudwriti tho Harrison who came between the Beuja: you will tind it entirely different. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON was 2 man of strong will and as brave as a| lion, but the hero of Tippecanoe wrote a weak | hand, not illegible it is true, but not neat or symmetrical. There were a few flourishes in it and they made it look seraggy. He signed his name, taicing the pen off the paper twice, whereas his grandson sigus at one stroke. The theory that a man's character can be told by bis penmsnship would hardly bald good in | William Henry Harrison’? case, for his writing looks preci-cly the opposite from what the man was. His grandson seems unconsciously | to have gone back beyond bis grandfather and to have taken afer his more remote ancestor in this partic CLEVELAND'S SIGNATURE. The offeicls who were with Grover Cleveland say that he signed his name very quickly and easily. His signature is written in characters So small that it is more like « woman's band than a man's. The final d is followed by a graceful under fiourish. One would hardly Suppose, seeing a page of his neat writing, that st came from « man Weighing over 200 pounds | and whow his worst enemies have never charged with effeminacy. Cleveland's writing is almost precise, and in this particular, al- though in no other, it is like John Quincy Adams’. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS’ PEXMANSHTP. The writer was shown some of Adams’ pen- thanship the other day. The signature looks almost like print, so perfectly formed ure all the letters, The rest of tho page is the same way—quite perfect. ‘The haud is thoroughly characteristic of the writer. It is correct; you cannot find fault with it; you are forced to ad- mire it; you wish you eould write that way yourself; but you feel all the time that the writer must have been perfect and severe. The characters are very small and round and there isno relaxation or flourishing. To sign the little time and would hardly be practicable in the amount of business that « President has to perform at the present day. THE RECORD IN THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT. Of signing fents there are none on record for the White House, but the Treasury Department hos the record of the most remarkable exhibi- tion of human endurance of its kind in the werld. This was when Chittenden, register of the treasury, managed to sign his name for an issue of bonds which were to go to England daring the late war upward of 12,000 times be- tween Friday and Sunday evening. He nearly lubed in the attempt, but he accomplished is task. No President could do this, and much lees could a man like Mr. Arthur have accom- plished it. Spe PRESIDENT ARTHUR'S SIGNATURE. He wrote a rough hand, but he made a fine signature. The name is a big one. Chester makes you think of valor end Arthur sounds sweet to female ears. Therefore it was that President Arthur signed his name in characters, with a flourish upward at the end to cross the last t. He knew it was a fine name ‘and he wanted people to see it. ‘WASHINGTON'S THE FINEST. “What Prosident made the finest signature?” was asked the expert on this subject. “George Washington,” was the reply, and he of | ine | me seo shooitay nathing ot ane ‘another, -~ bg 8) saint of the city we for in many parts are no roads or tracks 4 and ‘over snow is impossible while| Everbody is familiar with FFashington's sig- sinking to the armpits at every step. ‘Thus it | nature, and yet, asa matter of fact, this signa- will be.seen that ski are not only an amuse- | ture was the worst pieco of penmanship he per- ment, but an absolute necessity. ‘The postman | petrated. Tho rest of hie handwriting is model carries the letterson ski. ‘The farmer visits his | It is as evsy to read as a sign board, is neat and friends on ski. The children go to school ox | Symme' ‘4nd at the same time is ent ski. Everything is done on ski, in fact, and | Unlike the penmanship of any other man. outside the poorest cottage the snow shoes of | Washington was not like the statesmen of the the family are stuck up in the snow which nt day. With him m's did not do d been swept or dug back with wooden t's, his from the entrance door. There Suey stand— tan wth ate Sw for withows’ thems rows, for no one leave the house. part = z ig H | Hl Ht i fr Hi ii et i i! i Oe ei Sse peal ibe dict tbe end. | campaign. ify tnt i iif if i at Fy 7] ea § a iif eLihi service. He sat in the saddle with a grace and ease peculiarly his own. All his appointments were in the most correct taste aud his horses were full-blooded animals. Wearing highly polished riding boots coming up nearly to his hips and wrinkled from the instep to the kn he would go splashing over the roads un: horse, rider and boots were covered with Vir- ginia mud, probably the stickiest substance in existence. His servant always had a clean pair of boots for the general on his return to quarters, after which the man would spend a couple of hours cleaning the other pair, soldiers at Yorktown used to say that “Little Mack” could collect more mud in an hour's time than any other general in the army. Clellan always rode at a slapping pace and saw that his staff was well mounted, for nothing more displeased him than their inability to keep up with bim. He was very cool on the Dattlefield and used to ride from point to point in the calmest manner. Without attemptti ‘the cavalry seat or style, McClellan had at times a perfect command over his charyer. His knowledge of horsefiesh is shown by the invention of the McCiellan saddle, the easiest for man and beast ever made. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman was a nerv- ons and somewhat careless rider. He wore his stirrup leathers very long,seeming to’be almost all the time standing in the irons. This appear- ance was intensitied by his habit of rising in his stirrups on reaching a turn in the road or some advantageous point of observation. While always careful of his animals, Sherman did not ‘appear to have that fondness for them that is socommon among good horsemen. He was constantly on the go and his eye seemed to be everywhero except wher his horse was tread- ing." Sherman's rein was rather a loose one, for he trusted, apparently, to the natural ongacity of his steed rather than to his own guidance, Seen at the head of a column of troops, or giv- ing orders for their disposition on the field, | Sherman presented a remarkable figure. Rid- ing along the road be was constantly gaz over, as if internally planning how could be fought there Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet was magnifi cout on horseback. His buiky figure and en mous beard Gave him the “appearance of a Colossus, and be had to have powerful horses to carry his weight through the fatigues of « Men who fought under him have told me that Longstreet had always a graciow manner, and he was unvarying in the obse’ ances of politeness. He had a swinging seat, a most heavy men have. I had“ glimpse of Gen. Longstreet at Gett; The ‘third corps had met witha reverse to the right of Little Round Top, and my corps, the fifth, ran up from ite reserve position to take the place of Sickles’ men. ‘Through the smoke of the battle, after we had climbed up and retaken the Little Round Top, a brother officer loaned me his glass and po‘nted out the confederate corps commander. Longstreet looked grand as he sat calmly on his horse, evidently giving directions for another forward movement, which we were soon after compelled to meet. It is related of him that he never seemed flur- ried in the heat of battle and issued his orders in the most matter-of-fact way. He was 1 grand orseman sud entirely at home in the sad Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker was probably the best looking mounted officer that ever rode at the head of a federal army. He was a true soldier of the old ty, had an easy carriage, a firm seat and sat in the waddle us straight us an arrow. Sometimes the simile ix used straight 4s an Indian,” but an Indian never Ste on & horse straight, however he may w battle It Follows Naturally, From the Chicao Tribune. “How does it happen,” inquired the stranger, “that all the improvements are being made on this one street?” “It does not happen at all, replied the citizen who was showing him about the village, majestically. “This is the street [live on I am president of the town board, sir. ates gee ee The Evolution of a Crush Hat, From Judge. MORE NEW SILVER NOTES . ocoe An Eatively New Series of Silver Certificates te Be Issued Soon. THE RACKS OF THE PRESENT OES ARE NOT RAT MPACTORY BECAUSE THEY Do WoT eHow TH! DASTIVOTIVE FIRER—a MILLION POTNDS OF INE 4 TEAR To PRINT UNCLE SAM'S MONEY AXD REY ‘SEUE star COMPLETE NEW SET OF SILVER certificates will soon be placed in circula- ‘tion by the United States treasury, so a STAR Teporter is informed. They will all be printed on the new distinctive paper, which the en- Graving of their backs will be expressly designed display as advantageously as possibie. It is ‘ot likely that the faces will be altered, al- ough some changes may be made. The first of the new two-dollar cortificates, which are the most beautifal piccos of paper money ever issued by this government, will be in the pockets of the people some time in No- The paper is made #o ‘that this flber only shows on the back of each Dill, being only contained in the outer layer of its substance on one sido as the sheets come from the mill. Now, it happens that all the other silver notos of the same series of 1K are #0 covered with engraving bebind that there is chance whatever for exhibiting the peculiarity ich red shall be mado a Congress © those for $1,000, #500. $100, £50, $20, 610, $5 and 1. There will be no mourning for the old backa. At the treasury they have never been regarded with very ituous approval. Officials ut that rnetitution commonly refer to the den: sonting $1.000, $500and $100 because of the striking resemblan to the juicy et whieh the vegetable in They believe that the genius of Chief juestion. Me- Soewe Casilear can produce very superior Substitutes. Certainly a note that is not en- gtaved allover ix handsomer, and the best ex- Perts are of the opinion that a few scattered de- signs, very elaborate and excoutea in the hig! est style of art, are most dificult to counterteit successfull, THE DIBTINCTIVE PIRER. It is the running out of a patent that hae rendered the adoption of this new distinctive Paper possible. The notion of running a band Of scattered fibers through a sheet was orig- inally a proprietary one. It was used for @ number of years by the government, but was discontinued in 1877 because the feople who owned it demanded an exorbitant royalty for its employment. Ou! single band) was utilized formerly, and in the issue of United States notes of 1869 the ingenious scheme was originated of placing it on the jeft-hand side of denominations under $20 aud on the right- Land side of the higher denominations. The ob- ject of this wus to beat that enterprising gen | teman, Pete McCartney, who had developed a fad for washing the ink off the small bills and printing big oues on the blanks thus obtained so as to secure the real government paper. Because such a thing a8 this is possible, and for other reasons, those who know most about such matters awert that distinctive papersare of very little practical use. There are several ways of imitating them, but the most important objection is that people have to be educated ap to understanding them, and ouly one person out of a hundred ever comprehends the point. ‘THE INK UEED. A million pounds of ink are required every year to print Uncle Sam's paper money and Tevenue stamps. It is all manufactured on the premises of the bureau of engraving, the Treas- ury Department buying the materials in the shape of “dry colors” and linseed oil. For the greenbacks 230,000 pounds of the finest chrome- green are needed annually. Of other supplies Of this sort the quantities consumed are: Paris white, 50,000 pounds; vermilion, deep shade, 2,500 pounds; Venetian red, 1.500 pounds; Prussian blue, 7.000 pounds; chrome-yellow, lemon ehade, 2,000 pounds; ‘orange mineral, 4,000 pounds; Indian red, 500 pounds; Italian burnt sienna, 600 pounds: Chinese biue, 100 pounds; hard black, 64,000 pounds; soft biack, 35,000 pounds. All materials come in the shape of fine wder, and are stored in a great room in the sement of the bureau of engraving. At one end there is a huge box, the lifted top of which discloses tons of un intensely black substance. A pinch of it feels and looks like so much pow- dered charcoal. This is the “soft” black, and, for the purposes of the printer, it is mixed with a “hard” black, many barrel of which stand cise by. With the mixture of theme two is put n corualn proportion of Prussian blue to give brightness, and all three are stirred together in a big sheet-iron receptacle by a machine. This preparation, in the slang of the bureau, 1s called “legal tender,” because with it the faces of all the notes and certificates are made. MIXING THE COLORS. ‘The green for the backs is close by in casks, each of them filled to the brim with a beauti- ful emerald powder. National bank notes, of course, have brown backs, and the tint for them is composed of Venetian red, orange mineral, vermilion—the ve best quali from quicksilver ore—and some hard black. Por the golden figures which adorn the faces | of the gold certificates chrome-yellow is | mingled With vermilion and white lend. The tint for the backs of these same certificates is produced witha different mixture of the same ingredients. There is one big box of seal red-—a preparation of carmine, carmine lake and vermilion—with which the bureau used to ‘int the seals upon paper money. Now, how- Pret. the scals aze always put on aflorward at the treasury building with typographical ink. Whatever the mixture made, it is sifted, thoronghly stirred. combined with linseed oil and sent upstairs by elevator to a rcom where veveral machines with steel rollers are contin- ually grinding. On one of these the stuff is thrown with a scoop, and after a while the re- volving cylinders reject it in the shape of beau- tifal, smooth printing ink. One machine does m, another black, another red and #0 on. nally the finished product is put aside in iron buckets, which stand in rows on the floor. Each bucket is labeled. One bears the inse! tion, “Customs Wines afd Liquors,” ‘tional Brown,” another “Legal Teu- der,” and soon. Half a dozen are filled paration of chrome-seliow and ver- post office money orders. Others are marked “100 Cigers Blue.” The customs and internal revenue stampé have ali their aliar color mixtures. An inferior grade of Bisck is used for printing the revenue stamps, because they are not expected to wear for any length of time, and the ink for them is made thinner, to suit the u of engriving is at present mak- paper money, after it has been printed, by a method FASHIONARLE GOWNS —— Redfern Desigue for Mourning and for After, Roene at Home wa AUTHOR WAS IT WHO MADE HIS widowed heroine take such comfort in Ve thought that well made mourning ood a becom. ing widow's bonnet were compensations sent by Providence to the aiflicted one? Weil, who ever he was, he was certainly a man of «liseern- ment and an artistas well, Itis becoming, that somber stately @rapery and chaste white cuffs and collar, the enggestion of re rigned grief in the droop of the black weil that so often hides just enough of a face to make us long to mee more. Tn the sketoh below we gives deep mourning gown for one who has lort a grandinther or maiden aunt. The costume designed by Redfern is of blac crepe cloth, the waistcoat and pointed 5 of the bodice being composed of Fite crepe. The revers and the ribbon whieh define the line where the basque joins the inted bodice are both of moire, the zoauve ket is buttoned tightly across the bust with two cut jet buttons. The back of the jacket is cutin two pointed tails and the skirt has a short pointed train. ‘The slecvos are only fail Just at the extreme top. The collars and cuffs Of fine hemstitched lawn are made in the Eng- lish ebape known as “Squire” and form a neces- sary adjanct to the gown. one ® saying that old fashions are sure Tepeat themselves if you give them long enough. We have Given’ the ‘fousdationless of our grandmothers a good long peace- ful rest, and sure enough here they are turning Up again, uot the sume ax of yore, of course. ith the numberless meaningless wealth of ores asd the unbecoming tangle of gathers round the waist. The children of this genera- tion are wiser than the children of last and we are more likely to err on the side of too little than too much drapery. The net foundation- loss skirt will be of the riding habit order, as far as fit goes, and the openings, one on cach tide, will be ‘invisible to the eye of the unin- Our other fllnstration is a graceful gown for afternoon receptions and at homes. The bodice. half sleeves and skirt drapery are cinnamon brown Indian cashmere. The waisteoat, skirt front and sleeves from the elbow downward are mucle of striped corded «ilk, browa on « #alphur yellow ground—the silk being of that enatly kind where the stripes meet in a sharp angle in the middie of the breadth. The drapery fall ing back and forward at the side shows « lining of plain yellow benguline «ilk. The box pleat: ing round the skirt, the elbow cuffs, the up. right collar and the’ drapery are finished of by a narrow binding of einnamon vel. vet. Lappots a'le “Abbe, composed of yellow crepe de chine, are worn thie decidedly chic gown. The tirade against trailing skirte still waxes hot, still oceupies with se iteration pens and brains that might be surely better employed —and still they trail. pallinnp rr I WONDERFUL RIFLE SHOOTING. Some of the Feats of Marksmanship Per formed by William Migden, William Kigden, the rifleman who broke the world’s snap-shooting record with a twenty two-caliber ball twenty pennies out of a possi ble twenty-five thrown in the air, is. says the Chicago Herald, without question the finest shot in bis line in the United Btates. He is lity done spasmodicalts, but about four years ag he began regular practice, shooting mot less then 500 aday. He has no favorite tar get, but shoots glass balls, pennies, White beans and other email obj great instead of artificially, as hith- erto. To sgve time the freshly made shects of been dried by coils of rteam u Lfesshs erie | & 22 ; he ir £ § ; i Hell He 1H H i ftte ite E ¥ ii