Evening Star Newspaper, February 20, 1892, Page 12

12 ABOUT URUGUAY. Contrast Between the Atlantic and Pacific Coast Countries. A PROSPEROUS REPUBLIC, ‘Thongh It is the Smallest in South America— General Appearance of the Country~—Its At- tractive Climate and Mineral and Agricul- tural Resources~About Its People. Brom The Star's Traveling Commissioner. Moxtevipro, Untavar. TRAVELER FRESH from the western side of South America views the Atlantic coast with disappointment. for to him its boundless plains and majestic rivers appear tame and unattractive by con- trast with Andean scenery. He is also $ struck by difference in the gen- eral look of the towns, for while people under the shadow of the great Cordillera live in constant fear of earthquakes and therefore build none but low, thick wal those on the eastern side, having no read, rear houses as high as their means will allow.” But there are compensations even for lack of picturesqueness. The archrologist, the naturalist, the lover of nature, may find solace in the thought that though the antiquities of Peru, e solenn grandeur of Bo. lan Qcenery and the diversitied beauties of Chile ere wanting, industrial development has made much more rapid progress on the eastern shores. Numerous rpilway linea traverse the great plains and ships of all nations ply the vivers, so that now he may accomplisn in a few weeks’ time and at triffing cost expedit which formerly required years of laborious travel and the expenditure of a fortune. x GUARAXI WOMEN Gora FoR WATER. One misses the rambling old casas of Lima, Santiago, Guayaquil and Arequipa, with their moorish patios or inner court vards, their blank walls turned streetward, hiding fountains and flowers and loveliness within. The more am- Bitions houses of Montevideo and Buenos Ayres have flat roofs, commanding a wide sea view, and are the favorite resort of the inmates in fine weather. Most of them havea sort of a wateh tower, called a mirador, roofed and win- dowed on ail sides, wherein—however rains may beat or winds may blow idle people may still take note of their neighbors’ affairs and enjoy the prospects of busy streets and bound- less ocean. ‘THE MOST FAVORED SECTION OF SOUTH AMERICA. Closer acquaintance with this remote republic continually develops new cause for wonder and admiration. Though comparatively un- known to the world, Uruguay is not only the most favored section of South America as re- climate, soil and geographical position ‘and therefore the most desirable as a place of Fesidence for foreigners), but it is already the most prosperous, and destined by reason of its natural advantages to become the most impor- tant in point of commerce. Let us first get an idea of its physical character and immediate surroundings Consulting a map you will find the little cone-shaped piece named Uruguay ut out, apparently from the big Argentine Republic, the ine being the La Plata Parana rivers, while Brazil bounds it on the northeast and the Atlantic ocean washes it ©n the southwest. Though containing only about 63,000 geographical miles, it bas a sea g2d river coast of 626 miles, with many natural ra. No section of the globe is more abundantly Watered, there being thirty navigable rivers, which receive as mauy as fifteen hundred trib- Utaries, forming a network of streams in all rections, not to mention numerous small Jakes and creeks that occasionally swell to con- Siderable size. Yet there is not a swampy spot fm all Uruguay, nor an acre of soil where agri- culture is retarded by excessive moisture. DIVIDED INTO THREE DISTINCT PARTS. Physically the country is divided into three @stinct sections. First, that portion below the Rio Negro, whose water shed covers three- fourths of the territory, rising in Brazil and Xunuing transversely across to its junction with the Uruguay river. This southwestern corner contains Montevideo and about one-half of the entire population. It is grassy and undulating, extremely fertile and diversified by hills. It is occupied entirely by rich estancias or ranches, Most of them devoted to the raising of sheep and cattle. The northern portion is the min- @zal region, composed of plutonic ranges, in- if wide valleys, fertile and well wooded. ‘The range divides into two chains, known re- spectively ae Cuchilla Grande(great knife) and Haedo. There is also another rugged called “Ghost mountains,” of which no geological survey hes ever’ becn made. The northern hills are composed of gneiss and ‘ite, porphyry and sandstone, aud within mm are found most of the mineral deposits— gold, silver. copper. lead, magnesia, amethyst, agate, alabaster and marble. a marked | in market—15 cents the dozen. Water pears, maturing m February, retail at 30 cents the dozen and often average » pound apiece in weight. Lemons, oranges. grapes and other semi-tropical fruits abound. Nowhere do veg- etables come to such perfection with so little | trouble, and therefore they are ahenps bat ‘po- tapoes are scarce and dear, though climate and soil are admirably adapted to their growth, be- cause the natives have not learned to include them in the daily menu and therefore do not raise many of them. MONTEVIDEO. | Grasses remain green andsucculent the year around, furnishing the best of pasturage. In Uruguay, as weil as in Argentina, the pastoral wealth is due to the fertilizing constituents of “pampa mud,” geologically associated with | gigantic antedilavian animals, whose remains | abound in these regions. There are few fo: | ests, except along the river banks, and the | sierras have no trees worth mentioning. But every hillside is covered with shrubs—myrtle, acacia, rosemary, mimosa and the ceibo, with | ite scarlet blooms—while the valleys are fra- | grant with bay and laurel, and carpeted with crimson verbenasand other brilliant flowers. Medicinal plants sre particularly numerous, luding the poppy, gentian, camomile, wormwood, liquorice balsam, coriander and sarsaparilla, Some of the rivers are so im- pregnated with the roots of the Istter as to possess sanitary qualities for bathing purposes, and the people who drink their waters are saic to be exempt from any skin diseases arising from impurities of the blood. The great Rio Negro (biack river) got its ume from the fact that at certain seasons of the year itis black- ened by the sarqaparilla growing slong its banks, DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF TREES. Among indigenous trees are the willow, alder, Poplar, acacia and aloe. The absence of pine, oak and fir is singular in a temperate zone, but those trees utterly refuse to grow in Uruguay, though often planted and nursed by foreigners. Within the last quarter century the eucalyptus has been introduced from Australia, and pow in the environs of Montevideo there are hun- dreds of groves and hedges of this ugliest tree on earth—gaunt, scraggy, worm-dropping, their long roots upturuing pavements and foundation walls and impoverishing the soil for Yards around so that nothing else will grow in their neighborhood. There 18 alsothe algarroba tree, from whose pods the natives distill a of chicha, not at all like the chieba of Peraand Chile, mate from corn, wheat or grapes. The tree is said to make excellent timber and cattle thrive upon its leaves and buds. Then there is the timbo tree, in great demand for canoes, its big trunk, which is generally hollow, being eusily scooped out, when the rude boat is ready for the fisherman.’ The black and white uron- day is a near relation to rosewood, furnishing logs often fifty feet long. It is said to resist de- cay ina most remarkable mauner, post and beams of it remaining sound after two centuries of ase. It is capable of beautiful polish, as is also the mimosa and aloe. ‘The quebracho is akin to sandal wood, the guayabo is a substi- tute for box wood and palms of several varie- ties furnisp the poorer classes with thatch for their houses. ‘The long, tough leaves make ex- cellent rooting, shedding rain perfectly. ‘There are wo scorpious, centipedes or taran- tulas here to frighten unwary travelers, but enormous spiders are alarmingly common and are said to be venomous. ‘he only dangerous reptiles are rattlesuakes, and_ they are chietly coufined to the stony lands of Las Minas, and a queer little viper called “la vivora de la eruz, Decuuse on its head are marks in the form of a cross. Pumas are found near the Brazilian frontier and along the banks of the larger rivers; the ounce (pronounced ween-ce), — small ‘tiger, roams the wooded islands, and there are wild cats, water hogs, tapirs, deer, foxes and millions of thelittleamm: eaters,” bere called mulitas, or “little mules”), sole remuants of the ancient mastodons and URTOTATAN GvACHO. A corporation called the ld Min@&g Com- pany of Uraguay™ holds « government conces- Sion in the district of Cunaperu, extending over $600 superficial hectares, and is projecting the sequisition of new mines and the “Corrales Gold Mining Company” &. 2,500 hectares in the district of Co and @uring the last half year, with less than a bun, dred laborers, has extracted two thousand tons Qf mineral. Two copper mines near the foot of Pas de Azucar (Sugarica!) mountain are now fp active operation, but all the rest remain un- worked. There ie a good deal of argentiferons lead, which the early Spaniards mistook for sil- wer.” At the Paris exhibition sixty different va- fieties of “Uruguay marbles” were shown. In Montevideo every house with avy preteutions to elegance bas its marble enteance, ball tloor- ing. dadoes an? grand stairway of the same beatiful material. and a great deal of it ap- Fs ow the facades of both public and private dings, yet, strange to say, it is nearly all imported, though vast quantities of the finest marble lie withia c tew miles of the city. The great coal fields of the northern provinces are slso unworked. and mont of that used in Uru- y is import rom Cardiff at an avert Soot, when delivered, of €15 the ton pe THE CLIMATE DELIGHTFUL. The climate is by no means tropical, the ther- mometer seldom marking as high as 90 de- grees, and in midwinter (June and July) frosts are frequent, though never severe to injure vegetation. The air is pure and dry, even in Montevideo—situated directly on the sea—and the country is regarded as a sanitarium by ague-troubled Argentines and fover-strick ilians. Since Uruguay lies within the temperate zone its fruits are much like those of he United States—apples, cher- vies, peaches, Strawber: yw to sur- sine aud are sold by the denen, never | being oefosd aaa sed bouae and y & pusung up in brandy thay come Ligh mylodons. The ostrich (Khea Americana) roams the plaing. ‘ihere are paroquets in the thickets and water fowl on the lagoons; part- ridges, quail, several specimens of the vulture tribe and tall, Jean, ruitied crows. The streams are Tull of fish, and it is asserted that 130 spe- ies are found on the seacoast. POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS. Politically the country is divided into nine- teen departments, that of Montevideo being smallest, though it contains one-quarter of the total population. The original Indian element has almost disappeared from Uruguay, and so has the negro population, which at one time was considerable. All this section was once occupied by the Guaranis, who ranked next to the Incas and Araucanians as among the best of the South American races. ‘They were still numerous when the Jesuit missions were de- stroyed (in 1767), and having been trained by the priests to babitsof implicit obedience werea peaceful, industrious and patriarchal people. They have been supplanted by half-breeds, from whose ranks come the class known as “Guachos,” and the Guachos in tueir turn are being rapidly supplanted by European immi- grants, SUGAR LOAF MOUNTAIN. In Bates’ Compendium of Geography and Travel in South America you will find these words: * Guarani women are finely de- veloped, and all have beautiful teeth, yet ac- cording to our ideas they cannot be called handsome, the cheek bones being too promi- nent andthe chin too square. Their large black eyes are shaded by heavy brows and their raven hair is very thick. Every woman smokes tobacco is commonly seen with a huge cigar in her mouth. Even little children smoke, and when an infant is restless its mother quiets it by cramming into its mouth the cigar which she has been smoking. The women are gener- ally more favorably spoken of than the men. Their devotion to their partners in life, whether felzea in lawful wedlock or not, is to be praised. industrious and cheerful, they are up betimes to fetch water, always walking Indian file down to the river, with their great pitchers balanced on their heads. When empty these are poised in graceful attitudes, the bearers walking con- fidently erect with their firm steps. Their only garment isa white gown reaching to the calves, & cord serving the purpose of a girdle, leaving neck and shoulders uncovered. They do not encumber themselves with pockets or baskets, but carry in the bosom of their gown cigars, money and other trifles that are usually con- signed to feminine pockets.” CHAMACTERISTICS OF THE PEOPLE. The present mixed race of Uruguayans are famed for physical beauty and also for more energy, perseverance and true courage than most South Americans ‘Their stand- ard of morals is also exceptionally Ligh, and for commerci#l integrity, hospitality and’ retine ment and courtesy the typical Montevidian surpassed by none. Deformities are almost unknown in Uruguay and there is hardly a mendicant in ali the land—an agreeable con- trast to the loathsome and importunate swarm of the blind and halt, the lame and the lazy of other portions of Spanish America, Here the Guarani blood, mixed with that of the Canary Islands, the Basque provinces—Catalonia, Na- varre and Galacea—has produced # better clags of the halt-breeds than the Cholos and Mestizas of the western coasts. During the last two or three decades a num- ber of agricaltural colonies have been estab- lished in different parts of Uruguay, with more or less success. ‘There used to be’ a bourd of immigration, and ® good deal of money was spent in indueing foreigners to come bers ead getting them well settled in life, when, fumes out of ten, as soon as they bad realized a little money they hastened back to fatherland to enjoy it. Notable exceptions are the pros- perous Swiss and Italian colonists in the prov- ince of Colonia and the thrifty Basques aad Canary Islanders, who bave carried agricul- ture (0 @ high grade in the department of Cane- lones. Of late years there bas been no direct attempt made to induce immigration, the gov- ernment wisely preferring voluntary recruits of the better sort, though their numbers be fewer. The prosperous colonies long ago out- grew the space allotted to them, but qwing to the irregular appropriations of public lands little remains to bestow on settlers, native or foreign, except at the exorbitant rates de- manded by speculators. Iu the interior of Uruguay, as in Paraguay, Brazil and part of the Argentine, the aucient Guarani language is sull much spoken, even by the whites. Its slender vocabulary resembles the Tupi dialect of Amazonian’s tribe so closely that the two have been combined into @ sort of trade lan- guage, called Tupi-Guarani. The old Jesuits reduced it to a system, and printed grammars aud dictionaries may yet be found im the book stores, Fassiz B. Warp. & Remedy for the Grippe Cough. ‘Take amall aud Sequens dases of Kemp's Beleam, THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON D.C, SATURDAY. FEBRUARY «20, OPERA AND RUIN. How Manager Abbey Has Dropped Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars. AT THE METROPOLITAN. ‘The Noted Opera Manager Still Backed by Millionaires—A Good Loser and a Good Winner—Scenes in the Boxes—Jealousies Among the Four Hundred~Millions in Dia- monds—The Playwright and Type Writer. New York, Feb. 19, 1892. INE YEARS AGO Henry E. Abbey opened Nf Be Metropolitan Opera House and lost $230,000 byhia experiment. He | has since settled every dollar of his indebted- | ness, with interest, the final installment of this Sh SS huge obligation being 2TH] ] paid two months ago. vy He could not now draw — @ check for any con- siderable amount. The only member of the firm of which he is chief who is worth any money is John B. Schoeffel. This man is partner in the Sarah Bernhardt and Adelini Patti enterprises. Remembering Abbey's former experiences in Italian opera Schoeffel refused to put a cent into the Metro- politan venture. Abbey, however, has influ- ential friends in musical and financial circles, who will back any scheme in whigh he is en- gaged. The funds essential for starting the Franco-Italian season were supplied by William Steinway and cther- millionaires, whose conti- dence in Abbey is quite as strong ‘as their bank ‘accounts. A DISASTROUS BEGINNING. During the first month of Italian opera at the Metropolitan Schoeffel might have been seen wearing an “I-told-you-so” smile at every per- formance. The season, which began brilliantly on December 14, had & long interregnum of disaster. The initial production was not a wise selection. ‘Romeo et Juliette” is like water to wine compared with Gounod’s greater work, “Faust.” It was sung in French, which was regarded asa direct insult by German music lovers and a disappointment to devotees of the sncient Italian school. Mrs. Emma Eames Story, from whom much was expected, proved too cold and colorless for Shakespeare's pas- sionate heroine. The new tenor, Jean de Heszke, had too much of the baritonal quality to bestartling and his brother Edward was [Me but scanty opportunity in the part of Friar Lawrence. Phe reviews next morning were noticeably lacking in enthusiasm. The Wagnerite critics attacked the performance vehemently and those of the classic school half-hearted in their praise. FOLLOWED BY BAD LUCK. After escaping the Scylla of the critics Abbey encountered the grip Charybdis, Albani was the first member of the company prostrated by the epidemic. Then followed Scalchi, Edward de Reszke, Valero, Marie Van Zandt and many of the lesser singers, It costs $4,000 to lift the curtain at the Metropolitan. Abbey aud Grau lost some $50,000 during the first month of opera in this city. The Wagnerite critics con- tinued their atta and the apostles of Verdi and Gounod were in despair. 4 CALM LOSER. But Abbey is the calmest loser in the theatri- cal profession. He gathered in $22,000 ina couple of Patticoncerts, which, after deducting $3,000 for the diva and incidental expenses, left $10,000 profit. He imported the famous French baritone, , and put on “L’Afri- caine.” le is @ great singer, a great actor anda great mascot. The ailing members of the company suddenly got well, The au- dience which packed the big house tohear the new baritoue came back at other performances, During the past six weeks there have been few empty chairs at the Metropolitan. FAVORABLE TERMS. Abbey's terms with the directors are par- ticularly favorable. He gets the house, light- ing and ushers free and at the close of each performance receives a check for $2,000, in addition to which ie pockets every dollar that is taken in at the dgor. The stockholders reserve only the boxes. There are seventy- three lodges at the Metropolitan, of which number seventy are let at a rental of 29,000 for the season. The £210,000 thus obtained goes to pay the running expenses of the house and the interest on the original investment. It does not pay these matters. But the average stockholder of the Metropolitan is worth a million, and they can easily afford to induige in the luxury of grand opera. Abbey will end the season with profit, HIS SALARY List is small compared to that of the Mapleson and Stanton regimes. Jean de Reazke receives €1,200 a performance and 20 per cent on all houses over $6,000. Lillie Lehmann gets 1,000 anevening. Edward de Reezke is paid $500 for each opera. in which he appe: ‘Mme Al- bani and Sig. Valero each receives : Emma Eames and Marie Van Zandt get $200, Guilia Ravogli gets £150 and her sister Sofia receives $100." These are small salaries, but it is a great thing to sing i grand opera.’ Margaret Reid, the young Indianapolis girl who made such & henomenal success as Ophelia in “Hamlet” fast week, bought $200 worth of tickets and received no salary for the privilege of singing before a Metropolitan audience. THE INDIFFERENT BOX HOLDERS. Very few people who support this luxury of opera in New York care anything about music. ‘The box holders seldom look at the stage,but spend the evening in gazing across the glitter inghorseshoe at one another. The toilets of the ladies are amazing in splendor. Old Mrs, William Astor, the leader of ultra-fashionable society. and one of the richest women in tow: covers her neck and shoulders with diamonds estimated to be worth $2,000,000, and site smiling like @ bride in the gaslight. ' She is ways accompanied by a private detective, who sits in the ante room of the boxand keeps guard against intruders. The old lady’s daughter-in- law, Mrs. Jack Astor, wears very few jewels. She does not need them inasmuch as ‘she is regarded as the handsomest young woman in “society.” Her husband, heir to the Astor millions, is a’ tall, Jauky young man, with a ‘phenomenally large nose and an abnormally small chin. He has never been known to squander a dollar or make a brilliant remark. But he will be worth undred millions some day, and his beauti- ful wife is too shrewd to receive any of the at- tentions that would gladly be paid to her by the dissolute club men that hang around the boxes, eager to rescue pretty young wives fri the ennui of their husbands _ sac THE SOCIAL JEALOUSY always existent between the difforent aspirants for leadership in this city is very marked at the Metropolitan. ‘The Astors have never looked with favor on the Vanderbilts and both fami- lies unite only in one point, which is an open detestation of the Bradiey-Martins. All of these great ladies vie with one another in gorgeous. news of apparel and wealth of diamonds. On @ fashionable night there are from $75,000,000 to $10v,000,000 worth of jewels gleaming in the two rows of boxes, most of which belong to the Astor family in its various branches or the numerous Vanderbilt faction. Mrs. Bradley. Martin, however, who has neither relatives nor ancestors, makes a brave show all by herself with a crown of diamonds worth a king’s ran- somand a “dog collar” studded thickly over with gems, each one of which is valued at $5,000. ‘The sole link that binds these opposing dames together is Ward McAllister. This famous person has so smallan income of bis own that very frequently he is putto grievous shifts to make ends meet. But he live very comfortably by paying court ta the rich, and he may be seen every night at the opera carrying tittle-tattle and jossip from ove box to the other. At present Sire McAltister is not in favor with Ses! Astor. While recently jovial over his cups he asked Mr. Jack Astor the genial but impolite ques- tion: “oes your mother know you are out?” ‘The young man complained to his wife and Mamma of this impertiuence and the impolitic quetist was punished by the temporary with- rawal of the friendship of both ladies. Me- Allister thereupon went over, body, boots and cash book, to the Bradiey-Martins, and is now trying to excite the Astor jealousy by keeping Mra, Bradley-Martin in screams of. iene rd ‘the opera, A NOVEL REVENGE, The itan at this season is all glitter and gayety. Bat those who attend ite per- formancgs regularly witness remarkable evi- dences that the in the loges isde jure rather Some ten days ago one of the box on the parterre immediate neigh! effective bey apd great ladies ma offended at ; an emitted such me snores =p usher was sent to eject BOX HOLDERS NOT NECESSARILY IN SOCIRTY. It is generally supposed by the uninitiated that the renting of box at the opera means an introduction into the ranks of the Four Hun- dred. This is a mistake. As every one who can afford to pay @3,000for xX at the oj ha isa py jowl with » party of debutantes belonging to one of the most istocratic families in town sits a woman with history worthy the interest of Zola. She is thirty years of age, her hair blonded, her neck and bosom covered with diamonds. Fif- teen years ago she caused great disturbance of morals in s young ladies’ seminary in Pennsyl- Fania, She disappeared, was forgotten and finally turned up in San'Francisco. Here she attracted the fancy of , brought her east and installed her in apart- ments in this city. She exerted so strong an in- fluence over him that he became careless and his wife discovered that he was leading adouble life. She obtained a divorce and he married his mistress, who now sits in regal state at every performance in one of the best boxes of the Metropolitan. ° THE PLAYWRIGHT AND THE TYPEWRITER. Of all girls the most amusing, at least to the casual observer, is a typewriter to whom a playwright is dictating « play. I had fun of that kind yesterday. “If you speak during that period,” the au- thor began, “I will_—" ay a after ‘that?’” the typewriter inter- ter rup io, no—the word ‘period.’ I will kill you.” always get so interested. Is this a comedy?” , “Yee. ‘Matid—Spare me—spareme—’ “You must not call me Maud.” “No, no; the character speaks. Maud is the girl in the play, you know. Where was I?”* “You were at ‘8 ‘e me.’ ” ‘Goes down on his knees in brackets.” “On his knees?” “Iam writing this comedy, miss. Knees, in brackets.” got his knees in brackets “Yes. What's he for? Broken, I suppose. “What are you doing? Let me see. No, no, no. Put that sentence in brackets. Enter servant. Servant—never have seen nothing that be—’ “Anything, of course.” “I am writing this piece.” That's bad grammar, you know.” , Lknow—I know. Put down just what Maud—Look at—" ir! Oh, I forgot. Yes. Look at—” anit brackets, George looks st servant and ecsiaie “George—I said George.” b Col He shakes the servant's head, doesn't e' cordiality that seems to exist | Ri Author dies, ————+e+_____ HOW FALSE HAIR IS OBTAINED. Much of It Comes From the Ash Barrels of Paris. ‘From the New York Herald. ‘The best false hair comes from France, where it is sold by the gramme at prices which vary according to quality and color. The most ex- pensive false hair is the silver white variety, which is in great demand and very difficult to find. This is due to the fact that men grow bald in a majority of cases before their hair reaches the silver white ‘stage, and women, whether bald or not, are not disposed to sell their white hair at any price. They need it themselves. Still women growing bald must have whtte hair to match the scant allowance advancing age has leftthem. The chemists have taken the matter in hand and are able to produce by decoloration of hair of any color a tolerable grade of white hair, which, however. has a bluish tint not at all ppproaching in beauty the silvery softness of which has been bleached by nature. False hair of the ordinary shades is obtained in two ways. The better and more expensive kind is cut directly from the heads of peasant women, who sell their silken tresses some- times fora mere song and sometimes fair price, according as they have learned wis- dom. Every year the whole territory of France 1s traveled over by men whose business it is to persuade village maidens, their mothers and their aunts to part with their hair for financial considerations. ‘These men are known as ‘‘cutters,” and there are at least 500 of them in the country alwuys going from house to house, from farm to farm and through all the villages in all tne depart- ments, seeking subjects for their scissors. A good cutter averages from two to five heads of hairs day, and he pays from 2f. to 10f. for each. It is estim that a single head of luxuriant growth weighs about a pound. ‘The false hair thus obtained—at the cost of the tears and regrets of many foolish maidens— the finest in the market, and selis for an ex- aggerated price, which puts it beyond the reach of the ordinary purchaser. Besides, it is evident that the supply of genuine ‘cuttings’ must fall far short of the demand for false hair. So the majority of this wavy merchandise is obtained—yes, Indies, I am exceedingly sorry, bat it is the fact—from the rag pickers. These busy searchers of ash heaps and garbage bar- rels collect every day in the city of Paris alone at least 100 pounds of bair, which some hun- dreds of thousands of women have combed out of their heads during the preceding twenty- four hours. This hair, all mixed together and soiled, one would think, beyond redemption, is sold tobair cleaners at from @1 to $1.50a pound, which shows simply that the fair sex in one city alone throws away annually about 300,000f. worth of hair, for which they after- ward pay—and it is the same hair, mind—con- siderably over 1,000,000f. : The cleaning of this refuse hair is an poo ation which requires careful attention. r the hair has been freed from the dust and dirt and mud and other unpleasant things with which it hag come in contact in gutters and for a slop buckets it 1s rubbed in sawdust until it shines once more with its — loss, and then the process of sorting is begun. In the first lace skilled hands fix the individual hairs in frames, with the roots all pointing the same way, and then they are arranged according to color. Finally, when « sufficient number of hairs of one color have been obtained—uor is this number so immense as is generally su Posed they are made into the beautiful brai which are shown so seductively in the windows of the fashionable coiffeurs. If, as the good book says, wisdom goes with the hair, she who Pisces on hor head one of these conglomerate raids might be said to receive a portion of the wisdom of hundreds of thousands of other women who had worn those hairs before her. It is said that the “cutters” in France have plied their trude so industriously that at pres- ent it is hardly possible in the whole ublic to find a woman who will sell her hair. The business has been done to destl, and now the enterprising dealers in false hair are sendin, their representatives through Switzerland, Belgium aud Norway canvassing for unsophis- ticated lasses who will allow themselves to be robbed of their hair, which is half of their beauty, for a few pieces of silver. ———_+e+_____ NOT COMPLIMENTARY, He Had Listened to the Minister and It Set Him Wondering. From London Tid-Bits, ‘Mr. L—, a clergyman, had accepted an in- vitation to talk to the patients of an insane asylum. In his address he said he tried to talk on subjects they coald grasp readily, using language that was simple. oy One of the subjects treated was that of the Gan; thinking they were wrath of the gods. Foe em ge try ‘one of his congregation, a man, who eves riveted uy him. The man’s face was a study. attitude was so direct and so Sendisl that it ‘annoyed the speaker. After the discourse Mr, L— went among the patients. He met the man with the eyes and took hishand. The minister told be ‘bad noticed his close attention to some por- . mothers who threw their children into the appeasing the fellow, what was your mind "ites maninn inte ngsis cs te pesechin ond FROM NEW YORK. Happenings During the Week in the Great aud Busy Metropolis 10s 18 WASTEFUL IN SMALL THINOs—LAVOE, AND THE WORLD LAUGHS WITH You. Special Correspondence of The Evening Star. New York, February 18, 1892. Not since the days of John Kaox, shall we say, or, at any rate, not for many a year, bas there been such « furious onslaught on the official guardians of the public morals as was made by Dr. Parkhurst last Sunday. His philippic fairly penetrated the alligator hide of Tammany and there have been some symptoms of » purpose, as well asa desire, on their part to hit back in the shape ef legal proceedings. Is is pretty safe to say, however, that Dr. Park- hurst will enjoy the “benefit of vlergy.” Not ‘that he is disposed around hie form to draw the awful circle of the church, for I fancy he would be only too happy to be made defendant in a suit for defamation of character. Dr. Parkhurst, while a good deal of a fire brand, is a man who caloulates his words and hasan uncommon knack of saying what he Tmeans and what he is Prepared to stand by. There areno two ways of thinking about what he means in the present case, but, fortu- nately for the doctor, he has ‘« strong ‘public sentiment at his back. There was a sigh of relief in some quarters when the news ci that Dr. Howard Crosby was dead, but ni these same people find out that Dr. Parkhurst, who succeeds Dr. Crosby as president of the Society for the Prevention of Crime, intends to arry Out his predecessor's policy, only more THERE CAN BE TOO RAPID TRANSIT. Asl went rattling through the tunnel of the Vanderbilt viaduct last night, between ita atone walls, at the rate of a mile a minute, I thought it was uncommonly good rapid transit, and I compared it greatly to the disadvantage of our siry railroad on stilts. At the same time I re- called the recent smashup in the tunnel and remembered ‘hat never since the elevated was started has there been any serious accident on that system. This morning I find that another se- rious accident, or one that might easily have been such, occurred in the tunnel, a train leaving the track and plunging along in the darkness, bumping against the walls and terrifying all th ngers, for nearly two blocks before it id be stopped. Fortunately no one was in- Jured further than to get a severe shock to the nervous m. As the immortal Yum Yum said in the Mikado, “To be buried alive is such astuffy death.” Perhaps on the whole it is better to take our chances on the elevated frames. LAUGH, AND TRE WORLD LAUGHS WITH YOU. Frohman has scored another triumph in his new farce of “Glorians,” At is quite remarke- able whata marksman this Tanager ix He seems to hit the bull’s-eye every time. He has rather taken the town under his arm, as it were, and signed a contract to amuse it.’ Half dozen brilliant successes, one after another, have given him a most enviable prestige. The appetite of New York for comedy 1 something wonderful. Anybody submits a serious play at his peril. Even the creepy French school has been put aside as an unnecessary harrowing of nerves already overstrung. What the million- aires can do with their big white elephant of an opera house, only they, and perhaps not they, can It might not = a bad idea, perhaps, for them to give # series of cake walks or trained dog shows to meet the popular tendency. A striking illustration of this tendency might be cited in the fact that at the montlily reunion this month of the Presbyterian Union the divertisement consisted of a concert by the Yale Banjo Club. It would be provoking enough to the shade of Jonathan Edwards to have Yule admitted at all, but to have the picking of the banjo relied upon to entertaim the combined Presbyterian con- stituency of the city would be enough to cause the ancient worthies to “Swear as deacons do, with an ‘I do vum’ and an ‘I tell you.” It wae a long time betgre the “true blue” tole- rated organs, but whht shall we say now to the banjo? THE MICKELS OF THE NICKELS. Beyond any dispute the Americans are the most wasteful people in trifles of any nation in the world. Ihad this fact impressed upon me yesterday in a new form through the testimony ofahaberdasher in this city. He said that under the modern system of laundrying few collars lasted more than four or five washings at the laundry before they began to split. Tho machine now used for this purpose got in its deadly work very promptly and the quality of the linen seemed to make very little difference. ‘This deaier, who has a large store on Broadway, said he had come to the conclusion that four washings represented the lite of the average collar before it bégan to go to piece: As the price of the first-class collars is 25 cents apiece this means that a linen coilar costs 6 cents each time it is worn, beside the 3 cents (we will say) that it costs to laundry it, making an expense of 9 or 10 cents, and as the rule among people who wear linen collars at all is to wear at least one clean one a day we find a charge of 10 centea day for this item of the toilet alone. Then we suppose that a man pays 5 cents a day to have his boots blucked, 4s many do, and an average of at least 5 cents a day for shaving, and we get an average of $1.25 a week for items of expense which would be unheard of by the ordinary man in any othercountry on the globe. Imagine the average clerk in England spending 5 shillings week out of his sulary for these items. We are familiar with the ruinous expense of smok- ing and drinking habits, and it would be hard to rebuke such extravagance too harshly in the case of most young men, who have their living to make for themselves and for their prospec- tive famihes, even if they are not married already. But the amount of money wasted in such innocent extravazances as I have j mentioued is something prodigious, and the fact that “Young America” can be so reckless ia an evidence of the unparalleled prosperity of this country, which mukes us the wonder of the world. 4 THOUGHTFUL CORPORATION. Aspecimen car of the new cable regime has made its appearance on Broadway, and is an object of great interest to our citizens, who look on it much as we might study a sample angel made visible to our eyes to show us how we would look in a more elevated and improved existence. But there is one feature above all which commends the new car to the hopeful New Yorker. It is larger every way, but in par- ticular the hind platform is twice as large as the present style. ‘his fact is pregnant with hopefulness, as it evinces in the inanagement a fine sense of public spirit and @ desire to do all they can for the dear people. It was noticed some time ago that the ele- vated railroads were about to increase their facilities for the accommodation of the public by putting in more straps to haug on by, and in a similar spirit of thoughtfulness the’ ne Broadway cats are to have twice the present space for standing room on the hind platform. ‘Lhus the world moves and even the most stony- hearted corporations become enlightened to their trae duty toa long suffering community. Heer B. Exxior. ————— HIS SWEETHEART SAID “NO.” And Ever Afterward Unlucky Mason Evans Shunned the Sight of Man. Athens (Tenn. ) Correspondence Chattanooga Times. Mason Evans, the much-paragraphed “wild man” of Monroe county, is dend. ‘The fatal grip took him off. Evans had been a great curiosity in this section for more than forty years, during which time he had roamed in the woods, apart from the comforts of civiliza- tion, subsisting on roots and herbs dug from the earth, with an occasional fowl surrepti- tiously taken from some convenient barn yard. He was cap several times, but always Managed to esca) Seven or eight years ago be was, ‘captured by some fearless fellow. wit an entei turn of mind for the pu: of a him in a dime museum as the “Wild of Borneo.” body was as hairy as that of red with fith and vermin. His” taken ‘a bear and cor twenty yearshe Wed wee mountains, and was never known to have spoken ® word duringthat time. He lived in a state of nudity and was fond of raw meat. Those yw hia history say that he was born in Monroe county near Hiwassee in 1827 or i. He and received a it twenty years of he was —— teaching echowl, and in the meantime fell in called and He it into the darkn: suatineninse ‘went ou ous Jes betore he wa soon again, and then he PoE aot bis fellow-men like . "1892-SIXTEEN PAGES. y WED INTERIOR VIEW OF MARINE GROTTO. FISHES OF THE OCEAN. ‘Queer Things Observed of Them in the Fish Commission's Aquaria. P[WE SUCCESS OF THE MARINE AQUARIA at the building of the United States fish commission has solved a very interesting prob- lem by proving that it is possible to keep sea avimals and plants at a distance from their native element and without supplies of water from the ocean. Buch's thing has been declared impracticable hitherto, and it has been asserted that artificial a water would never afford a satisiactory sub- stitute in aquaria for the real article. Never- theless, for three years now the marine “grotto” has afforded pleasure and instruction to the people of Washington, as well as to visitors here. Ithas come to be regarded, in fact, as one of the most interesting sights of the cap- ital. The idea of itisto represent an occan cavern, through windows in the walls of which the observer looks out upon the creatures which live and move in the green deptha. ARTIFICIAL SEA WATER. ‘The original supply of sea water for these tanks was brought from Chesapeake bay, but it has been found 80 difficult to procure it con- stantly fresh that a solution made from salt produced by the evaporation of sea water is used to aconsiderable extent ass substitute. Every now and then seining expeditions made for the purpose procure new specimens to re- plentsh the liv. Besides giving amuse- ment the aquai ford most valuable oppor- tunities for scientitic study. For example, a series of experiments have been conducted with a view to discovering whether certain complaints to which fresh water fishes are liable could be cured by a brackish water treat- ment. This treatment consists simply in putting the sick tish into salty water. ‘here asa fungus which attacks fishes where they have been wounded. No remedy for it has been known hitherto, but it is found that salt water cures the trouble in a very brief time. Equally good effects ure obtained in the same way with fishee which suffer from certain infusorian Parasites. One of these encysts itself in the skin, and so completely will the finny victim become infested that hardly a spot as big as a pin’a head on the surface of ite body will be Tree from invasion. When thus attacked the fish refuses food, and by scratching itself on sand or stones ——- inflammation of the skin and a rapid growth of fungus. UNABLE TO SINK. Some of the effects produced by transferring fresh water fishes to brackish water are rather curious. White perch when thus treated are 80 buoyant as to be unable to ewim beneath the surface. They paddleabout with their backs out of water and seweral days pass before they acquire the proper specific gravity and canswim in the ordinary fashion. Similar experiments with ecls showed that they were able to keep near the bottom after being transferred, but had a tendency to stand on their heads. Speaking of fungi, it appears that their growth in water is affected in an extraordinary way by trifles. Atone time a factory for mak- ing whisky from turnips was established near Schweidnitz, in Silesia, and the refuse was pouredinto the river. The result was such a pro- digious growth of white fangus that it covered the bottom of the stream with a thick layer like wool, choked up the pipes and rendered the Water of the town undrinkable. Similar de- velopments of fungus, possibly the same kind, have been observed in streams into which the Fefuse of creameries was allowed to drain. THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG STICKLEBACKS, Some curious observations have been madeof sticklebacks in the aquaria. They build a nest | on the bottom ont of vegetable fibers and the shreds of alge, binding the mass together by means of a glutinous thread spun from special | secretive glanda. The young are looked oat for | after being hatched by the male, which gives | them an education in self-protection. He will dart at the youngas if about todevour them, causing them to take refuge among the plants and stones. Thus after a while they learn to run and hide at the passing of » shadow over the water. The readiness with which this small | species spawns in captivity justifies the belief that, under improved conditions, larger fishes of other kinds can be induced to breed also. If | eo, much advantage would result in the way of increased knowledge respecting pisciculture. One of the most remarkable reproductive | processes known among mollusks is that by which the mussel multiplies its species. The eggs are hatched inside the shell of the female and iskue therefrom as free-swimming animals. ‘They come out thus in the spring, being armed with little hooks, by meansof which they fasten themselves to various aquatic animals, thus be- | Coming tramp passengers for a season. Finally they drop off, having achieved full develop- ment while journeying around, and, sinking to | the bottom, settle ‘down in lite by attaching themselves with silky threads toa convenient rock. STUFFING AN ELEPHANT. How It Was Shot in India and Mounted With Wood and iron. 66QNCE UPON A TIME I ACCEPTED A contract to supply a stuffed elephant,” Stan. “I had to go to India to get it. Having reached there I obtained from the governor of the Madras presidency a special permit author- izing me to kill tlie animal I wanted. Otherwise I should have been in danger from the law. IN A CHICAGO HOTEL, It Was Fall of Magnificent Distances to Bother Country Guests, From the Chicago Post. He was from a country town and stopped at commodious inside room in the northwest corner of the house, near La Salle street. He was not satisfied. The noise and rattle and | tumult of the streets reached him and made | him yearn to look out on the busy scene whence A WESTERN LOCHINVAR. ‘He Stopped in at the Last Moment and Wee ‘the Doctor's Fromised Bride, ‘From the Omahs Bea. A wodding that occurred Past week in the north part on fact are undoubtedly due some of the rather Unusual occurrences that preceded this wed- ding ceremony. Bo that as it may, it is certain that for three years last past the aforesaid voung lady bas D engaged toa certain young bi te physiggan who looked anxiously forward to the day when he would feel able to support a wife and take unto himself this hoping, trasting waiting maiden, who finally accumulated such Sstock of deferred hope that she grew sick at But the doctor was loath to fix the day. a month ago he invested some of his surplus cash inadiamond ring that soon afterward adorned the foremost finger of his intended Even then he was unable to name the happy day, but hopefully predicted, as before, that it would be “only a little longer.” It came sooner than he thought. A famous coacher for a cer- tain base ball team once remarked toa tim. orous base runder that “he who hesitates ie lost,” but the matrimonially inclined doctor never played on that team, hence he never re- ceived the benefit of such invaluable instrnc tion, else this sad tale might not have © written. He persevered in his fatal procrasti- nation and neglected to get acinchon the fleeting momenta. ‘Ten days ago a good-looking stranger came to town and called on the family cf which the y is He was warmly re- the youn, had not seen ber nor any of ber family for nad been improving bis time, however, and was general superintendent of « bank account of respectable proportions, 1, he was decidedly eligible, and fur- in search of a wife. Right bere let it be stated that the Pective mother-in-law bad never regard suit of the medical practitioner with favor, but the newcomer enlisted her sympathies at once. She not only encouraged him, bat set to work to make ber daughter likewise smile upon him. An evening at the theater was followed by @ roposal of marriage, but time was de fore giving an answer. The young lady sent for the doctor and laid caso before him. She said she had waited om ® g00d while and life was short and time was fleeting. If he was about ready all wel and go but if not she was sorely tempted to em- the other cpportunity «g Lbe doctor was thunderstruck, and said that if his affianced wife could for @ moment consider such « proposition be didn't kuow bat be was willing for her to accept it. The indignant lover little thought that be would be tossed aside, apd when the girl said she would think over the matter a while longer, be thought the day wus won. That was another time that he was mistaken. The girl only another night, i the next day the new suitor was accepted with as much avidity as Was consistent with good taste. The dector was again sent for, the ring was returned and he was informed’ that his brotherly affection would be warmly cherished. That was all so far as the doctor was con- cerned, for the wedding of bis inamorate and his energetic rival occurred on the following evening. Six mouths of travel is the next thing on the program, but the doctor will not be one of the tourists. He will stay et howe and eat crow, and alternately curse and biess his peculiar luck and the maternal ancestor of the Woman be did not marry. wee SMALL HCONOMIES, ‘Take Care of the Cents and Then Go It With the Doliara. "moaned a clubman to his friend the other night, ashe admired his newly polished said a skilled taxidermist to a writer for Tae | the Grand Pacific Hotel and was assigned to «| footwear. money, “How much?” asked the other. “can't get along on loss than $15. year for ordinary every-day shoes, and that is only two pair. That does not count dancing shoes, slip- pera, &c. What do yours cost you; I mean “Having provided myself with everything they came. The strokes of the big board of | your business shocs?” requisite for preparing and preserving the ekin when I should obtain it, I hired several natives and pitched my camp in the Animally Hills, trade clock resounded through the corridors and this young man desired to gaze on the tower where the clanging bell hangs. So he thing,” said his friend, Nothing?” “Nothing now. They used to cost me about choosing aspot frequented by herds of wild | went to the office, sought Sam Parker and spoke | the same as you.” elephants. We struck the fresh trail of a large herd, which we followed up. ‘The course taken led us through forests, across great swamps of tall grassand finally along a steep mountain side covered with thick and thorny underbrush. Progress would have been exceedingly difficult | but for the narrow lanes left clear by the passage of the great beasts. THE HERD. “The herd being overtaken it was found to contain forty elephants of all sizes. It was deemed advisable to single out one that was by itself. The best opportunity was afforded by a | very large tusker,which was discovered feeding | quietly on a hillside with three or four females and young males, a short distance from the | main herd. Stealing up to within eight paces | of him I fired a shot at his head, which entered about six inches above the ‘left eye, passed | ‘through the brain and laid the nobje animal dead in his tracky without s struggle or a sound. A DIFFICULT TASK. “We proceeded at once to remove the skin, taking it off in three parts, so that it might be easier to carry. Along the back and bead the hide was about an inch in thickness. ‘There being only six of us, we were obliged to re-| move the enormous entrails and vital organs | second floor of the Grand Pavifie, and cnt off several hundred pounds of flesh from the carcass before we could turn it over, and even then it required nearly three hours’ hard work with levers and props to accomplish that part of the “daving removed the skin, which was accom- plished in two days, we applied arsenical soap to the iuside, upon’ which we sprinkled salt lentifully and rubbed it in with a flat stone. Thengthe Outeide was similarly treated. Finally we pared away the hide on the inside, remov- ing from it not less than 700 pounds of fiber. Twenty days after the death of the elephant the skin was dry and ready for shipment. It was packed in a single case and weighed when boxed only 240 pounds. In this shape it reached Rochester, N. ¥., where I set to work to mount it, For this purpose I first constructed a man- nikin of the proper size aud shape from draw- ings and measurements of the animal. AN IMITATION ELEPHANT. “Four square bars of wrought iron, each 12 feet in length, wereheated and bent intoshape for legs, and all were firmly bolted to a 4-inch beam 16 feet long, which was to serve as a back- bone for the stuffed beast. On each side of the center beam were nailed boards cut in semicir- cular shape to the same general outline as the ribs of the skeleton when in position. false ribs were set the entire len, body, and to them were nailed laths so as to sheathe the whole framework. A wooden pel- vis and shoulder blades of the eame material were constructed and nailed in position. “With the real skull before us as.» model we | made another of wood, exactly the same size and shape'as the origin were fitted. After the framework of the i u elt Fe e8 efle thus: | “Say, mister, I don't like that room you gave | me. I can't see anything but the walls of a big | building and some sort of a place with a glass floor.” He meant the court in the center of ae ly," said the obligi: “Why, cert’nly,” ing, accom- “What kind of ® room modating Parker. would you like’ “Oh, I'm not particular. Anything where I can see something outdoors.” “Want a bath with it?” “Well, Idunno. I hada good ‘wash just be- | “I mean do you wish aroom with a bath fore leaving St. Louis and. room attached?” “Ob, I don’t care if it's next to a bath room. Iwon't kick sbout thatso's there don't too many geod have to go through my room to | the bath room.” “How would a nice room around here on the Clark street front suit you?” “First-rate.” ront, change the gentleman from 203 to ‘How far apart are these rooms?” queried the St. Louis man somewhat anxiously. “About two dollars and a half,” replied Sam. “I mean how far in distance? How far will T have to carry my vali «Just about two blocks,” said Sam, making a mental survey and topographical plat of the a7 “Great gosh all hemlock! I want to stay in the hotel.” protested the man from the bridge. “Ob, you can walk two blocks without get- ting out of this house,” said Mr. Parker. “If you get lost tell your troubles to a policeman.” Justified by Appearances. From the Chicago Journal. A man prominent in Canadian political life, but careless of his dress, was once on his way to call upon a gentleman of Quebec, and stopped an Irishman in the street to inquire the way. “Can you tell me where Mr. Hunter lives?” said the statesman. “It's no use your going there,” was the unexpected reply: “Dut do ‘ou know where he lives?” “Puith and I do, But ite mo use going there.” ‘The iequirer bet getangry. “I didn’t ask your advice. I wanted to know where Mr. Hunter lives.” “Ob, well, he lives down that street yonder, the first house round the corner, but I tell you it's no use your going there, for I just been there myself and he’s alrendy got a man.” Mr. Hunter had advertised for a serv- ant the day before, and the statesman, so the story goes, went at once and bought a new hat. = ‘The “Slamming-Door” Pitch. From the New York Times. “What a comfort it ia occasionally to slam a door,” confessed one woman to another ina confidential ebat. “There have been times when that privilege was a great safety valve to baa) The otber laughed. “A little hard on the Intch and hinges, wasn’t it?” she said. ~‘Iknew awoman who showed me in a closet an ali toa hook. Shesaid to Fd Miss Twitter—“I want to ask you Mr. Penn. I hope (blushing) you won't me too forward.” ‘How do you manage it?” . ‘Always wear patent leather.” I don't anderstand.” “How much does it cost you te keep your —<nte “About 5 cents a day on the w “How much is that @ year/” ve times 365.” “Say €15, in round numbers.” “Yes, well?” “Well, you don’t have to have patent leather shoes blacked, and that saves about €15 « year. If they get muddy, rub them yourself with wet sponge and a little vaseline afterward, and they're all right again. By this means save £15 in nickels for blacking, and that's past about what your shoes cost you. See?” “Yes, Inec. Is that why you wear thnt con- foundedly unbecoming beard, and Jet your hair grow long, drooping on your coat collar?” “No, that is not the reason, and set I bave calculated that to get shaved every other day and tip the barbe: y time would cost me 45 a year, and to get my hair cut once « fort- night would cost me about 86 more. I tell you there are more reasons than the artistic One for actors, authors, musicians and paint ers wearing their hair long. Economy is an admirable characteristic, and I wish { could induce you to practice it. In the unconsid- ered trifles of shoe polish and shaving 1 eave about $65 & year,enough to pay the pre- miums on a life insurance cy. Gige up your little extravagauces, my boy, and save money. “Billy, my wise, economical and artistie friend, is your life insured?” asked the other. “No; not yet.” at did your house bill at the club amount to last month for liquors?” “About $65, I think.” have a drink with me now, Billy?” think the drinks are on 'me, old cocktail, ahd then I'll go and “Will you “i rather “Very well, have a shave. ‘Washington Was From the New York Times. Meution was not long ago in « paper read at a woman's Club meeting of some letters of the Washington family that have lately come tolight One of them is from Mrs Washing- ton, the mother, who writes jo her distinguished son that she has the rheumatisin, the roof leaks, and she thinks she will come and spend the winter with him. To this reply is made thathe Truthful, (Washington) is sorry she bas the rbeumatiam, the roof he will have mended at once, but as to ber to things must bap; the family, whtcl frequent gtests, her room, which would be —— it to his wife, or she must go eorv- ants’ table, which would mot be ‘acceptable herself. ‘This blant inference of the ol & ‘was loudly applau that it was » bad learned