Evening Star Newspaper, September 2, 1893, Page 2

2 THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D. ©. SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 2, 1893—SIXTEEN PAGES. THE GREAT DEBATE. Men Who Make the Speeches in the Senate. A REMARKABLE DISCUSSION. The Leaders Engaged in Parlia- mentary Dueling. SCENES IN THE CHAMBER. When the first wave of financial distress Folled with ominous rumblings across the country this summer, closing the industries ef the nation and throwing thousands out of employment, @ cry went up that the @imiculty was occasioned by the result ®f the operation of the Sherman law and Congress through the President was called upon erase from the statute books this act which the people bellev- ed had caused the distrust. Congress met hurriedly, the House of Representatives took up the battle with a will and in a Dusinesslike manner, and the first of this ‘week found the demand of the people and ‘the President fulfilled so far as that body ‘was able to lend its aid. The bill went to the Senate and is now before that body. At is not extraordinary, therefore, that the mation waits with anxiety the deliberations of that body, and in the east and the west &s weil as the other sections of the country the proceedings of the upper branch of the national legislature are watched and read and studied with an interest that demon- strates how close to the heart of the most humble of the citizens of the country are the words of every member that rises on the floor to express his views. ‘The scenes in the Senate since the op2- ing of the extra session have been remark- able for the regular and steady attendance ©f the Senators, the sincere interest of each ef them in the utterances of their usso- flates, and the crowded galleries. It is enerally the case that when a long debate in progress In the Senate the attend- ‘Ince falls off and that only those who are Senator McPherson. rectly concerned by the proposed legis- tion are to be found on the floor, except When some Senator of noted ability as a Speaker and debater announces that he will Geliver his opinions. The debate drags slong and then it is that the public begins to scoff at Senetorial courtesy and chufes under the delay of the deliberative body. In utter coatrast to this routine has been action thus far of the higher body. very speaker !s given the strict attention of the Senate. The logic of the speech is followed and stored away, the data and tistics are read and analyzed. Seldom any debate been so carefutly followed and studied as that which has been going bn for the past two weeks. Those who have been fortunate enough to De present in the Senate galleries have gcen and heard the men of the nation at their best. With the exception of the ab- Solute free stlver Senators, those whose gonstituents are dependent to a great cx- tent upon the operations of the silver mines for their support and living, there has been @ struggle on all sides to’ make for each the most of the political capital that certain to resuit when Congress legis- tes upon a subject of not national but in- fernational import. Every point, every ‘word, has its meaning, and before such a tical audience one is bound to think twice re he speaks, for he appreciates that should he make a misstep he would be at the mercy of those who are of a different Delief, who are ever on the alert to make it embarrassing for him. The debates bristle with sharp repartee, and give to the sea- gions of the Senate a sharpness and bril- Dering’ the past w past week particularly the Benate has been a rich field for the student of character, as well as the student of pol- ities. ‘The battle that is being waged on the floor is not apparent to the casual observer. In every motion that is made there is apt aS Poe Letee Days BA Dont ee Doge: Samastce Wot — [pn * | ate hidden effort, and it takes the vig- and quick insight of the leader to Qppreciate the meaning of his opponent and 8s quickly parry it with a motion that will Benent his side. The conferences that oc- cur between these men are interesting and at the same time are indicative of the st- Jent warfare that fs going on. A mo‘ion or Suggestion made by the Senator from In- Giana (Mr. Voorhees) hurriedly calls to- ether Mr. Teller, Mr. Stewart, Mr. Du- bots. “ur. Petter, itr. Jones and’ the other silver Senators. ‘On the other hand, a move on the part of any of these will bring to- ther Mr. Gorman, Mr. Voorhees and Mr. ‘aulkner, and with their heads together hey will talk hurriedly, and then as a re- ult one of the latter two will make the motion, which will probably be carried out by the majority. It is very seldom that Mr. Gorman speaks to the Senate. Hé prefers to allow others carry out his plans, and while he sits in Bis chair watching every movement of the silver men he has little to say above a whisper, but continually offers his sugzes- tions while his lieutenant is on the floor. As @ study of the aristocratic characters of the different sections of the country the Senate even affords better opportunities than the House. It would not be a difficult matter for anj Ments of the Mr. Lodge, or t 2 Kansas. Two n coult hardly different in their tastes Lodge there is the cut chusetts © fre be more nd habits. In Mr. and dash of a ¢ The trim, w athletic ‘in ite \d strong head well posted o Rational affairs and a mind clear and {i dependent are seen by his walk. Mo: closely resembling him in these attriby fs Senator Wolcott of Colorado, who {s iso eastern born, but western raised. His @tay in the west has given him that bold- Bees of speech and directness of manner of gesture. For so young @ man hé at- tracts more attention ‘speeches than is usual. Though he is a close student he has not the store of knowledge on finan- cial or tariff questions that the older mem- bers of the Senate have acquired by years of study, but he supplies this want by a straightforward style that knows no fear and walks right in where timid politicians would be careful not to enter. His speech on Thursday was not less striking than those he has heretofore delivered. The elder members of the Senate sit back in their seats and inwardly laugh and re- Joice at the subtle thrusts that this bright Put Oe ann “Sematee WS orator gives his opponents, while the gal- leries ere amused at the discomfiture. In the gallery on Thursday there was a man of whose presence few were aware. He watched the speaker with the deepest in- terest. He followed his very words and seemed to gesticulate with him. His potnt- ed lunges gave this spectator the keenest pleasure. This onlooker was Henry Wol- cott, the brother of the Senator. Between the two there is the greatest love and af- fection. “Henry” fairly worships “Ed’ and the admiration is reciprocated. Henry ‘Wolcott is a very wealthy resident of Den- ver, but it is sald that he would be willing to give all his wealth to charity if he were only his brother. Firmly identified with everything in the Senate that has a silver lin'ng ts Mr. Stew- art of Nevada. He ts known the world over as being for silver, free and unlimited as to its coinage, and in this respect he is one of the best known characters in the Senate. He is one of the far western self-made men, and though perhaps his power of oratory is not as magnetic as some of the fellow members he is undoubtedly a thorn in the side of those who attempt to legislate against the white metal. He has an ap- parently everlasting fund of silver knowl- edge, and is ever prepared to stand tur the rights of that metal. It wouid seem that his only topic of debate is the question which is now absorbing the attention of the country, and because he is always bringing this subject to the foregrauad he is regarded and called py some “a silver crank.” But those who know Mr. Stewart are aware of the fact that he is an exceed- ingly shrewd politician, and as en evidence of this they recite the fact that in his state he carried every district at the last election in whick he engaged. He has a rather brusque -nanner of ex- pressing himself, and on this account when he takes the floor something out of the or- dinary routine of debate is expected. He comes out with some very queer styles of debate, and often causes considerable amusement by the unusual statements which he interjects into the proceedings. ‘When silver is before the Senate he is never absent, and it is only with the greatest dif- ficulty that he restrains himself when some one is speaking on the opposite side of the subject than that on which he stands from continually interrupting the speaker to prove to him the incorrectness of the state- ments that he is making. Under these cir- cumstances he becomes nervous snd un- easy, and to those who observe him closely they have found that an infallible sign of his nervousness is the habit that he has of curling his long white beard and gently chewing its ends. Senator Sherman, who was another of the prominent speakers during the past week, seems to: have aged since the last session, but it was apparent from his speech on Wednesday that he has lost none of the fire and clear-headed manner of speech that has marked him as one of :he most able men that this country has produced. He is one of the best of the parliimentarians in Congress, and is always ready to suggest the proper method of disposing ef any ques- tion that comes before the body of which he is a member. Though he had a portion of his speech written out, he seldom re- ferred to the notes, except for statistics or figures, and though he talked for nearly three hours he never hesitated or had to change his style of expression. He is a wonderful storehouse of knowledge on all national questions, and as a far-sishted financier he is regarded as one of the best In the United States. He is seldom absent from the Senate, and is particularly watch- ful of all legislation that comes from the clerks. In this way he is one of the most valuable men that there is on the republi- can side of the chamber for that party. Perhaps, next to Senator Voorhees, the democrat who is taking the most active st 4 part in the financial discussion 1s Senator McPherson of New Jersey. According to his own statement he appreciazes that his party is now in control of all the legislative branches of the country, and that :t is re- sponsible for all that ts givea to this coun- try from Congress during this Congress at least. He has come forward as a strong friend of the administration in the present emergency, and on account of his exper- fence and long service on the finance com- mittee is one of Mr. Cleveland's most help- ful Meutenants on the floor. —___$__+o-—_—__—_ Questioned the Wrong Visitors. From the Chicago Herald. Two West Point cadets, trim, gray and pigeon-breasted, were walking along Mid- way. “Oh, say,” exclaimed a Larrabee street hoodlum, “why don't cher take off your corsets?” The patrol wagon came a moment later. It carried to the service building: 1 hoodlum with— 1 broken nose, 2 black eyes, 1 lip cut and a Greater grasp on wisdot s vee Too Deeply Absorbed. wo Record. * shouted Mr. Sprisgins, yelling to his wife, “come down quick! ‘The house is on fire!’ There's not a minute replied the voice of Mrs. Sprig- gins from over the staircase. “Well, I can't come just now. I'm trimming my autumn hat.” so Modifying Circumsta: From the Indianapolis Journal. Hungry Higgins—“I think of all the sad which is characteristic of th try while adding a rot constitution which allows of a powerful voice and force sights they is a empty bottle is the saddest. Don't you?" REAL ESTATE GOSSIP. The New Residence of the Chinese Legation. THE FIRST 70 GO INTO THE SUBURBS Improvements to the Building Oc- cupied by the German Legation. SOME FINE RESIDENCES. Perhaps the most interesting piece of news in the building an real estate world this week was the statement that the new Chinese minister had leased for a period of three years the three handsome brown stone houses that stand at the head of lth street at the corner of Yale street. Mr. Yang, who represents the flowery king- dom to this country, Spain and Peru, has only been in this city sigce the early part of this week, and it is evident that he lost Uttle time in the selection of a new home for the legation. Before his arrival quarters had been se- cured for the minister and his suite at the Arlington, and it was thought they would Temain there some time, but as it stands now it is probable that they wiil be under their own roof and about their own hearth- Stone before many weeks have elapsed. From an architectural point of view it must’ be said that Mr. Yang has rade a wise choice. In this, of course, he had the advice of Mr. Ho and the other attaches of the legation, who have served under M: Tsul, the retiring minister. Refore the a1 Seo Se Stans ea eel Sas al the houses in the city that were evailable, ‘These were not so numerous as one might merous family of its sort in this city. = Numbert: as = it Probobly does, upwards of fifty or For this reason it was fortunate that there was ready to hand such a group of houses as those that have been selected, for the three houses are so plaaned and ar- ranged that they can readily be connected in such a manner as to form practically one Festdonce, — it will then make ene of lest most desirat houses in the city. ce The First im th: burbs. It ts not so very many years ago that the spot where these houses stand was looked ufon as well out into the country, but now the rapid growth of the city toward the northwest and the introduction of rapid transit has brought that section within easy Teach of the center of the city. ‘This ts the first time that @ foreign legation has sought a home so far out, but there is really no Treason why its situation should be consider- ed as at all remote. People who call upon foreign ministers are Supposed to ride in their own carriages, and even if they do not the cable cars can whisk them out 1th street in even less time than would be spent in reaching other points which are usually looked upon as more central. ‘The lease fcr the new Chinese legation was made with the option of purchase, and it is not at all un- Ukely that before three years have elapsed the representative of his Mongolian majesty in this city will have a home of his own. In this he would be but following in the footsteps of other ministers and envoys. One by one the great nations have been securing their own residences in this city. The British legation was the first of all to move out into the west end and to erect its own official dwelling. In fact it was one of the pioneers in the movement that Ind to the settling of that west end neighborhood that Is now in some respects looked upon as the most desirable in the city. As the story goes the then British minister was anxious to secure the two middle houses in the Grant row,on East Capitol street between 24 and 8d. The owners, however, had such an exalted idea of the value of their proparty that they set a figure which the minister regarded as exorbitant. It is said there was no attempt to take advantage of his position and needs in the matter, but, however, that may be the fact was that he thought the price too high and decided to move out on Connecticut avenue, where land could be had at a price that seems ridiculous now. it was in a re- mote situation, according to ideas then, but the way in which the growth of the elty followed him or else the manner in which he had forestalled the natural devel- opment of the city must have been a matter of very considerable surprise to the sentative of Queen Victoria. It multiplied the value of his investment so many times that if he had only bought the whole of Connecticut avenue instead of a building site he wouldn’t have had to be a minister for a living any more. The German Legation Ball Room. The German and French legations are on Highland Terrace, Massachusetts avenue, between lth and 15th streets. The former is @ permanent domicile, 1435, but it is thought that the French, who are now lo- cated three doors east, will soon look about for more commodious quarters. The addi- tion which Is just about being completed to the German legation makes of that one of the largest private houses in the city. As it was before it was a massive four story English basement house, though not particularly well adapted for purposes of entertainment. In expectation of a gay social winter, probably, under the regime of the new ambassador a lot which stood to the west of the house has now been covered with a handsome three story struct- ure that is to be used as a balt room. The first floor, which is raised but little above the level of the ground, can be used for cloak rooms or supper rooms. The two stories above have been thrown Into one so that it makes a lofty celled ball room, which is to be one of the most beautiful in the capital. It is rapidly approaching completion and will soon be ready to be placed in the hands of the decorators, ‘The Seare is Over. Those distinguished citizens, and there are many of them, says the Building Regis- ter this week, who have been secretly hoarding their means in anticipation of a big drop in real estate values, which would, of a necessity, follow the !nauguration of a general business panic, may as well permit their pulses to drop back to a normal con- dition, for the scare is over. There will be no panic. The country is now rapidly re- covering from the ill ts of the scare, and it will be but a comparatively short time until the so-called pante of 18% will be but a reminiscence. Business is being re- sumed in all the manufacturing and indus- trial centers, and last but not least there will be no depreciation of values. On the other hand, real estate «nd other values will march onward, not backward, Some Fine R cen. Wm. J. Palmer has made the plans for a fine residence that will be built at No. 1523 16th street for Mrs. H. P. James. It will have two fronts. The main one, together with half of the other, will be of Indiana limestone and cream colored brick; the combination of the two materials will unite in producing a striking as well as a beauti- ful appearance. The stone work will ex- tend to the second story -vindow sills, after which there will be a liberal stone treat- ment with a wide, overhausing Spanish tiled roof. The 6th street troat will have a circular bay window extending to the sec- ond story and terminating in a balustrade, and at the corner jutting 2ut from the sec- ond story will be a circular oriel window, which will plerce through the roof, forming a tower. The main entrance will be a deep- ly recessed porch, from which will extend massive stone columns and arches support- ing the superstructure. A very liberally treated “old English hali” will be a feature, in which the grand staircase will be locat- ed. This staircase will be inclosed by an elaborate screen, which will serve the Gouble purpose of inclosing the staircas2 as well as providing for @ vecessed library. The house will cost about $15,000. Mr. 'T, F. Schneider contem-iates the erection ‘of four handsome dwellings next to his restdence at 18th and Q streets rorth- west. They will be three stories, attic and basement. The fronts will 3e of stone, square and circular bay windows, tiled roofs, ete. Architecturally the houses will be an innovation, as the Turkish styie will be followed. ‘The Interiors will be richly trimmed in hard woods. The parlor mantels are to be of specially designed patterns composed of African onyx. Steam heat, incandescent electric lights, tiled bath rooms and lava- tories with exposed fixtures and electric bells and speaking tubes are to be employ- ed. It_is estimated that the houses will cost $85,000. Contractor James L. Parsons has the con- tract to remodel that part of the patent cf- Weary Watkins emptyin’ of it.” fice that has heretofore been known as the “model room.” It will be divided into five rooms, and other improvements will also be made. A new addition will shortly be made to the Lyceum Theater by its manager, Jas. Kernan. A building for heating and lighting purposes is to be erscted at @ cost of about $8,000. Edward Kern is erecting a handsome store and dwelling to be numbered 163) Lin- coin avenue northeast, containing ten rooms: and all modern improvements. Henry F. Getz will erect a new residence for T. V. Smith at 64 East Capitol street. Permits This Week. There has been no improvement during the past week in the building trade and but six permits to erect new buildings were is- sued, and these aggregated in cost but $18,- 000; A notable feature of the situation is the number of applications made for pro- Jections beyond the building line, and which still remain in the building inspector's office. This is taken as evidence that many persons who have been intending to build have deferred it for the present. When- ever applications for permits are made which include projections _ be- yond the building line, the latter, according to law, are sent to the Secretary of War for his approval before the same is issued. There are a number of such re- quests that have been returned from the Secretary of War and are now on file in the inspector of buildings’ office, the appll- cants not having asked ' to have the permits issued. Building Inspector Entwisle today said that the sea- son was the worst he had_ ever known, but he believed the future had in store some surprises and he would not be deceived if the fall trade was the liveliest ever known. Michael Esch is building two brick dwell- ings of two stories and cellar each at 76 and 78 O street northwest. W. 8. Jones is the architect and builder. The houses will be of press brick with square and circular bay windows. Ground has been broken for the erection of @ two-story brick dwelling at 24 I street southwest for Robert O'Neill. John J. Brosnan has commenced the erec- tion of a brick store and dwelling at 1268 41-2 street southwest. P. N. Dwyer is the architect and Robert O'Neill the builder. O. W. Butler is building a frame dwelling on Jackson street, Anacostia. Horatio Browning is building a dwelling and store at 1024 Pennsylvania avenue southeast. W. F. Beers is the architect and & Bean the butiders. & Harper are building a brick dwell- ing of two stories and basement at 722 lth street southeast. An Interesting Comparison, A comparison of the operations of the building inspector's office during August 1892 and 1893 1s interesting and shows con- clusively how the financial situation has affected the building trade. During August, 1892, $584,487 Was expended in new buildings, while during last month but $244,560 was ex- pended, showing a falling off of $339,987. Some Real Estate Sales. Mr. John E. Beall has just closed the fol- lowing sales: To Stephen Gatte for 2. F. Riggs through C. W. Handy and Jacob I. Happ, 43 feet front on K street northwest, adjoining Northern Liberty market honse, by 90 feet deep, for $9,200; and the following land at Bethesda: For $27,500 to . W. Haight 27 acres at intersection of Bradley Lane and Tenleytown and Rockville raii- road. For 37,00) on Wilson Lane, adjoin- ing Montgomery Heights, 92 acres to Wm. 8. Minnix, C. M. Baureh and Thos. Somer- ville, jr., sale made through Wm. S. Minnix. For $8,000 10 acres on Tenleytown and Rock- ville railroad near Bethesda Park to Wm. L. Lighthoun and for $2,100 7 acres on Cedar Lane above Bethesda Park, to Mr. A. B. Browne. —_—__. MANY-EYED MONSTERS. And They Sleep With Their Feet Up, Yet Not Upon Their Backs. From the Boston Herald. “Oh, these detestable files!” exclaimed the neat housewife, and the poor little insect which was buzzing away on her clean win- dow was speedily killed with a weapon made of a newspaper rolled into a ball at one end, with the other forming the handle. It did the work for the fly and did not break the window. “Where in the world do they come from? Screens at every window and every door in the house. How do they get in?” growled old Bald- head, as he tried to get his “forty wink: after dinner in the darkened and quiet “Seems as if when there wasn’t but one fly in the house It alwa: lighted on my head. There! take that. And he made a desperate lunge at the Uttle tormentor, only to miss him and see him fly calmly away with a meditative and exasperating hum. Still growling, old Baldhead put a paper over his head, and thus outwitting the fly, dropped off to sleep. It is unmistakably fly time. The almanac tells us so, and to the bucolic mind “it must be so if the almanac says 80.” One knows it is a fact, for they can be seen swarming in pyramids near every garbage heap, in the markets, round the sweets exposed to view in the confection- ers’; yes, can even be found “in my lady's chamber,” which {s very apt to disturb her slumbers and arouse her, as would the lark, at peep of dawn (say about 3:30 a.m.), not with a sweet, melodious call, but with a persistent buzz and by crawling over her fair face in such a teasing manner that sleep is eftectually banished for the time. The question where files come fom is asked many times during the summer. It is always a mystery to the woman who has her house well screened how even one of the little pests can get in. ‘The parents of a good many of them were probably housed the year before, when, in the autumn, vigilance was relaxed, and perhaps a door or window left unguarded. ‘With the instinct with which nature has provided them they crept into the warm house, into cracks not perceptible, and there they hibernated. There, too, they lay their egss, 17 to each fly, thus looking out for the propagation of the race: and so, when the first warm days come they surprise us by buzzing away on the windows or around the table. In the meantime the eggs are hatching, and by “fly time” they come forth in swarms. Sometimes in the dead of winter a fly will appear, beguiled from his resting place by the deceptive warmth of the furnace-heated house. He seems a harbinger of spring, and perhaps one may be inclined to pet it a bit. Don't do it. Kill it and thus put an end to a. prospective future generation of flies. ‘They are natural scavengers. Their pur- pose in life is to consume various sub- stances which are thrown off from the hu- man body, by articles of food and by almost every animal and vegetable production when in a state of change. These substances are given out in such small quantities that they are imperceptible to common observers and not removable by ordinary methods of clean- lness, even in the best kept rooms. When a fly persists in crawling over one's face it is merely taking care of the particles of dead matter thrown off through the pores, and which help to keep the complexion clean. So it ts really doing good while it annoys. As a common fly has about 4,000 eyes, it is no wonder it is so hard to catch, or that it evades the blows aimed at it. ‘ —_—_—_—_+oe—____ In the Vicinity of Mt. Etna. From the Century. ‘The very rain is strange; it is charged with obscure personality; it is the habita- tion of a new presence, a storm genius that I have never known; it is born of Etna, whence all things here have being and ‘draw nourishment. It is not rain, but the rain cloud, spread out over the valleys, the precipices, the sounding beaches, the ocean plain; it is not a storm, but a season. It does not rise with the moist Hyades, or ride with cloudy Orion in the Mediterranean night; it does not pass like Atlantic tempests on great world currents; it remains. Its home is upon Etna; thence it comes and thither it re- it gathers and disperses, lightens and darkens, blows and is silent, and though it suffer the clear north wind, or the west, to divide its vells with heaven, again it draws the folds together about its abode. It obeys only Etna, who sends it forth; then with clouds and thick dazkness the mountain hides its face; it is the Si- cillan winter. But Etna does not withdraw continuously from {ts children even in this season. On the third day, at farthest, I was told it would bring back the sun; and I was not deceived. Two days it was closely wrapped in impenetrable bray, but the third morn- ing, as I threw open my casement and stepped out upon the terrace, I saw it, like my native winter, expanding its broad flanks under the double radiance of daz- zling clouds spreading from its extreme summit far out and upward, and of the snow fields whose long, fair drifts shone far down the sides. Villages and groves were visible, clothing all the lower zone, and be- tween lay the plain. It seemed near in that air, but it is twelve miles away. From the sea-dipping base to the white cone the slope measures more than twenty miles, and as many more conduct the eye down. ward to the western fringe—a vast bulk; yet one does not think of its siz gazes, so large a tract the eye takes in, but no more realizes than it does the dis- tance of the stars, as he | Sir Francis Ronalds, F. R. 8.," &c. | THE NATIONAL GUARD Competitions. THE PROGRAM IS BEING PREPARED But Few Changes of Moment in the Regulations. COMMENT ON SEA GIRT. Now that the rifle practice season has closed—so far as the work of score puilding on thei range is concerned—the uctive thought of the District National Guard turns to the’ more important events that belong to the warm days and cool nights of autumn—the annual rifle competitions ard the fleld days. As to the latter occasions of interest nothing has as yet been defi- nitely determined, nor will any conclusions be reached until after Gen. Ordway has re- turned from a trip to New England. He will be back early next week. As to the competitions, things wre in Pretty good shape. It was announced in The Star last Saturday that they would take place on Monday, Tuesday and Wed- nesday, October 9, 10 and li, and unless something unexpected turns up to disar- range present plans those dates will not be changed. The program will be almost iden- tical with that of last year, except in the matter of conditions, and there the differ- ences will not be of much consequence. No officer or enlisted man will be permitted to ‘compete in any match unless he has completed his official scores for the season, aad if there be any who will grieve at that regulation they must remember that the opportunities for official and voluntary class practice were never so plentiful a8 they have been during the it season, First on the program will be the Merchants’ Match, open to enlisted men who have never won a medal in any individual or team competition nor been either principal or alternate on the brigade team of any year. In the company and battalion team matches teams from company A of, the en- gineers and the engineer battalion, ‘respect- ively, will be admitted, but the men entered must have been originally enlisted n the engineers and not transferred from other commands. This equitable handicap is en- tirely in accord with the ideas of Muj. ‘Thompson, commanding the engineer corps, and of Lieut. Pollard, the engineer inspec- tor of rifle practice. The circular in which the competitions and their terms are to be announced will be issued from brigade headquarters within a week, and it {s quite certain that entries will close not later than the 30th instant. Hitherto entries have been recelved up to a few hours before the matches commenced, but confusion inva- riably resulted, and’ it was impossible to make satisfactory arrangements for the ac- commodation of competitors. This y. there will be no such trouble. The method of entry will differ, too. Both last year aud the year before entries were bunchud, one man putting all of his on one sheet of paper and in an omnibus fashion that deficd any- thing lke classification. This time each entry will be distinct and separate, and will recelve no consideration unless indorsed by the company commander and the reghnen- tal or battalion inspector of rifle practice. More Pleasant Comment. Discussing an affair in which the local soldiery must be interested the Army and Navy Journal said editorially: The meet- Ing of the New Jersey Rifle Association was in mafy ways a great success. The weath- er was fine, the grounds in perfect condi- tion, the management admirable and the visiting riflemen were- treated with the greatest hospitality and fairness. The shooting was first-class, the team from the District of Columbia winning the “Hilton, Trophy” by 1,068 points, which beats the record. Yet in frankness it must be said that the meeting, while reflecting great credit upon New’ Jersey, reflected none upon the army or the National Guard au- thorities of New York or Pennsylvania, The match for the “Hilton Trophy” was established by Gen. W. 8. Hancock for the purpose of bringing together in competition teams from the army and from the Na- tional Guard of the various states. Gen. Hancock was a firm believer in the military advantages of such competitions, and dur ing his lifetime made it a point to always honor the match by his presence, and gen- erally presented the prize with an appro- priate address. The endeavors of the army to win the trophy, and of the National Guard to secure it for themselves, have done much to main- tain interest in rifle practice, and have thus added to our national strength. Yet now that the army, after repeated defeats, has succeeded in winning the trophy a few times, the military authorities withdraw from further competition. If they with- draw at all it should be as losers and not as winners. It is impolitic to withdraw the army from association with the National Guard of the states and create ill feeling where friendship should exist» Nor should they do anything to diminish interest in military rifle shooting. It is said by the National Guard of the various states, and with justice, “If the regulars do not think this match of sufficient importance to enter @ team, why should we do so? And if not in this, why in any?" The army cannot afford to do thus. Neither can it afford to have {t sald, as it 4s said, that they are afraid to enter a team because the scores made show they would be beaten if they did so. ‘The excuses made as to expenses, &c., will not bear critical examination. If the desire existed the ex- penses of at least one team could be easily managed. Pennsylvania, as the holder of the trophy, was bound to appear to defend The fact that repairs to Creedmoor have interfered with practice will doubtless be offered by New York as an excuse for its failure to enter a team. But there is plenty of material from which a strong team could be readily formed if the department cf rifle practice had taken up the matter in due season and with energy and efficiency. It is to be hoped that next year will see a marked change in the entries, not only for these important trophies, but for the other matches shot for at Sea Girt, and that an endeavor will be made by the army and the state to have the competition general and popular. If they can do it in the west, why cannot it be done here? Undoubtedly the indifference to this and other matters in our army Is due in part to a growing tend- ency to centralization, which indisposes officers serving with troops to go a single step beyond thetr orders, even to the ex- tent of offering commendation. Notes. So that the recruits who have fired on the range may complete their season's scores the gallery will be open all of the week commencing the Ith instant. Men who want to improve thelr scores may also practice during the samo period. The wise riflemen will go to the gallery early in the ‘week, ‘The fourth battalion will add to the in- terest of the annual competitions by giv- ing a fine trophy and medal to the enlisted man of the fourth battalion who makes the biggest score in the merchants’ match. | The medal will be the winner's property, but the trophy will remain in the posses- sion of the battalion. Lieut. A. S. Odell, adjutant of the fourth battalion, has resigned his commission. Capt. W. L. Cash, inspector rifle practice, fifst regiment, who was taken ill at Sea Girt, has recovered to such an extent as to be able to sit up daily. eee A Telegraph Line Before Morse’s. From the London Telegraph. Honor to the pioneers in the vast field of science! Mr. John Sime has just published at the Chiswick Press in pamphlet form a. very interesting memoir of Sir Francis Ronalds. Twenty years before Wheatstone and Cocke or Morse had patented their Im- provements in the telegraph, indeee while the first two were respectively Inds of twelve and fourteen years of uge, Ronalds had sent messages over elght miles of over- head wires of his own construction, and had laid and worked a serviceable underground line of telegraph of sufficient length to demonstrate the practicability of communi- cation by telegraph between long distances, Details of his overhead telegraph wires were published by him in 1823. T:onaids" residence at Hammersmith, where these ex- periments were carried out,is the house now and for long past occupied by Mr. VW im Morris, the poet, who has caused a tablet to be placed on’ the wall bearing the in- scription: “The first electric telegraph, eight miles long, was constructed here in 1815 by An au- type fac simile of a portrait’ of this father of electric communication accompanies the publication. THE HITCHIN A Visit to Th: ous Meadows and What Was Seen There. From the London Queen. ‘The sun shines brightly, and the sky is a cloudless blue as we leave the Hitchin sta- tion and begin our walk to the lavender fields for which this country town is fa- mous. Long before we reach them we scent the exquisite perfume of the flowers, heavy upon the still hot air. And what a picture when at last we reach the fields, and, turning off the sandy road, come sud- denly upon them—a sight once seen, never forgotten! Under the bright sunlight they le, field after field, one blazing mass of lavender kissed into deepest violet, now gray as the sun hides for a moment behind the cloud, The scent, delicious from afar, is almost overpowering, and for once in our lives we think it almost disagreeable. While we stand Jooking, the color deepens, and, sef- tened by the’ sky and sun, the ‘trees look LAVENDER FIELDS. ene Fi their brightest green in contrast to the| mass of purple, the sandy road stretching away in the distance is perfect in its har- mony with the trees and fields. The men are busy cutting, packing, and carting, and soon we watch them and learn the why and wherefore of their work. Lavender stalks are, as we all know, very stiff and hard to break; to cut them, there- fore, the men have small sickles;'in the right hand these are held, while with the left the stalks are bent for the cutting, and with @ strong stroke of the sickle severed from the plant and thrown upon ghe ground. Meanwhile other men gather the cut lavender into huge bundles and put it in sacks, which are carted away to the dis- tilleries and different places, from which it issues as lavender water, lavender soap,aud many other delicacies. It is also sent into our towns and sold there in the streets at three pence and s!x pence for qulte small bunches. At Hitchin as much as one can carry may be bought for half a crown. ‘We hear so much of old lavender bushes in country gardens, prized for their antiqni- ty by the owners, that I learned with sur- prise that, for market purposes, plants are considered useless after the third year. The first year sees them small and bearing lit- tle, if any, flower; the second they are in their prime, and should be a mass of blus- som, and the third year they begin to go off, ‘and cuttings from them are taken for replanting, and the old plants taken up as useless. One lives and dearns! Lavender should be thoroughly dried be- fore it is put into bags, such as our great- grandmothers loved to stow among the lin- en. And if the scent is to be preserved for any length of time, It should, after drying, be put in a box and left until the flowers shake off crisp and dry, leaving the stalks separate.*Then, if put in bags, or made into the many delicate little fancy articles, it will keep its sweetness for many a long day. Fans, sacks, and diminutive torpedoes are among the prettiest ways of making up lavender; for the former, either white or lavender colored muslin, or, better still, chiffon, is used for the fan, and the sticks with the same colored ribbon threaded among them for the fan handle; for this, lavender on the stalks, not separate, is bet- ter, the heads forming the fan inside the chiffon. Sacks are more simple,being mere- ly a bag tied at the neck with ribbon. For what, for lack of a better name, I cail tor- pedoes, the flower heads are placed inside the case made of stalks with ribbon thread- ed in and out of them, and the perfume Passes through it. Lavender, whether in bags or fancy articles, requires to be shaken pretty frequently, or the scent will probably be faint; a good shake will bring it back sweet as ever. Lavender stalks, when properly dried, are most agreeable. I always keep mine to burn to scent the rooms in winter time, when there are no flowers. They burn slowly, and if laid upon a metal tray, will LATE TURF GOSSIP. Ormonde Shipped to the Pacific Coast. THE WINTER MEETING AT IVY CITY. American Trotters Shipped to the Czar. A PROPOSED FOUR-MILE RACE. Ormonde, Mr. Macdonough’s $150,000 Eng- lish stallion, in company with the mares | and weanlings imported with him, was shipped to California in palace horse cars Sunday night last. The start was made from Elizabeth, N. J., and Ormonde had for his use a compartment twelve feet by nine in the car “Ben All,” the best ap- Pointed horse car in the country, owned by J. B. Haggin, the California turfman, The comfort of the stallion will be as well cared for in transit as if he were a millionaire. The horse is shipped by the Adams Ex- press Company, but as no company would take the horse unless his value was waived he travels uninsured, The actual time of the trip will be about six days. On his ar- rival Ormonde will be kept for the present at the Menio Park stock farm, but later he Will be taken to a new ranch owned by Mr. Macdonough. Lawson, the stud groom,wino arrived with Ormonde, will stay with the horse and make his home for the future in California. Ormonde has cost Mr. Macdon- ough $0,000 in traveling expenses since he Was bought in Buenos Ayres. His value when the California ranch is reached wili exceed an investment of $200,000, which / by far the most expensive speculation of the kind in the world’s history of borse- Misfortanes of Futurity Winners. It ts a remarkable fact that the Futurit Stake, which was first run in 188, although the riches: two-year-old event in America, @ splendid wreck. Chaos, who second Futurity, Pothing as a ‘three-year-old, and died late Face’ thncaingble failure, at’ the Gloucester the fatal prize, e a eri » pple and be retired from the turf. Hits Highness t the eer of I, Met with nothing but trou- 4 to be this season ant, Be retired by his owners — as a race . last year’s winner, is owned by a man w! Tuled off the eastern tracks, seg the hoped that the present win cay the unfortunat ner may escape ed aor his ate results which have attend- Trotters for Russia. On Monday, August 2%, three American shipped from Palo Alto, smolder on for a long time; a few stalks make quite a sufficient scent for an ordi- nary room. In sick rooms they are a boun, for the smell is much cleaner ani more natural than the pastiles and other things which offend the patient's nose, and only clear the atmosphere for a comparatively short time. ——__+«-—______ HEAT AND BRITISH VOLUNTEERS. Liverpool Soldiers Overcome by Sun- stroke and Exhaustion. From the Westminster Gazette. An extraordinary story is told {a a letter received from one of the rank and file of a Liverpool regiment engaged in the recent operations at Aldershot. It shows the suf- ferings which the men underwent through the excessive heat. The letter, which is ated the lvth instant, says: “Yesterday we had to march eight miles at 41n the morning, and took up a position a8 an attacking force at a village called Normandy. There were 29.0% volunteers engaged, and as many regulars. We were brizaded with the first Liverpool and the sixth Liverpool, who simply went to picces, especially the first. The day was fearfully hot—over 100 degrees—and the men were falling all round from exbaustion and sun- stroke. When we had finished we had to march six miles home, and the dust was awful. You would not have known the reg- iments If you had seen them. The men Were fallen out at one place to get water. They got 2 bucket of dirty water out of a shallow well, and they fought for it like wild beasts. “Before we got home twenty-three men had gone down, fullen by the roadside, and we had to leave them, as we could hardly walk ourselves. One little chap and a ser- geant fell on their faces within 100 yards of camp. We have cnly two men on the sick lst today; one ts in Aldershot Hospital with sunstroke and the other is blind. The first Liverpool fell down by ranks coming home, and out of 410 men only 116 and two officers came home together. They picked up five dead men iu the Fox Hills this morning, thrce regulars and two volunteers, and I hear one colonel of a regular regi- ment is raving mad with sunstroke. This (Thursday) morning I have just been through the lines of the first, and they are in a sullen, discontented state, almost mutiny, cursing thelr officers and saying they had a forced march all the way home yesterday, and that that accounts for their state when they came in.” " —___ ++ ____ FALCONS AS MESSENGERS. Swifter Than Pigeons and Better Car- riers. From the Westminster Gazette. Falconry may hereafter be restored, as it seems, though not as a sport, but as part of the terribly serious business, war. A Russian officer, Capt. Smoiloff, has been taming falcons to serve as dispatch car- riers. The falcon has several advantages over the carrier pigeon. Not only is he a more warlike bird than the meek cousin of the dove, but he is swifter in flight and capable of great endurance. The greatest swiftness ever known to be attained by the carrier pigeon is fifteen (German) miles in the hour; but this is the rate of the ordi- nary flight of the falcon. D'Aubusson, in his work on the “Fal- conry of the Middle Ages,” tells several anecdotes of the extraordinary powers of the falcon and length and swiftness of fligtt. For instance, a falcon which was sent from the Canary Islands to the Duke of Lerma in Spain made the return flight from Andalusia to Teneriffe in sixteen hours, which was at the express spead of sixteen (German) miles in the hour, A Ger- man mile is not far short of five English miles, so that the speed of this falcon m have been at the rate of about seventy-five miles an hour. A further advantage of the falcon over the pigeon is the greater weight which it can carry. It is well known that a very slight burden is an oppression to the poor pigeon, so that dispatches are reduced in size by photographic copies, in order to re- duce the weight for the feeble little carrier. Capt. Smolloff says that he has found that @ faicon can carry a weight of four Rus- sian pounds, or 1,640 grams G0 grams go to our ounce), without diminishing its power or swiftness in flying. Besides, the carrier pigeon may fall a prey to the falcon, while there is small danger of any other ird taking the carrier falcon a prisoner. ——_+e-+____. A Hotel's Name. From the Detroit Free Press. ‘The drummer was bantering the hotel clerk in his easy, off-hand manner. “I say, old man,” he sald, “I met a party yesterday who has been keeping a suinmer hotel for thirteen season “That's an unlucky the clerk. “Yes, but he couldn’t very well skip it, unless he went ovt of business, you know.” “I see,” nodded the clerk. “Of course you do. Well, he told me he made a practice, after the first five years, of calling any hotel he kept “The Moon.’ Did you ever hear of a hotel by that mber,” ventured * said the clerk. “What in thunder id he give it such a name for?” “Oh, it was just a conceit of his,” replied the drummer. “He said he called it that because the hotel wasn’t full all the time.” spare to be hand- some, don't you think?’ “Oh, Bertha, how can you! You know there's not a man to spare within ten miles.”” ‘ussia, They are owned Czar of Russia, as the result of fmt made by Senator Stanford two years ago, but only consummated a few months be- fore his death. The terms of the agreement were that the czar should exchange three and is by the celebrated Electioneer, out of Miss Gift, a thoroughbred mare by the great sire of California race horses, Wild Idle. Ela is a light bay mare, 16 hands high, with white spots on the withers. She was foaled in 1887, and is by Woolsey, @ son of Electioneer, and full brother of Sunol, 2.081-4. The dam of Ela is Elite, by Mohawk Chief. Piney is also a bay mare eleven years old. She is by Electioneer, dam Piney by that great sire of long-distance race horses, Longfellow. The Ivy City December Meeting. Clashes and double clashes are in pros- pect for the concluding portion of the rac- ing season in New Jersey. In the first place, Guttenberg and Clifton have not yet reached an amicable understanding, as the former is said to demand all the Saturdays. This Mr. Engeman will not concede, and threatens that if Guttenberg appropriates them, that Clifton will race every day in opposition. Then as to Eliza~ beth and Linden, it appears that the Gut- tenberg people are not willing to shut down more than seven days for their benefit, and as this is hardly likely to prove sat- isfactory, a general go-as-you-please _af- fair will likely result. Elizabeth and Lin- den will divide dates between themselves, and probably race without regard to Gut- tenberg or Clifton, so it is possible that three meetings in the vicinity of New York may be running simultaneously. ‘As stated in this column several weeks ago would be the case, Mr. Engeman has secured a lease of the Ivy City track, and will inaugurate a winter race meeting on the first of December. This will clash with the proposed December meeting of the Washington Jockey Club, and a merry time may be expected. Massachnsetts Pool Sellers Arrested. For the first time in twenty-five years the old laws against pool selling in Massa- chusetts were put in operation last week at Springfield, when Edwin Morse and Frank L. Herdic, auction pool sellers; James Clancy, who runs the mutuals, and Charles Hurlick, bookmaker, were taken into. eus- tody for transacting business at the big trotting meeting held at Hampden Park. On the following day all were sentenced to pay a fine of $1,000 and serve three months’ imprisonment. An appeal has been taken and all have been released on bail. ‘The Coney Island Jockey Club is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to arrange a four-mile race for the closing day of the present meeting. If a sufficient number of good horses can be induced to enter a suitable prize will be offered, and the race ‘will be run over the grass course. ‘The report comes from Tennessee that the famous stallion Brown Hal, 1121-2, has got rid of his ailing leg and is going faster than ever. He ts getting a special preparation for the Cumberland Park meet- ing in October, when he will be sent against the pacing record. —__ Seeing Sun Spots Without Glass. Fram the Boston Herald. A Boston man living out fn the suburbs has discovered a fact that may interest a good many persons during the present sun spot period. What he found was that it ts quite possible to see the larger spots that appear on the sun's surface without glass or lens of any kind. It has long been known «that when these objects attain un- usual dimensions they can be glimpsed by direct vision with a smoked glass, similar to the appliance used to view solar eclipses with. But that sun spots can be seen with- out assistance of this sort is something new. The shutters of the observer's house hap- pened to be closed, and through a tiny hole near the top of them a beam of sunlight found its way to the floor. There it left an image, clear and round, tinged at the cir- cumference with a fringe of blue and or- ange. Thetwhole appearance of the beam as projected reminded the spectator of the image of the sun taken on paper through a telescope, and he at once got a sheet of white note paper in order to test his sur- mise. Tke result confirmed it. A beauti- ful round image of the sun feli on the pa- per, and near the center thereof could be seen a bluish spot, which moved about with the image whenever the paper was shifted. ‘The bluish-colored object was a veritable sun spot, and the observer watched it, by the simple means described, for several days, until the revolution of the sun had carried it out of sight. — School of Naval Architectare. From the Engineering Record. We have received from the Massachuretts Institute of Technology an announcement of the establishment at the institute of @ course of instruction in naval architecture. It is a four years’ course, it aims to pro- vide a thorough training in the theory and methods of designing and building chips, and its graduates receive the degree of Bachelor of Science. It 1s aa option branch of the mechanical engineering course. There are to be lectures twice a week during the third and fourth years, ani stu- dents are required to make the calculations and draw the construction described in the Jectures. | ———————X<[===s, TOLD AT THE SODA FOUNTAIN. Fateful Story of a Duet Where the Comtralte Was a Trifle Weak. From the Chicago Tribune. “O, dear,” cried the girl with the white sloves, “I am so hungry that I really must have a cream soda.” sleeves, “I always take something wful thing solid about 1.” “So do I; but such an a hap- Pened at the musicale last night that it's © Wonder I've any appetite at all.” “Do tell me all about it,” cried the gifl with the tremendous sleeves, as she tasted her soda. “I haven't known you long, but ever since you gave me that lovely cure for sunburn and introduced me to your Cousin ‘Tom I've felt as though we had been friends for ages.” “Yes, indeed, and as soon as I found that you were living next door to Frank I knew that we were meant to be bosom friends.” “But do tell me what ha your face, or did the heat take the curt out of your hair?” “Worse even than that. T'll tell you all about it. You remember that 1 told you that young Narcissus was inclined to be quite attentive, and as he has so much | fucney 2 felt, it my duty to encourage hiss; to keep him ouc of taischief. “What a noble girl you are’ I always try to do my duty,” said girl with the white gloves, “though my forts are not always appreciated. Why, f six months I altowed poor Alick to be devoted as he liked, just because he much in love with me, mean thing wasn't satisfied and said him on. The idea! 38 i ees ag “How ungrat about the manic ae But do tell me well, in the first place, T couldn't wear my smartest gown, because I was arked t SRE ¢ duct with Ida—you see, It ts so thet eet my breat chat 5 on: y breath in st, much les “What a pity! . “Wasn't it? But of course T wanted te sing. Our voices don't harmonize very well. but our complexions do. Well, Mr. ancl: sus was there, and was quite attentive dur- the way she ran after him. when I asked him to get me some claret cup, meaning to get him away from npn actually went with him vo get it. J Maneuvering, don't you?” vHndeed 1 do. 1— “Yes; and the very first chance I got 5 gave him a hint that, while she was dearest friend, she was awfully ry. though not as ill tem, to whom he had ask felt it my duty.” OF course, you—" “Well, 1 him that the heat made faint, So we went into the conrervaory ond. don’t you think, just as I had gotten the conversation into the channe:s that scheming Jennie came after me with Ida's brother to say that it was time for the duet. And she actually had the insolence to sug: gest to Mr. Narcissus that stay there Where it was cool and listen, when the mu: sic room faced the lake and was cool.” The little wretch! why—" “Yes, indeed, and when I went in T found she had come for me fifteen minutes too s00n, for they had just begun to look for mercenary, as dear Hi to be introduced. was afraid Jennie would talk all the hile so he couldn't hear.” “But he came to cons tulate you?” “O, ves, and that was the worst part of the whole ‘affair. “I smiled and said "O, don't believe you heard it et i—you were Sian't ‘mean it but 1 wanted fi deny uy ean vat I want it, 80 I could tell her.”* = “Or it waa Sertait fae fase a awful! le said: °O, yes, T'heard it et and ft would contralto to sing with out DF tau} to to > should ae.” = “But whet was wrong? I~" “O, noth I was the — only contralto, THE GLASS SNAKE VINDICATED. Be Does All That is Claimed of Him, or Experts Are Deceived. The employes of the Zoological Gardens and a number of well-known savants who are interested in natural history re puzzled over the conduct of one of the snakes in i i iE t Efe at fi! ose His mind was soon seti He A ei g i &' Hriee 3 so he said nothing about the accident. He put the snake back in the case and went about "itwureday some frienda ied on him, and ursday called on the keeper related his experience of the day before and his friends laughed. They thought he was joking. To show them that he was in earnest the keeper allowed them =, handie the snake and examine the new ints. One of visitors, more clumsy Uhan the rest, let the snake fall, and to the consternation of the entire party it broke in half, and the tail end of che glass snake wriggied over to the pile of stones while the other half made for the soll under the case. ‘Here was a state of affairs that was not glass snake, but in vain. Ti but little sleep. He saw snakes all the time, In the morning he went to his duties with a heavy heart. ‘About 9 o'clock Friday morning, while cleaning up the house, the keeper Giscov- ered the glass snake making a meal off a spider and a dozen files shat hod been Caught in the web under one of the and to his great astonishment and delight the snake was almost whole and intact “All of the sections save a small piece of the tail had come together. Che snake was jaced in the case and soon became lively, No trace of the glass snake's tail can be found, but it is said that it may appear sume day with a head and body attached, and if it shows iteelf in the garden will be cap tured. Reference to natural history shows that the glass snake is found in all she statos east of the Mississippi river and routh of the Ohio, in dry, sandy pieces. While it may be classed with the lizard family it has no feet, and its tail is f is glass, from which fact it gains its name. lcs color is green lined with black and che under aide is yellow. The tail is twice as long as the body, ana is cylindrical. The vertebra is poorly articulated, and this accou ts for the extreme brittleness of the reptile wnd itg readiness to fall in pieces when shocke’ violently. ——~oe Yankee Doodle. From the Boston Transcript. The tune of “Yankee Doodle” has haa seven or eight treatises written «pon it in the last thirty years, ascribing it to various dates and origins, even back to lands and the days of Cromw Charleses. Dr. George Grove of London, Engiand, author of the “Dictionary of Music and Musicians,” has investigated thoroughly the various musical libraries the British Museum in England, finding no traces of it whatever, thus exploding all the mystical, traditional and apocryphal accounts there of, But “Yankee Doodle” had an orizin and has a history. It was written by Ir. Richard Schuchburg (whose comminsion dates 1737) in the French and Ip.ien war of under Gen. Jeffrey Amherst, and was intended as a “take off” on the “rag. ing and bobtail” recruits of the colonies that came into the army. It “took” 0 well, hows ever, that the Americans have ever adopted it, and would not part with it for anything. ‘The first words, . “Father and I went down to camp,” were in the Boston Journal in 1778, and the first record of the tune Is In Arnold's “Two $e One” AiR: 0 that “Yankee Doodie.” al- though written by British surgeon, ie really American.