Evening Star Newspaper, October 7, 1893, Page 12

I2 THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY. OCTOBER 7, 1893—SIXTEEN PAGES. CURIOS OF THE FINNS. An Odd Consignment Just Received by the National Museum. PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE AGE OF WOOD. The Queer Country They Dwell in and How They Live. RISING OUT OF THE WATER. EVERAL HUGE packing boxes were opened a day or two ego at the National Museum. They came all the way from Fin- land and were filled ‘with a most interest- ing and extraordinary assortment of objects Mlustrating the mode of life and industries of the natives of that far-off country. When it is said that many @xperts in anthropology now believe that fhe Finns are descended from pre-historic man in Europe, it ‘s seen that they are well {worthy of attention from the scientific point BE view. ‘Though they enjoy a high degree of civ- @isation, nine out ten of them being able {@ read and write, the rural population is to {@us day in what might be termed the age Bf wood. This fact is shown by the speci- fens of all kinds of implements contained the boxes above referred to. Nearly all ‘@f them are made of wood, iron being ev- Gently a scarce and costly article. The Mgenulty with which wood ts made to serve @s @ substitute for metal in many of the ols and utensils is astonishing. Of course, @e have wood in plenty, nearly two ‘of Finland being covered with forests. forests are card for and protected By the government. In this respect the Finns have a great @ivantage over the Eskimo, whom they re- Bemble to some extent in their arts, though \ hey are much more advanced in civilization. ‘The Innuit of the more frigid north com- monly depend on driftwood for their sup- of that material, in the use of which are obliged to practice great economy. Yet the baskets of crudely plaited birch Bark, snuff-voxes of wood, and many other in common employment in Finland are wholly similar to articles manufactured for the same purposes by the Innuit, as the Eskimo «i themselves—meaning “the peo- ie” 7 Reso ‘luseum has been obtained through Hr, Craw‘onl, the consul general for the ited Saces at St. Petersburg. Finlan!. you know, is a province of Rus- gla, havins been secured by conquest from Sweden ‘ong ago. The czar is grand duke of Finieod. The latter is governed by a fhouse of representatives elected by the People, but the laws made by that assembly ust rescive the sanction of the czar. Thus Finland occupies the anomalous situation of comstitir:ional state in an autocratic em- = has railways and many fine canals. whoie interior is a region of lakes, . some of them of great size, and nearly all ©f them are connected either naturally or by canals. No less than fifteen per cent of the country is marsh and bog, but the area that fs useless on this account is becoming stead- fly less. owing to a very remarkable cause. Rising Out of the Water. The whole of Finland ts actually rising out of its watery bed, and at so rapid a ate as to be easiiy observable. Some parts are being elevated more rapidly than ethers. Along the Gulf of Bothnia it is shown by fixed marks that the land has fisen during the last 100 years somewhat more than three feet. Owing to the num2r- ous lakes and connecting canals, Finland is Detter supplied than any other country in the world with means of inland navigation. ‘The climate is so cold and the summers so short that rye is the only grain which can be grown to advantage, though barley and eats are cultivated to some extent. Wheat ‘Will not ripen at all. To secure the drying ©f their rye, the people often hang the sheaves up in trees or under the eaves of fhe houses. Their ancestors lived on the Volga river fm early days, but were driven northward St about the close of the seventh century. At was then that they took possession of the country which they occupy at present. What is now Finiand was at that time the hhome of the early progenitors of the Lapps, Who themselves gave way before the in- Yasion and sought refuge still farther to- Ward the pole. Owing largely to their en- Mironment, the Lapps have never got be- ZoNd 2 Much more primitive stage of elvi- tion, being still in the reindeer age and Mving by means of their herds. Origin- ally the Finns were hunters and fishers. the middle ages the Swedes con- ‘Yerted them to Christianity by the ald of that most influential evangelizing agent, the sword. ‘The Finns do not belong to the Cauca- sian race. They are of what is called the Ural-Altaic stock and are related to the Mongols. They have a brown complexion, Found heads. low foreheads, flat features, Brominent cheek-bones, thick lips, sparse Beards and oblique eyes. They are honest, hospitable. very moral and decidedly re- ous. The love of strong drink which ‘Was a weakness of theirs in the barbarous Stage of their development has given way to a great extent before the spread of edu- ation and temperance doctrines. They Were scattered over a large part of Norway @nd Sweden before those countries were rmans, who were the an- Souviet by the of the present Scandinavians. No} to the United States in 1856 collection just received by the| race prejudice existing between the two Peoples, they have intermarried freely and have thus undergone a process of amalga- mation. ‘The people of Finland are poor. They are in a sort of eddy of civilization, producing but little that ts wanted elsewhere in the world. They are out of the current of traf- fic which swéeps around the globe. One could read all that in a passing examina- tion of the contents of the great boxes al ready spoken of. Most of the implemonts and other articles of all sorts were unmis- takably home-made. As has been said, they illustrated the lives and industries of ® people in the age of wood. There were pitchforks of wood, made simply out of small trees peeled of their bark, with the stem for a handle and the branches for the fork. Even a vessel for carrying water was made out of wood, with a bark rope attach- ed for slinging it around the neck. A bow- drill was of the simple tvpe In use today among many tribes of savages. ‘There were eel-pots of familiar pattern, but constructed wholly of wooden withes. An article which must have cost a great deal of labor in the making was a finncl carved out of wood. One of the most cur- fous objects was a part of the branch of a tree, shaped like the letter 8. and deprived of the bark. ‘This was simply a pot-hook of primitive pattern—-for suspending an tron pot from. Another pot-hoox of more elab- orate design was ingeaiously contrived in sucha fashion that, when ‘ianging in the fireplace, the pot suspended from it could be raised or lowere-t to any height desired. It was blackened with smoke. Queer Wooden Contrivance. ‘There were candiesticks of wood ana queer wooden contrivances shaped like big candlesticks, with fron clasps for holding torches of flam'ng light-wood. A similar device for the same purpose was male of fron, with a spike which coull be readily stuck into a tree, while a pineknot torch was held In a clasp. ‘Thus the owner euid get up an illum‘nation at any time w! journeying !r. the for>: More curi was a wooden collar for a cow, with a bare Tope attached to it. Through a knot in the other end of the rope a stick was fastened. ‘The rope was just long enough to permit the stick to trail on the ground, so that the beast wearing the collar could not pos- sibly jump over a fence, because she would be tripped up. ‘The baskets for various purposes were very queer indeed. They were woven roughly out of birch bark and each of them had {ts opening at the side instead of on top. Some of them were for carrying bur- dens on the back, and all of them had, in leu of handles, bark ropes by which they could be suspended round the neck or other- wise. There was a mortar made of a log wi.h one end hollowed out deeply. In this utensil the rye is ground by means of a wooden pestle in the most primitive method conceivable. The bread made from that grain is almost as black as ink, but the people know no other. In the collection is also a tray for making bread, likewise of ‘wood, and carved out of @ log. For riding there is a wooden saddle, and for walking there are snowshoes of narrow planks cut very thin and smooth. To make them easter for the pedestrian, a strip. of fur {s fastened to that part of each snow- shoe where the foot is attached. The canes employed for walking over the snow are provided with little hoops fastened on at a few inches from the ferrule end. That is to say, each stick passes through the cen- ter of a hoop about six inches in diameter, which is secured in that position by means of sinews. This device prevents the stick from sinking into the snow. It is a sort of snowshoe for the cane. Py One of the most primitive of the utensils is a spoon with a bowl of birch bark. a cleft stick serving as a handle. It looked as if it would serve the purpose very well and as though it would be pretty nearly in- destructible. There are two or three wood- en snuff-boxes in the collection, each con- taining some tobacco. At all events it is evidently supposed to be tobacco, though one would not like to snuff or smoke such evil-smelling stuff, mixed, as it doubtless is, with all sorts of dubious ingredients. Another curiosity is a ram's horn with four holes in the sides for the fingers to play up- on. Probably it is intended to summon people to dinner from the fields. Its note ts & doleful bellow which might be heard for miles. : ‘These are only a few of the hundreds of strange articles which make up this most remarkable collection. It 1s particularly interesting because nothing of the kind has been seen in this country hitherto. There are a great many things of domestic use, including a cradle, toys of various kinds, and even a cross made of two sticks. Sev- eral zither-like musical instruments there are, as well as whistles made out of quills and plugs of wood, which are doubtless in- tended to imitate the calls of various birds, ‘SOME CRuve, Tools As yet the written description, which should accompany the articles, telling just what they are and how they are employed, has | not been recetved by the museum. Prob- ably it will furnish some entertaining read- ing. see Boomers Outwitted by a Girl. From the Chicago Daily Tribune. A little girl about fourteen years old | came through the jam of teams and horses | near the booths at Arkansas City, dis- | mounted and tied her horse to the hedge. Going to a coffee stand she procured a tray and two cups of coffee and started for the dense throng of men about the booths, now at least fifty deep. At the outer edge her piping voice was heard saying: “Please make way, gentlemen, lunch for the clerks.’ She slowly made her way between the strippers until she reached the magic circle marked by barb wire. The stolid soldiers on guard refused her entreaties, but when she said Col. Gallagher (chief clerk) wanted his lunch she was admitted ahead of the lines held tn check. Walking up to the! first desk she put down her load and sald: | “I am an orphan and therefore am the head of my family. I want to register.” The men gathered about looked upon I have this proceeding with glowering faces until | a great hulking fellow in the crowd cried out: “Bully for the little gal!” Then al hearty shout went up from the men whom | she had so clearly outwitted and she re- | ceived her certificate and proudly held it aloft as she passed out to her waiting horse. Her name {s Cora Wiley, from | Sedgwick county, an orphan, whose wid- | owed mother died about a year ago. | An Eastern Shore Pioneer. From the St. Louls Repubite. | ‘The Japanese persimmon has been grown | for some years past in parts of the western | shore of Maryland, protected from early frosts by the proximity of the Chesapeake. | It 1s believed that Commodore Perry first sent the seeds of the Japanese persimmon | | continued. FAMOUS EQUIPAGES. Carriages and Horses Kept by Per- sonages in Washington. PRESIDENT CLEVELAND'S TORN-OUTS. The Magnificent Stable in Which They are Housed. DIPLOMATS ON WHEELS, HOUGH PRESI- dent Cleveland works hard, he dwells in the midst of luxuries which might well sat- isfy an ortental po- tentate. The very stable provided by the nation for his use is on a palatial scale, and would make a spacious and beauti- ful dwelling with slight alterations. It is of brick with man- sard roof, situated in a grove of trees near- ly a quarter of a mile south of the White House. In front of it 1s a courtyard as big as a good-sized city lot, paved with as- phaltum. of oats in the rear part of the building, while the wings are occupied by carriages— those which are the private property of the President on one side, and the official equipages on the other, No President of the United States has had finer carriages than those Mr. Cleveland owns. There are five of them, represent- ing a total cost of nearly $6,000. Each of them 1s a perfect specimen of the builder's art, constructed in the very latest style. There is a landau of glossy black with green trimmings for which $2,000 was paid. A brougham, holding two persons, is worth $1,500, and a stylish victoria, in which the father and mother of the White House babies drive together on bright days, stands for an equal sum. Mrs. Cleveland’s phae- ton mer made a order, and the price of it was . 1t has a rumble behind in wiich the coachman sits. jsut the vehicle most used by the President is a surrey, in which he takes Baby Kutn out in the’ mornings for @ spin to the Soldiers’ Home or Arling- ‘The Presidential Coachman. Only four of the eight horses in the stable are the private property of the President. ‘Two of them, a light bay and a dark brown of medium size, named Tom and Jack, are driven by Mrs. Cleveland with the phaeton. ‘The other pair are large and strong bays. Toouga uot remarcaviy fas tuey ae guod trotiers. The coachman of the Chief Mag- istrate 1s @ tine-looking colored man named Willis. tie drove for Gen. Arthur's private secretary and suvsequently tor Private Sec- Felary wal uattivnt uring air. Cievenaau s first administration. Early in the Harrl- son regime he took the presidential ribbuas from Albert Hawkins, who had handied them continuously for twenty years, be- ginning his service under Gen. Grant. Hawkins was as well-known in Washing- ton as any public man. The place of coac! man to the President 1s “not in politics, and he only relinquished it on account of age. The incumbent of the office is a per- Scnal employe ox the Chief xccutive, by whom he is paid for his services. Mr. Cleveland's livery is dark blue with brass buttons. He has to buy the feed for his own horses, but Uncle Sam provides him with a groom. The latter may perform the duties of footman, adding to the gorgeous- hess of the Presidential turnout by sitting ‘on the box with folded arms; but Mr. Cleve- Jand seldom utilizes him in that capacity, ‘The private equipayes and horses of the President occupy one-half of the stabie. ‘The other half affords quarters for the of- ficial turnouts. ‘Ihe iatier include five car- rlages—a victoria, a coupe, a phacton, a buggy and a low box vehicle somewhat like a landau, holding four persons. Mr. Pruden, the Chief Magistrate's factotum, uses the buggy whenever he ts sent to the Capitol with a message for Congress. Four horses are provided to draw these convey- ances, all of which are under the direction and control of Private Secretary Thurber. He employs them for his own convenience and on all sorts of errands for Mr. Cleve- land. Incidentally to his business he is obliged t» make many formal calls on diplo- matic and other personages. For exam- ple, when the Hawailan princess was in Washington, he paid a visit to her and in- formed her that the President would re- ceive her and her sulte at a stated hour on a certain day. Mr. Thurber’s coachman and gtoom are both paid by the government, —— furnishes the carriages, horses and eed. Uncle Sam provides and maintains ‘equtp- ages for all of the cabinet officers, though some of them are much better off in that respect than others. For example, only a coupe is furnished for Mr. Hoke Smith, while Secretary of Agriculture Morton has | the use of three handsome black horses and as many stylish vehicles—a coupe, a closed carriage with four seats and a phacton. On this account Mr. Morton does not find tt worth while to ‘maintam any turnout of his own here, though at his home in Ne- braska City he has two phaetons, a buggy, a sulky, a coupe and four horses, ‘Out there he does his own driving mostly. It is said that he possessed the first thoroughbred horses, thoroughbred cattle, thoroughbred hegs and thoroughbred dogs in Nebraska. ‘The Cabinet Carriage: Secretary of the Treasury Carlisle like- wise has three official conveyances—a lan- dau, a coupe and an old-fashioned high leather-bodied buggy. The last he uses sometimes in the evening after dinner, though he does not have much time for driving. Two horses are furnished for his benew, an iron-gray and a sorrel. he keeps a pair of bays of his own, as well as @ two-horse coupe and a victoria. Gen. Gresham is provided with a coupe, a surrey and two horses. He possesses no private equipages, but hires a carriage, when he wants one, at the Arlington Hotel, where he lives. Having no pretension to fashion, he makes no effort for “style.” A dude is his pet abhorrence. Secretary of the Navy Herbert owns no carriage. For his con- venience the department keeps at livery a coupe and an old-fashioned open vehicle that holds four persons. Postmaster General Bissell has private arrangements with a livery stable for a ‘arriage and horses enever he wants them. His wife uses them a good deal, though he, being the busiest man in the cabinet, seldom has time to drive except after dinner. He has at his disposal a coupe and an open conveyance for four belonging to his department. The War Department maintai a.couple of turn- outs for the benefit of Secretary Lamont. One of the vehicles is an extension-top phaeton and the other is a big open car- riage that has seats for six persons, The latter is seidom used. Mr. Lamont will have two or three carriages and four or five horses of his own here as soon as his family gets settled in the house which he has_hired opposite Lafayette Square next to Corcoran house, in which Senator Brice resides. ‘Most of the assistant secretaries in the various departments are provided with official turnouts, which are maintained at the expense of the government. A horse and carriage, plain and respectable, are furnished for each of the three assistant secretaries of the treasury. The same is the case with the assistant secretary of agriculture and the assistant secretary of the navy. But none of the three assistant secretaries of state has the use of an equi- page. There seems to be no good reason why some of them should be thus favored while others are left out. It is a matter of custom and appropriation by Congress ap- parently. Young Mr. Carlisle, chief clerk of the treasury, has a conveyance at the cost of Uncle Sam. His father uses {t every day for riding home for his lunch to his house at 11% K street and back again. ‘The official vehicles of the departments are mainly used for private purposes by the wives and families of the cabinet of- ficers. The latter employ them hardly at all on government service except to go to the White House on the days when the President's advisers meet in council. The maintenance of all these equipages by Tncle Sam is unnecessary and amounts to an abuse. Members of the cabinet have frequently declared it to be such, but for one of them to protest against {t ‘would be to assume a “holler than thou” attitude that would be disagreeable, and it is partly on this account that the practice has been At the opening of the Harrison administration Secretary Rusk purchased for his department the finest pair of horses fn Washington and a brand-new carriage, in which the ladies of his family made the social rouni Nothing was thought of that, because it is the custom. It is only just’ to say that the position of a cabinet Gflcer imposes certain official duties of a social nature which ought not to be an ex- pense to a Secretary whose pay of $4,900 Eight horses browse on the best | a year is woefully insufficient for keeping up the appearances requisite. Mr. Morton’s Turnout. During the last administration Levi P. Morton had the finest turnout in Wash- ington. He drove a pair of large and very high stepping chestnuts. All the appoint- ments were such as would satisfy the ex- acting taste of an English lord. His daugh- ters had a pair of beautiful ponies and a Phaeton, out of which one of them was thrown in a runaway one day and badly hurt. Among the members of Harrison's cabinet the handsomest equipage was that of Mr. Wanamaker, who kept a stable full of horses. During the earlier Cleve- land regime Mr. Whitney outshone all rivals in the magnificence of his carriages, and in his stables ten blooded animals pawed golden straw. His luxury in every way was a revelation to Washington, which never saw anything like it before. At his feasts terrapin was served by the barrel, and no regard for expense in any form was shown. It was said of the then Secretary of the Navy that he had no re- gard whatever for dollars. He literally scattered them broadcast. The government provides no Congress. men with carriages, except for their funer- als. Senators Brice, Allison and Morrill always come to the White House in their private vehicles, but most members of both houses walk. It is reckoned that one-half of the Senators and one-fourth of the Rep- resentatives maintain equipages. By no means all of these, however, own the con- veyances they are driven in. In Washing- ton the swellest possible turnouts can be | hired by the month, with coachman, foot- man, liveries and everything complete, in the tip-topmcst accentuation of the very latest fashion. For $300 a month one can have three or four carriages at his disposal, everything being furnished. This saves much trouble,particularly as horses brought from elsewhere are quickly knocked up here by the asphaltum pavements. The Russian minister last winter hought a pair of high steppers for $1.00 and sold them six months later for $150. In recent years the most striking vehicle seen on the streets here has been driven by Secretary Gregor of the same legation—a black and yellow droschky with three horses and a huge arched yoke. When snow was on the ground the same style was used swith a sleigh. The new Chinese minister drives in a gorgeous Iandau with colored cowchman and footman. but the team Is ‘obhed” from a livery stable on 1. street. The eauipage of the Japanese minister a closed car- tiage with red wheels for four persons. One dav recently he was driving alone Penn- svivanta avenue with his secretary. when one person tn a groun on the sidewalk nointed to them and said: “Those are Chi- nese: thev eat dead rete!” ‘This strnck the minister so humoronslv that he wrote It uD and sent It home for nubiteation in » Janan- ase newenaner as on filnstration of Amer- Ioan Inteliteonce The Japanese now and then wet tired of being confused with the Chinese by naonle tn this conntry. They sev ' fe. iust shout as tf the Janenese shonld noint to Russian Hebrews and re- mark, “Those are Americans.”” The Diplomats, ‘The street cars are need to a great ex- tent for conveyances by 4inlomats from Sonth Amertea, whose salaries are small and uncertain. Th livery stable on T, street above referred to was badly beaten on one occasion by a secretary of lecation from a South American renubitc, who hired a turnont for the season. Nothing was too good for him. He got the swellest vehicles and the finest horses that could be had. For a couple of months he cut quite a dash, but when it came to paying the bill he blithely stood his creditor off. Of course, the latter could do nothing. If he had at- tempted to enforce the usual legal pro- cesses in such cases he would have been lable to imprisonment and a heavy fine as a “disturber of the peace, of nations.” Such 1s the international law, which pro- tects a deadbeat from a foreign clime. ‘Mr. Cleveland during his first term in the White House had two superb seal brown coach horses, valued at $2,000. At the close of his administration they were sold for $400, being so used up that the price was considered unreasonably high. Neverthe- less, the purchaser disposed of them a few days later to an admirer of Mrs. Cleveland for $1,000, Driving is Mrs. Cleveland's fa- yorite amusement while in Washington. Gen. Harrison was a great driver and was to be seen on the road every afternoon. He shipped his horses and carriages home to Indiarapolis after vainly trying to dis- pos? of them at private sale. President Hayes’ turnouts were very ordinary. Gen. Arthur kept nine horses and very credita- ble vehicles, as did Garfield likewise. Gen. Grant was the great horse Pres!- dent. He always had a number of thor- oughbreds in the White House stable. For a while he drove four-in-hand, but dropped that because it excited adverse criticism. Nearly every afternoon he took a spin on the road in a Brewster single seat bugey behind his fleet mare Julia. He was always ready for a brush with anybody, and would tackie a butcher wagon or a coal cart if nothing better was at hand to race with. He also owned a dark bay charger named Cincinnatus and a pair of carriage horses of fine action, St. Louis and Egypt. He had eight other horses, besides two ponies belonging to his son Jesse. Andrew Jackson had a two-wheeled gig built of natural hickory wood—a gift, in playful allusion to his nickname of “Old Hickory.” ———-+e- Anomalies in Fis! From the London Field. ‘Trout are generally accredited with being fish of a most fastidious diet, scorning any sort of food save such delicate morsels as may happen to tickle their palates for the time; in the common belief, they are epi- cures of the very" first water. It is no doubt true that the richer and more plenti- ful the food supply the less ready are trout to feed on any lure artiiicially presented; and the closer we imitate thelr natural food at the time the greater is our success in attempting to make the trout take. At the seme time there can be no question that the trout is as omnivorous as most fish, if not more so, and will eat almost anything. It can not with truth be predicted of bread, for example, that it is either a natural or a common food of the trout, yet, by perse- veringly throwing pellets into the stream, trout may be soon educated into taking them; and, as a matter of fact, the fish in any particular stream can soon be educated up to such a pitch of rivalry that there will ve a rush for a piece of bread cast upon the water. In a stream where the fish have been ac- customed to be so fed, it might, at first jsight, appear that they could easily be taken by means of the staff of life as a lure; yet, though trout may be taken for a time by means of such bait, they eventu- ally learn to discriminate between a dan- gerous and an innocuous crust or crumb. There are many pools in which the fish at no period can be persuaded to take It as a lure, however readily they may rush toward it in its innocent state. Once they have tasted bread, however, trout develop a great partiality for it. Why salmon, again, should take boiled and prepared ‘prawns must ever remain more or less of a mys- tery. These assuredly are the most un- natural of foods for them, yet, in certain states of the water, salmon, though rarely if ever sea-trout, succumb to it when they refuse every other kind of balt, and that, too, in no half-hearted fashion, but with an avidity that ts often marvelous. It is the same with salmon roe, so far as trout, sea-trout and bull-trout are concerned. The smell probably has something to do’ with this forbidden fruit, and in some such way the ofl of a heron’s breast if sprinkled over worms {x said to make them specially at- tractive. “Whatever is, is good” seems to be the motto of the feeding fish, a The Search Light. Lures, A POLICEMAN’S LOT. Many Weary Hours Spent on Duty or on Reserve, HIS DAY ON AND HIS DAY OFF. His Daily Life Measured Off by Roll Calls. HOW HE AMUSES HIMSELF. WO DAYS ON THE Police force will sat- isfy any reasonable man that a police- man’s lot {s far from @ happy one,” was the remark of an offi- cer the other day when he had been on duty two days after @ week's trip in the country. “I have often heard persons say that it was an easy job; that all a policeman has to do Is to walk the street and eat peanuts and fruit at the corner stands, drink stovepipes at the back gate and have a good time, but it is not the case at all. It is all well enough to see the bright side of policing pictured in the papers and it’s another thing to do straight police duty.” In recent years many changes have taken place in the matter of doing police duty and the man who seeks an appointment because he thinks he is going to get an easy job will find himself mistaken before he has worn the shield and carried the baton many days. Most of a policeman’s life is spent doing street duty or “on reserve” in the police station. His time Is never his own and his family expects him only when he appears at home. During celebrations of various kind: parades and gatherings the police are in de- mand, and then they are required to do ex- tra duty, for which they receive no extra pay. If an officer wants to go on a picnic or excursion somewhere outside the Mmits of the District he cannot go without first obtaining the permission of his superior officers und even when at home in bed he 4s subject to a call from the station. Such calls are often made when there are big fires or disturbances which threaten riot. Then when on street duty his life is in danger. He knows not when a call for as- sistance will bring him to face a loaded re- volver or gun or murderous knife. In all sorts of gatherings he has to take the most dangerous position and even at a fire he is often compelled to take great risks in efforts to save life and property. A policeman’s hours of duty are perhaps longer than those of any other public servant, averaging seventeen hours a day. This, ‘of course, includes street duty and reserve duty in the ‘stations. Beginning His Day on Daty. The tooting of the lieuterant’s or ser- geant’s whistle at 8 a.m. brings to the rail in the office of the station a line of officers ready for street duty. At this appearance, as well as at others, the officer must un- dergo a rigid inspection. His clothing must be in condition to make him presentable at the house of any citizen as well as on the street, and his arms must be in good work- ing order. Going out on this trick of duty the officer finds the number of pedestrians on the increase as the day wears on. Usu- ally there is not much excitement, al- though occasionally a fight or robbery or perhaps an after-breakfast family row in some place may call him from the street and break the monotony of the walk around the beat all the forenoon. As the hour of 1 o'clock draws near the policeman wends his way toward the relieving post, which is not far from the station. In some pre- eincts the men have to fall in line and march a long distance. from one relieving post to another, keeping them out an ex- tra fifteen or twenty minutes, while in others they are permitted to go in and give up their work for the time being as soon as the other men leave the building to take their beats. On Reserve. Having done five hours’ duty, the officer has five hours ahead of him for reserve duty, but during this time he eats his din- ner, and for this purpose he is permitted to | return to his home, unless he fives too far | away. Should nothing nappen in the pre- cinct he can sleep during this time, or spend the hours in any other way that sults him, But ne ts obliged to remain at the station, and be there in event of a fire or the commission of some crime which calls for extra services. ‘The tooting of the whistle at 6 o'clock re- lieves him, and he may then go home to his family if he has one, or to see his sweet- heart if he is the possessor cf such a source of happiness. At any rate he is a free man for six hours, but he dare not venture too far away from the city tor fear of some aceldent which might delay him so that he will miss the roll call. A Night Vigil. At midnight he is to be seen standing in line at the station again ready for | another trick of duty. This time he goes | out for six hours. This trick he most dis- likes for it 1s not only considered the most | dangerous, but it is during the hours when the streets are comparatively free of pe destrians. There is nothing to do but watch for lawbreakers and wait for the time to come when the signal boxes have to be used to notify the station that he is sill on duty. It is on this trick of duty that the dangerous burglar usually makes his appearance. In case of a personal en- counter assistance {s an almost unknown thing because of the few persons who are on the street. If the particular officer hap- pens not to have a partner he must neces- sarily go {it alone. Then, too, whea night is fast dying away and the morning hours are approaching nature asserts itself and it 1s often with difficulty that the tired and weary officer is able to keep on the move, as the rules of the department re- quire. Between 2 o'clock and 4:30 a. m. is the time in the experience of the officers that | the burglars do most of thel> work. ‘That, | | they think, Is the case because it is then that the sleepe: sleeps the soyndest. That, | therefore, is the time that the officer is ex: pected to be on the lookout more than at | other times. His “Day of.” Finally the hour of 6 a. m. arrives, and once more the weary guardian is given time to rest. The besins what ts known as the officer's “day off,” for he has twelve hours all to himself, not having to report until 6 o'clock In the evening. Then he does six hours during the eazller part of the night. During this trick the stores are open if his beat Is in a business section, and persons are going to and fro, so that the time does not drag heavily on’ his hands. If he gets Into an occasional fight or arrests hoys for standing on the street corner it means for him a visit to the Police Court in the morn- ing. ‘This trick is not considered a tiresome | one in fair weathe:, so that when midnight arrives and he goes to the station for six hours’ reserve duty, he is able to sleep soundly and get up feeling refreshed. Dog Watch, At 6 o'clock he goes out on what fs called | the “dog watch.” The name of this trick| of duty might imply that the dogs prowl about at that time in the morning, but that fs not the origin of the name. It was taken because of a similar trick of duty at sea. Two hours are spent on the street on “dog wateh,” but seldom are the officers called and the trial board 1s constantly staring him in the face. When he makes an arrest he is not certain that he will not get in trouble about it, for if his case is lost through a mistake, or otherwise, the man whom he arrests may swear out charges and have him brought before the boazd. in addition to the long hours of duty the officer has the unpleasant task of going to court to prosecute his cases. There he is often kept several hours when he should be at home in bed. It often happens that hi goes there without having had any break- fast and is compelled to remain there until 1 o'clock and then he goes out on the street again. Many times an officer's “day off” is spent in court, and although he loses so much rest he goes on duty at 6 o'clock just the same, not being allowed even an hour for rest. Then the officer having been on his feet eighteen hours is expected to faith- fully patrol his beat and, like the tramp, keep moving. Some of the Pleasant Things. While there are so many onerous duties to perform there is also a pleasant side to @ policeman’s life. By strict attention to duty and careful management of their affairs some of them have accumulated property. Many officers in recent years have branched out into other business, still retaining their position on the force, and at this time there are a number of large Property owners on the force. Several who micas to be worth more than $100,000 each. As a rule the officers are companionable, and both on and off duty they enjoy them- selves together. Being entitled to ten days’ leave of absence, they usually make good use of it, and go off on trips calculated to benefit their health. So far as their amuse- ments are concerned, the officer of today has a better opportunity about the station than he did years ago, for, in addition to games of cards, several of the stations boast of the completeness of their gymnasiums,in which pool and billiard tables aiford the chief means of amusement. In Georgetown, when the old station was situated on the bank of the canal, the offi- cers amused themselves with fishing tackle, but now, in their new quarters, they have ® gymnasium, and are so far from the water that even the fishing lines have dis- appeared. During the early part of the evening,trom 7 to 9 o'clock, the card tables in most of the stations are occupied. The games in the stations differ according to location. For instance, in the first precinct, where blers once had full sway, poker is the chief game, and, although chips are stacked on the table in large numbers, they do not represent cash. Still, the men seem to en- Joy the game, ‘and pay as much attention as though silver dollars were at stake. Several of the precincts boast of their erib- bage and “6s” players, while in other sta- tions the pool and billiard tables occupy the time of the officers. is for Wives. From Good Housekeeping. Don't talk too much about what “lovely mes” you used to have when you were or your husband may wish that you were so at the present time, and it is a sad day in the life of any wife when her husband cherishes that opinion pigarding her. It is a sadder day stiil for im. Don’t treasure up all your daily trials for Sante ears when he comes home Don’t tell him how bad the children have been, or how hateful the kitchen giri has acted, or how the stove won’t draw, or how the clothesline broke with the week's wash- ing on it, or how the baby has cried all day, or how badly the ironing hes been done, or how the milkman left milk that soured in an hour, or how little ice the iceman left for 15 cents, or how the grocer has sent bad eggs for good ones. Don't add all these things to the trials your husband has burne all day. He has had his triais, you may be sure of that, and, unless he is an excep- tion to the general rule, he has not said anything at all about them to you. Don't “nag” at him all the time. That is the hatefulest little word I know of, and the “nagging” practice is one of the most vicious. Much should be forgiven a hus- band who has a “nagging” wife—one whose tongue is never still and whose every word is of fault-finding or complaint. Such a woman Is a blot on the fair face of creation, and her husband has much to bear. What- ever else you may do, don’t nag your hus- band. Don't compare him to other men to his disadvantage. Don't teil him that you “do wish” he were like this woman's or that woman's husband. Nothing can flatter him so much as your openly expressed -onvic- tion that you have the best and kindest and handsomest husband in all the world. No doubt you told him so once, and even if you think differently now, nothing but harm can come of your telling him so. Don’t go around slipshod or slovenly b~- fore your husband. He may not say any- thing about it, but it will have a demor: izing effect upon him, all the same. Don’t come to the breakfast table with your hair in crimping pins because you are going down town later in the day and the crimp will all come out if you take your hair down before breakfast. Your husband won't see you when you are down town, and he does see you now, and wouldn't you rather look your best before him than he- fore any other man in the world? The time has been when you would have been “mortified to death” had he caught you with your hair in crimping pins. Don’t ask him to be both master and mis- tress of the house. Don't ask him what vou shall have for dinner or burden him with all of the family marketing. Don't expect him to oversee your servants or to do things that you, as mistress of your own home, ought to do. He probably has his hands and his mind full keeping up his end of the row. Don't look for perfection In your husband, He has not found perfection in you, has he? Perfect men are so rare in this world that if one could be found he would be worth his weight in gold as a dime museum curtosity, and perfect women are equaliy rare. If your husband is “as good as the average” be thankful that he ts no worse, and bear |in mind that it rests largely ‘with you whether he grows better or worse. Of course nearly all these “Don'ts” ap- ply to husbands as well as to wives, Men are no better than women, nor as good; they have thelr failings by the score, but don’t increase their shortcomings by show- ing them the weak side of your own char- acters. How to Eat Fruit. From Good Housekeeping. A physician during the recent peach sea- son fell to talking of the value of this fruit, {and in his remarks enthusiastically said: “Peaches are a tonic, an aperient, a food and a drink combined; or, to put It briefly, they are meat and medicine. A good meai may be made of peaches, with sugar and cream, bread and butter. After a meal of this variety a person wil! feel more like at- | tending to the duties of the afternoon than it he or she had indulged in heavy foods. Peaches are good before breakfast and after dinner; they are good for the digestion, good for the blood and good for the com: plexion. Some people eat them without cream or sugar, and with good resylt. ‘The fruit is so rich in sugar and acid that it preserves its flavor for a long while, but to get the full benefit it should be ea: as Soon as cut. Redness of the nose, due to congestion, inflamed complexion,’ scrofu- lous and bilious tendencies, are said to be materially influenced by a libera? consump- tion of this luscious fruit. Mixed fruits cre always advisable, but the peach in season, used as an alternate with plums, cherries, melons and berries, will vanquish the ene- mies of the complexion.” All this is very true; but he might well have added a warn- ing against eating the fuzzy skins, which are positively harmfui; it 1s scarcely neces- sary to caution against swallowing the pits, Yet a great many persons need to be cau- tioned against swallowing the debris or waste of fruits of various kinds. The tough, indigestible skin of any fruit was not made for human digestion; nor, for | that matter, were the seeds of grapes, the cherry kernels or many of the other dan- gerous things which are thoughtlessly ard recklessly swallowed, and which cost many lives yearly. —_———+e+_____ Buying Back Their Own Diamonds, From the Baltimore Sun, upon to make arrests in those hours, as there is very little doing at this time of the day. This begins the officer's ‘day on” again and he goes through the same round again, except that on this day he spends the morning hours “on reserve" and the after- | noon on the street, remaining out until 6 p.m, Even then he does not go off duty, | but is again on reserve until midnight. when he goes out on the street again. “Ali | this duty has to be done regardless of | weather or other conditions. In blinding | snow storms, rain or wind the officer has to be out and going. No Chance for Rest. He cannot do now,as was done years ago, go off to some warm room and sleep until the sergeant calls or until his partner taps | upon the door. ‘There is a night inspector and any man who fails to do duty, or “hoo- dies” as the officers call it, is sure to get caught sooner or later. Then again he has to telephone to the station every hour and has to answer the calls of the sergeant as well as to be on the lookout for the Meutenant. Complaints of every description are handed over to the officer on the beat | and upon these he has to report. Some | citizens complain against his Uttle mistakes The De Beers mines employ 3,000 whites and from 15,000 to 20,00) of the natives cs laborers. The natives, Mr. McGregor said, will steal diamonds, and no way had been discovered to prevent the thefts. Under the law the native laborers are kept in inclos. ures called compounds. ‘They sell the dia- monds which they steal at a few shillings per carat. They are purchased, althouzh the natives are ignorant of the fact, by agents of the De Beers Company and re- turned to the company. Within the last two years, Mr. McGregor said, the company has paid in this way $3,500,000 for diamonds which had been stolen by the natives. Mr. McGregor said it was expecied that the dry digeizgs would be worked out in two years, but they have been worked since 187i, and there are no indications of a bottom being found. To prevent the soil from caving in shafts 1,00 feet have been sunk, and the mining is done in chambers similar to that of American coal min FOR DYSPEPSIA AND NERVOUS) Use Horsford’s Acid phat Dr. J. C. Stroup, Moorestown, N. J., says: “I have used it for a number of years in my practice nd find it very useful in dyspepsia and nervous ness.’ | (I... JENNESS-MILLER’S SISTER. The Famous Lecturer to Women Sets Them an Bip? MLA “A beautiful REE ers i | Way they describe her. “The Rev. Dr. Morgan Dix finds fault with women,” says the New York Sun, “for thinking ‘more about their personal charms than about their souls, but Miss Mabel Jenness feels it her duty to instruct them as to the best use of those charms in the attainment of a ‘correct and elegant carriage,’ and by the proper ‘artistic care of the body.’ In her view the soul expresses itself through the body ‘and action goes on between the two, with the re- sult that physical grace has a moral value.” As Mrs. Jenness-Miller is known the world over for her ideas on dress reform, so her sister, Miss Mabel Jenness, whose lUkeness is given above, is celebrated for her crusade for physical culture among the gentler sex. Her system of physical training is attracting a great deal of attention. “She is herself a society girl, and yet finds time,” says the Sun, “to practice ‘her system, and in the mlust of her multitudinous duties is never tired, never sick, dosen't know where her nerves are, and is @ stranger to head- aches.” The renson is apparent in a letter written July 19, 1898, from Washington, D. C.: “I was induced,” writes Miss Jenness, “to try Paine’s celery compound at a time when I was suffering from over work and the effect of an accl- dent. I began immediately to realize tonic and blood-nourishing effects. 1 take pleasure in saying that, although opposed to medicine in general, I really consider this an excellent preparation. “T have not been able to take one day's rest since returned from my long, hard western trip. Iam Example, sure were it not for Paine's celery compound which has @ tome effeci,I should not be able to Keep up and work hard. “I recommended Paine's celery compound toe friend who dined with us yesteraay, and on leaving here she went and bought a bottle, I shall do alld ‘ean for it, for I believe in it.” So the society woman, whose health and grace are famous the country over, and who w in & Position to command the best medical advice. finds tm Paine’s celery compound the game relle! from the effects of overwork and illness that the poorer, harder working woman finds. And this grest remedy that makes people well is equally within the reach of all. It a8 for sale in ‘every respectable drug store in the country, and is im greater demand today than any remedy tn the world, It ts the one true specific for diseases aria'ng from a debilitated nervous system, probably the most remarkable remedy that the sclentific re- search of this country has produced. Prof. E¢- ward E. Phelps, M. D., LL. D.,of Dartmouth col- lege, first prescribed whist is now known the World over as Paine's celery compound, & positive cure for dyspepsia, billousness, liver compiatnt, nearalgia, rheumatism, ahd Kidney troubles For ‘the latter Paine's celery compound has succeeded again and again where everything else bas falled. Washington correspondents have recently given {ta great deal of attention since the cures effected in that city. ‘The medical journals of the country have given more space in the last few years to the many re markable cases where the use of Paiue’s celery ‘compound has made peojle well than to any other ‘one subject. Try it and be bett SIGN TALK OF THE PLAINS. A Language Without Words, Yet It is ficient for Every Occasion. From the St Louis Globe-Democrat. Garrison life has developed some experts in Indian folklore among army officers. One of these is Lieut. H. L. Scott of the seventh cavalry. Lieut. Scott has made a study of the sign language of the plains Indians. in the days of Indian outbreaks and wars there was @ practical phase to this study, but now that peace prevails and there are only reservation Indians Lieut. Scott's ac- quisition is remarkable chiefly for the scien- tific interest which attaches to it. One day during the folklore congress | Lieut. Scott borrowed four Indians of vari- ous tribes from Buffalo Bill's camps, and, | with only such language as he used to ex- plain to the paleface what he was saying, ne | | carried on a long conversation by signs. | The Indians were Painted Horse, Miat iron, Horses-Come-Last and Standing Bear. | ‘The lieutenant’s hand moved nimbly when he asked Painted Horse where he lived. The | old Indian looked homesick for a moment, and then he made a superb motion picture of a rock with trees on it. “Pine Ridge,” interpreted Lieut. Scott. Painted Horse, having found his hands, |kept them going, while hic face remained expressionless. Lieut. Scott added: “He says his relatives live there, and that | he has come a long way and has arrived | ere.”” ‘One after the other the Indians joined in the sign conversation with as much en- thusiasm as an Indian can manifest. ‘They told their names and where they were from and to what tribes they belonged. They understood the Meutenant and each cther as well. When Painted Horse said Morses- Come-Last was a Brule Sioux, Horses- | Come-Last immediately worked his hands | to say that was a mistake; he was an Ogal- | (lalla. Having started, Morses-Come-Last, a | magnificent-looking Indian, signed that he knew Gen. Miles, who was sitting near, and he wanted the general to say something to ihim. Gen. Miles toid Lieut. Scott to tell Horses. me-Last that he remembered him very well as an Indian who had done good | service in the Montana compaign. Lieut. Scott interpreted by signs, and immediately | Horses-Come-Last showed his pleasure. ;. Lieut. Scott has had some striking evi- dence that the Indians of the plains meet on common ground when they resort to the sign language. He was present when Chief Joseph of the Nez Perces addressed several hundred Indians. ‘The chief told the story of his march from Washington territory across Idaho and into Montana to the vic | cinity of the Yellowstone Park, a masterly military feat, without a parallel since the retreat of Xenophon’s ten thousand. In the | crowd to which the chief gave the narrative there were Aricarees, Mandans, Gros Ven- tres, Nez Perces, Cheyennes ‘and Sioux. ‘They were representatives of six different spoken languages. Yet Lieut. Scott could see that there was perfect comprehension of the narrative. Not a word was spoken. Chief Joseph used nothing but the sign language, but the Indians all followed him. A literal translation of the sign language is the best illustration of its formation. Take the following sentence: “I shot with an a:row last night an eagle which was sitting upon a limb of a tree and it fell to the ground. The Indian will convey this information by sign language, as follow “Night—vefore—trees—looking—I_ saw bird —curved beak—limb of tree—arrow—bow— aim — shoot — transfix — whirl downward — | strike the ground.” Lieut. Scott has taken part in numberless | talks where the assemblages included In- dians from almost every prairie tribe from Texas to the Canadian line. Practically the same signs were used by all. “I. must give,” he said, “my unqualified adherence to the belief that the sign language of the plains Indians does exist, and that it has reached a high developmen Lieut. Scott has tried to trace the origin lof the sign language. All of the Indians | | tell him it is of great antiquity. The Chey- |ennes and Arapahoes tell him their ances- tors got it from the Kiowas, who invented | it. But the Kiow claim they got it from | the Cheyennes. Lieut. Scott believes there | was no invention of the sign language, but that it was of gradual and general develop- ment. As tribes of Indians Lecome perma- nently separated they cease to have use for sign language in communicating with othe> tribes; then they drop the use of it. The Indians around Fort Totten, on Devil's Lake, have been away from other Indians and associated with white people some years. Only the oldest among them retain the fact that the Comanche language was the court of the southern plain: Many Indians of other tribes understood it. Hence there was less occasion for the Co- manches to perfect themselves in the signs. “If you could witness,” said the lNeutenant, “the scenes enacted in many of their lodges during the long nights of winter, in some isolated village upon the buffalo range, or sheltered from the wind in a mountain fork, when some one of the oléer and more skill- ful men, fired with enthusiasm by the memories of his youth, was relating his stories of the warpath and adventure, the ancient customs of his people, or the cere- monies of his religion to a silent band of dusky warriors, then only could you realize j the great force, the intense meaning and the exceeding beauty of the sign language of the plains Indians.” — WOMAN AS A CONSOLER. Im Troublous Financial Times This te the Part She Plays. From the Chicago Tribune. ‘The original intention in regard to wo- men seems that they should be creatures of ornament and consolation. This has not been wholly carried out; they have had many other things to do besides being pret- ty and consoling. But for both of these they have had large opportunities. In times ike the present, when men are harassed and troubled over their affairs, women can do much that no one else can do. They can refrain from troubling on thelr own pai they can put aside their own annoyances: they can see that the house is cool and comfortable, that the table is well and not extravagantly served; they can present a cheerful front and soothe or divert as the indications may be read on the page which it should have been the business of their lives to understand at a glance. They may speak or be silent, as the case seems to Te quire, ‘The woman who will do this will do more. She will cheerfully make her expenditures meet the situation. If she has an extrav: gance she will lop it off; she will look well to the ways of her household and take a cheerful interest in practicing wise econo- mies, But there comes a place where men’s and women's ways may part. A glance over the newspaper shows that when men are troubled ia their affairs the mill ts shut down, the works are closed, the em- ploye is discharged. The interests of wo- men are not so involved. The wise woman will not swell the ranks of the unemployed, She will not aischarge the faithful nurse, the cook, the waitress; she will turn her dress for a new fall costume and put @ new bow on her bonnet; she will gather her houschold about ber, and bending low all will in time weather the storm, From the Detroit Free Press. I rode quietly along the beak of Poor Fork, just where the Pine mountains begin to let it over to where it joins the Cumber- land river, I was stopped by a man sitting on the fence with his arm in a sling and @ Winchester In his lap. “How d’y,” he said; “did you come by Brown's?” “Do you mean the cross roads back here about five miles?” I asked, -nuch surprised that a mountaineer should ask me a ques- tion first. ae “Yes, that’s the place.” I stopped there to have a man nail @ on my horse.” Jear um say an match thar yistiddy ui heard them say there had been one heerd so too, an’ I war anxious to find out if it war so. Did you hear who the shooters wuz?” ‘T don't remember the names, but they said only one of the men had been shot.” “Not killed, I reckon?” No: he was shot in the body, they thought, but he got away before they foun: out how much he was burt, or just where.” “This is a dogon funny country for shoot- in’ matches, ain't it?” he asked with « short laugh. I replied cautiously I don’t think I would enjoy them. “Well, that depends, mister, on who gite shot.” “Perhaps it does, but you don"t mean to se ‘ou enjoy that kind of thing, do you?” “I reckon I didn't enjoy that one yis- tiddy.” “Why?” I asked in surprise, “you were not there were you?” “Yes; I wuz peekin’ "round a bit.” “And why didn’t you enjoy it If you stayed to see it?” He laughed and held out his bandaged knowledge of the sign language. The Northern Cheyennes are the best sign talkers. Comanches are the poorest. This the Weutenant accounts for by I wuz the feller thet got shot,” he said, and I could at least understand why he hadn't enjoyed that one