Evening Star Newspaper, February 10, 1894, Page 20

20 THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1894-TWENTY PAGES. THE BRITISH ARMY How Tommy Atkins is Handled by the Recruiting Sergeant. al Se es ENGLISH SOLDIERS AND OFFICERS of the Different Branches of the Service. #ganization ABOUT THE RETIRED PAY @pecial Correspondence of The Evening Star. LONDON, Jan. 28, 1804. LL THE SHIPS AND guns of the three strongest _— existing fleets having been Measured, remeas- ured and discussed with the result that “although England may fairly claim to be equal in strength to her two most for- midable competitors— Russia and France— it cannot be pretend- ed that the margin ef her superiority, insuring command of the sea, is such that she can afford to rest on her oars,” it may prove interesting, and Perhaps also instructive, in view of the coming conflict, to look somewhat closer at Mr. Tommy Atkins.‘ ‘To become thoroughly acquainted with my ®@ubject and his master—the British soldier and the British officer's corps—I have had my innings at standing around Trafalgar Square and lounging about the Strand, to be approached by the festive recruiting s@ergeant, or watch his “roper in” efforts on others; I have investigated Sandhurst, which Royal Military College turns out about 15) infantry and a smaller number of cavalry officers per year, and I made a long stay at Woolwich, most perfectly equipped artillery and engineering school. At Chatham I was graciously permitted to look around the Military Engineering Academy; the musketry school at Hythe I admired very much; I also looked in at the Netley Army Medical School and Hos- Pital, for the training of surgeons and murses. It is all very beautiful and costly; one hundred pounds a man is the estimate, I believe, and in this costliness lies the safe- ty of England's enemies, which is tanta- mount to Europe's peace, perhaps as much as in the refusal of parliament, to increase tife number of Tommy Atkins’ Reeruiting of 'Tommtes. There is no conscription, no drafting, no “press gang” in England, all her majesty’s soldiers are volunteers, or are supposed to be such. You would not think so if you watched the recruiting officers getting in their fine work on the “outcasts of society, as the anti-government press has it, es- Pecially in Ireland, on the-young-man-out- of-work, in fact. The sergeant is a past master of the art of cajoling and persuasion, but the law provides that twenty-four hours after he handed over the “queen's shilling” to the victims of his slick tongue and his majestic bearing, his brass but- tons and jaunty rattan, he produce them in * court of law, before a magistrate, so they Fusileers’ Guards. May be sworn in, and if the enlistment has not. been fair, or the recruit feels like re- pudiating the bargain, he has an oppor- tunity for regaining his freedom. Of course, during .the interval between taking her majesty’s twelve pence and swearing al- legiance to her the sergeant makes it as pleasant for the candidate as the treating money, allowed by the government, per- mits. Very frequently he is rash enough even to spend some of his own “stuff” (five shillings per head captured), for the more recruits he brings in the more medals ‘and stripes’” accumulate on his manly breast and on his sleeve. y The Term of Service. Recruits must be between eighteen and twenty-five years of age, perfec healthy and unmarried. At least, they must say that they are single. Enlistment is for seven years, when he passes into the reserves,with the prospect of being called out for service during the five years following. It is a new experience, this short service rule, decre2d by almighty parliament and strenuously fought by professional soldiers. ‘e have no such men now as those who won India or stood the shock of battle in the Crimea,” they ery, and point out with derision that during the Zulu war a certain battalion of the Ifhe engaged in combat em- braced only fifty men who had been more than two years with the colors. “Within that period,” answers the quick- witted parliamentarian, “does the German learn the entire art of a-soldiering.” Retired Pay. ‘Twenty years ago or less recruits were en- Usted for life, or for twenty-one, or twelve years, respectively. Only the household cav- alry serves twelve years now. The infantry Private receives twelve pence a day, one- sixth of which is reserved and handed over to him when he quits service. 1f a man con- ducts himself well he may, after two years, earn an extra sixpence per week and wear @ badge on his coat. The more badges he obtains the more shillings he gets on retir- ing to private life. If Tom Atkins runs up against the country’s military law both his deferred pay and his badges are lost to him. If, on the other hand, he behaves himseif well while engaged with the colors and in the reserves a life pension of eignt pene per day is his reward. Cvroorals receive fifteen pence per day, sergeants one shilling and eleven pence. A sergeani’s pension amounts to about 60 cents per day for life. Pay in the cavalry and artillery is some- What better, but a soldier, honerably dis- charged, is looked upon as a person to be trusted, and many tucrative and reputable callings are open to him. ‘ The rules of the British service are less stringent than those prevailing ir France or Germany, the drill is less tiresom? and the general treatment accorled the men by oft- cers very fair. indeed. They have good and sufficient food, picturesque uniforms, and their barracks and mess rooms offer many smforts. If such are wanting Tommy At- s is allowed to remonstrate in an orderly 1 peaceful manner. Parliament will do the rest. Of course, there are men in the queen's service think themseiyes capable of twisting the lion’s tail on their own hook, e of the most advanced Irish Pletaresque Cavatry. nh cavalry is the most pictur- ope: officers, men and steeds are fhe finest that can be found. Who can look upon the first lifeguards, stationed at Regent’s Park barracks, the Windsor life- guards and the horseguards at Hyde Park without admiration. Their training, as to warlike appearance, is unparalleled, their horses are groomed and caparisoned to per- fection. All the men belonging to the house- hold cavalry measure five feet ten or more. With their plumed helmet, cuirass, long Officer Guards. Jack boots and bree resemble the gr the German kaiser’s bodyguards, the latter n white. In the Crimean war the infantry was to the horse in the proportion of six to on rec! ing regi- ments; and the English war office, to this day, sticks to the rule of increasing the alry in greater proportions than the infan- -loading carbine, French cuirassic: ae try. e same obtaims in Russia, though probably not for the same reasons. Only the heavy troopers are di: in red; the light wear blue uniform: [heaviest cavalry are-the dragoons, and of them the second regiment, known as the Scots Grays, still carry the high bearskins, The covering the whole skull down to the eyes and the nape of the “eck. ‘The men are ail five feet eight. ‘The next heavy trooper: the lancers, are five feét hussars one inch less. seven, Indian Mountain Art Neither the cavalry nor infantry regi- ments have colonels for commanders; that office is always given to a generai, while ery. the lieutenant colonel looks after the work ! of discipline. The titular -olonels of the first lifeguards and the royal horseguards are even higher up in the ~anks and receive the pay of field marshals. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and field marsnal, set down as colonel-in-chief of the three lv use- hold cavalry regiments. Of the infantry, the nine fuisiliers regi- ments are perhaps most expensively cos- tumed on account of their sealskin caps. Five of the Highland regiments still wear the plaid skirt and kilt, with plaid steck- ings below the bare knees and a Scotch bon- net. Only picked men can enlist in the artillery and royal engineers, whose staff of cthcers comprises many of the most learnel men in the army. As to the latter, it may be said that they ascend in importance from infantry up, so that cavalry officers are re- garded superior to those on foot, while artil- lery officers are superior to woth, and of- ficers of the royal engineers tead the march. I believe there are still a good many peo- ple of opinion that a Britisher may pur- chase his officer's patent. That disgraceful system was abolished In 1871, yet the fact remains that only rich young men can af- ford to wear the epaulettes. The fees for schooling and bodily maintenance of a can- didate for officer's honors sre excessiv high, and efforts to lessen them are open|} discouraged. “Exactly the same classes of society fur- nish officers to the Engsh army now that undertook the task twenty-three years ago,” said-an old colonel to me; “the only differ- ence between now and then is that we are allowed to reject candidates who, by their ignorance, or a disposition to idleness, are disqualified.” —_ __ How to Keep*Coffee. Mrs. Rorer, in the Household News, an- swering a correspondent, who asked wheth- er coffee should be kept in a cool or a warm place, says: “In a cool, but not cold nor very warm place. Now, there is consider- able difference, of course, whether this cof- fee is browned or not, but I take for grant- ed it is. A mat of unroasted coffee should be kept in rather a comfortably warm place. If you have a pantry off the kitchen, it would be an excellent place for keeping coffee. If roasted, of course, it must be kept in a closely covered tin or glass jar; it will not keep well in any other material, lig paper for instance. The unroasted ‘coffee should be kept in an open mat, al- jlowing the air to circulate through and ripen it.” —_>—____ Wanted a Legitimate Occupation. From Puck. ri Magistrate—Why did you enter that man’s house and rob his safe? Prisoner—Please. y'r honor, I was only tryin’ to raise a little money to buy meself @ position on the police foorce! ——— ee “Coming Down With a Heavy Jar.” From Puck. though | CHARITIES IN EUROPE) How the Poor Are Cared for in Foreign Countries, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC BENEVOLENGE BS Sos aed Almsgiving by Old and New Methods. GERMANY’S GOOD SYSTEM Writtea for The Evening Star. EPORTS FROM abrozd of people freezing to death are reminders of the fact that poverty is world wide,and consequent- ly that” almsgiving is practiced every- where, for poverty ana charity go hand ter want exists, U always are found kind hearts to be touched by its ap- peals. ‘The winter season and the hard times have beought the problem of relieving the poor again home, and it may be interesting | to study charitable systems in older coun- tries take a glance at the method—or | want of method—of poor relief abro: : It seems io be the high lights and deep shades of civilization go hand in Wand. The greatest wealth and | greatest poverty exist side by side, so the joldest and richest countzies have had to grapple most with this problem of want. Most eovntries of the world recognize the | right of every man to claim food to sustain his Ife, if he cannot obtain it fo> hime: ;1t is the rule rathe> than the exception, in | the greater nations, that the government | shalt feed a man who cannot get bread iz any other way. | aging idleness and crime is the probiein out of which the organized charities have sprung. Ta England. In Great Britain the pocr law system opts the workhouse. The “workus,” life- long terror of the respectable poor, or the “unio! another name for it, arising from the system of combining several parishes in one union for parochial relief with one werkhoure. Here the aged, the children and the sick not otherwise provided for are fed and clothed, and the children tought. It is at the workhouse, too, that the vagrant poor are accommodated. They are provided with fcod and lodging for one night, but must invariably, if able-bodied, perform some labor before leaving. If a man applies for relief at the sa:ne ward again within a month he may be detained four day The food is plain in the extreme, and the ac- companiment of a bath and a gene amount of stone breaking, oxkum tramps from resorting to the union for sup- port. Among the poor who have not become thoroughly pauperized snd degraded the dread of going to the work house masters want and es even death ‘tself. People perish of destitution in their miser- ble hovels rather than go to the work- house, with its shame, its restraint and its inevitable sundering of family ties. In ireland, though famine and bad gov- ernment and many ills have made wretched }poverty so prevalent that one might expect the sensibilities to be dulled, yet even there people have starvéd rather than go to the workhouse, “Outdoor relief” is tried in connection with the work house system. That is, giving absolute paupers and yet not wholly self- | Supporting. in Ireland for the year ISN0 | the amount expended in this way was 11 ; 000 pounds, nearly one-fourth of the entire | poor law expenses. This does away with the , large expenses of those institutions. On the other hand, the difficulties are great. Those who would work rather than come to the union would not object to a regular remit- tance for their relief, and would inevitably come to rely upon it instead of their own labor. So much for government care of the poor. Side by side with this are the voluntary charitable societies. These almost invari- ably originate with some religious body. In fact, each church is a charitable society. The evils of overlapping, the ease with which the skillful mendicant could work a number of different charities for assistance, led to an effort to adopt some better sys- tem, and the Charity Organization Society is the outgrowth of that defect in existing methods, This society is active in many English and Scotch towns, and many other societies use its records for identification of cases. Few societies ditribute money. Tickets for provisions and fuel are issued, and made use of by the members of the society. “Blankets and coals” figure in Eng'ish charitable records. In Great Britain one form of charitable activity is to ald the poor to emigrate. This is apt to cause an tronical smile to Americans, as we represent the “after taking part’ of the process. Modern charitable methods aim to do away with indiscriminate almsgiving,which invariably tends to pauperize the recipient. | The object now is to inculcate self-respect and elevate the condition of the poor, but all reports show that this is very difficult to_ achieve. The greatest hope lies in educating and training the children. As for reforming the grown-up vagrant and mendicant class- es of England, the only society that even hopes to do much is the Salvation Army. They adopt the only way, it is claimed, that ever can assure practical results, inti- mate personal association. People are watching for the future results of the so- cial wing of the army. French Methods, Across the channel the charity system is almost as different as the lahguafe. The workhouse has disappeared, and, as a rule, municipal charity is given in the form of a fixed revenue to be added to the other means of some private charitable society and administered by it. There are free dispensaries and the sick are cared for in the free wards of the hos- pitals. The benevolent societies are numer- ous, and include creches, or infant homes, where working women can leave their young children. Poor children are provided with clothing and a midday meal to en- able them to attend public school. The Societe de Charite Maternelle was established by and is receiving small sub- sidies from the government for aiding mothers and young children. There is in Marseilles an important or- ganization for assisting the poor to find employment. Every subscriber receives a number of “bons de travail’ or work tickets, which are given to applicants for relief, and insure a certain amount of em- ployment. In Lyons the city provides an asylum for mendicants, to which persons found beg- ging may be committed. Besides this asy- lum the city provides a place where persons may come twice a day and receive a piece of. bread, to be eaten on the premises. In some parts of France the regular pub- lic charities are supported by lotteries. There is also a system of collecting a per- centage on theater, concert and music hall tickets, called the “droit des pauvres” (right of poor), to be applied to the income of the local charities. On the whole the French system is some- what like that prevailing here. The govern- ment works with and through the local charitable associations, by giving subsidies to those that are recognized as useful; as is done with the hospitals, orphan asylums, ete., of this city. A Novel Feature in Belgium. Belgium, although so small, is an import- ant manufacturing country. Its prosperity rests upon its having an immense amount of skilled labor which is employed at very low wages. Labor troubles are common, and the conditions are such that we might look there for a large umount of poverty and a thorough system fer its relief. In Antwerp and the other lazge cities there is an admirable system for relicf of the poor, The public charities are controlled in hand. Where bit-/ avariable rule that the | To do this without encour- | and such like occupations keep professional | some assistance to the poor who are not! by boards, the directors of which are ap- pointed by the common council. The dire: tofs are each assigned a ward of the cl and have “visitors of the pvc to assist them. Both directors and visitors serve without pay. All assistance given is record- ed on the administration books, and each person assisted has a book in which is en- tered all help bestowed. Each ward reports to and draws its supplies from the central board, and it can be seen that the s has as good facilities fo> detecting ing” and imposture as can be found. The arrangement for supplying the poor with medical care ts the same as ours, phy sicians salaried by the city, and free di pensaries, Any yerson having children who applies for relief is refused if the children are not sent to public school. The revenues ad- ministered by this system are larg rived from endowments, some of date back for centuries. The most peculiar feature of the chazities in Belgium is a loan office. This institution was created by royal decree,but uncndowed. It was authorized, subject to control of the city authorities, to loan money on pledges of personal property of every description at a fixed rate of inter even per cent. It started bu it by the board of administration of nos- Is, at five per cent. The protits of its ope-ations have been such that at present it has a fund of its own of 3220,000, When this reaches S21t),- 000 the profits of 1 are to be ci- vided equally betwe nospital board and the general ch which Industry is ingrained bit in Dutch character. Even the low bora do jnot sink to williz icaney an2 sloth. Consequently ct ° k in Holland jis not perplexed by the hopelessiy helple: moral condition of the therougily pauper- is, however, considerable poverty and the for reifeving it is very thorough. numbers of private charitable but all report their operations to viliwers of une yeneral govern- municipal ¢ also to see that | for by these oth them retie Keligious and pri to iv the employ inspectors nts are not be foi es ities, throt bound to relieve P every care of pievidea tor, ‘This to strangers in necd of | erecion of the authoritict, home. In severe winter | chens are s | relieve tempo: When pe s the} ced to the workhou but the work th 0, after paying a minimum sum for their expenses, gues to create a small surplus which is’ paid them at the | of their term. Sweden § is Them Out of Town. Sweden has an orgentzed charitable j tem som hat shniiar to that of igium. A noteworthy {ature of it is a society in Gothenburg which works to counteract the constant drift of the pocr from the into the cities. The aim of the society to get the poor into the country districts, vhere ferm labor is often scarce, jastead ng in the city and sinking into ju of paupers. © Gld-Faxhioned Way. Everywhere throughout the north of Eu- j Tope Begging is frowned on, and as far as possible prohibited, even made fense if vorsisted in. In the | rope, however, the condition: ys: th of Eu- are radically the landscape. Spain would hardiy be it- self without its picturesque | Italy also and indis- | erffinate al are or ized cherities and bounti- ful, and lately the: dopting more sys- | tem, but the indu ideas in Italy are terrible, and it may be briefly suid the the only lesson it affords in the way of charity 1s Ly showing how not to do it. Geruinny's Admirable System. In spite of the wonderful progress | charitable work in other countries, it is in Germany that the most complete charit- able system is to be found. he scheme of organized charity that reaches to every hut and garret of the German empire, and distributes equitably the burden of maintaining the worthy poor, without impairing their self respect, has called “the most consummate philanthropic legislation,” German thoroughness shows itself in the intelligent study and treatment of benevo- | lence that lifts it from a sentiment to a science. ‘The German system is based on the idea | that every citizen whom the chances of life have made destitute 1s entitled to re- Nef, not as a charity, but as a right, in- temporary debt. ‘The law gives him relief in time of misfortune, as a loan, which, if circumstances permit, he is morally bound to repay. This relief is required by law to be ai- ways ready, not at a distant county seat, or behind the plodding formalities of a committee, but in shape to meet emergen- cies. To apply a principle so generous without gross abuses occurring is the task which the German love of system and painstak- ing thoroughness has accomplished. ‘The Citizens’ Duty. The examination of an ordinary German city will give an idea of the theory and practice, which are the same everywhere. Frankfort, which has a population of 15v,- j00u, is divided, for charitable purposes, into twenty-four precincts. Hach precinct has a committee, which is appointed and con- trolled by a central board, which includes the mayor, a chairman, whois a member of the eity council and specially designatea head of the department of charities, the chief city physician and four working mem- bers, who are usually wealthy men of spe- cial philanthropic tendencies. This central board meets once a fortnight and the chairmen of the twenty-fou? pre- cinct commiitees are expected to be pres- ent to report, compare notes and answer Inquiries. Besides these officers of tne army of charity there are the privates who do most of the work. ‘These are armen- fifteen ‘to twenty-seven described. These visitors are appointed by the cen- tral board, and are chosen from the best class of citizens. No citizen, however rich or bugy, is exempt. Only reasons of the greatéBt urgency are ever accepted by the board as excuses for refusal to serve. fact, the service as armenpfleger ts looked upon as one of a German citizen's most sacred duties. He enters upon his othce by a solemn oath, after due instructions in his duties, and if he is not zealous and faithful he is reprimanded and may be de- prived of his civil rights for a term of years, with an increase of his municipal taxes of from 12 to percent, and there is no com- pensation whatever for his services. All this work is gratuito: There is annually published a handbook giving among other things the names end residences of each visitor, in every precinct of the city, together with the streets and houses under his care. The first question asked of an applicant for relief is his resi- dence, and a glance at the book shows whether he has applied to the right if not, he is instantly referred there, visitor is empowered to give immedi Nef, food, medical attendance o> even money. It is his next duty to investigate the whole case and report to the chairman of his precinct, who reports it to the cen- tral board, where it is decided what shall be done toward the future suppo-t of the person or family. Sometimes Give Money. Contrary to the idea which prevails in most charitable work, that help should only be given in the form of food and necessities of life, this German society frequently gives muney. As all this costsia large amount of public money each community takes care not to support the poor of any othe> place. The assistance will be rendered where the dis- tress occurs, but the cost must be defrayed by the society of the district where the poor person has a legal residence. The number of visitors varies in the dif- ferent precincts, according to the proportion of the poor to the population, but it aver- ages about 30 pessons to each visitor. In German cities it is a very common sight to see houses with a little ovai iron plate stamped with the word “armenver- ein” (poor society) on the doors. This means that the people who live there con- tribute to the anti-beggary society, and pledge themselves to give nothing at the door. in each precinct Switzerland's Drunkards, ‘The somewhat paternal system of gov- ernment in Switzerland, where the town- ship has the characteristics of a family to some extent, together with the proud, in- | dustrious nature of the Swiss, and the | faithfulness of the pastors of churches, (serve to simplify charitable work there. pital loaned to | the | is a penal of- | @ifferent. There cherity mi be se in its | old original form of individual hand to hand giving, end the bezgar is a feature of volving no more discredit than any other } Pfleger (poor visitors), and there are trom | in| ‘VEDIC VEGETARIANS A Dissertation on Turnips and | Theosophy Called Forth by a Lunch epee VARIOUS PSYCHIC PHENOMENA ——_+.— -— Full and Free Discussion and To- bacco Smoke VVS ARE NOT GOOD WIVES acca Written exclusively for The Evening Star. Oriental opinion to the contrary not- = —————— savor, offensive in odor, not fresh and unfit for sacrificial offering, are attractive to those in whom tamas prevails.” There it is, word for word, from the es. sence of all the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita. But, of course, the uninitiated mind wil: fail to be impressed by all that is involved in a chotce of whether sattvas,rajas or tamas shall dominate the soul. Learn, then, that “when at every gate of the body there iNumination of knowledge,” sattva is t avality of your nature: ttva attaches to happiness, and if the embodied self exper- fence death when sattva is dominant, he goes upward and obtains the stainless spheres of Buddha. “Know rajas to be the embodiment of de- sire and the producer of thirst and relish. he remains in the middle, attached to action and vi pleasure and pain. “Know tamas as born of insensibility, the deluder of ail embodied creatures. It ties through heediessness, laziness and sleep. One dead when nas is dominant is born in deluded wombs, a dog, a snak °, a Worm— creatures in whom the power of .conscious- ness is very limited.” It goes from this, without any elucidating a human being, brating between withstanding, we are looking up in spirit- | ual matters. If you doubt it, compare our | ‘green grocer’s bill with that of our butch- ers, and note with what mystic devofion | | devouring veget2bles to the ex- clusion of meat. This, too, mind you, for | 's salvation, and only incidentaily | colleet that the practice is equally complexion ‘ea high priestess of theosophy voice in our midst last win- rived what frightful magnet- io ourselves eating flesh | bjured red-trickling i © we would the satanic | e power they duc- exetable | natured. of it, | | Ever st litted up her |ter, and de isms | fooa, and j ajest A practical reason for 01 is | mae that it makes us good » to go into the metaphy tue will understand that by assimilating with our ow » bodies of murdered beasts, their, arrested deveiopment resumes op- | in our vitals and degrades our na- | Seekin rfect. fe, we should ped upon th our phy potatoes, ripe | grain. Th t to produce | foo. exhausted in fruition, we | not have ap pi a to fear from thera, they the action of our and death re-! forms of these | plained, clearly the meta- | aitack of cholera morbus, is | fruit which occasions our dis- 2ins enough of its individual force | set up a rebellion against the order of Thus the historie woe of John- and his sister Sue might be tran- described n of an the triumphant | unripe peach. But this is @ are some of us who still venture point and a bird with our vegetables, eeming incongruity in this does not | appear to the enlightened mind that grasps the reason why a Christian may devour ;sny animal but man, and consistently damn the cannibal menu that includes him. he Christian feeds upon slaughtered cows | with a clear conscience, because he does not ognize the existence of their souls. The znnibal feeds on Christians for the same | 11a akewise we Vegetarians are gov- erned In our varying courses by different | degrees of insight. i At the V. V. Luncheon. | al Was at a luncheon given by the V. V's Ve Vegetarians) the other day. The Spread was not limited to manna and honey irom heaven, but ordered on as broad prin- | ciples as theosophy. It offered fish, fowl | | and fruit on terms of perfect equality, with | 2 lisht for our cigarettes after grace. ‘This | ; ligt was originally furnished by Annie | Besant when last she visited us, in explain- how it was, or I shouid say out of gard for her continued existence, how it is. Madame Blavatsky finds a cigarette com. peuble with asceticism. Ihave no direct in- telligence to warrant the assumption Ghat Madame Blavatsky continues to smoke | where she ts, but be that as it may, on | removing the veil from Isis she discovered hat, to us@ Mrs. Besant'’s own words, ‘smoking cigarettes uffords the power to ward off from one's nature certain vibra- tions of a destructive character, to over- ; come which otherwise there would have to | j be expended a great amount of psychic force.” Thus, if you chance upon us with | the Mithy weed between our ps you may | know that distrustful of owr surroundings | instead of idly beseeching Providence to de- liver us from evil we are avoiding tempta- tion by fumigating the tempter. We always smoke at a V. V. Not that all beg women we are particu- | larly suspicious of our surroundings, but in order that there may be a full and free discussion of truth without possible harm to any unprepared mind. Various Psychic Phenome We love Truth. We invitiably spell it with a capital T, and fér its sake we not/| only smoke cigarettes, but experience all | sorts of psychic phenomena that would , have got us smoked ourselves in the days when witches were not known for what | they are. For instance, at the luncheon I | have mentioned the wife of a western Sen- |ator related how the night previous her faith had cured her daughter of a terrible | toothache, and said that as she went back | to her own room after accomplishing the | | cure she was dazzied to behold her body | enveloped in a red light that illumined the |dark hall through which she passed like the light of the setting sun. The wife of a well-known judge told how a recent tour through Europe was robbed of half its charm for her by the lack of novelty she everywhere experienced. The strangest scenes and strangest people greeted her with an elusive familiarity that all but re- vealed to her how and when she had been associated with them before. AnotheT | woman told the story of her pet blood- hound, which suggested Balzac’s “A_P, sion of the Desert.” and a naval officer's wife narrated how she was followed to Japan and back br a tram cat that still haunts her at every turn with a renroach- | ful, lean and hunerv look, which leaves no | doubt in her mind that in some former in- | carnation of them both this cat has loved | | meeting. | | | | | and lost its soul for her. The V. Vis Not Good Wives. Afterward, general conversation turned upon Oscar Wilde’s new gospel of sin—that we overcome vice by being vicious, similia similibus curautur. If you could heve | heard what was said on this subject, you would know exactly why we sound no syl- lable of our “potato gospel” in your ears | if your soul still inclines to beef and mut- ton. Recognizing the truth that every car- nal impulse is, philosophically considered, an expansive force in nature, which must explode at one point if it doesn’t at anoth- er, we will covuk meat for men as long as they ask for it. Still, brdad-minded and accommodating as we are, I wouldn't ad- vise a man to marry one of us. You want our wife on earth or not at ail, and we} ‘'S are most al in the clouds. With our minds in and our spirits in “nirvana,” we leave you unwifed and yet not a wilower—a condition of affairs that is pretty apt to bore you if it doesn’t in the end render you polygamous. I don’t mind confessing that V.V. though I am, I eat underdone beef myself at regular inter- vals with great relish and an ethical pur- pose. In the fir: place, one does get beastly hungry living on hay. It is endur- able for a day or two, but there comes an hour when the growing, growing empti- ness within, like some horrible monster, roars for blood. and one must have a roast or steak or die, On such an occasion T take tne meat. Some advanced women prefer to die. her course establishes larmonious relations with one’s husband, and so the interests of truth and righteous- ness are served. The Laws. The code of laws upon which we have founded our vegetarian society in Washing- ton is contained in the ancient Vedas. There we find prescribed not only what we shall eat, but how much. According to the sacred rule, the proper amount of food to be taken js one-half of what one can conveniently hold. While it is possible to regulate the | latter matter in a way to satisfy both your conscience and your natural appetite by simply stretching your original guess at your capacity, the directions as to the kind of food are too explicit to admit of any such nice adjustment of duty and desire. “Foods which promote logevity, mental tranquility, industry, harmony of bodily functions, cheerfulness and sympathy with those of like temperament, and are succu- lent, oleaginous, producing permanent bene- fit to the body, and the composition of which is ascertainable at sight, are attractive to those in whom the quality of sattva is dom- inant. “Foods excessively bitter, sour, salt, hot, pungent, dry and ardent are attractive to those in whom rajas prevails, and are pro- ductive of depression of spirits, suffering | and disease. “Foods insufficiently cooked, deprived of | | | offering stra by an adept, that you can’t leave your soul at the altar while your body goes to th table and hope to Keep your spiritual pro- gress uninterrupted by the process of di- gestion. If you expect to travel our oriental road to righteousness you must sooner or later follow our path to the green grocer. Howev privately suspect that St. Augustine may have known what he was talking about when he said “Love |, and do as you plea, PAULINE PRY. DESPISED PLASTER CASTS They Can be Made Artistic as a ef Home Decoration. The Soft, Pleasing 'T sof Old Ivery w—-The Effect of An- or Ver tiques Secured. who has not seen them knows the ‘autiful objects into which common white plaster casts may be transformed, and that, too, with only a trifling outlay of time wad expense. In the streets of most large cities in the east, mors than the west, and in New York city most of all, pictur esque Italians hawk se commodities about at quite low prices. may be rt stores, metimes in beautiful designs, and perhaps costing a little more. But the hawkers are the originals in the business and have the jargest assortment. me may pass you often cn the street, his nut-brown skin ¢ contrast to the trayful of chalky white statuettes and busts: but be- yond a vague impression of this contrast you let him pass unnoticed. Pause next time, if you have an ey his wares. Here, first of all, is a pair of little brack- ets, the size of which would just support an old miniature. From beneath the shelf of each peers one of Raphael's immortal cher- ubs. There are real gems in spite of their whiteness, Some one has very truly said that these casts are to sculpture what pho- tography is to painting. Certainly, if you will take the time to examine into the deli- cacy and artistic quality of his wares, you | C0ok stove. will be able to ad materially to the fin de | 2? @nd it packs down in a siecle tone of your home. Some ears ago the home of the plaster cast was the studio and art gallery, perhaps sometim the club room; now they iend reliet to a tinted wall, hang conspicuously over a mantel, peep from behind portieres and decorate many an otherwise characterless nook and corner. Changed Into Antiques. Many persons care for them not at all in their plaster of paris lack of tint; for this, however, there is abundant remeay. in several ways they can be colored tinged to resemble antiques, ivory, terra cotta or bronze. The method is quite simple, and easily followed. Pecu- liarly artistic are the old yellow panels | shallow box and squares in bas relief, also Zroup pieces in ivory or terra cotta. For old ivory, a rather yellow tint, stir a third of a quart of good white wax into one quart of boil- ing linseed oil, let it get quite cold. Then apply with a paint brush. If you want an age-stained appearance, burnt umber. The cast must then dry thoroughiy; after which rub it well with a chamois skin, and the presence of the wax ting fat should walk +r in the features will soon be seen by appearance in all the softness and richness of polished ivory, the darker yellow re- maining in the depths and crevices. Thus quite an “old world” look is obtained. the polish is not desired, merel; coatings of linseed oil, keep the the light and dust, and the yellow shade will gradually appear. But in the bas re- Miefs or any case where the intention is to imitate the antique, the polished effect is best, the bright shadows faithfully reproducing pieces. A bronze cast can easily be ac- complished by oiling first with linseed con- taining a_ good deal of lamp black. Varnish it when dry with black varnish. Last, and the finishing touch, dip the brush in oil | don’t bother and then lightly into bronze powder, make Experiencing death when rajas is dominant, | to the beautiful | {an half an hour. A sick |and a thought for economy, and examine or | srass for plants, and dig welis. either oid | 5224 is as clear as sawdust and & add a little! or scattered to: their | as though she meant it. if | tle more were carried in ea woul ly use the | be a great help. area cast from | fairly quick, surface and dark | women ae said to the old | earth, excepting {POINTERS FOR WOMEN ; | Ideas of Timely Interest on Many Varied Subjects. | Dainty Dishes Suggested fur the Table, With Many Hin Good Housekeeping. ; Written Exclusively for The Evening Star. A novel “pocket-amp” can be made as 1 follows: Get an ounce vial, a small piece of | Phosphorus that will go in the vial, and some olive oil. Heat the oll to the boiling | Point, fill the bottle one-third full and cork i at Ughtly. When you wish to use the | “lamp,” pull out the cork and admit the air, then cork the bottle again. All the Space above the oil will glow with a soft bright light, which will last from two to | five minutes. When the glow fades, if you want more light, at once pull out the cork sain. As soon as fresh air is admitted, the light will be as bright as ever. By this Heht you can see objects two or three feet | distant, and it is berfectly safe, as there | 180 possibility ef flame. ‘This is the kind of | light that ts carried by the watchmen in Enetish and continental cotton mills, and in powder mills, and they carry no other. They are carriéd in all manufactories where ammable explosives are handled; this Nght, only on a larger scale, is used. The seductive “sandwich” was named for a gambler nobleman of that mame. Af- ‘er a fifteen-hour sit at a game of cards, he found himself very hungry, and not wishing to leave the game, ordered some bread and some cold meat, which, for con- nese Placed between the slices of bread, and ate ye vi so paiatable that he poo hn Tg A friends, and its Popularity never waned. One part of turpentine to three of linseed, oil well shaken together will make an ex- cellent furniture polish, The softest and nicest 2 piano or an: an < t cloth should be washed fre- for “grit” will scratch quently, even the tiniest particle of the polished woud. ‘The man or woman who has always a tale to tell of “how he suffered that way hite- self,” should be kept out of the room, His sympathy will do time. In the sick chamber, if the patient can see company at all, there should be tly bright, cheery talk, and with “symptoms” can talk a man into hav- ing any and every disease on led to forget his ills, and them or compare notes, - if you want a bright, hot Mee, te wet Yurner, cleaned up. Ashes absorb Ulties of heat, and add to of coal. One bucket of “ will do the work of two kept clear of dead ashes, What to do with waste drum in many househo! things “not” paper is a ids, but one to do is burning it A quantity of it will k most fashion. There is danger, too, on day, of firing the soot in the best thing to do is to stuff the waste in a bag kept for the purpose and on day, free from wind, take it to or some spot In the back yard and ' es. 6 8 One of the cleanest and nicest viarehings in the world for a little child is sand. summer a load of it dumped in a in the back yard will amuse the for hours cach day. They love to build miniature forts, make gardens, Wi play in it in its white frocks and not its clothes. For winter playing a sand can be kept just outside the of a few inches in two or three feet square can Sbread a lot of news) on the box in the middle, All it wit turn the children loose. Teach get off the newspapers with play all day in it and not half as much a SFR, at : i ff BE 3 8 i i i it, litter though they had : The woman who w af g H i is to keep great deal t She shoul fairly loose corset and a dress that the ground. Both arms should be swing, and if a weight of a pound or i 6 ° i ar The movement should be . the stride considerably Jonger than most women use and the arms should swing freely. Hold the head well up, the the shoulders firm, and stride » not from the waist. American be the worst walkers on the Chinese women, who do not walk at all if vinegar, milk character crust os or anyth’ of that S on the inside at a bottle, poking rags in 4t to clean it. Push back the stove hearth and dip into the application gently, and you have a/|the bottle a spoonful or two of the fine rare bronze statuette. Of course the var- nish previously used must be first dried. The terra cotta hue comes easily; merely oil the casts, then use several coats of terra- cotta paint. for a Nght color. Tite heads of musicians can sometimes be obtained in medailions; these are ex- Use a mixture of white paint | Pose. Sand answers admirably, but ashes. Pour in some water and shake thoroughly, and the bottle will rinse out as clean 4 whistle. Some housewives keep a can of fine shot for the same pur- the ashes you have always with you. house linen is exquisitely A lady whose quisite in a music room: what more suit-]| fine practices an economy that her wealth able for a library than medallion heads of | makes unnecessary, yet is worthy of emu- classic writers? The long bas relief of | lation. When her beautiful great big towels Donatello’s cherubs is a fad of the mo- ment, and is a litte beauty when colored and hung. A fine bus relief hangs above a low doorway with good artistic effect. | Small medallions of ideal heads serve many a dainty purpose when colored and polished, and make most attractive Ifttle gifts. Both be put to no end of artistic uses. The Dull Yellow Tint. Yet another and very effective treatment of the bas relief, when the design is de- tached figures, flowers, garlands, girls or children, is to give the figures a dull yellow tint, entirely unpolished, and then paint the background a deep soft terra cotta. These imitate closely the high-priced articles of Copenhagen manufacture and are dancing | the savi begin to get thin in the middle, she has them cut in half, the fringe trimmed from the ends, and those two ends seamed to- gether, and the seam neatly felled. The worn ends are hemmed and the towels then do another term of service as second best. It is a splendidly economical idea. | these and the panel-shaped bas reliefs can | Her linen sheets are treated in the same way. When they wear thin in the middle they are carefully cut in half,and the outside selvedee edges “whipped-stitched™ together. The sheets wear twice as long. Cotton) sheeting can be treated the same way, and ing will be quite noticeable, If the finger marks on your varnished hardwood furniture won't come off, dip a cloth in kerosene and rub the wood vigorously. Afterward rub briskly with a soft piece of flannel. You will be pleased exceedingly dainty wall ornaments. In tie | With the result. imported pieces the figures are but slightly raised and of almost cameo-like delicacy. To the artistic and creative genius, who de- lights in possibilities, the scope offered by the colored casts is almost limitless. For instance, a special feature of some late white wood articles is the omission in cer- tain places of panel work. This lac it is intended shall be tilled by carved wood the pleasure of the artist. But what could excel for this, in point of beauty, the col- ored cast? A very clever woman recently desi small bookcase with the aid of these, the deep cherry panels at top and bott were set ten or twelve medallion casts of classic writers, and at both sides narrow panel bas reifefs, all richly colored and pol- ished. The panel strips cost a quarter or half a dollar apiece, A beautiful sideboard, of like ingenious de- sign, is of satin maple. A narrow panel of game ts at each side, while across the top are set smail square casts of fruit, all in old ivory finish. The game p is are very low relief. In fact, righty chosen designs can be charmingly used ty all individual cabinet work. The next time you meet the dark-eyed image vendor do not thoughtless- ly pass him by. ase eES No Doubt He Was a From the Detroit Tribune. No doudt he was a fool, but t He went all smiling Chrous! Though wronged he ne'er distru Nor filled his heart with bit igned a In om No doubt he was a fool? His wit Could never fully understand The world, and so, quite cat of It, He, dreaming, found another land. No doubt he was a fool! When change And loss fell on him he but sintied. Amd then they thought it passing st He seemed so like a simple child. anze, No doubt he was ® fool! They said He bad no grasp of curth’s affairs, But when be lay before then dead ‘Their tears fell unawares, ~ 200 Her Joyous Season. From Pack. Giles—I never expected to see a smile on that timse. Merritt—She has her rooms fuil of theo- logical students, and they are all keeping Lent. en I? the bair is falling oui and torning gray, the glands of the skin need stim: and ‘cule food, and the best remedy and stimulant ls Hell's Hair Kenewer. landiady’s face during these hard | yaar ie ae ee ‘ Suppose “he” brings a guest home to dinner sometime when, in the exigencies of the day, you have provided for the piece de resistance only a dish of “his” favorite “hash,”"which may be minced beef, chicken or veal. And suppose the dish that: would do nicely for two looks skintped when three are to attack it. What are you going to do if the market is a mile distant? Why, any quick-witted house wife can tell you. She will put three eggs into dotting water and vet them cooking. Then she wil cut five thin slices of bread and toast them quite brown. In a ple pan or shallow dish she will put a tablespoonful of good butter, a pinch of salt, and enough boiling water to moisten the toast, which she dips in it quickly, then places on a hot platter. By that time the eggs are done, and cold water poured over them. Take the hash which has been simmering on the stove, and carefully spoon it onto the slices of toast, so that it does not look ragged. Slice up the exes and lay them around the edge of the platter, with one slice on each piece of toast. Good? Well, of course, it isn’t terrapin or turkey, but {t goes right where a man lives, just as surely and almost as satisfactorily, if properly seasoned and neatly dishe i A woman—or a man—with a cheerful ex- pression and a manner of repose always looks years younger than the birth register gives out. { ce way to use cold baking powder bis- cults is to drop them quickly in a dish of! cold water, then put in a pan in a hot oven with another pan fitted over them, leave them so for three minutes, then remove the top pan and leave them to heat through an@ dry. You will find them almost as palatable, when first baked. Still another way to use them Is to subject them to the just men- tioned process. Huve ready a hot meat hash/| or a thickened stew of chopped oysters, If, hash is used, split open the hot biseutt,piace| in a deep dish and pour the hash over them. ! Set in the oven for five minutes serve, | For the oysters, split the biscult and scoop) jout a little of the soft part: then put in @ spoonful of the ovster stew and put the j halves together. Either dish is excellent. The mother who decks her debutante daughter with diamonds is more ambitious) for show than sensible Youth is a girls | hie wei and needs no sparkling setting, | other than the flash of clear eves. the gleam j of white teeth, the cheer of sunny smile, with a soul behind ft. Painting the Mly de- | faces it, and diamonds on a young girl seem jto suggest that her charms need enhanciag + because she fs not in herself satisfying. ]