Evening Star Newspaper, February 17, 1894, Page 12

12 THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1894-TWENTY PAGES, MEDICAL DEEDS The History of the District Society and Its Development. pe ae THE DOCTORS OF WASHINGTON The Interesting Addresses at the Medical Society Anniversary, ——_-.—__— A DISTINGUISHED RECORD As stated in another column, the celebra- tion of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia at the F.ffes’ Hall last evening was mark- ed by the delivery of several addresses, which, inspired by the occasion, have more than 2 passing interest. ‘The president of the society, Dr. Samuel C. Busey, in his address, dwelt upon some of the notable facts in the history of the society of which he is the honored head. He said: “Inasmuch as the occasion which has brought us together tonight is one of those historic events which emphasize the per- manency of this city as the capital of a &reat and powerful nation, and, following 80 quickly the commemoration of the cen- tennial anniversary of the laying of the corner stone of the Capitol, identifies the history of medicine with that of the city from its foundation to the present time, I will venture to recal! your attention to such historic data as will establish the co- incident reiation of the medical profession in this city with its early history, develop- Ment and present prosperous condition. “On the Uth of July, 1790, Congress passed and on the 16th of the ne month Wash- ington approved the act ‘establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the gov- ernment of the United States on the River Potomac.’ In March, 1791, Washington is- sued a proclamation defining the limits of the new federal territory and directing the commissioners and engineer to proceed with the preparation of the plan cf the government city. On the Isth of September, 1793, the corner stone of the Capitol was laid by Washington, and on the first Mon- day of December, 1800, the Congress of the United States began its first session in the Capitol in tnis city. The Early Practitioners. “When Drs. Samuel Brown and John Crocker settled here, ‘the territory was in- habited by a few iarmers, their servants, and, perhaps, some tradesmen and fisher- Men.’ With the settlement of Frederick May, a native of Boston and a graduate of Harvard University, in 1705, medicine as a science had its beginning in the city of Washington. Others followed and in 1815 there were ‘nine physicians and two prac- ticing apothecaries.’ The first associate as- semblage of the physicians of this city took place in 1513, called by public advertisement “to take suitable notice of the death of Dr. Benjamiz Rysh,' the father of American medicine, and ‘to appropriately commem- orate his life and professional services.’ “Perhaps prior, but certainly during sev- erul yeurs succeeding this date, the in- @ux of charlatans and pretenders was so extraordinary, and such injuries and wrongs Were perpetrated by them upon citizens, that the qualiiied physicians began to con- sider and cise methods of procedure and organization by which the community could be protected from such wrongs and fmformed of the quali: tions of those fit- ted to practice the healing art. Those ef- forts culminated in a petition to Congress in iSlS, signed by twenty-one physicians, for the charter, which was granted, and ap- _— by vresident Monroe on the 1th of ‘ebruary, 1 “We have iuvited you here tonight to unite with us in commemoration of that event. And, now that you know that those nobie founders were animated by the high- est inspiration of Christian philanthropy and_benetic: in the foundation of a medical society, which has lived through a period of seventy-five years, contemporane- ous In history with the federal city and the government, you will appreciate and honor the pride we take in giving expression to our praise and gratitude in memory of those nobi men on this anniversary night. From twenty-one it has grown to an active resident membership of 214, of whom but two have passed the age of allotted life- time, and its senior in membership is a de- cade younger thar it. I need not, then, tell You that in physical vigor and intellectual alertness it is now in the very prime of mature life. Decrease in Average Age. “Such youth and vigorous manhood have mot always characterized its membership. ‘The average age has diminished with time and the increase of numbers. Among the honored dead twenty-seven lived beyond three score and ten, of whom six were founders; nineteen died at ages between fifty and sixty-three years, after the date of graduation, and seven held continuous membership in this society for periods of fifty to sixty-three years. ‘The average age of these venerable de- cedents was seventy-six and one-half years, the younsest of whom died at seventy, in 1874, and the last at eighty-nine, in 1893. In the primitive era of medicine in this city and during the early history of this society the life of the general practitiener could mot have been less arduous than since. Many of them began life when the practice of medicine vas primitive unremunera. tive in a com ity struggling with pov. erty in the development of a new city. It is true that the average lifetime of the! medical is much less than that of either the legal or clerical professions, but this general law of vitz! statistics fails to ex- Plain the average youth of the present membership, which represents five of the eight decades of tie life history of this so- ciety. These data are somewhat phenome- nal, and, perhaps, without special signiti- cance; nevertheless, they emphasize the fact that the pursuit of the art of healing | is not conducive to longev and, while the average life of men in general is in- creasing, that of the medical profession is Gecreasing. With an average of forty-three and one-half years, and a prospective death Fate of 57 per cent under sixty-five, the problem of life and longevity is of sufficient Magnitude to command your attention. It Will not do to ascribe this high death rate @uring the prime of life and manhvod whol- ly to mental worry, sleepless tire and in- adequate remuner-tion, for these find com- pensation in scious pleasure and consolation of duty well done. Whether referrable to such es- thetic or to graver consideration, the time | has surely come when the causes of the comparatively low average life of men en- ed in the science of saving and pro- life should be intelligently and de- finitely ascertained. Those few, thirteen in all, who have reached and passed the age ef highest death rate are equally sure of the inevitable, but can offer their juniors fhe consolation of their good wishes. Continued in One Family. “The elder May came here in 1795, five Years before the transfer of the government to this city. He was a pigneer who pre- pared the way for others, and the founder through whose professional life the history of medicine in this city during the years antedating the organization of this society ean be traced through membership to and before the establishment of the government here and continuously with its growth aad development down to the present time. His son, John Frederick, was born and began the practice of medicine in this city and died a member of this society at the age of eighty, leaving a son now an active resi dent member. In this family the continuity of membership has been unbroken from its organization to the completion of its sev- enty-fifth anniversary. This society, then, claims a life-time beginning before the gov- ernment at Washington and coeval with the foundation of the city on the river Poto- mac. “The Medical Society of the District of Columbia is the youngest of twelve medical Societies in this country, now in existence, which have reached and passed the seventy: fifth year of continuous active life, and is the oldest, if not the first, scientific body chartered by an act of the Congress of the United States. Ten of its founders were natives of Maryland, four of Virginia, two of Massachusetts, two were born within the present limits of the District of Columbia and of three the nativities are unknown. In personal lineage it is confined to three of the original thirteen states, but as a scientific body it claims ancestral descent eleven progenitors, who are present the assured livelihood, con-| | by representation with us tonight. It is, | | however, the natural and direct heir of the | medico-chirurgical faculty of Maryland. 1 “With such an ancestry dating back to 1768, during the period of coloaial discon- {tent and strife; a foundation springing from the noble impulses of humanity and |inspired by motives of high professional | responsibility; fulfilling in its corporate ca- pacity, throughout its long life, the charter declaration to promote and disseminate n-edical and surgical knowledge, and keep- | ing abreast with the progress o: science | which has made medicine the handmaid of religion, do you wonder that the successors of those who gave birth to this society, now living in a community representing the in- telligence, civilization, progress and power of a nation of sixty-five millions of free People, should invite you to this reunion to tell you how faithfully they have kept the promise of its founders, and to unite with them in giving thanks and praise to that Providence which rules the universe? The Glory of the Present. “The period comprising the years from 1819 to 1894 has been one of marvelous pro- gress in science, literature, art and in all that pertains to Christian civilization. The village city, with its domain of farms, scat- tered homes, graphic streets and avenues, ‘squares in morasses’ and ‘obelisks in trees,’ has become the metropolis of a munificent nation, under whose supervision it has grown into a city surpassing in beauty and rivaling in attractiveness the more favored cities of both the old and new world, and holding together in one compact community a cosmopolitan population where education and culture need neither the blazonry of titular insignia, the heraldry of ancestral distinction, nor the glamor of wealth to command position and influence. “During the same period edicine, here and elsewhere, advancing ag the lines of pathologicai research. and physiological therapeutics, has escaped =he era of hy- pothesis and speculation and now zs a science of precision and demonstration com- mands the respect and homage of the civ- ilized world. Now, as heretofore and every- where, it is foremost in charity, urselfish in devotion to the welfare of public health. magnanimous under public and private wrongs and generous to a fanit in unre- munerative perils and responsibilities. [tut even this is not the full measure of its philanthropy. The mission of preventive medicine and sanitary science will not be attained until the causes of disease sro eradicated and death is Mmited to the ail- ments to which flesh is necessarily heir and the process of natural waste and de- cay. Hew soon, if ever, this may be eccom- plished remains with the laity. Medicine will continue the pursuit with the zeal and courage of a science which seeks the wel- fare of mankind rather than place and for- tune. The medical is the only profession, trade or occupation which seeks, by its progressive attainment of its ultimate cb- ject, the continuous decrease of emolument. The Senior to the Junior. “One of the most pleasing incidents of this occasion is the presence of representa- tives of the eleven ancestral societies, the oldest of which was organized in 1766 in the state of New Jersey. This exhibition of fraternity is an examplification of that beneficent spirit which dominates the :nedi- cal profession and makes kindred of us all. Honored colleagues who will follow me will tell you of its achievements in science and of its educational and charitable founda- tions. I have only to conclude with a few words to my colleagues and juniors. “It could not have occurred before and can never occur again that the senior member will be unanimously re-elected to the presidency on the forty-fifth anni- versary of his membership and preside at the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of this society. Such a unique compliment cannot be acknowledged in words which will completely and fittingly convey the gratitude I feel for such ex- pression of personal and professional re- gard. At the centennial reunion some one of you will stand where I now stand upon whom will devolve the duty which thrills me with pleasure tonight. In the enforced retirement which must come soon I will cherish the hope that each one and all of you may live to celebrate the golden wedding day of professional life. And in communion with the Savior of man, who was first to heal the sick, the lame, tke halt and the blind.” Dr. Busey stated that it gave him creat pleasure to make the statement that he is indebted to Dr. J. M. Toner, a distinguished member of the society, for many of the his- torical data cited in this address. A NOTABLE CAREER Sketched by Dr. W. W. J Scholarly Addres: The address of Dr. W. W. Johnston was an interesting and valuable sketch of the society from its early origin down to the present. He said that “Twenty-five years age the first anniversary of the society was celebrated as we are celebrating the seventy-fifth now. Then, as now, the pre: ent was forgotten in the greater interest of the past and the history of the origin and early progress of the organization was told with a fullness and detail which will make the address of Dr. J. M. Toner a valued record for all time to come. I wish that he were standing in my place tonight and that you were listening to the story of that olden time which he has made so full of freshness and of life. I feel more than an ordinary emotion in speaking of the anniversary oration of twenty-five ycars ago, when I remember that my father in- troduced Dr. Toner to the audience on that occasion, and that with unaffected pleasure born of a life-long devotion to the interest of the profession and the society, he heard this story of early struggles in which he had borne his part, and ultimate triumph in which he so much rejoiced. “It is peculiarly fitting on this night of jJubilee that we should have as presiding | Officer the oldest and one of the most | honored of our members, and that he should be, at the same time, one of the most ac- | tive workers in the present as in the past, | giving his constant presence and his a: | to all that means progress. In our efforts now to make the past a living reality, we vil be much aided by the thought that |he has shaken hands with every president of the society except the first two, Wor- thingion and Stm. And if you will but take our president by the hand you will be reaching back and touching that time which we wish to bring as near us as pos- | sible In our felicitations tonight. That he | may long live to extend his counsel to the | coming years, that he may add many links to the chain which binds him to those far- \cff days, and that the distant future may yet be as his past, fs, I am sure, your sin- re wish, as it is mine. “I cannot restrain my voice from asso- ciating with the president’s on this anni- versary the name of Lovejoy, who is the second oldest member on our list. His iliar face and figure form a part of earliest recollections of the society, and his conservative wisdom is stamped upon every judicial and ethical decision of the last thirty years. The society de- Ughts to honor him and to thank him to- night for years of honorable and faithful service.” In the Early Days. The speaker prefaced his story of the learly origin of the society by a graphic | picture of the city in the early days of | the present elty, when a few scattered |houses occupied the present site. “The founders of the society,” he sald, “were ‘ac- tive, hard working men, too, some of them; Sim, the second president of the society, ‘would start out in the morning on a bob-tailed horse,’ the chronicler says, ‘and visit twenty to thirty families during the day.’ A sharp critic of the times avers that he gave but two medicines—calomel and Dover's powder—to all his pu Entertaining sketches were given of Dr. Charles Worthington, the first president, and Dr. Frederick May, the third president. Reference was made to the activity of the society in all matters pertaining to public health. Action in regard to vaccination was recorded in 1846. Cholera claimed the attention of the medical men of this city in | 1832, when 459 deaths were caused by this | disease. “With every year some question of | importance affecting the health of the city has been the subject of animated discus- sion; sewerage, the drainage of the fints, | the public abattoir, the ventilation of pub- | lie buildings, the nature and prevention of | prevailing fevers, and numberless questions | of similar import have been discussed, to | the great edification of the members and the benefit of the public. “Mention can only be made of the effort | to secure a permanent home for the society, | an effort abandoned in 1869, by the sale of | what would have been a most valuable in- | | vestment—the property at the southwest | corner of F and 10th streets. This revult | was due to the failure to secure the sus-| | tained co-operation of the members In its purchase, and the few enthusiastic support- ers of the movement were not able to carty (it through without the assistanc? of all. | | But that the society was able to 4. as far) | as it did in 1868, with a membership cf 140, | promises well for the ultimate success of | | the project, which is delayed, not aandon- ed. The Medical Society is not a rich body, lor we would have had a home of our own before this. The succes: the | treasury were, in 1851, A L$ SES, $83; 1873, $374; 1884, $516; 1893, $1, For the excellent administration of its tiaances the society is indebted to its treasurer, Dr. nzoni. “The society record is not without its hu- mor, although fun is not always intended. In March, 1873, the society was invited to participate in the inaugural honors to President Grant, and to appear in the pro- cession on foot, on horseback, or in car- riage, as they might see fit. The picture of the staid members of our society riding on prancing steeds along Pennsylvania ave- nue, bedecked with bright scarfs, and the society banner of Hygeia waving in ad- vance, would, without doubt, have created a sensation, and added greatly to the beau- ty of the pageant. On May 16, 1866, the case of Dr. Gudgeon, a veterinary sur- geon of great weight and prominence, was Teported to the society, the doctor having succumbed to excess of f&t. This tndivid- ual weished at the time of his death up- ward of 500 pounds. I can remember him as one of the sights of Washington for many years. The Romance of Lieberman. “The history of the society is not without its romance. if I could extract from the lives of our members all the moving stories and incidents of heroism, of dangers met and overcome, all the numberless acts of chivalrous valor, when there was no mar- tial music to incite to bravery, but only the sense of duty and humanity, I could fill pages and volumes. I would like to tell the romance of one who was presiding offi- cer at the anniversary twenty-five years ago, who was a member for forty-eight years, a doctor for fifty years, coming to Washington in 1840, and dying at the age of seventy-four. The story was told me by word of mouth, and is told here as I heard it. “Lieberman was = Russian, the son of a banker of Riga; his education was carefully conducted, and in tim’ he was sent to the University of Dorpat. Here he shared in the political sentiment of the period, and, like most other Russian students, then and since, adopted the revolutionary doctrines to which his age, his hatred of oppression and his love of freedom attracted him. While pursuing his studies at the university the fire of revolution broke out in down- trodden Poland, and Lieberman, burning with revolutionary ardor, joined a band of students with the object of assisting this oppressed people. Armed with scythes, old muskets, and whatever weapons cculd be found, the students marched rapidly to the Polish frontier, and crossing it. ad- vanced toward a town which afforded to their ardent courage, the opportunity want- With cries of triumph, waving their weapons in the air, they impetuously rush- ed through the gates, which seemed open to receive and welcome them. But once within, the gates were suddenly closed; they found themselves caught, trapped; the town was already in possession of the Rus- sians, and the young patriots were prison- ers. Lieberman was hurried into Russia and flung into prison, preparatory to being sent to Siberia. Here he gave himself up to despair; his life seemed ended, and he saw a banishment worse than death before him. He could not eat nor sleep. In the same prison was a Polish woman of rank, much older than Lieberman. She took pity upon his youth and misfortune, and did all she could to comfort him. One day, calling him to climb a ladder in the cell soas to com- mand a view from a window of the court yard in the prison, she pointed out to him, in the midst of a convoy of prisoners on their way to Siberia, a man dressed in rags, covered with dirt and chained to the axle of a wagon; he was crouching on the ground, eating with apparent relish, a Piece of black bread. “That man,’ she said, ‘is a Polish noble- man of high rank. His misfortunes are greater than yours; he has lost everything, property, family and liberty; he is going to perpetual banishment, and yet he lives and endures. You are young; you may escape; you should be hopeful and brave.’ This lesson had its effect, and from this time he bore his imprisonment with more ccntent. It was not long before he received the happy news that through the solicita- tion of influential friends, he would be granted permission to go to Berlin and study medicine, under survet!lance. He went to Berlin, profited well by the ex- cellent teaching there, and time recetved his degree. A passport was then given him to return to Russia by one of three ways. He chose to go by way of Hamburg, to take ship there and thus have an oppor- tunity to visit this important city. Comes to This Country, “On reaching Hamburg he saw an Ameri- can clipper ship just about to sail for America. The adventurous spirit was strong within him, and, having money, he determined suddenly to visit the land of liberty before returning home. This pian, which could not have been formed by any one not of strong and bold character, was carried out. After a month’s voyage he | reached Boston. The city was then in the throes of a presidential election, and Lie- | berman’s description of his ‘first impres- sions of the processions, flags, firing of can- nons, and general din and excitement, was very amusing. From Boston he thought he would visit New York, and once there he could not return to Europe without seeing the capital of the country. In Washington he received the visit of a Russian ac- quaintance, who, learning of his education under Laugenbach, and of the new opera- tion for strabismus (cross-eye), brought to him a big butcher, whose eyes were look- ing in every direction but the right one. Lieberman operated so successfully that another case of the same kind was soon sent to him, and so rapidly did his fame spread as a corrector of deformities of eyes and limbs by tenotomy, that in a little while, without the wish or effort, he found himself engaged in active surgical practice. His departure, deferred from day to day, was, in time, indefinitely postponed, and it was not long before his marriage, his grow- ing popularity, and his new associations, made him a permanent citizen of Washing- ton, and a member of this society, to whose welfare he was devoted for nearly fifty years. “His characteristics were strong self re- Nance, readiness of resources, much sur- gical and operative skill, and industry and | energy. His manner was brusque, but his | heart was warm, and his friendships and affections firm and fixed. It was one of his peculiarities that he would never at- tend any one professionally who lived on | the same block, or in his immediate neigh- borhood, and when one of his oid patients | moved opposite to his residence on 13th | street, between E and F streets, he posi- | tively refused to continue to be his physi- | cian. Up to the very last his strength of | spirit triumphed over the weakness of the body, and an hour before his death he rose from his bed, tottered to a chair and signed an important paper. He died lamented: he will live in our hearts honored and loved.” HOSPITALS IN WASHINGTON. Important Address Delivered by Dr. J. Ford Thompson. The history of the hospitals of the Ms- trict of Columbia was given in an address by Dr. J. Ford Thompson, who prefaced the purely historical portion by saying that “nearly everything that has been done to give our profession the high position it to- day occupies in the estimation of apprecia- tive minds, profesional or non-professional, has been the outcome of hospital teaching, for it is there, and only there, that those crucial tests of accuracy in judgment which our calling requires can be prooerly ap- plied and verified. It may be consitered as particularly fortunate that, as a rule, no objections are made, as no hardships are entailed to this using of the indigent sick for scientific purposes, and they may have some consolation in the thought that, as some recompense to the community for the often liberal expenditure of time and money, they offer themselves as a means of advancing the science upon whose suc- cess their own welfare depends. “It is to be lamented that, at least in our own country, there is often a !ack of har- mony and good feeling in the ranks of there whose interests can only be subserved by an intelligent administration and a standard of excellence in all that concerns the welfare and success of our h government; and this friction is g rally most pronounced, as it is most frequent, be- | tween the medical staff, individually, or as a whole, and the governing body, however it may be constituted; and it inevitably leads to a condition of things which haz often retarded the growth and timited the! sphere of usefulness of many an institution whose promise was as b-ight as chariiy | could wish or science expect. Perhaps it is | not alway easy to place the respunsibility for such misunderstanding, but it seems to be due in the great majority of cas | misconception of the bounds an the respective fields of duty and aan ment of the two responsible bo should say that encroachments : made upon strictly professi that its rights, at times e ruthlessly in- fringed upon, and {ts dignity and seir- respect assailed, without any justiflable or A asonable excuse for the action. | “It would seem to be apparent to minds of | ordinary intelligence, as a_ seif-evident necessity, that the medica! boards should be fairly and sufficiently represent=d in 11 directing bo: i that their ns counsels sho jand | which always come out well in the 1 | introduction | with the probable exception of that m in fractures advice should be unhesitatingly ac upon many subjects, of which they are capable of passing judgment, such, for instance, as the choice of physicians to fill vacancies in the medical staff, velection of assistants and general supervision of in- ternal arrangement and management, that can only be intelligently performed hy men whose scientific training and knowledge fit them for the duty. ‘The Ideal Hospital. “The ideal hospital, and fortunately there are some such, to my mind is one which forms a part of one great whole of a thor- oughly equipped medical college, of which the faculty should constitute the staf, all being under the control and supervision of a board of governors of the university, of which the college should be a branch. As the selection for faculty appointments is always made with great care anj discrimi- nation in order to procure the best availa- ble teaching material, the hospital would be, in the same way, provided with a of of coworkers of unquestionable ability and fitness for clinical work, which is the high- est and most exacting of our duties. In addition to this there would be the advan- tage of an unfailing supply of new life and energy in the young men Who «re now con- nected with all medical schools as special lecturers and teachers upon subjects to which they contemplate devoting their life would be thoroughly trairred : vir new position and ever ready and willing to supplant their seniors whenever the exigencies requir “A system with the main features resem- bling this, which has already prove? the eventually be adopted by all ch hope to retain their reputa- ence, for all recognize the fact that hospital treatment is rapidly replac- ing the old method of etic inst , and every year we feel more and more the necessity pressing upon us of makiaz pro- vision for the new demands, and nowhere, perhaps, is this want more keenly felt than in our own city. But the difficuities to be encountered before such an arrangement can be accomplished to our satisf. nm unquestionably great, if not entirely any probabilities that are now apparent. “Those who are familiar with the rreat hospitals of Europe and America cun com- pare their relative merits, and they must experience a feeling of national, as well as professional, pride at the rapid development and present efficiency of many inswitutions in our largest cities. Indeed, it will be ad- mitted that in construction, equipment and management they are unsurpassed by any others in the world, for which, almost with- out exception, thanks are due to the thoughtful generosity of private citizens. Such a one should be here in the capital of the nation, and a model of its kind in architectural proportions to harmonize with its palaticl sutroundings and rich m ail the appliances and furnishings commensu- rate With the great nation’s wealth and power.”” Dr. Thompson remarked that it was evi. dent to those who had examined the records that this was a very healthy community when this country was young, or that those in authority were sadly indifferent to the physical welfare of the resident population. it seems rather remarkable that here, at the seat of government and a rapidly grow- ing city, there was no provision made for the care of the impoverished sick before the year 1844, except the few beds furnished by the old alms house, on M street north- west between 6th and 7th streets. It is gratifying to know that the leading physi- cians and many prominent citizens were active and zealous for many years in their efforts to procure the necessary legislation for the establishment of such an institution 2s the city sorely needed, but their labors had been all in vain down to the date men- tioned, when a sudden and accidental turn of fortune enabled them to carry out their design. The First General Hospital. Congress was induced by a pressing ne- cessity to make an appropriation of $10,000 for the conversion of the old jail in Judi- clary Square into an insane asylum, but after the necessary changes were com- pleted it was found unsuited, particularly on acccunt of its central location, for the Purposes intended; and it was at this pro- pitious moment that the medical faculty of the Columbian University appealed to Congress for the transfer to them of the building for hospital and other purposes, which, being granted, they opened to the public without delay, our first general hos- pital. In the year 1861 the government took possession of the building for the use of the army, shortly after which it was entirely destroyed by fire. “The decade from 1861 to 1871," he said, “was an era in our national history, rich in momentous events, whose influences were felt in every nook and corner of the land. Our city was the heart and center of the great struggle and the theater in which was ¢ acted the drama of war, and in its pe formance the medical profession played a conspicuous role. Hospitals in great num- ber and of great proportions were hastily erected in various parts of the city and our medical men became intensely absorbed in the field of duty most congenial to their tastes and capabilities. “But in the decade mentioned there is much that more nearly concerns us than the trials and glories of the past, for dur- ing that period were organized and estab- lished upon an enduring basis almost all the institutions that are now in active operation, whose histories are interesting, but must be briefly told. Providence, Co- lumbia, Children’s, Freedman’s and the Emergency, all fall within the ten years, the Garfield appearing upon the scene a little later.” The speaker alluded to St. Elizabeth's or the Government Hospital for the Insane as in magnitude and all that pertains to the welfare of the special class of patients one of the model establishments of the world. “Of those mentioned in the list,” he said, “as of importance to the present generation the Providence Hospital comes first as to time and {Is second to none in the position it has so long occupied in this community. Its origin was in 1862 and was due to the help- less condition, as regards civil hospitals, of the city after the loss of the Infirmary the year previous, there not being one to take its place or meet the emergency, which was most keenly felt. The Sisters of Charity, then in charge of St. Vincent's Asylum taking advantage of the opportune moment, decided to open a general hospital of their own anf lost no time in carrying our their design. They at first occupied the old Nich- olson mansion on Capitel Hill for a couple of years and then secured by purchase the present site, to which they afterward moved, after erecting a i & building to the east of the old three-story house which stood at the southeast corner of and D streets southeast. This ground, and much more than the original purchase.is now cov- ered by the large and handsom? builling of the present time. “I have not the time, I think my allow- ance is about already expired, to give here a detailed account of this hospital or any others, for I am now struck by the truth of the remark of a friend, when I told him I was expected to give the histories of the hospitals of Washington in twenty minutes: ‘Why,’ he said, ‘with your best team you couldn't drive around and look at them in that time.’ Our Hospitals Compare Favorably. “T shall have to close with some remarks applicable to them all, although the genesis and developmeat of each are well worth study as illustrating the kindliness of hu- man nature and the untiring zeal ever manifested by our doctors for their perma- nent success. Without doubt the essential question is as to the amount and character of the work done as compared to that of other cities more favored, in some respects, than ours; and to meet this question au- thoritatively is certainly very difficult, for our early records, and, indeed, it may be said, our later ones also, are far from being | satisfactory in detail and thoroughne sO that personal observation and opinion must be relied upon to a considerable extent in forming a judgment as to our relative standing, past and present. “An experience, beginning with the old Infirmary and extending through all the hospitals of the city, with one exception, to the present time, with many opportunities of studying the methods and practice of those at a distance, may be some excuse for the confidence with whi is made that in every material respect and in all that concerns the true progress cf medicine the work of our hospitals com- pares favorably with that of others, and quite abreast with the best in appreciation | of the modern advances of science. it will scarcely be claimed by the most enthusias- tic that their careers reveai much, if any- thing, in the epoch-maxing and record- breaking line, but they do show capebitty o! conscientious performance “Claims are often made of priority in the method of treatment of disease for some particular institution or mber of its siaff; but few, I think none, have been made here, at least none well substantiated, for Dr. McV ms, of hi first ed adhesive plaster many ago at the Almshouse Hospital for making extension Our Medical Colleges. The theme of an address by Dr. Thomas mith was “The History of the Medical of some new operation or ginning with the first organized of these in- stitutions, the Columbian Medical College, which started in 1821, the speaker traced the history of the schools that have flour- ished in the District. At this time, he said, there is in successful operation in this c'ty four medical schools. A brief history was given of the medical departments of Colum- bian, Georgetown, Howard and the Nation- al Universities. The Columbian Medical College, the speaker said, has had its ups and downs. “While its second course of lectures was in progress some physicians attempted to se- cure authority from Congress to open a medical school. They entirely ignored the existence of this college, and it was in evi- dence that their purpose was to cripple this, the only medical college in the District of Columbia. ‘fhe faculty defeated the scheme. In 1840 the college was burnt out; in 1856 it nearly went out; in 1861 it was put out. In 1856 the lectures were suspended for the season because of lack of support, the dean having reported a balance of $8.25 to show for the winter's work. In 1866 the medical school moved into its present quarters, which had been provided through the gen- erosity of Mr. W. W. Corcoran. Prosperity has been the order of the day since then. “The medical department of the George- town Universit: the speaker said, “if the paradox be permitted, was born with a filver spoon in its mouth, and has held on to it ever since, for its progress and success have been uninterrupted. The or- ganization of this splendid institution is due to_ Doctors Noble Eliot, Fledoardo Howard and Charles H. Liebermann, who conceived the idea and developed met in Dr. Young's office, October 2 and, after deliberation, resclved to lish a medical college in this city. they did it, and it remains, and re- main, a monument of glory to their names while medical science is taught in the Dis- trict of Columbia.” The first session was held in 1851, and of the first faculty only one remains, Dr. James W. H. Lovejoy, who is still doing service as a professor and president of the faculty. “The Howard University was chartered,” he stated, “hy act of Congress, approved March 2, 1867. The lectures in the medical department commenced November 5, 1868. Two students attended the first course of lectures; scores attend more recent courses. It was the first college here to adopt the three years’ course of study, and has now, with other progressive schools of medi- cine, adopted the four years’ plan. “The National University is the junior medical school, and was opered in 1884. It has a corps of active, ambitious profes- sors, who are doing good work.” Dr. Smith then spoke of the character of the work done by medical schools and their influence upon the advancement of medi- cal science. een MADE THE BANK AT MONTE CARLO. the plan of organization. They | 18: M. Francois Blanc, Originator of the Famous Gambling Resort. From the Pall Mall Budget. One evening in the days of the second em- pire a crowd of men were reading the even- ing paper in a salon in the Rue de Rivoli. “Ah,” said one, breaking the silence, “so five millions are still wanted to finish the new opera house.” A silent listener took up a pen and filled in and signed a check for the amount with- out a word. By and by, when the new opera house was finished, that silent man was somehow the only person forgotten in the distribution of seats for the grand open- ing night. Charles Monselet is responsible for this curious little anecdote, the hero of which was Francois Blanc, directeur of the Casino of Monte Carlo. Blanc, a man of vast am- bition, a born financier and administrator, who might under certain conditions have been a Rothschild, but who lives in history as a mighty organizer of gambling enter- prise, was really one of the simplest of men. To see him in his brown overcoat, his gold spectacles half dropping off his nose, one would have taken him for a petit ren- tier whose wildest dreams were of the con- struction of a little grotto in his little gar- den with little plaster rabbits, and a foun- tain which, like Wemmick’s, would elmost wet the back of one’s hand. Before his Monte Carlo days he had been the guiding spirit in the direction of the Casino of Homburg. Benazet, according to his flatterers, was the Louis Quatorze of Baden-Baden. Blanc, who was impervious to flatters, might with equal justice have been led the Colbert of Homburg. A ded, silent man of bourgeois exter- jor, a man without enthusiasm and weak- nesses, who kept a lavish table and ate machine and permitted himself no more ex- citing dissipation than a quiet game of bil- Mards after dinner. I have heard it said in the Tattersall family that old Dick, the founder of the historic “corner,” never made a b -t of more than a pair of gloves in his life. So Francois Blane rose superior to the at- tractions of his own table, despised trente- et-quarante and was afraid of roulette. What he was not afraid of, however, was spending money. To compass his business ends he laid it out lavishly; and he might, so they say, have been credited with many acts of genuine benevolence and public spirit, whereof the story of the opera house at Paris may serve as an example. After the war the glories of Homburg and Baden departed, and on their ruins rose Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo was the great, the crowning achievement of Francois Blanc’s life—the desert cape, which by mere force of millions, he turned into one of the most wonderful of the gardens of the Med- iterranean litoral. But it was not done without keen oposition. He made the for- tunes of the Nicols in spite of themselves. At every fresh opposition he simply opened his purse, ard the golden shower fell in the sacred name of local interests. Mme. Blane, the most excellent of wives, was a tower of strength to him. Where questions of art and elegance came in hers was the directing spirit, and the good man, whose thoughts and talk were of figures and finance, was content that her taste should crown his work. It needed a hard head to withstand the attacks thatwere made upon him. Every day's post brought with it a hundred propositions and threats. There were people who had lost their money, and Gemanded its return with fierce menaces; speculative and inventive people who proposed combinations; there were even temptations offered of the kind which assailed the sainted Anthony; pitiful sup- plications and warnings of intending sui- cides—place and date carefully specified, so | that there should be no mistake. Once, even at Monte Ca-io,the Villa Blane was actually assailed, and two servants were seriously wounded in its defense. But the equanimity of Francois Blane was equal to adventures. Threats, prayers, all temptations, left him untouched; he liked best to stay in his own family circle, refus- jing all invitations, and indulging himselt oniy with a good dinner,a bottle of Chateau Lafitte, a cigar, a chat about financial oper- ations—which would sometimes excite him— and a family game of billiards. The only outiet which he allowed for his of abode. In one year he lived in Pacis, Avignon, Monaco, Dieppe and Loueche-ies- Bains, in Switzerland, where he died at last | of asthma. A respectable man, as respect- | Sbitity goes, fond of his family, and a good citizen, but withal, perhaps, the best-abused man in Europe, and certainly the indirect cause of as much mischief as any man in Europe. —-—— eee. MARRIAGE RULE: But How Many Couples Abide by Them? Frem the Philadelphia Times. Let her meet him with a kiss—not a frown. Let each realize the fact that they are one. Let the husband frequent his home—not | the club. Let him assist her in beautifying the home. Let her not narrate Mrs. Next Door's gos- sip. ee her not worry him with petty trou- es. i — him speak to his wife—not yell “say” | at her. | Let her make home more pleasant than | the club. Let her sympathize with him in business | cares. | Let him be as courteous after marriage | as before. | Let his latch key gather unto itself rust from disuse. Let her dress as tastefully for him as for strangers, Let him confide in his wife, their inter- ests are equal. | Let her not fret because Mrs. Neighbor has a rich dress. | Let her home mean love and rest—not strife and noise. | ee The Girl Who Giggles. Trom the Kansas City Journa ed when he talked to her, gled When he s “ won he’ ors if And now . Buell s dead. sgle wheo Young, Johnson | sparingly, who directed a huge gambling | irrepressible energy was a frequent change | OFFICIAL PERILS The Dangers That Beset the Path- way of Deputy Marshals. IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA | Lively Encounters With Reckless Law Breakers. SOME DARING DEEDS Written for Tae Evening Star. N THE MOUN- ins of western North Carolina only brave and daring men apply for the position of deputy marshal. The tragedies co quent on their efforts to enforce the laws regulating the manu- facture and sale of ardent spirits would make a volume more sensational than the blood and thunder | stories of the wild and woolly west. Since | the suppression of the Ku Klux Klan their duties have been confined almost wholly to breaking up illicit distilling—a hopeless task, | so long as the gorges and caves of the Alle- ghanies afford a hiding place for the moon- shiner’s still, The moonshiner regards the enforcement of the internal revenue laws as |an unjustifiable and monstrous infringe- | ment on his personal liberty, and, therefore, | the deputy marshal is his personal enemy. | In consequence of this feeling,the histery of the execution of these laws has been writ- ten in blood. After the Ku Klux. Among the first officers to acquire noto- riety were Ed. Ray and Noah Rice. Their names were usually mentioned in connec- tion from the fact that they generally went on raids together, and were the joint par- ticipants in a series of tragedies which made their names terrible in the mountains. Their first battle was with an enemy more formidable than moonshiners; it was with one of the most desperate bands of the Ku Klux Klan. Ray and Rice were then young men, and had just been appointed deputy marshals. They had warrants for the arrest of a number of the most danger- ous members of the Kian. It had become known that they meant to make the ar- rests during the sitting of the French Broad Baptist Association at Big Ivy Church. Everybody goes to the associations, and the crime has been a desperate one that wiil keep a man away. Ray and Rice knew their game would be there, and the game knew that Ray and Rice would be there, and the people generally knew there was going to be a first-class row; consequently, the sociation was un- usually well attended. On Saturday the news was brought that the “revenues” were coming. There were about twenty of the Klan together, and well armed, when Ray and Rice came in sight. The Ku Kiux had thoughtfully drawn off from the church, in order to lessen the danger to the spectators when the fight should begin. Ray and Rice came up under cover of an orchard. A Lively Fight. ‘When they were within about twenty yards | of the Ku Klux,they ordered the leader of the band to surrender “in the name of the law.” The Ku Klux leader advised them that he would see them in a warmer climate be- fore he would “surrender to a couple of Kirk’s pups.” Col. George Kirk, in addi- tion to having made a somewhat unsavory record as a Union partisan curing the civil war, had just rendered himself particularly obnoxious as commander of the militia which had been called out by Gov. Holden to suppress the Ku Klux Klan, and which is now remembered in the state as the | “Kirk-Holden war.” The Ku Klux sympa- thizers had given the militiamen and the deputy marshals who worked with them the name of “Kirk's pups.” Ray and Rice drew their revolvers and started toward the outlaws. That was the signal for the Ku Klux to open fire, which they did with re- volvers, shotguns and squirrel rifles. Ray jumped behind a large apple tree and be- gan to return the fire. Rice, with the dar- ing for which he subsequently became not- ed, stood out in open view and joined in the battle with deadly effect. For some reason the Ku Klux had a most bitter hatred for Ray, and it was toward him that most of their shots were directed. One after another of the Klan fell until there were four of them dead or dying, while many more were wounded. One man was so deter- mined to kill Ray that he loaded his rifle and moved round to one side where he could get a fair shot. He was in the act of drawing a careful bead on Ray's head when Rice saw him and kilied him on a snap shot. As he fell his rifle was discharg- | ed, and the bullet cut a lock of hair from Ray's head. The Klan Routed. Both of the officers were wounded, but continued the fight with such telling effect that the Klan was soon in full retreat and | they in pursuit. A few prisoners were cap- | tured, and when the officers returned to their field of combat they found a number of people counting the bullet marks on the tree behind which Ray had stood. I have | been told by people who were present that | more than fifteen shots had struck the tree. On the following day warrants were out for the arrest of both Ray and Rice on a charge of murder. Rice went to Ashevilie and surrendered before the warrants could be | served, but Ray was not to be permitted to | thus escape. The warrant was in the hands | of a number of men who would never aliow | Ray to get to Asheville alive should they get possession of his person. They sur |rounded Ray at a mill and ordered him tu |surrender. He went into the garret, where he could not be taken at a disadvantage, and defied them. He was well armed and they knew his ability to kill. He told them that he would surrender to Mrs. Deaver,but that he would kill the first man who at- tempted to take him. Mrs. Deaver was a friend to Ray and a very estimable old lady, | So, finally, the warrant was turned over to her and she and Ray mounted horses and rode rapidly to Asheville, where Ray and Rice had their ¢ Preliminary trial and were Moonshiners. After many minor adventures, in which Ray was shot a number of times end in which he shot a number of men, he and three other officers, who subsequently be- shiners in Ashe county. These officers were Weightsell Anderson, Robert O. Patterson and Jeter C. Pritchard. There were, in faci, two fights on that occasion. All four of the officers came on a gang of moonshiners, and after a hand-to-hand fight, in which a num- ber of the moonshiners were knocked down, | Some prisoners were taken and Pritchard was left on guard while the others went to | a house nearby to arrest two brothers who |had been making whisky in defiance of the | law. They were there with some friends, | and another fight ensued,in which there was |some promiscuous knocking down and in | which Anderson wes usiy hurt by a | stone thrown by a woman. While Anderson | was lying unconscious, Ray and Patterson | had succeeded in beating down ail opposi- tion and forced their way into the house. where they caught one of the brothers and got the.other cornered in the loft. Ray got | in a parley with the brother in the Joft and | climbed up to where he wes, the while talk- |ing to him of the foolishness of resisting the law further and him to sur- |render and save trouble. tterson was | guarding the prisoner on the floor below, | When the father rushed in with an uplifted | ax and rushed toward Patterson, regerdiess |of the revolver in his hand. Patterson | warned him to stop, or he would kill him, | but, impelled by a blind and senseless fury, |he rushed to his doom. When he was al- most in the act of striking Paticrson fired and he fell dead. At the of the shot the in the loft floor below and fired one shot the act of firing again whea him dead. Arrested, but caped. Like most men who have been compelled, in the discharge of duty, to take human life, Ray became careless as to wh shot, and on one prov: sometimes very sligh \ number of men. The last trage ty he participated in North Caro! came noted, were in a big fight with moon- | a mine in Mitchell county, where he and Anderson killed three men on account of @ | Private quarrel. For this they were both j Sentenced to hang. Asheville was then re- garded as having the strongest jail in the Western part of the state and it was there they were placed for safe keeping. One morning the country was startled by the knowledge that Ray and Anderson had broken jail and escaped. The chase was a fruitless one. Anderson has never been heard of since, but Ray actually returned to the scene of his former conflicts and crimes for the purpose of killing his wife, is father-in-law, Gen. J. W. Bowman, end his brother. Ww. The reason assigned for ‘his contemplated slaughter of his family was that his wife had sued for divores, in which proceeding she was acting under the advice of her father and Ray's brother-in- law, who is a lawyer. No one doubted his intentions, or the fact that he would at- tempt to carry them out; but just here the sheriff of Madison county took a hand. He raised a posse of men and kept so hot after Ray that he was compelled to get out of the country without having accomplished his blocdy mission. He was heard of in New Mexico, where he again indulged his eens eg and was compelled to fiy 2 aw. For three years nothing been heard of him. r on Now a Quiet Citizen. Noah Rice killed a number of men after the battle with the Ku Klux at Rig Ivy Church. ‘The last one killed by him was “Doc” Davis, a desperate criminal. Davis had been sentenced to death for the murder jof @ man by the name of Inman, and, a while before the day set for his execution he had escaped from jail. A iurge reward was offered for his arrest. Rice undertook the jtask and came on Davis in | Davis ran, shooting at Rice as he ran. Rice | ave chase, firing also as he ran. He caught | Devis and wrenched the revolver out of his hand, they both falling at once. Rice was | Shot through the body and fainted; when he came to himsclf Davis was dead. Rice re- covered, and is now living near Marshall, N. C. He is @ quiet and orderly citizen and has acquired large property. A Revenue Officer's Change. J. C. Pritchard is a maa much after the order of Nat. Goodwin's sheriff of Pike county in “Mizzoura;” although he has par- icipated in many esperate conficts, he has never taken human life. If he had to shoot @ man, it was always through the arm or leg, just enough to disable him. A braver man than he never lived, and the people of North Carolina have discovered long ago that he is capable of much better things than hunting moonshiners. Although still a young man, he has served a number of terms in the legislature with great dis- tinction and made a brilliant canvass of the state in 1888 when he was a tor Meutenant governor. In 1890 he ran against W. T. Crawford for Congress in district of North Pritcheraise ‘Carolina. splendid lawyer and is held in the highest esteem throughout North Carolina, yet at one time, not so long ago, he was a terror to ers the mountains. A Recent Tragedy. Not long ago Mr. E. M. Goolsby, chief deputy marshal for the western dis- trict of North Carolina was in the city on his way from Albany, where he had been to deposit a cargo of prisoners convicted of offenses against the laws of the United States. Among the number were the men who murdered Deputy Marshal Brockus in Madison county about eighteen months ago, The facts, as related by Mr. Gools- by, are as follows: John Liewallen had been making moonshine whisky and a warrant was placed in Brockus’ hands in which it was determined that the deputy marshal should die if he came back. Liewallen asked that he might be permitted to go to his house and get another cozt—an old trick by which many a brave officer has been done to death in the mountains. When they reached the house, Llewallen went inside while Brockus | Stood at the door, A few moments later, two of Liewsllen’s friends, Whitt and Pa- tillo, came out of the house end stationed themselves behind the officer. came to the Goor and said, “Come to books, boys.” "That was evidently the signal for his confederates to act, for at that Patilio shot Brockus; the officer turned and shot Patillo through the body, and was in turn shot by Liewallen. Brockus shot Liewallen twice, und was again wounded by him, when Patillo regained his feet and shot Brockus agein. Brockus turned and shot Patiilo dead. Here Liewallen’s father came into the fight and shot Brockus in the back He drew another and fired at the elder wailen, grazing the right side of his head, he fired acain and shot Liewallen the left ear, he fired again and his cut off Liewallen’s mustache as ch as it could have been clipped with shears. At this juncture he was shot again Liewallen, and, determined to sell his life 8 dearly as le, he turned and shot jis last assailant through the throat. He was again shot from behind, either Whitt or the elder Liewallen. made his way to his horse and rode distance of two miles, when his i A High Degree of Heat and Much Care Necessnry in the Process. Japanned leather, generally called patent Boyden of Newark, N. J., 1818-20. A glazed finish was first given to calf-skin in France. The leather is curried for this purpose, and particular taken to keep it as free as possible grease; the skins are then tacked on frames or scraper. pliant each coat must be very Neht and thoroughly dried after each application. A thin ed ts a. my hm | composition of proper consistency pu on with a brush and with sufficient black boiled in it to make a perfect 4 When thoroughly Gry it is cut down with a scraper having turned edges, when it is ;ready to varnish. The principal varnish used ts made of lnseed ofl and Russian blue, boiled to the thickness of priaters’ ink. It is reduced with spirits of turpen: tine to a suitable consistency to work with a brush, and then applied in two or three separate coats, which are seraped and pum- iced until the leather is perfectly filled ard smooth. The finishing coat is put on with special care in a room kept closed and with the floor wet to prevent dust. The frames are then run into an oven heated to about 175 degrees. In preparing this kind of leather the manufacturer must give the skin as high e heat as it can bear in order to dry the composition on the surface as rapidly as possible without absorption, and cautiously, so as not to injure the fiber of the leather. i to draw a moral).—“an@ ather, I cannot tell a lie.’ ” ‘Humph! Of course he couldn't ebei in his hand Mother (wishing he said, * Son. standin’ there with the he | and chips on his clothes’ = oe = O’Rourke—“Teldy, me b ol want to propose to Norah Shaughnessy, but of'm | thot bashful ol don"t know how to do it!” Gillis a ebbe if yez were to send ber }am anon) mous letther, "t woulé do!’—Har- per’s Bazar. sch; we fnes a wees, am? der was neval no bili.” —Puck.