Evening Star Newspaper, January 26, 1895, Page 19

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1895-TWENTY PAGES. LIFE OF HARDSHIP A Star Man Visits the Oyster Beds of the Potomac. HOW THE BIVALVES ARE PROCORED The Dredger Pursues His Calling Under Difficulties. WASHINGTON A CENTER 8S THE TEMPTING odor rises from the chafing dish andthe fat oysters simmer m their own juice— which must be dip- ped out as it ac- cunuiates—the per- gon who is gloating in delightful antici- pation of the coming feast probably never gives a thought to the origin of the pan full of oysters, to know the various stages throrgh which they passed from their slimy, salty bed at the bottom of the Chesapeake inlet to tlie buttered surface of the chafing dish. If, however, after they have been served piping hot and eaten, and you lean back comfortably to enjoy a cigarette, you care to know some- thing of these matters, listen while a Star man tells the story. It is a story of hardship, danger and pri- vation to those who gathered the oysters. Every one of those toothsome morsels which gave you so much enjoyment bas caused sogie one to suffer in the procuring of it. There ts not an oyster that comes upon a table but, could it talk, would tell @ tale that would arouse your sympathy, often your pity, for the men through whose hends it had passed from the time it was wrested from its cozy bed. In the very nature of things, the gathering of oysters is a toilsome task, beset with every kind of hardship, and attended with a certain amount of danger. The condi- tions surrounding the business are such that it is impossible for it to be otherwise. A Star man who visited the oyster beds of the lower Potomac a few days ago is competent to tell of the matter from per- soral observation. If any one is discon- tented with his lot in life, let him imme- diately console himself with the thought that at least he is not an oyster dredger. "Phe bulk of the oysters supplied to Wash- ington consumers come from the water- Ways adjacent to the lower Potomac and Chesapeake bay. Within a hundred miles of this city fs a sec- yy tion which to all in- J tents and purposes might be a foreign country, so un- familiar is It to the /7 general public, so v @ifferent in its cus- ; Yoms, physical con- " formity and its peo- _ \\ &@ ple. It is an aquatic 1 neighborhood, t he habits of life there- [| are bound up | 5 dependent up- = the water and SS NG tides, and winds rule TTS the affairs of men. ey Sailboats furnish the ordinary means of transportation, the sea yields food and oc- tupation, and the land is only considered as something to tie to in rough weather. In summer life thereabouts is careless, comfortable and happy-go-lucky. In win- ter existence is the hardest, sternest kind of reality, in biting winds, sleet-coated decks and rigging, and choppy seas that drench all hands with icy brine. If from the deck of a steamboat laying her course from Piney Point light to Wolf Trap shoal one looks to the right and left he sees the hazy shore line that seems to stretch in unbroken length parallel with the course. Half an hour's steaming out CROFU Miss Della Stevens, of writes: I have alw: or cares \ on Mass. am very grateful to you, as I feel {| that it saved me =} from a life of un- SS Ea aan aki shall take pleasure in ing onl Words of praise for the wonderful med in recommending it to all. CURED SWIFT SPECIFIC CO., Atlante, Ga. HY} DAYDDNDDNYNDAYDD BloodsNerve Food Wee tron TAKING Zo For WEAK and RUN-DOWN PEOPLE. ‘The 1 living, overwork, worry, ‘Also 2 Boon for Women, hy making the blood pure and perfect. itcreatessolid flesh, mus- @ nerves being made strong. the ndclear Tbox lastsa week. Price . Druggists or by mail. Infor. THE DR. CHASE COMPANY st. Philadelpie @26-w,s,m7St28 CP POCPOREOD ID IODOOOSSOODO If You Are Suffering from any irritating, disfiguring humor or eruption, such as Pimples, nes, Binckbeads, Ring Worm, Tettes ema, Salt Rheum, Prickly Heat or Itching Piles, you can be speedily and per+ munently cured by using Foster’s German Army and Navy. Cure. A positive remedy for all skin diseases, and inswring a bright, clear, healthy com plexion. 50 CENTS PER BOX AT DRUG STORES. Foster Medicine Co., Baltimore, Md. 42at2r-2 GOSS ES FFOEIDOESO06500090000 GRATEFUL—COMFORTING—_ Epps’s Cocoa. SUPPER. ze of the nataral laws i3 of df gestion and nutri- fon of the fine prop- - Epps has pi a di % SITHSS HHS 50S 0SO0E 9099990 OOS: 9 pe many es well fortified w nourished frame.” yy grocers, iabeled thi Ltd, Homeopathic Chem- Londou, “England. : 1s 43m, tu,som of the regular track of navigation would show this shore line breken and indented in a hundred places with bays and inlets and coves; with winding creeks making down from the interior, and forming deltas at their mouth. Here and there a wider creek would be pointed out as a@ river, and the funnel of a coasting steamer appearing apparently out of a corn field would show that was deep water some distance inland. This is the land of the oystermef, and these wide stfetches of water and the wider bay beyond are the fields of their opera’ Within the range of the naked eye, if there is a fair breeze blowing, one can see a hundred or more vessels, schooners, pungies and bug-eyes, under sail, moving along slowly, close-hauled to the wind so as barely to give good headway. Further in shore are as many more smaller seil- boats with masts unstepped, bobbing vp and down to the gentle swell, while their occupants appear to be very busy over the side with two long poles. The first are the dredge boats scour- ing the bottom of the bay for oysters, and the others are the “tongers” engaged in the same business upon a smaller scale. ‘When an oysterman goes tonging he se- Jects a spot where he thinks there are good oysters below and proceeds to work. The tongs resembie nothing more than a double garden rake. ‘These he lowers ¢-ver- board and, feeling around on the boftom until he strikes an obstruction, rakes and scrapes in the mud until he gets a lot of oysters, which he then empties on a board running crosswise his boat. Directly, when he has collected a pile, he culls out the small and young fellows, throwing them back into the water to give them a chance to grow. When he has collected a load he proceeds to shore and sells them to a dealer or to a schooner captain. This is the process of tonging, and a very tiresome and uninteresting thing It fs. The oyster dredgers are the men who see the hard, dangerous and toilsome side of the life. They work in winter time, of course. They are never afloat unless the wind blows, and as the prevailing wind is the nor’wester or nor’easter, the weather is nearly always cold and squally. Their small crafts are usually drenched with spray and the men work in the wet and the ice all the time. When they go to ved to get a few hours’ sleep it is ina damp and dingy forecastle, and they are more fre- quently hungry than otherwise. The dredge boat is a schooner or pungy carrying a crew of from six to ten men, part of whom are to work the ship, while the others operate the dredging machines. On either side of the vessel, just about amidships, is a ma- chine which resem- bles an _ ordinary windlass, with two handles for turning. Around the windlass is wrapped a chain and at the end of it is what is called the dredge. This is a ® collection of iron ~ prongs, bent so that as the schooner sails and drags the dredge over the bottom if — will scoop up the oysters from the mud. Then the men turn the windlass and wind up the dredge with {ts collection of oysters to be emptied upon the deck. This is the work, all day long from the break of day until sometimes far in the night or perhaps until morning. It is wind, wind, wind on that windlass, and Nft and tug at the dredge. Feet and legs are soon wet to the skin and their hands are chilled with the icy water and cut by the oyster shells, while the brine from the salt water eats into the flesh and makes dreadful sores. If a stiff wind is blowing {It ts difficult work to maintain a footing on the slippery deck as the schooner rises and falls, for there is no rail around the edge. The dredges can work at night as weil as day, and in this case the hardship is increase. It Is very difficult for one housed in com- fortable quarters and barely hearing the wind outside to tmagine the lot of these poor oystermen on the deck of a Chesa- peake schooner, facing the bitter gale, with the salt spray dashing in their eyes and freezing on their cheeks as they tug at the creaking windlass. The pay for this work ts from $12 to $15 a month and “board.” The board usually consists of black coffee, cornbread, and, under more fortunate circumstances, salt meat. The men are not even allowed to eat the oysters which they dredge unless they pay for them. The captains of these schooners are fre- quently hard and brutal men, whose harsh treatment com- 0 Pletes the misery of \\\ the unfortunate dredgers. When Gredge captain has secured his load of oysters he has two ways of getting rid of them. He can sail his vessel up to Washington or around to Baltimore { and offer his cargo in open market or he can dispose of the oysters to some of the dealers-and packers in the vicinity. On Cone river and Yeo- comico river and at other places on the lower Potomac several packing houses have been established in recent years, where many hundred thousand gallons are bought and shipped every season. The steamers that ply between Baltimore and Washing- ton furnish rapid transit for the oysters from the dredgeboats to the markets of the cast. One establishment located near the mouth of the Potomac ships 1,000 gallons of oysters a day. It is not an uncommon sight to see 200 schooners and vessels of ail descriptions anchored around the place unloading the results of two or three days’ dredging. The oysters are shucked and shipped from this place in tubs. These oysters are shipped in bulk, and go to the interior cities, supplying the country as far south as Texas. When they reach these distant states they are in small tin cans, packed in sawdust and ice. ‘The oysters that one finds In restaurants in the shell come to Washington by steam- beat, packed in barrels, or by schooner load in bulk. They are then shucked at the wharf or in the oyster houses and fur- nished to the trade. The choice brands of Lynn Haven bays and Saddle Rocks are brought by steamer. They are very ex- pensive and are handled carefully. Se Breathing Carbonic Acid. From Chambers’ Journal. It is well known that a very much larger proportion of carbonic acid than usually exists In the atmosphere can be inhaled with impunity, but only recently have we been aware of the large quantity that can be breathed without actual danger. Ordi- nary fresh air contains four parts in 10,000, yet the carbonic acid has to reach 3 per cent, or 100 timés the usual quantity before any difference is noticed in the res- piration. As the percentage rises the per- son breathing it begins to pant, but with air containing as much as 10 per cent only a headache fs produced, although the pant- ing is violent. The actual danger point is not reached until the carbonic acid rises to 18 per cent. Foul air in a room where a number of persons are present is not dangerous on account of the carbonic acid it contains, but owing to a poisonous organic sub- stance given off with the breath. Carbonic acid Is not a direct poison, but when the danger point is reached the alr can take none from the blood in the lungs, so that the fires of the human engine are extin- guished by their own smoke, as it were. It is really wonderful what the human engine will endure, for a candle goes out when the oxygen in the air sinks to 18.5, instead of the usual 21 per cent, and the carbonte acid rises to 2.5. “An Accomplished Fact.” From L*Annunatatore. “Grandma, may I take that piece of chocolate you left on the table? I will be so good!” “Yes, you may take it.” (The little girl does not move). “Why don’t you go and get it?" “Oh, grandma, dear; I ate it first!” TH WITH RICH CHOCOLATE FLAVOR. DISTRICT LAWS A Compilation That Has Been Made With Great Care. HS COMPREHENSIVE CHARACTER Five Thousand Copies Stored in the Printing Office. AN APPROPRIATION WANTED Stored awsy in the government printing Gffice are the 5,000 copies of the Compila- tion of the Laws of the District of Colum- bia, authorized by the act of Congress of March 2, 1884, which work was completed last spring, es stated in The Star at the time, by Mr. Wm. Stone Abert. Copies of this important and valuable work have been ready for sale and distribution for several weeks, but, through some over- sight by Congress, no provision was made in the act authorizing the compilation for either the distribution or the sale of it. The attention of Congress was called to this omission on its part more than a month ago by the District Supreme Court, when the court advised the removal of the copies to some fire-proof building, and urged that they be distributed and sold under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior. Up to the present time, however, Congress has failed to move in the matter, and the hundreds of people who would be glad to purchase copies of the compilation, as well as those officers of the District and general government who desire to avail themselves in an official way for official use, are com- pelled to await the tardy action of Con- gress, the work being meantime subjected to the danger of storage in the admitted tinder-box known as the government print- ing office. The compilation has heretofore been de- scribed in The Star, and those who have examined a copy of it, as printed, speak of the work in the highest terms, regarding it as one of the most complete and valu- able volumes of the kind ever issued. As completed, it is a volume of 730 pages, embracing 71 chapters, including an ap- pendix containing the Constitution of the United Statey the Declaration of Inde- pendence, the charter of Maryland, the act of Congress establishing the District of orabise foray ee various acts of Con- &ress and of the states of Marylund and Virginia to the same. i What is Included. The act authorizing the compilation re- quired that “all statutes and parts of stat- utes in force in sald District, including the acts of the second session of the Fif- tieth Corgress, and relating to all such matters as would properly come within the scope of a civil and criminal code,” shovld be compiled, arranged and classi- fied, with a proper index. The District Su- Preme Court was directed to appoint two commissioners, persons learned in the law, to make tuch compilation, and April 2, 1s Messrs. Wm. Stone Abert ond Benja- min G. Levejoy were appointed as such commissioners. They soon commenced their labors, but Mr. Lovejoy, dying the 2ist of the following November, Mr. Kegi- nald Fendall was appointed In his place. Mr. Fendall’s other duties, however, pre- vented him from taking an active part in the work, and Mr. Abert was therefore compelied to practically perform the whole work alone. The labor involved far ex- ceeded all estimates as to tedious re- search, almost never-ending consideration and assorting of conflicting laws, and the work was retarded by inadequate and tardy appropriations for clerical and other necessary expenses, valuable time being thereby lost by Mr. Abert. After four'ycars of patient work Mr. Abert announced to the District Supreme Court on the 20th of last April that the compilation was com- pleted and ready for the approval of the court. The compilation was shortly ap- proved, and on the 2d of June last the court directed that the 5,000 copies au- thorized by the act be printed. That has all been done, as above stated, and the work has lorg since been ready for distri- bution and sale. The statutes included in the compilation have been selected from the British statutes in force in Maryland at the time of the cession of the territory to the United States, from Magna Charta to the 13th of Geoge III, in the year the statutes of Maryland from April 26, 1704, to February 27, 1801; the Revised Statutes of the United States relating to the District of Columbia, published in 1875; the Revised Statutes of the United States and the statutes at large, in which the District is specifically named, or which refer to “courts of the United States,” and such statutes, civil and criminal, referring to certain territory of the United States, and all places or districts under the ex- clusive jurisdiction of the United States, and which are not locally inapplicable; also the acts of the legislative assembly of the District from June 2, 1871, to June 26, 1873. Additions Made. That was all which was required by the act authorizing the compilation, but, in addition to the appendix above referred to, Mr. Abert made the work of much greater value and importance by adding to it the following: 1. Head notes to each chapter, briefly describing the subject of each sec- tion. 2. Subjective side notes for each sec- tion. 8. Marginal references to the text whence each section was selected. 4. Cross- references to other sections of text con- taining the same or kindred subjects. 5. Judicial citations of the federal courts and of the Maryland court of appeals, ex- plaining or construing the text. 6. Foot notes referring to subsequent acts of Con- gress relating to the District of Columbia, and inciuded in volumes 26 and 27, United States Statutes at Large; also references to the municipal ordinances in force in different pcrtions of the District of Colum- bia, viz: Washington city, Georgetown, the levy court and ordinances of the board of health. In order to make the compilation of still greater value, Mr. Abert again went be- yond the requirements of the act authoriz- ing it, by including in foot-note references subsequent acts of Congress relating to the District, included in volumes 26 and 27 of the United States Statutes at Large, em- bracing the acts passed by the Fifty-first and the Fifty-second Congresses. The acts of Congress referred to in the compilation therefore cover a period from the passage of the first statute of the United States, that of June 1, 1789, which statute, by the way, was signed by George Washington, and prescribed the form of oath to be taken by the officers of the government, to the 4th of March, 1803. Question of Compensation. From the foregoing it will be seen that the compilation, as completed by Mr. Abert and as printed, has gone far beyond the requirements directed by the act authoriz- ing it, and in so doing he has, in the opinion of the District Supreme Court and of the Bar Association of the District, made the work that much more valuable and important. The members of the court and of the Bar Association have so ex- pressed themselves in letters addressed to Congress, and have urged that Mr. Abert be compensated accordingly. The District Commissioners and their attorney, as well as District Attorney Birney, have also in- dorsed this suggestion. The act authoriz- ing the compilation fixed the compensation of the compilers at $1,500 each, to be paid upon the completion of the work. If he should receive no further compensation than that prescribed by the act authoriz- ing the compilation, he would receive not quite $400 a year for the four years he was engaged in making the compilation. The second edition of the Revised Stat- utes of the United States, authorized by the act of March 2, 1877, occupied the eommissioner over one year in its prep- aration. It included the acts of two ses- sions of Congress passed subsequent to December 1, the 1873, as well as the text of rst edition, published In 1875. For his 3 the commissioner was pald the sum of $5,000. For preparing the sapeie ment to the Revised Statutes of the United States, Including the laws contained in the 18th, 19th, 20th and 2ist Statutes at Large, and including clerical services, there was paid the editor 35,000. For the second edi- tion of the supplement, including the legis- lation subsequent to the former edition and the acts of the Fifty-first Congress, there was likewise paid the editor the sum ration of the Re- vised Statutes United States, first edition, $51,000 appropriated, three commissioners receiving $15,000 each, while they were allowed $2,900 annually, for three years, for clerical and incidental expenses. ‘The cost of the publication of the compila~ tion of the Distfic?:laws, as ascertain from figures furnished by the public printer, was $11,571.67. Disproportionate Amount Allowed. An examination Of these figures will show at once how disproportionate an amount Congressi has allowed for the com- pilation of a work which has been so long and so sorely reedéd, and one which the District judicial and executive authorities have highly approved. Recognizing this fact, the authorities have, as above ex- plained, recomménded that Mr. Abert be appropriately recompensed. They have, therefore, reccommended that he be paid the sum of $6,000. Such a sum, they state, would be reasonable and just, and they point out that if the amount is added to the cost of the compilation the payment of the sum to Mr. Abert wauld involve no ul- timate outlay of public money, and could be included in the price at which the com- pilation could be sold—$3.75. Provision for such compensation had been made by Senator Hunton, who proposes to amend the District appropriation bill, now before the Senate, by providing that a sum not exceeding $6,000, to be paid wholly out of the revenues of the District, shall be paid Mr, Abert upon the order of the District Supreme Court, which sum shall be added to the cost of the compilation and the price for which the same shall be sold. Senator Huaton’s amendment also pro- vides that the District shall be reimbursed in said amount from the proceeds of the sale of the compilation, after the amount arising therefrom shall equal the cost of its publication, and the Secretary of the Interior, after distributing 214 copies to the President, judges and other officers re- quiring them ‘or official use, is directed to sell the remaining copies at $3.75 a copy.” There has been an impression prevailing among some people that the compilation will be the law of the District. Such, how- ever, is not true. The work is only what its title signifies, a compilation of the laws of the District—that is, laws relating to and apparently obtaining here. But until the compilation is made by special enact- ment of Congress to be prima facie evi- dence of the laws contained therein it cannot te taken legally to be the law of the District. Such a course was pursued by Congress in the matter of the Revised Statutes of the United States, and it is probable that Congress will follow the same course in the matter of this complla- tion of the laws of the District. oe Hypnotism and Music. From the New York Press. The recent researches of Cesar Lombroso into hypnotic conditions have startled the scientific world to such a degree that we are continually hearing of new and success- ful experiments in the hitherto unknown. Thus that grave and learned journal, the Medical News, now offers with authority certain remarkable results proceeding from the influence of music on mesmerism. The e>periments in question were undertaken by Alfred S. Warthin, demorstrator of chemical medicine in the University of Michigan. In his extremely interesting article Prof. Warthin declares that he was tompted into this investigation by an ob- servation of the effects of German music on its admirers. While he was attending a series of performances of Wagner operas he discovered that certain people in the audience were in a state of self-induced hypnosis. Further study of this condition enabled him to determine that these music lovers were for the time being so complete- ly absorbed by sourds that all external re- lations were removed from them; that they were in a state wherein nothing but music existed, or, in other words, that they were completely under the hypnotic influence of the music drama. These conclusions Jed Dr. Warthin into a series of experiments, the results of which are now presented for our consideration. He could not afford to employ an opera company to hypnotize people. So he did the next best thing, and tried the effect of the music drama on the people who were already hypnotized. His first subject was a brother physician, . This gentleman was placed in a hypnotic state and Wagner's “Ride of the Walkure” was played at him on a piano. Immeiiately the subject's face showed great mental excitement, his body twitched with violent emotion, his legs were drawn up in seeming agony, his arms tossed wildly in the air and he broke out in profuse perspiration. On being awakened from his trance the patient declared that he had not perceived the music as sound, but as feeling, and that feeling was the sensation of excitement as if he were riding furiously through the air. Another subject experimented on with the fire music of “The Walkure” gave every indication that he felt himself in the midst of flames. ‘The “Walhalla” motive gave a third patient the firm belief that he was climbing a lofty mountain and surveying a landscape of much beauty and grandeur. eae pepe ae Passes for Public Officials. From the Chicago Record. The action of the New York constitution- al convention in forbidding the use of rail- road passes by all officials has evidently brought the question into such prominence as it has not had before, for similar propo- sitions are being seriously considered in other states. A bill to that effect is aiready before the Indiana legislature, and the matter is much agitated in Wisconsin, where Chairman Thom of the republican state committee is one of its advocates. Undoubtedly the action of Mayor Hopkins in forcing passes for himself and party from the Pennsylvania road by using the police force as a club ‘has caused people to think in Illinois. i Mayor Hopkins speaks boastingly of his triumph in securing the passes because they were for the purpose of carrying citizens to Washington to secure a much- needed post office building. Nevertheless it cannot have escaped the thoughtful per- son that the method employed smacked very much of the blackmailing schemes unearthed by the Lexow committee in New York. If a mayor can use a police force to coerce a road into giving passes in one instance, why not in all? In view of the fact that the raflroads give out thou- sands of dollars’ worth of passes in Illl- nois alone every year, it is pertinent to suggest that they do so because they dare not refuse—in which case they virtually are being blackmailed—or because they get value received. If the railroads do get valuable favors in return for passes, it is, of course, at the expense of the people. There is little justification in reason for the custom, and if the people had not be- come used to it they would consider it preposterous. It is especially incongruous and, in view of a growing suspicion of corporate influence over the judiciary, tm- politic that judges who hear cases affecting railroads should hold passes from those same roads for which they render no con- sideration that 1s evident to the people. Abolish passes for public officials. ——-+-+ A Strong Company. of $6,000. For From Life. First Theatrical Manager.—Going to have a tank in your piece this season?” Second Theatrical Manager (enthusiastic- ally.—“Every man in my company is a tank!” . MINCE MEAT Two large pies are made from each package of None-Such Mince Meat. Be sur ZN For sale by all grocers. and get the None-Such. CES Ree co., THE USES OF BAMBOO. The Japanese Find in It a Provision for Almost Every Want. Nearly every variety of the bamboo is utilized in the country where it grows for some purpose or another, but the largest species known as the bambusa arundi- nacea, which is almost the most common, can be applied to so many useful purposes that to refer in detail to a tithe of them would be. wearisome. The stem of this bamboo is surmounted by light, feathery leavés, which give a most beautiful effect to the groves wherein it is cultivated. It grows very rapidly, some- times at the rate of a couple of feet a day. It was this peculiarity, in conjunction with its strength, that enabled the old Ceylon chiefs to use it as the means of torturing and executing their prisoners. Binding the unfortunate men to the growing shoots, in a few hours’ time the pipe-like stems bad either pierced their bodies or rent them asunder. The bamboo can only perhaps be seen in perfection in South America, India and the trepical islands of the world; but the in- genuity and love of beauty which charac- terize the Japanese enable them to convert it to a far greater number of serviceable and ornamental purposes than can the un- tutored natives of the other countries wherein it grows. In all the cities, towns and villages of Japan there are numerous shops, in certain places whole streets of them, wherein bambovus, in some form or other, are exposed for sale. And the dis- covery of new methods of using them not hitherto seen will be a daily occurrence during a traveler’s sojourn among these in- genious people. Matting, furniture, screens, blinds, bas- kets, washing basins, baths, buckets, lad- ders, brooms, stools, trays, cooking uten- sils and other domestic articles are all easily made from some part or another of these extraordinary grasses. So are pipes, tobacco jars, walking sticks, fans, umbrel- las, combs, spoons, flutes and other mu- sical instruments. Then they are by cun- ning workmen turned into articles of pure- ly ornamental character, such as flower vases beautifully carved, picture frames, grotesque images, ingeniously opening and closing boxes, frames, trays, placques and other things that would make far too for- midable a list to specially enumerate in any class of literature but an auctioneer’s catalogue. In the way of clothing, umbrel- Ja hats, which are, probably, for a hot or wet climate, the best form of head cover- ing now used in any part of the world, san- dals, clogs and a peculiar form of cloak worn by the peasantry as a protection against rain, are gifts for which the people are indebted to bamboo. Bamboo harnesses and panniers for horses and oxen are also frequently seen. Piping for drains or conduits, made from the largest-sized stems, is in universal use in the small towns and villages. These pipes are made by fitting selected bamboos together by wedging them firmly one in an- other until the length required has been reached. The divisions in the stems have, of course, to be first cut out or pierced in such a way that the water can readily flow through them. In Japan the greatest danger apprehended ccmes from earthquakes, which not only destroy buildings, but open up the ground. Earthquakes, however, are such ordinary events that only very violent ones produce any consternation, for the houses, being built in a light way by a free use of bam- boo, are not very dangerous, even if shaken down. In remote country districts the peo- ple living adjacent to bamboo groves are said to rush there at the first premonitory warning that an earthquake is likely to be more than usually violent, for they have discovered that the tangled network of in- terwoven roots these grasses shoot out in every direction afford a reliable support, even when the earth splits and yawns be- neath. The bamboo supplies, in its young and succulent shoots, a vegetable which is in universal use, and is frequently to be seen on the menus of hotels and the dinner ta- bles of the foreign residents in the treaty ports. It is often compared to asparagus, but there are few who taste If for the first time, who do not think the comparison litelous. Nevertheless, bamboo sprouts are not bad eating, either as a vegetable or in the form of pickles or preserves. +008 Written for The Evening Star. In Golden Sleep. The soul sees Bacon, grand at court, In velvet cloak and golden chain, With glory to the Wocisack brought ‘Mong all the triumphs men attain, The great bis mighty genius Isud In classics, selence, history, law; But ‘mld the glitter and the gand ‘The Seal is not without a flaw. Tho soul sees Shakespeare, Fancy’s king, A very man of very man; Though monarch with the signet ring Most human since the world began. A poet breathing dairtiest dreams; A playwright, master of mankind, Whose brain illumines like the beams Of sunshine that the harvests bind. DAVID GRAHAM ADEE CHILES AND FEVER Freezing one minute, burn- ing up the next— racked with aches from head to foot. When you’re in this condi- tion, preparations of quinine and opiates are more danger- ous than efficient. Chills and fever and all malarial troub- les can be cured—remember, can be Cured with ainNiller a remedy with a reputation of 50 years standing. Try it. Sold everywhere. The quan- tity has been doubled but the price remains the same. Perry Davis & Son, Providence, R. I. soeuueagnanusaacunsuuuscuceesuuasocgneauussesasnsasseveainuan Ladies, 1 INVITE YOU ALL TO MY TEMPLE OF EAUTY, THE FINEST TOILET PARLORS IN THE oa. FB sony CITY. My famous French preparation of ‘‘Celnart”” has now for seven years stood the test over all others, and 1s guaranteed to permanently DEVELOP the FORM from 4 to 5S tnches, and has never failed, iy ROYALE CREME For the Comptericn will positively cure overs engo of FRECKLES, PIMPLES, BLACKHEADS, ROUGH- NESS and ‘any discoloration. My Perfumed AI- MOND MEAL as a substitute for soap is the finest reparation ever invented, ROYALE VELVET TOILET POWDER has no equal. I am the sole nianufacturer of these preparations, and my success for past years has been’ most phenomenal, All Indies are invited to call and see me or send for my pamphlet, ‘Che Perfection of Face and Form,” which is mailed FREE to all. Call or address {ADAME JOSEPHINE LE FEVRE. Suite 22 and 24, jetzerott bidg., *110 F st. n.w., Washington, D.C. Facial Treatment, Shampooing’ and Manicuring. Main Office, 1208 Chestnut st., Philadelphia, Pa. d29-e089t PRU: ESS OR THE LIQUOR HABIT POST- tively cured by administering Dr. Haines’ Golden Specific. It can be given In a cup of coffee or fea, ar ig food, without the knowledge ot | the patlent. It fs alsolutely harmless, and will effect @ permanent and specdy cure, whether the patient 1s a moderate drinker or an alcoholic wreck. It has been given in thousands of cases, and in every Instance a perfect cure has followed. It never fails. The system once impregnated with the Speelfie, It becomes an utter impossibility for the Mquor appetite to exist. GOL \ SPE- CIFIC CO., Preps., Cincinnati, Ohio. Particulars free. To be had of FP. S WILLIAMS & CO., Oth and F sts. n.w.; 8. ¥. WARE, under Bb: Ditt House, Washington, n20-tu, this,3m* NEW TELEPHONE PLAN. Ringing the Bell to Be Supplanted by Electric Lights. From the Chicago Inter-Ocean. Under a new system, partially and suc- cessfully in operation, the Chicago Tele- phone Company is going to take “the crank” off the telephone—that is, the handle by which the hello girl is rung up, and sometimes wrought up. Scon the only thing a subscriber will have to do is to take his "phone off the hook, and, putting his mouth to the transmitter, say: “Give me two-two nines,” to get 209, and it will be done without any exertion of ringing or turning a crank. Or, if one should want main 209, for instance, take off the ‘phone and whisper in the transmitter: “two, aught (it must be “aught,” for the hello girl insists upon calling “naught” “aught’’), nine, and you will get connection without further trouble, The new system ts simply making the eye assist ot what the ear, the telephone ear, of the hello girl has had to do unas- sisted. At present when a subscriber rings up “central” an “annunciator,” like unto those in hotels, falls and tells the operator what number wants to talk. This annunciator is replaced by an electric lamp or incandes- cent miniature light, which fares up in front of the operator. ‘Connect me with two-‘ought’-two,” and the proper plug is put in on the switchboard, another light flares up, showing connection is made, and then both go out and are dark so,long as talk is held between the two lamps. So soon as one gets through and hangs up his ‘phone her lamp is lit, and the operator knows he’s done talking, but waits until the other lamp looms up before severing the connection, and thus putting out both lamps. If the central makes no reply to the first hello the ‘phone hook can be moved up and down, making a pyrotechnic display before the eyes of the operator, which she must quench by answering, lest she be blinded. —+2e+—_. A Soft Answer. From Pearson's Weekly. Actress (angrily)—“Did you write that criticism which said my impersonation of the ‘Abandoned Wife’ was a miserable failure?” Critic—"Y-e-e-e-es; you see, you looked so irresistibly beautiful that it was impossi- ble to fancy that any man could abandon you.” OND ENJOYS Both the method and results when Syrup of Figs is taken; it is pleasant and refreshing to the taste, and acts gently yet promptly on the Kidneys, Liver and Bowels, cleanses the sys- tem effectually, dispels colds, head- aches and fevers and cures habitual constipation. Syrup of Figs is the only remedy of its kind ever pro- duced, pleasing to the taste and ac- ceptable to the stomach, prompt in its action and truly beneficial in its effects, prepared only from the most healthy and agreeable substances, ita many excellent qualities commend it to all and have made it the most popular remedy known. yrup of Figs is for sale in 50 cent bottles by all leading drug- gists. Any reliable druggist who may not have it on hand will pro- cure it promptly for any one who wishes to try it. Do not acceptany substitute. CALIFORNIA FiG SYRUP CO. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. LOUISVILLE, KY. WEW YORK, W.¥. Keep a Clear fiead SO AS TO BE ABLE TO BREATHE THROUGH YOU NOSTRILS. You will thereby greatly avoid the dan- r of serious THROAT and LUNG TROUBLES. If your nostrils are clodded from Catarrh, Cold in the Head ae other cause, USE Gerber’s Tube Salve, READ BELOW WHAT A GENTLEMAN «SAYS WHO HAS USED IT. Before I used Gerber’s Tube Salve I was @ great sufferer from catarrh in the head— in fact, so much so that I at times lost speech,’ taste and smell. I tried a great many so-called catarrh cures, but found no relief in any of them until I began to use Gerber's Tube Salve. From it I obtained instant relief, and I began “to improve at once and soon felt like a new man, That lias been two years ago, and am happy to say that I have had little or no trouble since. With a supply I always keep on hand, I feel perfectly safe. Yours truly, GEO. B! KINS, 101 G st. s. SOLD RY ALL DRUGGISTS. PRICE, 10 CENTS. GEO. J. MUELLER, 336 Pa. ave., Wholesale Ja2: Agent. We Never Have ‘‘Bargain’”’ Or ‘‘Reduction’’ Sales. fact that the oldest citizens in Washington can substautiate— this house has never had a “mark-down,” “bargain” or “reduction” sale of any kind. Our prices for shoes are low.: than any shoe house in the city, quality considered. We do not believe in paying out a mint of money for a big splurge in the newspa- pers to advertise a fake sale, and take it out of the quality of the shoes. $3 50 buys the eheapest good shoe se here to be found in America. Special Shoes to order for Ladies and Gentlemen... 95 to $10 WILSON, “Shoemaker for Tender Feet,” *929 F St. N.W. 86d Rich Cut GLASS *¢ —1n the largest and most $f atlety of ctiginal cuttings of extra- ordinary _ brili clearness yet shown. We color Cut Glass. We ask no more for the best pay for the inferlor qualities = attractive uisite ni t in Punch for the present gay season. Wilmarth & Edmonston, Crockery, &c., 1205 Pa. Av. $a25-344 Have You Ever Read About the value of purity in Tea? Un- less a ‘Ten | should not be used. BURCHELL'S 5) G THA 1s ABSOLUTELY PURE. That's why it's used in preference to many of the high- est-priced Teas. Its strength and Ge- Mclous flavor are famous. Costs but 50c. Ib. Here only. N. W. BUKCHELL, 1325 F STREUT. 4025-144 Lardcpsia would be a more ap- propriate name for that common cause of suf- fering—dyspepsia—be- cause most cases of dys- psia can be traced to food cooked with lard. Let COTTOLENE EWE SE A wel ee ee ay i eela peal eile ges take the place of lardin your kitchen and good health will take the Fl ace of Dyspepsia. e ry it. Every pail of the genuine COTTOLENE bears this trade mark —steer’s head in cot- ton-plant wreath. sels welgys weld Peak ad ede ad Ned N. K. FAIRBANK COMPANY, CHICAGO, and Rrigitevelguy MIXTURE ! for => ros cents Every pipe stamped DUKES MIXTURE or 2oz. Packaces 5¢ FACIAL BLEIISHES. ‘The only institution in the south devoted exclu- sively to the treatment of @iseases of the Skin, Scalp and Blood and the removal of Facial Biem- ishes. ACNE, MOLES, ECZEMA, Wants, PIMPLES, ‘SCARS, RED VEINS, BIRTHMARES, KIN, SUPERFLUOUS HAIR, BLACKHEADS, And all blemishes in or DANDRUFF, under the skin. Dr. Hepburn, Dermatologist, Graduate Jefferson Med. Col., Phila., and the Royal University of Vienna. MERTZ BLDG., COR. 11TH AND F STS. CONSULTATION FREE. 425-40-c0 GET THIN. Use Dr. Edison’s Famous Obesity Pills and Bands and Obesity Fruit Sait. Our supporting and special Obesity Bands will wash. Call and cxamine. Twenty varieties. AD Senuine Bands have our name stamped on them. Messrs. Loring & Co.—Four bottles of Dr. Edl- son's Ubesily Pills reduced my weight thirty-seven pounds. Your Obesity Gand gives support and re- luces one’s weight, and the size of one’s abdomen very fast. Miss Mary Lee Morgan, Penn. ave. Miss Sarah Layng Rockefeller, 5th avenue and Fast 57th st.. New York, writes my friend, Mrs, Amelta Lewis . Sth avenue, reduced her Weight 09 pounds on your Obesity’ Fruit Salts, Then I used the Pills #nd lost over 37 pounds oa the Pills alone. Our goods may be obtained from C. G. C. SIMMS, Gor. New York ave. and 130 Cor. 11th and A sts. Keep a full lire of Obesity Babds, Pills and Frait Salt ‘in stock. Ladies will finda saleslady bere to explain the treatment to them. Sent by mail on receipt of price. The Bands cost $2.50 up; the Fruit Salt, $1 per Sea 2 SSS oer! dress LORING & CO., 42 West 224 st., Department No, 74, New York, or 22 Hamilton place, Department No. 4, Boston. Ja16-3m50d Latest and Best, SONNETTE CORSETS. The C. P. Importers _ make them. §a7-42d5m Chas. A. Muddiman, $a25-124 Gl4 12TH ST. ’ es lick Don’tWear Clothes ‘That are cut of repair. Don't be * wher it costs so little to have be linings and bindiags replaced and LARS is oae of our my Do your flanals ber, WE MEND MEN AND WOM Universal Mending Co., ROOM 4, 1214-1116 F ST. n29-2m on new t acts— ed attention? i 5 ERYTHING FOR BUSY