Evening Star Newspaper, February 29, 1896, Page 19

+ HOUSE REPORTERS [hey Are Marvels of Accuracy and of:Promptness. \BOW A RECORD OF DEBATES 18 MADE Able to Take Notes Under Any Circumstances. ‘BCENES OF CONFUSION —-+ -—_ HEN A MEMBER of the House of Rep- resentatives rises in his place to deliver a few remarks, which he Intends later to distribute among an admiring constituen- cy, an official stenog- rapher {s at hand to take down the words of the statesman, which next morning appear duly set forth on the printed pages pf tue Congressional Record. yr When the reporter has taken down about 1,000 words he retires, his place being { filled by another to continue the work. The | first man goes into a room and dictates into @ phonograph the “English” of his steno- | Graphic notes and returns to the floor. An | @manuensis then transcribes the report of {ithe speech from the phonograph to type- written paper, which is revised by the ‘ Wtenographer, and goes to the government ; Printer to be printed in the Record. The 'woutine is thus continued among the five Feporters. \This, in brief, is the system of reporting , Speeches, the most perfect of any system in use in any national legislative body in the world. !,, The honor of being the first shorthand re- Porter (unofficial, of course,) of congression- tal debates belongs to Thomas Lloyd of * Philadelphia. His reports of the proceed- ings of the first House of Representatives — THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1896—TWENTY-FOUR PAGES, the Hor they were cot almost en- ireiy of Pitman writers, who. represent: ed in their work a new era in the history ¢ skorthand. Subsidies soon gave place to formal contracts for complete reports, and the Globe, which in the days of Andrew Jackson and later had been a leading po- litical organ, became 1848-9, and con- tinued until 1873, under whet in those Gays were deemed liberal contracts, the of- ficial repository of the debates. Reporters not strictly officers of Congress, but hired by the publishers of the Globe Transcribing. (their appointments, however, requiring the approval of the Speaker, or of the printing ecmmittee of the Senate), were admitted to the floor to take full notes of the pro- ceedings, which were printed at the office of the Globe, in a building on Pennsylvania avenue between 3d and 41-2 streets, which is still standing. The Present System. In 1873 the publishers of the Globe falled to obtain a renewal of their contract, and the two Houses took under their sole con- trol both the reporting and the printing of the debates. The “Congressional Globe” gave place to the “Congressional Record.” ‘The reporters became in a thorough sense officers of Congress, and their reports, like other government work, were thereafter published at the government printing office, the Record department of which is now one of its largest divisions. The present House reporters (naming them according to seniority in service) are David Wolfe Brown, John H. White, Andrew De- vine, A. C. Welch and Frederic Irland. It goes without saying that each of these gen- tlemen, before entering upon his congres- sional work, had iad ample experience in ether branches of reporting. Mr. Brown, = ON THE FLOOR —————__—_ OF THE HOUSE. (1789-1791) which first appeared In the news- papers, make four volumes of the “Con- gressional Register.” Another name of distinction In connection with the early re- porting of Congress 1s that of David Robertson of Petersburg, Va. Both of these gentlemen appear to have possessed what “an their day was regarded as env le short- ‘hand skill. Prior to their congressional work, Lloyd had reported the debates of the Pennsylvania convention upon the ratifica- ‘tion of the federal Constitution,and Robert- son the deba of similar conventions in Virginia and North Carolina. Gales and Seaton as Reporters. : Two names still more eminent In connec- tion with the earlier reports of Congress ‘ere those of Joseph Gales, jr., and William ‘W. Seaton, both familiar names to the older residents of Washington. Their partner- ship of Gales & Seaton, as publishers of the National Intelligencer, began in 1812; and for some years they made with their own hands the congressional reports for their paper, Gales reporting the Senate and Sea- ton the House. Eckington, the former country seat of Mr. Gales, is now the heart of that closely settled suburb of Washing- ton bearing the same name. But for the skill of Mr. Gales the histor- {cal reply of Webster to Hayne on the floor of the Senate would have been lost to pos- terity. On that occasion Mr. Gales, who after long and honorable service was about to abandon active work in reporting, was present at Webster's special request for the purpose of taking notes. His original notes of Webster's masterpiece, the transcription of those notes, in the handwriting of Mrs. Gales, together with Webster's rough notes made In preparing the speech, and aiso the “revised” version of the report in Webster's own handwriting, were bound together in @ volume which Mr. Gales sacredly pre- served until his death. In 1877 this precious relic was purchased from Mrs. Gales by Robert C. Winthrop, and presented to the Boston public library. But whatever may have heen tho steno- graphic skill of Robertson and iloyd and Gales and Seaton, and the reporters who appeared in Congress at somewhat later periods, the historian exploriag the annals of the government prior to 1848, and trying ating to the Machine. to inform himself concerning congressional discussions on great historical subjects, is often sadly disappointed by the meager- ness of the reports. The only record he can find of a famous debate !s often a brief and crude summary. Worse than this, he finds that frequently whole speeches and even the names of those who made them are al- together ignored. A New Era. ‘The adoption of an official system of con- gressional reporting in 1848-0 was due to the one fact, more than any other, that the phonetic shorthand of Isaac Pitman, in- vented in its crudest form in 183%, and rap- idly improved during the years immediate- ly following, furnished a reporting instru- ment vastly superior to the prior stenio- graphic systems in simplicity, in ease of acquisition, and in a@aptation to rapid note taking. The introduction of this system into the United States about 1844, in con- nection with the “spelling reform” agita- tion, was the means of educating a new brood of reporters, most of them bright, progressive young men, who were soon able ¢o surpass in shorthand skill the represen- tatives of the older systems. * So it happened that when, through con- gressional subsidies to leading new$papers of Washington, quasi-official corps of re- porters were Introduced into the Senate and after a reporting apprenticeship during his boyhood in the Senate, did court and gen- eral work in Philadelphia, and was for sev- eral years an official reporter inthe Penn- sylvania legislature. Mr. White had proved his skill in legal and convention reporting in several leading ies of the south. Mr. Devine had “won purs” as a court reporter in New York as Associated Press reporter in the United States Senate and as official sten- ographer of House committees. Mr.Welch, in addition to a large experience in general reporting, had also served with marked skill as one of the official reporters of congres- sional committees. Mr. Iriand, the youngest trember of the corps (appointed by Speaker Reed during the Fitty-first Congress, at the time of the death of the well-known House stenographer, Mr. J. J. McElhone), before entering a newspaper office at the age of eighteen, mastered shorthand, and subse- quently made an enviable record in general reporting and official court work in the city of Detroit. Importance of the Work. The official reporters of the House of Rep- resertatives are appointees of the Speaker; but their tenure of office is not dependent vpon the alternations and fluctuations of partisan majorities. In 1873, when their cfficial status was established, Mr. Blaine, then Speaker, took the lead in placing the official reporting upon a civil service basis. He was able to appreciate the demands of renprting work. His experience as member and Speaker had familiarized him with the pecullar difficulty and responsibility of con- gressional reporting. He recognized that efficient reporting service could not be ob- tained if the official reporters were liable to displacement for partisan reasons at the end of every two years. So, in appointing as offictal reporters of the House the gentlemen who had been ren- dering satisfactory service as reporters of the Globe, he declared that the officers thus appointed should be regarded as removable cnly for cause. What was thus possibly a mere dictum of Mr. Blaine’s was subse- quently made a rule of the House, which, however, would of course prove nugatory but for the daily exhibition of effici r= ice which it insures. Ss Not an Easy Work. The difficulty of the work done by the official reporters of the House is conceded, not only by all who from day to day ob- serve the proceedings, but by the opinion of the reporting profession throughout the country. For instance, the late Andrew J. Graham, whose shorthand system is prac- ticed by so many able reporters, declared in print that there was probably no more difficult reporting in the world than that of the House of Representatives; and Mr. Benn Pitman, the greatest rival of Mr. Graham as a shorthand author and pub- lisher, has said that “after Ustening as I did on one or two occasions to the debates, with their interruptions, catch remarks, asides, doubtful cheers and unquestioned deers, and afterward reading the report, I felt that if there was one feat to be ac- complished in this world more difficult than another it was to make an accurate report of the proceegings of the American House of Representatives.” The peculiar difficulty of this work arises from a number of different causes. The rapid utterance of many members is by no means the principal trouble, though a representative body recruited from leading men of every state and neighborhood must, of course, contain striking instances of the volubility to which the people of each 1o- eality are accustomed in the court room and on the platform. The fact that the so- called “reporters’ desk” can never be used by the reporters while taking notes, be- cause from no fixed point in the House can any one hear all the various speakers who may rise in different parts of the hall, re- quires that the reporter shall be ever on the move, or at least ever ready to move, as the tempestuous waves of debate flow in one direction or another. In a Babel of Confusion. With note book in hand (no comfortasie desk facilitating his work) he must pass quickly from one part of the hall to another, writing not only as he stands, but as he walks. Of course the babel of con- fusion on the floor which strikes every visitor to the House gallery makes the re- porter’s task of hearing at times extremely difficult. And when, as often happens, hot and angry words are flung from member to member, the reporter (cool, if possible, while others are full of excitement) must strain every nerve that he may not lose a syllable of the wordy battle, for at any mo- ment some stern voice asserting itself above the disorder may cry out, “Mr. Speaker, 1 | short, call the gentleman to order and demand that his words be taken down,” which means that the words which have been “taken down” under the most trying cir- cumstances are to be instantly written out by the official reporter and read in the presence of the House. The variety of subjects discussed, with their local, literary or historical allusions, requires that the reading and intelligence of the reporter should be as broad as that of the member. The physical and mental strain which the werk entails continues sgmetimes without let up for many hours; and‘ the product of wcrk performed under conditions so severe is Llazoned the next morning in cold print before every eye— subject, if erronecus, to public correction. Yet the corrections generally are few and trivial. Throwing out of consideration the correction of votes, which, being mere transcripts of the clerk’s record, the of- fictal reporters are not responsible for, and throwing out clso corrections of typo- graphical errors, there is scarcely .one correction a month. It may well be doubt- |. ed whether any work of similar character, even though done under tess trying condl- tions, can show so small a percentage of reporting errors and so clean a record of habitual and amazing accuracy. In February, 1894, a debate on Hawaiian affairs occurred in the House lasting five and a half hours, during which the stenog- raphers took dewn 63,000 words. keeping up an average speed of 200 words a min- ute, probably the greatest piece of report- ing ever accomplished. American System Superior. The French chamber of deputies is a far less difficult body to report thaa the House of Representatives of the United States, one special reason being that the member addressing the chemter speaks from the tribune, ke a pieacher in a pulpit, in- stead of here, there, anywhere, as in the House. But in Frarce it takes nearly thirty men to do the work done by five in the American House. Every word in the chamber of deputies is takea down by three sets of men ckecking each other. This is made necessary on aczount of the inferiority of the French shorthand, and the lack of Individual dexterity, in’ com- parison with the extreme speed and accu- racy of the congressicnal reporters. The English house of commons is not now, and never has been, reported ver- batim. The Hansard report is partly made up from newsvaper compilations, and 1s not published for several days after the Proceedings sake plice. Some of Eng- land’s greatest men, among them Glad- stone, have several times made efforts ‘to secure the adoption of a syst2m similar to the American, and a committee of the house of commons is row agiin consider- ing the matter. There are a few men In England who are sufficiently skillful short- nd writers, but it would take several rs of training to make a corps as in- vincible and handy as that of either house of the American Congress. In Germany the debates are officially re- ported, but there, too, as in France, the note takers cannot make a strictly’ ver- batim report. ‘They rely on each other for assistance in patching out a rapid speaker, and the de! ‘S$ are not printed on the morning after their delivery. The parliament of Canada is reported very well, in English and French, but only the debates, and not the legislative action in detail, are published in the report. In the reporters of Congress are the only ones in the world who make a record that is complete, ag prompt as the com- Ing of the morning each day, and wh: when printed, is practically free from el rors. ——>__ A LITTLE COMPLICATED. But One Woman Managed to Clear Up the Obscurity. From the Chicago Post. It was their first meeting in several years, and, of course, they had a great deal to say to each other. “I have been so busy that I haven't had time to study it out,” sald the ono in blue, “but I think we are related in some way now, are wo not?” “No, I think not,” replied the one in dark brown. “Where did you get that idea?” “Why, I had an tmpression that the sec- ond wife of your first husband was the first wife of my present husband, and that would make a sort of connecting link, you know.” “Possibly you are right; but we could hardly call that a relationship. We can come closer than that through your second husband, who was a cousin, two or three degrees removed, of my present husbard, but even that does not make any relation- ship. I think, perhaps, that you haye be- come confused on the subject of al!mon which constitutes the most direct connec: tion.” “I never could get those complications through my head,” said the one in blue. “Well,” exclaimed the one in dark brown, “the alimony that you get from your first husband is really just enough to pay the alimony that your present husband’s first wife gets from him.” “Yes. I let him have it for that pur- se. “Then his first wife,” continued the math- ematician in dark brown, “was my first husband's second wife, and, as he is pay- Ing me the same amount of alimony, the money is simply transferred to me. That is where the connection comes in. ——_—__+ e+ ____ THAT TERRIBLE BOY. He Explained Matters Which His Mother Did Not Want Known. From the Detroit Free Press. A woman, acccmpanied by her son, who was about nine years old, was a passenger on the Staten Island boat the other day. She was a very nervous weman, and he a boy who wanted to see what was going on. He wanted to see the boat leave the slip, but the mother seized his arm and said: “Harry, what did I tell you? Now, you sit right down and keep quiet!” Later on he wanted to see Castle William and Elits Island, but she gave him a cuff on the ear and exclaimed: “Harry, must I whip you before all these people?” “But can’t I see something?’ tested. “Yes, you can look around the cabin.’ He was quiet for five minutes and then edged away to look at an ocean steamer. He had only reached the window when the mother was after him, and as she shook him and flopped him down she said: “I don't know why I brought you along!” “I do!” he answered. “The idea of your. acting as you do!” “You brung me along,” he continued, in a voice which reached every part of the cab- In, “because you was guing to get married and give me a new pa, but when we got there he didn't show up, and I hope he never will.” During tae next ten minutes that boy had the range of the boat, while his mother sat bolt upright and kept her eyes fastened on the ceiling. he pro- —<ee___ Drake’s Drum. From St. James’ Gazette. (A Legend Still Extant in the West of England.) Drake he was a Devon man, an’ ruled the Devon seas, (Capten, art tha sleepin’ thera below?), Rovin’ tho’ his death fell, he went wi’ ‘heart at Si ease, An’ dreamin’ arl the time o? Plymouth Hoe. my drum to England, hang et by the shore, Strike et when your powder's runnin’ low; If the Don sighis Devou, I'l quit the port of leayen, An’ drum them up the Channel as we drummed them long ago." Drake lies in his hammock still a thousand mile away, (Capten, art tha sleepin’ there below %), Slung atween the round shot in bre Dios Bay, An’ dreamin’ arl the time 0° Plymouth Yarnder luies the island, yarnder Me the ships, ‘Wi’ sailor Iada a dancin’ eel an’ toe, An’ the shore lights flashin’, an’ the ‘night tide shin’, He sees et arl so plainly as he saw et long ago. Drake Hes fn bis hammock till the great Armadas come, (Capteg, art tha sleepin’ there below, Slung tween the round shot, listenin’’ for the drum, An’ dreamin’ arl the time o’ Plymouth Hoe. Call him ou the deep sea, call him up the Sound, Call bim when se sail to meet the foc; Where the old trade's plying an’ the old'flaz flyin’ They shall find hin ware an’ wakin’ as they found him long ago! ———————— Their Different Opinions. From the Bel Air Democrat. “The little dear is lost again,” she said, as soon as he got home. “Oh, that pug!” “Yes, that pug, if you must talk like a brute, and I want you to advertise for him.” And this is the ad. as it appeared: “Lost—A sausage-shaped yellow dog, an- swering, when hungry, to the name of Baby. A reward will be paid for his return to No. 87 Biank street, dead or alive.” HOW HE MAKESMONEY Bonds Issued hy Uncle Sam Never Presented fot: Redemption. DUE 10 CARELESSAESS OR ACCIDEN®: Money Orders; Stamps and Bills “Which Are Lost. SOU-RCES OF INCOME U NCLH SAM OWES millions of dollars which he will never pay. Still, his credit 4s good, not only at home, but abroad; he can borrow all the gold he needs for al- most any emergency. He has not refused to pay the millions which are overdue. If you could present his LO. U.’s at the Treasury Department tomorrow, he would pay you very promptly the $1,700,000 which he owes to the people who have bought bonds now overdue. But no one can present all these securities, be- cause most of them, it is quite evident, have been destroyed. Some have been dis- sclved in the ocean; some pre been con- sumed by fire; some have en eaten by mice; some have been torn up by babies; some have been hidden so securely that ‘These illustrations serve to show what the government profit is. The treasury will make no less than a million dollars on bonds issued before 1805 never presented for redemption, and it has made as much more in unpaid interest up to date. Of the issue of $100,000,000 worth of bonds about to be made, it is probable that $40,000 or $50,000 worth will never be presented. The government will make several times that amount in unpaid interest on bonds presented long after maturity. This fs not the fault of the government. The officials of the Treasury Department wouii be very glad to have every loan paid within a week of its maturity, for under the present con- dition the loan account is never closed. With a view to keeping in touch with the government's creditors, these officials en- courage bond buyers to take registered rather than coupon bonds. Very few reg- istered bonds are lost; And when there is a loss the government seeks out the loser and encourages him to make application for the issue of a duplicate. When a coupon bond is lost the government will not duplicate it. Money in Currency. The profit made by the government on bonds is very small compared with the profit on unredeemed currency. Of course, no one will ever know just what amount of currency has been destroyed, but the treas- ury experts made an estimate for the ben- efit of Congress in the last administration, and expressed the belief that about $12,- 500,000 profit had accrued to the govern- ment up to January 1, 1891, from United States notes, gold and silver certificates and national bank notes which would not be presented for redemption. This amount the experts distributed as follows: National bank notes United States notes. Silver certificates. Gold Total .......d.cccccccccseccseee $12,452,100 This amount, these experts now estimate, has been increased to about $15,000,000. In proportion to the amount of currency in cir- culation, the amount destroyed Is not so great now as it was in war times, but there is much more In circulation now. The pres- ent estimated profit of the government on paper currency destroyed is half a million THAT THE GOVERNMENT REDEEMS. they probably will not be found until dry- rot has made them unrecognizable. Never- theless, every few years some of the gov- ernment’s old securities turn up at the treasury for redemption. It was not yery many years ago that the owner of a very large amount of Texas indemnity stock, who considered himself very poor, collected from the government on them many thous- and dollars. There is still $20,000 worth of Texas lity stock | outstanding. ied to the treasury last efore. None of the very last year, and of the e IS47 loan none has come © det in standin, amour Unele Sam's bond profits. Of the loan of 1847, $47,900 has been re- deemed since 1860,"and there is only $ outstanding. Of theloan of 1858 ther orly $2,000 outstanding. The governmc , and it can be figured as part of did not do uny heayg borrowitiz until th clvil war, and its first big bo a what are known g§7the. “1 Ke) of these bearing 6 per cent igterest. It was not December 1, 1871, the government felt Tike boginning to‘pmy sts war debts. On that date it called $09,959,600 worth of the 5—20s of 1862, “and most of these were pre- sented at the titme named in the call. But ’ worth of held for many years, drawing no interest; and today there is outstan: $18,500 worth of» the bonds called in 1871. Few, if any, of these will ever be presented for redemption. Meantime, the interest dollars every year, despite the fact that the treasury makes every effort to redeem all the currency it Issues. A special corps of experts 1s employed in the redemption division to examine the mutilated currency presented. It com metimes, in pulp, in ashes, in tatters, worn and torn. The experts work on it with microscopes, pull it ~art and piece it together, making every ble effort to identify it. If a part of a torn bill {s presented for redemption, the owner receives for it an amount propor- tioned to its percentage of the area ef the entire note. If torn, burned fragments are sent in with si that they the sole sum of the entire amount fs refunded. cial agents tigate claims for the redeems money money which ich has heen ; money which has heen babies’ mouths; money which has heen 1 as a plpe-lighter: money which has at the bottom of the sea—in fact, thing which is recognizable under the st_minute scrutiny as a government omise to pay.” At the time her Newport was burned. Mrs. Vanderbilt sent harred bills to the office of the re- demption bureau, and the treasury experts Succeeded in getting more than $2,000 out of them. But, in e of all its efforts, the treasury grows richer by half a million dollars every year in unredeemed paper cur- rency. art Profit on Money Orders. Another source of income to the govern- ment is its unredeemed money orders. All IN A BAD CONDITION. which the government has not paid for the use of this money amounts to $26,400 at single Interest alone. What it would ag- giegate at tompound interest I leave any one who is interested to determine. Never Will Be Presented. Altogether, of the amount borrowed in 1862 (nearly four hundred millions), $22,- 200 has never been called for, and probably never will ‘be called for. To be sure, this {s only about .17 of 1 per cent of the loan, which is not a very big discount. The treasury officials do not look on the bond profit as considerable. Even the $1,700,000 now outstanding would not pay 2 per cent of Uncle Sam's running expenses for a year. It would not keep the government machinery going for more than a weck. The $220,200) outstanding on account of the loan of 1862 is the largest amount to be credited to any one loan, except the $44,300 balance of the funded loan of 1891 out- standing at the end of last year; but it is much too early to calculate on the profits of that loan. The treasury received $96,200 worth of bonds last year, and more are coming in all the time. The oldest bonds presented for redemp- tion last year were part of the loan of July Uncle Sam’s Profit on Unredeemed Notes and Certificates. and August, 1861. They were not called till 1881, and last year $7,400 worth were presented at the’ treasury. They - had drawn no interest for nearly twenty-four years while they lay hidden in somebody's strong box. If they had continued to draw the original interest, they would have brought an income of $444 annually to thelr owner. The government has made more than $10,000 in interest on these bends, reckoning at single interest only. money order funds are remitted to the sub- treasury at New York. A few years ago the Post Office Department drew from the sub- treasury a lump sum of $1,250,900, which was the balance to the ¢redit of money order funds in excess of the demands of current business. Last year a check for $519,244 transferred to the Post Office Department's balance in the treasury here the excess to the credit of the money order fund in New York. These two sums and the working balance kept in New York represent what the government has made indirectly out of this business. Probably its profits up to the present date amount to $2,000,000, but no exact statement will ever be made. There is a time limit of one year on the money order (or the postal order, as it is now called), but there is no limit of time on the issue of a duplicate. Therefore, the Post Office De- partment receives every week for duplica- tion postal notes and money orders which are seVeral years old; «1880 money orders, which had been due for more than a year, were duplicated by the department in 1895. If the difference between the money re- ceived and the money paid out by the money order bureau was an indication of the government's indirect Profit on the busi- ness, here is the way last year’s would stand: Bee Amount received. $156 1,089." Amount, paid... 156,344,460 a Profits on lost money orders if about .......... $564,620.56 This wofild be in addition to the govern- ment’s net revenue of $661,032.27 from fees on domestic money orders. But, as I have said, there is a variation in the balance from year to year, and the government does not make $365,000 a year through the destruction of money orders. Even if it did, this sum would not keep the postal service of the United States run. ning much more than a day and a half. it costs nearly $10,000 an hour to carry Uncle Sam’s mails. Money in Stamps. No one knows what the government makes in unused stamps every year, but the profit must amount to several thousand dollars. Not an inconsiderable amount of this is due to stamp collectors, and when the Columbian stamps were issued the Post master General calculated that the oniire cost of making new designs and engraving new plates, as well as the additional ex- pense of printing the larger stamps, would be paid by collectors’ purchases. The de- partment was disappointed in this, but its receipts from collectors in the Columbian year are estimated at more than a million dollars. The Postmaster General spoke freely of this source of income in his report, though he was disposed to say very little about his calculations before the stamps were issuad. He was afraid some inconsiderate people might class the United States with those small nations and dependencies which rely on the stamp collector as much as on the tax collector. Every one of the eighteen dependencies ef France has a full indi- vidual issue of stamps of thirteen = nominations; and in Siberia, Tonga, Cook Islands and other small countries the designs of stamps are changed when- ever additional revenue is wanted. The philatelists protest, but their protests avail nothing. Large amounts are made every year by the Liat ed through the destruction of stamps and’stamped envelopes which have not been used. How few take the trouble to remove a stamp from a mis-addressed envelope? There is a good margin of profit, too, in excess payments on postal matter; for the Post Office Department, while it al- ways collects on underpaid mail, never re- funds when there is too much postage paid. To reckon all the profits which the gov- ernment has received unearned, it would be necessary to go over the records of Congress and get the list of claims which have been pronounced just by treasury officials, and by Senators and members who have investigated them. But those are not profits yet, for Congress may develop a conscience some day and pay them. Sa JAPANESE FENCING BOUTS. Skilifal Work With Foils Made of Split Bamboo. From the Pacific Commercial Advertiser. If you are everasked to engage in a duel with a Japanese, being the challenged par- ty, select any implement rather than the single stick, for urless you are proficient in thrusts and parries, you will be “done up” in short order. There ts a club in Honoluiu, with head- quarters on Maunakea strzet, whose mem- bers have an instructor in the use of the single stick. The organization is solely for amusement, rather than for business, though there Is probably a desire on the part of the leaders to perpetuate the old-fash- icned methods of their forefathers in quell- ing rebellions. ‘The headquarters of the Sunrise Single Stick Club is on the lower floor of the build- ing otcupied by the Japanese newspaper of the same name. Through the kindness of Editor Satto, and Hiraoka, business mana- ger of the paper, a reporter was given an epportunity to witness an exhibition be- tween Yajimai and Karikawa, two expert handlers of the sticks. By way of introduction the combatants removed their kimonas and donned loose skirts, and a helmet with strong iron bars across the face. Then they sheathed their bodies with stiff bamboo breast plates. Heavily padded gloves with gauntlets fin- ished the costume. The “‘suort sticks” are about five feet long, and are made of sever- al pieces of bamboo fastened ‘together. There seemed to be no call of “time” by a referee; the men stepped to the center of the room and saluted each other by a mo- tion of the arm, and then one uttered a guttural sound signifying his willingness to begin the fray, and they crossed sticks, the point of each being held on a level with the neck and the handle grasped with both hands. Yajimai led, and throughout the bout was acting on the offensive, while Karikawa braced himself so as to resist and ward off any blow that might be direct- ed toward him. Once he was thoughtless; Yajimai gave him a crack on the. helmet that resounded through the room. All the time the men were fencing they were shout- ing as if warning each other to look out for what mignt he coming. To the stranger who is not familiar with the rules there seemed to be no rest for the men. If one should receive a blow which, under ordinary circumstances would war- rant his going down for a few seconds, long enough to recover. it must simply end with the desire, and his next move will be to get back at his opponent. In this exhi- bition Karikawa, who was rather more stockily b@ilt than his foe, had the best of the first of the fight, but the end was a draw, and the men retired windless and with the perspiration pouring from their faces. Single-stick fencing among the Japanese is so different from anything attempted by the white people that it is difficult to make comparisons or draw conclusions. If quick- hess in an attack or parry is the secret of the game, Yajimai and Karikawa should be entitled to positions as experts. Their en- durance, too, is remarkable, considering the thickness of the clothing worn. Swathed as they are In heavily-padded suits, evi- dently much depends upon the eye, and it {s when one of the fencers catches the eye of his opponent off his guard that he attempts a blow, but to ascertain when the eye is not attending to its business Is much too diffi- cult for a stranger to solve—shielded as the fencer's face is with iron bars set closely tcgether. There are four points in a match with single sticks between Japarese—a blow on the back of head, a fair one, for glancing strokes do not count, a thrust at the throat, troke on the wrist, and a stroke on the le. There is no rule as to the position a fencer must occupy in delivering any one of these blows—it may be from either side and from one cr both hands. If it is a “chopper,” it is apt to be one that will make the man receiving it wince, even though hs be protected by all sorts of grotesque con- trivances. ——_-++ THE DISCOVERY OF QUININE. Production of the Present Day and Methods of Use. From the New York Independent. In a company of prominent physicians each was asked to write the six remedies that he would take on board ship for a voyage round the world, if his life were to depend on the mmber who should return alive. The first entry was “opium,” unan- imously ‘ndorsed. At the second entry the vote was a tle between “mercury” and “quinine,” and now that bichloride of mer- cury has béen found to be the most efficient of micrope killers, probably that would have second place unanimously, and the third would be unhesitatingly given to the various extracts of the bark of the several varieties of the cinchona, of which the most familiar is quirive, a name derived from that used by the Peruvian Indians, who cail the trees kina. The old-fashion- ed method of administration was by macer- ating the “quills” of bark in wine, and the great tonic in the early part of this cen- tury was “bark and wine,”’ and as in these later days it has been demonstrated to be directly fatal to the tacillus malaria, we can easily understand what a boon it was to the “seitlers” in the undrained and “fever-and-azue” regions of this country when new. At last, by the advance of chemical skill, the secret of extracting its alkaloids was found, and of these no less than thirtesn ere known and used, and some of them produce a valuable medicine, at a less cost than quinine itself. In 1854 the Dutch government undertook to raise the irees in the Island of Java, and now they have most prosperous pla: tations, but the most extensive and suc- cessful of what may be called intelligently conducted plantations are to be found on the slcpes of the Himalayas and in British Burmah. In South America the bark is obtained by first stripping the trunk, then felling the tree, but under English botan- ists In India a way is found of partially stripping the trunk and then surrounding it with moss, causing fresh bark to be pro- duced. The botanists have even found a way of making the bark fuller of the de- sirable alkaloids. AN is 1 From Punch, a Name, “Well, darling, you have got a swagger frock on, this time!” “It's not a frock, Henry.” “Why, what is tt, then “The newspapers call it a creation of Ma- dame Aldegonde's!” ad A DISAPPOINTED LIFE, WHY RIOHARD OAYFORD LEFT THB : HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. A Story im Which There Seems @ Tinge of Fate — Mrs. Cayfora Strickem With Paralysis and Yet She Has Been Cured—The Residents of the Mission District Look Upom It as a Miracle. From the Exeminer, San Francisco, C&_ Residents of the Mission District of San Fram cleco have for months been murveling over the Fecullar case of Mrs. Anna Cayford, the wife of Richerd Cayford, who resides at 313 17th street. Several years ago"Mr. amd Mrs. Cayford tock up their residence in the Hawaiian Islands, where Mr. Cayford, who is by trade a blacksmith, applied bimself diligently at bis occupation, until at length he had, by reasn of iis hard work and frugality, Placed himself and family upon a fair way to Prosperity. He had begun to lock forward to the ewoyment of a quiet, bappy life upou the beautiful istumds of the Pacific, and in his fancy had built for himself and his family a confortable Mitte heme, nestled snugly among the deep and fragrant foliage of that distant land. His wife shared with Lim in the contemplation of the happiness that the future epparently had in store for them. She bad arrived at the age at which rest and contentment ccunt for so much in a woman's life, when she Was suddenly stricken with nervous, prostration. Her condition became very serious, and her physt- clan advised ber that she must leave the islauds if she wished to regain her bealth. A. advice, Mr. Cayford disposed of bis removed to San Francisco. Mrs. Cayford improved slightly with the change of climate, until. J 1843, When she ‘was In this condition that paper the advertisement of Williams" og ag ge PIE EI uy them, thinking, as t at she conld not be injured by them.” Mra. ford. tells of the relief she experienced frum the me she began taking the and her story is told in such a plain, straightforward manner thar it is er own words: sun taking Williams’ Pink Pills,” Cayford, “I bad absclutely no sti in either limb of ‘the left side of my body. treatment of my physician liad partly relieved dhe peralyeia, buc after he had appited afl tis remedies was still in practically a helpless condition. Be- fore I had taken cne full box of the yalls I began to feel a return of strength in the Himbs that bad been so leng uscless. Feeling reassured by the first effect Of the pills upon ame, I purchased a Lox, and continued to take ‘them until I bad used six boxes, when the last trace of paralysis bad left my body and I had regained the full rse of my limbs. You connot imagine how delighted I was when I felt that my old-time activity was returning. It d the days when 1 was ro strong and y do rot know what stronger testiinouy 1 could give as to the merits of Williams’ Pink Pills thgn to say that they have restored me to such a degree of strength that I new do all my own work without the least incoa- Tualence, Walch is a8 snack ax I ever @id bofore was stricken wi ralssis. But that T'almost forgot to say how tbe pills have relieved me a certain hesitancy in speech, which has me for years. My tongue used to become and I would lisp most could rot help myself. I roticed that after in tak- ing the pills I could talk more easily, and finally I was entirely relieved of the lisplug that affected my speech. I have taken the trouble to recommend the pills to an old lady who ts afflicted | with paralysis. I have not seen ber since she began taking them, but ber hustand told me, just the otber day, that rhe had been greatly benefited by them.’ * Mrs. Cayford’s friends are amazed at her sndden meiy from. such a severe paralytic. etrake, and in svonderment while she repeats the story f ber su‘fering and ber cure. “pr. Willams Tuk Tilis contain all the elements necessary to give new life end richness te the blood pnd resture “shattered ‘nerves. “hey are sold a ever form, by the doze - Gred) ot 60 cont boxes for $2.50, and or directly by ‘mail jedicine Company, Schense- = ——— = VIEWS ON CATS. From the San Francisco Wave. . This is an oli subject which is Nked by girls, but not by boys. 5 The proper name for-cats is, I believe, felines. I don’t know what they call-them felines for, but they do just the same. You can find cats all over the world, with the exception of our back yard. Some cats live on milk, fish, meat, mice, and that kind of stuff, but all cats that I've ever seen seem to live on the back fences. I have heard of cats of nine tails and cats of nine lives, but I've never met any of ‘em. All ihe cats that I ever had any- thing to do with had only one tail and one Mfe, and a mighty short life at that. They say it’s good luck to have a cat fol- low you. I suppose they mean it's good luck for the cat; for ninety-nine times out of one hundr2d when a cat follows you, you remember about it's being lucky to have @ cat follow ycu; and you pick the cat up when no one fs looking, take it to your house and give it a good home. I know of a cat that was fooled once. The gump followed me and I never had any luck afterward. Neither did the cat. He went where all gcod cats go—over in the vacant lot. Some people stuff their cats after they die. We tricd to keep a cat more times than I have marbles. But they all died. The majority of them were stuffed—in the ash barrel. Nobody seemed to know what made the cats die but Skinny Brick Taylor and L Cats like to rub up against a fellow, but I never saw a@ cat that wanted to rub up ugainst me more than once. I would rather be a dog than a cat. Dogs don’t like cats. I don’t believe in sicking dogs on cats. I believe it’s cruelty to animals to sick a dog on a cat. The best way to do is to hit the cat with a club. Cats like to yell all night. To see your little cat in the house before the fire and to hear him yell at night you would never believe it to be the same cat, and you can't find anybody that can make you believe it, either. It's al- ways the other fellow’s cat that makes the noise. Gladness Comes wi a better understanding of the transient nature of the many phys- ical ills which vanish before a ef- forts—gentle efforts—pleasant efforts— rightly directed. There is comfort in the knowledge that so many forms of sickness are not due to any actual dis- ease, but simply to a consti i> tion of tise ayatem, wiilen aes Picea prom family laxative, Syrup of Figs, pt- ly removes. That is why it is the onl, remedy with millions of ‘ilies, and fs everywhere esteemed so highly by all who value good health. Its bene! icial effects are due = fact, that sdedea 4 one remedy which promotes leaniinesa, without debilitating the organs on whichit acts. Itis therefore all important, in order to get its bene- ficial effects, to note when you pure chase, that you have the genuine article, which is manufactured by the California, Fig Syrup Co. only, and sold by all rep> utable druggists. & If in the enjoyment of good health, and the system is regular, then laxar tives or other remedies are not needed? If afflicted with any actual disease, may be commended tothe most hysicians, but if in need of a Hien ons eioeid lease Bes West, and oi the well-informed everywhere, ere nees et ee used and gives most