Evening Star Newspaper, October 3, 1896, Page 14

_THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY,. OCTOBER, 3, .1896-TWENTY-FOUR PAGES. “The first brown-stone-front houses built in this city,” observed a stone mason, “are on C street between 3d and 4% streets northwest. They look as well today, as far as their fronts are concerned, as they did when built, nearly fifty years ago. One of them was built for Dr. May, the sur- geon, and the other for the late Dennis Merpay, who was for so many years the official reporter of the Senate. One of the houses is now the home of the Saen- gerbund. These houses do not attract much attention these days, but there was a time when people flocked to look at them. “The store work was unusually good, as is evidenced by their condition today. The novelty of a Stone front was very catchy and though there were plenty of brown- stone fronts in New York, Philadelphia and Boston there were none here until these houses were built. The brown stone front, huwever, s90n ran its term, and though they were exceedingly fashionable in their time fashion changed in ten or fifteen years. Ther have been no brown- stone fronts built for many years in this, or, indeed, any other cities. Like the French roofs of twenty-five years ago, there are now none so poor as to do them reverence. x * eH OK “People are frequently on the look out for short loads of coal,” remarked a deal- er, “but they seldom find any. The fact ~ is, dealers are very careful in sending out | each and every ton of coal to be sure that “there is the proper weight. The risk of ng caught with a short load is too much re with sense to run, for if the police found a short ton of coal on any cart it would seriously injure the business of the yard which sent it out. Though the public seldom get on to it there are many cases where sawed and split wood is sent out where the proper quantity is not- put in the carts. “In this, however, dealers are not di- rectly to blame, for they leave the filling of the carts to the yard men. Some men can loat a and to the inexperienced eye | it is full, when the real fact is it Is often | from one-third to one-fifth short. Of have to be careful in this | - the wood is for their regu- | im the habit of me amount and the usual time. last the usual time they liscover ed. An jat the wood was example of this lay with the wood load of ‘country us for the load from sixty to They pack it in their wag- appear that it is a buy find out the fi out that the m a lot of rubbish, bags, are but few real countrymen ion the streets, and they, as a y do so during the winter months. | pure and simple. vho willingly pay them | 1 and split wood would ent them such a for the same } i j | of wood +e not as m * * h money in street as there wi me years ago,” @ street organ-piano player, “but sa good route he can manage a living—that is, if he works ten each day and works hard. ‘Sweet n.Boit,’ is the best received tune, other favorites. Work | ble to pick | We will have to be sat- that, however, for a while. Street musie will do better’ after the elec- th I own the piano I play, but the 3 do not. They rent | 1 the way from 25 cents jay. Does music pay one cent a tune? No, inde: That used to be the rule, but now we are glad if we can get a penny for every three tunes.” ce “There are a number of stories in circula- tion going to show why the Executive Man- sion was called the White House, and by whom it was first called such,” said a local historian, “but I think the best evidence } give that credit to James Madison, | b e fourth President and who was driven out of the Executive Mansion when | the British burned it In 1814. The Execu- | tive Mansion ts built of free stone, which was quarried down on the Pozomac river. ‘The Capitol proper was constructed out of | the same stone, though, of course, the wings for the Senate and House of Rey tives are built of marble, with granite foun- dation At the “There is me the British burned the Ex tive Mansion they did a lot of other dam- age, and for money to rej ‘The walls of the man- sion. w r than be- ing bl As I said, money | that | now. Was scarce, and Congress made an apprs- priation lo have the outside of the nouse Painted. White was selected as the best The Capitol was not pai y years afterward. a personal and polit me in and see me any time. find me in at the White House.” tive Mansion may have been but I ha¥e never been able to find any record of it. The letter from Madison had an im- portant polit bearing and was very exgenaively ted. If, therefore, Madi- son did not officiate at the christ s, he certainly took a prominent part in p ing the fact that the White House wes forever from that time to be the name of the mansion. Up to that time the Execu- ‘tive -Bansion, which is the legal name for it, was generally spoken of as the Presi- dent's house.” x eK KOK “Birds are extremely nervous in their organization,” suggested a well-known raiser and ler in ng birds, “and those who enjoy their company should net ailow themselves to forget it. In nine cases out of e ten, when birds lose their song it ts } : they en fright- ened. They a high strung !n the mat- ter:of nerves that a fright results in paralys' t resul:s per- manent re is any cure for it, unle bird Ss itis to endeavor to assure the it will have better treatment ersons should never show a r dead bird to a caged bicd. nily one of my customers had bird stuffed. It was one of a stuffed bird was shown to the @ result was that the bird died mn an hour. It simply could not stand the fright. I have known a number of birds to have been frightened out of taeir song ing stuffed birds on the hats and bonnets of ladies. Take a frightened bird in your hand and you will see and feel that the pulsations of its heart are very rapid and violent. Heart failure kills many birds, though other causes are blamec@for their deaths. When ladies put on tur dress hats, especially if they have stuffed birds on,_them, they should keep away from bird cages. ese 2 “The patent office has made many a dol- lar out of inventers,” complaimed a black- smith. “So far there have been nearly two hundred patents issued for horseshoes,” observed a blacksmith. “Every one of them was supposed to have merit. A large number of them were supposed to be of value for the reason that they could be put on horses by bands or clasps, and thus save time and the expense of horse shoers. ~Six thousand dollar: paid into has been the patent office by inventors of as during the past and have been shod. The only n be put on a horse must be a blacksmith. There is no royal road to wealth, ard there is no way to-shoe-a horse except to nail on the shoe. This 36.0% is but a small part of the money-paid out in connection with patented horseshoes.” aa ‘ee ee “Though the yards pay us all they prom- ize,“ complained a coal shoveler, “they hold back 10 cents on every quarter that is paid them. You see it is this way. A-man goes to the yard and orders a ton of coal or sev- eral tons. He asks that a man be sent with the coal to put it In his cellar or coal house. The dealer promises to do so, and collects 25 cents additional for each ton of. caal. °This, he says, he will pay the man who puts the coal away. Now, the fact is, the- man who puts the coal away gets but 15 cents of that money. ‘3 “The dealer holds on to 10 cents every time. As it will not cost the consumer ef the coal any more, it would he q splendid idea for us if buyers of coal would just remem- ber this, and instead of paying 25 cents per ton for us at the coal vard, pay the money to us direct, when they find that we. have properly put away the coal and ‘ieaned things up. I would also like to say that the 23 cents per ton for coal means aiso by common agreement among us that besides putting away the coal, we are to sweep up the pavements and remove as far as possl- ble all evidence that the coal was dumped.’ - kK OR OK Speaking of the report that Nansen, the arctic explorer, killed some of his doge and fed them to the other dogs, Commo- dcre Melville of the navy, an authority on arctic matters, says that one dog will not eat another. While his party were in the arctic regions they would kill and skin one of their dogs and try to feed it to the al- most famishing dogs, and they would not eat it. The dogs would eat a fox at any time, but they were not race cannibals. ee KX * When Lord Russell was at Mount Ver- non the story of Lord Coleridge’s visit to that historic place was recalled and the brilliant repartee of Secretary Evarts re- peated. Lord Coleridge was told, as many another has keen, that tradition had it that Gecrge Washington had thrown a sil- ver dollar across the Potomac river at point. His lordship marveled and thougnt it was scarcely possible, the dis- tance being so great, and expressed the ofinion that the feat could not be done Secretary Evarts promptly replied: “But you see, my lord, a dollar would go much farther in those days than now.” This was repeated all over England, Lord Russell says, and was considered decidedly clever, but it was coupled with another play upon words which traveled all over the kirgdem. Lord Coleridge was telling the story one day, when one of his audi- ters responded that George Washington performed even a greater feat than that of throwing a silver dollar across the river— he had thrown an English sovereign across the Atlantic ocean. Lord Russell said these | two stories had traveled all over Great Britain and were considered some of the best ever brought from America. ——_— LOOKIN: TREASURY. FOR THE A Man Whose Appenrance Did Not Correspond With His Pocket Book. As a Star reporter crossed 1 other morning on his way up Peni avenue, a man, like a hundred ‘nen one can see in Washington any day in the week, and who cannot always be detected until they name their play, stopped him. “Excuse me,” he said with a half familiar air, as if he had been used to asking people to excuse him, “but can you tell me where the treasury building 18?” It was such a relief to the reporter that he was not to be held up that he softened at once. You're going the wrong way,’ he said; it Is back up street.’ “Well, ll be dinged,” laughed the man, and turned around. “I reckon,” he added, “that you wouldn't mind letting me walk on the same side of the street with you and kind of pipe me off when we g the joint? I wouldn't know it if I saw it.’ This was a style not agreeable to the r. porter, but he couldn’t weil refuse a civil request like that. “Certainl; ou may walk on the same side with me,” he said, and starzed walking faster, the man half trotting after him. “I reckon,” he said, “there ain’t any Places along down here where a hungry man could get a bit of victuals, is there? I haven't had a nibble since last night at supper.” The reporter knew it was comiag and he wasn’t surprised, but he thouwsht to be struck for a whole meal was asking rather much of a stranger,,so he hedged. “There's a place up street here two or three blocks where you can get a cup of coffee and a sandwich for a dime,” he said tentatively. ‘ aii “I've wondered a good many times why it was a man had ‘to’go hung-y in this world,” said the man, ‘when he could get a filling for a dime or even lesa. Ur go dry when beer was only 5 cents a glass.” This was also to be expected, but the re- porter couldn't exactly reconcile the philos- ophy and the beer. ‘May be,” ventured the reporter, “it is use they haven't the price.” “There may be something in that,”* he aa- mitted with apparent reluctance, and then carefully ran his fingers through his vest pockets as if feeling for last week's saiary. “Don’t you think that most of those who have such hard luck deserve it?” inquired the reporter, who felt that if he was going to pay the bill he might as well get sume- thing for it. “I suppose they do, and still it ain't every poor devil that starves because he ought to,” and he hitched his trousers at the belt and made as if he would get a le closer to the reporter. “Have you ever vecn hun- gry?” he asked with a wolfish suddenness. The reporter sighted a lunch place ahead and got his dime ready. “Well, no.” he said, “I can’t say that I have been that hungry exactly.” —- “Well, I am right now,” laughed the man, “and I'm going straight up here to this hotel and get a $4 breakfast. Come and go along with me. I guess I've got the price,” and he took a roll of bills out of his inside pocket three inches in diameter, «nd the outside one had a capital C on it, which made the reporter's eyes pop out, so that he forgot all about the dime he had ready. The reporter thanked him and declined. “Ta, ta, then,”’ he said as he disappeared toward the breakfast. “I reckon that treas- ury building will stay where it is till I come back, but just the same I’m not guing to hurry on that account. ee, An Adroit Advertisement. From Pearson's Weekly. He was a mean creature, and to his meanness was added such designing wick- edness as is rarely shown by man. Me went into a newspaper office the other morning and offered the following adver- tisement for publication: “Notice—If the plain-looking -woman, about forty years of age, who lost a pocket book containing £2 12s. 6d. in S—— street on Tuesday afternoon will apply to she can have the money by paying for this advertisement.” The meen wretch had seen the lady drop the pocket book and wished to retain the contents for himself. He was of the opin- ion that no woman would answer the ad- vertisement, as he had worded it, for so small a sum as £2 12s. 6d. He was correct. The Teutonsemble,—Life. - THE ANGEL UNAWARES. CAVALRY SCABBARD ke Seabee ol ben om scea 2 ct 5 ‘Dutle’ Sam's Solfiers Taking Great Comfort oan $8 fhe Now D foe : 7 19 Repent ed? 2 "Bt P wrepicPe wee a! He had a dispirited air as he leaned ovér the low railings of the back fence and wistfully sniffed the appetizing odor of fried ham that permeated the frosty morn-: ing atmosphere around the Kitchen. He ‘was a young fellow, slender and with a slouchy stoop to his shoulders. His derby hat was of a faded brown, from exposure ‘Trovperk”’ Aveourters wiehts Over Which Experts 2G to many rains. His flashy, pointed-toe | * -AveeEnthusiastie. « shoes were cracked and run down at the. : tao Rena rach heel. His long, cutaway coat, of cheap | ° ae black material, was shiny in many places and frayed at the sleeves. ‘ The young man’s gaze wandered from tke open door of the kitchen, where a fire was crackling briskly in the cook stove, to the, outside surroundings. The house was a small frame structure, with a white-wash- ed exterior, the architecture similar to many others that dotted the commonsion the city’s outskirts. Under the lean-to shed stcod a bony old horse, whose stub»y hoofs ~ betckened honorable service on a street car line in former days. His present o€tu- pation, however, was indicated by the dirt cart beside the stable. i ‘Well, what d'ye want?¥ asked a gruff voice, as the master of the household ap- peared in the doorway. ‘He was an old man, and had one arm in a sling. “What I’m not likely to get,” answered the young fellow, “and that is, a piece of the ham I smell a-couking. a “Weill, I'm not goin’ around offerin’ the last bit of mate in the house to sthran- gers,” said the householder. “Arrah, don’t be hard on the bye, Din- nis,” put in the piping voice of a little old woman whe appeared at the door behind her husband. “Sure, the lad looks hungry The days of sthe time-honored carbine boot, so long worn by the troopers of. the United States ¢avalry; are numbered. Its ‘place is shertly to be taken by the more modern carbine: scabbard,.a step made necessary by theintroduction into the ser- vice of the improved ‘magazine: carbine: +-Changes, however advantageous to the ‘service, come ‘slowly in the regular army, “but tHe new ‘carbine scabbard has been ap- proved by Gen..Fiegler, chief of ordnance of the United States army, and as rapidly “as’thé new scabbagds can be manufactured they. will be furnished to the troopers. Immediately on the adoption of the mag- ‘azine’ carbines fox cavalry service, steps were taken by tHe ordnance department of the army to, supply a more perfect means’of carrying and protecting the new arm. The old boot permitted more or less motion of the arm, which, in long and hur- ried marches, became quite annoying to both horse and rider. The barrel and stock were also exposed to the weather. The new scabbard, which is of thick har- ness leather, thoroughly protects the car- eee ee ee ee neue? AM! bine to the “small of the stock,” and per “t's de true word you spoke, granny,” {Mts easy insertion or withdrawal. It can be suspended from either side of the sad- dle: The front suspension strap passes around ‘the Scabbard and through two loops, then through a ring in the front saddle bar and over infront of the pommel to. another ring on the other side. The rear suspension strap passes through a ring riveted in the seam of the scabbard, eighteen inches from ‘the lower end, and is fastened to a ring at the back part of the cantle. When in position, with the trooper mounted, the small part of the scabbard passes under the hollow of the leg just be- tow the knee, and thus, without discomfort to the rider, the whole is securely heid in rposition, without annoyance or fatigue from the constant motion so troublesome » with’ the old method. The cavalry service has from time to ‘time experimented with various forms of said the young fellow, ‘for I'm dat hungry. it woutd take a team of mules to pull me away from de.smell of dat ham,” and with- out more ado he shambied into the kitchen. He eyed ravenously the savory meat that}. the old woman was transferring from the frying pan to a dish on the table and took in at a glance the loaf of baker's, bread and the pot of black coffee that was to furnish the _ meal. “Sit down, thin, and welcome to yez,” sald the old man, it’s as bad as that. Sure, it’s me own-bye Dan- ny, the omadhoun, who may be lacking his breakfast theday, and it's not me that would deny the. bit and sup to any moth- er’s son.” At the nee of! this scabbard, and It has always found Danny the old Wo0-} favor with the trooper in hard service. It man plumped into a} will doubtless be made a rule that on dis- chair, and, throwiry her apron over her head, rocked to-and fre mounting for any purpose once remove the from the scab- bard, so that when separated from his } mount he will still be completely equipped ad prepared for any emergency. ‘Mh-the. passing of the carbine boot, one of the most picturesque, cumbersome and cath-producing accouterments of — the mounted arm of the service will have gone out ef existence. The boot looked very bus- iness-like, as it was carried slung down the side of the saddle or from the shoulder of the fully equipped cavairyman, but to those who were obliged to use it it a con- stant source of annoyance and of positive danger in action, in that it was not only -sawtened.to the saddle of the horse, but to the rider as well, and many a brave fellow owes his death to the fact that, being slightly ‘wounded, he fell from his’ horse, and was dragged t6 his death because of his inability: to ‘free himself from the “boot.’*- For ‘the; same reason, if the horse were shot and fell, the rider had to fall also, and if he escaped injury he ran an ex- cellent chaneb of being run down by some oY his charging comrades, or having his brains kickéd out by his wounded horse. This,’ however, ‘will in the future be ayoided, anfi the trooper will be in no danger of gotng ‘down with his mount. Prince of Wales’ Cast-Of Clothing. London Letter? As the Prigice of Wales has set the pace in matters of fashion for many years past it is something’ of interest to know how his purchases are made. According to one of abe British papers, the prince never orders less than eight suits of clothes at a tima, the trooper at yh, wirra, wirra, sorras the day the young divil ran away from heme anil broke his ould mother's heart,” she moaned. a “Yis, and left his ould daddy to star whin he could no longer drive the art added the father. ss “Me man broke his arm a week ago vome Friday,” put in the old woman, emerging from her grief and wiping her eyes ‘upon her apron. “He can’t drive the cart, and, there's rot a dollar bechune us and the roor house, the day.” = c “And that’s no lie, nayther,” added the old man. “By the same token, me lad, I'll enjoy the last bit of mate in the house if you will cut it up, for you have two'airms: to me one. The stranger made short work of cutting the ham, and when he had chopped the old man’s piece into bits small enough fér Him to poise delicately upon the end of his knife and thus shovel them safely into ‘his | mouth, attacked his own portion with vidity. ‘Be me sowl; look at the bye ate,” said the old lady, raising her hands, in ag: tonishment. “Whist, lad; is it stairved yez are?” : “Well, say; I’m not sufferin’ from de gout, seein’ as dis is de first hot meal I've had fer two day “More’s the shame to ye,” said the old man. “Why don’t yez go to worruk and earn a livin’ like a man?" for each of which he pays the uniform “Well, I just guess price of $40. He’ never ‘Wears a pair of I'm no better nor ‘ “trousers more than four times, and since hhis valet does not fall heir to his wardrobe, and as his discarded clothes are not among the perquisites of his valet, there is a stock of thousands of them at’ Marlborough house. At his death he will doubtless have as large a collection as did King George IV., the auction of whose clothes extended through three week All the prince's clothes, old and new—excent his hats, which, for seme reason, are kept at Sand- ringham—are stored at Marlborough house in what is known as the “brushing rooms,” where several men are kept busy looking after them. The uniforms and state robes alone at Marlborough house are insured worse than your boy, Danny; furdermore, 1 tink you are abusin’ de laws of hospitall- ty by invitin’ me to feed and den abusin’ me for not payin’ me way,” said the young fellow, in an ag- grieved tone. t's the true worrud I'm spakin’, and,I only hope me bye Danny ts gittin’ the same the day. Sure, nayther of ye would be the worse for a bit of good advice.” The young fellow seemed abashed by the reproof, and hung his head in a shame- faced manner. fer $20,000, so that his entire wardrobe “Musha, niver mind,” put in the wife,| must represent a very comfortable for- t's welcome yez are to the bit and sup, | ‘une. onyho Byes will be byes.” “Well, say,” remarked the guest, pushing his chair away from the table, “youse peo- ple is de right kind, and you gets cloge to me heart. Say, w’ats de matter wid me drivin’ the cart and pgyin’ fer me break- fast? Besides, a days work would . buy breakfast for t’ree or four days.” The two old people tooked at him ae if incredulous for a minute, and then sur- rounded him and each seized a hand. “Shure, it’s the good heart ye have under your jacket, me bye,” said the old man, waile tears stood in his eyes; “and if you will do thot thing, you will save two honest people from the poorhouse.' bs “Dat’s all right about me __ heart.” sald the young fel- low. “It’s none too good, and _ youse needn’t give me any dolly on dat score. Let de qld man chase up to town wid me, and I'll load and un- load de cart and drive it, w'ile de old man can sit on de seat and show me-de way, for I'm a dead stranger in dis town.’ . +04 There Are Other Ways. From Fllegende Blatter. How Baron. Sparrenfels, not being to smcke: by his physician, enjoys by proxy. es es 8 6 Behind the smoke canopy overhanging the city the sun was sinking, a red disk, as when seen through a glass, darkly. Down the unpaved road, the extension of the city street, a cart came rumbling and rattling, the old horse doing his best as he sighted his stable. “Praise the saints, it’s worruk they got, and are coming home,” said the old wo- man, standing in the doorway of the house. “T'll_ give the fire another turn, for they will have supper to cook, or I’m mistaken.” “Out wid you, daddy,” said the young fellow, as the cart stopped in the yard and he helped the old man to alight. “You carry in de ham wid your good arm and I'll bring up de rear wid de rest of de t'Ings. Granny won't do a t’ing but t’ink an angel has struck de place when she sees de pork chops. I'll give de horse one good feed of hay, too, if he busts for it.” “Arrah, it’s the foine lad he is, intoirely,” said the old man, when the supper had. been cleared away, and they sat around the kitchen stove. "I took him up to Mr. Brogan, the conthrac- tor, who gave us a job at-$2 the day for haulin’ dirt as long as me horse and cairt hold out. Thin he wint around to Bra- dy, the grocer, and gave what he called a ‘song and dance,’ the same bein’ to in- juce Mr. Brady to let us have what we want until pay day, the bye sthandin’ good for the sam “Yes, and that ain't all fellow, “wid your. leave and me own pleas- ure, I'll drive de cart till his arm isa well and bring you $1.75 out of de $2 a day, wid me board and keep t’rown in. Is it a got* “Dinnis Murphy,” said the old lady sol- emnly, to her husband, “go down on your knees ‘end thank the saints, who have sint, you a staff for your ould age and kept the |~ wolf from the dure, for, piaze the Lor it’s a home thot lad will have undher this roof as long as he will stay.” — SS It was a Bangor (Me.) philosopher who summed up a church fair in these terms: “A church fair is a place where we spend more money than we can afford for things we do not want, in order to please people whom we do not like, and to help the heathen, who are happier than we are.” IN HOTEL CORRIDORS “T don’t go deer hunting any more,” said R. C. Burkitt of Ottawa, IL, at the Shore- hem. “Judge Caton has a number of tame deer, including several species, in his park near my home. Several ran away from the park and, not being captured, found their way to the ‘starved rocks,’ as they are termed, a few miles down the Illinois river. Here they bred until ‘Deer Park,’ once fa- mous for deer, has again become a hunt- ing ground for them.’ I went to the place and the man who lives at the entrance to the little gorge, in reply to a question, stated that he had seen two fawns on the other side of a small stream that flows through the park. I cautiously crept through the woods and was soon rewarded by seeing the two fawns lying in the shade near a spring. I had a repeating rifle, and two shots killed both creatures. Tken the owner of the place appeared and I settled for two registered Jersey calves on a basis of $100 cach. Even after they were dead, they looked enough like fawns to be mistaken for them. “I have heard many stories about the lack of cleanliness of the eccentric preacher and politician, Henry Clay Dean, who served in Congress from my state,” said C. T. Abone of Des Moines at the Arlington, “but the best was related to me a short time ago by a man who knew him well and who vouched for the truth of it, Dean went to Iowa in the early days of that state and settled on a small farm. The tirst ycar he raised a considerable quantity of cats and assisted in cutting and placing them in his barn. After the oats had been disposed of Dean started to dig a well, agask that oceupied two or three weeks, owing to its caving in before he completed it, nearly burying the orator. Some time after tk well was finished, he complained of nead- vche, a trouble he seldom had. In a weck or two after the headaches started they be same so severe that he called upon a ph siclan and was given medicine which did no g06d. Another vyésit resulted, and-the ductor concluded to examine the head and see where the trouble lay. ‘Mr. Dean, 50 and have it mowed,’ was his comment. The dirt from the well had fallen upon oats, and the result was a good crop starting in the un- kempt hair of the preacher. He ad the hair cut, the only time, it is said, that he allowed such an operation afler he was grown.” “The Natural bridge of Virginia has al- ways been regarded as a great wonder, and justly so,” said E, R. Paine of Bozemar, Mont., at the Howard, “but there is a far greater one in Idaho near the Bay Hor: mine, which is known to very few people, and they have never pald any attention to it, except to make some exclamation of wonder when they first saw it. There is turnel through a granite mountain. tunnel is a little over a mile long, is w enough for a double track railroad to pa: hrough, and is straigh The walls of this natural ‘tunnel are nearly as even as they would have been had it been blasted through by men. Of course, it has been formed by erosion, but how is a mystery. entific men can explain it, just as they can explain any cave that has an entrance at either end, but it does not satisfy taose who see it. If a railroad should ever be built through that country the natural tun- rel will be found exceedingly useful.” “Mexico is being cited in so many dif- ferent ways and so contradic‘orily by po- liticlans,” said C. R. Shields of Monterey at Willard’s, “that it seems to me some one ought to write a series of popular ar- ucles on affairs as they actually exist in Mexico. The fact is that there is no pos sible way of making accura*e compari- sons between Mexico and the United States, conditions are so very different i there Is no point where compariso vegin. Mexico is in a state The natives, except in the leading country families, ar ilized than the American Indians were fifty years ago. Yet a high state of civilization -xists there among the higher class of Mexicans. 1 employ men as low as $% a month and they are scarcely worth that, while I have men whom I pay $10 a day and could not replace for le: try where chen: will be many come different Mexico.” conditions be- nm the mountain regions of “I have seen discussions pro and con as to whether there are any rattlesnake dens,” said A. P. Cobb of Wheeling at the Ebbitt. “I do not know whether or not rattlesnakes as a rule hibernate together and form communities in dens, but I saw one of these dens once, and I will never ferget it cr doubt that such things I have been in a good many places infe: with rattlesnakes and never located ably but one den, although I have heard of others, hence I do not think they are common or that the snakes usually live in that manner. The den I speak of is in Leslie county, Kentucky, twelve miles north of Hyden, the county seat, in as wild a country ‘as could be found in a year’s travel. I was traveling on horse back, when my horse stopped, trembling in every nerve. I could not urge him for- ward, and, dismour.ting, was nearly over- come with a peculiar sickening odor. Look- ing into a ‘rock hoy or shallow cave I saw innumerable snakes, twisting and squirming. I turned the horse around and went another road, contented to know the den was really there without investi- gating any further.” “Color blindness 1s on the increase,” said Dr. D. L_ Bliss of New York at the Metro- politan. ‘The causes of this defect in vision that may be otherwise perfect are not all very well understood. It would seem that the use of tobacco had a good deal to do with it. I have examined a ‘great many for color blindness, having on everal occasions been employed by rail- | road companies to do so, and in every in- stance where the man examined was found to be color blind he was a user of tobacco. Women are seldom afflicted in this way, hence it must be caused by something that men do which women do not. What cases exist among women will be found to be inherited from male ancestors. I have never krown a woman to be color blind whose fatner was free from the defect. I am a smoker and my perceptions of color are unusually good, so that it is not impos- sible that a man tmay use tobacco without such an effect, but I belicve a large pro- portion of the cases are caused by tobac- co. “I notice that the people in the cities are fond of white daisies, and they are very pretty,” said L. B. Brown, a farmer of Bucyrus, Ohio, at the St. James; “but with the exception of thictles they are the worst pests a farmer has to deal with. Dande- itons come early, are good to eat, and for medicine; thisties, although a great nui- sance, are not so generally scattered; morning glories, while exasperating, are not so plentiful. White daisies are fit for noth- ing but decorating purposes; they grow everywhere, they cannot be killed out and when cut with hay they ruin it. They were imported here from Germany and are about as disastrous an importation as the sparrows from England. There are sections where thousands of acres of land, formerly used for hay, have been rendered useless for that crop, and the daisies have to be fcught for all other crops. Near large cities the daisies can be made a source of profit, but in the country they are such a nuisance that their beauty is not taken into account.” ns It is Not Smoke. From the Pittsburg Dispatch. It has been proved that the incandescent electric lamp does not “smoke” «he ceil- ing, as has been claimed, but that the smoky effect is due to dust. The heat of the lamp naturally causes a current cf air to arise, and the consequence is that there is more dust deposited on the ceiling above the lamp than anywhere eise. ———_++-____ An Instantaneous Portrait. From Comic Cuts. “I am tired to death,” declared Mrs. Younghusband, as she reached home from town the other evening. “What's the matter?” band. een having baby’s portrait taken. They have a way of taking them instantaneously now, you know.” “How long were you at it?” “Three hours and a half. A.Good Excuse. From the Boston Transcript. Judge—What excuse have you to offer for not desiring to serve upon the panel?’ Talesman—‘Your honor, I think—" Judge—‘Your excuse is quite satisfac- tory. You can go.” asked her hus- ART AND ARTISTS|] A PRACTICAL AERONAUT Monday the students of the Corcoran Art School will epter upon another year of study, and take up their work where they left it in June. The night class will not be opened until a month later, but all the other classes will begin Monday, or as soon after that as they can be organized. A large attendance is expected this season, and the school will probably be rather crowded during the winter. If all goes well, however, Prof. Andrews hopes to see his pupils installed in their commodious quarters in the new gallery before the year is very far advanced. The students will find few if any changes in the workings of the school. Miss Cook will have this year the same classes as heretofore, and Mr. Robert Hinckley will have charge of the portrait class. * x * The Art Students’ League also opens Monday next. Most of the regular workers are now back in the city, refresned by their vacations and ready to resume study with renewed vigor. With the addition of an- other department, the class in decorative and industrial design, the league expects to attract a number of new pupils, and a busy winter is looked forward to. This mew department, which is under the di- rection of Miss Sallie T. Humphreys, will not be organized until November. All the students of the league will be glad to know that Mr. Edmund Clarence Messer is again among the instructors. He is to teach the women’s life class and the afternoon ad- vanced antique, and is to have joint charge with Mr. Richard N. Brooke of the composi- tion class, which is held once in two weeks. Mr. Edward Siebert will have the men’s life, the painting class and two of the ad- There had been somewhat of a discussion going on about the couater of the hotel on the subject of flying machines, and as it dwindled down to a final point, and the discussers scattered, a very intelligent lis- tener in the company moved off toward a corner with The Star reporter and talked to him es if he had something he wanted to tell. “You are a reporter, I understand,” said the man. The reporter didn’t deny it, being caught in the act, so to speak. “Perhaps,” the man hesitated, “you might be enough interested in the flying machine to care to listen to something I have to say on the subject.” ‘Of course, but before I begin to listen I want to tell you that I don’t believe there will ever be any flying through the air until they have discovered a method to make the air stand still or te move only as gradually as the currents of navigable streams move. Nobody has yet devised a steamboat. that will run up the rapids of Niagara, or of the St. Lawrence, or any other similar rapids, and for the same rea- son no vessel will ever be devised to suc- cessfully run in the air except when it is still, or comparatively so.” “I am very nearly of your belief,” ad- mitted the man, “and for that reason I Lave very little to say of flying machines and that kind of possibly impossible things, but I do believe in aerial navigation to a certain extent, and have a machine that will do it successfully.” “Well,” smiled the reporter, “it's so out of the ordinary for a man who doesn’t be- lieve a thing exists to prove its existence by a material example that I'd like to hear about it. , “Thanks,” bowed the inventor. “Aas I vanced antique classes. The scholars in | ®4!d, my machine isn’t a flying machine, the preparatory antique will be under Miss | POF has it any especial speed, but as a Jennie Wooding, and Miss Bertha E. Per-| freighter it can’t be beat. Neither has, it got any aluminum hulls, nor aeroplane wings, nor any kite lifters nor any other contraptions like that. It is only a plain lifter and an ordinary earth power does the balance. I am somewhat of a chemist, and for a long time I was at work trying to find a gas which had a greater lifting power than the common gas used in bal- loons and as practical. “About three months ago I hit upon the thing exactly, and at once loaded my car- rier tank with it. This tank, by the way, is of oiled linen, and of size sufficient .to carry a weight of four tons. With my new gas the tank is only three feet deep by five wide and fifteen long, so that it ts rot at all cumbersome. The gas is generat- ed in a smail retort by the admixture of chemicals, and is much cheaper than the old hydrogen gas. It is introduced into the tank simply by the insertion of a pipe in the tank connected with the retort. “When the tank is full it will raise four tons a distance of two feet from the ground and maintain it there for several hours. At other stages, marked by a gauge, it will rie will be the instructor in water color. * ** Mr. Lucien Powell has just returned from bis summer's stay at Paxson, Va, and brings back a number of sketches with him. On his way down to the city he made a short stop at Warrenton Springs, and was deighted with the abundance of landscape material to be found in tne neighborhood. * « * Another devotee of Warrenton scenery is r. A. B. Griffith, who was there a short time ago. He went there with no inten- tion of sketching and totally unprepared, but was so charmed with what he saw that he could not resist the temptation to bring away a number of pencil sketches. He ans to gO again next summer, and this time he will take his painting kit’ with him. Mr. Griffith does a good deal of work in pen and ink, but he is at his best in water color. He has a well-handled landscape, en- | carry any amount down to its own weight, tilled “Noonday,”” which he intends to cording to the amount of gas introduced. send to the exhibit of the Water Calor Well, when I had it full, as I had it the other day, when I made a trial trip with I attached it by the carrier hooks to @ four-ton load of stone in a long box, had made, and let it exert itself, which it aid to the extent of raising the load aleus two feet and a half from the ground and re- maining stationary. Then I hitched # mule to the load and started him to a point a mile away, where they were ‘building house from the stone which they were get- ting off of my place. “I may say here that the mule was dis- posed to kick at being attache® to amy such looking affair, but we coaxed him into @ different frame of mind, and in @ Very few minutes he was trotting along with it, across the fields or along the foad, as it happened, and exerting himself not nearly as much as a canal mule would do in lug- ging a canal boat along through the water, for air isn’t anything like so dense as wa- ter is, nor so hard to pull against.” “When we got to our pi of unload- Ciub in December. * * * A number of pictures are now hung at Veerhofft’s and appear to very good ad- vantage in his recently remodeled gallery. The gallery has been enlarged and the en- trance to it is now through a handsome arch of carved oak. The wood finishings around the room are all of oak, and the walls have been covered with the deep rich red upon which gold frames show up so weil. The most important painting there now is a carefully studied subject by J. A. Veriel, who for some years was a resident of Washington, but now lives in Bel Air, Md, The subject of the composition is Charlemagne asleep, waiting for the hour to come when he shall awake and battle with the anti-Christ. There are in addition to this canvas a couple of landscapes by Max Weyl; four very good canvases by R. LeGrand Johnston and several paintings | ing all we had to do was to attach. a small by other artists. One of the pictures by | Windlass to the load and draw it down to Mr. Johnston is a snow scene, with a|the ground. We could have done the same flock of sheep coming along ‘a track | thing by letting the gas escape, but that is ibrough the leafless woods. * * * Miss Lillian Cook has just returned from her trip abroad, where she spent most of her time in visiting the European gal- leries and art schools. When she went to Laren, Helland, the country was so picturesque that the impulse to work was more expensive. The weight of a man will easily pull the load down when it is near the capacity of the tank, and by drawing the trace through a staple driven in the vays pull the load down so as to release the tank. In return- ing we loaded up with a lot of timber and iron beams they wanted taken back to the railroad, but a ‘back load’ isn’t alwa) necessary, as the gas can be let out of the tank, until it is simply sufficient to car irresistible, and securing terial$ she] the tank and the driver. igh spent two weeks in sketching. During] “This, however, is not expedient except that time she painted several outdoor sub- Jects with their ever present windmills, but devoted most of her time to interior views. Several of her studies she painted in water color, as the cne showing a girl knitting by the window, but her most seri- ous work was done in ofl. She painted on canvas a larger figure of this same girl with her red kerchief and lowland cap, and arrived at an excellent result. Another interior of hers shows a woman peeling potatoes beside an open door, through which one sees a sunny glimpse of outdoor coloring. The view through the doorway contrasts strongly with the cool coloring of the window corner. Best of all her work at Laren is the interior Miss Cook made of a group of peasants drinking ccffee, according to their Dutch custom. They are seated around a table, the man entirely dark against the square deep-set witdow, which gives a meager light te the room, and the two quaint costumed women, looking still more pictur- esque in the tempered light. It {s a thor- oughly Dutch study and is admirable in light and shade and coloring. * * * Mr. W H. Chandlee’s pen drawing of Li Hung Chang, bearing the viceroy’s own signature, has been exhibited for a time at Veerhoff’s. Not only ts the drawing a good likeness of the great statesman, but it is a very artistic piece of work, and in the handling of the lines resembles a fine etching. Mr. Chandlee has recently made a very decorative panel as a magazine illustration for one of his poems, “A Gar- den of Eld.” The panel is a quaint bit of an old-fashioned garden, and is treated in broad, flat masses. He is now making the illustrations for a book of his verses which he is going to issue under the title of “With the Winds.” ‘The illustrations are all in a decorative style, vertical panels, head pieces and little marginal sketches. Mr. Chandlee has been doing recently a good many black and white studies on Japarese paper, which gives a very nice quality to the work. on trips of several miles. Now, you see how simple my plan is, and I don’t claim speed and all that fer it. I don’t even be- eve it will be practicable upon railroads, for they are too fast for it, and it would be in danger of being interfered with by the wind. You see, when it is pauled along at a horse’s speed the driver can walk by its side and steady it in any except a high wird, so there is no danger in that regard ike there would be if it were being hauled along on the rail at forty or fifty miles az hour. “I claim for my air vessel,” concluded the inventor, “only the simplest and plainest accomplishments, and if it can do them successfully, I take it that it is of more value than all the sky-scrapers which never scrape the sky and soar successfully only in the imagirations of their inyen- tors," and the reporter was fully convinced that, as on the earth so in the alr, ane would better crawl before he essayed to fly. —_—> TRAINED CHAMELEON: What a Little Girl Accomplished With Two of These Reptiles. Much has been written about the beauty, the stupidity and the viciousness of tho lizard tribe; and I want to say a word about the intelligence of the chameieon, a little reptile belonging to the great lizard family, and in size the antipodes of the alligator, its big brother. ~ The incident I now relate came under my personal observation, and Gemonsttates that the chameleon is susceptible of edu- cation and can be ranked with animals classed much higher in the scale of intel- lectual development. Miss Henrietta Keene, a little lady of twelve years, living in Philadelphia, was presented with two Florida chameleons, and che at once began instructing and edu- cating her pets. By continued gentleness and kindness she won their confidence, and at her call they would raise their heads, listen and then come running quickly. Soon they responded to their names—Brinton * and Baby—and nodded their little ‘heads ** knowingly. Mr. E. F. Andrew returned on Tuesday | She the: taught them to stand up on from his stay in Europe. He did no work] their hind legs and put their little fore: paws together and stand in the attitude of prayer, looking solemn and closing their eyes; at a signal they would quickly pros- trate themeelves, roll over on their backs and pretend to be dead, lying without mo- tion, until told to rise and embrace they would do with every sign of joy and pleasure. while he was abroad, as he went solely on account of his health. A large part of his time was spent at Carlsbad, but he visited his artist friends in other places and en- joyed some of the many opportunities for seeing good pictures. Mrs. Andrews has done come work this summer, and while at Cape May made a number of water colors, one of these, # marine in rainy weather, being especially good. She expects to be well represented at the exhibit of the Water Color Club, which she has zeal- ously championed from the first. From the Westminster Gazette. The well frcm which Irish stories are drawn Is inexhaustible. Here is a good ex- ample of Pat's wit and readiness. An Irish witness was being examined as to his knowledge of a shooting affair. “Did you see the shot fired?” the magistrate asked. “No, sorr. I only heard it,” was the evasive reply. “That evidence Is not satis- factory,” replicd the magistrate, sternly, “Stand down!” The witness turned round to leave the box, and directly his back was turned, he laughed derisively. The magis- trate, indignant at this contempt of court, alled him back, and asked him how he jared to laugh in court. “Did ye see me laugh, your honor?” queried the offender. “No, sir; but I heard you,” was the irate reply. “That evidence is not satisfactory,” said Pat, quietly, but with a twinkle in his eye. And this time everybody laughed ex- cept the magistrate. a His Patent Impertiied. From the San Francisco Post. Attorney Garrett McEnery recently ap- reared as counsel in a case before a jus- tice of the peace at Suinsun. McEnery found it necessary to make frequent ob- jections to the evidence that opposing coun- sel was attempting to introduce. The jus- tlee, whose first rule of evidence is “every- thing goes,” looked first annoyed and then indignant. Finally he could contain him- self no longer and, as a ruling on one of Mr. McEnery’s objections, roared: “Mr. McEnery, what kind of a lawyer are you, anyway?” “Iam a patent lawye! torney “Well, all I've got to say is that when the patent expires you will have a hard time getting it renewed. Go on with the case.” replied the at- Enthusiast—“This is rather a good thing I picked up the other dey. I’m afraid it'll have to be restored, though.” Flippant Friend—“Why, whom did you sneak it from?"—London Punch.