Evening Star Newspaper, November 7, 1896, Page 16

16 {HE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1896--TWENTY-FOUR PAGES, DEAR, BUT SUCCESS OF A PLAY The Paris Theater Claque and How It is Employed. SOURCE OF PROFIT 10 MANAGERS Some of the Trials and Tribulations of the Directors. RIGHTS OF AUTHORS of The Eveni PARIS, lence October 25, 1806. NE OF THE MOST cturesque features the theater in is the claque. This is a body of picked men who break into applause at proper periods, according to ar rangement with the management. Thanks to the claque, “cold” houses are unknown to the Paris actor. The claque is ‘not a mere mob of mer- cenary hand-clappers, dealing out applause unintelligently at so many francs a night, as is often supposed. On the contrary, it 1s composed of lovers of the lyric and dra- matic stage, who take this means of grat- ifying their tastes free of charge. The claque is operated something after this fashion. A moneyed man, say a retired theatrical costumer, enters into a contract with the director of a theater, who con- fides to him “the general business of the -s,"" and to him exclusively. ation will be—his own and his ft entrance to tMe theater throughout the duration of the contract; a certain r of orchestra and balcony tickets, to be used for the best interests of cess of pie Hi ployes' aumt the bu and a certain other supply of orchestra and baleony tickets, to be dis- | posed of to own advantage. Further- more, the director guarantees to him on the first representations of new pieces the whole of the parterre (pit), to be given out by him accerding to his interest and dis- cretion, On his side, the chef de claque obliges himself (1) to do all in his power to a: the suceess of the new pieces represented | the theater so long as he is in charge; to conform in all points to the usages of the management in this respect; be present at rehearsals, for the purpose of | receiving instructions for directing the ap-| plause; +4) to protec » debuts of new ac- tors and a. to pay to the direc- tors and actres: ter the sum of, say, four sand dollars’ price, premiums or bonus contract. ickets at Reduced Prices. It results from this that the theater Starts with a fund of ready money for salaries, costumes and scenery; that cheer- ful first nights are assured by the packed parterre, and that the piece will run on smoothly ever after. To whom does the| chef de claque give out these tickets? He | gives them to no one. He sells them! At a reduced price, of course. But he still sells them. [t is here the gambling chances of the chef de claque come in. At the be- ginning of a piece, when its success is | doubtful, he obliged in common pru- | dence to give over all, or nearly all, his | tickets to docile and obedient young men, | | Comedie-Francaise. WORTH IT. themselves an enviabte place, but in re- venge they are tied down by fron-clad con- tracts with tremendous forfeits. And the playwrights, while they lord it over all the theaters, cannot but feel that their own regulations hear hard on all except the most successful. As between director and playwright, an incident of the past season indicates the situation very clearly. The Varietes Thea- ter is an old-established house of vaude- ville, opera bouffe, burlesque and operette, in which capacity it brought out, long, long ago, most of the works of Herve, who wrote “Chilperic,” “L’Oeil Creve,”—“The Busted Eye"--and all those other light, fantastic bouffes which so delighted our good fathers when they came to Paris un- der the third empire. No theater In Paris cculd more appropriately revjve these Pieces at the present day, and every one rejoiced when tuneful “Chilperic’” was put Knows He's in the Claque. upon the boards again. The management received the greatest praise from the pub- Me for its lavish expenditure in scenery and costumes. The troupe of the Varietes is a splendid one; yet, not content with this, they took on a whole bevy of supernumerary ladies of surprising loveliness, in order to do honor to the occasion. The result was a considerable success and the revival, short- ly after, of “L'Oeil Crev This latter little bouffe was running merrily enough when ail at once—crack!—and the Society of Authors came down on M. Samuels, the di- rector, cut the run short, and threatened the management of the Varietes with noth- ing less than shipwreck. M. Samuels had entered into an improper agreement wich the heirs of Herve to take a lesser rovalty than the laws of the soctety prescribe! Combination of Authors. Time was when the Theater Porte-Saint- Martin could secure a vaudeville for 200 franes cash or nine francs royalty for each representai:on, and the Ambigu, more gen- erous, paid twenty-six francs per evening to the authors of its five-act dramas. But this was way back in the early thirties, be- fore the business genius of Scribe had imagined and founded the Societe des Au- teurs Dramatiques. A struggle of fifty years has resulted in a very different state of affairs teday. At the present hour not a director can take the administration of any Paris thei ter without having signed with the socict,; —‘legal representative and authorized man- dataire of the whole mass of Paris au- thors"—an agreement to pay Its playwright | and composer royalties according to a set- tled seale. This royalty vartes; for the Paris theaters between 10 and 12 per cent, while it is 15 per cent for the Opera and It is beautiful indeed for the composer and author who has hs Piece accepted, for the popular, the well- known, the well-to-do who can wait. but {. is terrible for all others. The heirs cf Herve were very willing indeed to take 5 Fer cent royalty for “L'Oeil Creve.” But they are not allowed to do it! The result of this tyranny of the Society of Authors is undoubtedly beneticial to the public ard the stage. Directors of theaters are bound to have pieces, and as new pieces cest no more than old ones, new ones they will have. This is so true that “revivals’ stantly suspected, directors en- gaging in them run considerable risk. Fur- t be high, good thermore, as the price mu pieces are regularly the the light, and autt a sult that shows significantly in ali the ptations from the French” whic con- stantly appear on all the other the world. Were it not for this “ty IN THE LopBy. university students, little clerl the | the theaters of Paris would soon run down like—for, say, a franc or two a to fraudulent misrepresentation. Pi They in squads, accompant . in order to who pa. to thre . are permitted to | but still for each for t sit private plauding yiece is Dp best places. ex ng the himself, becomes al ciusively com- posed of private pe of whom | do not dream the true of their | tickets, for which they hav ps, a premium. The ti lators on the street or in the wine s are all agents of chet ancy the irist must have not i how | it often happens that while th noth- | ing to be had at the box o' there are | sidewalk with alway types prom) of | he corn n is led the corner. Around able and meek Pari cafe. Here in a corner there is tiny model of the theater in que a doli's i Pick out our pay a premium. These pla “the concession.” For the di theaters are, despite their splendid cppor- tumit proverbially in hot water fi i cially, and ever on the borrow, mortga: their houses on for weeks ahvad. Indeed, it is said that Sara Bernhardt’s theater, | the Renaissance, fay the outside of the ° ments, which is not at thé mercy of fts chef A Case of G Storm and stress, inconvenience and pri- vetion, avarice and greed and grabbing are, on every side, the characteristics of the theater in Paris; and it ks highly for the value of the artistes and the play- wrights, first, that these things are, and, secondly, that they should possibly con- tnue to exist. Every one has, metaphoric- ally, a pistol at his head. The public is held up by “the concesst the director and all Bix employes, down to the meanest. ‘The director is between the fires of “the cencession,” the Society of Dramatic Authors, the powerful syndicate of artistes and the government itself, with its droit des pauvres. His life is scarcely worth the living. Theatrical arilsts have secured | and a could be had for 25 fra the floating popul. a night ion of sigh: sis so great the trick would be mos protitable—until the reputation of the Pari stage was ruined. But even before the dramatic author has is 10 per cent each night out of the ocket of the unhappy director, the as been before him for its 1 per The city claims its droit des pauvres. F over 11 per cent of your gross rece!pis for the benefit of the poor! This poor tax, which is over and above the state and city taxes paid by theate: all other business enterprises, r less than 11 per cent of t tal re- ceipts. A theater which in the course of the year hws taken in a sum of 500,00 franes is obliged to give up 35,000 to the ministration of hospitals. What is most complaine? of in this exorbitant tax is that it is collected on the total receipis before the theater is allowed to pay itsel! for its daily expenses. A few years ago the director of one of the chief theaters of the Boulevar: thrown into bankruptcy after three ment. His liabilities amounted tc 200,000 francs more than his assets. Dur- ing his three years he had been obliged to pay over from his gross pls, before everything else, under the name of pocr tax, the sum of 330,000 francs for the hos- Pitals. If this sum nad been collected only after the daily expenses of the theater were provided for the shar> of the poor would have been much reduced. But the manager would not have been bankrupt nor have left more than 50 actors, em- ployes and workmen without place or rood. The public assistance, which profited by this application of the law, certainly did not come to their rescue. In recent years the total annual receipts of the theaters of Paris amount to $7,000,000. The poor tax turned over from this to the public as- istance 1s thus, in round nambers, $770,000 each year. These are very curious figures, but the whole subject of municipal govern- ment in France is strange in our -yes, They are the most taxed ple in the ci ilized world. No wonder Paris is beautiful! In the end the public pays, as always. The admission prices to the Paris theaters are necessarily high. STERLING HEILIG. INDIARUBBER AGE Some Idea of the Gigantic Growth of the Industry. INCREASING USE FOR VEHICLE TIRES This Country Leads in the Manu- facture of These Goods.- es WHERE IT I8 FOUND —— T WAS A FRENCH- man that first spoke of our own times as “The Indiarubber Age.” The aptness of this expression does not at first sight impress itself. One has heard the end of the nineteenth cen- .tury described as the “Iron Age” and th “Age of Electrictt: consideration shows that the term “Indiarubber Age” is something more than a witticism descriptive of modern elas- ticity. The part played among us by rub- ber is quite as important as that of either iron or electricity; and the field which rub- ber covers is, if humbler, notably vaster, than the fields covered by those two other great agents of civilization. Rubber has indeed become a necessity, where electricity and fron are merely desiderata. Hence the justification of the French savant and his “Indiarubber Age.” Some slight idea of the gigantic growth of rubber industries may be glean- ed from the following remarks of the man- ager of a New York vehicle factory: “We have fitted 5,000 carriages with rubber tires in New York city alone during the past two years; and there are scores of firms competing with us. “Moreover, we have put rubber tires on at least 35,000 vehicles in other parts of the country, and yet the movement only took commercial shape four years ago. It began with the livery stables which keep cabs and carriages for hire. The keepers of such vehicles found out that when par- tles of two or more wanted to go to the theater or to a dance, they could not speak RUBRER TREES (PARA VARIETY) SHOWIN GUM FROM riages have aleeast driven the background in ‘London, aa st. tersburg and all the large cities of Hurope, Rubber horseshoes are now worn by racers and circus horses alike, and the use of rub- ber tires and ho. oes is rapidly becom- ing common in country. Horseless carriages, which now seen so fre- quently in the str of Paris as to attract no attention, are all equipped with pneu- matic tires. In short, there is no end to the uses of rubber; and its adaptability to new purposes receives daily illustration in almost every fresh'‘mechanical invention. What is better still, the United States leads the world in the manufacture of rubber goods of every description. John Dull Coshpetes With Us. But how long the United States can con- tinue to hold thi practical monopoly 1s quite another question. It is a singular fact that at this stage of the “Indiarubber Age,” the rubber tree should remain prac- tically uncultivated; and that to this very lack of cultivation the land of Uncle Sam should owe its supremacy in the trade, England has awakened to the fact that vast profits may lie in the systematic cul- tivation of the trees best calculated to pro- duce the wonderful gum. It happens, how- ever, that the American importers, having established lines of communication with the natives of Brazil who gather the crude rubber from the wild trees, are very anx- fous to retain for themselves their partial monopoly, and are therefore almost unant- mous in pooh-poohing the planting of for- ests of rubber trees as unnecessary and un- profitable. On the other hand, Englishmen interestea in rubber seem fascinated with the pros- pects of the profits which might be derived from the systematic cultivation of rubber trees. They have already established plan- tations in British India, Ceylon and Trini- dad, and have thdirectly aided the estab- lishment of similar plantations in Mexico. One result of the attention which British Gulana has lately been receiving through the Venezuelan boundary dispute is likely to be the planting of rubber trees in that country, where the soll and climate is pe- cullarly favorable for their growth. It should not be forgotten that the English have been very successful in the cultivation of trees and shrubs which yield valuable products. ngland Haus Succeeded Before. Thus they brought sugar cane plantations to a high state of perfection In Jamaica. By transplanting the cinchona tree from Peru to India they reduced the price cf quinine from $2 to twenty-five cents an ounce; the tea shrub In their hands in As- ham threatens to destroy the demand for the Chinese variety of tea. It will be seen that Para rubber commands a price one- third higher than the best of any other country. The crude rubber from the Con- go sells at forty cents a pound, but it has been proposed to transplant the rubber trees from the Amazon basin to that of the | Congo, both rivers being situated in the | METHOD PPO RTATNIN ‘TRE, softly as they wished to do. pavements caused this noise, and when the rubber tires were introduced people dis- covered that they could at length enjoy a drive in comfort. First private carriages were thus equipped, and then the livery stable keepers were obliged in self-defense to follow suit. Now even the delivery vans have their rubber tire: Bicycles’ Big Impetus. Of course the ubiquitous bicycle has done much to send rubber impcrtations career- ing upwards. Rubber importers are quite sure that the gradual rise in the price of Para rubber for the last few years is due to the demand for pneumatic tires for bicycles. A writer in the London Times has recently carefully estimated the output of bicycles in the United States for the present year at 1,000,000, and of Great Bri- Jach of these bicycles will neumatic tires, or altogether ch pair of tires weighs about 31-2 pouncs, of which two pounds are Pa: rubber. There will thus be 3,500,000 pound: of Para rubber consumed out of a total production for the Amazon 788,613 pounds for the year It roughly speaking, 8 per cent of all Para rubber now produced goes into bicy- ele tires. It is only in_ bicycle mackintoshes that the better grades of Para rubter ere used pure. For all other purposes either inferior qualities of Para rubber are taken, or the better grades are blended with rubber from other parts of the world, such as Central America, Africa and the Bast Indies. The total quantity of rubber exported from these countries amounts to a little more than half that derived from the Amazon basin. ‘The de- fect of all inferior rubbers is their ten- dency to grow soft after a certain amount of wear. The rubber tires and in fine shee industry consumes a very large quantity of rubber, there being Ss several factories in New England which can each ma ),000 pairs of rubber shoes a day. Some idea of the total output may be gathered trom the annual auction sales of rubber shoes in Boston last November, When 40,000 cases of shoes were sold for $500,000, representing some 4,000,000 pairs of shoes. Large as this number may seem, it only represented “seconds,” as the per- fect goods were disposed of in the ordinary way. How the Children Helped. During the year 1894 the public school children of New York c ed three tons of rubber ink erasers, while those of Brook- lyn used two tons. It has been calculated from the books of a large manufacturer that the school children of a town of 12,000 inhabitants use 8,640 rubber bands every year, larger towns and cities using propor- tionate quantities. Less than half the bulk of the white rub- ber which we see in tubing, ink erase cheap toys and other articles consists of the pure gum, whiting and talc being added to give these goods their characteristic ap- pearance and to make them resists oxida- ticn longer. An enumeration of the various uses of rubber in the arts would fill a large volume. Thus, the surgeon is able to per- form bloodless operations by using Es- march’s bandage; he uses an atomizer to spray disinfectants, he uses rubber tubing to drain wounds and rubber syringes to ir- rigate them, and sometimes he orders rub- ber hot water bags for his patients The dentist uses a rubber base in which to fix a set of false teeth. The electrician wears rubber gloves when he wishes to insulate his hands from the danger of a chance current, and mixes rubber with all the in- sulating material for wires above water. Rubber is Everywhere. ‘There is hardly a business man and no post office in the country which have not more than one rubber stamp. Every bil- liard table has rubber cushions. Nearly every working horse in the country has a rubber sheet to protect him in wet weath- er. There must be 20,000,000 men and boys in the United States today wearing elastic suspenders, and at least an equal number of women and girls who wear elastic gar- ters. Every theater has its rubber gas bags, while nearly every house has at least one rubber mat. Rubber belting is extensively used in machine shops, while rubber valves and washers are common ad- jurcts of water pipes and steam fillings. Tortoise and shell combs, except as orna- ments, have been entirely superseded by those made of hard rubber. Vulcanice 1 The granite tropical regions, and the conditions of soil along the banks of each being similar. With the prospect of such an immense in- erease in the annual rubber output, and of a battle royal between the English capital- ists and the present American monopolists, there appears to be all the greater reason for styling this “the Indiarubber Age.” = es The Story of Samson. From Harper's Bazar. With distended eyes, mouth and ears, Tommy Traddles heard his Sunday school teacher tell about Samson and his long hair and his wonderful feats of strength, and his weakness after Delilah had shorn him of his leonine l6cks. “An’ he didn't have any strength at all after he got a hair cut?” he asked, incred- ulous!: ; his strength was in his long hair, and when his locks were gone he was pow- ; erless,”” explained the teacher. When Tommy came the following Sun- day, his face was a trifle scratched and of his eyes was discolored. He had little to say, but was evidently doing a great deal of thinking. “Say, teacher,” he said at 1 “Why so, Inquired the teache “Oh, you see, Johnny Jones, he's bigger me, an’ he’s captain of the Young Rovers’ foot ball team, an’ he wore his hair long, like all of those kickers. An’ him an’ me isn’t good ‘riends, an’ last Tuesday me an’ Jimmy Hawkins and Bob White—we all caught him alone, an’ piled onto him an’ held him down an’ cut off all his long hair with ma’s shears.” “That w: at all nice, Tommy,” proved the teacher, “but I suppos were thinking of the story of Samson? Yes, that is just what I was thinkin’ of." “And you thought his strength was in his hair? “Yes'm, tha: “Well, ‘was it Was Tommy. replied, disgusted. “I met him all alone yestiddy. Was iy? Say, just look at that eye.” eo Comfort in the Bath Room. From the Loudon Morning. It is worthy of note what a difference is made by the addition of a few inexpensive luxuries io the appearance of a bath room. The bath itself must, of course, always be kept spottessly clean and the taps bril- liantly polished, and the linoleum covering the floor always carefully swept and wash- ed; but even more than’ this is needed to ¢ & really comforable bath room. A rk or rubber mat shgpld be kept in every h room. Woolen mats are useless; they sorb the moisture and become unhy- glenic. A place should.ge found on the wall for a mirror—a plain one with a black frame will answer the purpose admirably: the longer it is the better, and it should be placed where thére {$a good light. Two wire trays should also*be fastened to the wall beside the bath, afd low enough to be within easy reach*of the person using it. These are to hold*the*sponge and flannel and soap when not in tse during the bath. Also shelves should be made and placed upon the walls of $ver¥ bath room; these may be of plain déal, 4nameled any color that is liked. Upon tem may be placed cold cream, shaving s6&p, a bottle ef am- monia, pumice stoffe ahd all the little ac- cessories used in the wee Plenty of soap should always be fr led and towels in abundance, and with dll these little com- forts the daily bath will be indeed an un- mixed pleasure. re- you just what I thought.” w: Reftections of. a Bachelor, From the New York Press. : The average hawk isn’t in it with some kind of doves. You never can convince a good girl that she doesn’t know all about married life. Whenever a girl gets a thrill that she doesn’t understand she wonders if she is in leve. ‘One good thing about hell is tnat the devil is masculine, and whatever he does, he won't nag. When a woman gets to heaven the first thing she will do is to look to see how large the closets are. M A woman will cry over a pathetic haby story and then box her children’s ears be- cause they won’t be quiet and let her read. HEROIC FIGURE OF NEPTUNE. LIBRARY FOUNTAIN Elaborate Des‘ga for the Main En- trance to the Building, ——— HEROIC FIGURE OF NEPTUNE Romping Sea Horses and Half-Sub- merged Turtles. THREE DEEP NICHES ISITORS TO THE new building which has been constructed for the use of the Congressional Libra- ry note the progress which is being made in bringing to com- pletion the elaborate details of the inter- for finish. There has been no building erected by the gov- ernment which has been so richly and V hip See »rated as has the Congress- fonal Library. From an architectural standpoint, the interlor of this building, when completed, will represent the highly decorative. The exterior is practically finished, even to the grading of the grounds and the sod- ding. There is one detail, however, of the exterior which is likely to prove one of the notable and attractive features of the structure which has not yet been put in place. Workmen are now engaged in pre- paring for the erection of a fountain which is to be situated in front of the steps which lead up on each side of the terrace to the library building. 5 The design of this fountain, which is de- scribed as effective as well as appropriate, was made by Roland Hinton Perry, a New York sculptor, who made the series of bas reliefs for the hall and main staircase of will get your own back and all I have. Just my Tuck.” “He had te In good humor and gradually I drew his story from him and believed it. I was not as skeptical then as I have been made by wider experiences. I agreed to call it all off, gave some good advice, took back my property and we returned to bed. What do you suppose became of him?” ther hung or in the penitentiary,” answered a cynical listener. ‘0, gentlemen, he’s in Congress himself new. ELECTRIC DOOR: Remarkable Mechanism for the En trance to a Public Building. From the Springfield Republican. The city has a new plaything in the form of the electric doors at the Dwight street entrance to the new city market. These doors are one of the chlef attractions of the market, judging from the streams of peo- ple who keep passing in and out of the entrance just to have ‘sesame open.” These doors are the only electric doors in use this side of Chicago, and many will undoubtedly find them worth coming miles to see. As one steps onto the wire mat at the entrances and sees the huge doors cpen swiftly but noiselessly before him he thinks that he has indeed touched the main- springs of life. If one person is following enother the door being in the act of clos- ing does not, like the ordinary door, slam in one’s face, but gently recedes from’ what- | ever position it may have reached and the passage {s clear until the person or persons have passed through. When there are enough passers to fill the doorway both doors stand wide open, apparently lifeless, but when the last person is through the portals close in a twinkling. The mechanism and manner of operation of the door is this: A handsome cabinet over the doorway on the inside of the build- ing contains the electric motors, magnets, clutches, ete. Through the bottom of this cabinet depend arms, one connecting each wing with its corresponding motor mechan- ism and through which the power is ap- plied to move it. Through the doorway is spread an electric mat connected by wires with the electric mechanism in the cabinet. The doors being in a closed position, step- ping upon the mat closes the circuit through one or more of the many metal cireult closers, causing the armature of the mat magnet to be depressed and an electric switch connected with {t to turn a current through the elvtch magnet, releasing the pulley upon which is wound the belt through which the motor closes the door and the springs pull the door open. Upon stepping from the mat the circuft is brok- en throvgh the mat magnet and conse- quently the switch attached to its arma- ture cuts the current out of the clutch ONE OF THE the library. The fountain will have the light granite face of the terrace for a background, the wall having three deep niches in its surface. In the center niche, on a rough granite rock, is to be the Neptune, a figure of he» roie size. Against the rock on either side of it lean Tritons blowing conch shells. Beneath the rock, at the front, a huge sea serpent seems to escape, while in the niches between the serpent and the Tritons two frogs will spout jets of water across the basin. The niches at the sides will contain Cceanides—females astride of romping sea horses. Streams of water will be numer- ous, sent inward from the outer edge of the semicircle by half-submerged turtles. The artist has completed the figure of Neptune and sent it to the foundry to be cast. Progress is being made on the other details of this rather elaborate design, and it is expected that the fountain will be ready to be put in place early in the spring. _—. HE’S IN CONGRESS. NOW Once He Was a Thief and Looked Down Upon Statesmen. From the Detroit Free Press. This is a story once told a few confiden- tial friends by a strapping six-foot, broad- shouldered statesman from one of the southern states: s “I was making my first trip to Washing- ton as a Congressman. The weather in our section of the country was delightful, and go long as it remained so along my route I traveled on horseback. One night I put up at an old tavern near which they were having a country fair, and found such a rush of business at the hostelry that two of us were assigned to the same bed. My rcom-mate was a nice-looking young fel- low, but not talkative, so I was soon asleep. Later I awakened suddenly to see him dressed and helping himself to my valu- ables. Going between him and the door, I expressed surprise that he was a thief. The fellow was cool, sharp and had the airs of a gentleman. ‘What are you?’ he asked. “ ‘a lawyer and a Congressman.’ ‘Heavens!’ he chuckled. ‘I guess I was lveky to wake first.’ “I had to laugh, despite myself, and asked if he had any proposition to make. “‘I think I will retain you for the de- fense,’ he said, slowly. ‘That means you SEA HORSE: megnet, leaving the belt pulley secured to its shaft and the motor current is turned on. The motor revolves and winds the door shut, at the same time winding up the springs hat are to open the door for the tion. One of the most mys’ about the whole thing is th standing upon the same spot on the mat at one time controls one door, at another the other, depending upon the position of the doors and whether one is entering or leav- ing the building. When the doors are closed no current is used and the cost of operation is extremely small. The 110-volt regular current is used. Each door is pro- vided with an ingeniously devised guard that directs to the right-hand side, thus protecting from the other wing opening should a passer approach from the opposite side to leave the building while you are enteting. The inventors are Oliver H. Hicks and Rohertus F. Troy of Chicago. — A Street Crowd, From the Boston A ivertiser. The easiest thing on the f: to entertain is a street crowd but curiosity in such a motley jam is for- gotten. Rich and poor, ignorant and learn- ed, stand elbow to elbow with craned necks ani open mouths. Just such a crowd as this blocked the way on Tremon: street yesterday at frequently recurring intervals. Every time a very solemn-jooking man ap- peared in the show window there was a scramble to see whose nose would be fla:- tened on the plate glass frst. All the solemn-looking man did was to open a couch and proceed to make it into a bed by turning the plush cover mattress side up and putting on a pair of pillows. When the pillows were squared up the crowd was so great that a policeman had to compel the outer layer of spectators to move on. They did so, grumblingly. Then the bed was unmade, and a parlor couch greeted the people, who smiled and departed. In a few minutes this scene was again enacted. The bed-making man never once relaxed his countenance or hastened his laborious movements. + e2-—-——— A Question for Prophets, From the Roxbury Gazette. Gazway—“Speaking of the world being round, there’s one thing that bothers me.” Jizney—What's that?” Gazway—“If it’s true that it’s round, how is it possible for it to come to an end?” of the earth verything St. Vitus Vanquished. What Cured Little Stanley Nichol of Chorea. From the Republican-Journal, Ogdensburg, N. ¥. A letter was lately received at the office of the publican-Journal from Hammond to the fect that the cure of an extraordinarily severe case of St. Vitus’ dance had been effected on the person of little Stanley Nichol, the eight-year-old son of Mrs, Charles Nichol of that village. R A reporter was accorfingly ned An that direction, who, after some in ound Mrs. hol's residence about a mile of the vil- Mrs. Nichol said: A little over a year ago my boy who ts now only eight years « day by being taken with a strange gi throat. After the first the attacks frequent. Stanley did not co: but sald that he could not hely At that time there was a New ¥ in the village who was a sp nasal diseases. I took my son to iim, careful examination he said that the the matter with the boy"s throa his opinion was caused by a nervous cont the muscles of the throat. I family physician was and sald that he sult with him by iho, anley He ling in his came quite f any pain, i thy and after # hing ng it ion 01 on throat who our woukl con. © he pres: rapidly grew worse. as always & sickly boy. One day I noticed that be was Jerking his arm up im @ very peculiar manner. A few dass later be sermed to lose control of bis legs—Airst one and then the other would be pulled up and then straightened out again, He was a per- fect bundie of nerves and was rapidly losing all control of himself, When cating at the table or @rinking his arm would often twitch so as to eplll what be was drinking. One day he scared me terribly by throwing back bis head and rolling his eyes up so that only the white parts showed. I took him to our family physician, who prepared some medicine for him. He took it and commenced to improve. The dose, however, hud to be in- creased, and Stanley rebelled against taking it It was medic end 1 don't blame the for not wishing to take it “Our poysician went to New York city on by Ines, and While he was away the taedich exhausted, and we could get mo wore, Stan still very bad, About that time I re little girl whe had been cured of St taking Pink Pills, I th neared a box. H followed the © th the pills and gave only bi dose. 1 did not see much improv creased the dose to a whole pill noticed ina day. Stanley immed! to get better id not object to as he had the other medic He touk seven | disagreeable Vitus git 1 would t din ethoms that a pill Of the pills and today appears to be porte He discontinued taking tiem some Cine age weighs nearly fifteen pounds m an be did and is strong and ic Haim ent of school, but he that be Pink Pilis coutain in Us Deressary blood and vullk) at for $2.50, and may be ail from It was a new shirt before going to the little one-horse !aundry—but now look at it. Next time try the Yale. 514 10th st. “Phone 1092. It AS PACK Why Japanese Toothpicks am Are Cheap. From the Jewellers’ Review It has often been a matter of wonder that Japanese manufactures, such as tooth- picks and fans, could be sold at such low prices. The small fans are sold at a cent apiece, while the dainty little toothpicks command the same price per bundle, When one examines either of > pro. ducts and speculates upon the amount of labor thet must be spent to make them in any quantity, the natural inference is that the well-known smallness of Japanes: wages contains the explanation. At a first glance this seems to be the natural exp nation, Such skilled workers as wate! inakers get but a trifle more than a dollar a week for their services, and the less skill- ed and more mechantcal trades command a pittance that to our western ideas seems incredibly small. But small as the wages of the Japane worker may be, there are consideratio: that indicate at once that some other cause must be fourd. There is a duty on both the articles mentioned, and in addition to this it must be remembered that Japan is far aw and that, in the natural course, freights would give a cons’ le price in this market to articles that were entirely witnout cost in the orient. AY to several J importing houses, which deal excl y in fin suma and other native 1 in Japa- aric of at Fans here ple imports « upon, require the most 1 lest on ir long jour they come gtief; and here is where toothpicks and S Lot only work bu pe duty. around are many thousands of and by this use they lose character as merchandise and merely so much “packing.” soe The Difference. From the Indianapolis Journal. The essential difference between the man and the woman,” said the cheerful “is one of wear and tear.” said the new boarder. Man spends his money foolisily on a tear and woman on wear.” Gladness Comes wit a better understanding of the transient nature of the many phys- jeal ills, which vanish before proper ef- forts—gentle efforts—pleasant efforts— rightly directed. There is comfort in the knowledge, that so many forms of sickuess are not due to any actual dis- ease, but simply to a constipated condi- tion of the system, which the ple nt family laxative. p of Figs, prompt- ly removes. That is why it is the only remedy with milliossof famil andis everywhere esteemed so highly by all who value good health. Its beneficial effects are due to the fact, that itis the one remedy which promotes internal cleanliness without debilitating the organs on which it acts. It is therefore all important, in order to get its bene- ficial effects, to note when you pur- chase, that you have the genuine arti- ele, which is mannfactured by the Cati- fornia Fig Syrup Co. only and sold by all reputable druggists. If in the enjoyment of good health, and the system is regular, laxatives or other remedies are then not needed. If afflicted with any actual disease, one mzy be commended to the most skillful physicians, but if in need of a Jaxative, one should have the best, and with the well-informed everywhere, Syrup of Figs stands highest and is most largely used and gives most general satisfaction. ——The Yale Laundry couldn't do poor work if it tried. Doesn't know how. Dropa postal. 514 1th st. 1