Evening Star Newspaper, January 30, 1897, Page 15

HUES THAT HURT EYES Fancy Lamp Shades and Draperies Doomed to Banishment. YELLOW IS PARTICULARLY TRYING The Eye Wearies of Color Waves of Varying Length. HYGIENIC COLOR SCHEMES OLORED LAMP shades and the dainty hued draperies that have been so popular in drawing rooms and parlors of recent years are under the ban. Failing eye- sight in society wo- men has lately been a subject under close observation,until now the oculists have ar- rived at the conclu- sion that the trouble is due to the multi-colors of interior deco- rations. That these striking colors are doomed to go is shown by the alarming suddenness with which the colored lamp shade is being banished. One of the largest makers of lamp shades in New York has within a few days announced that sales have fallen off 40 per cent in a month. It is the theory that a combination of | had = safety deposit box in the vaults un- “I KRYOW Vow WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOUR EYES—TOO MUCH YELLow. and close all of us threw off our coats and played in our shirt sleeves. At first the game was light, the ante being a dime and the limit fifty cents. It was an all-night ion, and late in the evening the limit was raised to $2, and money changed hands freely. “My, how the cards did run that night. I have never had such luck since and can’t reasonably expect a repetition of it. I would stand a raise and draw four cards to an ace in big jack pots and get two more with it. Once I had picked up my hand and found three small cards and the ace and king of clubs; there was a fat pot to fight for, so I came in, and, discarding the small cards, asked for a draw of three, at the same time turning my ace and king face up on the table, so all the players could see them. The draw gave me the queen, jack and ten of clubs, making a royal flush. There were a number of strong hands out against it, including one set of fours and a full. Everybody, *of course, played me for holding an ordinary flush or a straight, and thought I was burning up my money when I kept meeting all raises. I was too foxy to do any of the tilting my- self. By simply meeting the raises it was easy to conceal the real strength of my own hand and make the other players think I had got tangled up to an extent where it was imperative to protect my interest in the pot against possible bluffing. When the play was over and the hands shown down what a howl there was. One man, a good fellow and a clever card player, by the way, was so angry at what he called ‘fool luck’ that he tore up the cards and kicked his chair over. “In settling up the man nearest to me reached over and wrote on my shirt front his I O U for his indebtedness. The ex- ample was contagious, and the other play- ers followed him. The game lasted several hours longer, and es my run of luck held good end the losers continued to write their I O U's on my shirt that garment was soon covered with valuable memoran- da. At the close of the play the shirt bore evidence of an indebtedness of $700 due me by the five gentlemen with whom I had passed the evening. “It was some days befcre any of them gave a sign of settling, and how I did guard that garment in the meantime. In those days I was fairly well fixed financially and cole and spon. of hues in th < before the vision injures the sight, nat the love of color, which is re- ole for all the charming harmonies chromatic effects that prevail of the rich, is a positive evil wh dered from the point of view of the as it is in no small measure answerable for many obscure eye troubles. The investigation Into the objectionable Properties of colors, which will work such » interior decorations, and which ve so many people's t. started in ar cidental way. Two ers of a family high in the social life of New York went to a specialist to con- sult him about their eyes, which were giv- -m much trouble—why, neither they secmed able to determine. Calling -m at their homes one evening, he ex- claimed almost immediately on entering the ing room: “I know now what is the mat- ter with your eyes—too much yellow.” terra cotta and yellow ruled in and of che three lamps of highly polished and high- brass, and the center table yellow flame through one of the x “fishscale” globes. White Porcelain shades were ordered immediately for the lamps. The reason for the injurious effect 1s ex- plained in the fact that sunlight, which is the natural light, is white. With such light no special effort of the optic nerve ts re- i and all parts of the eye do their But when a colored light the eyes the organs of work to do than before. y to adjust themselves to catch the changed vibrations which give forth other radiations than the normal white light. The more tntense these colors and the greater their vari the more {s the strain upon the eyes. Just as it takes some time for the eye to use its normal vision after gazing at a firework display, in the some Way the light throusk a colored shade is now believed to a lim: degree to affect the eye. The lavish use ticularly in the write or sew is, All those ow, red, m ~ulist reflecting lemp sent a very quir work normally. is placed before of colors In the home, par- rooms where people read, therefore, strongly depre- charming shades of green, y pink, or blue, which make a reom Icok so inviting and appeal so keenly to the artistic senses, though they may give pleasure to the eyes that look upen them are a strain upon the sight. They may be used at times to decorate couservalory or ball room, but white shades are at all times best for study, parlor or music room. In boudo!r or nursery the colored lamp shades will also be rigorously tabooed by those who are careful of their eyesight. A metropolitan optician whose clientele is chiefly among the fashionable set is one ef the foremost workers against the use of colored lights. Speaking to the writer upon this subject a few days ago, he said: Xf course, if I were to openly oppose red lamp shades and rainbow decorations, 1 would immediately become unpopular with some of my best customers. This revolu- tion must, in my opinion, be brought about gradually and by individual effort. All op- ticlans and oculists feel the same way. Otherwise we would be accused of trying to help our business along, whereas, in the end, we will decrease it. “There {s not the slightest question, how- ever, that the multi-colored decorations and the use of opalescent globes and shades for Incandescent lamps have caused many men and women to believe their sight was failing, when all that was needed to re- move the trouble was the substitution of white, semi-cpaque shades. Yellow and the hue known as golden are two tints pecu- larly hard on the eyes and the numerous gradations of rose and pink are equally trying. Green when used as the color for @ lamp shade Is not to be commended any more than blue. The nearer white the light is in rooms where eyes are employed in reading, writing, or a simflar occupation, the less is the natural use of them tam- pered with. ed HIS $700 SHIRT. A Good Poker Yarn Two M Stories of the Green Cloth. From the Chicago Daily Tribune. “Talking about expenstve clothes,” said a business man to a party of friends the other night, “I wore a shirt once that was Worth $700. I don’t mean to say it cost a@ny such amount of money, but it was ‘worth $700 to me, and I cashed it in for just that sum in gold and greenbacks.” An incredulous smile went around, and some stinging inquiries were passed as to what new brand of “hop” was on the market, but the speaker never flinched. “Crack away, boys,” he continued, “but when I come to explain the matter you will gee that it ts really a simple affair, and * something which might happen to any man who was similarly situated. One night in the fall of the world’s fair year a party of mtlemen, of whom I was one, was Re ing poker in @ hotel on Dearborn street. 3 the night was warm and the room small der the First National Bank. The first thing I did when the game broke up was to put on a clean shirt and lock the $700 garment carefully away in the vault. It was a week before all the debts were can- celed. Every time one of my debtors came to the office to settle I would take him over to the safety deposit vault, unlock the box, and erase the amount of his payment from the shirt. By the time the payments were ail made the shirt was in pretty bad condition, but I kept it at home as a sou- venir until house-cleaning time last spring, when a fresh domestic, ignorant of its 1n- teresting history, used it to scrub windows, and one of the most valuable shirts ever worn by mortal man thus came to an ig- noble end.” “That's a regular kokoloona, the doubter of the party, does experience strange things at the card table occasionally. I remember one night when Jack Harding, a sport known all over the country, was playing faro. bank and had blown in his last cent. Jack had a valuable dog that he called Nero, of which he thought as much as he would of a child. Wherever Jack went the dog went, and it was with him on the night in question. When his last check was taken in by the dealer Jack turned around and patted the dog, saying: ‘No supper tonight, old fellow.’ Suddenly a bright idea struck him, and he said to the dealer: “Is Nero good for $507” “Sure thing,’ answered the dealer, well knowing the dog was cheap at that money, and that Jack would rustle hard to redeem him. ‘Paes him over.’ “The dog was led to the rear of the table and tied to the leg of the dealer's chair, and Jack was given $0 worth of checks. He could not shake off his bad luck and was soon broke again. Jack put in a pretty tough night, reviling himself for letting the dog pass into the care of strangers, and was unhappy until he fortunately met a man the next day who staked him for an- other tussle with the tiger. This time he played in better form and went along care- fully accumulating a pile of checks until his share of the winnings amounted to $50. The dog, which was still tied to the dealer's chair, seemed to know the moment for his being taken out of pawn had ar- rived, for just as Jack finished counting the last of the checks which made up the $0 Nero set up a series of joyful barks, ani as the debt was paid the dog broke the string with which it was fastened and went bounding to the side of its master. It was natural for the animal to want to get back into the possession of its owner, but what puzzles me is how that dog knew Jack bad won enough to take him out of pawn with, and why he lay quiet until the last check necessary to make up the $50 had been won.”” Every faro dealer of note in the country has at some time had “Little Dick” in hock for $0 or more. In the days when con- fidence men were making big money work- ing the railway trains Canada Bill had asa side pertner a dapper little fellow named Dick Cody. It was the fashion those times for the dudes to carry small canes with richly mounted and decorated heads. These were too small for use as walking sticks and were intended for show solely. Dick Cody was a dude of dudes—would change his clothes two and three times a day, and always looked as if he had just stepped out of a bandbox. After getting his share of a “trick,” as the robbery of the inno- cents was termed, Cody would strike for the nearest large city to have a good time, and this to his mind meant rich meals, a few bottles of wine, and a bout at faro. He was a careful, methodical little fellow, and on reaching town would plant moet of his money in @ safe place, retaining only $200 or $300 for his spree. After his meal and wine he would march to some favorite faro bank and tackle the tiger. If he won he would kesp on playing until the game closed or the dealer turned up the box. If he lost, as he generally did, Dick would begin to look closely at the gold-mounted stick he always carried, and the dealer knew what was coming. Hand- ing over the cane Cody would say in a cool, Batural manner, the same as if he was = ~ a check: “Put ‘Little Dick’ in for $500, please.” And no dealer who was on to his tob ever refused him. Win or lose, Cody wa: always around promptly to take his cane out of pawn. The stick itself was not worth at the outside more than $10, but Cody could go into"any faro bank of note in the country and get a loan of $600 or It was bis way of giving a promissory note for the credit, and he never repudlutea the obligation. ———+ee. Exercise Assureé. From the New York Weebly. Physician—Yes, madame, I have ined your husband. All he alr and exercise,” * grunted “but then one have to tramp about five or starve to death.” ‘THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1897-24 PAGES. INTO THE UNKNOWN Explorations That Were Made Dur- ing the Past Year.. DARING FEATS BY LAND AND SEA Late Conquests in Remote Quar- ters of the Globe. WHAT STILL REMAINS Written for The Evening Star. In briefly surveying the work that has been accomplished by travelers during the past twelve or eighteen months, and the field of exploration that is left unfinished by these labors, it is made manifest that the planet which we inhabit is not yet fully conquered. It is true that the sources of the Nile have no longer to be searched after, and that the northwest and north- east passages, even if their discovery has | not led to that commercial success which the ventures of a hundred years ago pos- sibly anticipated, find their records of achievement: in past history; but enough remains to add luster to the title of an ex- plorer which need not be dimmed by the recollection of the triumph of a Ross, Kane, D'Urville, lLAvingstone, Burton, Barth, Speke, Baker or Stanley. Africa still has its terra incognita, and so have Asia, Australia and South America theirs, and if these “unknown lands” are rapidly receding from the gaze of the pure geog- rapher, they yet hold up service to the scientist who follows in the path of the geographer, and to whom the world is to- day looking for the highest cless of infor- mation that is to be obtained. The most brilliant piece of recent ex- ploration is unquestionably Nansen’s heroic effort to reach the “farthest north;” if he has failed to reach the ultima thule of the explorer, to plant his flag upon the much- coveted north pole, he has at least suc- ceeded in arriving nearer to it by some 200 miles than any previous voyager of the arctic sces. How long the record of 86 de- grees 14 minutes will stand cannot be fore- told, but there is reason to hope and to believe, with the advances that have latter- ly been made in polar work and knowledge and the activity which is being manifested in this fizid of.inquiry, that it will be chal- lenged and passed before many years. Nansen’s greatest contribution to geo- graphical knowledge is not the attaining of his high northern pcsition, but the det2rmi- nation of the existence of a profoundly deep sea (of some 12,000 to 15,000 feet in the far north, for it had been almost uni- versally assumed by geographe:s that the arctic basin was a comparativély shallow one. A Problem Solved. In the continent of Africa the hand of the explorer has not been idle; another of its main features has been sketched out and the problem of the Niger solved. It is just one hundred years ago that Mungo Park, one of the most intrepid of modern travelers, then in his twenty-fifth year, set out to explore the course of what at that time was assumed to be the second river of Africa. Little or nothing was then krown of the Congo, and scarcely more, except in the immediate region of its mul- titudincus mouths, of the Niger itself. Whether this river had a main course from the east, or one from the west, was still to be determined. After traversing various kingdoms, and undergoing numerous hard- ships and torments, not the least of which was enforced captivity with the native tribes, Park succeeded in reaching a portion of the upper course of this great African river to which he was directing his explo- rations. Nine years later, in command of @ second expedition, he penerated to the important commercial town of Bammako, but the full measure of his researches’ was cut short by an untimely death by drown- irg, which took place in the kingdom of Sokoto, in an effort to escape hostile pur- suers. From that time to this Niger geography has been one of the problems of African exploration, and if it has not, perhaps, at- tracted as much attention on the part of travelers as did the main question of the Nile—the discovery of its ultimate source— it is because the region of exploration in West Africa is a much more difficult one. Yet it is in connection with this work that the names of Lander, Clapperton, Laird, Overweg and Barth have been rendered famous. Every successive quarter of a century has added something to our knowl- edge of the general course of this river, but, singularly enough, up to the present year, the work of exploration has not been such as to make a continuous study, and sec- tions of the “intermediate” course of the river have remained as unknown ag though no work had been conducted in the region before. The announcement is now made that the full exploration of the river has been brought to a successful completion by the French traveler, Capt. Hourst, who in boats descended the stream from Bam- mako and Timbuctoo to the actual mouth. The journey was begun in January, 1896, and terminated in the early days of Oc- tober with the arrival at Okassa. Of the long section between Timbuctoo and Say hardly any trustworthy information has heretofore existed, and Barth himself knew but scattered parts of both banks. The journey of Capt. Hourst thus makes a memorable addition to African knowledge, and it closes nearly the last important problem connected with the geography of the “dark continent.” It has, moreover, a great commercial significance, since it es- tablishes the fact that, despite the presence here and there of impeding rapids, the river is practically navigable throughout its en- tire course. In the Heart of Asia. The heart of Asia, in the remarkable ex- plorations of Mr. St. George Littledale— his traverse of the Kuenlun range and of the great eastern plateau of Tibet, the so- called Chang—adds a chapter to the travel- er’s record which will stand side by side with those of Younghusband, Bonvalot, Przevalski, Pundit Krishna and Rockhill. It is the beginning toward filling in the great cartographical blank which begins with the northern Himalaya chain and end with the Altai, and with which are asso- ciated the headwaters of some of the mighty rivers of the globe—Irrauadi, Yang- Tze and Mekong. This Tibetan plateau, as has been properly pointed out by Gen. Walker, chief of the trigonometrical survey of India, is the largest protuberance of the earth’s surface, and its physiographic fea- tures are among the most unique and im- posing that this globe presents. Toward its exploration will doubtless be directed much of the energy of travel during the next quarter of a century. In a brief dispatch addressed to the gov- ernor of Queensland, Australia, Sir Wil- Ham Mi regor, the administrator of Brit- ish New Guinea, announces that, loss of life or limb,” he has successfully made the first crossing of New Guinea. Through this venture, therefore, another one of the presumably inaccessible regions of the earth’s surface has fallen submissive make avenues of travel, these efforts have met with but little success, while in some | From the Chicago Prat. z = escape the attention of tHe traveler of the immediate future, and fa,him we now look for the effacement ¢ tose large blanks which still disfigare”t! ap of the world. The healthy and exhilarating exercise of mountaineering still haidg.a prominent po- sition in the work .of syploration, and it has lost little of i Ses zeal in a search for new worlds to Tr. The remarkable success which has at- tended Mr. Fitzgeralds,, crossing of the New Zealand Alps has tempted this daring mountaineer to make fhe ascent of what is most generally asstimtd (although per- haps wrongly) to be tWe‘Joftiest mountain summit of the new world; Mt. Aconcagua, formerly in Chile, but;now in Argentina, with an altitude, a8 determined in the early “thirties” by Adthital Fitzroy of the British navy, to be*24910 feet. Later measurements by the’ Spanish - engineer, Pissis, have seemingly, reduced this eleva- tion to 22,422 feet, but'whéther one way or the other, the extinct Volcano still presents a sufficiently bold front to tax capabilities and endurance of the hardiest of moun- taineers. The German traveler, Gussfeldt, at- tempted it in 1883, but gave up the effort after reaching 21,089 feet—an elevation ex- ceeding the highest shown of Chimborazo. What the chances are for the successful accomplishment of this work ecannot~ be foretold, but if full credence is given to a brief dispatch from Mendoza, Argentina, it would seem that ‘the problem has been solved, for it-is announced that Lurbrig- gen, the famous Alpine guide and’ associate of Fitzgerald, reached’ the-summit of the mountain on the 14th of this month. ——_—_>—__ HE HAD NO TIME TO WASTE. The Interruption of a Train Robber Annoyed Him. From the Chicago Record. Jim McCord weighed ebout 110 pounds and had scraggly whiskers. But for all that he was as “nervy” as any other gam- bler that ever lived, 2nd would cheerfully battle with his fists if need be to empha- size his rights. And, as he was an ex- pert boxer, he seldom got much the worst of such an encounter. Once, traveling from one county fair in Nebraska to another, Jim found himscit so reduced in pocket as to make a double seat in the day coach preferable to a berth in the sleeper. He coiled up and was doing a fair job of work at sleeping when the train stopped with a jerk, seven shots rang out, and at the door of the coach appeared a rough-looking young farmer, with a bandana handkerchief covering his - face and a pistol shaking nervously in his hard. It was a hold-up all right, and every one in the car with one exception sent his hands heavenward. McCord didn’t. He was asleep. The man with the gun worked his way down the coach, gathering valuables as he progressed, until he came to McCord. “Here! Wake up! What have you got?” the train robber demanded. “Go on away. Don’t bother me!” Cord growled. “Give me your money,” the other insist- ed, presenting the gun. McCord was awake’ now. “My friend,” he said, “you may be a good thief, but you are a blamed poor diagnoser. Do you suppose I'd be down here crouched like a toad in a seat if I had money enough to ride in a: Pullman? Go away.” And he dropped back to sleep again. ‘The train robber wa8 nonplussed. “Say,” he sald, “I want what you've got. Shell out.” ke “If you don’t quit‘ bothering me and waking me from an uneasy but valued sleep,” said McCord, “you will regret it seriovsly. Go away, I tell you.” The fermtr looked up and down the car for an inspiration as to what to do. None came, and he again gave attention to Mc- Cord, who had by this time returned to his doz “I've got to have your money,” he said. McCord roused himself: “Well,” he said, “I see we are bound to come to It. Now, I have not. interfered with your business in this car, and it is no more than rigat that you should. réfgain from mixing in mine. My business is to get same.sieep. But you intrude yourself, and we will have to settle.the matter otfcé #gr all.” “Biff.” , ~ m2 It was his fist whichmade the last mono- syllabic yemarkj ™@nd irPewalf a minute it Was raining bakdaha handkerchiefs and re- volvers and Ra{F and old clothes, and the Passengers were under the cushions. In a minute McCord had the faymer on, the floor and was batting his Read ‘against the iron uprights of the seats. Several of the other passengers came forward and wanted to elp tie the fellow up and im on to the next big station. « Sis “Thanks, gentlemen,” said@@imyt-Lut 1 think we! Wonk a east. neyer interfere in other people’s affairs. ie any of you had wishedeso arrest this ‘Wan the time to. do it was when he was negotiating di- rectly ‘with you, and not. whee’ and I were trafficking. The only thing I have agairst him ig: his temporary deraggement of my plans, ‘which contemplated sleep. If we keep him on, board I shall naturally feel a sort of responsibility for him, ard will not ke able to rest.as calmly and repose- fully as I wish. I am going to throw him off right here, and if any of you want to capture him then, why that's your affair, in which I shall not mix.” And conducting the culprit to the end of the car he evicted him into space. Then he went back and curled up and was in a moment blissfully asleep. ——_+ e+ ___ She Scared Hint. From the New York Weekly. Sweet Girl—“I hope you will call again, Mr. Coolhead.” Mr. Coolhead (mew admirer)—“Thank you, I should be delighted'to call very soon again, if I were sure of finding-you at home.” sé “Oh, I'm nearly always at home; but— let me see—it won't do for you to call Tues- day evening, for that is the night of the Home Mission meeting; and Wednesday night the Emperor’s Daughters meet; and Thursday the Blue Ribbons have a most important session; and Friday is the monthly meeting of the Dorcas Club; and Saturday the Browning Club—really, I hardly know what day to set; but—” “Um—do you expect to belong. to those societies always?” ¥ “Oh, yes, indeed; Im a life member of them all.” “Er—I should like to call again soon, but this is our busy season, and-I shall be con- fined very closely to the office for several months. Good evening.” ———_+«-+____ The Indian Way of Driving. From the Kansas City Journal. Commenting on the attempt made by the government in 1867 to civilize the prairie Indians by supplying them with the garb and food of the white man, Col. “Bob” Dodge of Dodge City.says: ‘The author- ities sent the Indfang thousands of sacks of flour; pantaloons in abundance, and a big lot of stiff-rimmed thats, bound around the edge with tin or German silver to hold the rim in shape. They also sent them a few light-running ambulances. The savages, to show their appreciation of sthese magnani- mous gifts from the ‘Great’Father,” threw the flour on the prairie inorder to get the sacks for breech cloyts. They cut-out the seats of the pant 18, id they cnt the crowns off the hats gd ustd them as play- things, shying them {7f the-air, like a’ white boy does a flat stone, to See them sail ay R ay. “The ambulances The government ne; Mc- N- ey-“were proud of. ted to send any har- ness with them, so jhe Indians manufac- tured their own. ley dig not understand anything about lines, instead, drove with a quirt, or ¢§ort whip; when the near horse wor too much ‘gee,’ they whipped up thf off“horse, and when he would go too much haw,’ they pounded away at the near h again, and so vice versa all the time. unique manner of driving eevt ae ee fe a tanine Tun most o! ie time. remem! a ride with Little Raven, chief of the Arapahoes. At first we started off gently, but his ponies did net’ gd straight, so he kept tapping them, now the off horse, then the near, until finally he got them on a rapid gallop, and I thought at.one time my head would surely pop up the roof of ‘the ambulance. country was very level, fortunately, or I doit know what would have been the outcome,” or —_—_ Quite True. eae “In using dynamite for war,” said the humantarian thoughtfully, “one not forget that the reroll is the worst: feat- ‘ure of it.” * rs izes 4 “Ab,” said the warrior, ‘but we have ART.AND ARTISTS. It will interest many persons to know that at the last meeting of the trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art it was decided to open that institution free to the public on Sundays in future. In order that this privilege may be enjoyed without inter- fering with church attendance, and yet accommodate those who are unable to visit the gallery at other times, the hours will be from 1 until 4 o'clock p.m. during winter months, and from 1 until 5 other seasons of the year. It is understood also that free Friday night exhibitions will be resumed as soon as practicable after the opening of the new gallery to the public. * x * Many who remember the pictures that Will S. Robinson exhibited at the Water Color Club in December were surprised when they saw his collection of pictures now on view at Fischer's. Those shown at the Water Color Club, with their cool, quiet coloring and soft. atmospheric quality, gave a glimpse of the artist’s work in one airection only, while in his exhibition at Fischer's there were many sketches of an entirely .opposite character, possessing a most brilliant intensity of color and ex- ecuted with a sharpness and crispness which was quite different from the tech- nique of his previously shown work. The novel manner in which the pictures were framed is worthy of notice, as it is effec- tive, yet simple and inexpensive. The studies are placed in pasteboard mats of a yellow brown color, which closely resem- bles the tone of a gold mat when in shadow. This exhibition is the first one held in the new basement gallery at Fischer's, and the fine appearance of the present collection under the artificial light- ing demonstrates its entire practicability as a place of exhibition for water colors. * * x Dr. Kindleberger has been occupied large- ly with portraits and simple color studies during the cold weather, and until working in the open air is again possible he will Probably not do a great deal of painting. He has been in Washington only a few months, having but recently come from Philadelphia, where he was stationed for five years. His duties as a naval officer have carried him into all parts of the world, and the walls of his studio are adorned with many a picturesque sketch from strange countries. As is natural in one who has had so many opportunities for studying the sea in all its moods, he is es- pecially fortunate in his ocean views, and perhaps the most effective canvas in the studio is a large marine handled with great force and vigor. A number of his studies have been made in the country around Washington, and one in particular, which was painted out by Fort Myer, is notably true to nature. There is a silvery light in the sky, and this same tone is found to a greater or less degree throughout the en- tire picture. * * x Mr. William Fuller Curtis has been busy with a number of drawings in black and white, and plans to hold an exhibition of his work at Fischer's later in the winter. He works entirely in black and white, handling pen and ink and pencil with equal ease, and of late he has been devoting rosa of his time to burnt wood decora- cn. * * x At the new Congressional Library every- thing is rapidly approaching a state of completion, and there are only a few im- portant decorative features yet to be fin- ished. Aside from Paul W. Bartlett's two statues, representing Columbus and Michael Angelo, all the bronze figures for the rotunda have been placed in position on the balustrade of the gallery, and the gallery has been thrown open to the public, in order that visitors may have a closer view of the figures. Seven of the statues —Plato and Bacon, by John J. Boyt Moses and Gibbon, by Charles Niehaus; Solon, by F. W. Ruckstuhl; Kent, by Gecrge Bissell, and Shakespeare, by Frec- erick MacMonnies—arrived several weeks ago, and since that time seven more have been added, namely: Herodotus, by Daniel C. French; St. Paul, by John Donohue; Fulton, by Edward Potter; Newton, by C. E. Dallin; Beethoven, by Theodore Baur; Hemer, by Louis St. Gaudens, and Joseph Henry, by Herbert Adams. MacMonnies’ Stakespeare, dressed in the costume of the Elizabethan era, and holding a book in one hand and a pen in the other, is disappoint- ing in every way. It is, in fact, hardly such a statue as the public would be ied to expect from so popular a sculptor. But, if the work of one artist has failed to come up to expectations formed, there are others whose work surpasses what has been an- ticipated. Both of the bronzes by Nie- haus are excellent, Moses being a particu- larly interesting figure. Herodotus, by French, and Homer, by St. Gaudens, are also among the best of the pieces of sculp- ture. The congressional reading rooms, which were closed to the public for a short time in order that the parquet flooring might be oiled and polished, now present a sump- ucus appearance. ‘The fixtures for the electric lights have been placed in position in the representatives’ room, and workmen are now placing fixtures of a different pattern in the Senate reading room. The latter is by far the more richly finished of the two, and the carved doorway and marble mantelpiece by Herbert Adams add considerably to the ae * * Mr. Ferdinand C. Leimer is still at work uperhis bust of Mr. Simon Wolf, and the portrait is gradually approaching comple- tion. In addition to this work Mr. Lei- mer is engaged in making some designs for ornamental stone — * * The collection of cld English masters shown in the main gallery at Fischer's is such as is rarely seen in Washington, and is therefore of more than passing interest to art lovers. The exhibition opened on Thursday, and will remain open for ten days. Invitations have been issued, and admission will be by card only. There are two landscapes in the collection—an Italian scene, by Richard Wilson, who is generally considered the founder of the English school of landscape painting, and a picture by John Constable. This last is a scene upon the river Stour, in Suffolk, the local- ity in which Constable was born, and in which he did much of his best work. He was almost the first of the English paint- ers to attach due importance to the study and observation of nature, and this fidelity, which made his influence so wide reaching, is evident in the canvas on exhibition. It was in portraiture, however, that the early English painters attained the highest level, and the collection at Fischer's, if not thoroughly representative, contains fine ex- amples of several of the greatest masters. There is a portrait of Lord Delawar, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, and “The Age of In- nocence” is also attributed to him. It is one of the most beautiful things in the ex- hibition, and possesses the indescribable charm found in the artist’s portraits of children. The large canvas by Sir Peter Mrs. Ashley and a portrait of Miss Car- rington, by Johann Zoffany, is also shown. There are three canvases by Geo. Henry Harlow—a portrait of Lord Byron, one of Hon. J. mn and =~ of Mrs. Fairlie, le. with her child at her ef A SLAVONIAN SLAVO NIAN LAUNDERING Mangle With a Clumsy Log Propelled by Frail Women. “Starched Thing: Not Known and Methods in Some Respects Superior to the American Appnratus. There was once a girl who, as an oid song put it, “sold her old mangle and bought a pianner,” but she lived in Eng- land, not in the southeastern part of Europe, so it is probable that her mangle was-less primitive than the queer instru- ments of torture still in use by the women of Slavonia and Servfa, and its operation of a less heavy task. Slavonia is in Austria, or rather in the extreme south of Hungary, but its people are nearly all Servian. Its plains stretch for miles in an endless expanse of perfectly flat country. Its mud is fathomless, its women’s daily task of scouring and fight- ing against the dirt that the “men folks” bring in from out of doors on their shoes is never done. Between times there is the mangle. ‘This is a stout plank about 7 feet long, raised to a height of 2 feet upon rough luminous tones of the sunset sky. Two fig- ures hurrying along in the foreground give a touch of life to the scene, and there is a kind of dignity about the picture that makes it very interesting. Another oil which Mr. Weller is engaged upon is a study of an old tramp steamer passing | through a narrow waterway at East Glou- | cester. ‘The dingy yards and the discolored hull of the vessel make it a more than usually effective subject. * Ok Mr. Lucien Powell plans to send to the centennial exposition at Nashville a large water color upon which he is now at work. In its present state cool blue and gray tints predominate in the picture, and though he is now introducing some more vivid color notes it will not even when completed have the warm tone which is usually found in his pictures. The scene is a street view in Padua, and the pic- turesque Italian architecture shows the artist’s individual style of handling. In the foreground is a stone fountain, and about it are a number of quaintly dressed Italian women bearing pitchers. Mr. Powell may also send to Nashville a large Vene- tian scene done in his best style and full of color. He never paints pure aquarelles, but in some parts of this picture the color is laid on so heavily as to resemble the powerful impasto of an oil painting. He has now upon his easel a sketch which gives a view of the city as it appears from Eckington. = * o* The blanks have been printed for the seventh annual exhibition of the Society of Washington Artists, and those who wish them may obtain them by writing to the secretary, Mr. W. H. Chandlee, at The Evening Star office. The exhibition will open on Monday, April 5, and pictures will be received at 620 17th street on March 22 and 23, from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. Oil paint- ings, pastels and sculpture, not before in- cluded in any public exhibition in Wash- ington, are eligible, and the number of pietures which an artist may exhibit is limited to four. No unframed works or works framed in round or oval frames will be admitted. x * * The following communication was re- ceived at The Star office on Tuesday last: WASHINGTON, January 25, 1897. Editor of The Star:—In your issue of this even- ing, in referring to the inauguration of the new catty. wilt bey i is hough the ta ty wi » it is ti e canvases, such as the “Death of Caesar.©” Permit me to suggest that this difficulty may simply and profitably be avoided, so far as that picture is concerned, by burning. This offensive painting, in which the principal object is the shapeless mass, apparently, of a dead nigger in a potato sack, bas already too long disgraced the Corcoran Gailery, and should, now that the chance be con: ‘offers, be con’ instead of be- sumed by dre and tetally destroyed, ons a Oe ing perpetuated to re the new buflling. belicve it is ascribed to Gerome, Dut, if he painted it, it was probably during an attack of grip and nt lunacy cu: E eevee AO SROBERT F, MOULTON. Georgetown. Inasmuch as the most powerful intellects differ widely on such vital subjects as re- ligion, medicine and law, a little latitude certainly ought to be allowable in regard to the merits of a given work of art. Whether the writer of the foregoing tren- chant criticism is serious or not, is not easily determined, as the signature seems to be fictitious. Any way, no such name appears in the city directory. But, how- ‘ever that may be, the writer and pos- sibly other readers of The Star may be Interested in knowing the fact that there | is now on file in the Corcoran Gallery an official communication from the authorized committee of the municipal authorities of the city, of London asking for the loan of | that idéntical canvas, to be placed in an tien of contemporary French art, to be held in Guild Hall next summer. The English critics and connoisseurs may, of urse, be. ig in acumen and taste, for col it would appear from their action that they New Year Journal. I have determined to keep a journal this year, so that I can remember the names of my creditors. ~ There will. be-2 number of bills on the must not forget to put a new lock door. those i "gometbing short. about “are falling due; but neverthe- Ff ied nd He i ! aEE WOMAN IRONING. hewn logs. The middle of the’ plank is gripped by a framework rising from the floor to a height of 5 feet, with three great beams running across it, the whole fastened together with pegs. Upon the plank are laid two rollers, and on the rests a half log of wood just fitting tween the sides of the frame. This weight is smooth on its under surface, rough hewn above, and is provided at each end with three pegs which serve as handles. The froner, when ready to begin, takes a sheet, for instance, wines it tightly : round one of the rollers, and puts an old ironing cloth around the outside. Then, lifting one end of the log and placing the roller und it, she works the weight to and fro, until the wrinkles are all presumably smoothed away. Then the sheet is removed, folded and put away, and the next “ironing” — perhaps another sheet or three or four towels, or half a dozen handkerchiefs—sub- stituted. The second roller acts merely to balance the log, although two irone work the machine, one at each end “starched things”—the “blanchisse fine” with which Trilby was concerned.- they are another story—not yet published in rural Slavonia. The woman who trons is as picturesque as her tools, when she wears the Slavonian peasant costume. Her shoes are flat and heelless; she has no stockings, but winds linen about her lower legs and binds tt in place with thongs, leaving a space of : inches or so bare below the edge of b kilted skirt of coarse, undyed linen. Her yellow, sheepish jacket is ornamented with patches of red and purple leather, quilted on with bright yarns, and her head is cov- ered with a gaudy kerchief. Almost a often, however, she is stripped of her fin- ery, except on Sundays, and wears at her work bedraggled clothing of western Europe's unattractive work-a-day pattern. NO SHOPPING FOR HIM. The Very Names of the Things She Wanted Were Enough for a Done. From the Detroit Free Press. “See here, Robert, you've been lecturing me about causing the clerks so much trouble when I go shopping, and telling how much better men manage these things,” said one of Detroit's matrons. “Now I'm going to trust you to get a few things and have them sent up.” “I'm not like a man that couldn't do it. This thing of making five or six trips to do ten minutes’ business is mighty near crim- inal. Just tell me what you want, dear.” Then the pretty mouth of the wife went like a talking machine run by a forty-horse engine. “Get me some embroidery, lace and passementerie, some bretelle attach- ments, three paradise aigrettes, some white moire embroidered in gold, willow feathers, gold galloons, jeweled trimmings, a chamois leather cape lined with dogskin, cream bro- cade, changeable lilac sil “For heaven's sake, woman, tongue of yours before it gets you. Are you giving me the inv combination dry goods, millinery and jew- tore? You don't want ali this truck. “Every bit of it. Have to have it and a good dea! more for the girls and myself. I'm so glad that you can attend to the whole thing in a quarter of an hour or so. I also require—" “Let me make a list,” interrupted the husband as he desperately seized a piece of paper. “How do you spell that passem- something?” After he had struggled for twenty minutes and written a lot of th that would set the most intelligent crazy, he crumpled the paper viciously. to the little desk, filled out a generous check with the rapidity of an actor, and as he delivered it said he never again wanted to tackle such a nightmare. She must look after all such matters. ———_ ++ ___- Im the Golden Days. From the Boston Trerscript. Aunt Susan—“What, sitting up writing at this hour?” “Yes, auntie, Harry.” Aunt Susan—“Why, Harry only left you five minutes ago.” Carrie—“‘Yes; but there is something I fergot to ask him, and it's very impor- tant.” Aunt Susan—“Yes?” Carrie—“I esked him if he loved me and he said yes, and J forgot to ask him if he would love me always.” p of a it’s only a little note to | The man who tries to live 730 days in a year is likely to find something giving - way before the year is complete. The human animal is a remarkably strong or- i It is ing how much