Evening Star Newspaper, November 27, 1897, Page 14

Written for The Evening Star. “Th jown guns fired at Arlington and the arsenal at sundown each evening, remarked one of the watchmen on the Long bridge to a Star reporter, “afford much a: mt to river men, even if they do not furnish much aceurate information as to the incident of the day that they are supposed to signalize. They are supposed to be furnished with the same information as to the matter of sunrise and sunset, and, though they are in an air line about one and half or two miles distant from each other, they seldom fire their guns at anything like the same time. Geographical- ly the arsenal should fire the sun-down gu: @ fraction of a second or so ahead of that at Arlington, but the reverse is always the case. Indeed on Sunday evening last the gun at Arlington announced sun down at least ten minutes defore the gun at the arsenal was fired. The cavalry does not like to play second fiddle to the artillery, though in army matters the artillery ranks first, the infantry second and the cavalry third, and it manages to beat the artillery out every evening.” eee Re “The improvement in bicycle saddles did Rot come a moment too soon,” said a well- known surgeon to a Star reporter, “and.it would have been better had it come earlier. The fact is, though it was not fully demonstrated until a couple of years after the bicycle was firmly established as a vehicle of pleasure and transportation, that the old-fashioned bicycle saddle, while good enough for slim and average built persons, did ye injury to heavy-built persons. The weight of the riders rested on the back bene or spinal column, and in riding over rough pavements or roads, the jolting pro- duced painful and dangerous results, if nox permanently injuring the spinal column, the only relief from which was a rather :tficuit operation. 1 would not like to ven- ture any opinion as to which is the best saddle, for I am not sure about it. Riders can now have their choice of at least twen- ty patterns, either of which does away with the old-fashioned razor back pattern saddle. The latter has Injured many,though they did not seem to realize it for a year or so after the injury occurred. Any saddle that has any kind of a central support should be discarded. The weight of the body shoull be supported by the parts that nature has supplied for such purposes, and mot by the spinal column.” ** * * * “Though it may not have occurred fre- quently, I am convinced that some wash- woraen here hired cut my linens during the time they had them to be washed,” said a lady department clerk to a Star reporter, “and I make the announcement to save others from similar treatment. Among laundry women, while the great percentage of them are honest, though not so careful at times as one could wish, there are a few who are not, and it is to get at this few that I am speaking. Whenever a wash- woman excuses herself from delivering clothes at the appointed time and promises to have them finished ‘early next week,’ there is room for suspicion—and it will bear investigation. Circumstances, of course, arise, rainy weather, sickness and the like, which prevent even the most prompt lauh- ary women from returning the clothing when they promise, but when this thing is kept up and the clothes are habitually Kept over Sunda: it is a safe venture to get another person to do your laundry. Ordinarily there is not one person in ten who has other than a general idea of where their clothes are laundered. They know they are taken away, and after a few days returned, and that is about as far as their information goes. Indeed that was all I knew for many years. Now, how- ever, I am more particular, and I not only know the particular place where my cloth- ing is washed and the place where it is dried and ironed, but I know exactly who washes it. In a quiet kind of a way I have investigated somewhat into the mat- ter. and I find that clothing ef both wome and men is regularly loaned or hired out, then washed and fron gain before being return The only way by which this practice can be stopped is for those interested to Secasionally visit the places where their work is done and see for them- selves that their clothing. if not ready to be delivered, is in the hands of those who should have it instead of being on the ‘s of those who hire or borrow it. y I should say that violations of i are less frequent in the cases of esidents than they are in those of tran- s who stop at hotels and boarding + * ¢ * ¢ s no hurrying in the departmental buildings in Europe,” observed a recently American, a department official, to a Star reporter, “and such a thing as al is not known. No matter or can be made special or rushed To get an answer to the simplest m requires from two to five days, oftener the latter than the smaller number. I suppose if any one in high official position should personally interest himself in a case he could have it disposed of out of order, but even then there would be some delay about it, simply for the reason that the system operates slowly. In our department- al business a case can te and is frequently received and disposed of in less than an hour, though in some instances it has to go through a couple and even more divi wons for action and note before it can be upon by the head of the department. ses are known as red card card or ses and are ‘special.’ They have of way, and routine matters are laid aside while they are being red and acted upon. These specials are made so on request, and it does not Require a very heavy request, either, to ac- complish it. There is no department that does not ha’ a great many of them in each day. Gn the other side of the ocean things are run less in railroad fashion and there is absolutely no interfererce or interruption with the way the wheels go ground. In the public buildings, as far as'I could ob- serve, business is transacted as it is in the departments here. A certain number of pers out of the newly arrived mail is ded around to the divisions to which they belong and by the chiefs of the divi- sions, in turn, assigned to the various jerks for action and record. When the ‘ork is finished it is turned in, examined, signed and mailed, but everything has to h this order. In Berlin I had a tter to look after. On inquiring fice for information I was al requests for Informa- be considered, and I would have to reduce my request to writing. This I I was then told that the answer would ent me in about three days. I argued that as the information I desired was a matter of brief record, !t could be furnished me in five minutes, and I could save that much time, but the argument didn’t go, and I had to walt. “The answer came in exactly three days. J could have obtained similar information @t any of the departments here in an hour it the farthest, for it was a matter that iny chief clerk could answer, it did not require the action of the head of the de- partment. When the answer did come it was very apparent that there was a mis- understanding somewhere, for the answer did not fit my question. Knowing that I wrote my request somewhat In a hurry, [I thought that possibly the error was on my side, and I again called on the official and explained, and asked to see my letter, to asce! in if I had properly stated my re- Quest. I was again told to put my request in writing. and that I would have an an- Swer in three days. By this time I was downright mad, but kicking did no good, and I had to wait the full time. When the the righ answer did come I found that the request and the answer were correct as far as they went, but that I had not asked as much information as I required. Then I filed another request, and got the information in exactly two days.” +0854 208 “Some months since I gave expression to the fact, not generally known,” remarked a well-known physician to a Star reporter, “based on the experience of the late Prof. Gross of Philadelphia, that the colored race, at least the American negro, seldom if ever sneezed. The subject has since been pretty thoroughly discussed in southern newspapers and in several medical jour- nals. They all concur with me that sneez- ing !s a very rare occurrence among those indicated. “I have discussed the matter rather free- ly with a number of colored persons and have asked them to give me the results of their observation and experience. I find that they, too, report the fact as I stated. Some have gone further than I into the subject of sneezing in general, and I have been much interested in the outcome of the discussion. Among the superstitious, sneez- ing is regarded as supernatural, for the reason that it is sudden, unaccountable, uncontrollable, and they consider it om- inous. In this I do not agree with them, for there are natural reasons for every sneeze there is given, though they may differ each time. I find, however, that, as in neafly all things else, the conditions which cause some to sneeze actually stop others from doing so. The old-fashioned nurses, the aunties of the south, as well as those of Europe, would not think they had done their duty when they hear an infant or child sneeze unless they said ‘Bless the child,’ or ‘God bless you,’ as the Greek nurses of two thousand years ago were in the habit of saying ‘Zeus protect thee.’ Among German nurses, especially in Ger- many, many of them make the sign of the cross every time they hear a sneeze, and follow it with the ejaculation, Gesaudheit!” Among German students a sneeze is nearly always followed by the Latin word ‘Prosit,’ meaning ‘May it help you,’ or ‘It may help you,’ and every one within hearing of the sneeze joins in it. Another peculiar thing in connection with the original proposition, that sneezing is very rare among colored people, is the fact that the more removed they are from the native stock of full blood the more sensitive they are to the condi- tions which produce the sneeze. This fact remains, however, that the full-blooded ne- gro rarely if ever sneezes, while all other Faces do so very frequently.” oe ele “It is now within a few days of two months, the exact date being September 29, since the burning of the cable power house,” said a resident of the locality to a Star reporter, “and the enormous quantity of coal stored in the southeastern end of that building is burning as brightly and apparently as actively as it was the morn- ing after the fire. There were four hun- dred tons of coal, soft Cumberland coal, stored in the bunkers, which was valued at nearly $1,500, and actually cost the cable company more than that to place it there. For several days the fire companies poured @ continuous stream of water on the coal, the only effect of which was to make it burn brighter and more actively. Finding that water only increased the fire which was consuming the coal, it was turned off and an effort made to smother it by a great quantity ofclay. This retarded the burning scmewhat, but only for a week or so, for after that it seemed to burn as live- ly as before the clay was put on it. It seems a pity that such a quantity of coal could not be saved, but in the Judgment of those interested there was no way of sav- ing it. It was thought that if an effort was made to open up the coal the intro- éuetion of the alr which would necessarily enter would have the effect of starting the whole mass into a blaze. From the present appearance of the pile it looks as if the fire will keep up for a couple of weeks yet. The almost ten days’ rain of several weeks since, Instead of extinguishing, seemed only to add fuel to the flames. xe ee * “The salutation, ‘How do you do?” ex- plained a State Department linguist to a Star reporter, “is general throughout civili- zation, though Americans boil it down more than any other people in their one word ‘howde” The Frenchman, to express the Same idea, has to use ‘How do you carry yourself? The German says; that is, he uses German words which mean, “How does it go to you? Likewise the Spanish ‘Como esta usted?’ which means ‘How do you stand?’ The Chinaman, when he wants to say ‘How do you do” uses words which mean ‘How do you run along today? The Italian is almost in the same fix, while the Arab uses words which mean ‘Do you stand or do well?” The Portuguese says, in his own words, of course, ‘How’s your good health now? and the Indian goes a step further and says, ‘You look well, do you feel so?’ The American's ‘howde’ is as ex- pressive as any of the others, as well as the briefest.” —_—__. Curiosity Nearly Satisfied. From Tit-Bits. It was a third-class compartment of one of the expresses running from London to the north. A long-nosed, thin-lipped man, with pointed chin, a slouch hat, and a hungry expression of countenance, was resting his feet on the opposite seat of the carriage, which seat was partly occupied by a passenger in a gray check suit. “Goin’ far, mister?” asked the long-nosed man of the other. The passenger addressed turned slightly around and took a long look at the ques- tioner. > “Yes, I'm going to Crewe,” he replied. “My business there {s to sell four shares of bank stock, dispose of my interest in a farm of eighty acres ten miles from the town, and invest the proceeds in a clothing establishment. I am from @t. Albans, in Hertfordshire. I got into the train there at 9:35 this morning. It was forty-five minutes behind time. My ticket from Eus- ton cost me 13s. 24. Had my breakfast about an hour ago. Paid 1s. 6d. for it. This cigar cost me 3d., or five is. My name is William Page. I am thirty-nine years old, have a wife and four children, and am a member of the Congregational Chuch. I was formerly a chemist, but sold out to a man named Morris, and am not in any business now. I am worth, perhaps, £20,000. My father was a cooper, and my grand- father was a sea captain. My wife's name was Nash before I married her. When I reach Crewe I expect to stop at an hotel.”” He stopped. The long-nosed man regard- ed him for a moment with interest, and then asked in a dissatisfied way, ‘ your great-grandfather do for a livin’ DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS MONEY Ex-Treasurer Wordat fqutntiy amuses experi- had white tréasurer Of the United ly indulges in joking Tearké, uttered With a serious it was the induigence of this proclivity While connected With the Treas- ury Department that came neat fesulting in his introduction to a pair of handcuffs and incarceration in a dingy cell. Mr. Jor- dan had occasion to make a trip to New York just at a time when a new $5 bill was issued by the bureau of engraving aiid It happened that the treasurer on the day of starting on his trip drew a portion of his salary, and the cashier hand- ed him a bunch of the new $5 bills, which his friends by telfifig of an exciting énee he States. Mr. Jordan voceasi countenanee. printing. had reached the office within an_hour. ‘When he arrived in New York Mr. Jordan proceeded to purchase some needed articles and handed the clerk one of the new bills. The clerk had never seen money that looked like that bill, which was spotless and uncrumpled by handling. He examined the alleged money and the man who gave it to him with equal care. Mr. Jordan watched him with suppressed amusement, and remarked in a matter-of-fact way: “It's good money. I made it myself. That was enough for the clerk, who went to the cashier's desk with the bill. There Was a hurried conference and a message was sent to police headquarters over the telephone. In a short time a couple of de- tectives in citizens’ attire were standing on either side of the treasurer of the United States. They waited there to watch devel- opments, fumbling their handcuffs in their peckets. In the meantime the cashier studied the new bill further, looked careful- ly over his counterfeit detector and rum- Mmaged through treasury circulars relating to the issuance of money. Finally he came across a description of thé new $5 bill which was to be issued by the Treasury Depart- ment. His message had not yet reached the clerk, who was exchanging significant glances with the detectives and watching Mr. Jordan, when the latter, getting tired waiting for his change and realizing that his new money was probably puzzling the cashier, produced his card. At the same moment the cashier's message that the rioney was not counterfeit reached the clerk, the detectives wandered off with crestfallen countenances and the treasurer proceeded to the nearest bank, where ne exchanged his new bills for money that had passed through a thousand hands and was far from being sanitary. a LONG-DISTANCE TELEPHONES. Freely Used by Members of the Cabinet for Business Purposes. The necessity for the material presence of cabinet officers and other government officials occupying important posts in the capital appears to be diminishing as time and the march of invention go on. When the application of the telegraph caused a spreading of wires over the country it was a great relief to public officials who wished to absent themselves from Washington oc- casionally with a feeling of safety im case they were needed in an emergency. They felt that if they were called upon to act in any important case they would be in- formed of that fact with little delay and could at once return to their posts. When the telephone was introduced into business fe it was a boon to officials who wished to their homes while they could be placed in com- munication with any employe of their de- But it tele- phone to absolutely annihilate space. No invention has ever been a greater boon for the government official in a place of great responsibility, and a week seldom passes without this invention being freely used attend to affairs in the quiet of partments at a moment's notice. was reserved to the long distance by one or more cabinet officers in the trans- action of public business while they are hundreds of miles from Washington. Many questions are referred to cabinet officers over long distance ‘phones. Secretary Bliss not infrequently holds conversation while he is in New York with officials of~his department, and while here he has inter- views with his business managers in New Postmaster General Gary when in Baltimore utilizes the same means in look- ing after his department, and while here in early York. supervising his private business. all the cabinet officers do the same thing, and it is understood more than one mem- ber of the cabinet would probably ‘not be in such a position were it not for thé con- venience of modern means of communica- tion, which has no longer made it necessary for an official to be tied to his desk in the department over which he presides. ee Caught im His Own Tree. A Washington man who prides himself upon his family connections is just recov- ering from an attack of nervous prostra- tion. This man lately became possessed of the idea of constructing a family tree, feel- ing assured he could produce a growth that would dwarf the giants of the California forests into Instgnificance. He began on one branch of his family, and soon struck Miles Standish, from whom he ran various shoots and offshoots, with many 2 feeling of pride. With renewed interest, he went to work on another branch of his growing tree, and had gone back but four genera- tions, when he was amazed to strike a great-grandfather who had died from strangulation brought on by a rope en- circling his throat, his death occurring in the presence of a large gathering of cu- rious people, who had taken a day off dur- ing harvest time in order to see the hang- ing. By this time the man of family pride had become intensely disgusted with ge- nealogical investigations, but all that his friends knew of his disappointment was the fact that he remained away from the busy haunts of his fellows for several weeks, and the family physician gave out the information that he was the victim of @ severe case of nervous prostration. Ri —— a SHE WAS A GRATEFUL WOMAN. A Sallor Spins a Yarn of Love and Romance Ending Happily. A lot of sallcrs, who go down to the sea in ships of the kind in which the oyster- men navigate the raging Potomac, were foot of 7th street two or three days ago, talking between jobs and smoking a pipe apiece. The subject of the conversation was love and romance, and each man was taking his turn telling where he had first met his wife and how, or, if he had not met her, then telling how he would like to. At last they came to the homeliest man in the lot, and it seemed hardly necessary to ask him for a story, because by common ac- ceptance only the beautiful move in the charmed circle of romance. However, he did not wait to be asked. “I guess I was the bashfullest man on the earth’s surface,” he said with a light hitch in his speech, “‘and not much prettier than I was nervy, and a man like t has got up-hill goin” all the way when he tackles anything in petticoats. Well, there was a girl in Baltimore that I set a lot by, but somehow I got worse every time I saw her, more particular if I tried to talk busi- ness to her. One day I pearted up and told ber she ought to git married. It was the truth, too, for she was gittin’ older every minute and was already past thirty, and I was two years older. She wasn't pretty enough neither to fade a carpet, but she had good health and good sense and I'd a’ been glad enough to have her if I'd had the nerve to ask her. Well, when I told right nice widower with three children settin’ up to her for all he was worth. Then he asked he woman I ever see. Said she couldn't tell me how grateful sha was; said if it hadn’t been for me she never sitting on the deck of the Mary Jane at the Aerts Oa op, eo SATURDAY, broke away “upon anSexpe Bondueskf heavy fihally closing ago, - rather earlier than usual ‘afternoon—about been converted - into a veritable construction. every player stood uw as downright fun was concerned. “Several devices, involving the element of chance, altogether new to me, were in use, among them a roulette table constructed out of @ cracked wooden chopping bowl, arranged with tout potkets on the sides, numbered from one to four; a large cigar box, havitig a circular hole an inth ih diameter cut in the top. To play this lat- ter game the operator stood over the box and endeavored to drop a marble into the Meant two addittonal mar- bles; failure the loss of the One dropped. There were three of these boxes and all were in full blast at the time of my en- e Then the boys had orifice. Succ trafice upon thé scene. the rear wiieel of 4 cart hung upon a peg: the spokes pdintéd six different colors; nails driven into the rim mildway between spokes and a cardboard indicator so fast- ened above the wheel that when turned the indicator woul? be hit by the passing nails. Piecés of cardboard with the same colors were sold at 1 cent each; and when 4 half dozen had _ been disposed of—and the boys said they went like hot cakes—the wheel was When it stopped the upon theni a’ adorned the spokes given a violent turn. Indicator. pointed to one of the six colors, and thé boy holding the card of that color put 5 cents in his pocket, a net profit of 1 cent always going to the wheel, larger boys. “A board a foot wide dnd two feet long into which perhaps fifty shingle nails had been driven so as to leave an inch pro- truding was also, ccming in for a good Stalls had been par- titioned off the lower end, and numbered. Marbles were rolled in at the top and even- tually Worked their way into one of the In some sfalls the boy lost and in share of attention. stalls. Ri oi he doubled his investment. and several fun.’ replied, ing organized weekly. nings of frem 20 to 50 cents. “When, I is d the boys that what i Sodas ae was gambling, ure and=simfile. and that every one 0} b iiable under the laws of the District gor viglation thereof, every face became jong enough to eat cats out of a churn. They were thoroughly frightened and I allbwed them to worry several min- they denomin: them was utes whife I gave them some good advice. Finally, mpon ‘their promise that the ap- pliances ‘shopld, be destroyed the practice discontinued. ang other ‘clubs’ notified, 1 agreed to give no names to the authorities. fi yy says he has heard noth- Since theft my F ing further of Monte Carlo. 19 ge MECHANICAL TOYS. Fortames for the “As the holidays..approach Inventors. many parents, uncles and aunts, where all the toys displayed in ‘store windows and at curbstofiés tome from, and what novelty will appeer next, porter recently. “To me it is no mystery, Yankee genus brings me some new play- thing to inspect. the market, and then if it makes a tem- Porary hit the inventor and myself both market fs tlooded with the new favorite, for its popularity is generally short lived. and its reign is over. mechanical toys, such as river steamboats, locomotives, trains, trolley cars, dolls that it walk and talk and animals that move ab almost naturally, are made in America, while such, old-fashioned playthings as building blo¢ks, tin soldiers, woolly sheep, skin-covered horses, cows and dogs, all of which, judging from the normous sales, are as great favorites with the children of teday as they were a generation or two ago, come mostly from Germany. In that ccuntry these toys are hand-made by peas- ants, who work at them at night or during dull seasons on the vineyards or farms. Labor is cheap, and although the designing is seldom original, the workmanship is usually good, and the toy can be imported and sold cheaper here than the same class of goods made in this country. As a re- sult of this there are many toys which in their completed state. are partly Amer- ican and partly foreign. Among these are toy vehicles, with horses or oxen attached. The vehicles and everything in and about them may be the product of American ma- chinery, while the animals standing in front of the toy may be from Germany.” “Are many American toys patented?” “Yes; ihe most expensive and insignifi- cent novelties yre alike protected by pat- ents before the manufacturer puts them on the market. A patent once granted pro- tects the holder from infringement upon Bis idea for the time during which the patent runs, and he controls the manu- facture of his article as absolutely as he would any real estate that might be in his name. Few inventions pay better than pop- ular patented toys. A clergyman in New York state has realized $10,000 during the last two years by inventing a jumping frog that opens and shuts its eyes and mouth raturally. ‘The ‘dancing negro,’ which can be seen in every toy shop and which is simply a figure of a gaudily at- tired colored gentleman balanced by a wire, which is moved rapidly up and down by a system of clockwork in the box upon which it dances, provides an income for its in- ventor of ,$30,00) a year. “That old, still popular American toy, a ‘return Béll’—a wooden ball with an elastic atfached—yielded the patentee an income egpal tp $50,000 a year. The sale of the little w len figure ‘John Gilpin’ was incrofibly jarge, and a very ingenious toy, known ag,the ‘wheel of fortune,’ is sald ts have produced upward of $300,000 to its im “One of the,most successful of modern toys has mn the ‘chameleon top,’ the sale of which has heen enormous. The field of invention; : only vast and varied, but it is openoto everybody, without respect to sex or age, stakion or means. The merest trifle maxsbe the key 0 i fortune, if it be an artic ie public actually wants in great sumbérs.” a at ae OVEMBER AN AMATEUR MONTE CARLO “The recent episode, wherein four boys their nurses and set ot tien of extermination and fy armed ‘lid accoutéred, je day Under arréat, calis ¥@ mind an ticideht that becurréd not long é Reighborhood,” remarked & resfding on Capitol Hill to a té- Work @ couple of hours gin shape in my ‘coal shed I approached the shed I voices inside, and opening a) a sight that would have comforted and rejoiced a veteran devotee of the gamiig table. My coal shed had Monte Carlo on a small scale, though of primitive The appliances were crude, being the handiwork of boys from twelve to fifteen years of age, but inasmuch as m exactly the same basis, with no possibility for favoritism, it is evident the matter of varnish and artis- tic effects was not a material factor, so far which seemed to be the property of two of the there were a dozen or fifteen boys in the shed, among them my own boy, all eagerly engaged in one game or another. I made inquiry as to what they were doing ‘Just having some I discovered that this was the third Saturday my shed had been converted into a gambling room, and that a number of others were tm operation at that time in the neighborhood, and new clubs were be- It appears that the boys put forth unusual efforts during the week to get money that they might play the penny gfimes Saturday afternoon, and that some -of them went home with win- A Number ot Them Have Made Large it will no doubt be a seyrce of much wonderment to said a large wholesale dealer in téys in New York to a Star re- for almost every day in the year some If it fs good I put ft on make money. When a strike is made the A few days, weeks or months at the most “Nowadays nearly all the cheap 5 and 10-cent novelties 2nd the better class of 27, 1 this ends ‘ot the oui coubl The doves. receive a literal “smashing.” away party, and it was seen no more. Two months elapsed, and the incident of the little trunk was wellnigh forgotten by the young couple, until one night last week it figured im a scene quite the reverse of a wedding celebration, and which the young husband will not soon forget. Though the physician’s practice is large, he still attends many charity patients, and from one of these the other night there The poor woman in question has a large family, and the baby, a little fellow of four years, waa ill. It was a nasty night; the wind blew and the raifi beat down.so fiercely that all who The distance was Breat, but the young physician is tender of heart, and he went to the relief of the came a pitiful summons. could remainded indoors. little sufferer, “Only 4 cold at first,” said the anxious t But. he has I believe F dis- coufaged; pérhaps hardened ini Some ways by her long battle with the world, but the mother’s Jove was there, and the doctor One glance at the child told him that he had come too late. Diphtheria was there, and the imost that could be done would be to exse the final. struggle of life and death. The child had intervals of consciousness, and during one of these he looked up at the physician and in a hoarse little voice said: “Does "oo warit to see my trunk? I has here, and ve ‘ittle birds is sound mother, “and a sore throat. grown rapidly worse. Oh, doc my baby is dying!’ She w: 01 weary, recognized it in her trembling voice. it right a’see) One little hand found its way under the pillow and drew forth the draggled remains of what had been two tiny stuffed birds. At the same time, the child pointed to an object held tightly in his other arm, and Which he clasped lovingly to his breast. It with a sob, explained to the doctor that the little trunk and the birds were her baby’s cher- was a little trunk. The mother, ished playthings. ‘He got them, sir,” she said, the street. The birds were had them for a favor like. carriage and Willie, If you could have thought they was all alive. The mother’s ever. Alone the young ph: have put them reverently away of death. ——._ __ a A DOUBT AS TO BREAD. of Death? tention of European scientists. foods.” longer will we live. But is it true? writers,” said Dr. staff of the porter, “but we eat. fore the use of such bread is unhealth: The reason given for this unhealthfulness is ‘that starchy food ig not digested in the or second stomach of the body, and therein lies the stomach, but in the intesti difficulty of digestion of wheaten bread.’ “The truth is that the stomach is only a tract, and the second stomach or intestinal tract is called on to aid the digestion of nearly all varicties of foods. So the argument that starchy food, like bread, is hard of diges- tion falls to the ground. One objector to the use of bread says ‘bread from wacaten flour’ when considered in reference to the amount of nutritious matter it contains, may with justice be called the staff of life, but in regard to the amount of earthy mat- ter it contains with equal justice we can fractional part of the digestiv say that it is the staff of death!’ “There is some sense and reason in this argument, especially with the aged or those past middle life. ‘The young in growing and the adult in the vigor of life need the earthy matters in bread, as the carbon- ates, the phosphates and sulphates of lime and magnesia, the basis of bone structure, and with these the use of the staff of life When these earthy matters in bread are no longer need- ed, any excess of bread eating will produce ossification of muscles, especially of the muscular valves of the heart—rigidity of Joints and tendons—in short, rheumatism of greater or less severity is established. In fact, the rheumatism of those past mid- dle life comes from excesses in eating bread and meat, both of these articles of diet being rich in earthy matters. In ad- locomotor ataxia, paralysis, asthma and diseases of the brain In eating bread and meat after a person has reached the climacteric or past middle life. So with the aged the use of wheaten bread may or its equivalent is indispensable. ‘the time of life is reached when dition to rheumatism, may be induced by excesses become the ‘staff of dea ea ages Valencia Oranges. “Few people are probably aware that it takes over 50,000,000 boxes of oranges to supply the annual demand for this fruit in the United States,” said a wholesale fruit merchant in New York to a writer for The Star recently. “About ninety per cent of the fruit is grown in California and Florida, and the rest comes principally from Valen- cia. The domestic fruit is now selling at from $2.75 te $4 a box, while the foreign article is worth from $5 to $7 per crate. ‘One reason why we import so many Spanish oranges is owing to the large yearly exports of our own luscious product to London, where our fruit finds a ready mar- ket and is considered a great luxury. Be- sides there are many Americans who have cultivated a taste for the fine Valencia fruit and they will apparently have nothing else. So to please both English and Ameri- can consumers we export and import large geant ee of oranges: es “Valencia exports more oranges than any cther city in the world. It largely supplies England, sending there annually some 40,- 000,000 in boxes holding 500 each. The country in the neighborhood of the city is flat and has something of the aspect of a market garden. All semi-tropical fruits grow there, and raisin and wine grapes, rice and mulberry trees flourish especially. But the growing of oranges for ex is the chief industry. Las! of “Valencias” the call for was brisk. year at least 450,000 are expected to arrive in New York for the fruit in most of cities will doubtless be very active the holidays.” eis “As you never work, Slowboy, pnderstand why you take such when other men are prosperous I it ler to ae iegeaaigr to borrow money from them. '—24 PAGES, PLAYED A DOUBLE ROLE ames the early autumn Wedding$ was at of a prominent you iaeaesn be ity, and a belle of thé West End. The c = One, the je doing all in thelr power to felidltate tné wéading jour- hey With a shower of rice ahd slippers. carfiage in which the Bride and groom made tHe trip to the Frallway station had two enormous spoons tied with ribbons, at- tached to the rear, and as a parting com- pliment one of the ushers threw into the window of the carriage a miniature trunk, upon which wa’ fastened two tiny white The groom tossed it out, only to have it returned with a “‘fifteen-all” result. Back and forth went the little trunk like a tennis ball, until the small baggage was likely 10 Finally it landed in the crowd of curious spectators that lined the street to witness the going ‘one day on ed to the trunk; and it seems some wedding folks At any rate the bride and the groom threw them from their there, got them, sir. en how pleased he was, and he came running home to show me. Every night he has gone to bed with the two birds under his pillow, hugging the lit- tle toy trunk to his poor little heart. Oh, sir, he was that tender of them, you'd a grief prevented further words, and when she next raised her head from a long paroxism of weeping, the life spark of her baby boy had gone out for- icilan had watched the little traveler start on his Jong journey. Very tenderly be begged the mother to give him the toy trunk and the little birds, and the physician and his wife I say reverently, because they played a part at two sacraments, that of marriage and that In It the Staff of Life or the Promoter The subject of bread as the cause of dis- ease and death is just now engaging the at- It is even alleged by some of the writers, “that bread is the most prolific cause of disease and death to be found in the catalogue of If this be true then the “staff of life” is in reality the “staff of death.” If this be true then the less bread we eat the “There is reason in part of the deduc- tions drawn by some of these calamity Hayes of the medical nsion office to a Star re- ke all fads, this one about the danger in the use of bread in our diet- ary will have its day and then give way to some other sensational idea about the food One writer on the subject states: ‘Since wheaten bread contains from 35 to 40 per cent of starch, and it is acknowledg- ed that starchy food is unhealthy, there- a silk umbrella next.” But de idea of wearin’ me own around on me frame so’; whenever I wants to lay so allurin ‘dat I’m almost willin’ exercise ter realize it.” ee Se ae iliac “gs » JOHNSON» ‘Written for The Evening Star. Constancy, Miss Moon, she go Foh a day or so A-sailin’ froo de sky. Den she hide away, An’ she sulk an’ stay Our patience foh ter try. * But we goes along, Wif 2 cheery song, A-visitin’ night by night, An’ dah’s many a stan A-waitin’ dar Foh ter gib a stiddy light. be all right in art, science an’ religion, as you say. But ef it’s us they was after that time, I must say they're mighty poor marksmen.” * * Personal Magnetism. The old house hasn't seen a day of such excitement since; That baby was enthroned a monarch there; His wish was more respected far than that of any prince And news of him was listened to with care. Of course there was excitément when his mother told us all That for his father he, in language plain, Had several times, with earnest emphasis, been heard to call, And that doubtless he would do it soon again. Miss Moon, she see Pitty soon dat we Seems gittin’ along fus’ rate, Den mo’ an’ mo’ She puhceeds to glow, Quite affable an’ great; An’ she say she'll make Dem stahs all take Dah lamps indo’s, she guess; An’ we smiles to see Her shine so free— But we loves de stars de bes’. His mother and his father and his uncle and his aunt And the hired girl and the farm-hands gethered ‘round. You'd have thought a famous tenor had arrived to lead a chant By the way they stood and listened for the sound. They watched his face for symptoms of an intellectual start; No oracle was ever more revered. And when he smiled and spoke, his mother held him to her heart, And his father and the hired men whooped and cheered. Dah’s folks we meet, Wif dah ways so sweet Whose shinin’ brings remahl Ef you hatter "pend On ‘em till de end, Dey'd land yer in de dark. We likes de smile, An’ inj'ys de style; But our lastin’ joys is made By de smaller beams Wif de stiddy gleams; By de lights dat nevvuh fade. * The years have passed above him. He's & grown-up patriot now. He lectures io the masses oft and long. Success has sometimes paused to lau>el on his brow And his mental grasp is strong. But he cannot hold an audience in a still, expectant spell, Though he’s been a speaker since he was a lad As he did when in the cradle long ago he couldn’t tell A thing we didn’t know, but just said- “dad!” x A Policy Indorsed. “While I am not inclined to indorse much that Great Britain has hitherto done,” re- marked Colonel Stilwell, “I am in hearty zccord with the manly, unequivocal stand taken in connection with a mattuh to which {ts attention has recently been called.” “You refer to the attitude assumed to- ward bimet&llism?” “No, suh. I refer to her refusal to open the Indian mints. I did not read any futher. I folded up my papah and gath- uhing around me such friends as I could reach I celebrated the event with formali- ties befitting a decision of so much conse- quence.” wonderfully The Real Thing. In all my career as an artist on the dra- matic stage,” remarked Mr. Stormington Barnes, “I never knew but one critic; that is to say, one real critic.” “Wiiat do you mean by your idea of a real critic?” inquired the young man who likes to hear Mr. Barnes talk. “Imean a persoff of candid discrimination; one who is not t be blinded by personal prejudice on his own side nor dazzled by Mere assumption on the part of others. Mere fluency of language does not suffice. Quickness and accuracy of perception and courageous candor are the foremost essen- tials.” “Where did you meet this phenomenon?” “It was in my early days in the far west. I was playing secondary parts. I blush to think of how I was compelled to subordi- nate my talents to the commonplace and futile efforts of the man who played the leading roles. But he had discovered finan- cial backing. So I bowed to fate. How idie it is to say that art is not appreciated ‘But. “I know what you ahe about to say, young man. You ahe about to tell me that this is an era of progress, and that the world is reaching out to oceupy indu trial fields hithuhto neglected. That's true. But let us not be precipitous. Let us not be led headlong into experiments when we ahe doing very well as we ahe. It is true that Indian corn has proved to be a great and beneficial institution. I have not taken. the trouble to accurately infohm myself as to the precise facts in the case, but I have no doubt that the suc- cess of Indian corn encouraged somebody to go oa to futher experiments in food material But the Indian turnip, as any- body who has tasted it will testify, proved a disastrously unpalatable failure: “How about Indianapolis?” inquired his auditor. Disregarding the attempt at facetious- ness the colonel proceeded. “India is a very large country, and I have no doubt that a great many varieties of mint can be produced there. But where ts the need of relying on Indian mints when the old-fashioned home-grown ahticle so admirably answers all purposes? And anyhow, it’s out of season and there is no use of debating a question which can only remind us of a loss which, though tem- Porary, is most severe, suh; most severe. P * * * Great Possibilities. Plodding Pete had been wrapt in silent meditation for a long time. “De first ting you know,” remarked Meandering Mike, “you'll be Vinkin’.” “I got a license ter ink,” was the an- e wanter look out. Yell keep = t’inkin’— an’ tinkin’ an’ de fus’ Ving you knows ye’ll git an idee ye wants ter carry out. An’ de nex’ t’ing you knows you'll be workin’. “Would you call holdin’ a man up an makin’ ‘im change clothes wit yer work- in’? in the less cultured circles of society. One night we were playing “Richard III.” I played Richmond. Ah, me boy, you ought to have seen me play Richmond in those day: You would have understood how impossible it is to overshadow true great- ness; and I do not exaggerate when I say that I was great in that part. It was after this performance I met the critic to whom I refer. He was standing in front of the hotel.” “What did he say?” “I shall quote him in his own vernaculat For simple directness of style, I have nev met his equal. Grasping me by the hand, replied Meandering Mike, rubbing his chin reflectively. “Did you see dat wagon load o” foot ball players goin’ up de road?” “No. I happened to have me eye» saut at de time. I heard ’em plain enough, so ane go to de exertion of strainin’ me “Ye didn’t git a good look at de kind o clothes dey had on?” “No, but I’ve seen ‘em.’ “Dem togs is what I wanter high: -FOD | hy ‘aimed: somebody of, de fus' chance I gits.” ““Pardner, it served him right, and “Pete, ye warter look out. Foot bail de- |. Patdner, * ; yo valbcaiaieaal muscles an’ makes ‘im one | You've got the town with you. If you hadn't killed that low-down coyote, in the last act, there'd have been @ lynchin’ party waitin’ to take him in tow this minute!’ ” —_>___ A MATTER OF PRONUNCIATION, or ae hardest subjects fur larceny in de “I can’t help it, I wants d hes,” “You'll be wantin’ a ou — an’ “Nope. Me tastes is more lux that. I never hankered fur ben before, mattress ter have it handy down fur a nap is A Father Who Seeks to Enlighten His Som on a Small Point. ‘There is a certain man who by the sweat of his brow—in summer time—earns his bread as a government official with an office in the big State, War and Navy building. He also earns bread for a wife * ** A Casual Comment. Broncho Bob, who has ~a county-wide reputation for coolness, was leisurely walk- ing toward Crimson Gulch with the man from the eest. It was a starry evening and the talk turned toward astronomy. “Seems mighty Uberal o' nature to keep all them lights a-goin’ full blast Tight along for our benefit,” remarked Broncho Bob. “We can’t say that it’s enti: beneft,” was the answer. eiefoee te ‘Well, ef it ain't fur our benefit, whore benefit is it fur?” Possible that there are “It is altogether other habitable planegs than ours.” “You meen that mebbe the: People livin’ up there?” —— fellow-clerks by the That is, he induces them to show how lit- tle they know, then he 8