Evening Star Newspaper, December 20, 1897, Page 12

THE EVENING STAR, MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1897-16 PAGES. Be t ‘Barber & Ross, = ith & G Sts. t | Reap the Benefit of giit that would suit the boy “to a dot” would not : This “Gift” Harvest! be acceptable to the men folks—arfd vice versa. We = f A + have gathered together a regular “harvest” of gifts suitable for both sexes—young or old. Profit by these sensible gift hints—and note the sensible prices: Tool Chests ,,” ta wt eonfoun who with the keeps Kind. ‘The ain good, stout, andle 2- taiving for . of other chests, up to $10, and g containing with jarger Ice S : st makes t Ticks in case. kates. eat atte eee «of a dozen Nut Picks. Kontos Skates a pera ick, 19 bandsoue cvses, fe ry's Alelomp be ay en Uy ‘"50c. A pair # very nccepta- ble present. ¥ The stock starts with a sors fer as low price up to t t styles and geod kinds here. good pair of Seis- selectio 2 : - “1 mEaa =e Penknives, The ber witt be a dn TKTEVES, sipointed if he deer Xmas Tree 7, {hristass Holders, 48c. * stedetertolrbeteledetotoboeefefetotstoboffetetetnfete select. with . metal, ebony ui keep | tt md other es. Spe Br a e cial . 3h 25e. : At Sie. we hi a enknife, and eS a from that priv to the finest ever Different sizes, 45, at $10. Cold ste Locked Out. ol Tuporsi ble to effects of ther if ‘Puri- “Cal out the any cil or e th Razor: werkt’ te we & Bureser's, windows Ww be Ie. ft. & G Sts. is =y s) ? 0) a = 09 Tl es § That are Our store service is arranged this week for handling an unusually large business. The busier we may be the better and quicker we can serve you. ; We have more handsome and reliable goods in the Shoe line than can be found in any half a dozen ordi- nary stores together. Our prices this week are—in many cases—even below present wholesale rates. Be sides, we shall offer daily this week some extraordi- nary inducements, well worthy of your attention. e Ladies’ $2.50 Boots, Special. the choice of Tomorrow 9 Different Styles, Only. Viei Kid Button and Laced re or pointed tees— All sizes and widths. ? § Here are a few hints as to (ess “What will make proper Presents:” +. For Men. For Ladies. PI: Silk a Leather or Ve orked House wet ippers. yles Hand-sewed Worsted Knitted Bed Room Slippers, all colors, at Fleece-lined Quilted Sateen Mand-sewed Slippers -ut. 48c. _._ 15C. Black or Chocolate-color Kid Over a dozen styles Warm- 7).0 $1.50 Romeo and Opera § Bites, 91.25 lined Fur-tritumed Jullets. 51.00 Best $2 Grade Finest Kid Serviceable and Durabie Kid, eee ie ie oan see DED Binet Genuine Cormaoie shoes. 92-00 $2.51 Patent-tip, Lace and Button. 51.00 Puts Leather Eveatug siipvers, 9 SO ‘Tan or Black Cycle Boots, $2.50 Kid or Calf Storm Boots Light or Heavy-weight Calf and Kip Boots. foo Snaeette ens cee. 93.00 | Revert $e Be Uesinee 93-00 A For Children. sr Pence mouse ont 245C; 0G ie 7Sc. | Fas, cet tae tester S400 ep seas lei rani Garett | $100 Misses’ and Youths" Handmade Dress Pure Gum Rubbers, Boys" $2 Grade Brown Gout 3-buekle Leggins. Ladies", Mises’ and Children's sizes. zie zis Rubber Boots, >, ArcticButtonBoots, Te “WII. HAHN & COS #= em. - RELIABLE SHUE HOUSEs, Best qualities Child's stave, $1: only. Fleece Mned. Children’s sizes... Raterpret, Misses", $1:25—Ladie lv14 and 1916 Pa. ave. 233 Pa. ave. se. sei seksekse tse) ses A Store Full of - Presents On Credit! @Os @® < There’s no need of spending every dollar you've got in gift buying. You can get ail the presents you need—with a very small expenditure of ready cassh—if you buy them HERE. There are no gifts more serviceable or desirable than furniture— Help Yourself! Leather Furniture, i HOO Y it Parlor and 8 Banquet Lamps— Reception Chairs, Porcelain or Silk Sideboards, Shades—$2.50 up. Chiffoniers, Onyx Top Tables, Ladies’ Dressing Tables, Combination Book Cases and Writing Desks. China Closets, Parlor Suites, Bed Room Suites, Carpets, Rugs, &c. You will find us prompt in the delivery of goods—any time you say you can have the Carpet before Christmas if . you order now. Made, laid and lined free—no charge for waste in matching figures. : GROGAN’ S waswora cxerr vou 817-819-821-823 SeventhSt.N. W. e 62S 2G ESS 656S958H08090 008 Between MH and I sts. ciate a gift Unequaled in Washington.: 5 | uses i (es EA ee ens ‘a er RAL SESS SSSSS5E OS OS O60 S98O8 OO COOOOSSDOSOOSOSOHSOOSGOH HUNTING BOB WHITE Field Trials in North Carolina Hunt- ing Grounds. QUAIL ARE STILL ABUNDANT THERE Characteristic Beauties and Pecu- liarities of the Region. SS A GOOD DAY’S SPORT Special Correspondence of The Evening Star. NEWTON, N. C., December 7, 1897. This is the height of the hunting season in North Carolina and sportsmen are here enjoying to the full the excellent quail shooting. Quail are as plentiful here in Catawba county as sparrows in Washing- it is for this reason the Eastern and States eld Trial Clubs have seiéct- this county for their annual trials. lubs jointiy own a large tract of land a few miles from Newton, where the highest bred hunting dogs in the country are annually exhibited in tests of hunting. The field trials finished last Wedne were the most successful ever held by the club. Such men as Pierre Lorrillard and other wealthy fanciers were represented not oniy by ir dogs, but also partici- pated themselves. Lorriilard, I am told, ays his handler $5 $5,000 a year and gives zes won. The farmers here are all hunie and ny of them set up es- iablishments for breaking dogs. Today I Visited the place of Edward Whitule and are of hunting over last year’s of the field trial ‘They Knew How. as an Irish setter named “Lou,” and it was worth the trip to North Carolina to see her hunt a field. Off like a race horse, she hunted every inch of the field in re- him all p: makably fast time and then faced about for order The handler simply waved a handkerchief to the right and away she Went in that direction to try the aqjoining fiexd Hing tne north end first, she cir- cled dénd round, unul finally, when under full neadway, she nearly turned a when a covey ot birds was There she stood fuily 300 from us now let menced ¢ standing, Was rigid neh a statue. The hancier » other dogs loose, and they com- cing. One of them spied Lou in a moment this on rds trom the poin ing a fence when like a flash he stopped It was a back siand, the explosions possible could not tho: move. One of the » Dr. Sterling kuflin, one of the best t tion, approached the ked up the birds. Away they ang! went his «un. It for two of the birds to this ume the dogs remained rss. Two of them dropped to the Bui there was no running in, and when a moment later another bird’ was flushed and Killed the wisdom of this part of the dog's training was manifest. Had the dogs run in at shot, the other bird would have been flushed before the gun hud been loaded. But dogs trained for ficid tmials do not make the best hunters, i am told. They are trained more for speed and range tian anything else, and then they be- come familiar with the commands of one man, who always attends them in the trials, and understand his methods. Trying 2 Green One. Handler Waittle told me that not one dog in ten turned out well, and it was from this point he argued that no puppy, no matter how high the breeding, was worth more than $20 a8 an untried puppy. As an illus- tration, he went through the morning ex- ercise with one of his Irish setter puppies. The puppy, not over eight months ola, was taken out with the older dogs to where he knew a covey of qua:l usually frequented. The puppy Was turned loose, and, sure enough, found the b and ran into the covey, scattering the birds all over the field. Away he went chasing them, until another covey was started, and after thes¢ he went, no doubt thinking he had a better chance to get one of them. Meanwhile tne andler” stood at the place the first covey was flushed. The old dogs were rigid as statutes. The puppy was caught end brought to the older dogs, when he instinct- ively me to a “point’’ in exact Imitation of them. “Now is the time to give this youngster a lesson,” said the “handler,” and, putting a leash on the puppy, he sent the older dogs on after the birds ‘They found them on the side of a hill overlooking a most pic- turesque ravine. The puppy immed 7 took great interest in the proceed Tyg him to a small sapling, the trainer went forward and flushed the birds. Up and away they went until he brought one down by a well-directed shot. The puppy, when he sa the birds fly, cut up all sorts of capers, and we thought he would nang himself. But when the gun went off and one of the birds came tumbling down he stopped fretting and waited expectantly. The dead bird was brought to him and he smelled it all over, wagging his tall furlous- The lesson was repeated, the puppy be- coming more quiet at the sight of the fly- ing birds and evincing the same satisfac- tion when one of them was killed. His First Lesson. At the next stand the puppy was liber- ated, and surprised us all by remaining perfectly quiet when the birds were found. When the guff went off, however, and one of the birds fell, the puppy rushed in end eagerly grabbed the bird. Then the trainer took him by the collar and dragged him back te the place he first stood, and, throw- ing the bird away, commanded him to “hold.” It required several lessons of that kind to make the puppy understand. Several weeks of hard work are necessary to bring a green dog to a realization of what is expected of him. Every day the trainer informed me he took some of the degs out for work. Evidently it required great patience and determination to be a ecessful “handler” of dogs. The “hand- lers,” the general run of them, are poorly paid. They get $8 per month In the hunting season for keeping the dogs, and #4 in the close season. And this means the keeping of the dogs and their constant training. Different trainers use different methods of breaking and feeding their charges. While there is considerable similariiy in the ways and means employed in breaking, every trainer has a pet diet of his own, guaran- teed to give speed and endurance. The trainer I met fed his dogs on raw eggs for the most part, although he made a huge dog cake every week, ccnsisting of eggs, flour, meal and boiled beef. The beef was first put on and allowed to boll for an hour or so, and then the other ingredients were added, the whole making a thick batter, which was baked into hard cakes. Training Champions. The preparation of a field trial candi- date is even greater than that of a prize fighter for a championship battle. The dog is taken out gradually for the first week or so and hunted carefully until all evidence of shyness is gone. Then the longer tramps begin, the dog being coachea to signals and taught to hunt a field thor- oughly. The head of the dog must be kept direct during the hunt and contri- vances are made to keep them in position. Wuen the handler is satisfied his dog is steady and fast and possessed of a good nose he {fs about ready for the finishing touches. Every day or so a bird is shot at over the dog and the greatest care ex- ercised to prevent his “breaking shot,” that is, running in after the gun goes off. In a large number of cases when a covey of birds is flushed, one or two remain, and if the dog were to run in after the gun went off, the other birds would be scared off before the hunter has an opportunity to reload. These details having been satis- factorily tested and the dog found etti- cient, the next and most important is the preparation just before the trials open. The handler for three or four days rides horseback through the fields after the dog. This is in exact imitation of the judges and is done more to acquaint the dog with what is to follow than anything else. The dog is sent ahead and hunted vigorously for half an hour. Then he is rubbed weil with liniment and rested for the balance of the day, until just before sunset, when another trial of half an hour is’ given. Meanwhile he is kept chained in his kennel and fed onty strength-producing food. When the’trieY day arrives the dog ts simply wild with excitement, and when placed onthe ground and ordered to g0 ahead, neetts no ‘coaxing. A; Farmer's Sacce: A compaYativély unknown dog carried away the charipionship last Wednesday. The men .gbeut town have not finished talking about:the event, and it promises to furnish fodit fol discussion throughout the winter. The Mog was purchased by a farmer forya five-dollar bill and trained by him in exact timitation of the professionaf “handlers"‘about his home, Lexington, N. C. When"'the dog was entered for the field trial’ sta he was unmercifully guyed. Hé’ lool like a black snake. He was a poittter,black as night, with big bunches of muscles standing out all over his body. He wis entered as “Zeb Vance,” the name of thé beloved and much rever- enced statesman of the old north state. One of the wags of the county remarked when the dog was put down: “Ef that deg takes after his namesake, the devil his- seif can't beat him.” And his observa- tion was not far from correct, for the dog hunted like a veteran and with a speed equaled only to the running of the afore- said Zeb Vance in a political race. He easily won first money, $300 being the sum total. Half an hour had not elapsed be- fore an offer of $200 was made for the dog. It was snapped up in a jiffy, and with $500 in his pocket for the little trou- ble he had been put to the farmer de- parted. Pierre Lorillard is a devoted admirer ot hunting dogs, and is a first-class shot him- self. He always comes to the field trials, x as won the admiration of the people hereabouts by his unassuming manners. He puts up at St. Hubert’s Inn, and fares with the other guests. He asks no special privileges and is gether a modest, un- suming gentleman. But they don’t like is “handier,"—that {s, the native “ha lers" do not. They declared to me he w a greater dude than Lorillard — himseit. They do not question his ability, however, and I have heard the most wonderful ac- counts of his work in the field. Among the other prominent hunters who visit section may be mentioned Colonel Dexter of ston, another lover of hunting dogs and a born hunter himself. ove to Hunt. They Then there is big, genial Frank P. His- cock, the ex-senater from York He just about suits the natives and they all swear by.bim. I heard a story yesterday of how the cx-senetor was prevailed upe to den the voxing gloves with a big North Carolinian, and after protestaticns of 1: norance of their use put them on just for a minute to see how they went, and put the countryman to sleep. When Senator Hiscock was in Washington, he learned the minly art of self defense and was ; itor at the Columbia Athletic J. Murray Mitchell of Philadelphia F.R. Fleer of the same place ai s, and have dogs here in cc Dr. G. G. Davis, the owner pe red frish setter, 1 a shoot here, and Wm. J. York would rather hunt 4! eat. Rev. Dr. Rainsford of New Yor loves the sport and hunts quail each year in Catawba county. Colonel Merriman of Nashville, Tenn., is anc of the regular visitors for whom the n have a warm spot in their heart . Oster the well-known, de voted enthusiast. Newton and paints t of the win- ner of the field trials, which ihe club pr sents to the owner of the successful dog. ard yearly visita stant tre of “Lou, of than hieMein Hunting in all its phases forms the principal tepic cf conversation jong the citizens of Newton. ery other man in the town is a sportsman and keeps a hunt- ing Gog, and, of course, a gun. More at- tention paid to the fermer than the lat- ter, the po: ion of a good hunting do: being the first requisite, the gun an after ecrsideration. Som cf the guns would make excelent contributions fo primeval eglicctions. “The seiter is the favor! of dog, and what these Nerth Ca Go not know about the gocd po better, has never been. written. night they congregate at St. Huin named after the patron saint of and spend the night talking dogs. a stranger arrives he immediately be- comes an object of interest, and befure be is quite settled “he hi conversation with sevéral cf the “hand- lers,” who ate éither anxious to sell him 2 deg, or else be retained as guide to iead kim to the best hunting grounds. Want of Hospitality. Except in a few cases, the spirit of hos- vitality which has become synonymous with the south, is noticeable by its ,ab- ser-ce. The people are all after the coin. Ove of the old residents toid me in a dis- cussion of the matter, been engaged in ; that the south should not be ‘blamed for the inhospitabie murners of the residents in and about Newton. The county was settled originally hy the Dutch, he said, and this fore! element is still in evidence, the euviron- south them, he ment of the not havin ireig transformed Be cunnely r There are other c ditions also, added, which should 1 taken into consideration. The good country peopie have been ruined py the milionaire sporting men from the abused their kindness ana tramped down their crops in quest of game. Then there are jealousies, the principal one being ine acticn of the Field Trial Clubs in set ing grounds. Then the people are s Politically, and the popullets senna big citie no. are running the place. AI! the farms about Newton are posted. Hunting on them is strictly forbidden, and all trespa: cuted. Some of the “han mission to train their dogs over them, an some enjoy the privilege of shooting, which they furn to their own advantage by hiring out as guides to visiting sports- men. We hunted one day on the farm of one of the wealthiest land owners in the section. He was a cousin of oue of the party, but did not consent to permit us to hunt until he was promised fiy for every bird kiiled. e Saino Good Luck. We participated in our first North Caro- lina bird hunt this morning, and found before lunch twenty-two coveys of birds, averaging about fifteen birds to the covey. Between the three cf us we killed forty- one as big, fine, fat birds as I ever saw. The colored driver, “Snow Ball” by name, caught oae. The latter performance was one of the most peculiar I ever heard of. We had flushed @ covey in a beautiful little valley and killed two. ‘The remainder flew over the hill toward where we left the wagon and “Snow Ball.” We were after them in a jiffy, and asked “Snow Ball” which way they went. “Wal, the res’ of dem done gone down de hill, ‘cept dis one,” and with that he held up @ big, fat cock bird that was struggling to get away. “How did you catch him, ‘Snow Ball?” “Dis focl bird sort of stopped when he sawed me, sir, and dodged under dem leaves. Den I cotched him by de back,” and with that he laughed long and loud, and, addressing himself to the bird, asked for a corroboration of the story. One of the party suggested that the bird be turned loose and everybody given a shot. But this was vetoed in a very unsportsmaniike mannec by #!Snow Ball,” who allowed that birds were ipo hard to shoot, and, suiting bis actions to the word, immediately bit the bird thyyugh.the neck and handed it to me. They are all hunters, these citi- zens of the ;backwoods, but the spirit of the “sport” fs dggmant, Quaff Are Plenty. Birds are worth 75 cents a dozen here in the city, and. that much money means two or three days 6f idleness and a “leetle” moonshine. "ft ‘8 wonderful how plentiful the birds are, view of the organized warfare upan them. Netting is one of the methods usvd ‘té catch them, and is the surest waytof ‘depopulating them. Great nets are spfead'gn the ground, with huge wings extending on each side, and the hunter riding om:horseback drives an en- tire covey ato ‘the nets, where. they are easily captured.’ In this way it is com- mon for a driver to net a hundred birds in a day. The laws are very lax in this respect, and unless something is done ‘t will not be long before the birds. become as scarce here as they are in other paris of the country. " Speaking of the abundance of quail, re- calls the story of a wager that people say never has been won. It is that a man can- not eat thirty quail in as many days, the argument being that he soon tires of the meat and turns from it in disgust. I met @ man today, Marcellus E. Thornton by name, who is open to accept that wager for any amount. He has a record of forty quail in forty ‘days, and would have been eating them yet had not the supply given out. He is abaut to start on another quail TS are prose- have per- “test,” as they call it, and poses to eat two js a day for a month, and as long Ri ‘a THREATS FOR TURKEY The Eastern Question is the Pan- European Question. THE PORTE LEAST CONCERNED IN If What Austria’s Awful Really Means. Menace EVERYBODY IS AFRAID “Austria has delivered an ultimatum to the porte which says that unless steps are immediately taken for the redress of her grievances at Mersina she will bombard that port, seize its custom house and repay herself not only the indemnity demanded for the persecution of the Austrian Lioyd steamship officer there, but also the amount demanded by-the Anatolian railroad for the transportation of troops during the late ‘Turko-Grecian war.” So ran the dispatch startlingly displayed in all of the newspa- pers last week. “It is safe to say,” said Mr.-Henry Rob- erts, for several years an attache of the American legation in Constantinople, to a Star reporter, “that no one in Contsantino- ple or in Vienna had the slightest fear that the threat would be carried out. Every one knew it to be but the usual old thread- bare device. Every one knew that the porte (the Turkish foreign office) would readily come in with a shambling agree- ment to whatever was asked long before such a rigorous course should be rendered ressary. But perhaps many people un- vod but dimiy why the Austrian am- lor should have made such a flourish of detiance over an ordinary demand for in- demnity. There are dozens of larger and more serious claims pending from all of the great powers, including the United States. There are claims of millions and millions of pounds for lives sacrificed and property destroyed during the terrible Armenian massacres, of which this government claim: probably $150,06 We fortunately, thanks \o the Vigilance of Minister Terrell, had no citizens killed, as did Greece, Italy and France, or no vice consuls attacked and wounded, as did England. The Dilatory Turk. “Not one of these claims has ever been recognized, much less paid. And each ot the great powers has its reasons for not forcing payment. The good people of th country who are interested in the mission- ary work among the Armenian Christians of Turkey and who often call upon the government at Washington to force the re- dress of our grievances Go not know arts for redress. They do not kno they hold up foreign countrie Engl of how w to protect our citizens and pr y abroad with gunboats and swords, that England's claims for similar outrages are more than ten times as much as our What is pert that such affairs are conductedy the relation that they bear to othe s general affairs. It would doubt- please sume people to make war on Turkey for less than $300,000 of property lest in riots. It would surety be hailed with delight by certain great powers of Evrope. But we have other a hands than to act as caispaws for any oth- er nation. And we know that when, soo: er or later, they agree among themselves to pay themselves, they will willingly give us our little share of the collected debt and will have acted as our agents instead si as theirs. years ago, when our government the Dardenelles with the enge indignit: nglana had twenty-seven of her best ships in t Mediterranean, and did not dare do what she was urging that we attempt with one boat. It was not from fear of the but of the rest of Europe. And she red on her missionary societies, he: Mr. Gladstone and the Duke of Westmin- ster, to co-operate with our missionaries in condemning our government and our min- ister at Constantinople for not ordering the 1 to blaze the way for the Brit- ish squadron to follow. rs Ga our Austrin’s Threat. “To return to Baron Calice’s of Jast week. When be carefully the neat little typewritten statement of his ferocious demand at the porte to the Constantinople correspondents of the Eu- ropean papers every embassy there knew that the publication was not to frighten the Turks. It had a much wider purp It went to the very bottom of the whole eastern situation. It was for the benetit of all of the recently liberated states of southern Europe, all of whom are nurtured in Turkophobia. Austria has long been seeking to extend her influence among them; has long been envious of the Ru: sian propaganda widespread through Ser- via, Bulgaria and Roumania. All of this old-time Turkish territory has natu been regarding with great disfavor the recent Turcophile position of the great powers, comamencing with the war in Thes- ly. And Austria thought the time rine and the occasion good to win back favor from these Greek Church nations by r ming the old attitude of hostility. rule the recent communications between the Russian and Turkish governments have moye anded out AS kad all of the thickness and silence said to surround thieves. Russia has been the friendly und protecting power against all of the outside. There was, therefore, equal reason when the Russian embassy follow- ed an unusual course and gave out a state- ment that it had presented a note at the porte to prevent the renovation of the Turkish navy with part of the Greek war indemnity. Russia has never collected the indemnity due her from Turkey for the war of 1878. This is perhaps one of the strong weapons which she uses to have her own way at Yildiz. She probably would not take it if it were offered her. But as a hostile play to counterbalance the Aus- trian move, and at the same time to re- strict the growth of German prestige, she now reminds Turkey that as Turkey still owes even the interest on this indemnity, it is unbecoming in her to spend the money to be obtained from the Greeks in the re- habilitation of her own defenses. The Sultan Imperturbable. “And there is another point in regard to this threatening of the sultan. Do not for @ moment believe that it disturbs the wise man of Yildiz. No one man is perhaps bet- ter acquainted with all of the intricate phases of the question of which he is the living center. And threats such as that made by Austria disconcert him no more than do the religious outbursts against him used for similar ends by other nations. The sultan’s strength lies very much as did that of Tammany in the late New York election. All that he has to do is to keep the holy English Low and the fierce Rus- sian Platt a glowering at each other and he is as safe as was Tammany. It is often very amusing to see the calmness with which the porte receives the most threatening communications. Evidence of this may be had, in which we as a country have an interest, by turning to the recent- ly issued Red Book for 1896. Therein will be found the communications from the United States minister near the sublime porte demanding the payment of indemnity for missionary property burned during the massacres at Harpoot and Marash. Who- ever will read these must clear the late minister of the frequent charges against him of negligence in pushing the claims, for he has used every possible argument and presented every conceivable / claim. And after admiring his ingenuity and elo- quent threats it is amusing to see the calmness and undisturbed coolness with which the minister for foreign affairs re- plies to his arguments. Makes Old Excuses. - “The ‘Turk does not even trouble him- self to invent new excuses, but calmly reiterates the old ones. And he feels per- fectly safe for ‘several reasons. Nothing but, force will make him admit the justice of our claims, for such an admission would involve likewise the recognition of the enormous similar claims held by European governments. And he is quite sure that we have our hands full without making war on “The sultan knows that the eastern enough at home him. 8 amuse all residence in Constantin: is going to do. It is wholly involved in the actions of the outside powers. It used to fe very much last year to read the diatribes of the European press against the Turkish govern. ment for the interminable delays with which it blocked the consideration of every pend- ing qvestion. It was held that whether the reforms for the Armenians were under discussion between the European ‘concert’ and the porte, or the proper government for Crete, or the settlement of the Gre indemnity, it was almost impos ness of the Turks and their perpetual pr crastiration. And these dissertations w based upon a well-established trait of Tur ish character. But in tlese cases the ¢ was always due not to the Turks, but to the powers themselves. They were in a con- tinual state of disagreement. This power and new that was withdrawing from the conferences. This one objected to this f ture of the agreement, t one t feature. And while the cutside world was cursing the Turk ad thréatening the sul- tan al, t good man was quietly of the ‘concert.” awaiting the developmen: “The Turk plays the least part of all in the eastern question. Its century slow development depends little xpon him. He only serves as the excuse for its prolon: tion. And while it is running its intermin able course he is also a very fit excuse for all manner of side plays in the great rolitica! drama. Just as young doctors are told on leaving college to meet all emer- gcncies which find them disconcerted with wise locks and Dover's powders, so bud- ding Evropean premiers soon learn a simi- lar maxim. Wherever it is intended to provoke a rival or to divert unpleasant in- spection at home, they go out and threaten the sultan.” _— STRUGGLING WITH THE LETTER H. One Thing the British People Have Never Conquered. From the St. Louls Globe-Demoerat. A correspondent writes to a London week ly of large circulation to ask why 1 is that so many of the English people mai an improper use of the letter while the Scotch, Irsh and Americans are fr from this faultiness. The reply given is that in. the middie ages French was much spoken in England and that the unaspirated French “h” 1s responsible for the peculiar- ity in English speech. Somehow this planation is unsatisfactcry. The cockne dialect does rot appeal to the judgment a French emanation. Besides, a distinction be made. The French omit the “h,” while the English drop it where it should be and insert it where it is out of place. With a facility reduced to automatic pe} fection the Englishman of the cockne genus gets his “h” inverted. When an ish coachman, driving along a steep bank, is told to keep away from the edge and bearer the hedge, a fearful respons bility is incurred, though the order is given in faultless English. The confusion of the on the box cannot be reasonably to the lingering influences of the rm ‘al French language. he letter “h” is merely an aspirate to give a preliminary tang to a vowel. Wien mouth is fixed to utter a vowel the can be slipped in without the slightest change in the position of the vocai organs. Often the letter is dropped by usage, but iti the cockney who puts it where it Mr. Anthony Hope Hawk- lecturing in thi ong the lin might pass as an echo of ancestral ins, country but why h’Anthony? There is a dialect racy of England and of London, and its permutations of “h” are Frotably as much its own as the rich but not overrefined vernacular of the Wellers. The Frenchman drops his “th” deftly and consciously as he drops other letters, but the cockney omits U: or pops them in i ‘ease and perfect confi- nnot be aware of the mo- king’s English. dispensation the not imparted this fault to i The Irish brogue is not tangled in aspirates, the Seotch burr is sound in the use of “h,” and the Ame ican is immaculate in this respect. But ith all their pride of empire the English cannot overcome this strange defect. They Egypt and India, and overrun all , but fail to pronounce their name: strange instance of potential might nd lingual inaptitude. ourse mar nglishmen employ the ith precision, there msy be some servants, as the lish journal asserts, who speak correct- ly in the parlor, but, for fear cf a charge that they are on airs, mangle their aspirates in the kitchen. There is tar more in the custem, peculiarity or blind spot, whatever it 1ay be called, than a relic of French as cnce spoken in England. But how it can be remedicd is beyond human wisdom. The “h” € to the end of his di soe FARMER AND ki i ras EGAPHONE. A Pilot on a Bont ps a Horse inn rnfield Near By. From the Cincinnati Comm re’al-Tribune, I was on the upper Ohio this summer when the river was low, and was much amused over the use to which a pilot pui a megaphone. He bought the thing to call ashore any message that might have been given the boat to carry. This was to save time, for those little boats in the local trades are a great deal like the old-fash- ioned mail carriers, anything to accommo- date the people along the bank. “We were in the pilot house, and the boat was running up a chute near the West Vir- ginia side of the river. In a cornfield” an old farmer, who was following a ploug behind an old, flea-bitten gray that on needed a half invitation to stop at any time. The pilot put the megaphone to his mouth and shouted ‘Whoa! and ihe old gray whoaed. “The farmer heard the sound, and he thought, evidently, that a neighbor was there or thereabout, for he looked around to see whence the sound came. Then he tossed a clod at the old horse and started him up. “*Whoa,” said the pilot, and again the old horse stopped. Then the old Rube went to the river bank and looked down in the willows, but not a soul could he see. He looked up and down and then at the steam- boat and scratched his head in surprise. He couldn't afford to waste any time in looking for the ghost, for he went back to the plough and started on with his job. “Once more the joking pilot said “ and again the horse stopped dead still could see from the boat that the old fellow was all mixed up, for he looked up and down the river, and then at the hillside be- hind him to see if he could find the man who was working him and his old horse. He made up his mind that he would take it out of the old gray, and to fix for the oc- casion he went to the underprush and cut a stick that was ten feet long. He started the horse with a vengeance. When the pilot hollered ‘whoa’ again the oid man gave the gray a lick that sounded ciear the boat. We could almost hear him say: “ “Thar, gol darn you, I'll teach you to stop when you hear a spook hoilerin’ at y ut the pilot kept up the good work and hollored whoa, whoa, whoa, and again the old man hit the gray. Finally it looked as if he had caught on, for he let the old horse stop while he watched the boat. “Then the “pilot thought he had had enough fun and he called out: “Feed the old gray; feed him. He's so hungry that he can’t work. That's all the matter with him.” “Then old Rube got his voice and we heard him say: ‘You go to thunder with your old voice. It'd sfop a railroad train anywhere.’ ” ——_+ e+____ Simple Subtraction. From Tit-Bits. An Irishman was hauling water in bar- rels from a small river to supply the in- habitants of the village, which was not provided with waterworks. As he halted at the top of the bank to give a “blow” be- fore proceeding to peddle the water, a gen- tleman of the inquisitive type rode up, and after passing the time of the day, asked: “How long have you been hauling water for the village, my good man?” “Tin years or more, sor,” was the reply. “Ah! And how many loads do you make a day?” “From tin to fifteen, accordin’ to the weather, sor.” “Yes. Now, I have one for you, Pat,” said the gentleman, laughing. “How much water have you hauled altogether?” The Irishman jerked his thumb in the direction of the river, at the same time giving his team the hint to start, and re- 35 doe. Gray WIMAMl the water that “yer don’t see there now, sor.” —_—_—_— “Want” ads. in The Star pay because Jem is never concerned with what Turkey | they bring acswers. eeeceratgs. 9 3 BON MARCHE. 3 + Q . 19c.a pound | graving re) |% for goc. Can- (For New Year's.+ ¢ dies! 150 dif- |: cards ana 0 ferent kinds— { Tiscceneraeed by as 5 | omen in this ett all satel hoe a * wholesome as | ter of work | an . ( be made. | Shh end you're + can be made. | asiea t and even 1, 2,3 and 5-Ib. boxes. y > To s Vena chi + Nothing like such holiday + book-selling ever occurred in Washington! Situated as we * are—outside of the book trust A) —We are quoting prices of <, character unequaled in the an- » nals of book retailing! And not on out-of-date, slow-sellir tions—but books belongir the moment—fresh and new from the publishers! Think of $1.25 copyright books at 25c! Here’s more stimulzs for won- § der— ) Books for Boy y edi- Tale Elsie,” by Marlett " Tranhoe Siem Ir Robinso Path. * finder and 10) uther titles. q + ~ + 0 Tore and Girls, 4 ¢ cloth binding.” + hee Rar” 0) Reid, + = + ) Alice in Wonde ( AL e. TH + os. Dickens. Sir Walle «Hi, Hinds size volune OF POEMS (the Dre ntifulls bound in white and Dres- hobook in a box. of votional Werks in white and silver— (/ sok im a box + aa a THE FAIKY LIRRARY- Publishers’ $1 bocks—Andrew Lang's F. Se. @ led A Als Grimm's ) O Polar Fairy ( ‘Tales, Anderson's Jy © Patty’ Tales. ; KOOKS FOR Boys — t eg + ing—those of Capt 4 Fenn, Alger, I ( ty and man ; + plc + ) f CROWELL LINE OF Pr ) x In ti yae pad- %. + ded leather bind. © ?) ings witout print and paper— gold sand we O mark’ the name of the penton to whem given in gold letters if desired. er's price of ‘these books—$1.50—our /) Bse. ( x 5 Children’s books by + the thousands, from $ 2c. up to $2.50. g G Best yroductions Tuck of Bostun— 4 0 Nista of England—as well as the best 0 } © known = American manufacturers— + 0 trom be. to $2 tne oe = + Special prices to Sunday (¢ School Library Committees. + 18y8 Calendars and Diaries. ¢ BON MARCHE, : 314-316 Seventh. Q <x DPOF OFOHOTOF LP Charles R. Edigonston. ) Open Evenings. Chafing dishes ) FOR GIFTS. : You must acknowledge that | one of the new brass or nickel- plated chafing dishes or five o'clock tea kettles makes the most elegant present anybody can give. We have stocked up with an im- mense variety. Every handsome shape is bere, and the prices are as low as ever named. As fine aj the cheapest able present. Chafing dishes, $1.65 up. 5 o'clock tea kettles, $1.35 up. A Haviland dimmer set, $24. Give 2 Genuine Havilond & Co, Din- ner Set if you wunt to give a really elegent gift. This $24 H. & set is priced just for the holidays. sists of 100 pleces—handso tien. Chas. R. Edmonston 1205 Pa. Avenue. EOS either of these gifts are one makes an accept- POP IDI II ID ID IIR ID IDI PDAS ao It ~~» D> OOOO OOO 08 DT] FURS! Largest and most varied stock of rich, dark fur, Hudson Bay Sable, Seal,’ Persian, Chinchilla, Er- mine, Marten, Mink, etc., in wltra: stylish Jackets, Capes, “Collarettes, Neck Scarfs, Muffs, etc. Make ele: fant gifts for the Indies! attractively An especially selected stock of La- dies’ and Men's Holiday Umbrellas! » Stinemetz ¢ Son, Furriers and Hatters, 1237 Pa. ave, del 8-280 DPDDO9099N030 D eeereseses eeeeeeenee S000 00 100 Doz. Hair Switches, Louvre Glove Store, oeld-tf r