Evening Star Newspaper, February 19, 1898, Page 17

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1898—24 PAGES. JEFFERSON COOKING SCHOOL TO COOK AND TO SEW Art of Producing Healthful Food and Garments. INTELLIGENCE NEEDED IN BOTH LINES | Advantages Washington Schools Afford in These Directions. MORE FACILITIES REQUIRED “The Lord furnishes the food and the the cooks,” the apothegm of a gentleman of the old school. But, as Sgan- arelle in Moliere’s Mock Doctor say: have changed all that now,” and our pub- | therefore, it is a scurce of great regret and a manifest loss to the community that further and advanced teaching in this line may not be had. In the seventh and eighth grades the girls are taught housekeeping. They are instructed at ‘cooking schools,” but they learn far more than the mere preparation of food for the table. There are eighteen “kitchens” and twelve teachers. The instruction includes not merely the preparation of food for the ta- ble, but much which fits the girls for the duties of housekeeper. Food products, their locale, their origin, properties, life- sustaining and nourishing qualities are all examined, explained and appreciated. How to market, how to buy, what is best for given conditions,what is nutritious, healthy, economical, what is essential, what adven- titicus, what the bod needs and must have, what may be avoided, all these things are taught the children. With these come the actual experience in preparing food for eating. . Intelligent Cooking. One of the teachers told me an instance stowing the ignorance which has to be enlightened. One girl had never heard of ts. “How do you cook steak she was asked. “Fry it." “Fry them.” “Veal?” ery. Z : it.” “Well, how can you tell one from an- le schools sh = Ti in 3 oe nish the ccoks. The coming | ciner?” “Can't, I ask mother.” And the generations will eat and be happy. “Dys- |” Fe spain” will be mark:d “obsolere’ in che {Child could scavce be induced to taste Bhs = — broiled steak. But that family now broil dictionary, and pepsin will be a drug on | tre Gicnka and wore! t market. No more will porterhouse < individua} preparation is not feasi- steak be fried in lard (cgh!), saleratus bis- being expensixe and inexpedient, the cuit a pie will cur nd of the past will become and no longer a nighimare. For being taught housekeeping! be girls are And not only how to cook, how to market, but actually how to sew! The husband of e future find buttons and strings in and frayed wristbands will be an evanescent dream. The fruit for good ard evil which Eve at» and which turned bit- ter in her mouth is proving a fruit of good to her daughters who are learning to take eful place in life and becoming a bless- w ing. In the first six grades boys and girls are taught concurrently along broad lines of culture. Not only the sam> books are taught, but the same manual trafning. The assimilation of hand, eye and brain is ped. They mold the same figures, meke the same cylinders and er2ct the same pyramids. While the boy will grad- from these into a higher form of man- 1 training for which the lower training fits him, none the less 1s such !ower train- ing bensficial to the girl, as it renders acute ker mental faculties and better qualifies them for pursuits essentially femizine. At an early date the present superinten- ent urged the introduction of sewing into the schools; but befere it was officially in- stituted, one of the lady teachers, now in charge of a sixth grade school, took the matter up. She taught after school hours such girls as cared for the instruction and ! furnished them the materials for practice. Aside from the training common to the in in the third grade y suited to their sex. | Sewing as an adjunct is begun in this grade. Little shps of girls of elght or nine are be- | taught tke delicate and exact work j eh our grandmothers did and which fs; girls are taught grcup is actively the class watch, discuss the whys the work in hand. in groups. When one engaged the others of make suggestions and and the wherefores of When the resultant is seen it appears wcnderful that such young persons may be so thoroughly inducted into the art of cooking. The teachers of our cooking schools are doing a good work in our midst, and future generations of husbands wili rise up and call them biess- ed. An expert on the subject thus gi the qualifiactiors of a good teacher: “A teacher of cooking must possess, in eddi- tion to a practical knowledge of how to mix and ccok the food material, a rea! love for the scierce, a thorough knowl edge of the English language and how to teach it and an intimate acquaintance with the science of physics, chemisty, bot- any and physiology, as our homes are the laboratories where manv of the principles of these sciences are daily being demon- strated and the problems solved, and it is ner business to prepare the future home makers." Concurrently with their active work at sewing and cooking the girls are obtaining strictly mental training. As they learn by observation and practice how to sew and how to cook they reduce to wrli- ing the impressions gained. They write down rules and methods of cutting, fit- ing. sewing, also recipes and preparation of food. Thus they not only obtain pr tical experienc also intellectual train- ing. Some little while ago a party of gentle- men, who ar? annually interested in the expenses of the District, inquired what be- came of the articles prepared at the cook- ing schools. The answer was that the chil- dren ate them. What! At> them? were they not sold? Let us see whe the value of the raw material thus eaten by the children and learn how much ° despair of the present generation. A} Disirict bas lost by th> goods not be thread is drawn so a give the guiding ; ccld. Lasi year there were in the cooking Ene, and the busy little fingers p the | schools 2,405 pupils, and the grocery bill IN THE SEW » with beck stitches along that line. | girls are taught to measure the stitch- | es with thelr eyes, and so well is the work dene that an experienced eye can scarce detect the irregulart if they exist. Then ¥ are instructed how to fell and over- tece of goods is given each chile a bag to exemplify the prin- s of sewing which have been learned. th 1, fourth and fifth grades the girls taught right in the school rooms, fitting thems es for the real dressmaking » sixth grade. And while girls in the lower grades are learning g, the boys draw and paint. Lessons in Sewing. and fitting are taken up in the sixth grade, and there are five schocls in operation which are far from ng due acco: ‘The De Lamorton sys- its simplicity and ac- r it for young children. E received preliminary training in s, the children at once read- hold of t stem in the sixth equire it. Sewing, as schools, is eminently has long since passed from <perimental stage. Girls are being w make clothes so that either for es or for others they may furnish long with the plying of th of the scissors and the handling of the the girls learn many things cognate garment making and which enlarge their s. Materials in the raw and manufac tured state are shown and explained. The in, cultivation and manufacture of thread, needle, thimble, etc., are ex- -d. Agriculture, commerce, geogra- history, manufactures, each ives lue share of consideration, so that the is intelligently receiving instruction in eminently practical way upon a most tly practical subject. It is a subject vital consequence to many homes in the land that the wife and mother should be a good sempstress. Not only is the direct teaching of sewing valuable, but the indi- rect influences which flow forth are incal- eulable. The girls learn to be neat and to take care of their clothes, mend rips and tears, and so learn to avoid mak- ing them. ‘The practical knowledge acquired at school utilized at home. The girls be- come self-reliant and useful. Not only do they carry home and employ there the skill of their own, but they become centers from which radiate advantages to be given and vsed by others. For lack of facilities and pecuniary encouragement this branch of learning is discontinued after the sixth grade. With the benefit which is derived, ING SCHOOL. was $537.67, about 25 cents per pupil. As there are about thirty-five weeks of the schoul year and one I2sson per week, each girl on an average actually ate up one cent’s worth of food per week. The un- censcionable little sinners! Is it any won- der our estimates are cut down? Yes, at this paltry ense for material Educated Houseke. used, the girls of this cit far as shtened environment will permit, are ng prepared as competent housekeepers. r need ary advocate of woman's higher education complain. Grade for grade, the girls keep abreast with the boys. The lat- ter go to their “sloid’ work and the for- mer to their cooking, at stated hours. Each sex is being taught the manual training appropriate to itself, and with the two dis- tinct classes of manual training tie mental a eeps on apace with equal step. regretiable feature is that, while the s, though in cramped environment, pro- to higher c and more e nsive forms }of manual training, the girls, perforce, must stop at the eighth grade because we lack accommodations and facilities for continuing and enlarging the work done in the geammar school grades. Bacon said that all the field of kncwleage should be his. Feasible in his day, this is impossible | to any one mind now. But the varied field of knowledge should be so opened that ach may cultivate his own part. “Let ach have his own.” In no better or more advantageous way can energies and money be expended than in training the youth of a country. The world today is what {ts ed- ucated children have made it. Receiving from our progenitors the education which in our day was the best to be had, let us give to our cFildren the best we now have. | Receiving the accumulated and improved knowledge, be it ours to pass it on to future generations, enhanced by our efforts and Manual training the educator of hand, eye and brain, the praciical in itself and the enha * of that which ts purely men- cries aloud for encouragement, and should receive it in this community. W. H. SINGLETON. ee Ability Required. From Peek. The Lawyer— markable ability. Friend—“I thovght you said he didn’t know much law.” | The Lawyer—“That’s !t. In our line a man must have ability to succeed if he dcesn’t know law.” BEAR A NOBLE NAME Members of the Washington Family Now Living. SOME HAVE ACHIEVED PROMINENCE Are Descended From the Brothers of the First President. - INTERESTING RELICS -———_>__—__ Written for The Evening Star. LTHOUGH WASH- ington died childless, he had several broth- ‘ers, in whose famii- lies the name was perpetuated. Bush- rod Washington of Charleston, W. Va.. 4s directly descended from Samuel, a younger brother of the general, and pre- serves many of the family traditions. He is the author of en interesting article on Mt. Vernon in one of the January magazines. More remotely connected are the Washingtons of Tennes- see; Joseph E. Washington, for several years a member of Congress, and his broth- er, who Is attorney general of the state. They are descended from President Wash- ington’s cousin. Gen. William Washington, who fought bravely in the revolution, and had the distinction of “whipping” Tarleton at the battle of Cowpens, cutting off three fingers from the latter's left hand by a fierce lunge with his sword. From John Augustine, eldest brother of President Washington, Mr. James B. Wash- ington, now resident in Pittsburg, Pa., de- rives descent, as his father, Col. Lewis William Washington, was the grandson of John Augustine, who married his cousin, the daughter of the President's half broth- er. Mr. J. B. Washington was graduated from West Point, in the class to which Custer belonged, and was also a classmate BETIV WASHINGTON Lewis” of Fitzhugh Lee. Af the opening of the civil war he joined the confederate army and was major cn the staff of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Later he had the singular experience of belng taken prisoner by his old chum, General Custer. When the war ended he went into the railroad business, and ts now interested in the Baltimore and Ohio. His son, Lewis William, is president of the Eliot-Washington Steel Company of Greencastle, Pa. William de Hertburne Washington. The man who has more, however, of Washington's blood in his veins than any other living is James B.'s half brother, William de Hertburne Washington of New York. The son of John Augustine, the President's eldest brother, married his cousin, daughter of the President's half brother, and their son,George Corbin Wash- i her of Col. Lewis William who was father of William de The mother of Mr. Washington e cousin of her husband (who wife she was) and daughter of C Bassett a Betty ewis, the granddaughter of shington’s only sister, Betty. It thus ars that Mr. William de Hertburne ington unites three distinc yashington blood. It is interesting to that he is related also to Martha ngton, the great iady who establish so high a standard for all suc “firs ladies of the land,” whose s Anna Dandridge, wes his mot great-grand- mother on the paternal side, Betty (Wash- ington) Lewis being her great-grandmother on the “distaff . William de bern in Virginia in the strains of hington was stormy ¥ period, 1863, and the first soun to greet the firing of musketry, as the house was surrounded by troups.’ He father while very young, and was ated under the care of his mother, a woman of brilliant intellect and great racter, whose strongest desire that her son should be worthy of his mame HANNAH . BVSHROD. WASHINGTON. and blood. Choosing civil engineeri his profession, while stilt a mere bow he Gevoted special siudy to it at Maryland College, and on leaving college was ap- pointed one of the engineer corps in the survey of the West Virginia Central rail- road. It is an odd circumstance that he be- gan the exercise of his profession, which is that of General Washington, ‘on the fame spot—Fairfax Stone, W. Va.—that witnessed George Washington's first pro- fessional work. He was engaged subse- quently in the construction of the road and was commended highly by the chief engineers, Major Warfield and General Sickles. A Young Consul. Soon afterward Mr. Washington was ap- pointed by President Cleveland, early in his first term, to the position of United States consul at London, Ont. He was the youngest man ever appointed to a consular office, having just passed his twenty-first birthday, yet filled it with unusual bril- liancy, if one may judge from the fact that seven times during his term of service he received “special commendation” from the Derartment of State. When General Harrison became President Mr. Wash- irgton established himself in New York, and has been remarkably successful, being now president of the Hydraulic Construc- tion Company. He has invented a number of valuable appliances in this direction and the Mercantile and Financial Times said of his system of hydraulic caisson sinking: Ti Washington HA given to the world one of the great inventiotis of the age. and one whose destiny must be to revolutionize existing methods. = “Mr. Washington de t wholly devoted to business, however, but finds time for Politics and is dee} terested also in philanthropic work, wiflg been one of the famous tenement ho’ mission of New Ycrk, appointed by’ or Flower. It was he who first suggested to that commis- sion the feasibility of ¢Onstructing parks on all the city piers, for the benefit of the “submerged tenth”—} idea that has been carried out successfully New York and is under way in mafy Bre cities. He is president of the “Model ellings Assocta- tion,” organized by a number of the most prominent citizens of New York to aid wage-earners in owhing their homes, in addition to holding serifions on advisory committees in several other philanthropic associations. Mr. Washington is a_bril- liant talker, an effective public speaker and a forcible writer on the subjects that in- terest him. In the presidential campaign of 1888 he was the author of documents of which nearly three million copies were distributed by the democratic national con- vention. Looks Like the First President. Personally he bears a striking resem- blance, when his mustache is removed, to his distinguished relative, and is exactly the same height, six feet one and one-haif irches. He is also of the same magnificent proportions. The brown velvet costume worn by the president at his second inaug- uration fits Mr. Washington, who is its present possessor, as if made for him. The accompanying illustration shows him as he appeared at an historical pageant recently given at the Metropolitan Opera House, William D. H. Washington, New York. New York, in which he represented the Father of his Country Mr. Washington is the possessor of many interesting historic relics, among them por- traits of his fraternal great-great-grand- mother, Hannah Bushred Washington, and his maternal great-great-grandmother, Betty Washington Lewis, both of which are here reproduced for the first time. A fire old China eggnogg bowl has been in the family over £00 years, and George Washirgton undoubtedly drank many a gises from it. A silver sugar bowl was part of the camp service of John Churchill, first duke of Marlbcrough, and was inh ited, through his mother, from her ances- tress, Elizabeth Churchill. It is evident that the country will not te without worthy representatives of its most henored name for many years.to come. Oddly enough, the English branch of the family has a scion in New York, but it is the American branch that ‘sheds luster cn a name, always honorable, indeed, but never distinguished until opr general mae it immortal—unless we Ho back to the fender of the family, William de Hert- ‘burne de Washyngtone, one of the gallant knights who accompanied William the Con- qveror to England. sae 1 ecb NEW PUBLICATIONS. HAWAII'S STORY. By {Hawaii's Queen, Litiuo- kulani. Tilustrated. Boston: Lee & Shepard. Washington: William Ballentyne & Sons. It is practically impossible to consider a book of this kind from avstrictly literary point of vizw in view’of it§ character as a pelitical enterprise. Mrs. Dominis’ bock is Lo more nor less than. her version of her everthrow by the people of Hawaii and It Must be accepted as stich, with ail its statements considered {n th2 light of the fact that they are addressed only too plain- ly to the consi.-sation of those public au- thorities who rw have in charge the des- tinies of the island republic. Th> book is well written, and if it could be judged solely on its own merits, without regard to its political significance and the prejudices of its author, it would be ex- tiled to classification as a fairly entertain- ing volume of personal reminiscences. Vizwed as 2 political document the most important part of the book is that which relates to the interviews between former Minister Willis and Mrs. Dominis, in gard to the proposed restoration of the lat- ter throvgh the good offices of Prsident Cleve’ It is to be remembered that i publicly charged, when Mr. Willis’ sion and its results became known in country, that the former queen had 2d upon the death of those who were trumental in causing her overthrow five rs ago. On this point it would be weil, naps, to quote from the book. Dominis tells of the arrival of Mr, Willis November 4, 1803, and of his early sum- moning of her to his presence. Alter de- scribing the excited condition of the city and of the watch that had been set upon the members of the new gevern- t, she proceeds as follows “On house of Mr. Willis, Mr. Mills (his secretary) directed me into the parlor, while he and Mr. Robertson (the 2X-queen's chamberlain) entered the oppo- site room. A Japanese screen divided the epartinenis. seated on the sofa when Mr. Willis, entering, took a chair and sat down just front of me near the screen, Learer of the kindest greetings from Presi- Gent Cleveland, and ‘that the President would do all in his power to undo the wrong which had been don. He then ked me if I would consent to sign a proclamation of general amnesty, stating that L weuld grant complete provection and pardon to those who had overthrown my government. I told nim that I would con- sult. my ministers on the matter. I well kn2w, and it has been conclusively shown in this history, that my actions could not be binding or in any way recognized un- less supported by the ministers in cabinet meeting. This was according to law and according te the constitution these very Persons had forced upon the nation. Per- haps Mr. Willis thought that all he had to de was to propos2, and that then my place Was to acquiesce. But he asked again for my judgment of the matter as it stood, and seémed determined to obtain an expression of opinion from me. I told him that as to granting amnesty it was beyond my pow- ers as a constitutional.sovereign. Tnac it Was a matter for the privyvcouncil and for the cabinet. But our lawsoread that tnose who are guilty of treason shouid sutter the peralty of death. nt “He then wished to lnewiif I would carry out that law. I said i would be more in- clined persona'ly to pungsh them by banish- ment and confiscationjef their property to the governmert. He ipquired again if such was my decision. 1 regarded the interview as an informal conversation between two persons as to the best jhing for the future of my country, but I,repeated to him my wish to consult my minjsiers before decid- ing on any definite aetign. (This terminated the consultation, excepting that Mr. Wilis specially requested me, pot to mention any- thing concerning the matter to any person whomsoever and assufed,;me he would wee home to the goyermment he repre- sented. es “He did se. It was {long month before he could receive any'teply; but when it came he communicated the fact to me and asked for another interview at his house. +" * So at the stated hour we all met. This time Mr. Willis had present as his stenographer Mr, Ellis C. Mills, afterward American consu! general at Honolulu. He first read to me what he said were some notes of our former interview. From whence did these come? By Mr, Willis” own propo- sition we were to be entirely alone during that interview, and to all appearance we were so. Was there a stenographer behind that Japanese screen? Whatever the paper was, Mr. Willis finished the reading of it ana asked me if it was correct. I replied es.’ “Doubtless had I held the document in my hand and had I been permitted to read and examine it—for the eye perceives words that fall unheeded on the ear—I should then have noticed that there was a clause which declared that I was to have my opponents beheaded. That is a form of punishment which has never been uged in the Hawaiian Islands, either before or since the coming of in H» informed me that he was the foreigners. Mr. Willis then asked me if my | The list itself is the only convincing evi- views were the same as when we met the first time; and I again sa!d ‘yes,’ or words to that effect. Mr. J. O. Carter inquired if I rescinded so much of Mr. Willis’ report as |. related to the execution of the death pen- alty upon those in revolt. To this I replied, ‘I do in that respect.’ “Yet, notwithstanding the fact, it was of- ficlally reported in the dispatches of Mr. Willis, that I especially declared that my enemies should not cuffer the death penalty, I found to my horror when the newspapers came to Honolulu from the United States that the President and the American people had been told that I was about to behead them all! * * © That offensive charge Was repeated to my hurt as often as pos- sible, although I immediately sent my pro- test that I had not used the words attrib: uted to me by Mr. Willis in our informal conversaticn, and that at my first offictal interview with him I had modified (so far as my influence would go) the law of all coun- tries regarding treason. “At the interview heid Saturday, Decem- ber 16,4 did decline to promise executiv clemency and gave as my reason that, this being the second offense of these individ- vais, they were regarded as dangerous to the community. That their very residence would be a constant menace; that there never would be peace in my country or harmony amongst the people of different netions residing with us as long as such a disturbing element remained, especialiy af- ter they had once been successful in seizing the reins of government. But on Monday, December 18, Mr. Willis came to Washing- ton Place (Mrs. Dominis’ residence), and again, acting under the advice of Mr. J. O. Carter, I gave to him a document recogniz- ing the high sense of justice which had prompted the action of Mr. Cleveland, and egreeing that, in view of his wishes, the individuals setting up or supporting the provisional government should have full amnesty in their persons and their proper- ty, if they would work together with me in trying to restore peace and prosperity to our utiful and most happy islands. Ii is thus to be seen that Mzs. Dominis ts not altogether clear even in her own state- ment on this matter of refusing to promise amnesty. The last paragraph quoted shows that she insisted upon exercising the right of punishing treason with death on the oc- casion of the second interview, the second occurring within e few days of Mr. Willis’ landing, November 4. This was after the receipt of intelligence from Washington based upon Mr. Willis’ first report that Mrs. Dominis had demanded the blood of her enemies, or at least had refused to Promise amnesty to them. A matter of some interest is disclosed at a later point in the book going to show that Mrs. Dominis and her adherents in Hono- lulu besought the intervention of at least two European powers in her behalf, after the failure of President Cleveland's efforts to retore her to the throne, the matter be- ing briefly related in the following para- graph: “A month after (the return of the unsuc- cessful commission, composed of Parker, Cummins and Widemann, dispatched to Washington after the proclamation of the republic July 4, 1894,) word was sent to me that the merchants of Honolulu, who were in sympathy with the monarchy, had de- cided to send Judge Widemann on a for- cign mission in our interests, at which was pleased and acquiesced in the choice. He was gone about three months and again returned only with a verbal statement to the effect that while on his way to Englan1 he had heard that that nation was sending a message of recognition to the republic of Hawati. He continued on his journey as far as Germany, where he reported that the minister to whom he meant to present his statement of our side of the case was ab- sent from the country on a tour of business or pleasure. So Judge Widemann returned without any favorable results.” Mrs. Dominis has evidertly written under a certain measure of restraint, as the fol- lowing suggestive paragraph will serve to indicate: “I had prepared biographical sketches and observations upon the mental structure and character of the most interested advocates of this measure (the annexation treaty). They have not refrained from circulating most vile and baseless slanders against me; and as public men they seemed to me open to public discussion. But my publishers have flatly declined to print this matter, as possibly it might be construed as libelous.” SCRIBNER'S MAGAZINE. Vol. XXI. Januars- June, 1897; Vol. XXII, July-December, 1897. x Charles Scribner's Sons. "The past year has produced a memorable volume of “Scribner's,” which, though maintained on a high plane, both as re- gards the matter it offers and the manner in which it offers it, is constantly surpris- ing its readers with pleasant and profitable departures. The most notable of these for 1897 was the series of papers by ‘Walter A. Wyckoff, under the general title, “The Workers,” in the course of which he tells a story revealing the real nature of Ameri- can labor in various phases. This “‘experi- ment in realty” was undertaken to develop the actual condition of the workingman, and by a student of sociology, who went among these workers as one of them. The results of his labors appear in the form of x articles filled with valuable material. “The Conduct of Great Busine another ente! marking Vols. XXI XXII as no In ell-writte papers intere of modern papers de ting det, enterpri 1 in many ferms forth. The ment store, the r bank, the business buildiag, the new: and the wheat Thus in effect in these two series pers ure the two great classes re: by car jabor cont ted. Charles Dana Gibson's “London” adds to the istic value of the two volumes, as also do ¢. from great novels,” that pieces. > eley seen: erve as fronti, ALAMO; and Other Versi ico. No author's name is given with this neat little volume of verses, though the name ot the publisher, Edward McQueen Gray, may perhaps be understood to be that of the poet as well. There is no apparent reason why the creator of these dainty thoughts should conceal his identity. That his is a Seucrous nature is shown by the fact that the proceeds of the sale of “Alamo” are to be devoted entirely to the creation of a free public library ard literary institute at Flor- ence, New Mexico. A third edition has al- ready become necessary to supply the de- mand for a work issued under such unusual circumstances, combining merit with nov- eity. The poem “Aiamo” breathes the spir- it of the far southwest. Florence, New Mes- FOR MY LADY'S DESK; A Writing-desk Book for ery Day, By Kose Porter. New York: Herrick & Compeny. Washington: W: Ballantyre & Sons. If the possessor of a copy of this little desk book were to follow closely all its sug- gestions and admonitions, the volume would be most remarkably interesting at the end of the year. It would contain brief notes on social performances, engagements made, kept and broken, amusements enjoyed and missed, dinners and luncheons given and at- tended, visits received and paid, books read, newspapers and periodicals perused, cour- tesies rendered and received, letters written or received—in short, practically a history of the minutiae of the life of the possessor from the beginring to the end of the year. ‘The little book would serve as well as a moniter, friend and confidant. It is de- signed to stimulate the mind, heart and con- science and to keep the worldly affairs of its owner in excellent shape as regards reg- ularity. The idea is nevel and worthy of success. A GRAMMAR OF AMERICAN SURNAMES; Be- ing an Introduction to the Study of American Nomenclature, and Containing Twenty Thou- sand Names Herctofore Unknown to Our Peo- ple at Large. Collected Chiefly from Official Sourees by a Depertment Clerk. Washington: John F. Sheiry. This work illustrates the great variety of interest to be found in the things that lie closest to us. The names of men and women are so often “taken for granted” that it is seldom the listener to the spoken name stops to consider its source or its- unusual nature. The unknown compiler of this list has opened up a startling revela- tion to hunters after the rare, the curious, the unique. The twenty thousand names he has gathered together are astounding in their freakishness, and were it not for the solemn assurance of the collector that practicaily every one has an official record as sponsor it would be difficult to believe that the list were not merely the prank of a word gatherer. This work being pro- nounced an “introduction” to the study of American nomenclature, further disclos- ures cn the same line may be expected, though no definite promise is given. Any attempt to describe the collection in spe- cific terms would fail to give an adequate idea of the marvels of American surnames, dence. A NEW ASTRONOMY: For Beginners. By David P. Todd, MA. PhD. "Diregar of Asconore and Director of the Observatory, Amherst Col- lege. New York: “The American Book Com- iv. Astronomy is one of the most alluring of all studies, but It ts too often presented to young readers and to those students who have no access to lectures or to explana- tery apparatus ir such form as to confuse rather than to help the mind. Prof. Todd, however, has here produced a text book which, though elementary in the sense that it explains basic principles in a simple style, is nevertheless scientific m its treat- ment throughout. Prof. Todd is admirably qualified for such a t He places more importance upon the physical rather than the mathematical facts of astronomy, and thus has given to the book a charm for all classes of readers. The illustrations are handsome and are helpful to the reader in urderstanding some of the more difficult phases vf the subject PLACER MINING: A Handbook for Klondike a ‘Other Mirers and Prospectors, with. Tntrodw tory Chapters Regarding the Recent Gold Dis- in the Yukon Valley. the Routes to id Fields, Ouifit Required and Mining ms of Alaska and the Canadian Y) : f the Yukon Valley, Embra: ing ail the Informaticn Obtainable m Re- Hable Sources up to December 1, 1897. Spran- ‘The Colliery Engineer Company. TOLD IN THE ROCKIES; A Pen Picture of the West. By A. Maynard Barbour. Chicago: Rand McNally & Company. DOW OF THE PYRAMIDS; The of Ismail Khedive. A Novel. By jenry Savage, author of “Lost Coun- Palka,” etc. Chicago: Rand, MeNully IN THE STRANGE STCRY OF MY LIFE; The Col- onel's Daughter. A 3 By John Strange Winter, author of “Bootle’s Babs,” ete, Chi- cago: Rand, McNally & Co. WARREN HYDE. By eroned.”* . the author of “Unehap- York: R. F. Fenne & ON THE W Times.” By Jen ory of Ante-Bellum . Walworth. author of pio,” ete. New York: R. F. Fenno Washingtun: Brentano’ TWO PATHS. F cage: Alfred € Marie Watson, F. T. Clark. —— FROM DAWSON CITY. Thirty-Three Days on a Beaten P: in the Snow, 630 Miles Long. From the Kansas City Star. F. A. James of Clinton, Mo., passed through Kansas City six months ago today on his way to the gold fields of Alaska. This morning he sat in the lobby of the Midland Hotel, and as he toyed with gold nuggets he talked about the Klondike and Dawson City. It was a fascinating story, made realistic by the clink of the little pieces of gold as they fell against each other. Mr. James arrived in Dawson City on Oc- tober 1: with a party of four men and left there on December 13 with another party of the same number. They walked over the snow and ice from Dawson City to Dyea, a distance of 630 miles, in thirty- three days. Then they took the steamer Alki for Seattle, arriving there last Tues- day. The news he brings is therefore the latest from that part of the world. “The rush to the Klondike country has begun,” said Mr. James. “The trail from Lake Bennett to Dyea, a distance otf twenty-eight miles, is now almost a con- tinuous line of tents. In some places there are canvas towns. The people are moving slowly, so as to reach the gold fields by the time spring opens. Then there will be suffering. Most of the people who have gone thus far have had some experience in land like that, but when the clerks an& business men, who have spent mose of their lives indoors, strike that climate and attempt to cross the path there will be death. “All the way from Dawson City to Dyea the path is tramped down. For over 300 miles we walked on lakes and rivers, frozen sclid. The thermometer was 65 degrees be- low zero most of the time. In the middle of the short day it rose to 40 degrees be- low. Aud yet the old settlers in that country cail this a mild winter. We car- ried our supplies on two sleds, drawn by seven dogs, which I bought from a friend for $475—a great bargain. The price of degs up there ranges from $100 to $350. We had a stove with us, and when darkness settled down we laid some branches and twigs on the snow, set the stove over them, put up our tent around it and built a@ fire. We traveled twenty-eight days and rested five on the way. We met hundreds of pe ple going in, most of them just starting. From what Mr. James said there is no probability of any one in Dawson City starving this winter, and, though food sup- plies are limited, he says there is enough there to last until the river opens up and thg boats arrive in the spring, if it is used ecCnomically. otwithstanding the fact that the ther- rmometer is from 60 to 70 degrees below zero in Dawson City, there is no rest there. Every one is working night and day. The days are now six hours long, the light com- ing on about 9 o'clock and darkness setting in between 2 and 3 o'clock. But the work of taking out the gold goes on when it is dark just the same as during the day, and people do not sleep any longer than they have to. The amoung of gold being taken cut is enormous. “Just before I left Dawson Ci con- tinued Mr. James, “a friend of mine asked me to come over to I claim and wash out a pan. His hole is about twelve feet deep, and when I reached the bottom 4 picked up a double handful of gravel, washed it in a tub of warm water, and when I lifted my hands out of the water just $55 worth of solid gold lay in them. Then I washed out one pan and it weighed I found se 1 large nuge on my Claims, one worth §#. These I sent on to my wife in Clinton.” “How do you stand the intense cold “Oh, we dress in warm clothes. We wear extra heavy woolen underwear and woolen suits. Over all this we put on what is call- ed a Parkie, a queer-looking garment made of bear skin or other fur, which has much the appearance of the fur coats the grip- men down here wear. The main difference have hoods. On our sins, and over them sealskin_ shoes. pretty cold some- times while we were coming over the trail to Dyea, and that trip is one that will test the strength of any man in the world. Without the little dogs it would be almost an impossibility to accomplish it. They are wonderful animals. Four of them can draw a sled loaded with 1,000 pounds, and if you could see the steep grades, covered with ice and snow, and the jagged hills they have to draw the sleds over, you would marvel at them. Then, as soon as a stop is made, no matter what time of day or night it is, they lie down in the snow with their feet under them and their tails over their noses and go to sleep. When they are called not one of them will get up until the lcader rises. Then they jump up to be harnessed, and siart out with a de- termination that might well be copied by some men. “Life in Dawson City this winter has been mostly work. But men are never too busy to indulge in a little pleasure, and after a good day's work little groups come together in the saloons or the log cabins and discuss the latest find or the rich strike that ‘Nigger Jim’ or ‘Dedway Dan’ made last week. The best of order prevail- ed in the place while I was there. The men are too busy to giuarrel. While two men are arguing over some trifle two more men may be taking out several thousand dol- lars, and if there is any place in this world where men are made to realize the value of time it is in Dawson City. And there are so few women that gossip is scarce, and people have little else to talk about other than the gold and the provisions.” —_—_+ 2 +___. Educated Tinkers. From the Philadelphia Record. A leading Austrian paper calls attention to the fact that Bulgaria would offer a much. larger market for agricultural ma- chinery if there were some reliable repair shops for such machinery in the country. If there is but the smallest repair work on such a machine to be done nobody can be found to do it, and in many cases Ger- man experts have been called for. The Economical Society of the Bulgarian capi- tal has just now submitted a memorial to the government asking for the state ap- pointment of some 75 to 100 capable me- ioe eee a adie shad ministry supports scheme, and decid- ed that these mechanics should have to instruct in the first place the rural popu- lation in the application of improved agri- cultural machinery and implements. This impetus will doubtless result in a large increase of the imports of all kinds of agricultural machinery. 8. Chi- 17 LOST IN THE MAILS Taking Care of Letters and Parcels That Go Astray. IMMENSE DEAL OF LABOR INVOLVED The Government Endeavors to Re- turn Everything It Can. KEEPING THE RECORDS -- Written for The Evening Star, Visitors to the dead letter office who turn the leaves of the immense photograph al- bums to examine the soldiers’ pictures saved time in war and gazed down at the long table where a dozen men are open- ing letters never realize the amount of work it takes to produce order in the chaos of letters and parcels gone astray. Ranged along the sides of the great room where the openers are, and also in several rooms near by, are the bookkeepers or recorders. Their labor is seldom appreciated because its results only are seen. Without them it would be impossible to answer the many inquiries for missing mail, or to locate any article which the office has received. Uncle Sam's business methods are often criticised as intricate and laborious, but the neces- sity of a system of records of this kind cannot be doubted. About fifteen per cent of the seven mill- fon pieces received yearly contain valuables. An accurate record of each article is made, giving its address and disposition. Six sets of books are used for this purpose, one for money: one for papers which have a money value, as notes and mortgages; one for other valuable papers such as receipts and certificates; one for stamps, one for photo- graphs, and one for property or miscel- lareous articles received in packages. These are all returned to the sender if the address is given. If there ts no address, but a legible postmark, they are sent to the postmaster at the mailing office for deliv- ery to the sender. if there is no address and no postmark, or if the postmaster fails to deliver the article and returns it to the department, it is filed. Disposing of the Articles. In the case of property the articles filed are kept two years and then sold at public auction, excepting such books as are se- lected for the department library. Several hundred books are added each year to the library, which is for the use of the officials and clerks exclusively. They comprise largely works of fiction and poetry intend- ed for gifts. The ragney, the owner, is which cannoi be returned to pt for three months then deposited in the United States treas- ury. It. may be reclaimed within r years. In these books one cent receives as much atiention as $30, a receipt being signed by each clerk through whose hands it passes. No red tape is spared on account of small values. The stamps are the most numero valuables received. Every time th ment issues a fraud order agai swindling concern that concern is lowed to receive its mail. Its letters are stamped “fraudulent” and sent to the dead letter office. Thousands of dollars yearly are thus saved by the department and re- stored to the people in money and stamps alone. The stamps which cannut be de- livered are destroyed each month. The photograplis and valuable papers which had been kept on file were allowed to accumulate until the summer of 18%, when the oldest files were destroyed, ex- cepting only such papers as marriage cer- tificates, wills and others of exceptional value. At present, only those photographs and papers filed within the last three years are kept intact. The rest are destroyed. Uncle Sam the Gainer. Uncle Sam, with Yankee praeti- utilizes everything that comes in He realizes a neat little sum each year from the auction sale of packages, from the deposit of lost money, and also from the destroyed matter sold waste paper. In addition ‘Thus, a book of Jost yout one to these records is which gives the postal history manuscripts, which number a thousand yearly. There 1s also a record of inquiries for missing mail, and a record of reg matter. The registered articles received are not distributed am the six desks named, but a separate record is 7 them, so that these are the larges record books and the articles ke here are miscellaneous in charac Every month the periodicals which have gone astray in the mails and reached the dead letter office are distribuved among the ct. hat cheer charitable institutions of are the department m the sick and bless th: It is expected that ent order to postmasters in regard to the plainer stamp- ing of letters will facilitate the work of this office to a large degr Pos are now ordered to stam tinetly with the name of the m It sometimes requires half a a with magnifying lens and ever: facilit ‘blind reading” to decipher a single post- mark. This kind of stamping is usually done in the smaller offices. The letters from large cities almost always have a legible postmark. When this ruling is en- forced the percentage of matter returned will be largely increased Amount Decrensing. The amount of matter received at the dead letter office has decreased in the last few years. This is probably due to the ef- ficiency of the “Don’t” circulars, which are sent to all postmasters for the dissemina- tion of ordinary rules of precaution to be observed by patrons of the mails. This office might be called the headquar- ters of Santa Claus. “At any rate it fs where his mail {s received. Every autumn his let- ters come in by hundreds and later by thou- sands. There is every variety of spelling and childish chirography. There is also a variety of places assigned as his abiding place, such as the North Pole, Fairyland and other places not within reach of the postal service. But the little folks are not the onjy ones who send indefinitely addressed letters. Two examples will serve to show the rare discriminating powers assigned to the postal employe by the public mind: “Please deliver to a physician who is a native of either Nova Scotia, New Bruns- wick or Prince Edward’s Islan’ Evidently the area involved was too wide and the authorities gave up the search. “Forward or give to a widow, age thirty- two or over, with dark brown hair and eyes; height, five feet two inches; name unknown.” At a glance this would seem an easter task. To find a widow is simple enough. ‘To find one with dark hair and eyes would be a more specific task, but still not ob- jectionable. perhaps. But making it plainer by using the age limit put things in a dif- ferent light. It was too delicate a task for an ordinary postmadn: He was human eng loved life. He gave up the job.