Evening Star Newspaper, March 12, 1898, Page 19

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 1898-24 PAGES. 19 NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK AND PROPOSED ROADW. YS IN VICINITY. ZOOLOGICAL PARK Additions aad Rinpiaaaeit of Vital Necessity. —————__. RECOMMENDATIONS ON BOUNDARIES | ee Congress to Be Asked to Adopt | Secretary Langley’s Suggestion. IN TERVIEW OF INTER _ ‘ational Zoological Park was nd the vast territory that co t was purchased by the government no hesitancy on the part of Con- | 1king generous provisions for | object of securing for the al a park unrivaled for its and the establishment there- collection em ali} and entertaining } a purpose. | a direct line with the | of the city and which beautiful and desirable | which would the weli- | tructive rsion most the suburbs and n sought for homes by ud wealthy was taken by the gov- ument and paid for at the market v the present inciosure embraces 1 both sides of Rock creek. uired by purchase in ral g nment and the Dis- rnment sharing equally in the . a3 they now share equaily in its Will Be Virtually One. > Zoological Park of the future will virtually rearly ten times more than it does now, because Rock Park, which was established to pro- @ great rational park for the benefit n of the people of the who as well as to preserve and perpetu- unrivaled natural beauty of the ek region, will be simply a contin- the Zoological Park, which is rated from it by Woouley Lane The beard of regents of tne Smith- nstitution governs the Zoo, under agement of Secretary S. P. Lang- le br. Frank Baker is in immediate while Secretary Langley is also a of the Rock Creek Park commis- D besides of the chief of en- of the army and the District Com- ers. Since the creation and opening ry and recreati the of Natioral Zoological Park, however, there has rot been the same tendency shown by Congress to improve it and in- crease alue in a zoological sense or to a natural beauty. In his reports fer several years past to he ents of the Smithsonian | Langley has dwelt | » embarrassments policy of the institu- to the National Zov- retary Langley has upon the neces final adjustments oundaries of the park. The sug- | he made in his report for the 5 and the year 1896 are partica- at pr if, indeed, vastly more important in v! they ew of of time since then and the con- se nearer approach of the possible Duilding encroachments to which he al- ludes. Undeniable Facts Stated. The statements of Secretary Langley are given herewith, together with a repro- duction of the map which accompanied his report. His recommendations in 185 were 2s follows: Plans for a system of roadways for the District have been completed for that sec- ticn lying to the eastward of the park. Here a broad street, to be known as the “Park Drive,” reaches the boundary of | the park at its southeastern corner and thence proceeds along the eastern side by gentle curves adapted to the topography of | - region, as shown upon the accompany- ing plan. " The establishment of this road will greatly improve the access to the park, which has always suffered from the steep xrades that are necessary for descent into the valley of Rock creek. It will, how- r, entail some new difficulties ‘which met at once. The roed does not the boundary of the park at all but touches or leaves it according ‘ontour of the ground and the prac- y of the grade. Some tracts of fore left between the drive dif these become built cession of private houses will heuld skirt poirts to th abil upon the boundary, lusion that was one s for which the expenditure was made, and which tion of the valle: land in ques- i to the park, the east- of which would then lie along roadway affording Several convenient ing map shows the added. It involves a lying im ately south of the much d for the security of als contin At present the f the park is near the pits bank is very steep, and as it is mposed in considerable degree of soil decomposed rock it constantly crumbles fer the action of the weather and pre- cipitates loose stones and debris into the thus endangering the safety of the Is and gradually undermining the " ence, which must sooner or later Zall inward. It should aiso include a tract ef land lying on a hillside to the north of the Quarry read and forming a portion of the property of Mr. H."D. Walbridge. This fs an exceedingly important tract, as its Possession would extend the park’ toward enesaw avenue, which will doubtless be the principal route of access upon the east- ern side, and it would be desirable to ex- tend the park on the southern side by tak- ing in the cemetery that now lies near the Adams Mill entrance and constitutes a se- ‘rious blot upon the surroundings of the spark.” Other Desirable Extensions. Secretary Langley, as stated, repeated the above words in his report of 1996, and then contini2d as follows: “in one particular it seems desirable to | the j ion of the amend th2se recommendations. As the cemetery situated to the southward of the park is probably of considerable value and it would entail considerable expense to add the entire tract to the park, it is believed that the interests of the government will be equally subserved by establishing a road- way through it along the route marked in dotted lines on the map, and adding to the park only so much of the land as may lie between such roadway and the present boundary. “On the western side considerable read- justments of boundary are desirable. Com- Mencing at Woodley bridge, it seems prop- er that a small strip (marked H) should be added to the park, so that it may reach the line of a projected roadway shown in dot- ted lines on the annexed map. This road- way extends along the natural contours of a hill that slopes toward Rock creek, and when it is established the unsightly em- bankment made there for the purpose of entering the park can be removed. It is recommended that the boundary run along sn side of this road to meet the of the park. i tension seems desirable near western entrance to the park Connecticut avenue extended. Here boundary now runs at no great dis- tance from the avenue, and there is no properly legalized right’ of way over the property inte the park.” It may be well to state here that there is now a legalized roadway through the strip under consideration, as Congress at “Another e: upon th its last session provided the hority and securing such right of The of tary Langley’s recom- 18, however, hold good or when first pre- sented. otwithstanding this, the service of the lectric cars on the avenue makes this the irost frequented of all the entrances. The ground which it is proposed to include Hes between the park and Connecticut avenue, extending southward to Cathedral avenue ard northward to Klingle road. It ts mark- ed I on the accompanying map. It is rep- resented as being excellent grazing ground for antelope, elk, deer, or Hamas. Pastur- age for these animals is now insufficient. owing to the wooded character of the park. Should the Rock Creek Park be likewise extended to Connecticut avenue, as 1s pro- posed, the two public parks would then have a common boundary aleng the Klin- gle road, which would form a common ave- rue of entrance. Congress to Be Appronched. The recommendations of Secretary Lang- ley were never put in the concrete shape of bills necessary for Congress to act upon, but this will be shortiy done, and proper etter now than | measures will be prepared and introduced, which will cover not only the necessities pointed out above, but will provide for Other improvements in the park. Thousands of persons, as well known, visit the park every day during the spring, summer and autumn seasons, and even in winter there are large numbers of visitors, who go as much to see the winter beauty of the variegated landscape as to see the animals in their cold weather quarters. At all times interesting and beautiful, the park is steadily gro in popular favor, and it is therefore highly necessary, in the opin- having its interests and pur- pose at heart, that more should be done toward increasing the zoological collection, and thus increasing its educational pur- poses, enhancing the natural beauties of the park by making access to them easy, and, in a word, making the National Zoo- logical Park worthy of its name and the high purpose for which it was created. The Views of an Observer. The thousands who regularly visit the park are all heartily in favor of its im- provement, and the consensus of their views was well expressed by one who 1s wholly familiar with the park and knows just what it needs. “Any one of observance who goes to Zoological Park by the Chevy Chase cars,” said this person to a Star reporter, “natur- ally wonders why the boundary of the park is not cut to the line of Connecticut ave- nue extended. Approaching the entrance to the Zoo on Chevy Chase Park one sees the inclosing fence of the park running parallel with Connecticut avenue, only a few yards dis- tant. The intervening space, at first deep- ly gullied and in places covered with deep undergrowth, further on runs into smooth slopes and swells which would add im- rrersely to the attractiveness of the park if it were included as a part of it. The same strip runs up to the Klingle road, ard should certainly be included in the park, which would thus have an imposing frontage on Cennecticut avenue extended that could not be encroached upon for building purposes, which will certainly be the case in the future if the strip remains private property. The Alleged Cause. “I maquired,” continued the speaker, “how it happened that the margin of ground was not embraceé in the park, so as to give an open frontage cn the avenue, and was informed that the members of the commission which was appointed to locate and define the park's bounds made the con- yolutions of Rock creek their central line of base, Instead of providing themselves with a map giving the lines of the principal avenues and streets as they would run out when extended. The use of Rock creek as a base prevented anything like uniformity in the boun Of course, I don’t know that this was absolutely the cause of it: it 1s merely what I have been informed. But no matter what the cause is, the evil should be repaired. To secure this piece of land and the other plots, which Prof. Langley has vigorously and persistently recom- mended in his rcports should be bought, will require the purchase now of orly a small acreage of unoccupied and uninclosed ground, the value of which {s rapidly jn- creasing as the city extends in that direc- tion. Other Things Needed. “Then there is another thing about the Zoo Park; in fact, several things. No one deries that the domain abounds in wonder- ful attractio:s, natural and wrought, but there are striking deficiencies in it, beth in respect as to its needs as a public resort and breathing place and the meagerness o? its animal exhibit when it is considered that it is owned by the government and ts part and parcel of it. Any one who has been to the Forepaugh or the Barnum & Bailey shows, and then comes out here ta the Zoo, will be compelled to acknowl- edge the inferiority existing between the gcvernment’s exhibit, after eight years of supposed accumulation, and the collections in the menageries I mention. Cor should be more generous end appropriate money for the purchase of animals, and the collection should be so complete in character and size and in the variety and number of its specimers as to make it the best spot on earth for the study of existing animal creation. Such a policy woull at- tract to it students of natural history from all over the world, as well as afford pleas- ure to thousands of the people of the whole country, for whose edification it was creat- ed. In a word, the park needs to be com- leted. ee Drives and Walks. “Not only should its zoological collection be improved as I Fave mentioned, but the whole ex‘ent of its valleys, hills and slopes should be made accessible by drives and peths, and the ccmfort of visitors should be looked to. Plentiful seats should be put in shady places. Rock creek should be deepened and its facilities for the accom- modation of wonderful fishes be made adequate. I am very glad to hear that Congress is to be asked to treat the Na- tional Zoological Park with proper atten- tien. It will be a grand thing for every- bedy in the District, as well as for the thousands of visitors who come to the na- tional capital every year.” OUR AUXILIARY WARSHIPS Thirty-three That Could Be Used as Un- armored Oruisers, Could Be Ready in Three Days—How the Liners Would Look in War Paint. Written for The Evening Star. In addition to the fifty regular cruisers of the United States navy there are some thirty odd vessels now employed in the merchant service which could be rapidly converted into cruisers and which should be taken into account in estimating the naval strength of the country. These ships would be unarmored and would carry a comparatively light complement of guns. It would be imposstble for them to fight even a small warship, and they would not be expected to do so. Their special work would be to prey on the enemy’s commerce and to capture unarmed merchant vessels. For this they would be admirably adapted by their high speed and light armament. In the Navy Department, where an exact list of these vessels is filed,they are official- ly known as auxiliary or casual cruisers. Last year, when Congress was considering the bill appropriating $850,000 for providing an armament for this auxiliary fleet, the chief of the bureau of ordnance reported thirty-three vessels as available for this kind of service. Of these, twenty-four are on the Atlantic t and nine on the Pacitic. Together all for forty-six six-inch, twenty- seven five-inch and 104 four-inch rapid-fire rifles, fifty-four six-pounders, eight one- pounders and 1 machine guns, or a total armament of 351 g of all classes. The largest and best-known of these the four American line steamshi: New York, Paris, St. Louis and St. T are the ul. It is interesting to note the transformation which one of these big passenger steamers would have to undergo in order to fit her Just for the work of an auxiliary cruiser. what changes would prot converting one of thes liners into a warship was pointed out Ly Mr. G. C. Griscom, jr., of the International Navigation Company, in a talk with t! > writer the other day. Most persons will probably be surprised to learn how much of the build and fittings of an unarmored cruiser these big passenger boats now con- tain, No Agreement Necessary. “There seems to be a general impres- sion,” sald Mr. Griscom, “that some kind of a contract or agreement exists between the United States government and the In- ternational Navigation Company by waich the latter are to turn over their boats to the service of the United States whenever needed. There is no such agreement, be- cause it is unnecessary. The United States has a perfect right to demand and take the property of the International Navigation Company, just as it has the right to de- mand the property or services of any other of its citizens, and it could undoubtedly do so, with proper indemnification, should oc- casion arise. “What was done by the government when the postal subsidy act for the e ment of American shipping was passea was to demand that, in consideration for the privileges granted by that act, certain plans should be followed in the construction of the vessels that were to benefit by it. These requirements were, roughly, that t..c rudder and steering apparatus of tre steamship should be under water, and th:t the vital parts of the ship should, so far as possible, be below the water line, where they would be less Hable to injury from cannon shot. “The plans for the American Ine steam- ers were inspected and approved by an offi- cer of the government when the boats were built, and they satisfy these requirements. If you look closely at the New York you will see four white marks at regular inter- vals along each of her sides. Directly above these white marks, on the steamer’s promenade deck, are the places where the six-inch guns would be located were she to be armed. You will notice, too, that the deck supports at these points are strength- ened by an additional column. On the deck at this point is a round steel cap covering a manhole, intended for the passage of am- munition from below. Rendy for the Guns. “These are the only marks indicating to the uninitiated any preparation for the placing of cannon; but there are other pro- visions. The deck platform and supports are strengthened at this point by additional girders and cross beams, so as to sustain the weight of guns and carriages. There are also arrangements for the mounting of the smaller machine guns. Practically the only thing necessary to equip these vessels for use in war would be to run the gun carriages on board and mount the guns on them. There would probably be some al- terations in their internal arrangements to provide quarters for seamen and marines, but those could be made within a very few days. “Last year, when the English steamship Majestic was detailed to attend the naval celebration of the queen's jubilee, she ar- rived in Liverpool on Wednesday after- noon; on Saturday she sailed for South- ampton, fully fitted out as an unarmored cruiser. The whole equipment had been placed on board and put in position within three days I see no reason why the New York or the Paris could not be fitted out within the same length of time, assuming that the guns were ready to be put on board. “The theory of an unarmored cruiser is that she shall be fast enough to run away from any warship and strong enough to overpower any merchant vessel. I think that our boats fully satisfy these require- ments. You remember that when the Co- lumbia made the trip across the Atlantic at a speed of about eighteen knots for the whole voyage it was hailed as a remark- able achievement. It was—for a warship. But our ships cross the ocean, year in and year out, in the course of their regular business, at an ordinary speed of about twenty knots. No war vessel in existence, unless {t was one of the small torpedo boats or torpedo boat catchers, could over- haul them. Of course, a single shot from a modern battle ship would go through their sides, but I think that it would take more than one to destroy them, vecause, as I have said, they were laid down on lines intended to guard against that.” ———+e+ — A Hand Steam Fire Engine. Frem the Philadelphia Record. A hand fire engine for use in suburban and country towns where the public fre service is rot within easy call has been brought out in England. It is portable, be- ing mounted on a pair of strong iron wheels, and can pump fifty gallons of water per minute against a head of sixty-five feet. When used in emergency it can be forced to deliver 100 gallons a minute, The en- gine rests on four iron feet, this position being effected by raising the handle of the carriage and lowering the boiler. It is of the quick raising steam type, and can be run up to a working pressure in a few minutes, which for emergency work is very important. The pump can be disconnected and the engine used on portable engine for driving light farm ery, iechy ae cream separators, feed mills, etc. It weighs considerably less than half a ton. TRAVELING IN: SPAIN Even Now Americans : Meet With Nothing but Kindness, GENEROSITY OF THE LOWER CLASSES Wondrous Treasures of Art in the Gallery at Madrid. : A SIDE TRIP TO TANGIER Special Correspondence of The Evening Star. GIBRALTAR, February 14, 1998. We have just returned from a three weeks’ trip into Spain and are awaiting the arrival of the steamer to carry us on to Italy. She is late in coming, and as we have finished packing and have seen all the sights and spent all our spare money on curios, there is nothing to do but write letters, I want to say most emphatically for the benefit of any one intending to visit Spain that the unpleasantness over Cuba and ex-- pected annoyance therefrom can be left ut- terly out of one’s calculations. We were four women traveling alone and were urged almost tearfully by every one on the steam- er not to go into Spain at the present time. We, however, braved the lion in his den and went, strong in our faith in Spanish gallantry. It was early for tourists, and we were thrown entirely in the society of Spaniards. Moreover, we traveled second and even third-class, so that we met men and women of all types. We were recognized every- where as Americans, were spoken of and to always as Las Senoras Americanas. We conversed freely with every one we met. We even discussed the war and talked of the past and future of Spain and the pros- perity and contentment of the people. Everywhere, without one exception, from rich and poor, from man, woman and child, we received the most exquisite courtesy the most generous hospitality and kind. ress. The charm of manner, too, is universal here. Even the beggars ask alms so mu- sically and with such ir tible smiles bows that one delights in giving. The 2 satisfied_so easily, and th such small sums. Five centimos, equal to less than one of our cents at the present rate of ex- change, is all they ever as’ Smiling, radi- ant children insist upon carrying all our possessions and escort us on all our waixs, talking whenever we are inclined to listen in their pretty lisping larguage and run- ning to gather violets and almond blossoms or the beautiful purple iris until our nands are full. At the end of a long morning they are delighted if one gives them what we call a cent. One lovely little beggar girl met me each morning with a large bunch ot flowers as I walked up through the beau- tiful park to the palace of the Alhambra and utterly sed to be paid for them. The only kindness I had ever done her was to pet an angelic baby brother, whom I longed to keep in my arms and take away to far Americ , Kindly and Generons, The generosity of the Spanish lower es to euch other is wewarkable, as seen in the crowded thirdelags railroad carriages. Every one is alwayd ready to give up the choice seat by the wijdow, and no matter how crowded the ca® may be, newcomers are always heartily welcomed. Food is common property and neyer have i seen the poorest laborer bregk~bread or put his lips to his leather wine bag without passing both to every one else. 1 was even offered a handful of live shrimps taken from a carefully cherished pall.*The men invariably ask if the ladies object to smok- ing, but they so evidently enjoyed their cigarettes that we never had the heart to refuse permission. The table 1s excellent, everywhere. Most delicious salads, tender meats, abundance of fresh fruit. The. prices, too, are very low. They range af th2 hotels from seven pesetas a day to fifteen. At the present time six pesetas are given in exchange for one American dollar. The far2 on street cars is only two of our ceats. Coffee in the early morning is generally extra, as the regular late morning meal is counted as the breakfast. Wine is 2verywhere in- cluded in the price of board, and if one wishes a better quality—the price is al- ways low. We have drunk, as a rule, the delicious Jerez sh2rry, preferring it to the red wines, ‘Time is not money in Spain, Everything will wait for manana. No one 1s ever in a hurry, There are no express trains. Even the much-lauded “Sud Express” woul! meke a busy American forget all his early Sunday school instruction. I was in a train a few days ago that was delayed at a small station nearly three hours most un- accountably, and not one person got out to ask the reason (!) save four American ladizs, who vainly tried to find any one who either knew ur cared to know what the matter was. It’s delightful sometimes to f2el sure that no one is in a hurry, becanse I do most of my talking with a dictionary in one hand. We ar2 amused at being foreed to pay a war tux cn each ticket that we buy. The United States is popuiarly supposed to sym- pathize with Cuba, but we certainly paid every day to carry on a war against her. In Famed Toledo. Don't fall to go to Toledo, We found It most interesting, and were charmed with everything from the beautiful Alcantara bridge over the rushing Tagus, to the triple rows of chains taken from Christian cap- tives at the conquest of Grenada, that acorn the outer walls of the Church of San Jvan de los Reyes. We ate the far-famed Mazapan until we never wanted to see candy again, nor cak>, for it is really a mixture of both. We dreamed of the days of Roderick and were disgusted at reading © in our guide book that one more woman’ was blamed for a man’s defeat. Do not expect to get a Tol2do blade cheap, ror even a tiny paper cutter. Tue prices are exorbitant, but the work, even at this late day, is marvelously fins and beautiful. The collection of famous swords at Madria in the armory would make a boy’s eyes grow biz with wonder and with envy. Boys would be interesed, too, I know, in the guards, who, armed to th> teeth, accompany every train, with orders never to lay down their guns, and to shoot at sight any one that molests the trains. They are picked men and fin shots. Many Spaniards told us their vigilance and ac- curacy of aim had made traveling a com- fort instead of a constant danger from brigands and train robbers. We have seen no bull fights. ‘They come later in the spring, but we have done all the really Spanish things we could, even to buying a lottery ticket, which*we hope will win the first prize. By'the ‘way, the drawing takes place today ‘at Madrid. I had forgotten it entirely. All Spaniards and apparently all travelers buy tickets. They are thrust in your hands ‘at every corner and on every train, and the draw- ings take place every ten days: I have refrained from wearying with gulde-book descriptions. Every one knows what the Alcazar at Seville is and the wondrous mosque at Cordova and Granada's dream of beauty. I will say, though):take them in that order, else the first two Jose immense- ly. The Alhambra should be! the ‘climax. The Madrid Gallery.” One needs to lead up to the Madrid Art Gallery, too, else the Murillos “at Cadiz and Seville fail to charm. No words can Gescribe the paintings at Madrid. One sits speechless there for hours and goes home to dream of them. Murillos, Titians, Ra- phaels, Rubens, Vandykes, Velasquez; fa- miliar in photographs from one’s childhood, but now first seen tn all the softness and glory of the masters’ coloring. There is nothing else at Madrid—save the Art Gallery and the armory. The rest 1s new and modern and uninteresting. One smiles at the choice of Madrid as @ capi- tal; a city with no advantage of site what- ever, not even a navigable river, cold and windy and unhealthy. Even the palace looks like a gloomy barracks, At Granada all 1s sunshine and charm and beauty. Even in winter birds sing among its or- ange and almond blossoms and roses flow- er among the ruins. Mountain streams, fed by the everlasting snows, insure cool- ness and fragrance in summer, and the air is ever fresh and invigorating. The scenery all through Spain is remark- ably picturesque. Hills and rocky, castle- crowned peaks, rushing rivers, miles and miles and miles of olive orchards, groves of cork trees, snow-laden ranges of moun- tains, desolate, wind-swept plains, old Roman roads and aqueducts, Moorish ruins everywhere. Just now the almond trees are in full blossom, and beautiful indeed they are. 2 We went over to Tangier also for a few days and loved its quaintness and beauty. Intensity of blue in sky and sea, a start- lingly white city, high on rocky cliffs, with cannon-guarded walls. Picturesque roof gardens, gay with flowers, awnings and rugs; streets five feet wide, twisting and turning, going up hills at an angle of forty-five degrees, descending again by steps, down which the careful donkeys tread serenely. I was not looking when my animal first went down one, and before I knew it I slid over his head and was standing on my feet. ‘Rhe curving beach stretches along from thé rocky cliffs and merges into the sandy way that leads in- land to the desert. In the early mornings I sat at my window cnd watched the long tains of laden camels coming in to mar- cet. Everything is so delightfully oriental. One is awakened at night by the watch- man’s cry, “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.” Lost in Tangier. I got lest in Tangier. Just for a brief half hour I thought regretfully of the beautiful streets of Washington and won- ered how long it weuld take my friends to notify the American consul and have me found, dead or alive. It was all on ac- count of taking photographs. My ardor a3 a camera fiend is somewhat dampened. Our guide, the best in Tangier. Hamed ben Mchan med, had piloted us safely through the pandemonium of market day. Snake chermers and camel drivers, beggars and avaricious shopkeepers, all had bowed in deferential reverence, awed by our guide’s authority. I paused to take a last photo- graph of the beautiful Moorish arch, daz- zing and exquisite in the setting sun, and of the surging, excited horde beneath it. A moment I was wrapt in ecstacy—so pic- turesque was the scene before me, 5 utterly unreal it s The heavily laden donkeys, the slo moving camels, the weirdly ragged beggars, the stately Arabs, with their proud, free carriage, their perfect features, their grace and haugiti- ness; the lofty buildings, purest white or faintest blue; the city rising tier above tier tc the cesue on its height. At last recall- ed to earth by the twitching of my do: key’s bridle, I bowed my head and si: nified to the hideous, deformed Moer wao guided him my willingness to go on. With blow and word he urged my donkey for- Ward at Kless pa I saw nothing of my friends and knew but one word that was intelligible to the man in whose ha’ for the moment lay my fate, and that was I said that repeatedly and qu and he grinned and. nodded pointed ever onward. So we flew alon even narrower and less frequented stree: until my feet and shoulders brushed on either side the high, windowless walls, which seemed to shut out the If I tried in vain to stop either the donkey cr the man. More and more squalic grew the houses, more and mor i the lcoks of the few ps the patience of even a « hausted (I will not her fortitude) a nan stopped kindly a Frenc her trouble. it we er comed more, eagerly ed thar the mule driver mig ¢ made to return to the market pla In ten minutes it was done, and never mortal was mere glad to see that crowded space again and get her bearings. Soon Hamed the faithful, who had been rurning all over the city to find her, grasy ed her donkey's rope once more, and after that he never left her. “Armes Kind,” he called her, and talked German by the hi to make her forget and smile What linguists those guides are! Hamed speaks English, Frenen and German with searcely an accent and a large vocabulary He says he speaks Ru: and Arabic are a matter of cou was quite a traveler, had i num in America, at the Paris exp and at the world’s fair in Chicago. LILIAN HAYDEN. — FRUIT CURES. The Effect on Health of Almonds, Grapes and Strawberries. From the Medical Record. According to a celebrated health expert, blanched almonds give the higher nerve or brain and muscle tood, and the man who wishes to keep up tis brain power will do well to include them in his daily bill of fare. Juicy fruits give more or less the higher nerve or brain food, and are eaten by all men whose living depends on their clearheadedness. Apples supply the brain with rest. Prunes are said to afford proof against nervousness, but are not muscle feeding. They should be avoided by those who suffer from the liver. But it has been proved that fruits do not have the same effect upon everybody. Some men cannot eat apples without suffering from acute dyspeps ‘ruit cure” is a form of treat- ment which is quite the rage in continen- tal Europe now with persons suffering from real or imaginary maladies, The New York Times says in to this one of the latest fads: “In the tenth century, an investigator has discovered, many medical authorities became enthu- siastic in their writings over the remark- able curative virtues cf grapes; while a certain Van Sweeten, of a more modern date, is said to have recommended in spe- cial cases the eating of twenty pounds of strawberries a day. The same gentleman also reports a case of .phthisis healed by strawberries, and cites cases in which ma- niacs have gained their reason by the ex- clusive use of cherries. These instances savor rather of the ridiculous, but ihere is no doubt that the so-called grape cure for indigestion and other evils is carried on in many places on the continent, and that pecple betake themselves to Meran, Vevay, Bingen, or to Italy and the south of France, with the intention of devoting six weeks to the cure, during which time they are expected to have gradually accomplished the feat of consuming from three to eight pounds of grapeq daily. Grapes are said to exercise a salutary action on the ner- vous system and to favor the formation of fat—that is to say, when fruit of good qualily is employed; if the grapes are not sufficiently ripe and are watery and sour, the patient may lose rather than gain weight. The valuable results obtained by a fruit diet in cases of dyspepsia are due to the fact that the noxious germs habitually present in the alimentary canal do not thrive in fruit juices.” That fruit is a most valuable article of food cannot be denied, and that many dis- eases may be greatly benefited by a diet largely composed of fruit is true enough. It is a fact, too, that the majority of peo- ple eat more-meat than they require. Meat eaten orce a day is sufficient for a person not engaged in manual labor or who does not take much strong outdoor exercise. A large number of the complaints contracted owe their origin to the consumption of food which entatls a greater drain on the gas- tric juices than the system is able to with- stand. The cures attributed to the grape occur for the most part with those who are accustomed to high living, and are really owing to the fact that the organs of diges- tion are given a much needed rest. Semi- starvation would answer the purpose al- most as well. For the person whose work lies chiefly indoors, a mixed and varied diet is most conducive to good health. ———_+e+—____. No Plural Marriages in Utah. Wolford Wcodruff in the Independent. In your recent letter to me regarding plural marriages you say: “It is alleged that the advice which you publicly gave to the members of the church to refrain from such marriages is not observed.” In the so-called manifesto to which you refer, I said: “Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, which laws have been pronounced consti- tutional by the court of last resort, I here- by declare my intention to submit to those laws and to use my influence with the members of the ee ee which I pre- side to have them rewise.”” This promise has been faithfully kept, and no cne has entered into plural mar- riage by my permission since the manifesto_| was issued. There never were laws, of such a charac- ter, affecting relations which had existed nearly half a century, obeyed so implicitly and dutifully as those relating to plural marriage have been; but I cannot say that every one who lived in plural marriage be- fore the issuance of the manifesto has since then strictly refrained from such assocta- tions. There is a state law, however, framed in almost the language reference DAN CUPID’S FIELD Washington's. Exact Status as a Mat- rimonial Market, VIEWS OF PEOPLE WHO SHOULD KNOW Is It True that Girls Have a Poor Chance Here? A BACHELOR'S AKGUMENT OMEHOW OR AN- other, Washington seems to have ac- quired a reputation as a “poor marrying town.” Just why or how such a name has been fastened to the capital city of the nation is a hard one to answer. It cannot be that any of the members of the countless bevies of beautiful young women of marriageable age in this town have spread such a report abroad, indi- vidually or collectively. Who ever heard a beautiful young woman, or even a young woman not excctly beautiful, in Washing- ton or anywhere else, proclaim her bellef that the city of her residence was matri- monially stagnant? Such a proclamation would be equal to an admission of a sort that girls in this era of the independence of the United States do noi make. Rather, they prefer to dwell upon the unwonted and extraordinary drift of matrimonial in- clination In their community—especially as such inclination concerns themsely: Nevertheless, the “itinerant Washing- tonian, vacationing and dawdling in almost any part of this country, is often compelled to defend the capital from an imputation something like this, expressed, generally, y¥ women who, being married themselves, feel safe in maki uch a charge: “Washington, I've always heard, is such a hopeless sort of place for a girl to get married in!” Then the Washingtonian is plunge into an argufication on ject, and, lacking exact statisti annual proportion of marriag ratio to the entire population, and kind of thing, he usually comes out second best in the argument—hearsay being harder to combat than facts, for facts often limp and wobble. “Where did you ever get hold of such an absurd idea as that?” the Washingtonian enerally inquires, “Oh, girl and women friends in Washing- ton have written me confidentially to that effect,” is the stock rej the young men in Washington 4 ‘dancing around,’ and that they are nice and agre but that they never come to the main point, you know—that they stick, and shy, and ‘sheer off,’ as it were, when the proper time arrives for them to place themselves on record.” What reply can the Washingtonian make to such generalizations as these? Views of Experts. A Star man, who has the best interests of this city at heart, has collected a few talks on this subject from Washingtonians, men and women, who scem to have rolled the matter around in their minds before they were approached in relation to it. The talks only serve to show how many widely differing sides there are to these subjects. “I think that Washington has earned its reputation as a ‘poor marrying town,’ ” said a pretty young woman, wao was “born and raised” here, and whose most notable and at the same time admirable character- istic is frankness. “It 1s a poor marrying town. Any girl who has lived in Washing- ton long enough to make impartial observa- tions knows that. For example, I myself am a more than passably nice-looking girl, I am amiable, I’ve got no end of good, common sense; I_ know housekeeping from cellar to garret, I can cook anything from chocolate drops to stuffed turkey, I ean and do make all of my clothes and hats, I can read difficult music at sight and play it ac- ceptably on the piano, and I am twenty. two years old and ‘going on’ twenty-three. Yet, although IT have lived in Washington all my life, and know scores of young men— well, you see, I'm not married yet—and twenty-two, as I say. Proposals? Yes, I have had some proposals—none, however, that I would consider over night. Exact. i1g? No, I am not exacting, nor did I ever make any foolish vow of celibacy, or any- thing of that sort. Indeed, I should feel very bad right at this present moment If I imagined that I should inevitably become an old maid. Simply, the right sort of man has not yet come along. Money? No, I do not want money. If the man were right in the other essentials, I shouldn't care whether his income were $1,000 or $10,000 @ year. What are these essentials? Oh, that is too puzzling a question. Women’s opinions are infinitely various on that sub- ject, and, moreover, the qualities that wo- men admire in men are not capable of easy, offhand definition. I have had no means of comparison, for, as I say, I have lived here all my life, but I have found Washington men companionable, most of them that I have met, and not a few of them actually interesting. Unfortunately, the interesting ones, nine times out of ten, are of the non-marrying sort. I know two or three Washington men that I would marry tomorrow, but they don’t want me, apparently, for none of them has expressed himself as ‘willin’,” But I am living in hopes. bound to the sub- as to the here in all that From a Young Matron. “Such a time as nice Washington girls do have in getting themselves comfortably married off, I do declare!” exclaimed a charming little matron, who, having been involved in the happy state of matrimony for at least six months herself, is now tak- ing a motherly interest in the affairs of her not so fortu—of her non-married chums. “Why, I know a hundred Washington girls, if I know one, that are fit to be princesses, and yet they are still—well, kind of wait- ing, you know. The trouble is that men nowadays are just too selfish for anything, and Washington men take the lead in self- ishness. Washington men of a marriagea- ble age are for the most part so comforta- ble in their bachelorhood that a good many of them simply have no idea f getting married, and, with this disinclination to marrying always in their minds, they be- come about as crafty as Viking helmsmen in steering clear of entanglements. Now, Washington girls are not exacting, and I'll venture to say that there’s more domes- ticity, home-lovingness and sensibleness among the young women here than among the young women of any other American city of Washington’s size—for everybody knows, anyhow, that Washingtonians ar: the cream of the whole country. But the bulk of the acceptable ycung men here are just too self-indulgent and finical and cold- ly deliberate to get married. They want to spend all of their incomes themselves. They're nice enough in the matter of tak- ing the girls out and in doing the per- petual cavalier servente business, but they are disposed to make it altogether too per- petual. They are gs fond of murmuring tender passages as other young men, but they are unwilling to accept the natural consequences of such murmurings. Why. do you know that there ave ten male jilts for every female jilt in Washington? It's true! I know of any number of cases my- self. Young men who have the selfish idea in their heads that they would be deprived of various personal comforts should they set married make thetr devoirs to Wash- ington girls, take them out everywhere called upon them unintermittently fo months, and then, just when are all about ready to ask the girls when and where it is to be—lo, and behold, it’s all off! Why, do you know, I have in mind several cases of this sort, in which the young men actually picked fu with the girls in order to endeavor to take the meanness out of their breaking of the engagements!” A Woman Who ts Content. “Oh, I think there is quite enough of marrying and giving in marriage in Wash- ington,” said a young woman with a very firm countenance, who is employed in on¢ of the departments, “There would prob- ably be even more marrying here if there were not such a large class of independent women in Washington—women, 1 mean who are independent in the sense that I am. Washington is, happily, one of the few towns in this country in which the sole idea of the young women ts not neces- sarily that of getting married. Like that frank girl you've been telling me about 1 shall also take my own case. I could have been married any time these past eleven years. I am now twenty-eight, and I have been in the government vice since I've been twenty. I am often told even yet by men, young and old, that I'm not altogethgr bad looking. I am rather accomplished, and I have no doubt that J Would make as good a wife as a good many wives I meet every once in a while. T have a salary of $1,200 a year, and, with nobody but my moiher to eare for, I live vell and even luxuriously on that income. ally, there is nothing within reason that I want that I can't provide myself with, and I've always a few hundred dollars in bank t} guard against emergencies, Now, I am acquainted with any number of men here who draw about the same incomes as 1 do, and several of them have done me the honor to ask me to give up my posi- tion and marry them. Would I not be fool- ish to do this? Suppose I were to marry a man with an income of $1,200 a year. It is a pretty difficult matter to run any sort of establishment in Washington for two people on an amount of money smaller than $1,200 a year. I've had my own in- come so long that it would actually be a severe hardship for me to be economical, and, if I were to marry a man whose in- come, not exceeding my own at the pres- ent time, would have to care for the wants of two people (to say nothing of possi- bilities)—well, the long and short of it ts that J’d be uncomfortable. For example, could I then go to a ‘man modiste’ and order a $100 tailor-made gown whenever I felt that I wanted one? Could I live in an apartment that’s as nicely fitted and arranged as any in Washington, with prac- tically nothing to do, under such cireum- stances, Every three or four years could I go off on a tour of Europe? Couid I un- hesitatingly purchase most of the dainty little comforts that women in all stations long for if I were married to a man whose income did not exceed the income I am now earning myself without a great @ labor fish? Way, I suppose it is It’s on an exact par with the selfishness of the Washington bachelors, and, on the whole, do you know I don't much blame them for preferri such great many of them, to adhere to their state of single b iness.”” he view point of the average Washington achelor on this subject is hardly worth ptting down. This view point is almost in- variably the same as that taken by @ young State Department clerk in his con- versation with The Star man. The Bachelor's Argument. t an idiot I'd be—wouldn’t T?—to get ’ said he. “I’m as comfortable as a bug in a rug, and on the $2,000 that the government is good enough to pay me every year for what I suppose I'll have to call my work, in conformity with custom, I live as well as any man need care to live. I've got a handsomely furnished joint of three rooms; I've got a tailor that positively studies my physical imperfections and in- equalities; I can come and go any old place whenever I want to without ques- tion, and all the time I can, and do, have a rattling good time with the nicest set of girls on the map, namely, the girls of Washington. I suppose I make periodical calls on a dozen of ‘em, take them to the theater, take them riding, send "em candy and flowers, and do the whole thing as it ought to be done, and as I lke to do it. I like to take a dead swell girl out. Could I keep a wife looking dead swell on $2,000 a year? I've got a deadly fear of what I always phrase the ‘squalor’ of married lifé. It would be a big come-down for me to get married. I'd have to knock off so many things. With people who get married on comparatively small incomes it seems always to be a case of square-up with butchers and marketmen and grocery keep- ers and gas companies and coal dealers and tors, and all that lot, from one year’s end to the other, and I can't see where it comes in. I know a lot of fellows who've got married within the past few years—fellows that used to go the limit as far as living comfortably, and even better than that, was concerned—and aow they're regular sicuches in looks, and careworn and bedraggled-looking into the bargain. Of course, if some corking fine-looking girl, with about $2,000,000 in her own right, would drift along—well, that would be dif- ferent, but sne wouldn't be able to see me through a Lick telescope, you see. I’m all right as it is. I know that I'm selfish, but I don’t lie awake o’ nights on that couat, I've got a few neighbors in selfish- ness.” Despite all of which, reference to the marriage notices in the society columns of Washington's newspapers and to the offi- cial ists of marriage licenses issued will show any day that there are slews of sen- sible young Washington people who think differently. ————_ ++ —___ A Wonderful Solar Engine. Boston Dispatch to the Philadelphia Press. At Longwood, near Boston, last Monday a solar engine of ingenious construction, which has been under construction for sev- eral months, was given a highly successful test with cold water in the boiler, the formation of steam being almost instantly. The gauge registered a pressure of about eighty-five pounds in half an hour, which drove the engine steadily, doing the work of about two-horse power. The engine consists of three parts—a re- flector, which concentrates the heat, a cyl- inder for generating the steam and a de- vice for keeping the sun’s rays constantly in focus on the cylinder. In the machin¢ set up at Longwood there is a heavy iron framework, which supports a series of glass mirrors, arranged in a semicircular sheec tweaty-two feet in diemeter. Thier mirror is nearly as high as it is wide, and the framework on which it is placed is so adjusted that it will follow the sun in its circuit, and may be adjusted by hand from week to week to follow the declination of the sun. This boiler is one of the peculiar features of the solar machine, which would puzzle any one unacquainted with heliodynamics. It is of copper, about eight inches in diam- eter and as long as the curved mirrir, in the focus of which it is placed. Owing to the fact that that mirror is made up of innumerable facets of glass the cylinder receives light on every part of its surface, cutting out any area of shadow at the back and having the direct sunlight in front. From Harper's Bazar, A GREAT TREAT.