The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 27, 1898, Page 21

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, F EBRUARY 27, 1898. 21 BOUQUETS AND BEETLES MADE BY THE VOICE Queer Qutlines Formed by Tone Vibrations on Talking or Singing Into a Box. of volces, but as it records them tan- dem fashion the result is not specially pleasing. There is nothing sentiment- ally attractive about a scrawling line of semi-punctures like the tracks of a disabled spider on warm wax, but our \ | youths and maidens instead of, in | hackneyed fashion, exchanging highly | flattered photographs. of themselves, | can say sweet things into a simple lit- tle instrument and then send to each i composite pictures of the possible to photograph thoughts. E}Eiieé?flo;es pused in saying those The conservative mind, how- | same sweet things, and in almost every ever, shrinks from contemplation | case the picture is as artistically beau- of the future time when such photo- |tiful as it is scientifically im?resting-k graphy shall have been brought To prove this statement before mak- DISON declares, and his asser- tions are always the outcome of scientific experiment, that it is When Jessie Barilstt Davis sang “Oh, Promise Me” the tiny grains of until all the dark sand was gathered in one spot and the obu'es, the whole taking on the ap- danced ored in small g formed around it gl a beautiful bouquet of flowers. » a practical plane and pla ing it I bore about with me for a sea- > ruthless reach of the s son during the past week a box of s it is to be fe curious appearance, which diverted the t s made by the lig r minds of .the community from a will ocea: the study of the spaper bulletins rd such as ! t0 Mmomentary @.wullu}nn as to its use, ' ulsed the clvilizeq | 214 my-motive in loading myself down e civillzed | (ith it and guarding it as the apple of 1d. my eye. One side of the box was com- le to do something at the | posed of a thin sheet of tightly h, without waiting , thoug stretched white paper, which the light- SH e so0 5¢ 0 L0 e & g, & U UirE Rabbi Voorsanger's sonorous tones set the tiny particles all a-tremble. He poke of the Maine, and when the vibrating sands rested the resulting picture ooked. like a submarine explosion. for .the slow perfecting of scientists’| est touch would puncture, and this inventions, which, if not quite so won- | paper and the circular hole before men- tioned transformed the chocolate box into a crude but thoroughly practical and reliable vibration register. “Talking is not my specialty,” sald Chief Sullivan of the Fire Department, with a touch of grim humor as he ap- is at least wonderful enough to ade our forbears shivery with ons of “black magic” had they 4 such a feat; and that is, we make accurate pictures of the hu- | man voice. | proached the queer little box. It is true that the phonograph has| .I had scattered a mixed powder com- Jong been making records of the tones| posed of black emery and cream-col- ess _ Mrs. Louise Humphrey-Smith's voice produced a . delicately —outlined picture of a maple leaf. | the house and make no end of fuss with ored lycopodium on the paper top of | the apparatus. and then the Chief, whose ringing voice means so much to us when a conflagration threatens our city, spoke the following words into the circular aperture: “What San Francisco needs at the present time is a well-paid Fire De- partment and a week's steady rain.” ‘While he spoke the powder behaved in the most singular fashion, shivering and jumping about as if bewitched, and when he ceased it had resolved | itself into a series of black and cream lines and waves and dots, which is an excellent representation of an Egyp- tion scarabaeus. Next I sought Mrs. Louise Hum- phrey-Smith, the well-known and much-admired dramatic reader. Would | she speak a few words into this mys- terious box? The whys and the where- fores having been explained, the lady consented, and a very delicately out- lined picture of a leaf approaching in form to the maple was the result of this patriotic sentiment, spoken by a feminine voice which is under perfect control. “Should present events lead to a war with Spain, we will all hasten to_uphold' the honor of our country.” It was noticeable that in this case the light and dark powders spread over the paper with great evenness, the light, however, coming to the top over almost the entire surface. | Such was decidedly not the result when Rabbi Voorsanger's sonorous tones seemingly vivified the tiny par- ticles of mineral and vegetable matt There is something about the rab voice—the ideal pulpit voice—which seems trumpetlike; it is so strong and clear and far-reaching, and it sent that powder all of a tremble, bringing the heavy emery to the top and collecting most of it at the end of the paper next | the opening through which he spoke. | “The explosion of the Maine,” said he, “is a calamity which the people of this country greatly deplore.” | I looked at the lines which his words had made. ‘ s “A bit of algae fastened to a rock,” I declared. “It looks more like a submarine ex- plosion,” declared the rabbi. And it does. | For the “orator of the day” T selected General W. H. L. Barnes, whose elo- quent and impassioned. speeches have given him such an enviable position in law and politic Would he give me and my box a sen- timent in his best rostrum style? Cer- tainly he would. The sentiment was er and the time. »n,” said he, I can do | | my vibrator register? | themselves at the close into the sim- no better than repeat the toas: given at Norfolk in April, 1816, by Stephen Decatur: “Our country—In her inter- course with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but Our Coun- try, right or wrong!’” The tones were strong and vibrant, full of the true fervor which should characterize such an utterance by an American citizen, and on the sensitive paper appeared a singular figure, close- ly resembling the famous “Crab Neb- ulae” in the constellation of Taurus, discovered by Messier in 1731, and sep- arated into distinct jewels of light by Lord Ross’ telescope very many years after. To those who are aware of the gen- eral’s fondness for astronomical re- search the coincidence seems little short of marvelous. That night the artist and I went be- hind the scenes at the Baldwin. I was eager to picture some of the voices which have gained the Bostonians | their world-wide and well-deserved | reputation. I wish that together with the picture of Jessie Bartlett Davis’' lovely vel- | vety voice I could give a picture of the | cantatrice herself. with her loosened blonde hair, her perfect profile, and the | smile with which she made us welcome. She would sing “O, Promise Me” into Certainly she would. And so _she sang that world- wide favorite,andasher rich, full tones poured into the opening provided, the powder was agitated into a thousand different forms, which consolidated {litude of a beautiful bouquet of Cali- fornia flowers. Surely nothing could have been more appropriate, more lovely nor more pleasing. Tom Barnabee was arrayed in all the glory of the Duke of Santa Cruz's ele- gant raiment, but the kindly face sur- mounting that astonishing getup and | crowned with that unique picture hat | was genial Tom Barnabee’s own, and | s0 was the voice in which he sang that ever-popular Dreaming, Dreaming, Talking in My Sleep.” Whether Mr. Barnabee be posessed | of sporting tendencies or not is un- known to me, but certain it is that the | song made a perfect representation of a greyhound’s head for our edification, and added a most striking picture to | our vocal art gallery. Popular Eugene Cowles is of a scien- tific turn of mind, and withal of an almost infinite amiability, as large men are apt to be, and oh, wasn’'t he a pic- turesque figure in his brigand costume, i is hanc me eves emphasized by ic touch of shadow! Certainly I saw Mr. Cowles at his best, and that best was well worth re- | membering “Down Deep Within the | Cellar Here” was his selection, and his | magnificent basso filled even the chinks | of the over-full room with vibrations | which seemed to make our very hearts | beat in a sympathetic tremolo. Like | nothing which we had heretofore ob- | tained was the picture spread before | us. Light and dark were curiously in- termingled, the light gathering to- gether near the singer and forming a distinct body. It was a very clear and accurate reproduction of one of the plates published by the Lick Observa- tory of the crater of the moon. “What does it all mean?” asked Mr. ‘ Cowles, and I. not being truly, scien- | tific, but only a dabbler In science, echo his question. FLORENCE MATHESON. | | aminations. CHINESE STUDENTS €0 INSANE DURING A RIGID EXAMINATION Nearly 14,000 Competitors Were Locked Up in Little Cells for Three Weeks- IX men were carried out dead and two others went raving mad at Can- ton, China, recently, as the result of their struggles at the examination to secure the honor of Kii Yin, which is equivalent to the degree of master of arts in an American univer- sity. There were 13,600 competitors, all sin tsais, or bachelors of art. Only eighty could hope to secure preferment. The number of those who have died or gone mad during the ordeal of examination is not large, comparatively. One year thirty- six died and six became crazy. The ex- amination is triennial. It lasts three weeks. Li Hung Chang, of peacock feather and yellow jacket honors, began his career of fame as a student at one of these ex- Success in them means the opening of a brilllant career to the Chi- nese student, no matter how poor he is. Rev. F. J. Masters, who formerly re- sided in China, describes some peculiari- ties of the triennial contest for scholas- tic honors. The contestants are locked up in narrow cells. Men drop dead in such cells every third year, in all the provincial capitals of the empire. Hun- dreds of thousands of scholars are con- tent to dig and grind for long years, to endure great privations, to travel long distances at their own expense, to try and fail and to try again, because this is the only road to intellectual eminence, official rank and national renown. This competi- tive system came into vogue in China nineteen centuries ago. There are primary schools in every Chi- nese village, which are supported by the parents of the children. They are ex- clusively for boys. The schoolroom is a spare hall in the village ancestral tem- ple or a room in a private house, at one end of which is the shrine of Confucius, before which the pupils must bow three times. Among the tasks imposed upon the puplils is acquiring knowledge of the 40,000 characters found in ghang Hi's dic- tionary, no two of whicl are formed alike. The pupil begins work at 6 a. m., takes a recess at 10 for breakfast, and then studies without intermission until 4 p. m. He has to study “the thousand character classic” and ‘the classic on Filial Piety. Until he is 9 or 10 years old he is taught nothing and recelves nothing but strokes. Later he'learns the meaning of the strokes, their root and combination and, little by little, he is able to take in the profundities of Chinese moral philosophy and to try his hand at prose composition and, that acme of all scholarship, anti- thetical couplets. At the age of 16 a lad who shows apti- tude for study is sent to one of the higher grade schools, where he prepares for his degree, conferred by the Government, no of THE HOUSE 7 a. m.—Woke up feeling rather below par, owing to disturbed rest. Hardly en- ergy enough to stretch myself. In the middle of the night a strange man came in by the Kkitchen window very quietly with a bag. 1 chummed up to him at once. He was nice to me and I was nice to him. He got me down a piece of | meat that T could not reach myself. While I was engaged in this he took a whole | lot of silver things and put them into the | bag. Then as he was leaving, the brute —1 believe now it was an accident—trod on my toe, making me velp with pain. I bit him heartily, and he dropped his bag THE ANGEL ’ | and scurried off through the window | again. My velping soon woke up tne| whole house, and in a very short time 01 Mr. Brown and young Mr. Brown ap- | seared. They at once spot the bag of Iver. * They then declare I have saved me. Iam a hero. Later on Miss Brown came down and fondled me lots, and kissed me, and tied a piece of pink rib- bon round my neck, and made me look like a fool. What's the good of ribuon, T should like to know? It's the most beast- Iy tasting stuff taere ever was. “8:30—Ate breakfast with difficulty. Have no appetite. 8:35—Ate Kitten's breakfast. 8:36—An affalr with the cat (the Kit- ten's mother). But I soon leave her, as the coward does not fight fair, using cla 9—Washed by Mary. A hateful busi- ness. Put into a tub and rubbed all over —mouth, tail and everywhere—with nitny, soapy water, that loathsome cat looking on all the while and sneering in her dashed superior way. I don’t know I am sure, why the hussy should be so con- ceited. She has to clean herself. I keep a servant to clean me. At the same time I often wish I was a black dog. They keep clean so much longer. Everv finger- | mark shows up so frightfully on the white rart of me. I am a sight after cook has been stroking me. 9:30—Showed myself in my washed state to the family. «ll very nice to me. Quite a triumpha. entry, in fact. It is simply wonderful the amount of kudos I've got since that incicent with the man. Miss Brown (whom I rather like) partic- ularly enthusiastic. Kissed me again and called me a “dear, clean, brave, sweet-smelling little doggle.” 9:40While a visitor was being let in at the front door I X rushed out and had the most glorious roll in the mud. Felt more like my old self again. 9:45 — Visited the family again. Shrieks of horror on seeing me caked in mud. But all agreed that T was not to be scolded to-day, as I was a hero (over the man)! All, that is, except Aunt Brown, whose hand for some reason or other is always against me—thought nothing is too good for the cat. 9:50 — Glorious thought! Rushed upstairs and- rolled over and over on the old maid's bed. Thank heaven the mud was still_wet! 10:00 to 1:00—Dozed. 1:00—Ate dinner. 1:15—Ate kitten's dinner. 1:20—Attacked by beast of cat again. She scratched my hind leg, and at that I refused to go on. Mem.: To take it out of her kittens later. 1 ‘Upstairs into dining-room. Fami- ily not finished lun- cheon yet. 1 go up to Miss Brown and Jook at her with my irenl pleading eyes. guessed it; they are irresistible..She gives me a piece of, udding. Aunt rown tells her she shouldn’t. At which, Wi Miss rown tells ith great pluck, vibrator to dance in all directions at the same time. business. more. 30—A windfall. A whole dish of may- onnaise fish on the slab in the hall. Be- fore you can say Jack Robinson 1 have bolted it. —Curious pains in my underneath. 3—Pains in my underneath get worse. 4—Horrid feeling of sicknes 5—Rush up into Aunt Brown’s room and am sick there. :37—Better. Think I shall pull through if 1 am careful. 1:40—Almost well again. 1:41—Quite well again. Thank heaven! It was a narrow shave that time. Peo- ple ought not to leave such stuff about. 1:42—Up into dining room. And to show how well I am, I gallop round and round the room at full pelt, about twenty times, steering myself by my tail. Then, as a I admire that girl more and grand finale, I jump twice on to the walistcoat part of old Mr. Brown, who is sleeping pea ¥ _on the sofa. He akes up vel indeed, and orders Miss Brown to beat me. Miss Brown runs the burglar for all he is worth. But no good. Qid Mr. Brown is dead fo all decent feeling. So Miss Brown beats me. Very nice. Thoroughly enjoyable. Just like being patted. But of eourse T ye and pretend it hurts b the sad eye business, and she soon leaves off, and takes me into the next room ang ives six pleces of sugar. . Good Lag . Must remember always o Gp this. 2 to 3:15—Attempt to Kill fur rug in back room. No_ good. 3:15 to 3:45—Sulked. 3:46—Small boy comes in and strokes me. Isnap at him.~ I will not be every one's Plaything, 3:47 to nother attempt to kill rug. Would have done it this time hed wot 1ho; odious Aunt Brown come in and inter- DAY'S DOINGS, From the Diary OF A PUPPY fered. I did not say anything, but gave such a look, as much as to say, “T'll do for you one day.” I think she under- stood. 4 to 5:15—Slept. 5:l5—Awakened by bad attack of ec- zema. 5 ‘]‘;lcf\ 5:&;—51?: again. 5:30—Awakened again Caught one. = v 5:30 {n !‘»l-;trlghtenea canary by staring. v at it ted kitchen folks. eczema. Boned some talked a kitten In Kkitchen pas- The other little cowards ran away. _ 6:20 —Things are looking brighter. Helped mouse escape from cat. 6:30—Upstairs, pass the drawing-room. Door of old rs. Brown's bedroom opened invitingly. I entered. Never been in before. Nothing much worth having. Ate a few flowers out of a bonnet. Beastly. )—Down to supper. Ate it, but with- much relish. I am off my feed to- 5—Ate kittens' supper. But I do wish would not give them that eternal I am getting sick of it. Nasty feeling of lassitude comes over me, with loss of all initiative, so I decided to take things quietly and lie down by kitchen fire. Sometimes I think I am not the dog that I was. 5 §:00—Hooray! Appetite returning. 8 Ravenous. 8:05—Nose around the kitchen floor and glean a bit of onion, an imitation tor- toise-shell comb, a shrimp (almost en- college or university in China having a faculty for granting academical honors. Wealthy young men sometimes engage a private coach and retire to some solitude amid such scenes as inspired the minds of their sages and poets. A high official of State, called the Literary Chancellor, is sent down to the different district cities— like our county towns—to conduct the ex. aminations for sin tsai or flowering tal- ent, equivalent to our A. B.; the first of | which is held in the city hall or yamen. On the day appointed the candidates are searched -and the detection of the least scrap of paper, “‘pony” or other help dis- qualifies him from taking his seat. When the roll is called the doors are shuteand bolted and all ingress or egress is impossible till the task is done. The themes are taken from the writings of Confucius and are written on a board in full view of the candidates, who write es- place. Each cell is about five feet by three and provided with three boards that do duty for table, desk and bed. The ex- aminers appointed by the Emperor first go through the ceremony of “washing the heart” at the temple of Perfect Justice, and then stubbornly refuse to hold com- munication with any one. On the morning appointed, the students, in their light blue gowns, begin to arrive, carrying bedding and food for two days. Their baskets, blankets, clothes—even their queues—are searched, and woe be to the luckless fellow caught smug- gling the least scrap of printed paper. He is simply thrown out, and may think it good fortune if he is not sentenced to ‘wear. the heavy kangue, or wooden collar. For the first examination two days are allowed. Themes are selected from the Lun Yu or Confucian Anal ;_the Doc- trine of the Mean, the Great Learning, and the Book of Mencius, upon which he is required to write three essays of 1000 words each and a short poem. On com- pletion of the set time a cannon booms, the doors are thrown open and the candi- dates pass out. After a day’s recess a second examination is held, the subjects selected being the Five Kings or classics, being compllatio: by Confucius of the works of ancient ngs and sages. The final test consists of catching questions in political economy, history and general lite erature. W. H. L. Barnes with his eloquent voice caused the. particles to form into a figure resembling the famous crab nebulae of the constellation Taurus. says about 600 characters In length, and an original poem of twelve lines and five characters to each live. At the expiration of the allotted time the papers are handed | each examination the in and the results are posted up on the yamen wall. The survivors of this test appear again for another examination and segregation until the list of candidates has shortened to a few hundred. Then comes the final test before the prefect, when the student is required to write “‘the Sacred Edict of Khang Hi,” the slightest omission being sufficient to cancel the ex- cellence of his preceding labors. At last the lists are out, the successful tire), an abominably stale chunk of bread and about half a yard of capital string. $:30—If one had to rely on other people, one might starve. Fortunately in the hall T happened on the treacle pudding, and I get first look In. Lap u}) the treacle, and leave the suet for the family. 8:40—Down to the kitchen again. Sit by the fire, and pretend I don’t know what treacle is like. But that vile cat is there—and I believe she guesses—keeps looking around at me with her hateful, superior look. Dash her, what right has she got to give herself such airs? She's not half my size and pays no taxes. Dash her smugness. Dash her altogether. The sight of her maddens me—and when her back is turned I rush at her and bite her. The crafty coward wags her tail, pretending she likes it, so I do it again, and then she rounds on me and scratches my paw viciously, drawing blood and making me howl with pain. This brings Miss Brown down in a hurry. She kisses me, tells the cat she is a naughty cat (I'd have killed her for it), gives me some sugar and wraps the paw up in a bread poultice. Lord, how that girl loves me! 9:00—Ate the bread poultice. : 9:15—Begin to get sleepy. 9:15" t010:00—Dozed. 10:00—Led to ken- el. 10:15—Lights out. Thus ends another derned dull day. n The greatest foun- tain in the world was turned on re- cently at Indianapo- Us, Ind., and permit- ted to flow for an hour. It is one of the cascades now In course of construc- tion at the base of the Soldiers’ monu- ment. The flow of water measures ful- lyup to thecontract, which calls for 7000 gallons a minute at each of the two cas- cades as a regular thing, with a capac- ity under high pres- sure, however, that is much greater. The combined capacity of the world-fam- ALY Eugene Cowles with his deep, sonorous voice caused the powder on the Wh her to mind her own his work looked like the craters of the moon. ous fountains of Versailles, hitherto the. largest in the world, is 80,000 gal- lons an hour. The Lombardy poplar tree, it is said, forms a splen- did naturallightning conductor, its great height -and lack of spreading branches enabling it to con- duct a llghtnlni stroke straigh o house near which one of these trees has been reared has as yet been known en he had finished a8 JeCibean From the city wall you can count the long rows of cells, and with a_ spyglass can even see the men at work. After papers undergo a preliminary inspection, and any defects of caligraphy—a rent, a blot, an erasure or the slightest clerical error—throw the man out, whatever may be the literary merits of the composition. ‘I remember once,” said Mr. Masters, ‘“seeing the names of seventy-one slovens posted up in Canton, with the disgrace-bearing mark of the blue pencil attached.” The surviving manuscripts are handed to a board of coplers, who make a fair copy of When Chief Sullivan spoke the black and yellow powder danced about and finally resolved itself into a series of lines that could be nothing but the representation of an Egyptian scarabzeus. student is entitled to wear a button to his hat, and turns his attention to the next prize. If he is content with a life of teach- ing he will settle down as a simple A. B., but if he would become a high official and one of the country gentry he must take the degree of Kii Yin. These examina- tions are held every three years in the provincial capitals of the empire. The examination hall of Canton con- tains 10,000 brick cells, arranged rectan- gularly and is one of the sights of the Tom Barnabee's rich voice had the effect of producing a perfect * sentation of a greyhound's head. each paper in red ink. These coples, with a nom de plume to conceal the writer's identity, are the only papers that come before the examiners. hey divide the work between them, making segregations again and again till about 1000 survive, and these are submitted to the imperiad commissioners, with whom the final deci- slon rests. Great is the rejoicing of the Ilucky scholar who finds his name among the eighty winners.