The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 25, 1904, Page 37

NCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25 1904 FIGHT - AGATNST FROST BECINS Methods Employed in France to Give Notice of Approach of Much Dreaded Enemy MOVABLE SMUDGE GOOD In Some Districts Artificial Showers Are Produced to Protect Endangered Crops RS ST In his battle with the frost the farmer must have news of the coming of the frost and many means for giv- ing warning have been employed. In France frost bells are sounded when 2 frost is expected and grape grow- ers protect their crops by pouring tar on the gr among the vines and setting it fire. The smoke thus made often saves the crop of an en- tire vineyard, a.fact of interest to Americans, who are good customers of the French grape growers, as is showa by the demand for the cold bottle io eaccompany the hot bird. In America there are districts where it was formerly a practice to maintain regular messenger ser- vice that the weather bureau’s predic- tions of frost might be promptly car- ried to farmers d fruit growers. To- on day there are many places where, when frost is predicted, the whistle en a factory in a village sends forth motes of warning over the farming country for around. In other localities placed where siderable distances More important than these aids to the weather bureau, however, are the the »ws is given by flags they can be seen at con- rural free delivery, the graph and the telephone e telephone in many regior rapidly supplanting other agencies and the officials of the Bell telephone companies tell many stories ©f the way in which the news of the coming of spread broad- cast. Ir 000 viliages and farms r telephone forecasts by 8000 had ar- the forecas al ecting his crops from the coun- of ts and orchard armers were & bonfires for pur- using a matter of is one of ng the advance Jack Frost. udge is to hangs like a above the sur- imprisons th erwise be ra r air. and those which n the fruit d other Pacific the crange groves of the wheat fields of smudge used for the reating a cloud of smoke of the earth and im- which avould other- diation, fires of a d to actually an orchard. is experiments were orn in which oil was It made a hot fire and expensive nor difficult it c red the to trees of great value. the other hand, s and in the orange sometimes fifty of 2 single acre. This but as the trees in that ¥ be worth $400 y very cheap insurarye SPRINKLING EFFICACIOUS. Ancther of the methods employed to The Cali- this is ranch is told in a United States publication. Did it come reliable source the man who dives in a ci and knows littie abou by farming and fruit raising might it in the cless with the stories told the returning trout fisherman. The owner of this ranch caused to be erected on it 2 number of masts, fifty feet high. At the top of each mast was et a sprinkling device, through h water could be forced. On nights the temperature sinks to the nt the pumps begin to work, rs commence to sprinkle air is filled with a fine spray, charges it with moisture that v every imstance the protection he ripening fruit has been [ a little patch of gar- en hose, if he will get sunrise on a frosty ay =ave his precious vege- ing them. He is doing what the ranchman in lishes by the use of t with the sprinkler . ion of large fields and elaboratz scheme has heen more or less success. This consists in extending (o different yarts of the area to be protected pipes vhich are connected with a steam used with noiler, steam belyg generated on frosty | nights and distributed by the pipes to the places where it will do the most Eood SWAMP LANDS FLOODED. Water is extensively employed in fighting frosts in the cranberry dis- tricts of New Jersey, Wisconsin, Cape Cod and other portions of New Eng- Jand and the upper lake districts. When there is likely to be a frost the swamp or bog lands to. which this crop is confined are flooded by means of uppliances by which neighboring bod- jes of water can be drawn upon. The water covering the cranberry patches J.eep the lower stratum of air compara- .tively warm and moist. Irrigation has been similarly employed in orange. growing districts and the rice fields of Druidism. Official visits by the grand officers | of the United Ancient Order of Druids { have for the time been suspended and | will not be resumed until January 16, | when the noble grand arch and at- | tendant grand officers will visit Tem- plar Grove in this city. Between that date and March 12 thirty official visits have been scheduled. The following | are the visits to the local groves: Jan- uary 18, Helvetia Grove; 19, Alpini Grove; 20, Norma Grove; 26, Old Friends' Grove; February 6, Vasco de Gama Grove; 7, Hesperian Grove; 10, Volta Grove March 10, Lincoln Grove, and 11, Green Valley Grove. ,Supreme Secretary Freudenthal, in a letter to Supreme Arch Martinoni of this city, announces that all the' groves in the East are doing well and that a new grove to work in the Eng- | lish language ‘is bging organized in New York City, being the second. It is probable that one to work in the Italian and one to work in the French language will soon be organized in that city. Orders have been placed for the translation of the circle ritual into the | Italian, French, Slavonic and Danish languages. The circies to work in foreign lan- guages are being organized city. I in this the absence of the noble grand absent on other business, Su- preme Arch James F. Martinoni re- cently paid an official visit to the grove in Mayfield and then visited the | one at Salinas and then the one at Isleton. At each place there was work in the initiatory degree and the mem- bers manifested considerable interest in the affairs of tfe order. At Isleton the visiting officer exemplified all the work of the order in a very interest- ing and comprehensive manner. At each place there was hospitality in the form of a nquet. Capitol Circle of the Druidesses, or- ganized by Jennie S. Clark of Saera- mento in that city, with fifty char- ter members, speaks well for the lady’s ability as an organizer. The cir- cle was instituted by Grand Arch Druidess Olga Heiden, assisted by Grand Secretary Augusta Thornhill The institution of the new circle and the in ion of the officers were followed by a banquet. The organizer, who was chosen past arch Druidess of the circle, expects to increase the | membership to 100 within three | months. McKinley Grove, under the “direc- tion of Noble Arch Thornton, assisted by the officers recently installed, is doing good work. The members have been insvired to work for the grove and applications are being presented at each meeting. At the last meeting three strangers were initiated. e The Americans. J. M. Shatterley, past president of the Senate of the Americans, returned to this city last week after an absence of five months in the Northwestern, West- ern and Eastern States, where he went in the interest of the order for the pur- pose of establishing \branches in the different States visited. | California Assembdly No. 1 is arrang- ing for a mock trial on a large scale. On the evening of December 13 this as- sembly gave an entertainment and dance in the Red Men's building, on Golden Gate avenue. The assembly has secured a prize regalia for its team, offered by the Senate conditional on se- curing twenty-five members for initia- tion in a period of sixty days. Oakland Assembly No. 2 gave a pleas- ant dancing party in its hall recently. This assembly is working to secure a prize offered by the Senate. Reports from all parts of the juris- dictior as to the progress of the several assemblies are very satisfactory to the Senate officers. Stockton Assembly No. 8 has request- ed Washington Assembly No. 3 of this city to advise it if it can arrange for the initiation of a number of strangers in San Francisco on New Year's eve, and if that can be done the Stockton team will come here to perform the work. During the past week Supreme Sec- retary Brown visited Santa Rosa for the purpose of initlating a class of fif- teen strangers. AT S The Maccabees. San Francisco Tent of the Knights of the Maccabees has elected the fol- lowing officers for the ensuing term: C. J. Lenzen, P. C.; E. V. Hollings- worth, commander; C. I. W. Story, licutenant; D. B. Richards, R. K.; Theodore Frolich, F. K.; R. N. Mur- rhy, chaplain; Nordien Knudsen, ser- B C. L. Girard, master at arms; C W. Seely, first M. G.; Henry Ernst, sccond M. G.; Sig Bergstein, sentinel; ‘W. B. Greenberg, picket; I. Gurmendez, trustee; J. H. Whiteside, armorer; J. H. Hallowell, musician; G. V. Leroi, scribe. There was a contest for the | position of picket, which has been filled | ever since the tent was organized by | €ir Knight ‘Greenberg. | Sir Knight Parker was a candidate against him, e | the South. More familiar than these methods is the use of screens made of | cloth and other materials for covering | the growing crops. This is a great country, but there is !no considerable section of it near «nough to the equator to be entiraly | free from frost. In some parts of the Northern States frosts ars likely to oc- ' cur during any of the summer months. [In the northern purt of the Florida | peninsula, in the region immediately bordering the coast of the Gulf of Mex- |jeo, and in the Pacific Coast States, | frost may occur from the latter part of ‘ October wuntil early in March. The | frost limit at long intervals may be ex- tended south vard well over Central | and even Southern Florida. | Consequently, the farmer and or- | chardist, wherever he lives in the | United States, must be ready to battle with the frost, and, thanks to the ‘Weather Bureau, the malls, the tele- graph and the telephone, he is prompt- 1y notified when to light his smudge, turn on the water or stretch the pro- tective screen. 3 ASTOLD TV ANTE-ROONS ~OF THE LODGES but the latter finally withdrew in faver ©of Greenberg. This tent now has a whist tournament after the close of many members to the reviews. Golden West Tent has elected George Seegar past commander; William Pir- rie, commander; H. Barley, lieutenant commander; G. C. Freeman, record keeper (tenth term); C. finance keeper. These and the minor officers will be installed January 17. This tent's uniformed team had a very enjoyable social in the Assembly Hall of the Pioneer bullding last week. The team will give a llke social every ruonth. Ancient O;d:r7WorMen. The meeting of the recorders of the lodges north of Sacramento, in the early part of the current month, wrs attended by forty, who were addreesed at length by Grand Recorder Spencer. He instructed them in the new legisl tion of the order. The meeting, a v | profitable one, was followed by a ban- | cuet. During December there was distrib- uted in this jurisdiction $65,000 to bene- ficiaries of members who pazsed away. The indications are at this time that in the near future claims will be paid in a very short time after the prodi of death is completed. There has been a marked increase in | membership in this State during De- cember and quite a number of fully | suspended members have been rein- stated under the provisions of a recent law which permits the reinstatement of those finally suspended who arz be- tween the ages of 45 and Grand Foreman W. H. Savage has been visiting the lodges in the northern | part of the State. | During the past week official visits were paid tc Enterprise and Mount Hamilton lodges of San Jose. Grand Master Workman C. H Dun- ton has been honored by being elected vice president of the Califo:na Miners' Association. The officers of Unity (Lodgs A. O. U W., and those of Carnation Lodge, D. of H., will be jointly installed Janu- |ary 17. { The following have been ~hosen to serve as the officers of Forge:-Me-Not }lmage. D. of H., for the ensuing term: | Ethel Farley, chief; Minnie Gaines, | |1ady of honcr: Jessie Foster, chief of | ceremonies; Mary Loan, usher, Mabel Simpson, recorder; F. 'J. Maguire, financier; Mary Rothganger, receiver: Florence Boyd, inside wat . }“‘llnams. outside watch. his _lodge | has under consideration a plan for th= | increase of membership and attend- | ance. | Franklin Lodge cf the \. | has elected the following offi ensuing term: B W s for the Harry 1. Mulcrevey, P. M. W.; A Lev, W.: J. uslang, F Isador Simon, O.; John Boovey, 1 Johr P. Dwyer, F.; R. E. A. Isenbruc recelver; O. H. Klump, G., and It. Mur- phy, W. e Modern Brotherhood. | Golden Gate Lodge No. 1264 of the Modern Brotherhood of America had | another pleasant entertainment and! dance in its hall on the night of the first Wednesday in December. The fol- | lowing was the programme, which was | | enjoyed by the many who besides the | members accepted the Invitation to| have a good time: Opening remarks, | Dr. G. W. Goodale; song and dance, | the favorite, Miss Martha Bowes; reci- | tation, Mrs. W. P. Emmons; duet, | Misses Schallenberger and Canard; | fancy toe dance, clever little Miss Sles- singer; song, Miss Elsie Stein; vocal| solo, William P. Emmons; recitation, ! Miss Gwennita Allen; recitation, Miss | Thompson; song, H. R. Edghiil; fra- | ternal remarks, State Manager A. J. ‘Weinert. After the programme refresh- were served. —e—— Winter Vegetables a New Industry. A new and rapidly growing agricul- | tural industry in California is the pro- | duction of winter vegetables for the Eastern markets. Already « we are | shipping large quantities of asparagus, ! cabbages, cauliflowers, radishes, let- | tuce, potatoes and the more hardy vegetables that can be grown during! the cold months of our winter season. | This is one of the most promising out- | looks for agriculture in California at | the present time. We have in 'this State an unrivaled climate, one that very much resembles the spring of the Eastern States, and in which all the vegetables which zrow in that | part of the country during that sea- | son will thrive during the months | that Eastern farms and gardens are ! {under snow and in the embrace of the ice king. To overcome the differ- ence of climate in the larger Eastern cities numerous greenhouses have been located covered with glass and | heated by artificial means, and thesc have been found enormously profita. ble. Hundreds of acres in New York and Chicago are thus placed under ! glass for the cultivation of =~ winter vegetables, such as we can produce in the open every month in the year. With more rapid means of transpor- tation and low freight rates, by means of careful packing and hand- !1ing, there is no reason why the East~ ern States should not offer a profit- | | of vegetables grown in California dur- | ing the winter months. We may not hope for the fancy prices paid for the glass-grown vegetables, but there is a large body of consumers able and willing to pay good prices for fresh vegetables during the months that they cannot produce them in the East, and it is this class we should be able to reach with profit to ourselves. Southern California has gone very' extensively into this business, and' there is no reason why it should not be followed by the northern counties, where we have fully as favorable a climate and where our crops are more certain than in the extreme south.— each second meeting which draws GOOD WAYS OF TELLINGI B. Classen, | | and ebony, the origin of which can be able market for enormous quantities | cus incrusted SEARCHING FOR OLD FURNITURE Mr. Amateur Must Be Careful in Selection, as Imitation Closely Resembles Genuine ———— | Desirable Articles of Earlier | Days Fast Becoming Scaree | ‘ ‘While Bogus Ones Abound | —_— | The taste for old china, silver and ' furniture has almost developed into a passion of late years. It has sud- , denly become the fashion to have cu- | rios of all kinds in the home furnish- |ings. Therefore, as a demand always | creates a supply, there are to be found on the market hundreds of masterly imitations of the work of the great ar- tists in furniture. Some of these imi- tations are open and above board re- productions of the antique, but others are such successful imitations of an- cient furxiture that it is necessary to be very wide awake if one meditates purchasing speclmens of the old crafts- man’s art, & The coarse and rough imitations that are seen in second-rate shops every day never deceive the searcher after the antique, but really first-class work may easily Impose upon even the elect, and reasonably =0, when it becomes kncan that there are skilled workmen who make a business of imitating worm hoies in modern furniture before it proudly blossoms forth to become the Joy of the innceent amateur collector of the antique. It is usually at this time of the year that the houscwife is seized with the spirit ¢f refurnishing her home or add- ing by way of adornment a few new pleces If the antique is her special choice the following suggesticns may be of interest. The modest buyer is alone being considered, she who would spand at the véry most a hundred or so dollars on a cabinet, table or desk. There 18 a kind of sham too pcpular nowadays—and of all shams it is the most dangerous—to buy old wood, pos- sibly of drawers or panels of cup- boards, and mingle the old and new to ! the confusion of the uninitiated. Sometimes dealers have the honesty to say that goods of this description are made up articles, and often these pieces are quite worth adding to one's collection because the wood in their construction is well seasoned and the grain fine and exquisitely cclored. LOOX INSIDE. | When a cabinet is the object under consideration it is well to open the drawers and inspect the lining. | If the article is genuine they will be lined with oak or elm, but if a modern im- ! posture the lining will be merely plain, ained deal. Other evidences of the al thing are the weight and the doweling, which in old furniture is pe- culiarly done. But all these signs fail when the genius of perfect deception is abroad. One simple thing to notice 1s the state of the polish. It should be put on perfectly smooth, and the var- nish should not seem to be carelessly run into the corners. Another evidence is that the edges are comparatively soft and rounded by wear and net sharp or clearly cut. In spite of the widespread interest and knowledge in furniture and deco- rative art generaly there is a great confusion of ideas as regards styles. Just in the same way that some collec- tors of antiques persuade themselves that because a thing is old it must necessarily be beautiful, so there are those who think that to conform to a certain style is slavish and lacking in | originality. To such people a French le immediately conjured up bow- nots, garlands and gilding, while we know that this expression of art can exist without any of these and still be true in character. What style in house furnishings should really be taken to mean is character, appropriateness and an acceptance of those rules whi the experience of centuries has proved the best, vet allowing scope for ihdividual requirements. KEEP TO THE STYLE. The collector of antiques should also bear in mind that a piece of fur- niture must never be selected irre- spective of the differences in its style —that is, when a single apartment is to be furnished—for if jumbled in a heterogeneous*mass the result will be no more satisfactory than a col- lection of pieces in a furniture shop. There is no character, no originality; only a motley collection of things. 1 The skillful artist knows welil that in. decorating and furnishing a house harmony of color and form is the first essential, and the collector of the an- tique should have her walls decorat- ed with regard to the furniture for which they are to form a background. Could anything be more absurdly grotesque than the placing of a piece of French art in a room decorated in Dutch style? Still decorative errors, perhaps of a less glaring nature, are met with on every hand and in homes of cuiture, more's the pity! The French style of furnishing will be very popular this winter, my lady needing this setting for her Louis' XVI and Henri II gowns. An especigl prize in French examples is the Boule furniture, which is particularly happy in its cabinet specimens. Andre Charles Boule was the cabinet maker or ebonist to Louis XVI, and the first and most characteristic work connect- ed with the style of “le grand mon- i arque” js known as Boule. The Boule is an elaborate kind of marquetry in- laid with tortoise shell, brass, ivory traced to Indian, Persian and Damas- inlays. Examples of Boule work are now very valuable and command high prices when thef are offered for sale. FOR MODEST TASTES. The inlaid Dutch furniture resem- | bles somewhat the Boule, but is quite | within the bounds of the modest an- . tique purchaser’s sphere. The rich and bright colors of different woods are used in the marquetry and the de- sign is usually that of some pictur- esque foliage mingled with tulips, ! recses and birds. In addition to wood. other materials, such as ivory and; mother-of-pearl, are employed. This Dutch furniture was introduced into Pacific Tree and Vine. —_—— I Freak of the Wind. | Almost beyond belief is the story" which comes from England of a trick the wind played not long ago on the spire of a Presbyterian church. It blew the steeple above the belfry 25 degrees out of plumb, so that the spire pointed in a northwesterly direction and it was feared that it would fall ‘When the next morning men were en- gaged In straightening it the wind veered around and blew it back to. its original position. Of course, it was necessary for the men to stength- en it and its supports, but the wind's freak made their work much easier.— Exchange. England during the reign of William and Mary, and has descended to us in the simpler and later phase known as Queen Anne. This seeming confusion of names was brought about by the practice of using the names of royal- ty to denote styles both' in furniture and architecture as supplying more convenient dates than the beginning and end of a century. The quaint and simple Queen Anne furniture . is a curious blending of Dutch and French influences. The in- lay is of Dutch adoption, and the ca- briole leg is an entirely French feature. A blending of the two styles resulted later in furniture of the Queen Anne type. Queen Anne chalrs are exqui- site. They have a strong under grain- ing and a high, flat, rated back and side pieces of rather severe form and the cabiole leg. Some of the | front door. Exhibition in REMEMBER “THE FERRYMAN” One of the Finest Works of Art Which Was on FRENCH SECTION at the GREATEST WORLD'S FAIR Has been reproduced by special permission in its original exquisite colors and will be presented in the superb series of famous paintings FREE WITH THE NEXT SUNDAY SAN FRANCISCO CALL the “THE FERRYMAN.” THE CALL'S picture for next week is a most beautiful example of the work of the celebrated French artist, Leon Gogneaux. This picture portravs a scene in the daily life of the ever picturesque French peasant, and with its beautiful coloring and quaint figures produces a most pleasing and attractive effect. The clouds, the low banks of the stream and the very ripoles on the water stand out so clearly and distinctly and are so true to nature that one may well imagine that he is gazing oa the scene itself. chairs are three cornered, rather like a stcol with arms. GETTING SCARCE. Chippendale, Hepplewaite, Sheraton and Adams are all specimens of furni- | ture very much sought after now, ! either as originals or in reproductions. | Sheraton sideboards and bookcases are beautiful with the swan pediments| and quaint diamond-paned effects in | the doors. . i The fad of the moment is for old | door knockers, and if a woman is seen | i rushing frem one antique shop to an- other you may be sure she has this fad and is on the chase. Really old door knockers are scarce. They are being, copied, it is true, but the manutac- turers are not able to duplicate the battered, dented appearance cf the knocker that for many years in sun | and rain has stood as sentinel at the door. An objection to the modern | knocker is that they are very much of | a pattern, and there is no impress of the workman's skill and, in a measure, | of his humer at the time the work was | done. “The particular pattern the; searcher for oid knockers wants is the | lion's head, which is likely to be found | in the Venetian knocker. There -are other patterns of flat, plain brass that are well liked as a second choice. When one is not successful in a search of this | kind an expedient worth knowing is tc buy a new knocker and bury it in the ground until it becomes green and moldy. After this burial ore clever girl has hit upgn the idea of gilving the knocker to her small brother to play with. She did not tell him what she hoped to accomplish, but in these war times it Is quite possible that the knocker will go through many mock battles as some piece of ammunition, and when it returns to the owner it is sure to have enough dents to satisfy the fastidious sister. When the whole family is enthusi- astic on the subject of antique knock- ers this precious specimen goes on the There is a craze just now for the individual door knocker which hangs on the oak of the antique lover's own domain. Luckless the individual who gains entrance without using this coveted plece of antique open sesame! —Washington Star. Justice Harlan’s Humor. Justice Harlan has a queer humer of his own. He is a member of the facul- ty of the Columbia Law School, and a night or two ago was talking at the school with Judge Peelle of the District | Court, on crimes. “I wish, Mr. Jus- tice,” said Judge Peelle, ‘‘that you. would have your clerk send me copies | of some of the recent decisions of the | Supreme Court.” “All right,” Justice Harlan replied. Then he asked, abrupt- ly: “Do you want those cases in which | I rendered dissenting opinions?” “I as- sume some of the cases come under: that head,” said Judge Peelle. “Youj frequently \do dissent, you know.” I shal! not send them,” snorted Ju@n' Harlan. “I shall not be responsible for | the dissemination of such a law ap- pears in those majority . opinlons to which I have dissented.”—Exchange. In Private Only. The two candidates, being members of the same lodge, had agreed that there should be no mudslinging during the campaign. - “I was so glad to do it,”” said one of them to his wife when he got home. “I hope that I am too decent a man to say | pencil—that You Will Get Th's BEAUTIFUL PICTURE IN COLORS, Size 10x14 Inches, Ready for a Frame : s s NEXT SUNDAY, January Ist, With Your SUNDAY SAN FRANCISCO CALL ~ the things about that low-lived scoun- drel that he deserves.” “Jt was the only way,” said the oth-| er to his confidential friend. “Other-| wise T should have been tempted to de- mean myself by exposing the hyproc- risy and despicable character of that embryo bank robber.” So the campaign was so clean that it was tame.—Cincinnati Commercial Tri- bune. | e Czarina as Caricaturist. It is well known that the Empress of | Russia has decided talent as a cari-| caturist. By turns all members of lhe; rcyal family had been victims of her | is, all except the Czar.l who begged to be included. The Czar- ina put him off with excuses for some | time, but not long ago the L"arlcamre; appeared. The Czar, crowned and bear- | ing the secepter, was seated in a baby | carriage drawn with a tnread by his| mother! The point was plain enough, | and caused much restramed amuse- | ment among the courtiers; but the | Czar professed himself unable to see| it, and seemed anything but pleased | with the producticn. — Indianapolis News. . e The Cigars Jerome Smoked. In his youth and impecunious days | District Attorney Jerome of New York | was assistant in the office of which he is now head. Then, as now, Jerome was a great smoker. He used to buy a chea) brand of cigars of a none too} delicate quality from a Nassau street dealer. As a bonus to a steady pat- ron and incidentally with the hopes of getting Jerome to buy the more expen- sive brand the wily dealer would occa- slonally give him a perfecto. He didn't catch his man, however. Jerome invariably gave the perfecto to the first friend he met. “That's not the brand I smoke,” he would explain. “I don’t dare try a perfecto for fear I'll form an expensive habit.”"—Chicago Chronicle, —_————— Strange Little Raflway. Germany possesses a miniature but most useful rallway, to which no parallel is found in this country. Its peculiarity is that its trains have no drivers. It is used for carrying salt from the salt mines at Stassfurt. The trains consist of thirty trucks, each carrying half a ton of salt. . The en- gines are electrie, of twenty-four horse- poewer each. As it approaches a sta- tion, of which there are five along the | line, the train automatically rings a| bell and the station attendant turns a| switch to receive it. He is able to] stop it at any moment. To start it again he stands on the locgmotive, switches the current and then descends again before the enging has gained speed. N ———— Mrs. Beanster—Mr. Johnson, won't you please amuse the baby for about five minutes? Mr. Johnson (not of Boston)—I'm afraid I don’t know how, Mrs. Bean- ster. . Mrs. Beanster—Just talk a little; she always finds your Western grammati- cal peculiarities so amusing.—Néw Or- leans Times-Democrat DAKOTA INDIANS FOLLOW EATING AS A TRADE Men Regularly Hired to Assist Guesis at Teo Bountiful a Teast. . One of the most striking customs of the past that are preserved by the Indians of to-day is found among the tribes on the Devil's Lake Reservation in North Dakota. - Supervisor Wright of the Indian service gives the following account ¢f this pecullar practice: “From time immemorial the Devil's Lake Sioux have adhered to an old cus- tom in regard to the treatment of the Buest. According to their etiquette it is the bounden duty of the host to sup- ply his guest with all the $god he may desire, and as a rule the apportionment set before the visiting Indian is much in excess of the capacity of a single man. “But by the same custom the guest is obliged to eat-ail that is placed be- fore him, else he grossly insults his entertainer. It was found that this practice would work a hardship, but iustead of dispensing with the custom the Indian method of reasoning was applied, and what is known as the pro- fessional eater was brought to the front. “While the guest is supposed to eat all that is placed before him, it serves the same purpose If his neighbor as- sists in devouring the bountiful repast, the main object being to have the plate clean when the meal is finished. “It is not always practicable to de- pend upon a neighbor at table to assist in getting away with a large dinner and in order to insure the final con- sumption of the allotted portion, visit- ing Indians call upon the professional eaters, whose duty it is to git beside them through a meal and eat what the guest leaves. The professional eaters are never looked upon in the light of guests, but more as traveling com- panions with a particular duty to per- form. “These eaters receive:from 31 to $3 and even 33 for each meal where they assist. It is stated by the agent at the Devil’s Lake Reservation that one of the professional eaters has been known to dispose of seventeen pounds of beef at a sitting. That they are capable of eating an almost fabulous amount I myself can testify.”"—Chicago Chronicle. COOK BOOKS. ! fiE E :;23.5 | i 2 ¥ 5 ; 5 i E5e i i I §