The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 20, 1906, Page 5

CISCO 'SUNDAY CALL. A Tale of theWhite House § Revealing the Human Side of the Hero of Appomatiox. In front of ene of the entrances to the States Treasury Department in ton, that majestically slumber- pile of sandstone and granite that been Uncle Sam's bank for scores of s, stood, one snowy winter day, arely forty years ago, a little girl can ng a basket filled with ginger cakes, apples, oranges, pies and such small food the government clerk is wont to in- for the midday smack. e watched the hundreds of per- ing out of the bullding at the scores of them stopping to eon knickknacks from the who lined the stone coping and occupied all the vantage hich to lay thelr snares for and dimes that were flood waited for the stream of whi like ants from a busy o dart into the outside air, a bite or two of some back into its from her en- way down in the little heart, ght red apples were fresher any of those offered e aged negro “aunties” and men who had by right € red the choice sitions for the disposal of their wares, n eld them for years; she Knew r “es were real 1ome made” that they were freshly baked Her little be procured at the most. inviting aterer's establishments; her basket arranged and over it was hite tablecloth 5 1 was Mary Rogers, f a naval officer whose father gone to the War of the Rebellion and ad been shot to pieces. Her mother, ds of others «f the period, t with a large family on her ith no means of support ve and determined, had other and prevailed upon to bake some cookles and cakes and 3 1 at the govern- In those days little as sald of trusts and com- restraint of trade, but break- vall of persons who had the meager profits gotten from e lunch basket trade was harder than ing through steel trust armor plate wooden dr years these purveyors of apples and cakes been gathering at the bulldings and they ertain fixtures as the watch- en. Each_ had his place nd measured off and - there squatting on the staked claim of Few ever resigned from the death came very slowly. When # basket man or basket woman was away for any noticeable length of time an in- quiry was made. If it was found' he was dead his successor and ‘heir was ‘the holding the next- advantageous Along the coping ' for-. fully feet on either side of the entrance stretched this lunch line, and lttle Miry's chances, if she took up -her poiftion on the end of took fate in her hands, established her- self on toe edge of the pavement and &id taken her stand- her best. She managed to take in a few cents each day, just enough to encourage h r into the hope that the next d: see a turn for the better. For .hree or four months she had hung on doggedly. .8 she stood looking hopelessly at the business that was rushing by her door and with the snow swirling up arou her and sweeping into her basket, threat- ening speedy ruin to her stock in trade, she presented a pitiable picture. An old- fashioned shawl was drawn tightly around her childish shoulders; a Tam o’ Shanter topped & glorious young head of hair that in itself migh. have been pro- tection from the biting March winds. Her shoes were none too stout non her stock- ings too warm for such a frail child as she appeared to be. Her face, however, was full of freckles that chased one an other around and gave indication of a healthy constitution. Jést as the last of the clerks were returning to the offices and Mary was choking back a tear over her unprofitable day a window of the great building was raised and a kindly voice called to her. She was asked to display her basket. Proudly she lifted the linen from her wares and; picking out one of her bright- est oranges and an apple, she passed them over. Her purchaser took twenty- five cents’ worth of lunch, handed Mary a freshly coined quarter and told the Jittle gir! to climb into the window and go through his room to the other men, that they might all buy something. He was the assistant paymaster of the army. and of course there was no disobeying his orders, although it was against the rules of the rules of the department for any vendor to be aliowed insjde a government bullding. Mary sold her entire basket of stock before she left the paymaster's office. She was told to come to the win- dow the next day. She did and her basket was empty within five minutes. At the end of the third week that Mary had been coming to the paymaster's office the assistant called her to his desk and handed to her a large sealed envelope, bearing the paymaster's stamp. “Take that yp to Army Headquarters the first thing Monday when you come around and have an extra supply in your basket. Bring.as much as you can carry and I'll promise that you will not go home with any of 1t.” When Mary appeared Monday, just be- fore noon, she was dripping from head to foot. It was a weeping day and the side- walks were constantly washed with films of ruaning water and the gutters were almost choked. But not a thing in the basket was harmed. The little girl had carefully tucked coverings enough around her stock to thoroughly protect it. She went at once-to the paymaster's window, but was told, “Go up to headquarters first.”” Off the girl trudged, through the slosh- ing wet, for a quarter of a mile. - At the headquarters door she was met by a stern man who told her she could not come in. She offered: her envelope and the door- keeper unbended instantly .and led her into a great room, where, behind = large flat topped desk, sat a soldler. Something in the man's face 'made the little girl feel at once that she was among friends. T soldler’ was:General U..S. Grant. General Grant.read. the note. ‘It was a uest” from . the assistant paymaster, who knew the General intimately, for Rim \to_ try some ,of. Mary’s-apples. _General e Grant bought several and then told her she could'go about his office and should come in every day. She went back to the paymaster and told him of her sucess at headquarters.+ She did not have to stand on the curbstone after the paymaster seat her to headquarters. All her stock was gobbled up anxiously by her circle of reg- ular customers. s Just before General Grant was elected in 1868 Mary wished bim luck, and the General replied that if he was elected he would give Mary a fine position in’one of the departments. When General Grant became President he left the old army, post .for.the White House. and was seen by Mary only when he was riding down the street in‘the Executive Mansion’s equipage. Mary's little ken lay in far different paths from those of the President. and the best that she could hope.for was, that shé would occasjonally ‘see him. on one of her, two! trips past the 'White House ithat she made every day—once when she was go- ing to Army Headquarters with' her bas- ket and again when shé.was réturning. For weeks ‘and. months and_years she was faithful to her duty and built up quite General Grant read t?he note. a profitable business. Her old paymaster friend was ever kin and helpful to her because he knew her sad history and how. hard she had worked to help her mother. President Grant was in his second ad- ministration when. Mary one day failed to put in an appearance at. either of her headquarters. The next day she was away; the third day she was back. “The paymaster, ever concernéd as to the wel- fare of his protegee, asked her if she had béen 1il: e TR 'N-0:0,” replied the girl, as a shame- faced .expresston clouded her face. “Any one ill at home?" N-0-0."" .. ¢ : "hat's the trouble? We haven't seen 'you for two' days.” she said, slowly and con- fusedly, “you see, I'm getting to be a big_girl to be selling thifgs from my: basket and I thought T would like to get something. to do. Do you tnfnk you could get me into one of tlie departments?" “Why not remind General Grant of the promise he. made to ydu-just before he ‘was_elected President?’ - 'Oh, he’s forgotten all about tha turned. the girl despairingly. “General Grant never forgets a prom- ise’".sald the paymaster, who knew Gen- eral Grant as well as any one. ¢ “Oh, but I couldn't get-into the White ‘House with these. clothes. on,”” returned Mary, looking down deprecatingly on the short, threadbare dress that showed its years of ‘careful wear and patching and at the little, old-fashioned shawl that she ‘was still wearing. “Never mind about that,” said the pay- master, reassuringly. “You leave your basket ‘here’ and I'll give you a note to the President that will make it all right.” He sat down and wrote:— “The little girl who used to sell apples to you wishes to see you. Please see her."” ‘With this in a2 paymaster s officlal en- velope the little figure trudged up to the Wihite House gates, pussed through and was within the executive grounds. When ‘she doubtfully ascended the steps of the mansion. and found herself surrounded with a great cluster of formidable white columns, with brass buttoned guards and doorkeepers seemingly in every nook and corner of ‘the building she quailed. “What do you want?” grufly inquired the doorman as he critically scanned the child’s - weil-worn “clothing. “T—Iwant. to .see the President,” said Mary in a tone that showed she not only was embarrasded but. was actually afraid. “You can’t see him. . Run along now or you'll be getting ingo troubis: “With Her hopes dashed -to_pieces, Mary had reached the outer steps to the portico when a'man in a ligutenant’s uniform no- ticed’ the "army : envelope,* stopped and askéd the girl if-he-~ould -ald her. She simply “handed him the:envelope, and when. he saw. to whom it was. addressed PICTURE THAT BY HALDEN. CHURCH. ON, May 8.—Recenit happenings London auction rooms, where, lit- rare pictures are put up elculated 1o -set”the sacking the pe of ““finds” to be small gold mines; n' 1o thelr immediate For within the past a print which was second-hand dealer for seen and a Burns letter that d for $200 disposed of for on several other sim- all of which business of ¥ treasures of nvented. s and assigns” of of Putney, who dentist to the English nmust be uncommonly fondness for small specu- kind, for their worldly con- bettered thereby to a mezing extent was who snapped up s and sixpence—or $1.7 tly sold at Christy’'s and a lot of his for other * were almost as successful tance, a proof of W. Diékinson's of “Elizabeth Stephenson,” which t for 75 cents, was sold four 00, while one of “Signora COST $1.75 IS SOLD FOR $2250 Bocelll,” by J.'Jones, which Truman got for $4 recently, fatched at auction ° the goodly sum of $325. . 3 It seems.that the former court dentist used to spend his Saturday afternoons in “browsing” through second-hand book and print shops and.that In this way+he got together a really - prodigious_ collaction. The picgure that he bought for $1.75 and sold for $2250, is a rare proof. of J. McArdell’s mezzotint of T. Hudson's por- trait of *Mary, Duchess 6f Ancaster,” and the record price that has been paid for it illustrates vividly the modern craze for rare works of this class. As for the Burns letter on which so sur- prising a profit has just been realized, it 15 _generally " believed ‘that, the London agent who bought it for §1950 was act- ing for an Arherican customer. And al- though the price mientioned is the high- est that has ever been paid for a single ‘letter by the poet, it is justified in a way, for . this epistie is certainly one of the most Interesting that Burns ever wrote, and, in additjon to the prose, there is a coniplete transcript of “Tam Glen,” a poem of twenty-nine lines, beginning “As life itself becomes disease.” The most striking point regarding the sale of this letter, however, is the fact that it and several other literary relics which its owner, Robert Ball, ~sold at large profits were originaily purchased at an auction, which hé gttended quite by accident. This was_in 1585, and having bought the Burns lefter for $300, he gave $20 for one written by Mary of Scotland when she was Mary-of Guise. Yester- day this was sold for $330, while a.let- ter by Lord Nelison, which Ball bought at the .same sale for $65, was disposed of yesterday for $165. .It was a littie surpris- ing, too, that. it did not bring more, for in it Nelson writes .to .the British geperal at Malta that wherever he finds the en- emy “L shall never .ask ,whether it is neutral territory.” i g The costly Burns letter, which has pre- sumably come to the United States, was written in December, 1788, to the poet's bosom ‘friend, Dunlop. It is dated “Ellis- land.” ‘and covers nine quarto -pages. .In it Burns says: “‘Apropos, is not the Scot's plirase, ‘Auld lang syne’ exceedingly im- pressive? There is an old sopg and tune which has often thrilled through ,my soul You know, I am an enthusiast in_ .old Scots’ songs.” And later on be says: ‘1, too, am just now revolution mad; but it is not the tarantula frenzy. of insulting-whiggism, like an ass’ colt capering over the geners ous heund breathing his last; mine - is the madness of an enraged scorpion, shut up in a thumbsphial.” The letter ends: . “If miry ridges and dirty dunghills are to engross the best part of the functions of my soul immor- tal, T 'had better be a rook or a magpie all at once, and then I would not have been plagued with any ideas superior to breaking of clods and picking up grubs, not to mention barn-door cocks or mal- lards, creatures with which I could al- most exchange lives at any time.” The ‘identity of the actual purchaser of these relics and. pictures is seldom dis- closed at the time, but it'generally proves to be an American. For example, it is stated in today's London newspapers for the first time that Whistler's portrait of tion in the United The center of popul States has been moving steadily westward with' remarkable both as regards distance and »r more than a century eguls ty, jirection. Since the year 1790 the exact ocation or this mythical point has been y years of the nation’s history. alculated officia at Washington for every te When these points are plotted upon the map and connected a remarkable line of progress is ebtained, in Thich may be ead at a glance much of the country’s =tory “Westward the course of em- pire takes its way,” as all the world knows, but it is probable that nowhere in story has any similar line of progress, as it may be calied, proceeded westward so directly according to compass and at so even @ rate of progress. year 1780, when the center. of in the lation was first calculated, it was nd to be at a point twenty-three miles east of Baltimore. In making this esti- ate the entire population of the United tates of that period was of course con- sidered. It was the population center of strip extending from Maine to Florida. i since the frontier population of that ea was inconsiderable the center of population was practically the same 2s the geographical cemter. Today the rly dey geographieal center of the country is ol course considerably west of the Missis- sippi, In more than a century these two theoretical points have become widely separated. The center of population in the United States southwest of Columbus, Ind. The regularity of this line is the more is at present six miles remarkable when it is considered that the United States has grown, geographically, by leaps and bounds. The devélopment of the country has not been a steady growth westward as regards its acquisi- tion of territory. The Louisiana Pur- chase, for example, by adding millions of acres to the United States, at one time would presumably have had the effect of drawing this line of progress sharply to The acquisition of Alaska again would have had a similar influence in another direction. And yet the line shows little deflection at the important dates when these territories were added. For a century again the distance cov- ered by this point during each decade has varied very slightly. It has moved westward at the rate of about forty miles the southwest. Irving as Philip II, whichi - was bought through an agent'for $25,000 in November last; is fn the collectfon of George C. Thomas of Philadelphia. It will be declqleglylnmresflng to see how Engiish readers of the present day recelve ‘Minnigrey,” the famous serial story which'created ‘such a-furore when it was - first published in' the London Journal in 1849, and which has just start- ed aagin in that recently revived period- ical. - Minnigrey” was written by J. F. Smith, a former professor in the college of Bayeux, who returnéd ~to his own country, to avold the French Revolution of 184§, and who commenced contributing to the London Journal in order to ti-e things over. He proved a wizard, too, for his first story van for, seventy-six weeks and extendéd to more than 600,000 words. By this time he _had a great following, but he did not.achieve his. triumph iuntil a year or two later, when he wrote “Min- nigrey.” .The. sensation ecreated by this story carried the Journal all over_ the world ‘and 'serit up “the’ ciréulation to 512,000 coples weekly. Smith wgs a Bohemian. o. the old school and it was occaslonally hard -to find him when' press day . came round. ‘When once discovered, however, he would seat hiinself at a table with a bottle of port within reach and.go steadily to work_turning out sheet after sheet until the 8000 words of the weekly installment were accomplished. ater on in its his- tory Mark Lemon became editor of the London Journal, and he it was who tried the experiment of publishing stories by Charles Reade and Sit Walter Scott. The experiment “was .not a success, neither “Kenilworth” nor “White Lies,” the re- spective novels chosen, being suitau.e for serial publication. VIRGINI A/ ENGLISHMEN ABANDON CRICKET BY CARROLL MAC LEAN. LONDON, May 11.—Americens who, have noticed that a fresh movement is on foot to popularize the game of baseball in Qreat Britain may not have taken it with any great serlousness, several previous at- tempts to make Britishers ‘“‘play ball” hav- ing failed ignominousiy. = The recent ac- tivity In this direction, however, has seemed .from the. first to: mean business, and from interviews that I have:had with prominent athletic authorities, -there ap- pears to be little doubt that baseball is on the - point of becoming firmly established in this country. In fact, . many former en- thusiasts over cricket predict that the time’ {s° surely comiing when the faster American game will have definitely taken its place. ¥ - “A blg meeting_of Sportsmen has just been: held in the Charterhouse Hotel, in Londbn; at which the sole topic of con- versation was the.introduction of baseball into England, and in order to gain further information as to the. progress of the movement, I called on A. G.. Spalding & Brdthers, of Fetter Lane,.who are the largest importers of American’ sporting goods in Englany, ard had an interview - with their manager. s “It is undoubtedly true,” he said, “that Amerjcan baseball has come. to stay this time.. We have just cabled to the United States. orders to the extent of .$5000 for baseball outfits apd indications lead us to believe -that there is 10 be a:tremendous revival of baseball_throughout England. ‘The prinelpal organizer of this movement is. Nelson F. Cook, who is ‘very well *known. in sporting circies. He is meeting 'MOVEMENT OF POPULATION IN AMERICA AT A GLANCE with encouragement on every hand.” ‘“Can -you. mention the names of any special teams that have been organized?” T asked.. “There are no less than eight,” he re- plied. ‘“‘Some of these are already playing regulation American baseball. = Among them are the teams of Tottenham, Ful- ham, Woolwich, West. Ham, Brentford, Chelsea, Milway, and la: but not by any means léast the ‘Nondescripts’ of London, the last made up principally of men on the staffs of varlous London news- papers. We, intended at first, to call these the ‘Pressgang.” but as the title was rather suggestive, it was withdrawn. Yoti ' may take it fram us that the present movement ‘for reintroducing American baseball into England is a very solid one. We are making every preparation to sup- ply_the demand;, which is growing dally, for baseball matefial ‘of every kind.” Willlam C. J. Kelly, who is one of the best authorities on sporting matters of an international character, confirms Spald- ing’s opinion. “I predict,” said Kelly, “that English cricket will before many years be a thing of the past. Heaps of cricketers are already. taking up baseball, especially those who have been to the United States and seen the swift American game.” “How do you account for the fact that baseball failed in England in the past?” he was asked. T “In the first place,” he replied, “when baseball was introduced into this country fifteen years ago, a lot of Americans were brought over and those who played did not, think it worth while to teach the -every ten years, a little more or less, Whether at the beginning or the end of the century.; . ot 4 The shoftest distance travelled was be- tween the. veArs 1800 gnd 1310, when only thirty-six miles. were traversed. The 1ongest jump was between 1850 and 1860, when eighty-one miles were covered. The regularity of the movement of the center of ‘population while- the population of the country has incredsed at. such an enor- mous rate is obviously very remarkable. " By reference to the accompanying map it will be seen that the digressions of this line either to'the north’'or 'south have been ‘somewhat less than fifty miles in a full cenitury. 'These f-ures apply, however, only until ‘the’ end of the last century. ‘Sinice 1890 the' line has shown a tendency ‘to move southward; while at the same time its rate of progress has been ab- ruptly cliecked.” In other’ words, while ‘the movement of the line was at the rate of about forfy mlles every temn years, iis ‘movement. during .the decade from 1890 10 1900 was but fourteen miles, a start- ling contrast with previous decades for a century. This abrupt check to its movement and its southward teridency in- dicate, of course, a rapld increase of the population in the South. 3 LTl tend to your case right away, too. GIRL he ordered the doorman to carry it to the President at once. The envelope and the messenger disappeared through a pair of green baize doors and Mary stood alone. She thought she had been tricked of that precious letter when suddenly there scur- ried into the room the messenger, who announced:— : “‘Send Miss Rogers in to see the Presi- ent.” “Why, how do you do, Mary?" said Prseident Grant cheerily. “What can I do for you?" Mary was immediately put at ease. “I would like to get a position in one of the government offices,” she said. “I am getting to be too big a girl to be sell- ing apples much longer and I did not know of any one else who could help me but_you.” “Have you anything in mind? asked General Grant. “No, but I thought there must be some chance of a girl of my age.” “Yes, there is. I'll see that you get a place such as a girl like you deserv of the paymaster, first one, to tell him the good news. “What did Be say?” asked tie pay- at once,” returned the girl, so happy and proud in her new world that she could scarce restrain herself from crying aloud in her joy. “You run aleng home now ahd get or three good nights’ rest and do not out to sell anything more until for you. If you do not get a position be- fore the week’s out I'm very much mis taken in General Grant.” So, out went little Mary. She did n heed the words of her old friend to the letter, because she knew that every cent that she could make from the basket was needed at home. She took up a position at a busy cross street and disposed of the remaining part of her stock. ‘With an empty basket Mary started for home, taking her usual route along Penn- sylvania avenue. The two miles that she usually trudged seemed but a few blocks to her now. She had not gone a quarter of a mile before a big negro, in coachman’s livery, planted himselr directy in her path, extending to her as he did se formidable looking envelope. In one corneér it bore the words “Executive Man- sion,” but Mary did not realize the true import of the letter. She took It trem- bling, fearing that it was some sort of order, as only a few days before she had been warned by one of the watch- men of the Treasury Department that it was against the rules for peddlers to enter the bullding. Without a moment’s heeitation Mary started back for the Treasury Department to tell the pay- master what had happened. ““What do you think It 187" asked the paymaster, lightly, intending to put Mary at eage. “I don’t know. thing awful.” “I guess it’s your appointment. Open it and see.” “You open it.” The paymaster opened it, and it wasan appointment to an unusually attractive position for so young a girl. Mary disappeared from the paymaster’s life almost as strangely as she had en- tered. As the paymaster sat in his office many years later a tall, strapping youth en- tered and handed a picture of a young woman to him and asked him If he rec- ognized it “No, " sald the paymaster. ‘“‘Recognize this?" he continued, as he lald before the paymaster a little box. Opening it, the paymaster found inside a bright silver quarter, dated 1368, looking as fresh as If just out of the mint. The paymaster did not recall the coin. “That is a plcture of my mother,” went on the young man. “She told me on her deathbed that if I ever came to Washing- ton I must look you up and tell you of /er good fortune. She was Mary Rogers before she was married and used to sell apples to you and General Grant when she was a girl. The silver quarter is the very first coin she took In when you called her to your window and bought from her.” 1 FOR BASEBALL game to the English onlookers: Another reason it failed was because several of the big mercant!le companies played base- ball a mere advertisement, and the general public did not take any Interest in the game. Now, however, we have made a rule that only two Americans will be al- lowed in any team. and no American will be allowed to pitch. This will keep the game from becoming strictly American, and in time, English pitchers will get on to all the American curves.” “Do you think they will ever play base- ball in this country as It is played In America: " I"asked. “Certainly,” was the reply. “T ses no reason why Englishmen should not play just as good a game as is played In the United States. Agreements have been made to keep professional players out of the teams; that s, expert baseballers will not be Introduced into this country from the United States. All our teams will be strictly English. One of the foremost men in organizing the English teams is W. 8. Schutt, formerly of Cornell University, now of Oxford, who is the winner of one of the Cecil Rhodes Scholarships. He is captain of the Oxford team which is to play Woolwich this month. Other well- known men are Jermyn and Strasson, who have both been to the United States and are great baseball enthusiasts.” “You can take it from us,” he continued, “that the new movement is not an ephem- eral one. I predict for American baseball in this country a brilllant future. As scon as its fine points are realized, the publie will undoubtedly become as enthusiastie over the game as the Americans.” 2 I'm afraid it is some- The first movement recorded, that be- tween 1790 and 1800, was from a point twenty-three miles east of Baitimore to & point eighteen miles west of that city, & total movement of forty-one miles. Tem years later it was located forty miles northwest by west of Washington, having moved thirty-six miles in the decade. By the year 1820 it had reached a point six- teen miles north of Woodstock, Va., hav- ing travelled an even:fifty miles. In the following decade it left the State of Vir- ginia, coming to rest in the present State of West Virginia, nineteen miles west- southwest of Moorfleld, a distance of thir- ty-nine miles. It next traveled to a point sixteen miles south of Clarksburg, in the same State, fifty-five miles. The next decade carried it to a point twenty-three miles southeast of Parkersburg, repeat- ing the same distance of the previous decade, fifty-five miles. In 1360 it moved into Ohio, to a point twenty miles south of Chillicothe, having traveled eighty-one miles, the longest movement in its history. Ten years later it had reached a point eight miles northeast of Cincinnati, fifty- eight miles. The southern tendency them became obvious, for in the following tem years, between 1370 and 1830, it traveled to a point eight miles west by south Cincipnati. It next moved to