Evening star. [volume], September 14, 1895, Page 13, Image 13

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
I I'
itIi
INTERVIVNWING
TAUGHT BY PICTURES
Frank Beard.Believes in the Gartoon
in Religion.
A CHAT WITH THE ARTIST
How He Came to invent the
4"Chalk Talk."
WAR-TIME CARICATURES
(Copyrighted, 1895. by Frank 0. Carpenter.)
CHICAGO, September 12.
HAVE JUST HAD A
talk with Frank
Beard about hirn
self and American
caricature. He is, to
a certain extent, the
father of the Amern
ican cartoon, and ie
has been making
J .funny pictures for
the newspapers all
his life. He,is now
about fifty years of
age, and his first
picture was publish
d when he was under ten. He has opened
a new field in cartooning as the editor of
the Ram's Htrn. This is the Puck and
Judge of Chicago, but its pictures are semi
religious instead of political. In it Frank
Beard is trying to reform the religious
world by exposing its shama Its field
was well expressed by Mr. Beard during
the talk, when I easked him aq to what he
thought of the future of American car
ricature. He replied:
"I think we are just at the beginning of
the use of the cartcon. Pictures can often
ten stories quicker and better than words,
and I believe that cartoons can be used in
the service of religion, righteousness, truth
and justice without being subject to party..
I believe In the fundamental principles of
Christianity, but I can take a text from
the Bible, and with the utmost reverence
can, through the medium of the cartoon,
apply it to the civilization of today. I can
point a moral in this way, and by a picture
can make a tract which every mtn who
sees it must read.
The First Chalk Talk.
Frank Beard is as deaf as a post, and he
has been so from birth. The only way to talk
with him is through a black rubber tube,
about as big around as a garde- hose and
as long as your arm. This he always has
about his neck. Mr. Beard is an inveterate
sketcher, and during my conversation he
illustrated his poin I by drawing pictures,
talking all the while, so that It seemed a
race between his tongue and his pencil as
to which should convey the idea first.
There is no man in the United States who
can give forth Ideas in this manner as he
can. He is, you know, the originator of
the chalk talk, and there is hardly a town
in the United States in which he has not
given this sort of a lecture, standing on
the platform with a roll of paper stretched
on an easel before him, and with a half
dozen colored crayons in his hand. He car
ries his audiences with him while he draws
pictures illustrating the philosophy, fun
and satire which he throws at them in solid
chunks. There are today a score or more
of this kind of entertainers in the United
States. Frank Beard, however, was the
author of the busin.ess, and he made,'the
other day, a sketch for me In illustration
of. his story as to how he came to make
the first chalk talk. Sald he:
"It is now more than twenty years since
I gave my first talk of this Rcind. I was
a young artist in Ne~w York, and had just
been married. My wife was an en
thusiastic churchgoer, and a great deal of
our courtship waS carried on in going to
ad from the Methodist Church. The re
1 -.
eaecnvr. This ocurd hrl
suit a thte setngs, an rIa took part
aie curchwrk. Thsowur shortly
le many others in the United States,
was very hard up. We were always need
big money for something, and we tried to
supply this by means of entertainments
and socials. Soon after I had joined the
church the young people gave an entertain
ment, and the ladies suggested that I
draw some pictures as a part of it. I con
sented, but I felt that the standing up be
tore an audience and sketching without
aying anything in Illustration of the pic
III -~
PRANK BEARD.
concluded to make a short talk, and draw
the sketches in illustration of It. I wrote
out my story and rehearsed it a half dozen
times beforehand. The entertainment was
for a Thanksgiving celebration, and my
rehearsal took place at home, my wife, my
mo.ther-in-law and the turkey, which we
tied up in the chair, forming the audience.
Well, my wife survived, my mother-in-law
did not die while I was talkirg, and the tur
key was not spoiled. The exhibition came
off in the church, and it was a great suc
cess. Other churches heard of it, and I
had applications to repeat it again and
WHY DON'T Y
again. At first I was flattered, and I read
ily consented. I never thought of charg
ing for it until the demands became so
numerous that I was unable to fill them.
It was taking much of my energy and lots
of time. To put a stop to it my wife
suggested that I charge so much for each
entertainment. So, when the next appli
cation came, 'I replied that I could oblige
them but that it would cost $50. To my
surprise they accepted my offer by return
mal. It was so with nearly every one who
wrote, and I soon found that I was making
more at-my chalk talks that at my news
paper work. I then charged $40, then
$50, and so on until I now get what is
considered a very good price. I don't
like to lecture very well, however. The
wear and tear is too great, and you have
to hurry too much to make trains."
. A Boy Sketcher.
"When did you make your first cartoon,
Mr. Beard?" I asked.
"My inclimatlon to make caricstures dates
back to my boyhood," was the reply. "My
father 'was an artist, you know, and he
',.
THE SCHOOL TEA
has painted some very good pictures. When
I was a boy, away back in the fifties, we
lived at Painesville, Ohio, a little town
ni ar Cleveland. The chief county paper at
this time was the Yankee Notions. It would
be considered a very poor thing today, but
it was the best of its kind, then. As soon
as I saw it, I became one of its regular
subscribers. .All of my spare pennies went
for it. When I was about ten years old, I
came in to my mother one day with this
HALK TALK.
paper in my hand and said: 'Ma, I am goig
to draw some pictures and send them to
the Yankee Notions.'
"'All right, my son.' was the reply, 'if
you think you can do so.'
"I then asked her to give me the j'okes,
that I might make pictures to them. She
objected to this, and told me that I must
make the jokes, as well as the pictures,
and that the man who made the one al
ways made the other, This bothered me,
somewhat, but I finally succeeded in mak
ing a joke and a picture. I mailed it to the
paper, and in due time received fifty cents
for it. This seemed a great deal of money
to me. and for a long time after that I
thought of nothing but jokes and pictures.
I kept sending more jokes, and sometimes,
T rememhbe T eat as much as $5 at a time
for tan jokes. This was a fortune for a
schoolboy, and I was the envy of all my
companions."
Frank Beard's First Cartoon.
"Do you remember what that first joke
was, Mr. Beard?"
' "Yes," -replied the cartoonist, with a
laug. 'It was not the most elegant, but
It was such as a schoolboy might naturally
originate. It represented a lean, old school
mistres, with a spelling book in one hand
and a ruler in the other, sitting before a
.!ttle boy perched upon a bench, who was
saying his spelling -lesson. Under it were
these words:
"Teacher-'Bobby, what does b-e-n-c-h
spell?'
"Bobby-I don't know, mum.'
"Teacher-'Why, what are you sitting
on?
"Bobby-I don't like to tell'
"You were in the army, Mr. Beard; how
could you pass the examining board with
your deaf ears?" I asked.
"That is quite a story," replied Frank
Beard. "I tried to pass the officers, but
failed. I was just eighteen when Fort Sum
ter was fired upon. With the first shot an
epidemic of patriotism broke out all over
the north. Every one wanted to go right
away and light for the country. I- got the
epidemic and was crazy to go. I went
down to Camp Dennison, near Colimbus,
_ Ohio, and attempted to pass the examiners.
This was at the first of the war, and they
were more particular then than later on.
I knew they would not pass me If they dis
covered I was deaf, so I learned. the order
of the questions and committed the an
swers to be given to them. I met a num
ber of men who bad been examined, and I
thought I had it down pat when I went
In. It happened, however, that one of the
board had heard something of my infirm
ity, and at his whispered suggestion the
order of the questions was changed. In
stead of asking me my name the first ques
tion was:
"'How old are you?'
"'Frank Beard,' I boldly answered.
"'What is your- name?'
"'Eighteen years old,- was my reply.
A Volunteer in Truth.
"This went on for perhaps half a dozen
questions when the officers burst into laugh
ter, and I saw that it was no go. They re
fused to admit me into the service. I hung
around-the camp for a short time and was
about to go back home in despa'r, when
one- of the captains took pity upon me. le
told me that I might go with his company
without pay, and that he would get me-a
)U TAKE IT?
uniform and musket. He did so, and I
served throughout the war as a pr:vate
without pay. I did some sketching, but
not much, and made just about as much out
of my pictures as I would hate .-eceved
from Uncle Sam had I been on the regular
pay rolls. This seems ra:he: extraordinary
now. You can hardly understand it. It
was not strange. in 1861. Patriotism was
then alive. The country was on -fire with
Ilt., There were thousands of young men
who would have done the same.
The First Great War Cartoon.
"The war was practically the mother of
American newspaper caricature. The Illus
trated newspaper grew rapidly during the
war. The cartoon most in vogue prior to
the war consisted of stilted figures with
words coming out of their mouths, and the
words and not the pictures- told the story.
I think I am the author of what was per
haps the first war cartoon. It was in 1861.
and It represented a southern march on
Washintten. Gen. Scott was In command
of the army, and was defending the capi
HER AND BOBBY.
tal. The rebels were threatening to march
to the north. I made a cartoon represent
ing Gen. Scott as a big bulldog with a
cocked hat.-on its head, sitting behind a
plate containing a bone marked 'Washing
ton.'
"This cartoon made a great hit. It was lith
ogrephedi, and we sold .it in. Cincinnati for
ten cents apiece. It was copied all over
the country. It made a great sensation.
The newspapers published it and commer
cial houses hnd cuts made from it and put
on their envelopes. Had I had the sense
to have "copyrighted it, I would have made
a great deal of money out of it. But I
i'as a boy then, and did not know as much
as I do now."
"After the war closed I went to New
York and made sketches for the Ynnkee
Notions. I did work on a number of dif
ferent papers, and turned my hand at any
thing I could find to do In the way of
sketching. I had a bad time at irst, and
somnetimes I nearly starved, I have walk
ed the streets night after night In New
York because I had not enough to pay for
1odging, and I have made many a lunch
off of crackers and cheese. I could have
gotten money, of course, by sending home,
but I was too proud to do so. After
a while, however, I got a foothold, and I
did work on nearly all of the illustrated
papers."
The American Cartoon.
"'The first paper that .published cartoons
was the Yankee Notions ef which I told
you. This was owned by a man named
.Strongs and it had a long run. Then Knick
knacks appeared, which was followed by
the Comic Monthly and Frank Lesle's
Budget of Fun. Then we had Vanity Fair
and then Mrs. Grundy, Illustrated by Thos.
Nast and published by Harpers. Puck and
Judge were later creations, and now the
daily newspapers are publishing their car
toons.
"What is the effect of this upon artists
and Illustrators?"
"It increases their value, of course," 'e
plied Frank Beard. "But it also brings np
a great crop of new sketchers and of
mediocre men. By the poor processes of
printing now used In the . papers th'i
sketchee of the best artist look scarcely
better than thcse of the amateurs who
scratch out pIctures on the chalk plates in
the country newspaper offices. Take Dana
Gibson's pictures. They would lose half
their force If published in the daily news
papers Instead of In the magazines. Still,
the Increased demand helps the better art
ists, too. Prices are twice as high now as
they have been in the past, and the de
mand for drawings has never been so great
as it isnow. It is easy tofind aman who
can draw. It is hard to find one who can
tell what to draw. What the world needs
is men with ideas. We want creative men,
and such men receive higher prices every
year. They will be worth more and more
as time goes on. Machinery does not hurt
them."
FRANK a CARPENTER.
PAST AND PRESENT
An Interesting Oontriat in the Life
of Newp se
IMPROVE] EN 1 IEJM
-Perfect System Observed by the
Great Journals Ef the Day.
OLD REPORTERS AND NEW
Along- about 1876, when the writer first
felt an itch to see -his mental emanations
in some print more renowned than the "old 1
boys' " column in the monthly college
paper, he went down 4% street one day and
saw a lot of broken glass on the pavement
.in front of a shoe shop. It was early in
the morning, and the str et cars were run
ning at infrequent nterv 1s, but the point
of destination was the 11th street wharf,
where it was his intention to ascertain if
the early fish would take the worm as dili
gently as the early bird:. The broken glass
would have never caused any interest save
perhaps a piece of it might have been
picked up to use in scraping the butt of his
fishing pole smoother, but right in the midst
of it was a long piece of steel, with a
slightly turned-up and sharpened point at
one end of it, and he stopped to gather it
in.
Just then a sleepy man came out of the
door next to the shop and immediately. be
came wide awake. The door of the shop
had been broken open, but it had been
closed again, so that only a person familiar
with its appearance would have noticed it.
The man entered the place, and then his
wails rent the close atmosphere, foul with
the smell of half-tanrei leather. and
worked out in tie strget and attracted the
attention of a policeman, who, for a wor.
der in these days, was within hearing dis
tarce. It was a very funny'interview that
followed between the man in the shop and
the policeman when the latter got there.
In broken English. that showed its pos
sessor was Low Dutch, the min recou:ted
the story of his nisfortunes. The door had
G:en broken open; the door to a dilapid.ted
desk had been ransacked; things had been
pulled topsy-turvy, and the lamp chin
rey had been broken.
Misery Turns to .oyy.
"Have yez iesht anyting?" asked the po
liceman.
The man stared. His senses slowly re
tt:rued. Then his joy became as intense as
his lamentations had been mournful. A
broken door- and a broken lamp chimney
made up the sum total of his trouble. He
seized the pie-ce of steel, which the youth
ful fishermen was holding, and which his
later experience teaches him was a
"jimmy," and waved It triumphantly.
"I vant a bcker," he ejaculated, "elnt de
tam teef lef' me lees vdon." The amiable
policeman never thought-et taking posses
sion of the burglar's t 1bL No such thing
as a clue ever entered jlis tuse cranium.
He departed, swinging his club, and the
man swept away the- hroyen glass. The
young fisherman, dang ling . his legs over
the 11th street wharf. fel'u his risibil~ttes
rising time and time again, as he waited
patiently for nibbles. There was much
humor in t.at mornip ,xperlence, and
pelt day he sat dowr ..an wrote an ac
count of it. It was accrude and labored
attempt, perhaps, but it rwt a managing
editor's eye when .that avful personage
was In a genial mood.- Something in the
situation and the dialect, perhaps, struck
his fancy, anI he told the trembling author
of it to bring him some more' "stuff like
this" when he ran scrins it. If that first
Item had reached the ety editor first in all
probability this a't4cleW 4Id never have
been written, for the cty editor in those
days wanteI only cold:factp, without gar
niture or 'iressing.
Starting in asn a56.
A year later saw the yopngster regularly
engaged as a sub reporter in the capital of
the nation. A leg fordistance was as good,
almost, in those days as -a nose for news.
Being well equipped with shanks and an -in
dustrious readiness to utilize - them, he
passed muster in the city room,, and re
ceived distant toleration from the full
fledged reporters. A full-fledged reporter
in those days was one who never failed to
get the exact mcment when an alarm of
fire was sounded, the name of the officer
or citizen tur-ting it in and the way the
fire was first discovered. The damage, the
insurance and the companies carrying the
risk were matters of secondary considera
tion to him. The police stations were as
far apart then as they are now, and as
there wereno telephones, personal visits by
the reporters were necessary to each one.
After the cars had stopped running it was
one of the delightfyl privileges of the at
dent young sub.. who gloried in six dollars
a week and seeing himself in print, to go .
down on the "Island," across the dark
mall, after midnight, to get Items at the
police station, and then when he returned
to the office to be sent over near Rock
creek to discover what there was in the
rumor of a fight in Foggy Bottom.
There was a queer telegraphic contriv
ance at police headquarters, over which old
Mr. Kendig presided. It was a circular
disk, having arranged upon !tt the alpha
bet and '.the numerals, with punctuation
marks and a dollar mark. There was a
similar contraption In each of the police
stations, and if there was a murder or any
thing of immense importance to communi
(ate, the station keeper would laboriously
spell out the message letter- by letter, and
old Mr. Kendig would take it down. There
were lots of pranks played on that primi
tive telegraph line by mischievous re- -
porters.
Somec Reporters' Practienl Jokes,
Sometiines one would be at'an outlying
station after mnidnight, and would send a1
message recounting -some shocking -occur
rence. There was always a reporter drop
ping in at Intervals of a few minutes to
Mr. Kendig's ofice, and if he stood well
with that old gentleman he would be told
about it. Then, with visions of a great
scoop before him, the reporter would util
ze his gifted legs and make tracks to the
precinct of the distant scene of the sup
posed crime, only to find at last a sleepy I
station keeper, who gave him a half-snor
ing laugh of contemptuous scorn. Some
times the sleuths who represented the Bal
timore papers were sent, on wild goose
chasee of this sort, One rainy and disa
greeable midnight a countryman appeared
at detective headquarters, in the basement
of police headquarters, .a few doors below -
their prEsent location, ODI Lot$isiana avenue.
with a woman's shawl *afnd hat and a
poorly scrawled note. )Ie:0 said he had
found them on Benning brIdge. The note I
tcld a story of intended zelf-destruction.
The countryman casualy ;emarked that
some people were trying to find the body
when he. left, The bright young man who
wt s then locgi correspondent of the Balti- 1
more Sun was the on11 reprter present. I
He swore the detectives to eience and hur- I
ried to the night liner sian4. at 7th street.
He hired a man to drive hi like mad to
Benning bridge. He returned at a slower
pace, a sadder and a wiser'man. Some of
the other reporters, knowing 'John's great ~
predilection for scoops ha employed the
countryman down at t Ae Aerican House a
to do his little act at tWk detectives' room, I
The tra~p was'laid for the ISun man, and
he got caught in fine fashion. When the
Sun- turned down his expense account for
the occasion of $1.50 he felt wors-e.
In the old days there were few reporters I
who were not hard drinkers. Especially
was this the case with men on morning
papers. It needed a strong character to
withstand the temptations continually be
set ting. It may be remarked that the same
thing holds good today. It is one of the
singular peculiarities of life that a person.
can transact business with a lawyer, doctor
or any other professional man without the
thought of alcoholic assis tance,while in nine
ty instances out of a hundred the individual
who wishes to transact a matter with a
newspaper man regards a drink as a neces-,
sary prelIminary, and a frequent repetition
as a paramount reqtuisite to the proper
completion of the matter in hand. There a
was less denial on the reporter's part in thea
- old days. The writer has seen every re
porter, the city,nlght and managing editors a
and the foreman of the compiosing room on I
a big morning daily loaded to the guards I
at minfhth and yet et out a br~ient, 1
seway paper, noticeable fee its exellence,
sext morning,
Drinkers Now at a Diseenat.
But such a system could not be kept up,
Ind today the man who, lets liquor get the
;est of him, even at long Intervals, cannot
fold a position on any reputable journal in
this country. He may manage to confine
als libations to the hours when he is off
ttive duty, but the unerring Instinct of the
ditor will discover his habit, and then there
will arise In the editorial mind that distrust
which Inevitably leads to a short final inter
view and a new man on the run around
own.
It Is not difficult to understand why this
s so absolutely necessary now, when It
was not regarded as being so twenty. years
ago. Then newspapers were largely con
lucted with -a regard to their political in
luence. The means of international-in
Iced, interstate-communication were very
neager. There was but little demand
an the part of the public for anything more
:hgn the news of its particular community.
rhe press associations made one great ef
fort during the year. and that was at elec
tion time. Reporters were engaged ex
:luslvely for particular routine work, and
taving attended to t_ is, satisfied themselves
Id their employers. They wrote their re
ports in regular stereotyped style, and the
reasons for news or the results the events
naking the news might lead to were of no
mportance to them. Actions were record
td, while motives and probabilities were, of
so moment. The change came when the
facilities for gathering news and putting
It, mechanically, In shape so vastly Im
proved. To the writer's mind, the remark
able improvement In the mechanical part
of journalism made it imperative that the
Intellectual portion should become- more
awakened and enterprising. The cylinder
press replaced the fitthed; stereotyping
took the place of impressions from type:
the telephone saved the reporters' legs and
made his brain matter- more active; then
the type-setting machines completed a
metamorphosis as ma- celous as it is actual.
The Newapner of Today.
Today a well-equipyed paper like The
Evening Star is ti:e very quintessence of
seif-reliant power. It fa a great mental
machine of which each part is a requisite,
altho gh not an ab olu'ely recessary factor
in the whole. This seems to be paradoxical.
but it Is easily explained. The system is
such that when the managing, news or city
editor Is absent, there is no noticeable evi
dence of the fact in the afternoon issue.
Why? Because the newspaper employs a
force that is separate in its entities, but
wlo.e Darts are yet transferrable from one
:o nt of usefulness to an tier. - Whsle inter
iependent upon each other, they are still
I.terchangeable. and the absolute rella
t-ility of each for whatever. duty may be
assigned is the secret of the magnificent
ystem that only the gravest and most un
inual accident can disturb in the slightest.
rhis system, too, marks the management
af every first-class newspaper. Twenty
years ago, when it was necessary for a
managing editor to send a man away from
the city of publication on a mission, It was
a question with - him whom. he could trust
to attend to the duty without "falling
.own" on him, as the expressive saying is.
cday he is confronted with no such difii
'ulty. He knows he can send'any man on
the force whom he considers equal to the
character of the work to be done to the
ends of the earth, and that he will perform
the mission conscientiously, quickly, and
ret out of it all that is possible, and come
back to drop into his place again as un
irncerned as if he had just returned from
miriday lunch.
An illustration of this confidence which
makes modern journalism possible may be
eited in concluding this article.
Some time ago a Star reporter was about
to he rent off to meet a distinguished man
and have a talk with him.
"Any instructions?" he inquired of the
arrasing editor.
"etter take your overcoat along; it's lia
ble to be chilly In the mountains," was the
reply.
It is that absolute faith in the integrity
ard ability of the reporter of today on the
prt of hi; superiors, and his indomitable
le'ermilnat ion to deserve it, that makes the
system of the modern newspaper what it
is-the m'raculous mechanical equipment.
combining all the powers and mysteries of
ate am and electricity, is but secondary
to the complete harmony of the minds
which keep It in motion,. C. C.
HE WAS ONLY CURIOUS.
re Photographers Born 'So or Are
They Otherwiset
r;n the Chicago Times-Herald.
When the photographer came out of the
la k room he found the man who had or
iered some photographs sorne three weeks
xfere looking over a:s album.
"Oh, y( u've come for thosa photos-" be
ran the photographer, with the air of one
rho has a guilty conscience.
"Not at all, not at all," replied the
tranger, carelessly. "I was passing, you
nor, and just dropped In." .
"I am vary sorry," said the photographer,
'but you know the weather-"
"Oh, don't d'stress yourself," Interrupted
he patron again. "The question of the
hotographs is immaterial. I 'just came in
o have you cettlo a dispute."
"With pleasure," said the photographer,
ith evider,t relief. "What is It?"
"Well, I had an arg.rent with a friend a
ttle while ago," explained the patron In a
'lesant, offhand manner. ''le said that
he habit of procrastinat:o: was born in
>otographets; that they can't help finish
ng jobs a week or two after they have
romised, and that they really don't intend
o lie when they say you can surely have
our photographs the latter part of next
reek."
"Put the clouds-"' began the photog
spher, in an apologetic way.
"Oh. they have nothing to do with it at
ill. It is purely a matter of ethics, you
:ow. I told him that some photographers
rere not that way, and he denied it, and
y got into a row. Then we agreed to leave
t to you. Now, all you have to do is to tell
ne the name of a man who once got a job
lone on time and I'll win."
"Why, sir, I-" The photographer began
o show some nervousness.
"Can't recall it offhand, I suppose," said
he patron, cheerily. "But there must be
ne. Never mind bothering your head now,
ough. The name will come to you in a
lay or two, and then you can drop me a
ine.
"Oh, never mind them. It must be the
eather, of course. We've had one or two
loudy days, some with bright sunshine and
nine with- medium bright sunshine slice
ou first promised to have them done, but
suppose none of these weather samples
xactly suited, You can send the photo
raphs up when you send tlie answer to
ny question. Good day!"
"John," said the photographer, after the
atron bad" gone, "put everything else aside
nd see that those Robinson photographs
.re finished up the first thing. Then mal
hem to him I wouldn't have him come iii
ere again for $1,000-"
Information From Afar,
'rei the Portland Oregonian5, Augnet 50.
In the mall recelyed by Mr. James H.
age yesterday was a letter bearing an
inglish postmark, addressed to his son,
PH. Page, who left for Europe some six
reeks since. Mr. Page opened the letter,
nd it proved to be from Samuel- Har
reave of Rye Close Cottage, Mawbray,
faryport, Cumberland, England, who
rrites that while he was walking on the
each on the morning of August 15 he
ound a bottle just washing ashore,- and
oeing that there was a paper inside he ex
.mined It and found the following hote:
'To whoever finds this: Address a letter to
PH. Page, 12) Front street, Portland,
pregon, U. S. A., for some valuale infor
cation." Mr. Hargreave adds: "Mawbray
a a farming village on the 'Soiway Firth,
bout midway between Maryport and Sil
th. The bottle camne ashore at 5:20 anm."
r. Page supposes that his son and some
riends must have been drinking a bottle of
eineral water or something on board the
teamer, and that some of them, In joke,
laced the note in the bottle, corked It and
hrew it overboard, little dreaming of ever
earing of It again"
Not .1a It.
rom Tid-Bits.
Prompted by the feeling that it was his
uty, the bishop remonstrated with one
f his clergy for attending a local hunt.
'Well, your lordship," replied the offender,
I really do not see there Is any more
arm In hunting than in going to a ball"
I presume," answered isi lordship, "that
ou refer to having seen my name down
.morg those who attended Lady Somer
ille's ball, hut I assure you throughout
he whole evening I was never once in the
ame room as the dincera." "That, my
ard, is exactly how I stand-I was never in
he same field as the hounds." Then the
PROFITS IN CROAKERS
Frog Farms Furnish Fine Fields for
.apitalists.
EAY TOI .TO RIE ADPLE
There is a Steady Market for This
Delicacy.
BETTER THAN CHICKENS
T HAS LONG BEEN
a wonder to me," said
a prominent fish mer
chant at the Center
muarket the other day,
"why some of the
enterprising young
/ men of Washington
do not turn their at
tention to frog cul
ture. Lots of people
have made small for
tunes by raising
chickens on a large
scale, but there is
even more money to be made by cultivating
green-back frogs."
Any one wishing to carry out this sugges
tion can find any number of more or less
stagnant ponds in the outlying districts,
that could,- with very little expense, be
converted into frog farms, and it is safe to
say that if the business were properly look
ed after the nanagers would reap a sur
prisingly large profit. The man that could
raise a million of frogs and get them safely
to market would be a wealthy person. A
number of Washington boys and farmers
in the country near the city devote a good
deal of their time during the summer
months to catchin,, and shipping frogs to
Washington, where they are always .in de
mand. and, although they make a very
neat sum of money by their industry, they
do not realize nearly as much as they
could if the business were carried on in -a
systematic manner. So far as is known,
there is not a single frog farm within 100
miles of Washington, or any place where
they are raised on economic principles.
Such establishments are frequent in Massa
chtsetts, and the frog markets of Boston
and New York are supplied almost entirely
by these farms.
The supply is never equal to the demand,
and "saddles," as the legs are balled, can
always be disposed of to retail dealers at
from 50 cents to $1 a dozen, according to
their size. Those sold to the clubs and
hotels bring better. prices, but most of these
establishments have regular agents in the
field, who send them In as fast as caught.
Doesn't Cost Eneah to Start.
It requires very little capital to start a
frog farm. If there are no ponds in- the
neighborhood where it is desired to locate,
they can easily be made by digging to the
proper depth and filling in with water from
some near-by stream. It is well not to
have the ponds too large, as trouble may
be experienced in capturing the frogs when
wanted for market. It is a good plan, when
the ponds are to be artificially constructed,
to make two, one above.the other, so that
they can be drained and the frogs caught
without difficulty. Ground should be chosen
that is rather springy or marshy, and with
soft muck at the bottom, as the frogs
hibernate in the mud during the winter
months. A light board fenoe should be
built around the pond in ordef to keep out
such enemies of the frogs as lizards, snakes
and coons, and it should also be built close
to the edge of the water, so that no birds
can stand on the inside and pick up the
pollywogs. 'After the pond has been pre
pared, the next step is to secure the spawn.
This can be found in almost any pond or
sluggish stream inhabited by the long
tance jumpers. A close investigation wil
reveal a small glutinous mass, which is to
be picked up with a dipper and placed in
*a pail of water. Take it to your hatching
box, which is made after the fashion of a
shad hatching box, two feet long and
eighteen inches wide, with fine wire net
ting on the bottom. This method need only
be followed- when it is deslrqd to distribute
'the young in various pondd as they will
hatch just as well when deposited in the
pond in the first place.. Great care should
be taken in gathering spawn not to get
toad spa.wn. The spawn of the frog is
found in a bunch, like a sponge of jelly,
ard is clear, with black spots in it.
It should be gathered very carefully, and
the jelly, which Is essential to successful
hatching, should be broken as little as
possible. Toad spawn is laid in a string,
and when lying in the water it looks like a
glass tube with small shot distributed
through it at intervals.
The Hatching Season.
The spawn will hatch in from seven to
ten days, according to the temperature of
the water, the warmer it is the faster being
the development. No trouble will be had in
feeding the pollywogs, as nature provides
for this important feature. They exist on
the sediment that collects cn floating logs
and cn the vegetable matter in the water.
In tLhe course of time the pollywogs, or tad
poles, have developed into frogs, but there
seems to be some doubt as to the length
of time required in making this change. It
sometimes occurs in a few weeks, and it
has been claimed that pollywogs have ex
isted in the early state for over a year
without showing any signs of becoming a
frog. The hind legs are the first to break
through the skin, and are followed by the
front, the- perfect frog taking its size ac
cording to the size of the tadpole. When
the frog state is reached the animal re
quires a change in its diet, and subsists on
insects, small fish and meat. Naturally it
will only take living "food, the - difficulty of
supplying which forms the main obstacle
in frog- culture, When minnows and flies
are scarce the frog will often turn upon1
end devour the unfortunate tadpole. Stale
meat scattered about the pond will attract
fies, and if the meat is cut up finely the
frogs will get a taste for it and learn to
eat it. When they have passed into the
frog state they must have a chance to get1
out of the water into the grass and sit on
the banks and sun themselves,
No Expense After the First Year.*
Prolbably no returr s will be reallsed from
the first year's effort, but after the initial
season the annual profits from a well con
ducted frog farm will increase with aston
ishing rapidity. All the labor and expense
of the enterprise is entailed at the start,
and each succeeding year all that is neces
sary is to market the product and pocket
the proceeds. When this delicacy first came
into popular favor, great trouble was found
in getting them even in small quantities,
but since fancy prices are being paid for
choice "saddles," the country people living,
r ear streams and ponds have devoted a'
good deal* of time to capturing them, and
they are now more plentiful in the markets,
The season for frog hunting opens with
the niiet croak of the male and is continued
through the entire summer months. They
reach theIr prime, however, in the month of
September, when they have grown fat and
plump after a season of campaigning on
flies, minnows and water bugs. The work
of capturing these agile jumpers is a diffi
cult matter to the amateur, but when under
taken by tihe experienced hunter.and sports
man it becomes a pleasure and'affords the
finest sort of spor't. Whether they are
caught by the "pot hunter" or by the
novice, the excitement afforded is equal to
that in landing the gamest trout.
To Catch the Croakers.
There are several methods employed in
cartching them, but the one most universally
used is to hunt them at night with the aid
of a sk1rf, a flash lantern and a 'long pole,
The boat is poled along the banks, and
when the croak of a frog is heard the lan
tern is flashed full upon him. The bright
light has the effect of stupefyIng him, for be I
renmains motionless, and a quiek blow with
the stick diables him, and he is thrown
into a bag. Men who maker a business of a
catching frogs for market hunt them in this a
way, and frequently bag as mnany as five
dozen in a single night. A frog will bite at
almost any bright and moving little object,
and a piece of red flannel on a hook is the
meaps of landing a number of them. This
is the favorite method of the small1 boy.
In order to be successful on such hunt
ing expeditions~ strict quiet should be ob
served, for frogs have keen ears, and areg
quickr to take alarmn . he g-roni a
Do You Realize.
That the great trouble of the
American nation is Kidney Disease?
Very few men and fewer women
have perfect kidneys. Did you
know this?
And did you also know that there
is but one remedy known to science
for this great trouble: Warner's Safe
Cure.
If you have peculiar pains in the
back, or anywhere else in the body,
they probably come from disordered
kidneys. If you are weak, sickly and
do not know the cause the chances
are it is kidney trouble.
When the great and only cure for
this is so easily obtained, are you,
perhaps, not wasting time and run-,
ning a great risk if you do not se
cure it?
giddy and thoughtless creature and falls
a ready prey to the craft of the hunter.
but the older ones are sly and tricky and
are only captured by the most expert
sportsman.
Frogs as Diet.
Frog eating is not confined to the United
States, for they are esteemed as a delicacy
in France. England, and, in fact, in almost
every country. The Frenchmen, however,
were the first to make use of them as a
table dish, but they were soon followed by
Americans. As a rule, only the hind
quarters of the frog are eaten, but in Ger
many every part, with the exception of the
intestines and the skin. is made use of as
food. Many persons will not eat frogs, be
lieving that they are unclean, yet they
have no hesitation in partaking of lobsters
and crabs that feed upon the refuse ani
mal matter of the sea. The frog's flesh is
very white, tender and nutritious, and
when nicely cooked Is one of the most
dainty dishes that an epicure could desire
with a delicious flavor.
A lover of the dish gives the following
recipe for preparing them: After the skin.
has been removed, the legs- should be
placed in some fresh, cold water. Next
they should. be drained and dried and
put to soak awhile in the white
eggs, well beaten up. Now powder them
over with dour, and finally fry them In
plenty of olive oil until they are crisp and
brown. Add a lemon, some red pepper..
brown bread and butter, and you have the
proverbial dish fit for a king.
COLOR IN EVERY PHOTOGRAPH.
Woderfal Skill of the Chinese iUr
Detecting and Reieodueing lt.
From the Chicago Record.
On one occaslon, while he was prosecut
ing attorney, Luther Laia Mills came
upon an indictment returned agisnst a
Chinese laundryman upon the charge of
having assaulted an Irish policeman with
intent to kill. He tbotght this an excep
tionally curious case, and upon examining
the prosecuting witness and others, he
threw out the indictment as being wholly
absurd. The compatriots of the Chinaman
were very grateful for this act of justice,
and in pigeon English assured Mr. Mills
that they would not forget his kindness.
Five or six years after. this hapjpening
the afair was recalled to Mr. Mills' at
tention by a very pleasant incident. One
Sunday, while Mr. Mills sat on the lawn
In front of his north shore home, two car
riages rolled up and out stepped a delega
tion of Chinamen attired in native cos
tumes. One, who was superbly attired in
silks, addressed Mr. Min and recalled th
affair of his persecuted countrymen. "I
have just returned from China." said he,
"and I have brought with me certain ar
ticles which I crave permission to present
to your family as evidenices of my appre
!iation of your kindness to one of my coun
trymen when he was in trouble."
The delegation was ushered into the
house, bearing numerous packages of teas,
tans, silks, etc., which were distributed
about to the several members of the fam
ly. Before taking his departure .the
spokesman of the party asked Mr. Mills
o let him have a cabinet photograph he
saw on the mantelpiece; it was a picture
af the Mills children, very prettily group
td. Mr. Mills thought the request a
atrange one, but under the circumstances
is could hardly deny it.
"By and by you will know why I want
t," said the Chinese gentleman.
This incident remained a mystery until
tuite recently, when there arrived a parcel
rem Hong Kong containing an enlarged
wrater-color reproduction of the photo
graph, giving the details of expression and
olor with startling fidelity.
"Tais is our present to you," said the
Thinaman
"But how was it possible for 'that artist
mn the other side of the globe to know
rhat shade of color to give to the hair
ted eyes of these children whom he never
saw? That's what puzzles me," said Mr.
iills.
The Chinaman replied that the art of
>hotography was so thoroughly understood
n China that it was easy to determine
rom the revelations of the magnifying
,lass just exactly what color and what
ihade and what tint were represented
y such and such impressions as the photo
rraph retained and exhibited. Among the
rery many beautiful works of art in which
he Mills mansion abounds there Is none
nore exquisite than this example of Chi
lese skill, and, naturally, enough, with all
he associations which its history involves,
t is Mr. Mills' most precious poesswinn
smething New in Polities.
Pr the (Gicage Times-HeralM.
He had a great scheme, and he went
hrough the city hall corridor like the
leavy villain in a melodrama, When he
Inally found the man he was looking for
pe pulled him off Into one corner and be
an to elucidate his scheme with the most
nysterious air.
"It's great," he said; "the finest thing
ut. . Can't fail."
"What is?" asked the other.
"My plan for securing patronage."
"Rats! There ain't any way to control.
hat now."
"But you haven't heard my plan," per
isted the conspirator.
"No use anyway," returned the other.
"Yea, there is. It is all in knowing how.
rhat we want ia to organize."
"Organize nothirng. You can't beat the
ivil service law by organization."
"Oh, yes, I can."
"How?"
"Just by organizing on the right plan.
rou can't do It by organizing for political
ull and for work at the primaries or at the
olis."
"Hlow can you do It, then?'
"That's my aecret. That'a just what I atm
Btting you in on. I'ye gone into partner
hip with a school teacher, and we are
oing to start a civil aervice training
chool. I tell you it in a great scheme and
re will have all the boys in line."'
IE RmRAL
a the result of the usual treatmest of blosi Sb.
rders. 'The myatem is filled with Mercury sg
'otash reniedienrsr to be dreaded tha the
Isaae. in a ahort while Is in a tsr wings
ondition than before. The common resmit is
RHDEUIMATUSM
ar which S. s.5s. is the mosttt-inatlcra. A few
ottles will afford relief where all else has
I suffered from a eevers attack of Me~
wie thei natral alsine in the motexerue
t I spetkiue a few bottles
so nw a well -
etey ceur
meeit to any e
sueing ftom this
Breklyn Blevuted 3.3.
Our Tr atls o Blood ad tkin Disea... maneS
ro oanyadrPIfomm. a