Evening star. [volume], March 27, 1897, Page 21, Image 21

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

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THE BOOTH DYNASTY
&e of the Peculiarities of a Distin
guished Family.
BECIBE B Y DIE WRO IEW THEM
Genius Marred at Times by Mental
Perversity.
AN OLD ACTOR'S MEMORIES
WrlUen tr The Zeening S!ar.
HAT THE BORDER
line of sanity was
touched by seleral
members of the ex
traordinary Booth
family I think will
be conceded by all
who were acquainted
with their history.
and certainly by all
who came in contact
with them.
It has been my hap
piness to know them
all personally, from
the first. Junius Brutus, to the last and
youngest.
The terrible deed of John Wilkes Booth,
that struck down the foremost American of
our time, had its origin in the disordered
brain of the young man's father, for if not
madness there was at least perversion of
intellect In the progenitor of this brilliant
and handsome family.
Junius Brutus Booth was still in the
twenties when he measured himself against
the great Edmund Kean, who then domin
atcd the British stage. In spite of Booth's
handsome. expressive face and powerful.
melodious voice. that won him instant at
tention. Kean still continued to hold his
supremacy with press and public.
Booth had ability enough, but lacked
staadiness of mind and tenacity of purpose,
for had he persisted Kean's irregularities
would soon have given him opportunity.
But love triumphed over ambition. The
would-be Roscius abandoned the contest,
1
h',
Junius Brutum Booth, Sr.
left th' field to his rival and eloped with
the swe.'t and beautiful woman who be
came the mother of a family dtstinguished
for great talent and beauty. He went to
Amsterdam. where it is said he acted in the
Dutch language. He was an accompilshed
linguist, for it is of record that he appeatred
as Otr,:tes In Racine's tragedy at the
Fren.-h thcater in New Orleans, where he
received the highest acclaim. Theatrical
tradition abounds with stories and anec
dot.s of the vagaries and eccentricitics of
this singular genius.
Elder Booth's Facetiousness.
Gecrze Jamieson, an excellent actor, once
told me that he was strolling with Booth
a!or g St. 'harles street, New Orleans, when
he Jamieson) made some remark about
the w.-ather. Booth fell upon his knees
ther- and then, exclaiming: 'O wise young
man, how much more art thou than thy
Icoks.- I told this to Edwin one day, and
he said. "The old man was guying him."
On., right he gave us his idea of Othello,
shon h-- made as black as a negro. What
with his wretched dressing and bandy legs,
he was a sorry sight. Not even his fine
rea.i:o could save it from occasionai rip
p!eP -,f laughter. But despite his eccertrici
thy'e. he gav" us some great acting during
that. rite. miemoral,!e week. His Rien
ar) a"I Shylock w-re intense and thrilling
in t ir whirlwind of passion.
The ter-at scene in the "Iron ('hest" with
Wtf'r i is still vivid in my memory. HIs
Surso. should the boy reveal the terrible
secr-t. was appalling in demoniac fury
The I1-sh still creeps at the mere recol
lection.
Yet wicn the wonderful actor came from
the se-ne he was as playful as a kitten
I had the pert of Fitzhardinge, an old
man. When he first saw me early in the
evenin.g & scrutinized me most mysteri
ously. "What do you play?' he asked
"Fitzh tr'1inge." saId L. "My boy, my deat
boy. tnis won't do at all. You are no
made up properly. Come with me anc
FI'l fix you.'' and he did. I found out wha'
am".ed the actors when I glanced into a
mirror. I wan made up like Scaramouch
The great man was having fun wIth me.
A~ Kindly Footliglt King.
T-t he was kindness Itself. I was vera
young and very nervous, and had mislalt
my cane, No young actor can play at
old man w-.thout a cane! The great maz
hunted every corner until he found It.
Wthen in Washington Booth and Genera
Consumption is no
vespecrter of persons. The germs of this
most dreadful of diseases float in the air
we breathe, in the water we drink, in the
money we handle. Perfectly harmless
in a healthy body, they are absolutely
deadly wherever weakness exists. The
lungs' are the most sensitive of all the
vital organs. The delicate lining of the
long cells and passages is easily irritated.
If the blood is impure and germful the
lung lining soon becomes inflamed. Im
pure matter accumulates. If a consump
tion germ is in the body it lodges there
and propagates. Soon the entire body
is full of bacilli and consumption has
firm hold.
Many doctors say that consumption Is
incurable and necessarily fatal. They
are mistakes. Dr. Pierce's Golden Med
ical. Discovery will cure 98 per cent, of
all cases of consmption, if taken prompt
ly according to directions. It has cured
thousands. It is quickly absorbed by the
blood and searches out every disease
germ in the body. It assists nature to
throw off germs and all effete matter and
restores the body to perfect health and
strength.
When the bowels are clogged they unload their
isnpurities into the blood which in tura deposits
them throughout the entire system. The victimo
of this 'odto usafer from headchsblurred
viuion. heart-burn, soar stomach, foal taste is
the mouth, atetce ad biliousness. Doctni
Pierce's F'leasat Pellets promptly care consi
tiou and these attendant ill.. One is a gentle
ihee never grpe. Druggists seN
sam Houston of "exas were gret crones.
It was a picture worthy of Punch, to s00
this eccentrie pair take their afternoon
promenae along Pennsylvania avenu.
Houston stood six feet four inches and
Booth about fIlve feet live Inches, As it was
winter. Houston's ample shoulders were
covered with a large blanket that
reached to his heels, his ed head was
surmounted by a huge Mexican sombrero.
Booth was fashionably attired In a brown,
long-skirted overcoat, with buttons high un
in the small of his back, and his classic
head held up a high-crowned silk hat; and
thus they marched, little Booth clinging
to the arm and with dificulty keeping pace
with the sturdy strides of the hero of San
Jacinto. They were on pleasure bent, and
were soon lost to the view of the amused
pedestrian In the hospitable portals of a
famous hostelry. I never saw this singular
man and mighty master of tragic emotion
again after this engagement at Washing
ton.
In 1852, under the auspices of his son
Junius, he went with Edwin to California.
John Wilkes Booth.
His success there was marred by his uu
reliability, and he returned, leaving Edwin
there, and landed at New Orleans, where
he acted for the last time, his closing parts
being Sir Edward Mortimer in the "Iron
Chest ' and John Leimp In the "Review"
at the St. Charles Theater. He boarded
the steamboat J. S. Cheneworth, was taken
suddenly Ill, dying before he could reach
medical aid, seemingly uncared for and al
most unknown, an inglorious end to a
most checkered career.
On a visit to California in 1856 I first met
Junius Brutus Booth. Jr., eldest son of
the great actor. Like his father, his head
was molded on classic lines, but he had a
figure of more athletic proportions than
the sire. A handsome face and amiable
expression bespoke him a man whom it
was pleasant to meet.
Junius Brutus, Jr.
While playing at the Chatham Theater,
lew York, the unsophisticated yauth had
been caught in the toils of matrimony by
the experienced artist. Clemintina De Bar.
sister of the noted Ben De Bar, comedian
and manager. This lady was a most versa
tile actress, but far from prepossessing of
-feature. Tiring of this incompatible al
liance, young Junius sought the freer at
osphere of California with the Argonauts
and carried with him young and handsome
Harriet Mace, whom he soon made his
wife.
I saw Junius often and found him a sen
sible, upright, amiable man. He had not
the least taint of the ecentricity that
marked the father and other of his broth
ers. Nor was there much of the suspicion
of the "divine fire" that gave the father,
Edwin and Wilkes a claim to be classed
with the immortals. Yet he was a good
actor and had some suoreme moments.
He was a superb athlete and had few peers
with either foil or broadsword. With the
celebrated maitre, Col. Monstery. who had
his salle d'armes at Frank Wheeler's gym
nasium in San Francisco. we had many a
hot "assault" with foil and sword, often
winding up with a few rounds of the man
ly art.
Junius Brutus Booth, Jr.. came east in
1S%'. his wife having died, leaving a daugh
ter. He became lessee of the Boston The
ater. He married Agnes Perry. a fine act
rers, relict of Harry Perry, an excellent
actor, who died in California in ISM. Booth
was not a successful manager any more
than his brother Edwin. Later he leased
Booth's Theater on 23d street and 6th ave
nue, in New York. He failed to make the
rent for the owners, so Edwin told me.
Neither were good managers for them
selves. but art did not suffer. It was said
that Edwin lost $500.000 in his theater. But
in his time he earned over $1,500J,000 as a
player.
The Beginnings of Edwin.
Edwir. Booth had been In California for
some years acting a wide range of charac
0h
M n:
Edwin Booth as a Young Man.
ters, excelling in negro dIalect parts. He
visited Australia in company with Laura
Keere and his life-long friend, David C.
Anderson. stopped at the Sandwich islands
on his nay back to California, playing at
San Frar,cisco and Sacramento; with Hen
ry Sedley, who was afterward editor of the
Rourd Table, he was the chief player with
Catherine Norton Sinclair, who had recent
ly non her divorce suit from Edwin For
rest.
Forrest pursued every one who counte
nanced his wife with unreasoning virulence.
He never forgave Edwin Booth for having
played with her. Edwin had just finished
a tour of the mining towns and closed his
engagement at Sacramento preparatory to
embarking for' the eastern states, under
contract to Bien Baker, to begin his career
as a star to fill the void left by his father's
death.
I followed his engagement at the Forresi
Theater, where Junius and his wife were
principial players. Edwin Booth had been
in California so long a time and had ap
peared so often, that notwithstanding his
persoial popularity, even this, his last en
gagerr.ent, had not yielded him an adequate
sum to begin his journey east, A few of his
friend1s rallied again and asked me to give
up one of my nights for a parting benefit
to the young star and to participate in the
p.erformance. This I was most happy to
do, although I had never met Edwin. Or
the evening of the day on which this mat
te r had been so pleasantly arranged,
heard a knock at my dressing room door,
I was in the act of changing my dress for
the last ac't of "Ingomar." A slender,
graceful form slipped into the room. A
pair of luminous eyes shone Out froma
beautiful oriental face Illumined by as
sweet a smile as ever came from a finel3
chiseled mouth. A hand was extended,
which met with a firm and cordial grip
Only the brief simple words "Thank you,'
came from his lips, and he disappeared.
Edwin's Snecess in lago.
I played Othello to his Iago, and the housn
was packed. In his performance of this
subtle part I saw then the budding fain
that was to flower Into a brilliant and prom
perous career. And so began a friendshil
that only ended with his untimely death.
He was not ungrateful, for during oni
of his brilliant engagements at the Si
Charles Theater, New Orleans, he volun
teered for my benefit, and, of course
drew a tremendous audience, I acting
Richmond to his Richard III. We actes
tcgether often In the south and west, bu
only once in New York. and that for Bei
Baker's benefit, The play was "Othello,
and I was terribly frightened, as I has
never acted so great a part as the Moor I3
the metropolis. Here the sweetness c
Booth's nature was again manifest. fo
words of encouragement came from him a
the end of the great scene in the third, ac1
when the audience summoned us before th
curtain. - We also appeared together at th
theater in Boston. That able manage1
Thomas Barry. was the lessee. Here he be
that marred the career of his father. On
one of these nights the American tragediaa
Edwin Forrest. was itting far back in a
private box. He was on a. visit to his friend
Xames Oake@a the "Acorn" of the New
York Spirit of the Times. OakM told me
afterward that the only comment Forest
made on his prospective rival was. "Why
don't the young man learn his lineer As
Edwin had imbibed most of his father's
great characters by ear In the theater, he
did not trouble himself with the midnight
oil. But now, as recognition of his fine
powers cane to him, he felt forced to con
tend for mastery with the holder of the
dramatic crown. The fault that was toler
ated and condoned in his father couldn't be
overlooked in this promising son. Edwin
himself began to perceive that the time had
come to- chasten and curtail the Bacchil
ebullitions that destroyed his great father.
if he expected to reach the height on whiQh
the master sat supreme. Edwin Forrest
still held the scepter, and was In the very
zenith of his great powers when the daring
young actor made his gallant attack on the
intellectual world by his ideal presentation
of Hamlet at the Winter Garden In New
York. I saw him quite often during the
hundred-night run of this play. Chatting
cne day he said: "I understand you acted
Charles de Moor In German in San Fran
cisco. I intend to visit Germany some day
and should like to play Hamlet in that
language."
He Acted in Germany.
He acquired this notion from the fact
that he had acted lago to the Othello of
the distinguished German actor. Bogomil
Daneson, who spoke the part of the Moor
in German. Mme. Scheller spoke the part
of Desdemona in both languages. As I
was then to appear in German as Othello
with her at the Stadt Theater, our conver
sation naturally flowed in that direction.
He did go to Germany, although he stuck
to his own vernacular, surrounded by Ger
man players, who were his greatest ad
mirers. Ovations greeted him everywhere.
the actors crowning him with laurel. His
triumphs there and his brilliant associa
tion with Irving at the Lyceum Theater,
London, are matters of. record. His splen
did career in this country has furnished
themes for many loving poetic pens.
In the winter of 1858-9 1 was in Valti
more acting with Avonla Jones. who later
married the tragedian, Gustavus V.Brooks,
in Australia. Avonia and 'Mary Devlin
were very intimate. Edwin was then at
home laying desperate siege to the sus
ceptible Mary, who was a cheery, bright
and pretty girl. We were all young then,
and exchanged the secrets of lovers.
I dined with him at his modest home, and
met his stately mother and accomplished
sisters, Asia and Rosalie. Asia afterward
married John Sleeper Clarke. the comedian,
and settled in London. Edwin took me
out to Greenmount cemetery, where he
had placed a noble granite shaft over the
grave of his father, with the simple in
Junlus Brutus Booth, Jr.
scription, "Booth," on one side, and on the
other the family motto, "Dum spiro spiro."
I have known him in every relation of
life; with his fellow players he was ever
considerate. courteous and kind. As a
son, In his household showing deference
and affection to his amiable mother and
cultured sisters. He was chivalric and true,
both as lover and husband. Once only can
I rerrember having seen him roused to
anger, giving vent in strong terms to his
outraged sense of justice. It was after the
death of his second wife, Mary MeVicker.
or rati-er, Mary Runnion, for she was not
James McVicker's child. He had bee's
easly managed through his affectionate,
diffident nature, while this extraordinarily
gifted being lived: but when death severed
the tie that held his loyal soul, their greed
of gain became too manifest; they crowded
him too far, and he asserted his manhood.
There never was a sweeter, gentler nature
than that which inhabited the mortal tene
ment called Edwin Booth. His charities
were many, but secret. Few knew that
within a short time of his death he
bought an annuity for the aged actor, Ed
mon S. Connor. His reverence for his
noble art and his high view of the actors'
calling is gloriously exemplified by the
munificent endowment of the Players'
Club in Grammercy Park, so lovingly ac
complished under the intelligent guidance
of those active spirits and constant friends
and companions, William Bispham, Chas.
E. Carryl, Lawrence Hutton, E. C. Bene
dict and Thomas Bailey Aldrich.
John Wilkes Booth.
John Wilkes Booth I first met in the sum
mer of I858. It was in a billiard room next
to Grace Church, managed by Michael
Phelan, then the champion of the cue. We
played several games; he was an expert.
Indeed, he excelled In all athletic sports.
Like his brother "June," he was a maste1
of fence. I was struck with his eas3
movements of alluring, springy grace. ThE
classic Booth head sat above broad should.
ers and deep chest. Taller than any of thE
other Buoths, his frame was compactll
knit and instilled with life in every fiber
He was then engaged to Matt Canning t<
go to Montgomery. Ala., to take his inita
tion in the great roles that made his fathel
famous, and in which Edwin was now forg
ing ahead for first place In the dramatli
arena.
I did not see him again until the winte:
of 1865. He was then a full-fledged sta.
in some of his father's parts, and had madi
his mark in the south and west. But sud
denly his voice failed. He was compellec
to remain idle, his time being passed main
ly -in Washington. From there he coult
easily run over to Bel Air, the home of thi
family In Maryland. He was .a great fa
vorite in Washington society; his talent a.
an actor, beauty of person and engaging
manners made him a welcome guest in an:
company. The men were charmed and th<
women fascinated, It was, said that th1
handsome and witty daughter of a cer
tain famous senator was greatly in byv
with him, and it was soon rumored tha
their engagement was shortly to be an
nlounced, when Booth's terrible crime pu
an end to the romantic episode.
The peculiar teaching, or rather lack o
teachirg, of the head of the Booth family
and the vagaries of that extraordinar:~
man,. found perhaps greater expression I1
John Wilkes than in any other of the chil
dren. Raised In this wild and free way
without the restraint of proper parents
influence in the father, and surrounded b;
the atmosphere of a so-called chivalr
which then had greaser expression iL
Maryland than any oth~l southern state, I
is perhaps not so surprising after all tha
young Wilkes became imbued with th
same ideas of our government that i
pelled the great spirits of the south t
rebel. As I have said, he had access to a'
circles in the capital. The department
were honeycombed with southern sympa
thizers. Everything was ripe for a cor
spiracy. The loss of his voice made hit
brood, The prospect of fame as an acto
seemed to be passing from him. HI
brother Edwin had the field. He must d
something to Impress himself upon mar
kind and leave a name, In Richard he ha
often spoken the lines, "The aspiring yout
that fired the Epheslan dome outlives I
fame the pious fool that raised it."
Before Lineoln's Death.
That was better than no fame at all.
It was at this time I saw him again a
the Metropolitan Hotel in New York.
was acting In the "Corsican Brothers"
Niblo's. He saw the duel scene and spol
about it nett day. I remembered atte
ward his eyeing me from head to foot, sat
t ing, "You handle a sword pretty well."
replied: "I have had magny a-bout wIth bot
of your brothers,and especially with 'Juna
a who is a' master." "How long is your el
f gagement?1" he inquired. "A mionth longe*
r said L. He paused, eyeing me curiousl
t surveying me from heed to foot, "Wha
.you are through here," said he, "take
e run down to Washington, I have some el
a terprises on hand that may Interest yol
-, I'll give you a good time, and if you fall
- with my ideas, we'll make a fortune,"
voice Is In bad ' beddes. I must look
after my coal oilans. 7 have bought
near Clev . Ohio." We shook hands
Two months5tr, uaer- midnight en the
morning of M, 15 when going to
my room, I h the newsbycry: -
tral Extra!" oth had shbt Prelident
Uncoln. - EMzced and maddened crowds
surged throughLthe streets. No one would
believe that a Poth could be guilty of such
an unspeakable crime. Remembering the
eonversation with Wilkes em the -steps of
the Metropolitan Hotel, I said to myselft
"it Is- true." N14 language can give expres
sion *to the detestation of the crime that
took the life of'the greatest man Ainerica
has produced. 4Yet Wilkes Booth was no
hired assaasit The spirit of exaltation
that made hlmp:exclaim as he leaped upon
the stage aftet: the fatal shot "Se semper
tyrannis"' wasetut the natural outcome of
the distemper :hat lay In the blood of an
Il-regulated npiad in the father. which
skipped the other children and lodged in
the. superfcilalblain of the mad Wilkes.
CHARLES POPE.
MR. RAT OF RENO COUNTY.
Populist Statesmen Make Merry Over
lisa Request for a New Name.
From he Topeka State Journal.
A to-be-pitied individual, residing some
Mhere in Reno county, whose ancestors by
some malicious streak of fortune became
possessed of the surname Rat, and care
ftlly handed it down unchanged from gen
eration to generation, succeeded in having
a bill introduced In the present house of
representatives asking that be be allowed
by law to establish a new family name. The
n.embers of the house, realizing the man's
infortunate plight, cheerfully acceded to
the request and pased the bill, but when it
reached the senate Saturday afternoon it
met an entirely different fate. Not only did
the members of that body ruthlessly
slaughter the bill, leaving Mr. Rat to con
tirue living with a name which is undoubt
edly the bane of his life, but they also took
the opportunity of having fun at Mr. Rat's
expense.
The bill came up under the consideratioa
of local messures, and was at once opposed
by Senator Farrelly, who stated that the
senate had decided not to change any
names, and had turned down bills of a sim
ilar nature, and that no exceptions to the
rule should be made. He was followed by
Senator Hessin, who said:
"I know the rule of this body has been
not to act favorably on measures of this
kind, but if there was ever an exception I
think we have reached It in this case. I
think that we should not only grant this
man's request, but should also give him a
name, and I therefore offer as an amend
ment that the word 'hole' be attached to
the name 'Rat.'"
Senator Farrelly-"As an amendment to
the amendment, I ask that the amendment
be laid under the table."
Senator Hessin-"As an amendment to the
amendment to the amendment, I want the
man who proposed it to be laid under the
table with my amendment."
Senator Jumper-"I move that the amend
rent to the amendment to the amendment.
and the men who propcsed the amen linents,
be all stuffed in the hole together."
With all the fun, nobody said anything
that even approached second-class wit.
Some member finally moved that the bill
be recommended not to be passed. This
motion carried, and Mr. Rat will be com
pelled to either bear up under his load for
at least two rears longer, or apply to the
district court in his county to give him the
relief he wants. The latter is the shortest
and most satisfactory way to manage such
matters, and the legislature Is justified in
not paying attention to bills to change
names.
CABIN IN WHAGIH LINCOLN WAS BORN
It Was Torn Down and Then Again
Rebuilt.
George IT. Yenowitie'In St. Nicholas.
Twelve yea,rs ago the cabin In which
Lincoln was born was torn down, and the
logs were hauled: to an adjoining farm,
and used in'the.'constructIon of another
house. The old frm had practically been
abandoned, ad nearly all the people in the
neighborhood had'quite forgotten, a second
time within k deeade since the death of
Lincoln, that be was born on the "Lincoln
Spring farm,":as the place has always been
called. The i~ncohn birthplace is fifty-four
miles southeast of Louisville. It can be
reached from' D isvIlle by going to Eliza
bethtown, in Har in county, a distance of
fcrty-two miles, and then taking another
road from Elizabethtown to Hodgensville,
a ride of twelve miles. The Lincoln Spring
farm Is three miles from this quaint old
town, on Nolin's creek, directly on the pub
lic road leading from flodgensville to Bu.4
falo, a village six miles to the east. It is
a pleasant twenty minutes' drive over a
gcod dirt road, through a poor, but inter
esting country.
The original Lincoln cabin had been torn
down, and the materials had been moved
away, as stated, by a man named Tom
Davenport, who used the logs in his own
-ouse.
A. .W. Dennett, a New York gentleman,
not long ago bought the Davenport house,
recovered the logs, and, after much diffi
culty, restored the cabin exactly as it was
originally, using the very same timbers,
door, window and frames. It occupies the
former site, and is in much the same con
dition as it was when the Lincoluns left it.
The cabin Is eighteen feet long, sixt-en feet
wide and about twelve feet high, counting
from the floor to the ridge pole. There is
only one door and one window-the latter
an oper-ing twenty inches square. A large
open tireplace, built in the most primitive
way, occupies nearly the whole of one end
of the cabin. The chimney is made of
small logs, placed together just as log
houses are built. Inside of it, flat stones
placed on-the ground made the hearth, and
wide fiat stones placed against the logs
kept the fire within bounds and protected
the wooden chimney. The Inside, from the
hearthstones to the top of the chimney,
was thickly daubed with clay. The chum.
ney reaches only half way to the roof of
the house, and is rounded off with small
sticks. Tils simple fireplace furnished
most of the light, all of the heat, and the
sole means for cooking the meals for the
family. The cabin did not have even a loft,
or second story, as have most cabins, It
was built by Thomas Lincoln, father of the
President, some time about 1804 or l.05,
and was entirely constructed with an az
and saw, the simple tools of the pioneers.
The clapboard roof was anchore.d down by
small logs, laid lengthwise on top of the
rows of oak boards. There were rno nails
or hardware, The door hinges were of
wood, and the paneless windows had an In
side board shutter, held in place by raw
hide- thongs. There were chinks and mudc
between the logs, and the puncheon floor
was pegged down. It Is probable 'hat af
ter Abraham -Lincoln's grandfather was
killed by the Indians at Long Run ineeling
house, in Jefferson county, Ky., the family
went further into the forest, and took tip S
section of land in La Rue, then part of
Hardin county, Later, to better his for
tune, Thomas Lincoln left this farm ori
Nolin's creek, and settled on Knob creek,
dozen miles from Hodgensville, andi froni
there he went to Indiana, and later to 1l111
nois.
It matters little what it Is that you wani
-whether a .situation or a servant--s
"want" ad. in' The Star will reach the
person who can fill your need,
Ah OpaL.
A rose of fire shi6tt6 veil of snow,
3 nArlgleam athwart a misted sky:
heeewla ol. ga4( deep if thou woulds; know
The flame-wnght'apell of its pale witchery.
And nwee rmlu eat isrvae
And now thdrrifted nodthbeautyshed
So myni shy love, aneath her kerchief white,
r Hefdeth the slazsonF of the East In fee;
B Warm Puritan-who tear. her own delight,
Who tremnbieth over that she yieldeth me.
-And now her lips her heart's rich flame hav
told;
And now they pale that they have been 50 bole
-EDNAH In~OCO CL ARK1E.
The Pate of the New Wommam.
Dromn Harper's ~nr
A Cid"h ntam?
I oh--"iy htsayprri eo
MONEY IN FARMING
operal w of the I sebry
of Agriutm
1M3 M 1 m 110 R
Our Big Corn Crop and How to
Make It Pay.
EXPERIMENT STATIONS
(owrighted. 1W, by Frank G. (arpenterJ
Written for The Erening Star.
ONE OF THE MOST
001 important members
- of President McKin
ley's cabinet is the
Secretary of Agricul
l ture. He has to do
with the bettering of
the farming Inter
ests of the United
States, which are
* ;aid to be in a worse
- ndition today than
hey have been at
- aLny time since Cap
tain John Smith's
colony went Lau .Ugh the terrible oriva
tions of the "starving time" at James
town in the first half of the seventeenth
century. Heretofore the republican ma
jorities of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois have
come from the farmers, but at the last
election McKinley was saved by the vote
of the cities. The future of the present
regime depends upon making things bet
ter for the farmers. They are, in fact, the
ruling class of the United States. There
are more of them than of any other pro
fession. By the last census forty-four out
of every hundred persons in the United
States were engaged in agricultural pur
suits. We have today in the neighborhood
of 5,000,000 farms, which are worth, all
told, more than thirteen billion dollars.
We make a profit in good years of some
thing like two billorf dollars out of farm
products, and it is upon the farms that
we depend to a large extent for good or
bad times. If the farmers are doing well
money flows like water, and the sun of
prosperity shines. When they are doing ill
the dark clouds of discontent breed an
archy, sociallsi and false financial
theories, and adversity reigns.
The Bonn of All the Farmers.
You will thus see that the Secretary of
Agriculture is now a very Important fac
tor. Who is the man that McKinley has
chosen? What kind of a man is he? What
is he going to do? I can answer these ques
tions in part in the chat which I had with
Secretary James Wilson at the Agricultural
Department today. I had a letter of intro
duction to the new Secretary from Senator
W. B. Allison, and as soon as my card was
sent in I was admitted. A tall, angular,
plain-looking man of about sixty years of
age began to get up as I entered the door.
By the time I had reached his desk he was
on his feet. His long right arm was stretch
ed out toward mine and his horny hand
gave me a cordialgld-fashioned shake. It
was James Wilson. the new Secretary of
Agriculture, the man who is known all over
the west as one of the best farmers of the
Mississippi valley, and who is noted among
agriculturists everywhere as being one of
the most practical, up-to-date authorities
upon everything connected with farming.
He asked me to be seated and for an hour
we chatted together about himself, the
American farmer and what Uncle Sam
might do for him. Mr. Wilson is a good
talker. His voice is slightly metallic and
his uords come out at the rate of about
two hundred per minute. He has as many
homely expressions as had Abraham Lin
coln and his talk is as full of ideas as an
egg is full of meat. He is a well-educated
man, and once or twice in speaking of his
home in Scotland he quoted passages from
Burns, giving the broad Scotch as it was
used by the poet who composed some of
his verses as he followed the plow on his
farm, not far from that upon which Secre
tary Wilson was born. From time to time
as we talked the clerks would bring in pa
pers and letters for the Secretary's advice
or signature, and I could see how rapidly
and how carefully Mr. Wilson handled Its
business. He was not at all disturbed by
the interruptions, and I noticed that he
followed each letter line by line with his
finger before he put fhis signature to It. I
saw several other instances of his careful
business ways. At one period in the con
versation a clerk brought in a requisition
for a horse. As he laid it down before the
Secretary he said that the horse which this
new animal was to displace had been in the
service of the department twenty-four
years and that this warrant authorized one
of the clerks to go up to Virginia and buy
another.
"Who is the man who le to do the buy
ing?" asked the Secretary.
"He is the assistant veterinary professor
of the department." was the reply.
"Well," said the Secretary, "send him
in. I want to see what he knows about a
horse before I send him out to buy one."
How He Learned Farming.
During my chat with Secretary Wilson I
asked him how he came to know anything
abcut farming. He replied:
"I was born a farmer, and I was brought
up amid the traditions of the farm. My an
cestors for generations have made their
living by tilling the soil. I was born near
Ayr, Scotland. My father wanted to come
to America before he was married, but his
parernts would not let him. The journey to
America then was about as much of an un
dertaking as a trip to the moon would be
today. So father settled down upon the farm
in Scotland. There I was born and there I
liv ed until I was sixteen. Then we all
came to America. We settled first in Con
necticut and farmed near Norwich. About
three years later my father got the wester
fever, and we moved out to Iowa. Iowa
was at that time far west. We came there
ten years in advance of the railroad. Fath
er entered some land, and I worked with
hIm three years, when I took up some land
of my oan. Well, I have been farming
from that day .to this."
"But, Mr. Secretary," said I, "what kInd
of a farmer are you? Uncle Jerry Rush,
when he was Secretary of Agriculture, told
me that part of his life he had been a
farmer and part of it an agriculturist.I
astred him what he meant by that, and he
saId that the farmer was the man who
made money by farming, but that the agri
culturist was the man who spent lots of
money on experiments, but usually came
out behind."
laugh," replied the Secretary, with a
lag,"and another definition of the two
terms is: 'The farmer farms the farm, hut
the agriculturist farms the farmer.' Well,
I don't know what you might call me.
believe in practical scientific farming.
have made money in farming. At least
have made my farm. I had nothing whet
I started, and I have now a farm of a
thousand acres and a good ene."
"How much Is land 1Vorth in Iowa?"
"It depends on the land," was the reply,
"Within the past two years I have paid at
high as $82 an acre for land. Plenty of om
land is worth $75 an acre, and -almosa
every where in Iowa farm lands are wortl
as high as $40 per acre."
Money in Farnn.
"But,Mr. Secretary~can the farmers mab
money out of land at such prices? Is thee
any money In farming, and would you ad
vise a young man to go into It to mak
money?'
"TIhe most of our fa er's in Iowa all
making money," replie Mr. Wilson. "'1
your young man is the right kind of
youn man. if he has a liking for farming
and hsenough business sense to far.
rightly, he can do well. In buying a farn
however, he should go out to look at th
land with a. spade in his hand, and shoult
know that some kinds of land are hard
cheap at any price. He should studyth
soil and the markets, and become aar
ing manufacturer instead of a mere raise
of raw materials for other people to Anak
money out of them,"
"What do you mnean by that, Mr. Secr.
tary?' said L..
"I mean just what I sayi," replied Mr
Wilson. "It is the farm manufactures
who are =man the money today, It I
the men who are taking their raw mate
rials and turning them into mat and ee
lng the meat who are. making' the mney
It is the fellows who ae h
e who -are losing. Take m i
In the =mreaut corn bae o.. te giae.
We raise ..m m p m ,t ns.e
of Indian own. There are sin states. In
clnding Iowa. which Vedlee -a er a oe& -
le ba b of saledad g every ye.
The pries at ths m 1 if seld Is only 1U
oents a bhel. If ya tra t lote manst
It will bring you 49 csts a bushel. That
Is the diere between so" and bad
farming. It -Is the dherence between 13
cents and 4 oast, the difference between
a big P1edt an a big lse. The poor tarm
er sens his grain and keeps peer, the goed
farmer turns it into meat and dairy pro
ducts and gets rich. lack at it! The corn
Is worth 13 cents a bushel in Iowa. It is
shipped east and it Is sold for 2 cents a
bushel to a man there who trn it late
meat and makes a profit, or it may even
go across the Atlantic and be turned Into
meet by one of the farmers in England,
who will 15 cents a bushel for it.
Think of thchlnoe that the tarmer wbo
raises it has to amake masney over the
other.."
"I suppose that Is the kind of farng
you do. Mr. Secretary?"
"Yes," was the reply. "I have been
raising corn for more than forty years
and I have never sold a hnisal. I raise
hegs and stock and I feed all the grain
that I make."
Paosfsh ExpendituWes.
"Speaking of Europe. Mr. Secretary.
what do you think of that country as a
market for our corn. Secretary Rusk, you
know, sent an agent Into Europe to intro
duce It there. They nicirnamed him Corn
Meal Murphy. Mr. Murphy estimated that
we could easily increase the value of our
corn crop at least one hundred million
dollars I year by the foreign demand?"
"That Is all Imagination!" replied Secre
tary Wilson. "I don't believe a word of it.
The European farmers don't want our corn.
They know that corn is very poor in nitro
genous matter. It does not make good
manure. The percentage of nitrogen in
corn Is only about I to 10. while flax seed
and cotton seed meal are almost half nitro
gen. The European farmers have to have
food that will enrich their lands. So they
import the refuse of our oil mills by the
thousands of tons. Did you ever realise
that we are the great paint users of the
globe? We use more paint than any other
people, and we Import quantities of flax
seed from India and other countries to
make linseed oil. Much of the refuse of
this seed goes to Europe. The farmers
there understand its value, and we. who
ought to keep it. let It go. We. on the o~per
hand, Inaport nothing from Europe that
adds to our material wealth. One of our
chief imports, for instance, is sugar. This
is largely made up of starch. Now, the
starchy elements of plants come from the
air. Sugar is not good for manure. You
might cover a field two feet deep with
sugar and it would not raise a crop. Still
we pay other countries more than a hun
dred minion dollars a year for it. It is prac
tically paying a hundred million dollars a
year for air. Think of It!"
He Believes In Beet Sugar.
"Why can't we prevent that. Mr. Secre
tary, by raising our own sugar?"
"We can," replied Secretary Wilson, "and
I have already taken steps to encourage
the growth of the sugar beet in this coun
try. We are now sending out beet seed to
different parts of the Missisippi valley.
There Is no doubt but that we can raise
the sugar beet, and we ought to make all
of our own sugar. We are now paying
$15.000.000 a year to other countries for
this product. We get a vast amount of
beet sugar from Germany. and a great deal
of cane sugar from Cuba. I believe the
time will come when we will raise all we
need."
"You were speaking of Germany, Mr. See
retary," said L Are the Germans to be
allowed to discriminate against our meat
products without cause as they have in
the past?
"No." was the reply, "we shall stop that.
I think. We have already begun move
ments toward that end. We have given
orders through the Treasury Department
that no meat shall be allowed to go out
of this country that has not been inspected
by the agents of this department. Every
piece of meat that is- carrieS abroad will
have a certificate of inspection. If the
Germans discriminate against such meat
they must show the reason why, and if
they cannot, there will certainly be a dis
crimination against them as to the things
which they send to this country. This mat
ter of foreign trade is a business matter.
If the Germans will not treat us fairly we
can easily retaliate. We Import something
like ninety-odd million of dollars' worth of
goods from Germany every year. though
the balance of trade last year was a little
in our favor."
"Mr. Secretary," said L "you have been
connected with the Iowa Agricultural Col
lege. Are such colleges doing very much
good?"
"Yes. Indeed, they are." was the reply.
"They are making better farmers. The suc
cessful farmer of the future is to be an
educated farmer. My boys went to the
agricultural college, and they are now on
farms and are doing well. You can see
what I think of farming by the fact that I
trained my boys for it. and that they In
tend to make It their life work.
Farma Lands as an Envestment.
"Do you consider farm lands a good In
vestment, Mr. Secretary?"
"Yes, I believe that they will rise In
value. We have a vast population. It is
steadily growirg. The world will always
need food, rnd we have some of the best
food lands on the globe. The Mississippi
basin alone could feed 10000000,, and this
is only a small part of our good soil. We
are already the greatest manufacturing na
tion of the globe, and our mineral re
sources are such that we will ultimately
have an enormous manufacturing popula
tion, and the supplying of food for this will
create a great demand for farm products.
and land will grow more valuable as the
country fills up."
"Are the farms of the future to be small
or large?"
"They will probably become smaller as
the pcpulation grows."
"Will our farmers ever live In villages, as
the farmers of Germany do?"
"No, I think not." replied Secretary Wil
son. "I look for the railroads to travel
among the farms, and for electricity or
some other motive power to carry the far
mer and his prodtucts to and from the miar
kets. Rapid transit will bring the farmers
.sufficiently together. I don't think we will
ever have thc socialism of Germany among
our farmers."
"What Is the cause of the disaffection
among the farmers today?"
"The low prices of farm products Is one
of the causes." said Secretary Wilson.
"This, added to the lack of knowledge of
how to make the most of their opportun
ities, Is keeping many of our farmers poor.
I don't think the farmers are badly off to
day. Thcse who are in straits are largely
men who have begun farming without cap
ital, and who have not miaed their manure
with brains and economy. There are thou
sands of farmers in my state today who
are making money and there are thousands
who will continue to do so."
Unele Sam's Param News Syndieate.
"How do you like being Secretary of
Agriculture, Mr. Wilson, and what do you
expect to do here?"
"I can't answer that just yet," replied
the Secretary. "I am still like a cat in a
strange garret, and I do not know all of
the holes and corners. I believe, however,
that there is much to be done, and that
we can accomplish considerable by going
to work In the right way. There is a rev
olution going on in our farming methods.
Slipshod farming will have to pass away
and the farmer of the future wDi put In his
licks where they will do the most good.
DELUTIAN SPORT
Vram 1
LOST APPETITE.
CWLD NOT EAT THE MOST
TEMPTING DISHES.
Maam 0"M wilaeeut &a wood at as
Osma Hat Ene.- simos.w smat a wr
Neer--'Ete OCae Or dhe Emmage.
Piom the Lender. (este"da. Mfe.
Per the otestatim of as 4 which har
be impaired or lst thraugh so remne4g
mU c0mae In e leteenes with iW. Williams'
Pal's for sade l'eoaple. 'Ebi statement 11
mta"ti-o*d by the espermi me declaratioes
t sad messes wits wham tsa guis have
lemm a bsm 6Ad medatesa. Among the nay
who an ever tietmjt tha artauAar prop
aty of Dr. Williams' S1lls R S *hrg' Mar
shall, Ir.. we Uves at No. 10 her% act. Sttreet.
Gheeiad, Oio. Mr. lirsaall to a as. ag'nt
an the IAke Moere ad Michigan Suothern ltatiraad.
and his territory etteads frau Cleveland to Tilede.
Lke statmnds of others who ore their hnaita
ad vigor to 1Dr. Williaas' lid 1ils. Mr. Mar
bait never besitates to King their p.ale. lahis
case It -aa seceamary to ate Uasil a fe'w i"tes .f
the pils to restoe hinm to the fell a.-nsion of
bodily health. lila dig'atiIe organs had 1-.a.s<o
almost uselensa thrjumt a long and seuai.. tiue.4
lut In a aurprisingi) eri*I la-riod. thr-tech i.e
agency of the woode-iful meadicisc, ini.- we-r
empable of again jaerteraning thib'r fun isos in a
vwuir and pe.fec'tly attifatIy amner. is
narrating his eipere:ee ath them Mr. Marsh.AI
so":
--I.sat spring I was, takees slht Witt, todUImLma
tOry riaeUMatIsm. and My eltire ayatetM w;as lifet
ed. TO retlaee the ufttering It was manMar to
at at With iodine. After thope msh' treatuaSt
c e eonvakeent. iut the attact had saip;-4
oy strtaigth aad Icett sue eatremely weak and
teeble. I emeld emr.-Ay lift as arm or a leg.
Th2s weakness pert.t.M. iny cale ey:.t.tu. and
applied e 11l- to toy rtas.ach and titgestive
apparatus as to my lite. I sam disn. a-re'l that
I bad lont nty amispttite alWnist as ttmiLle an
though I a-wver had one. I had so destre itat
ever to peartake of any nourilklient. and the
nateral avslt was that my overalseea'n.- w.s
estteinely slow. and nmy parents eared I was g
tag to Nuff-r a amslgwew or fall prey to anot.her
al met on account of moy de4t.IIltata' c-nndtiln.
"Many a day I wald meat take any euurinhasient,
and wtwever I dad the anatity was too lmintg
aldeant to materially hasten aal lenara-e.nit.
T ting ditaes we". prepared for ms.. laut I
d not touch tbem. I t.gan to ic-twtne orte
or les slarmed. as did say gparents. sit ot day
my mother suggested the paaihasn of some .f Iir.
Williasu' Pink Pilla for mae. 11ay otl I h-a
recoammended to her by a neliltbor who a ski
thema a itthintg shart of itracutous. and 'lw It
so enthusiaatteaily sa their camlent qunalli
that moth.-r wasn peruiadd to try thema. Th. to
Is root miuch motre tot tell aw, for i delit ha.A
like a aun who cannot tat three or four einar-e
meals a day. dtt i?
"ThMre- heewes t o' Ill. Wlitarma' Pink PiV! tiv-d
me at ciound .s a dollar, and they will dt,, 1the
same for any one el se. I nat sure. It wn- as0t
loug ufter I tegin to usme ithe plill that I -od14
feel myslf Improving. My tra'egth h-gain to
aetto at s-t did miy app1.tit.. and I wag on 'the
ried 'gain In a al..rt ti. That IN mtly x.
perte-ne,and atn glad to give It for the- b-ntit
of other. WaO tay have h ist their aptealtee
through a.kaesA."
Dr. Williams' Mlnk PHI for Pale -aat ttaitn.
In 9 ntisdc-nNe-d ftor. all tie ele'mentm. n-a try
to give new life atnd ricI awta to at- t4.1 u.d
restozw al'atteral nereit. Tln;-i are ala s --. 1ib'
for troal Its s-1talsar to fa ai.les. teel, as t-I
stoas, rtarilarties utnd all forns of ikn.
In twn they effect a radid a-uro Itn all -,at
arising freom mental worry. tverwerit tar e'sa-'e
of whatever nature. Pitnk -ill. ae a- id in hlws
(rever In laost Itaika at NO Vett a Is m. -r si
booem for $2.50. and nmay ta- had ot all drunazia.
er direct Ivy oalt from lDr. Willim' I-talicine
Company. ebscatesady. N. Y.
What we want to do Is to show him wire
to strike."
"We are trying to learn this by meats of
the experiment stations. which are lo
cated all over it' country. Then mnta at
these stations are studying the soils. the
climate and the crops4 most prafitably
adapted to tiaelr region. They are tennlttg
out valuable ottlit tins giving the re sults
of their etw-rimc-tits. and advice to the
farrters In regard to different maittrs I
want to see :lse halttins go to -v-ry
farrer who teds them, and I have al
ready organised a system to get th-m in
to the hands of the right twop'e. W. have
already a list of a hundred thousaid names
and we will soan havt a million. W.. are
guirg to form a syndieste of farm t we
for the farmers. It will be Uncle Sam's
syndicate. and it will not cost the tarm
era a cent. We will make the differ.nt
states do their share In the work, but we
pro'ose to push matters all along th- line
and to give out everything that we van
learn cn how to farm protitably and we I1."
FRANK 0. CAHPFNTI't.
LAFAVETTICS' VisoT To ANGCR6S'A.
2 -es'e Was Great Exciltement Oles"
His Trglp to Ihe Um6ted States.
From the Ladles' Home JOumal.
"It Is difficult to understand, at this late
day, what a furore of excitement passed
over this country when Lafayette arrived
once more In America. The visit is an his
toric event to be remembered while mem
ory endures. During President Monro..'s
second administration the United States
extended Its Invitation to Lafayette. He
arrived at Staten Island on August 15 tSun
day). 1t24. accompanied by his son. Gaorge
Washington Lafayette, and also by hle
son-in-law. A formal reception took plane
on the following day-the first fruits of the
most abundant harvetst of welcome which
Lafayette was to receive during his year
of travel through the United States.
"Lafayette was sixty-seven years ,Id
when he visited Antrica as the nation's
guest, and carried his years lightly. Hits
head was shaped like that of Burns. Ie
had a high forehead, long, aquiline nose.
and a rather thitt far-. His hair was sawly
and quite plentiful. His eyes were dark
gray. restless and twinkling: his eyebrows,
light in color. but heavily marked. Ilil
Imouth wast firm, andl his lips smiled coutr
Iteously at the holiday crowd assembaled to
Ido him honor. The general wast ttot very
tall. but well made. His face was' disatne
ly pleasant, and Its expra-ssion wast ana tddt
mixtuire of shrewtdn.s,. decision and gtai
good humor. His costume was a swallow
tailed coat and trousers of dark brown,
with a great display of white waistcoat and
neckcloth. A b~unc'h of seals hung from a
broad black ribbon at his waist. Over his
shoulders hung a cloth riding cloak, green
ish blue In color and lined with red."
------------*- --
Time Geod4 06d 'Einings
We used to have old-fashlofned thiags, like htoming
snd gr-eers,
We used to hanae just acomu ee cp msade out et
pork and thens.
Bat no-w it's tatutlaa, enomme, and things mta~s
from a htaak.
And Pot au Feut and JulIenone, oisee my daughter's
learned to eaook.
We tused to have a ptieae er beet- Just o:atinatry
ment.
And pletkleda gelgs' feet. apiare rib5, tlt, V nl other
thting' t.. cat ;
While owt's Iat llet andt ragout, and leg of aut'aa
laratlstd.
Awd mat-rai aui gratla. sand sheep's bead Hotllas
daised
The good olad tintgas av passed away. In sile-nt,
sad reta'ent:
We're lots oaf hight-falutin' things, but noting mucah
to a-at.
And while I naevet say a word. ad always leaasant
look.
Yeu tet I've had dysgp'iaa slinces mu dauighter's
learned to ,'ook.
Result *t Enms-semmeat.
From the tb-trolt Free. I'nea.
"Why that man was always a crabbled
woman hater," sneered the young lady
from Chicago.
"That was before he had met our Die
troll girls." smiled Miss Cadillac. "He ad
mits his misfortune in having been brought
up in Chiedgo."
-A CLOSE mFEss6.