Evening star. [volume], September 21, 1901, Image 18

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

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Th- desk occupied by Civil Service Com
missioner Rodenburg has become of un
usual interest during the past few days. It j
is a very plain, large flat-top desk ihat Is ,
placed in the middle of Mr. Rodenburg's j
room in the building occupied by the civil
service commission, at the corner of Mil
and K streets. The special interest that
now attaches to It is told by a single worti
written on a slip of paper and pasted un
derneath the desk. The word is ??Roose
velt." and was written by the President or
the United States when he was a civil serv
ice commissioner. The name was past? d
there at a time when the effects of the
commission were being removed from the
city hall to the present quarters of the
commission. Mr. Roosevelt had been using
that desk and he didn't want to lose it,
? Hold on. before you take it away." he
told the men who were about to carry it
out to the van; "let me put a mark on it.
With that he hastily wrote his name in a
slip of paper, and. covering its back witft
mucilage, he pasted it where it would be
useful for purposes of identification. He
gi.t the desk all right, and since that time,
while he has been engaged in the games of
war and politics, no one has ever dis
turbed it.
? * * * *
"The 'brassy eye' is the latest affliction
which has fallen to the lot of street car
conductors and motormen," said a promi
nent local physician to a Star reporter re
cently. "The 'brassy eye' is a peculiar
affection of the eye caused by rubbing the
eye with the hand while the. latter is cov
ered with verdigris from the brasswork
of the cars. The symptoms of the disease
resemble a slight inllammation of the eye,
such as might be due to the presence of
any small foreign body. After a few hours
the inflammation increases and is accom
panied bv severe pain, the sufferer being
almost unable to see. An excessive flow of
t^ars accompanies this stage of the dis
ease. In the acute stage of the disease the
inflamed condition of the conjunctiva cov
ers the whole mucous membrane, producing
a continuous flow of mucus and a blurred
vision. Motormen, who generally wear
gloves, are not so apt to contract the dis
ease as conductors, whose duty makes it
necessary for them to shin along the foot
board of the car, grasping the brass seat
rails with their hands. The 'brassy eye'
was noted first some time ago, and many
cases of this peculiar disease have been
reported in various eastern cities."
*****
"There are at least twenty embryo farm
ers in my division," said a government
official to a Star reporter, "and what they
don't know about agricultural matters isn't
worth knowing. Some of them contend
that every department man who lives in the
suburbs should make his place self-sus
taining. and as a result of this contention
one of them is the possessor of an addi- J
tlonal suit of clothes. Last spring there
was an informal gathering of these tillers
of the soil to discuss what crops to plant
to get the best financial results. It soon
developed that each man had original ideas,
and In order to definitely settle the matter
it was decided to allow three of the party
members to make their own selection of
what was the best money maker and sub
mit individual reports in September, the
mrrn making the best showing to be pre
sented with a suit of clothes. For the sake
of convenience we shall name these ex
perts Farmer White, Farmer Black and
Farmer Green- A meeting was called last
Week to hear the reports read and award
the suit. Farmer White said he had put
his judgment in tomatoes. He had spent
$7 for plants, etc., and Mis receipts had
amounted to leaving him a profit of $25,
wliich would have been doubled had the
season been a favorable one. Farmer
Black said that while he had every confi
dence in the judgment of his fellow farm
ers, lie had risked his time and money in
chickens, and he had to report that he paid
II ? for a pen of white Wyandottes. from
which he had received *15.70 in eggs and
young chickens, and still had the original
pen and about thirty little ones. Farm r
Gieen here stepped forward and said lie
had chosen potatoes as his money maker.
He stated that he had invested $7.50 in
seed potatoes, plowing, etc. He had dug
them only a few days ago. with the result
that he had twelve barrels stored in his
cellar and had sold eight barrels for $21,
and. counting what he had stored a way
at the same rate, his receipts amounted to
$iiO. Deducting the $7.50 originally ex
pended his profits were $52.50, and Farmer
Green was awarded the wearing apparel.
Before adjourning the agriculturists unani
mously agreed to plant every Inch of
ground they could spare next spring in po
tatoes. the farmer making the best shew
ing to be awarded 100 young apple trees."
3jl * * * *
"One of the most impressive incidents of
President McKinley's funeral on Tuesday,"
said a resident of Washington, "witness
ed when that portion of the procession in
which was the Catholic clergy had reached
the Peace monument. At that point there
was a halt Just as the strains of 'Nearer,
M.r Cod, to Thee' arose and the priests
simultaneously uncovered, which action
was followed by hundreds of those In the
procession and on the sidewalks. When I
Ktlitor?"You might take a run up to Edinburgh an<J Interview the Duke of Duro
?ale. get a couple of hundred words, and a few sketches. The usual rate, you
know. 3-6 a column."
Contributor?"Certainly; and as money seems scarce with you,, shall I swim or
walk? I am always ready to oblige."?Moonshine.
thought that the author of the words was
o' a faith entirely foreign from that of
the clergy and of a majority of the crowd,
I could not help thinking that we were
setting closer together as citizens of the
nation."
*****
One of the most pathetic incidents in con
nection with the assassination of William
McKinley was noted just outside the Capi
tol last Tuesday afternoon. Among those
anxious to obtain a final view of the late
President was an elderly woman whose
appearance indicated that she 'was In re
duced circumstances. Although without
an umbrella, she stood in the drenching
rain as unconcernedly as did the hardiest
soldier among the troops in attendance.
Carefully clasped in her right hand was
a small bunch of wild flowers. It "was just
as certain that the woman had gathered
the blossoms herself as It was that her
purpose was to lay them, on the bier as
she passed through the rotunda.
For hours the slight, drooping figure
stood near the head of the line. Finally
that dreadful cswsh occurred. The little
old woman, luckily, was not in the midst
of the jam, but she was sufficiently near
to feel its effects, and in consequence the
flowers which she had gathered and guard
ed so carefully for hours were torn from
her. As she reached the edge of the crowd
and slowly departed from the scefle she was
weeping. It was plain that her failure to
reach the casket and deposit the flowers
thereon was an intense disappointment to
her.
* * * * *
"The past season for vegetables an . fruits
has not been a good one," said a large
truck farmer near the city. "An unusual
amount of rain has fallen since early In
the spring, and there has not been a time
during all the year when the gardens
around Washington were In need of rain.
The wet season has caused a large number
of vegetables, like tomatoes, for instance,
to go to vine, and the supply of tomatoes
has been greatly decreased. In many In
stances tomatoes went entirely to vine and
bore no fruit at all. The outlook Is that
the canned article will be high this season,
although thousands of bushels of tomatoes
in good years rot on the vines because there
is no market for them. It is possible that
they have been gathered more closely this
year, and that the scarcity may not great
ly affect the prices of the canned goods.
Fruits have not been plentiful this year.
The rain caused peaches, pears and apples
to rot on the trees. Pears have not ripened
well on the trees because of the lack of
abundance of sunshine. The wet sea3on
was also bad on chickens and chicken rais
ing. and the result Is that the prices of
chickens all summer have been much above
the average. Eggs are higher now than
they have been at this time of the year
for a number of years and promise to soar
upward as the winter comes on.
F.nf(Ii*l> Pronunciation of Xamf?.
From Harper's Magazine.
The American who believes, as thousands
do, that to betray one's nationality is to
invite overcharging and extortion In the
A\ est End shops of London, Is not onlv
haid pressed to choose the peculiar words
the English employ, but he has quite as
mnnv and as deep pitfalls to avoid in the
methods of pronunciation. I will not refer
to the false or ignorant methods of illiter
ate persons, but will confine attention to
some eccentricities of pronunciation of gen-,
tlemen and ladles of education, rank and
breeding. They say immejitly, injin for en
gine, militry, figger and Aggers, dark for
clerk, paytent, naytlonal?and 3C on
through a "long list. The peculiarities of
their mode of pronouncing their own names
of families, places and things are not open
to criticism, because if they may not do
as they p'.ease with their own. It is hard,
ir.deed. They pronounce Berkeley barclay.
Cowper is cooper, Cadogan Is kerduggan,
Ralph is rafe In some shires. Craven is
sometimes crawveen. Derby is darby, Leve
son-Gower becomes loosun-gore, Hertford
is hartford and Albany is spoken 30 that
the first syllable shall rhyme with shall. In
stead of with hall, as with us. I hesitate
to say that Cholmondeley is called chumly
and that Beauchamp Is beecham, as every
one knows these eccentricities, yet they
are the most remarkable of all the liber
ties the English take with their language
You must say Balmo-ral and Trafal-gar.
and you must chop the following names
very short.: I^udget, Ho-b'n. South-uk and
Merrybui. whenever you wish to say L.ud
gate. Holborn, Southwark and Marylebcne.
I have heard the prince call his own house
Mobrer House, though we call It Marlbor
ough House.
One of Man's Oddities.
From the Philadelphia Record.
"I really believe that men who wear belts
become attached to them just as a man
does to an old pipe," said a Chestnut atre'-t
haberdasher yesterday. "Haven't you ever
noticed fellows who are otherwise dressed
Immaculately wearing old belts, soiled and
discolored? One of my regular customers
I came In this morning and informed n:.*,
with a long face, that his wife had posi
I tively demanded that he discard the belt
he had been wearing for five or six sum
I mers and buy a new one. I showed him
j several, but he seemed dissatisfied. 'They
I look so horribly new,' he said. 'Haven't
l you got one that Is a little shabby and
I shopworn?' I finally unearthed one that
j had been knocking around for a long time.
He took this and put it on, after having
| crumpled It up as much as possible. 'I
don't suppose you want this,' I said, p'ek
' ing up the old belt that he had discarded.
'Yes, I do,* he replied, quickly. He made
me wrap it up and he carried it away with
him."
Difference Purely Subjective.
From the Chicago Tribune.
"How far," asked the woodcock, "do you
call it from here to Thompson's Grove?"
"Well," answered the crow, "the distance,
as I fly, is four miles, but as you fly It's
about nine miles and a half."
FINDING OF A GUSHER
A Washington Man Located the First
Texas Oil Well
DISCOURAGEMENT BEFORE SUCCESS
Spouted 75,000 Barrels for Nine
Days.
FIELD IS STILL RICH
Written for The Evening Star.
There are very many people in Wasning
ton who know something about the won
derful strike of oil that has made south
ern Texas the Mecca of thousands of eager
fortune hunters, and transformed the
dreary landscape of a boundless plain into
a human hive of industry, dotted with
countless oil derricks?"rigs" in the ver
nacular?which have enriched, in a day,
many a man whose sole possession, up to
the time his well "came in," was an un
quenchable faith that "some day" he would
"hit it rich."
While th< re are few Washlngtonians who
have not heard something of the oil strike
that has created so much excitement in the
southwestern states during the past eight
months, there are very few who know that
the one man who caused it all, the genii
A. F. Larm.
whose magic wand produced such remark
able results, is a Washington man.
Captain A. F. Lucas, whose home is at
2034 I street northwest, is the one man to
whom the credit belongs for the discovery
of oil in Texas. It was his trained and ex
perienced eye that detected "signs" in the
geological formations of Louisiana and
Texas, and his ir.domnitable energy and
bulldog perseverance in following those
j signs to their ultimate conclusion that
brought about results which not only sur
| pass all former discoveries of mineral oil,
j but also bid fair to revolutionize modern
l methods of transportation by land and sea.
For the Texas product is fuel oil?not il
luminating ? and the exhaustless supply
furnishes a cheap and abundant fuel for
both locomotive and marine engines. Two
barrels of the Texas oil are equivalent, in
the production of steam, to about one ton
of the best grade of Pennsylvania or Vir
ginia bituminous coal, such as is generally
used for steaming purposes. As the Texas
oil can be sold at a profit for about forty
cents a barrel, the inducement to railroad
i and steamship companies to adapt their en
! gines to its use as fuel is apparent at a
The Great Locum Oil Gather.
glance, and the results of its discovery in
enormous quantities are likely to have an
Immediate and far-reaching effect on the
transportation problem.
Many Advantages.
To the railroad companies it means cheap
fuel and entire freedom from smoke and
cinders; to the steamship companies It
means not only cheap fuel, but a largely
increased earning capacity In economy of
fuel storage space and consequent addi
tional freight carrying facilities, while to
the United States government the adoption
of oil burning engines means a greatly in
creased steaming radius for our warships.
The first Texas well to be "brought in"
was the "Lucas Gusher No. 1" on Spindle
Top Hill, near Beaumont, which "came in"
on January 10, 1001. This well spouted at
the rate of 75,000 barrels every twenty
four hours for nine days before the flow
could be checked and the well plugged.
It threw a six-Inch column of oil to a
height of more than 200 feet. This strike
was made at a depth of 1,300 feet, and the
(low was natural, the well not having been
shot with high explosives as is frequently
necessary in other oil fields.
Head Nut Exhausted.
Since that time many additional wells
have been opened in the same territory
and at this time, although the "heaa of
the deposit has not, in the opinion of
Capt. Lucas and other experts, been found,
the daily capacity of the Texas oil fields
exceeds in volume the combined product
of all the other oil fields in the world, be
ing in exoess of one million barrels every
twenty-four hours.
Capt. Lucas, the pioneer of the field. Is
an Austrian by birth, and a full-fledged
American citizen by adoption, having taken
out naturalisation papers In the early
eighties. He was an officer in the Aus
trian army, when. In 1878, he came to
America on leave of absence. He was so
pleased with what he saw and so im
pressed by the opportunities this country
offered that he did not return to Austria,
but. resigning his commission, remained
here and engaged in business as a mining
engineer. He ?t>ent Considerable time in
the southern states prospecting the AA>
paiachlan chain. He'?also engaged In gold
mining in southern California and .spent
some time in ^Colorado and British Co
lumbia. He has, however, made Washing
ton his home a?vd, irr lSHT, was married in
this city to a gifted and charming southern
S. Carrie Fitzgerald, the only
daughter of $r. Edward Fitzgerald, an
eminent physician and surgeon, formerly
of Macon, Qa.
v.
Tried S?|t Mining.
In 1805 Captatn Lufcas, while engaged In
salt mining in ^Louisiana, found traces of
sulphur and oll^ The^deposit was, however,
light and not in satisfactory quantity. The
strata had a southwestern dip, which he
followed through Louisiana into Texas,
making borings In many places, but never
finding exactly what he sought until he
J!?che&.the nei&bborfcood ot Beaumont in
18JW. His first well -in this territory was
not satisfactory, but the boring showed
that the long search was nearly at an end.
Another well was begun In the neighbor
if<S ot] t'le and after surmounting
ij'lLea an<* overcoming obstacles that
would have discouraged most men the
great strike was made and the "Lucas
Gusher No. 1" came In with an almost un
controllable rush.
Biggest Eve* Known.
It proved to be the largest oil well ever
discovered, and the news of the strike set
men wild. Scenes were enacted similar to
tho.se following the discoverey of gold In the
mining regions, and in a few days the face
of the country in the vicinity of Beaumont
was covered with oil derricks. The price
of land rose to fabulous prices and fortunes
were made in a day. What the end will be
no man can foretell, but many persons be
lieve that only a beginning has been made
and that other and possibly larger strikes
may be expected.
Is a Collector.
Captain Lucas is a member of the Amer
ican Institute of Mining Engineers. He is
a man of striking personality. His par
ticular diversion Is the collection of an
tique arms, and the walls of his pretty
home In this city are decorated with many
choice and rare old implements of war.
During a recent visit to his family he said,
hi speaking of his discovery of oil to a
Star man: "My find was the successful cul
mination of a scientific theory, on which
I had been working many years. In the
practice of my profession as mining en
gineer and geologist 1 have given special
attention to earth formations, particularly
anti-cllnes. Anti-ellne is the technical ap
pellation for certain convex earth forma
tions. To the geologist, at least to this
geologist (pointing to himself), this partic
ular formation was nature's sign that In
the bowels of the earth was stored for
man's use, in quantities so vast as to pass
human comprehension, a product that if it
could only be reached would solve the
Important problem of heat and light.
Never Forgot It.
"This belief became my religion. In my
waking hours it never left my mind. At
night I dreamed of it. Nothing else in my
profession interested me. To unlock this
storehouse of nature, to be the instrument
through which man should come into pos
session of this great gift, became my one
ambition and my only thought.
* ^.^?8TPSS at flrst was slow and difficult.
At 300 feet I struck a deep bed of quick
sand, through which It was exceedingly
difficult to force the drill.
"At 300 feet I struck a strata containing
many gas pockets, the opening of which
nearly wrecked the,well.
''There were,many,,discouragements, and
5 , a<1 eviery confidence in my theory
I had almost reached the end of my avail
able resource^, jv-hen I succeeded in inter
esting others.
.A. thousand, fee^, twelve hundred, no
definite result?. At thirteen hundred feet
there was a riish ari,d a rumble, and a six
inch stream o?,oil shot into the air more
than a hundred feet above the top of the
derrick.
It was all ?yer. had found the secret
spring that s\ypng jyide the door to one of
nature's most^prectous stores, and opened
its vast resources for the use of man."
MAI? Iff jHOXOLULU.
?' - ? h
Iimtltntion of Free Delivery In the
Hawaiian Capital.
From the Honolulu Advertiser. -
J. W. Erwin/superintendent of free de
livery, was a passenger on the Sierra yes
terday. He comes to Honolulu to establish
the free delivery system for the local post
office, and expects to have it in operation
within the next three weeks. The appoint
ments of the ten letter carriers ? will be
made as soon as he has looked over the
ground and determined upon what plan to
adopt. He brought with him fifty street
letter drop boxes, and yesterday afternoon
drove about the city looking for suitable
locations in which to place them. To an
Advertiser reporter Mr. Erwin said yester
day:
"Honolulu is different from anything we
have in the United States. It is a feast or
a famine here. Under the law we cannot
work carriers more than eight hours con
secutively In a day. On steamer days you
have an abundance of mail which taxes
the department to get out in anything like
good time. I am here to study the situa
tion. We are going to make a "start of the
free delivery system. It may be only a
modest start, but we will do what we can
The department is very much Interested In
Hawaii and we hope in time to have a good
free delivery system in operation. I
brought down with me fifty street letter
boxes, and I hope before I leave here
which will ""be In about three weeks' time'
to get everything running smoothly. I
have a good deal to learn, for, as I said,
the situation here is different from any
thing we have on the mainland. The car
riers are held down to doing no more than
eight hours' work. That regulation may bo
obviated In time.
"I hope to have the mails separated in
San Francisco, so that shortly after the
arrival of the steamers with mail from the
coast we can put the carriers right out on
their routes. The way this will be done
will be to train men in the office here to
distribute mail according to the carriers'
routes, and become familiar with every
detail relating to the streets, numbers,
names, etc. When they are trained we wlli
probably send them to San Francisco
where they will make up the mails as i
have just stated.
"The use of foreign steamers for bringing
' the malls to Honolulu does not allow of
mail clerks being placed on them to dis
tribute mail as clerks do on railroads and
the mails would have to be distributed In
San Francisco, if at all.
"I have no idea 5'et as to who will be put
on the carriers' force. I am authorized to
go ahead and do what Is possible to start
the-system without delay. I have been do
ing this work fbr about fourteen years and
I have never yet put In a free delivery
system that merchants and others In a
business field have not objected to They
say they prefer keeping their boxes, but it
comes just the same. I see you have an
average of ten people to each post office
box. You may not know it, but that Is dis
tinctly against the regulations, and will in
time, have to*f be topped. I Know there
has been a congestion in the office here
and the department has overlooked this on
account of thISrt fact"
'i-??
Popularity wf George IV.
From the Londus Trut^
Hundreds ofc writers and speakers have
asserted durhr# the last six months that
when the laf| quetrh ascended the throne
in 1S37 the ciuWn ftHd fallen into contempt
owing to tht^ extreme unpopularity of
George IV ahd William IV. This is all
rubbish and SionsHtee. George IV ought,
very likely, to have been generally detested
but. as a matter of fact, he was always re
ceived everywhere \Rith unbounded enthusi
asm, and the^antjc cheers of London and
Brighton were alsdTieurd at Dublin in 1821
and at Edini urgh in 1S22. There never was
a more popular monarch, to judge from the
acclamations of his subjects whenever he
condescended to appear in public. Read the
account in "Vanity Fair" of King George's
state visit to the opera, in which Thack
eray describes the wild ecstasies of the
vast audience aud of the crowds outside
the theater, with mingled derision and dis
gust. William IV was also a great nubile
favorite, and wit^ considerably more rea
son. The fact is that it is only nosterltv
which-concerns itself with the faults in a
sovereigns character, of which nothine
whatever Is heard while he i8 alive
A Fighter.
From Lradon Fun. J"
She (after a tiffj-^^efora we were mar
ried yfcu called me al*jr of the Nile."
He?"X -never was very good at geogra
phy. Guess I was thinking of the Ama
?sp ? "?$*??
,? ? - V .. : .
TYPICAL GKOIP OF IRISH "CHILDER.
CHILDREN OF ERIN
The Irish Peasants Love for the
Youngsters,
CAN'T HAVE TOO MASY ABOUT
Though the "Stir-About" May
Not Be Too Plentiful.
THE FIRST "DHRAWS"
Written for The Evening Star by William Bullook.
The heart of the Irish peasant is given
entirely to his children. He will debate for
hours on the government's policy and work
himself Into a lighting mood over "the de
cisions of the county council, but when the
talk leads to the "ones at home," politics
pale Into Insignificance.
"Aw, it's th' childer, is it? God bliss th<>ir
little sowls, but it's me an' Mary is th'
proud pair! Shure, there's only tin, but th
beatin' of thlm ye can't find in all Ire
land."
When the first-born arrives Pat is a
proud man, indeed, but it is only when he
has to turn down the fingers on both han ls
to enumerate them his vanity becomes a
matter of anxiety to his friends. Then it
is that he assumes a new importance in the
affairs of the townland. He is old enough
now to lose the undignified appellation of
"b-hoy," and swell his chest in the de
served title of "man, begob."
One of the most popular Roman Catho.lc
clergymen in the west of Ireland, when
visiting a peasant, jokingly observed the
number of children in the family.
"Aw, ye haven't seen half of thim ylt,
yer riverince. Wait a bit."
Pat opened the "front an' back dures" of
the kitchen, ordered the children outside,
and placed "creels" on the floor so that no
one could pass in or out without first
jumping the baskets. When everything
had been arranged to his satisfaction he
called to the children "to come in th' front
dure, chase 'cross th' flure, an' thin jump
out agin over th' 'creel' in th' back dure."
The jumping began, and as fast as one
"gossoon" disappeared from the "back
dure" another hopped smilingly into view.
Five, ten, flfteeu, twenty were counted, and
still the procession continued. Then the
priest noticed that several of the faces
seemed familiar. He closed the back door,
and when eight little urchins had circled
the house and leaped into the kitchen the
fraud was manifest.
"Well, Pat, that's a neat trick," said the
priest.
"Troth, an' yer riverince, it's no thrick at
all. I wos anly givin' ye a notion of me in
tintions regardin' th" future!"
Name* Ron Out.
At a christening on another occasion it
is told that when the name "Patrick Em
met" was repeated to the priest the latter
remarked: "Is not one of the family al
ready called 'Emmet?* "
"Shure, aye, there is," said a bystander.
"But what matther, they've run out of
names an' have to begin over ag'in."
The Irish boy has a hard lot, but in
spite of all is the very essence of fun and
mischief. He is exceedingly shy at first
acquaintance, but as soon as his reserve
has been partly forgotten he is an inter
esting little person. He will then tell you
all about the "praty" crop, and the "foine
growin' weather it is," not forgetting to
lament the prevailing low prices for farm
produce and "th' trouble me farther has
to git along." As the acquaintance ripens
however, this line of thought will be aban
doned and the lad will tell, with glowing
eyes, of the "flshin' hole down there, with
the biggest roaches in it;" point out "th'
bog where th' bist turf cloddln' match was
iver seen," and recite with growing en
thusiasm th way "us gossoons stole ail th'
apples out of ould Kitty's orchard."
"Snppln' th* Stirabout.
Irish boys and girls are early risers.
Likely enough bofore their parents put in
an appearance in the kitchen the turf fire
will be blazing on the hearth, the oatmeal
"stirabout" boiling furiously in the little
"skillet," the goats milked and every
thing ready for breakfast, except to "wet
th' tay in th' brokn taypot." There is
small ceremony connected with breakfast.
On stools and chairs the members of the
family sit around the kitchen "suppin' th'
stirabout." The oatmeal is served on
plates, which are carried off and laid on
the corners of chairs or else balanced neat
ly on the ends of stools. The oatmeal is
followed by half a cup of tea and a thick
slice of home-baked flour bread. Dinner
usually consists of potatoes, buttermilk
and a slice of American bacon. Tea and
bread come at 5 o'clock, and If the family
grows Its own oats oatmeal Is again In
order before retiring for the night. The
food !? wholesome, If lacktnjg in variety,
and it is a question if- fti aH the- world
healthier children are found. Their feet
are bare apd tanned from long exposure to
the weather: their clothing is scant, ex
cept on Sundays when they go to "mass."
Their hands are taught to labor at a ten
der age, and yet their faces bear the stamp
of health and their red cheeks are a rev
elation to the tourist.
He "Alivin Hail Them."
"Where did you get those nice red cheeks,
my little man?" asked a traveler of a bare
footed, bareheaded lad of fourteen.
"Git thim! I niver got thim; 1 just alwis
had thim."
It is reall pathetic to witness the sacrifices
the peasants make to give their children
some kind of an education. Although the
parents themselves may be illiterate, they
spare neither time nor money in "givln' th'
childer good larnin'." Compulsory educa
tion has lately been introduced, but it has
bfen found necessary to enforce the law
only in instances of absence from school be
cause of an insufficiency of clothing for the
children. School is over at 3 o'clock, when
the boys must hurry home to work on the
farm, the girls meanwhile helping around
the home. If the peat harvest has been a
success the donkey will be harnessed, and
one of the "gossoons" sent to "town" to
find a purchaser for a load of turf. A school
boy returning after selling his turf is pic
tured above.
More than likely this boy has an old clay
pipe secreted about his person, and when
evening comes he will, no doubt, be found
lying behind a whitethorn bush with several
conslprators, whittling a piece of "thwist"
tobacco, rolling it between his palms and
quarreling for the privilege of the first
"dhraw." The smoking is done in secret
until the eventful day comes when his
father "wipes his own clay 'dauber' on his
coat sleeve an' asks him to take a pull."
The father will probably pass sly remarks
at the experienced way in which the lad
takes his supposedly first smoke; but there
is not the genuine ring in his voice?he was
a boy himself once, and he does not forget
it. _
IN THE CHURCHES
The archdeacon of Washington, who Is
also rector of Trinity P. E. Church, has
opened a reading room and bureau of mis
sionary information in the Parish Hall of
Trinity Church, corner of 3d and C streets
northwest, where may be found the mis
sionary perfodicals, Spirit of Missions. Quar
terly Message, publications of the Church
Missions' Publishing Company. Missionary
and Review of the World; also the miga
j zines and papers of the Church Missionary
Society of England, and others. There is
also a small but rather valuable library of
works on missions.
This reading room and library are for the
benefit of any persons interested in mis
I-.ITTLE PEAT MERCHANT.
sions or who desire to become interested,
or who ought to be interested. The room
will hereafter be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
and a member o? the Woman's* Auxiliary
or of the Junior Auxiliary will be in at
tendance daily.
A register has also been provided in
which it is expected to record the names
of all speakers on missions who visit the
city, and to which all who desire speakers
are cordially invited to refer for informa
tion.
There is to be a change in the choir at
St. Thomas* P. E. Church, beginning the
first Sunday in October. The quartet is to
be replaced by a vested choir of twenty
men and women under the supervision of
Mr. Varela as organist and director. The
present assistant rector. Rev. Charles B.
Sparks, will on that date retire from his
position and Rev. Carl Smith of Berlin,
Canada, will assume his duties as assistant
minister of the parish.
Rev. W. J. D. Thomas, for the past three
and one-half years rector of Holy Trinity
parish, Prince George's county, Md., dio
cease of Washington, has resigned. Dur
ing the period mentioned the rectory has
been repaired and improved. The parish
church has an entire new interior and an
excellent brick chancel with an open roof
instead of a flat ceiling. Several gifts have
been received, includfng chancel rail, altar
cross, altar books, a new green altar cloth
and a beautiful litany desk of polished
brass and walnut. The church is carpeted
throughout. The whole cost of the im
provement was about $3,000, and the work
i was done without incurring any debt.
The congregations attending the parish
church have been large, and notwithstand
ing the loss of several families, through
death and removal, the congregation has
met its obligations.
At Bowie, which has also been under Mr.
Thomas' care, continued service haa also
been held each Sunday, but at this point
in the parish there is no place of worship
other than a room formerly used as a
saloon. Under the care of a few ladles
an excellent Sunday school has been kept
up for Beveral year8. There are about
lifty children on the roll, and In Bowie
there are thirty communicants. A few
weeks Ago five children were baptised at
the morning session of the Sunday school.
A leading official of the American Uni
versity, In speaking of the affairs of that
institution, said:
"The total assets of the American Uni
versity are now about $2,700,000, which la
not a bad record for ten years of work.
All great undertakings ars necessarily
of slow growth. The superb cathedral at
Milan, Italy, was commenced In 1380 and
has never since been without scaffolding
and the noise of workmen. In the building
there were niches for 10.000 statues; only
4,000 have yet been filled. We are con
tent to prow slowly and lay well the foun
dation. Our life is to be co-existent with
that of the republic, and that means cen
turies for wise and careful building and
development. Our assets will i>e more
than doubled in the next three years.
"Fifteen hundred students have already
applied for admission to the American
I'nlversity. Is any stronger argument for
its necessity needed? The capital of the
nation with Its unparalleled educational
facilities has an attraction for students
desiring to pursue original investigation.
Applications are also coming from our
new possessions in the seas.
Within the past few months Mrs John
A. Logan has presented to the university
more than 3,000 volumes from the library
of her late husband. A room is now b< ing
fitted up In the completed1 college of his
tory to be forever known as the Logan
alcove. It will contain besides the splendid
library, a handsome bust of General Logan
of herolo-size, the chair in which the gen
eral sat when a member of the Senate
and the desk used In his home, near which
he sat to receive those who solicited
his aid. Other things of historic interest
will be added to the room, which will speak
of the career of this brave soldier and gift
ed statesman."
Rev. Dr. D. J. Stafford, acting rector of
St. Patrick's Catholic Church, this city,
was examined yesterday (Friday) at St.
Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, by the dio
cesan board of examiners for the vacant
rectorship of St. Patrick's Church. The
examination was held In accordance with
the decree of the third plenary council of
Baltimore, which provides for such an ex
amination in order to be eligible to an
appointment to a permanent or Irremova
ble rectorship.
Dr. Stafford was examined In sacred
Scripture, moral and dogmatic theology,
church history and sacred liturgy. The
board of examiners was composed of Very
Rev. A. L. Magnien, Revs. Drs. A. A. Tan
query, P. F. Dissez, W. A. Fletcher, Pe<ter
Tarro and A. M. Chenau.
President Elliott of St. Thomas' Collegia,
this city, will conduct a retreat at the
Cathedral, Baltimore, from October 6 to 11.
The retreat will be under the auspices of
the sodality of the parish, which now num
ber 700. The exercises will be opened with
a sermon by Cardinal Cribbons on Sunday
morning, October 0. The retreat will close
on the following Friday evening with a
reception of new members into the sodality.
The Methodists of Washington and vicin
ity have been asked to come to the aid of
the University of Pekin, China. It is stated
In the appeal that J.s.'iO.OOO are needed for
professorships, tutorships, apparatus and
buildings, and i? this amount is forthcoming
j a vast ajnount of good can be accom
j pllshed.
Pekln University, which was one of the
, greatest seats of learning in the far east,
was practically destroyed during the re
cent Boxer troubles. Money has, however,
been advanced out of the Indemnity fund
to rebuild Durtin Hall, which, it is expect
ed will be ready for the reception of stu
dents in the course of a very few months.
Already the names of ir>0 students have
been enrolled, and it is stated that at least
double that number of young men desire to
become students.
The board of examiners of Baltimore con
ference Methodist Episcopal Church of can
didates for the ministry in that denomina
tion will meet at the First M. E. Church In
Baltimore, Thursday morning next.
THE MATTING PLANT.
DUcorery of an Bcononilo Weed in
North Carolina.
From the Philadelphia Times.
Eugene Nesmith of Atlanta makes the
statement that within ten years a new In
dustry will be seen In North Carolina,
which will prove to be one of the most
profitable of the south. According to this
gentleman, the matting reed, pronounced
by experts to be Identical with that of
China, has been discovered growing In the
greatest profusion In the waters of the
Trent and Neuse rivers, above Newberne,
N. C. He gives the Importation of this
popular floor covering Into the United
States from China as amounting to 300,000,
000 yards a year, and pictures the advan
tages that will accrue from its manufac
ture at home, not the least of which is the
employment it will furnish to the negro
population. The process, he says, is very
simple and inexpensive, requiring no skilled
labor.
It is to be regretted that Mr. Nesmith has
not been more explicit, both as to the char
acter of the reed and the qualifications of
the experts who have pronounced upon It.
A great variety of vegetable substances are
utilized in the manufacture of matting,
grasses, rushes, sedges, cocoanut fiber, palm
leaves, etc.
It Is inferred that Mr. Nesmith means the
ordinary matting when he speaks of China
matting, which-is also called Canton mat
ting. This is manufactured in both India
and China from a sedge, Cyperus (papyrus
corymbosus), which is a native of India. It
Is a species of the same genus to which
papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) belongs, out of
which the ancient Egyptians and through
them the Greeks and Romans used to
make their writing paper. It Is now almost
extinct in Egypt.
Substitution in Medicines.
From the Medical Record.
In a recent case of death from poisoning,
the druggist who gave the wrong medicine
offered as an excuse that he had merely
substituted one article for another on the
supposition that it was of equal strength
and much cheaper. The prescrlber. In tes
tifying on the trial, stated that the practice
was a very dangerous and very frequent
one, and was apparently past remedy.
While the latter may, or may not. be the
case. It is quite certain that with many
who claim to be reputable and competent
pharmacists the practice of substitution 18
very common. The number of protests
made from time to time In medical Journals
have reference to only a very small per
centage of offenders, Inasmuch as the
larger number of such do not happen to be
discovered.
? e ?
Discouraged.
From the Chicago Record-Herald.
"I guess I'm not a genius after all,"
sighed the amateur poet. "I don't seem to
have any eccentricities."
"No," his wife admitted, "you haven't,
that's true. 'Eccentricities' is too mild a
thing to call your fool performances."
?t the laauicr Hotel.
From the Smart Set.
"She has a good voice, but ah* doesn't
seem to be able to control it.**
"No; she sings whenever anyone ask a
her." ..... ,