Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1885-11-26

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rived from their sale placed 10 United
States bonds to support them. He
urges the concentration Of troops in
garrisons pe.r thslargo cities, as they
can be supplied cheaper, and may be
readily moved by rail TO points where
they are needed,
The hearing Of arguments in the
telephone case, which has been occu-
plying the attention Of the Secretary
ofthe Interior for some time past, has
at last been closed. 1t will probably
be some time before decision is
reached. The general impression is
that The Secretary will recommend that
the United States be made party to
a suit to test the validity Of the Bell
patent.
Conspicuously displayed in large
case at the National Museum is a COL
lection Of curiosities, which was re-
ceiyed on Monday last by the Presi-
dent as a present from Polynesian
Majesty, the King Of samona. The
President at once directed that the
present should be transferred to the
Museum. Among the articles may be
mentioned n bowl made esof Samona
chestnut wood, elegantly carved and
highly polished, az well as cups made
from the shells Of cocoanuts, which
latter are SO highly polished as to re-
serable stained glass. The most in
teresting and valuable article in the
collection isa magnificent rug such as
is used in the Royal Palace. Accom-
panying the rug is a description Of
the manner in which rugs Of this kind
are made. From this description it
appears that the fibers used in the
construction are made from the root
Of a native plant called the piper me-
htsisicam. The fiber is prepared by
young girls selected by the King for
the task, the preparation consisting in
chewing pieces Of the root until the
I
fbera are thoroughly separated, after
which The material thus prepared is
exposed to the sunlight until bleached.
The weaving is doneentirely by hand.
The juice Of the root which is extracted
the preparation of the fbers is used in
the preparation Of liquor called the
Kava, which is the favorite drink in
the royal household upon state occa-
sions. The saliva it is said produces
fermentation and the liquor is slightly
Intoxicating. 1t is to be regretted
that the. piper metusafcaan is not a
plant indigenous to American soil
What boon it would be to our fash
ionable boarding schools, as the fair
inmates, instead Of wasting their valu-
able time in the mastication of To Lou,
would each bsaAle to prepare spfloi-
emf = - ~ lgssl - - ~
apartment with rugs. The spirit Of
rivalry engendered would be carried
to such an, extent that any we'll regu-
lated American boarding school would
be able to display an array Of rugs,
which both in point Of numbers and
elegance of design would awaken envy
even in the King ofSamona.
The members Of the Commission
which was intrustsd by Congress with
the duty Of selecting the design and
site for the proposed statute to be
erected to Lafayette, have not as yet
decided upon the site, as the appro-
priatness Of the site depends upon the
character Of the proposed statute,
If a small statute is to be erected
it will be placed in one Of the
parks, while if large and imposing,
it win probably be placed in a con-
spicuous place near some one Of the
Government buildings. AS yet only
three designs have arrived. These
are by Bartholdi, the French sculptor;
Daniel O. French, Of Massachusetts,
and Larkin G. Meade, a noted Ameri-
can artist, who is at present the pro-
fessor Of sculpture at the Academy of
Art in Florence. H.
TCnrraanondanca IF TIM Raanan