The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-06-09
Washington, Letter.
Washington, ID. G., May %, 1888.

10 Ine Editor or Messenger
The weather continues cool, and it has
rained almost necessarily during the
past week. Notwithstanding the unplea-
SAINT weather, however, the city has been
unusually crowded with strangers. The
annual cOnclave of the order of the
knights of the Golden Eagle was held on
Tuesday and Wednesday,, and about five
thousand uniformed members of the or
der participated i'm the parade, which
traversed the principal streets of the city,
and was reviewed by the President as il
passed the White House.
The event Of the week, however, was
the ceremonies connected with the laying
OF the cornerstone Of the new Divinity
building, the first of the series buildings
to be erected upon the recently purchased
site OF the Catholic University. Prepar.
atlOnS had been made for celebrating this
great event in the history of the Catholic
Church upon grand scale. Invitations
were sent to prelates of the church in all
sections of the country. and the President
of the United States with his Cabinet has
agreed TO be present. monster process
sion had been planned in which all Of
the Catholic societies and members OF
the local Catholic congregations were to
participate, but the raging storm which
prevailed during the day rendered it ne
cessary to dispense with the procession.
Notwithstanding the rain, however,
more, than five thousand persons at the
laying of the cornerstone, and the. cere-
monies were both interesting and i'm
pressive.
Lieut.. Gen. Philip II. Sheridan is con-
fined to his ted with what is reported to
be serious attack of nervous prOstra.
tiOn, due to his recent extensive trip
through the west, where he has been to
establiSe military posts. There is much
solicitude among his friends as to his
condition, and his physicians are very
reticent, but it is known that they have
been in constant attendance at his bed
side since his first attack on Wednesday
last. As the General has had trouble
with his heart in the past. the refusal
upon the part of the physicians to furn-
ish the public with information as to his
real condition has lead the public to
infer that he is very sick man.
A patent was issued Oh Tuesday last
upon one of the most ingenious inyen-
tiOns of madern times. Mr.. John T Xii,
tan, the inventor, who is resident of
New York, has devoted several
years to the study of scenic changes and
effects the invention which he has recent
'y patented consists of an arrangement of
A series of Stats upon which the scenes
are painted, by which it is rendered pOss-
ible to change the entire scene upon the
stage, including both wings and flies
within the One-tenth Of a second; thus
Dbviating the necessity Of either turning
lOwn lights or lowering curtains in
making changes in scenery. A series of
scenes may be produced in rapid success
sion, or portion Of a scene changed
affecting the rest Of it. A ghost
bird or animal may be caused 10 appear
at will at any desired point, or a mere
speck upon the horizon may be made to
increase in size until it appear
As full size ship in the immediate FORE
ground. A miniture model of this inven-
ton, which has been upon exhibition in
the city. has been the subject of wonder
and admiration of those who have seen it,