The Washington critic., 1889-05-10
THE TOWNS PHOTOGRAPH.


The first man with straw hat was
ON the street yesterday. The sudden
advent of the warm weather made him
feel premature Notwithstanding his real
timcliness He stepped out of his
front door looked mp and down the
street, and acted as If he had notion
TO 90 back into the house. He con
tinued in this oscillating state until he
was well down town, feeling that he
was the mark of innumerable, cold,
critical eyes. But when the noon heat
came and he went out TO get his lunch
he was the centre of widespread state
of envy. The sweltcring black derby,
The discouraged.looking silk tile, and
even the ease fitting slouch hat, all
bowed down in envy TO the straw head.
covering Notwithstanding the fact
that II was of last summers growth,
in spite of its yellowsh tint, It's rusty
looking band, and the jagged place ON
one side Of the brim, II was monarch of
the hour The man has plenty of com.
pany to-day, but he still tastes the
sweets Of that brief triumph.
The warm weather has had the effect
Of increasing the sale of cigarettes and
in diminishing the demand for tobac--
for cigars On warm day some men
seem to prefer something light and they
will take cigarette, draw few puifs,
throw it away and take another. A ci.
volve too much attention and cXertion
for them and they turn to the subtle
and ephemcral cigarette.
~
The newspaper picture is one of the
great features Of modern journalism,
but IL is at the same time, in one sense,
one of the most obscure branches of
the business. The newspaper picture
Of to-day has to be made in hurry.
The old way was to engrave on wood,
but this would take too long for the
purpose of newspaper of to-day, with
which, at certain stages, minutes are
like hours. When picture is wanted
now the photograph from which II is to
be produced is placed In the hands Of a
man seated AT small table, upon which
is tilted wooden frame. On the
frame rests piece Of glass, coated
with composition something like
| plaster of paris. Exactly what this
composition is is not generally known,
nor is IL intended TO be. The artist
places the photograph on the table by
his side and traces the outlines of the
picture by scraping the composition
from the glass with stylus. When
this is done cast is taken from the
| plate and the picture Is In shape fol
printing, the entire process not having
| occupied more than two hours. In an
L..
sary, the artist can draw his picture di
rectly in the prepared plate, and so dis
pense with the copying, 1t is one OF
the most striking illustrations of the
strides of modern journalism.
| w
He wasn't more than ii years old, but
he had one Of those sharp-featured
keen faces that will secure him employ.
ment as one of gang of bunco steercrs
when he gets older If he wants II, and
he was ragged. He had opened the
summer season early and was bare
footed, and he was whistling "Ho
Waiterl Dozen More Bottles" in Q
meditative sort of way as he siddled M
beside an express wagon team that wa'
waiting alongside the curb on the Ave
| ht hViot hub q INV ibht- tuil uuN
our boy reached cautiously over and
pulled a long hair out of it with quick
jerk. Then he turned and shambled
along up the street toward drug store
in front of which there is u 'drop-a
nickle-in-the -slot-and get-a chew Of
gum" machine. AS he went he took 1
penny with hole in It ont of his ragged
clothes, and, sticking one end of hi,
horse hair through II, he tied the penny
firmly and carefully to the end of the
horse hair Then he dropped the penny
into the machine and got one chew OF
gum Then he pulled the penny on
and dropped it again and got another
chew Of gum. And he did this about Q
dozen times before the man in the store
came out and drove the future Edison
away.