Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-08-16
cuM-cHEwIN0 ATTHE CAPITAL
Il Is Practiced at the White House
and on the Supreme Bench.

CUM-CHEWINC Al TIE NN'
II Is Practiced at the White House
and on the Supreme Bench
Washington is city OF gum chew
ers. says letter TO the Waterbury
Americana emphatically so per-
haps than any other city on the middle
or southern Atlantic coast The daint-
ily favored saliva-increaser is not only
popular with schoolboys and schools
girls; il permeates society from top 10
bottom and census OF the men who
delight TO roll the waxy morsels under
their tongues would DO surprise TO
the country.
The man who (neXt TO the presldenO
controls and directs the foreign policy
of this administration uses great deal
of gum, but he takes it straight. IL is
the pure product OF the spruce trees
which are so numerous in his native
state. He says that gum-chewing is
not with him an unreasoning habit.
at aids my Digestion" he says. 81
chew simply because OF the good effect
it has on my stomach" His better
half has not that same excuse, for her
digestion has steadfastly refused TO be
impaired by many years OF the most
excessively fashionable life; yet she
too chews gum. Not in public, though,
for there is no greater stickler for
submissive yielding TO the ''proprie-
ties" than Mrs. Blaine.
There is gum at the white house.
Mrs. Mckee is an expert chewer, and
when Russell Harrison married ex-
Senator Saunders daughter il didn't
take the western bride very long TO
pick up the habit from her sister-in-
law.
Passing down Pennsylvania avenue
Saturday afternoon | noticed three
ladies sitting in an open carriage
waiting for the coming OF a fourth.
who was in jewelry store. All
three were working the muscles OF
their jaws rs rapidly as possible and
the fragmentary conversation was fire.
quently interrupted by gulps and
gurgles OF the most distressing charac-
ter The fourth lady came out OF the
store in little while, but before en-
tering her carriage she opened the
everpresent sachel aud took from
thence little silvery covered square
of something. She removed the wrap
per deXterously and then put the
brown contents into her pretty mouth.
In less than ten seconds thereafter there
were four ladies at the head and front
of Washington soclety-riding down
the avenue at high noon and every one
of them was chewing gum as though
their lives would be forfeited If they
stopped for an instant.
Two of the judges of the Supreme
bench of the District Of Columbia are
incessant chewers and so is Justice
Gray of the Supreme court of the United
States.
Gum chewing caused a good deal OF
trouble in the interior department
few days ago. One Of the lady clerks
is n helpless victim to the habit and
lately had felt as though copious eX-
pectoration was necessary to crown
her masticatory efforts. A mischief
loving gentleman whose desk was in
the same room took advantage Of her
absence from her place TO put cusIis-
dor near her chair When the lady
returned she noticed the presence OF
the vessel and the smiles OF her fell
low-employes and Immediately exhib-
tied symptoms OF very violent wrath.
1t mattered not that she had (unob-
served, she imagined) used the rug at
her feet as receiver. She rushed at
once to the secretary's Office and
poured out her tale of woe. If any
member of President Harrison's cabi-
net has a fine sense OF humor it is
Gen. Noble. and beneath grave and
courteous exterior he struggled on
that occasion with volcano OF
laughter. He promised to have the
alleged insult looked into at once and
soothed the lady's feelings. But the
cachinnatory volcano was in state OF
very noisy eruption as soon a. the fair
gum-chewer had departed. or course
that was the last of the matter.