Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-13

EotsEwARNlNG.
The republic is opportunity" This famous
utterance kept running through nv mind
Wednesday night as 1 wandered from story 70
story in the lofty and magnificent building Of
the New York World. opened that evening Cor
the reception of its friends and guests liz
seemed almost impossible that twenty seven
years ago the owner OF this majestic
structure had landed on these shores a poor
friendiess stranger, ignorant Of the Ian
guage OF the country. and entirely
thoutresources except those tina. we're latent
IN ms fertile brain. Almost within the shadow
OF the World building not many wears ago the
young Pulitzer spent more than one night i'm
the City Hall Park, because he had not the
money to buy even the humblcst lodgings
The story of this mans career has been often
told and Is familiar to the American people
but Its romance comes out more strikingly than
ever as we gaze upon what is unquestionahly.
IN some respects, the most imposing and the
most costly newspaper building in the world
And the thought also intruded that. by the very
m"ckery of fate, the man whose genius had
created this structure and the great newspaper
which inhabits it was that night tossing on the
wlntry ocean, unable to see the very newspaper
he was publishing. too shattered in health to
stand the strain even of the happiness which the
great reception on shore would have brought
him. In sclf-dcfense he had sailed for England
that very morning. and was spending the men,
oraDle evening not amid the music and feasting
the health that seems to elude all his patience
and the finest surgical skill in the world.
THE OCTOPUS BAZAAR.
The tendency Of the dry goods trade toward
immense department stores is becoming more
and more marked and the Bon Marche and
other great French bazsars, which were the
originals OF this fashion. are quite outstripped
by their giant rivals on this side of the water
In tins city the best known of these compre-
hensiye establishments are those that stretch
Tor squares along 9th avenue. though there are
dozens of others scattered through the other
| avenues and wide streets. All these are busy,
prosperous and growing centers of trade.
simpson. Crawford & Simpson have lust pur-
chased the rest of the square on which
their store stands, and will occupy the entire
block. ONeills is right beside it. also filling
whole square. and Altman. on the other side.
strives In vain to acquire the few lots that pre-
vent his having the same extent of territory
A few steps further is Ehrichs huge building
and Just around the corner are Stern's lie
Boutilliers and some Others while little be-
low are the busy hives of Macy. Hearn and the
other 18th street shops, each big enough. one
would think, to supply the wants of a city.
Dry goods authorities saw that these
immense supplies of goods Of every variety are
not always the property of the sellers. but
that whole lines of stock are often placed in
their hands by manufacturers to be sold
on commission. BY this means the manu-
tacturer gets his goods TO market and the mer-
chant adds another to the rapidly swelling
lis: OF departments. In one well-known store
buyer counted sixty-nine departments and
could think of few occupations that were not
represented. except. it might be. some incon-
yenient ones like butchers, blacksmiths. or I'M
dertakers. At this season Of the wear one fea-
ture that might be added with propriety would
be an ambulance service to carry home the
exhausted women who faint in the crush. for
the holiday shopping is well under way and
every shop Is a seething mass of femininity,
into which one enters with terror and from
which one energies with thanksgiving.
TWO RICH MEMS WILLS
The old saving, There's nothing like
leather" seems to be freshly proved since the
death of ID. u. Fayerweather, whose princely
fortune. or rather his princely disposition of il.
is for the moment the talk of the town. Mr.
Fayerweather was the typical self-made man.
who begun his career the bound boy of a
Connecticut farmer, passed through various
vlclsslfudes as a tin pedder and shoemaker and
died leaving millions enough to astonish even
New York. 1t has been a good while since any
money King gave New York so genuine q sur
prise. The man WAS SO quiet and unoste TIA
tlous in his life that though every one who
knew him knew that he was a prosperous and sue
cessful merchant no one ever supposed him To
be anything more and his name was never in
Guided among the frequent lists of the towns
millionaires, and vet when he dies he leaves be-
hind him, besides an ample provision for his
heirs and 100000 to various hospitals over
S2.O0O.O00 to a number of colleges none of
which had the slightest reason TO expect such a
gratifying little Christmas remembrance as
300. 900 or so from millionaire who was not
even an alumnus. Yale puts in her thumb and
gets pretty good plum of 100000, the only
gift that is hampered by the slightest condi-
tion-that one-third is to go TO her Sheffield
scientific school-but Yale is big and rich and
accustomed to luxuries. But what rejoic-
ing will there be among the smaller col
leges at this graceful little surprise.
Now Wesleyan, Lincoln and Hampton univer-
sites will exult in their hundred thousands,
and Marietta, Adelbert, Wabash and Park col
leges in their fifty thousands, not to endow
new chairs or unheard-of subjects to perpetu-
ate the giver's name, but simply. AS the children
say, to spend as they please. Even the gifts,
though, are not more surprising than the fact
that the heirs have no intention of contesting
the will, but quietly consent to LET their owner
do rs he choose with his own millions.
Almost simultaneously with this astonishing
document appears the last will and testament
of August Belmont. The rich banker lived in
purple and fine linen and Jared sumptuously
every day. His town and country houses, his
furniture and equipages were all that taste and
money could supply. His perfectly appointed
four-in-hand was one of the sights of the
town. His Bouguereaux, Troyons Geromes and
Daubgnys were rather openly counted upon
rs probable acquisitions by the Metropol-
itan Museum. But the time came when
he had to part with all his SPLEEN
doris except handsome black silk
velvet coffin with silver mountings, which he
could take into the ground with him. But like
good many other men of many millions who
have gone over to the majority recently be
came Just as near as he could to taking his
money with him-that is. he left il oil in his
own family and not one dollar to charity or TO
advance any good and noble cause. Even the
pictures stay in unbroken ranks in the family
not enriched by one canvas. Evidently these
rich men are determined nobody shall be glad
they died.
ASPHALT EccENTRICTTIEs IN NEW YORK.
One of the quaint features of life in New York
town is the everlasting filth in the streets
This subject is constantly breaking out in a
new spot. The latest vagary is one that WASH
ington people viii appreciate. After some
years of effort we have had few miles laid in
asphalt pavement. But now comes the ques-
ton of keeping them Clean and this question
bids fair to be solved in what is truly New
York fashion. Despairing OF any help from
the city the residents are hiring laborers to
attend to the needs of the street, and now the
asphalt companies have sent a proposition to
property owners notifying them that for 81 80
per month for each lot they will undertake 10
keep the street IL front of their premises in
good order. Think of each owner of house
or lot in Washington having to pay els year
to keep the asphalt in front of his property in
Of 81 600 600 year Of taxpayers money, which
is spent in street cleaning.
WHAT NAY KEEP HAPPENING.