Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-27

actors ana their doings. The stage Is more
entertaining than before. but it is happily
rid of most of the absurd glamor which it used
to possess. We are inclined to dispel mystery
with common sense.
This was illustrated this week in the presence
OF yonr correspondent In one Of our museums
Is exhibited ''Aieeb. the automaton chess
player, mechanical figure which beats nearly
every opponent at game of chess or checkers.
we all remember that so great q literary genius
as Edgar Allen Poe. in the height of his sue
cess, devoted himself to . careful considera-
ton OF just such a chess player, and his article
on the subject ia retained in the editions
OF his works. By an elaborate course of reason
ing anu theorizing he arrived at the conclusion
that dwarf was concealed in the figure to op-
crate 1t. Common sense should have taught
roe at once that If the automaton were abso-
lu.ey Isolated, as il was, from all
gence, there must necessarily be q man
inside to work 1t, since no possible machinery
can possess the mind with which to direct game
OF chess or checkers. WE'LL Thomas A. Edison
was visitor at the museum where Ajceb is an
exhibit Edison convinced himself that there
was an inner man in just about twenty seconds.
ne saw that, by reason of glass feet the thing
could not have any electrical or other connec-
ton with an operator. Then he looked
through the open breast of tho figure to
when the doors are opened. Taking tape
measure from his pocket he measured the
dimensions of the undisciosed lower part Of
the image and the box on which it rested, and
found that man might easily curl up within
while the torso Of Ajeeb was under exan,ina-
ton.
."Of course" calmly remarked he, ''the chess
player is concealed right in there now. but
when the doors i'll the breast Of the figure are
closed ne sits up inside and guides the move
mcnt Of the mechanical hand.'
But this drawer fills the space that you
ha ia in, fha
who attends to Ajeeb. and she pulled out big
drawer at the rear of the square box.
Edison wanted to examine the drawer. She
wouldn't let him and pretended to be angry
with him. The reason for her refusal, as he at
once explained, was that the drawer had no
rear end nor any visible contents and therefore,
when slid in, simply surrounded the space in
which the man lay curled. Tho exposure was
SO easy and complete that it spoiled Edgar
Allen Poe's elaborate article for any future Pc
rusal by the spectators.
TIGHTS WITH PADS FOR BATHING.
II real out-and-out chorus girl, one who
wears tights throughout the year ADD gets to
all the champagne suppers that are going. is to
be believed, then story that such young
woman tells is rather interesting. She claims
to have got it from the man who makes her
tights, and whom she describes as o man of
strict reliability.
1--WE were talking about pads" said the
chorus girl. "Of course he knows well enough
that l never wore them, but he told me Of
more than one well-known woman in the pro-
fession who does. That didn't interest me,
however, for was pretty sure Of the ones he
named before he told me about them. But
finally he spoke of a visit he had had a few days
before from a swell young woman, one
OF the high tink-a-tinks uptown, you know. He
said she came in to see him in behalf of several
OF her friends. He thought at once that the
woman wanted him to make some tights for
private theatricals, but after great deal OF
shilly shallying she came down to the state
ment that her friends wanted, if possible
some tights made for bathing, and that
they all must have pads put in them.
My old tightmaker never lie. on that he was
surprised at this but kept straight face and
said that he could very easily make some pad
ded tights for bathing by using cork pads.
The lady then told him that there were half a
dozen girls who had got her to come and ask
about it, and that as he said he would
make the tights they would all come
IN to be measured. BY lady, Of
course said the swell girl, and my old friend
course. understood. She thanked him and ex-
planned that she did not want any tights for
herself, and the man told her he should
not think to look at her she would re-
quire them. This brought blush. and she
said that wasn't just the reason--lookinS her.
self over as she spoke-but that
she really never went into the surf Well. the
half-dozen girls got measured, and the tight
maker swears to me that there wasn't one in
the lot that couldn't wear my bangles for gar
tiers. Think of that, now. AMI they in the
aristocracy. while l, with my shape, must work
for twelve a week. Isn't it a shame?'