The evening times., 1895-08-16
Gossip Of the DAY.

"Do you know there is one thing about
Washington that strikes me as queer?"
rem arked q Boston visitor to a Times re-
porter. .'I've been here now about q week,
and nearly every evening have sOugth re-
lief from the heat at one of the river resorts.
Consequently I have seen sor, thing of
the river front, and cannot help but notice
the absence of yachts. There are a few lit
tie sloops and soTe small craft moored In
the stream. but they are a mere handful.
Why, 1t seems to me that this ought to be
q great yachting town. You have a beau
tiful stretch of river. big and broad a few
miles down. aud only ashort way from the
Chesapeake. In fact, with the exception
OF those cities located Immediately upon
the seaboard. know Of few places where
there are better facilities for the sport.
Instead Of that it is apparently almost en-
tirely lacking.
"You haven't naval militia either;
have your" The Times man ackuowl-
edged that shortcoming. .'Ah, that's
a pity, a great mistake. Why. right here
at the seat of government, with q navy
yard and naval officers by the dozen Just
waiting for something to do, this is the
town above all which should set an exam
pie in that line of the militia, which. by
the way, is going to be big thing some
of these days. The Times had better
start O naval reserve corps nd add 10 the
reputation which the National Guard Of
the District already enjoys"
SHERIFF Palmer has grievance against
The Times" was a comment made yester
day.
He says he never has a chance to make
an arrest, for the reason that The Times
always gives warning to the violators OF
law by publishing their misdeeds day I'm
advance Of his arrangemnets to pull them
in"
why don't he arrange to BE- day in ad.
vance OF The Times?' was asked.
"Give it up"
The example OF wearing rubber soled
shoes atnight, set by the night inspector,
has been folio wed by almost all the police
men on the force. and now after l2 O'Clock
the men glide around like phantoms. The
shoes are canvas topped with corrugated
rubber soles. and cost the men about 10
cents pair. They are economical and rest
the mems feet after they have been tramp
ing around In heavy shoes, and besides
they enable the wearer to approach any
night prowler without being heard. Then.
too. they aid the copper to elude the vigi.
liant watchrulness of Uncle Isaac" and
many a .hoodler" owes his escape to the
rubber shoes.
For almost a century, boats OF all de-
scription, in travelling on the Potomac
River, have tolled their bells while passing
Mount Vernon. This beautiful custom was
inaugurated soon after the death Of the
Father OF His Country, and has been re
ligiously kept up. Almost q hundred years
have now elapsed, and the bells still toll.
and when centuries have rolled by. or as
long as the Potomac is a naviga BILE river.
the custom will be followed. Even the
careless, Jolly crowds on the excursion
boats hush their laughter and the frivolous
vessels sound the toll of respect to what
Mount Vernon holds, the clay OF Wash
iDgton.
There's a class or sharks in town that
ought to have the attention of The Times"
said Col. Perry Carson. THE people
refer TO are colored. and make business
ings, and for expenses of the church So
cieties, with the intention of pocketing
the bulk of the proceeds.
II know people who quit work year,
and even two years ago, to go into that
business. They go about in better clothes
than they used TO, and seem to be living like
bloated capitalists.
The churches ought to take hold of the
fellows. They ought to have better
system Of collecting. and arrange for
identifying everybody who says he is
authorized to get money for them
There is not the slightest Indication that
the labors of the fool-killer will be corr
pleted In the immediate future. In fact, 1t
appears that the sphere of his duties Is
each day widening A Washington gentle
man tells the story of friend of his, a
lady. who came to grief all because the
annihiator Of idiots let one subject GO un-
harmed. The lady kept boarding house
in the northwest quarter OF the city. The
undestroyed fool was her star boardcr.
The lady sat by the window Of her parlo- q
one morning cleaning pair OF white biu
gloves with benzine. The star boarder
entered the room smoking cigar and took
a seat opposite his landiady. His trained
eye saw the possibility for a joke. After
giving his friend warning that he intended
to throw q lighted match in her direction,
he ignited the birthstone and tossed 1t to-
ward her. An explosion, OF course, fol-
lowed. When the pair had succeeded in ex-
the flames it was seen that the
lady's hands were badly burned. A week
passed and no relief could be found. All
of her boarders, including the stellar luna
tic, left her because she could not attend
to the household duties. The lady is just
now recovering the use of her hands and
the star boarder is diligently seeking new
fields wherein to display the gifts that in
him lie