Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-24
THINGS HEARD AND SEEN

| Feminine inconsistency is always a ia
vorite topic with scoffers at the weaker
| sex. but in one thing at least woman makes
| an attempt to disproye the accusations
| made against her, and that is in fitting her
costume as far as possible to the fads of
| the hour.
While the Napoleonic fever ragged she
| wore cooked hats and imperial violets till
! the air was blue with little ccrporals"
| That the OF ject Of her imitation belonged
| to the opposite gender did not daunt her
| one whit, and she sported Ter keros gar
| ments with the audacity of the original
Just row there has been a return to softer
| ideas, and two factions are arrayed against
| each other in a social combat for the SUI
| premacy of their respective heroines. One
| side lpholds the Marie Antoinette banner
| and wears hats with dropping plumes and
| folds filnny fichus around the threats of
| the combatants Opposing this phalanx
are the followers Of Queen Louise of Prus-
| sia. ana their symbol Of allegiance is the
| national flower of Germany-the blue corn
flower. Everywhere great clusters of corn
| flowers are seen waving from the crowns
| of jaunty hats, and the favorite shade of
| the gowns of the noble queens admirers is
| bluet.
| A very pretty story is told Of the original
| cause of the selection of the cornf1ower as
| the national bloom by the great Emperor
| Wilhelm. 1t seems that on the occasion of
one of the numerous flights to which Queen
Louise was forced by the invading French
| armies her children, who accompanied her.
| complained bitterly of the fatigue of trav-
cling, and. like the good mother she was
she ordered her coachman to halt and let
the little ones out for a breather.
The place of resting was in large mead
CIV, overgrown with quantities of blue bios
sons The children forgot all their woes
among the flowers and sunshine, and not
one of them was merrier and apparently as
free from care the woman whose heart
ached at the thought of repeated blows to
her throne and home.
When continued victories in cabinet and
field placed Wilhelm I at the head of the
German nation this scene OF his childhood
fingered in his memory, and to do honor to
the beautiful self-forgetfulness and courage
of his mother he selected as the emblem
of United Germany the blue cornflower.
There is one lesson that John Chinaman
has imbibed very thoroughly FROM his life
in this western country, and that Is the art
of making his religion do him good bus
mess turn. Four celestials managing four
branches of the same laundry have ex-
periencei a conviction of their original sin
in four different denominations. and in
order to help them as far as possible on The
congregations ratronize their respective
converts.
With the same smile. ''childlike and
bland" he of the queue absorbs everything
>soiled linen, sheckels and religious dog
mas-and continues meanwhile to believe
and practice Shintoism and to compare
notes about Mclean man muchee foolee-
There is an article of trade which occu-
pies a very humble position and yet is one
Of the most necessary and valuable COM
modties in the mercantile world, and that
is the velveteen skirt binding. The shopper
goes to the store with piece of goods to
match, and as it is almost impossible to
get vely eteen just the tint Of silk or wool
dress she agonizes fully half an hour over
| the various pieces. finally selecting ono Of
the first samples shown. -
A few days ago IT apologizing for keeping
the clerk SO long over such small pur-
chase the departing buyer said: Il don't
see how you make anything at this counter,
anyhow, the material is SO cheap"
But you must consider the demand"
was the quick response: land so far from
not making anything at this counter, /
could retire from business inside of two
years IL l could retain all the profits that
are made here.
i, From the talk that is heard around the
Navy Department it is surmised that the
missionaries are not very popular with
navy officers. Yet the missionaries in for
eign lands make the navy not only neces-
sary, but useful The protection of these
same missionaries makes 1t strongly ap-
parent that we could not do very well
without a navy. cruiser in the Mediter-
ranean and our fleet in China waters call
attention sharply to the fact that our navy
is needed.
England makes good use Of her mission
aries who are abused and killed 1t would
not be surprising to see the recent riots at
Ku-cheng result in the acquisition Of
Chinese territory by Great Britain. She
may observe that the only way in which
her missionaries can be protected is by the
extension Of one Of the many forms Of
government by which the great colonizer
seizes and controls so much of the earth's
surface Anthony Hope In one Of his
stories illustrates this in a few words. A
party was assembled in London drawing
room, the most Of whom were interested in
a company which was land grabbing In
Africa.
And how's the great scheme?" asked
some one.
the principal promoter.
"Everything's going on very WE'LL" said
a funny mar Of the company. They have
killed a missionary"
"Regrettable in itself. but the first step
toward empire" explained the funny man.
How true it is. Later IN the same book
the suggestion is made that If some of the
traders would also be killed England would
then take control of the whole country. 1t
has been asserted before by some one that
Err glish missionaries go first into a country
and are killed; English traders follow, and
English red coats and marines are close be-
hind them. "They have killed mission
ary'' and its the first step toward en-
pire" are expressions that are well to keep
in mind while the English are settling with
China for the Ku-cheng riots.
Statesmen who have been In the habit
of depending upon garden seeds to secure
them votes for reduction will probably
find great deal of fault with Secretary
Morton because be has cut off the seed
division of the Agricultural Department
and will no longer deliver seeds to Sem
ators and Representatives. In many cases
seeds have cut a great figure in the cleo
ton, OR rather In the nomination of men for
Congress. There are great many men
who come to Congress and remain for
several terms upon their seed records alone.
1t was suggested to Secretary Morton the
other day that probably the next Congress