Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-21

are all against fair weather. Recently I
looked over the back numbers of The Star
since 1t was first printed. and the papers
printed here for twenty-five years before
The Star, to see the exact weather furnish
ed for the 4th of March, Incidentally, 1
looked up the weather for The two days
prior and one Or two after the 4th of
March. In all my Investigations ran over
seventy-one years. 1 then calculated the
chances for the coming Inauguration. and.
While they are not as solidly in favor Of
bad weather. they lean that way IN the
proportion of 71a to 10. What are known
as gamblers chances, therefore, are all in
favor of bad weather. Our older citizens
remember the most delightful weather dur
ing ing 'ne hrst week of March. Buehanan's.
one OF L1ncolns. and one of President
Cieveiand's inaugurations. but they also re-
member Grants and Garfield's, which gave
every one such a shiver.'
X X X
A pretty, gay young WASHINGTON widow
excites more or less comments by the
cheeriGlness of her disposition, which Is so
marked that some of her friends have oc-
casionally taken her to task for forgetting
him SO soon, suggestion she Indignantly
Genies. however But it remained for a
bright woman, who had known her for
years..to cap the climax of rebuke. which
she ana not long since. thusly: MY dear,
thefe are two classes of widows-the be-
rsaVed and the relieved and. I declare
almost think you belong to the latter"
The widow thought the mot SO good that
she couldn't get angry, and she told 1t
herself.
\ X
congress will be called upon during the
coming session.. remarked a member of
the House committee on military affairs,
10 consider the question of supplying BIZ
cycles to certain arms of the military serv-
ice OF the army. The report of General
Miles. Ill very strong language, urges the
adoption of the bicycle for infantry organi-
cations. OF course, he does not desire
that all the infantry shall ride bicycles, but
he does favor that there shall be bicycle
squads. A number of the infantry organi-
cations in the far west have been practic-
Ing on the wheel for several months, some
OF the practice rides having covered long
distances. The innovation has been found
TO work well, and great expectations are
1ndulSed in as to the future. SO far the
soldiers have ridden wheels purchased by
their own funds. 1t Is Intended that there
shall be a bicycle squad at each fort or
garrison to consist of at least ten men.
There is second proposition that the gov
eminent shall manufacture its own bicycles
at the armories where the arms are made.
though it may be that the experiment will
not be carried out to that extent. at least
for the present..
X X X X
The dairy luEch places in the neighbor-
hood of the various departments of the
government present an Interesting and live
~ scene during the lunch hour. or. to speak
more properly. half hour, each day, for
the department clerk is allowed but half an
hour for lunch. 1t is at these places that
the clerks meet to exchange gossip and to
talk over things of mutual interest. The
average department clerk is very much
exercised Just now over the rumors and
capinet There is hardly day a. these lunch
places when cabinet states are not arranged
and disarranged in all sort of ways. Should
the President-elect hear all the good points.
as we'll as bad points, discussed, public
men are from time to time mentioned as
probable cabinet officers. he would prob
ably have more difficulty in deciding on
the personnel of his cabinet than he al
ready mas, or at least is supposed to have.
AS far as department clerks are con-
cerned. the general drift of their opinion
l. that new men for the heads OF the de-
partments more satisfactory, as a rule,
than those who have previously held cab
met places, or who have well-set opinions
in consequence of long congressional ex-
perience. The idea prevails among the
clerks that cabinet officer who comes into
a department loaded to the guards with
theories, reforms Improvements as
they are apt to call them, is a nuisance.
and an annoyance to clerks as we'll as an
injury to the business of the department.
They would prefer that the new heads
should come from the business or profess
sional classes rather than from the political
OF congressional, for there IS well-ground-
ed opinion that an ex-Congressman. be he
Senator or Representative causes much
more trouble than selection from any
other class.
The new woman may or may not be re-
foc 0tr1hOni Ia
no longer considered at an end when She
reaches the age of one score, but heard
ore of her species claiming this honor in a
very excited discussion the other day.
Every one knows she asserted. that
in times gone by. If a woman was not mar
ried and settled by the time she was TWEEN
ty, she was no longer on the list of eligt-
bles for the gayeties Of the younger set, but
was relocated to the row of married danes
or passe maidens. The books of the day
married off their heroines at tender age.
Bulwer especially giving butterfly brides Of
sixteen into the arms Of misanthropic
heroes, and girls came out of school with
minds and bodies half fiedged and under
took the burdens of life with so little un-
derstanding of their obligations that Of
necessity the hysterical, silly type of feml-
ninity prevailed.
But we have changed all that" she
went on, triumphantly. Nowadays, the
girls don't come out till between eighteen
and twenty, after 4 beautiful girlhood filled
with healthy sports and instruction OF the
highest grades. She has assimilated with
her lessons other things besides the neces-
sity Of sentimental and romantic early
marriages, and when she makes her debut
it is with the intention of being gay and OF
exercising the capabilities for natural hap
piness with which she has been endowed
AS consequence, girls are girls in the
modern dictum as long they choose to
be so, and the dread term old maid Is
never applied under thirty and not then
unless the victim wills it. Is not that a
cause for thankfulness far above the suf-
frage privlege?'
X X X X
Apples, apples. apples is the cry of the
season. Apples for Indigestion, apples for
the complexion, apples for insomnia, and
ever more apples for everything. One man
complains that after paying a big doctors
fee for advice concerning sleeplessness, his
physician a finality said, There is no
better remedy for your complaint than eat
ing good juicy apple just before retiring
1t is light, easily digestedr and creates Just
the amount of heat in your stomach nee
essary to bring the blood from the brain
organ.
A girl whose complexion has been
source of worry for months has the same
N<v,.y ~1