davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1897-01-30
OUR PRESENT NAVAL POLICY.
Effects on American Ship
building.

From the Engineering Magazine.
The program that eventuated in three
battle ships was carefully thought out by
Secretary b. F. Tracy, and he felt war
ranted in recommending the building OF
eight Three were all that Congress felt
willing to authorize. 1t seems, In the light
of the progress which is now matter OF
history, that had eight been authorized in
1880 instead of three, eight would now be
in commission, or available for II, nsteai
of three, and no one qualified to judge VIII
gainsay. that the capabilities of the snip
builders had been accurately gauged py
the Navy Department.
1t NAV be argued that the throwing OF
eight battle ships on the market at that
time would have acted as an overStimuldnt
TO the development of the industry, Win
the consequent certain reaction. But L am
neither offering nor combating purely spec
ulative arguments. i am dealing only with
accomplished facts and known perform
ances.
If we turn elsewhere for illustration or
example, we shall fini that twice, since
we began our new navy. has England
launched on her shipbullding market single
programs of new construction exceeding IN
displacement and cost Cur entire fleet.
Before We began our new navy Great
Britain had the Bellerophon as flagship of
her North Atlantic and West Indian squad
ron, old even then, but more than a match
for any vessel We possessed. But, as We
| have launched ship after ship, the English
vessels on this station have been Keeping
pace with us III strength, and the success
sor to the Bellerophon, the splendid armor-
ed cruiser Blake. has been succeeded by
battle ship since our Indiana was COM
missioned.
The inference is obvious. What we have
seen and what we know requires no argu-
ment to establish; and We have seen and
We know that the policy of the new navy.
more than all other causes combined, has
raised American shipbuilding from Its
struggle for existence a decade and half
ago to it's exultant eminence of today.
The New York. Columbia, Minneapolis,
Indiana, Massachusetts,, Brooklyn and Iowa
| made the St. Louis and ST. Paul possible;
and they also made possible any needed
number of St. Louises and St. Pauls, or bet
ter ships, in the future In a word our
policy of the new navy broke the back of
England's shipbuilding monopoly, and broke
| 1t beyond cure.
There is another prime consideration ger
name to the question of stimulus involved
| In the naval policy Of the government-the
fact that, ncthwithsta nding the feeble state
of contributory industries at the outset,
and the consequent necessity of initial de-
velopment, the tests prescribed for physical
qualities of material used In our ships have
constantly exceeded in severity and pre-
cision the tests of any other country. These
requirements have been met and overcome,
and today we can say with pride that the
steel made for the navy and merchant ves-
| sells of the United States is far superior to
| that of any other nation.
Evening star., 1897-01-30

eternal little gowns of black merino in WIN
ter and printed calico in summer. They
are specked with bits of thread: their faces
are flushed and their eyes are bright from
the overheated work room; and they are
going now to eat their lunches at the res
taurants. All are young. The older ones,
married for the most part, have remained
at the shop, where they cook or heat up
what they have brought with them from
their homes. The younger ones, and those
who have no household responsibilities, love
better to take the air. Some go to the
library restaurants. Others go to little cor
ner places where they may meet their
sweethearts. The beau. who is a clerk of
the neighborhood, will pay for his girls
breakfast. She, in return, in the evening,
will make him such neckties from silk
which she has secured from the workshop
that he may easily rival the most flaming
dandy.
A sewing girl, no matter how skillful,
will never receive more than from seventy
five cents to one dollar and twenty cents a
day. A good cutter may possibly have
two dollars a day-but she must have
ideas" and ceases to be an ouvriere. A
girl may, Also IL she have a figure and de-
pertinent, be promoted to the sales rooms,
and even the fitting rooms-to show off
gowns upon her person, putting on, taking
| off, walking to the right, to the left, turn
| ing, bending and returning. all a weary
| work. but promotion. Or she may, If she
saves up money, take contract for a
Evening star., 1897-01-30

may sit bolt upright in your seat, or you
may turn the back Of the opposite seat over
and stretch your weary legs across the
chasm; or you may try to lie down on one
seat, which you will find to be practically
Impossible unless you are as short of
stature as you are short Of cash. Entering
a smoking car at night on a through ex-
press you will find men in all these three
attitudes, doing the best they can with the
weary hours that are ahead of them until
daylight breaks.
The smoking car on the night express of
the Texas, Belmont and Crucifer Air Line
was well filled with men of all descriptions,
most of whom werel endeavoring to get
some sleep in enc or other of the three at
titudes above alluded'tO. There was only
one sleeping car on the train at the rear: in
front of that came tive ordinary cars then
the smoker the luggage car, the car of the
American Express Company, and in front
of all, the engine Oni the train were two
very anxious men, and they sat on camp
stools near the big safe in the express ear.
fully armed, knowing that in that safe were
gold packages amounting to over $20O.0OO
coming east from California. These two
listened without sayina, much, to the ex-
press grinding on through the night, the
whistles of the engine Breaking through the
continuous roar With an occasional long
tO0t, followed y'.wo' ShOrt ones. 1t was
row midnight and in two hours the train
would reach Belmont; after ,hat the two
guards of the safe would feel easier in their
minds. They We're; al present going through
wild country here anything might hap
pen, although they hoped that the secret of
the safe had been well kept. 1t is astonish-
ing how news leaks ou; and how quickly il
travels when large sums of money are Le-
ing transported across the plains.
In the forward end OF the smoking car
four bearded men sat opposite each other
playing euchre. They were rough-looking
citizens who might have been sowboys or
Evening star., 1897-01-30

ness far ahead down the line the waving of
a red lantern-the signal of danger.
When the train came to q standstiu there
appeared on each side of the engine shad-
owy forms that seemed to have risen from
the black earth. In response to curt COM
mand. the engineer and stoker-fireman
threw up their hands and remained In that
position, standing out redly against the
glare of the engine fires. A masked man.
With q seven-shooter in his hand, entered
each door of the smoker, and instantly
most OF the now wide-awake passengers
got under the seats. Not all of them, how
ever. The tall, black-bearded man. who
had Teen one Of the card players, rose
hastily to his feet, letting the bits of paste
board futter unheeded to the floor. He
cursed loudly and energetically, using the
most fearful language with a dexterity and
ease that instantly commanded the respect
ful admiration of the masked men at each
end of the car. who both paid him the inn
mediate compliment of turning the muzzles
of their weapons upon him.
Throw up your hands!' they cried stimuli
taneously.
Throw up nothing" cried the man in a
tone Of the utmost contempt although he
forebore to make any motion that might
indicate he possessed a gun himself. DO
you know who you're Ginning? I'm Steve
Mannies.''
THE devil you are,'' cried one of the
masked men, lowering the point of his re-
volver.
Same thing" replied Steve who was
justly proud of his well-earned reputation,
Evening star., 1897-01-30

for betterment from things TO be worked
for and attained: observation invention
imitation. emulation-all these Distinguish
man from the most intelligent of beasts;
ana the exercise and development of these
tendencies and faculties have brought man
Kind TO conditions OF life and power so dif-
ferent from those of even the no5lest ari-
mails that the idea of common origin of
man and beast seems prepusterous TO MANY
well-informed and thinking persons
When the possibility of obtaining pro-
tection and shelter in walled and rooted in
closures first dawned upon primeral man.
the lnltlal and most important step toward
the subjugat ton of the rest of creation MAS
taken by our ancestors. Excepting only
the discovery of fire, no invention or dis
covery has been more fruitful of results
than was the invention and discovery of
the house, however primitive and rudimen-
tary may have been the form in which il
first appeared among men. And from the
day of she first utilization of a cave as a
human habItation; from the hour when the
first crude hut protected human family
from the scorching sun and pelting rain:
from the time when walls of rocks, of mud,
or of logs, first gave protection and vantage
10 man in his struggle with the wild beast
the history of the development and progress
of the human race has been coinSi lent
with the development and progress OF the
art and science of building The fathers
whose ingenuity and industry provided the
most efficient shelter were able TO rear of
spring more numerous and more healthy
ana strong than their less ingenious ard
less industrious competitors in the strug-
gle for existence And thus the families.
tribes and nations by whom the art of
building most assduously cultivated
were those which waNed most numerous.
prosperous and strong, while the families
and tribes who were content to exist with
out artificial shelter, were satisfied with
the rudiments of hut and house building,
became extinct; or, IL their existence was
prolonged, il often in servftude and
slavery to those more intelligent and in
dustrious tribes and nations by whom aTchi-
lecture had been originated, developed and
cultivated. While 1t is true that hardy
hosts of cave and hut inhabiting bar
barians, enyious and covetous of the COM
fort and wealth of the highly prosperous
house-dwellers of Assyria, ylon, Egypt,
Troy, Greece, Rome and scores 81 other
civilizations, swooped down upon and over
ran and conquered their more highly CIVIL
by sheer force of numbers, il is also true
that these DarbarianS were themselves cap
tured and overmastered by the civilizations
whose creators and conscrvators they had
set out TO annihilate, and whose fruits and
products they had come TO appropriate.
Thus while nations pershed, ;he art OF
building lived on to continually wider and
more diversified development, always mod
flying and adapting itself to the dominating
requirements and conditions of .he chang
ing times and periods and always contln-
uing an essential factor in the struggle for
existence and for the survival Of the httest
among men.
Evening star., 1897-01-30

worker and a general house servant, be-
Ing lowest placed of all, gets the prettiest
name, for she is called a bonne-"a good
girl In France. as in America, it is she
who IS at the foot of the social ladder, al
though she has often moro dignity and ease
and pleasanter surroundings than many
another higher up. And it is thence on,
from the laundry girl and the factory girl,
by way of the seamstress and shop girl. the
clerk. the cashier, the typewriter, and the
government e,npioye, until one sees-in the
apOtheosis of femininity-the dazzling vision
of the lady who exists to spend her hus-
bands money. though he be but a clerk
himself, Nevertheless, within these ranks
there is certain forced fraternity, four
broad lines There are domestic servants;
ouvrieres. employees de commerce and gov
ernment clerks.
In boarding house in the Marbeuf quar-
ter, d pension bourgeoise patroniZed by
Americans and English people, there is a
bright and winsome 3onne rejoicing in the
name of Sophie. On New Year eve this
brown haired, Clear-eyed French girl danced
and rigol-ed the whole night long in GER
tain carriage house. well decorated and
freely given up to this fond purpose for
that one night only by a neighboring grand
seigneur, danced in company with other
servants male and female, naturally, young
Evening star., 1897-01-30

ANYTHING else. The conductor looked
askance at them as ne collected the money
for their ride, for none Of them had tickets,
and that in itself was boon. for the con-
ductor expected some dispute from the
lcok of them. Three others had come on
Al the next station. and were now watching
the game. There were few more passen-
gers In the car who might have been sus-
pected of belonging to the same gang. If
gang it was. but no sign of recognition
passed between the card players and the
others, who were apparently trying to get
II don't half like 1the looks of that
crowd" said the conductor to the brake
man, after he had collected the tickets ana
the fares.
Whats the matter owith them?" asked
| TIE brakeman, who was chewing tobacco,
taking a bite from a. black plug as he
| brakeman appeared to be himself about as
rough a customer as any Of the card play
ers. and so perhaps had feeling Of COM
That's lust it. They're too darned quiz
| et," replied the conduetor. IF they were
| real cowboys, playing "a real game, there
would have been q row before this. sure.
That tall, black-whiskered mans been look
| been trying to peek through the window s
| If he wanted to know Just where we were.
| don't like the look Of it,
| Think they're going to hold US upF in
| iety In his voice.
| Il shouldn't be a bit surprised"
| why, there amt 80 on the whole train,
| is there? How many people In the sleep
! er?'
| mot more'n half dozen; still. there may
| be some rich cuss on board we don't know
anything about. These chaps may be onto
i him."
sWen," drawled the brakemsn. with some
deIiberation. II give the T. B. & c. Co. nc
tice that when the firing begins l craw
| under a seat. don't take no lead in mine
| for $35 month
The conductor made no reply to this hero
| ic declaration, for at that moment the en-
| entire train ran the shudder of the quickly
applied air brake The two trainmen hur
ried to the outside platform. and the con
ductor, hanging on by the iron stanchioY
rods, leaned forward, and. peering along tn,
side of the slowing train, saw In the dark
Evening star., 1897-01-30

is too small to permit their keeping her al
home, will rather work in the fields II she
is pretty, though poor. she is likely, after
al, to md 4 lover of her own condition
WHO. when his term of military service Is
over, she will marry. Her tiny dot to-
gether with what he has saved and his
father has given him, will make the start
Of their finances. They will live so meanly
that Americans would scarce believe II; /;
and they Will be sailing down money all the
time, or adding slice of land TO slice of
land. To be married and in possession of
the smallest field. which she herself will
till, eking II out with her own and her hus-
bands day labor in the fields and stables
of richer neighbors, Is considered a paradise
by the French peasant girl in comparison
with being a domestic drudge in some
wretched little Paris lower-middle-class
family.
In the Kitchen.
There, II she be both plain and poor. or
has had bad luck in the country apd been
advised to take a change of air. she finds
a place as maid-of- -all-work among the
petty Paris petite bourgeoisie. so close, so
avaricious and so greedy. For ten or If
teen francs a month-two TO three dollars
she must carry up the wood TO mayhap
the sixth floor. do the cooking. make the
beds. wax the floor and sometimes wash
the nnenl Some OF these girls work from
in the morning until 10 at night II q
girl sits down a moment she is scolded
by the dcmineering mistress. And what
food they give her! In the morning. soup
and an egg; In the evening bit of sau-
sage and the remnants of the French din
ner. They even stint her In the matter of
bread. Even In the better class families,
the haoit is to purchase for the servants
special YIN de merage. sausage de menage,
butter de menage and SO all through the
Evening star., 1897-01-30
OUR NATIONAL WEALTH.
The Narrow Margin Which Separa tes
the World From Starvation.

the World From Starvation.
From the Engineering Magazine.
What we now call society In this coun-
try consists Of about seventy-three million
human beings. Each one must be supplied
every day with two and one-half to five
pounds of food material with fuel where
with to cook it, and with certain amount
of textile fabrics or furs and with some
boards to put over his head.
The world, as whole, is always within
about one year of starvation, within two
or three years Of becoming naked, and
within a very few years of becoming house.
less. In this country nearly two million
human beings are added every year to our
population. That number would soon
crowd existing dwellings to death, unless in
each year about half million of men were
occupied in adding to the number of dwell
ings already existing.
We call ourselves very rich. We gloat
over the billions of dollars worth of prop
erty disclosed by the figures of the census
In 1890 the computation reached the huge
sum of over sixty-five billions of dollars.
Only think of it! How rich we are! But
what does it all come to? About one-third
of this valuation Is the estimated value of
the land on which capital has been placed.
Land Is our endowment, not our creation.
If we deduct a reasonable sum for land
valuation, what is left Is the capital Of the
community-about forty-five billion dollars.
This is an estimate in dollars of what we
have saved ana put 10 purposes Oh enjoy
ment or future use In more than a century
of existence as a nation. Again, this is a
stupendous sum. What does it amount to?
If the value in money of all that we con-
sumed-food, fuel, shelter and clothing
in the census year. figured at retail prices,
was equal to fifty cents day per person,
then the product of the census year
reached a valuation in terms of money, in
round figures, of eleven and One-half billion
dollars.
In other words, in little over century
Of existence as nation, and in less than
a century of union under constitution
We have succeeded in saving products OF
human labor in the form of public build
ings, warehouses; workshops, factories
railways, vessels. dwellings, tools, ma.
chinery, and goods and wares on the way
from the producer to the actual consumer
to the amount of a little over seven hun.
dred dollars worth per head. We consume
every year nearly third as much as this
measure of all our savings.
Evening star., 1897-01-30
The Working Girls.

The Working Girls.
All girls, not in domestic service, who
labor with their hands. called alike
ouvrieres, or workers" All fall into one
social class, factory hands. laundresses.
dyers, sewing girls milliners girls and the
rest As far as the Judgment of society
goes and the attitude of their employers,
no eccentricity of conduct nor 1ightness of
walk and convers alton bars them from
their employment. How pretty working
girl in the central part of Paris shall be-
nave herself is a matter of her own dis
cretion purely. Charitable people, as if to
emphasize their recognition of this liberty
| of choice. have established two institutions
for their comfort.
The first aimed solely at preventive re-
lief. is series of restaurants and libraries
combined, exclusively for the use of work
iEg girls. They We're founded some years
ago at the instance of a well known priest
They admit only women. Apprentices who
can only make 30 cents a day may con-
tent themselves with such a dish as boeuf
a rhuile, at cents. This is Plain boiled
beef and potatoes, with the oil and vine
gar at discretion. She who eats 1t makes a
dressing to her taste; and when it is
| fixed it seems kind of hot salad, nourish-
ing and pllatable. Bread and wine bring
the cost of such a meal up to 10 cents; 2
cents for dessert, or, rather, a black coffee
flor the Paris working girl would rather
skip the meat than miss the petit noir0
will bring the total cost up to II cents.
taurants. therefore, costs about 10 cents.
This will buy soup, a small steak, white
beans, bread and a glass of wine. While
chewing CO lmly at this modest deJeuner,
the girl who prefers improvement to hirta-
tion is glancing ever the library catalogue,
selecting book to read at night in her
lonely garret.
1t is a earret, for one of the most un-
happy facts about the Paris working girl
is that the customs Of the French exclude
any hope of her getting board in a pri-
vate family. however humble. Taking a
boarder or two to help out the table" is
| unknown in France; the "sanctity of the
home" forbids it.
With this in mind it will be easier to ac-
cept the pouponniere, the second institu-
| ton mentioned. 1t was built up by Nine.
Charpentier, wife Of the great publisher.
| The object of the institution is to furnish
young mothers who cannot keep their own
| rev born children with them, a handy nur-
| sery in a large and healthy scale. The
| children may be from one day to two years
| old. The mother pays So a month or, If
| she is unable to do this, there may be
some diminution in the price. The child
| receives its cradle, and the use of half a
| wet nurse. That is to say, for every twen-
| ty-foIr children there are twelve nurs IS,
animation into her health by a council of
| doctors
| The Sewing Hands.
| OF all the species of working girls, most
romantic to the eye and most frequently
| in view are the sewing hands in the great
| dressmaking and millinery shops of the
| Boulevard, the Rue de la Paix and around
| the Place Vendome. At the noon sortie a
| flood Of little women issues forth, with
| tousled hair, high words, wrapped in their
Evening star., 1897-01-30

The Part II Has Played in the History
of the Nations.

The Part 1t Has Played I'm the History
of the Nations.
From the Engineering Magazine.
However the outward surroundings of
the men of today may differ from those
of the men whose existence was coeval
with the dawn of civilization: however
mans command over the animate and in
animate world and over the forces of ma
ture may have increased since he first
sought shelter from the elements and pro-
lection against the attacks of wild beasts
the underlying traits. instincts and emo
tions of human nature remain unchanged,
and are as potent today as they were in
the time of contemporaries of the cave
bear and the mammoth.
Dissatisfaction with things existing; hope