Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-30
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never yet formally received twas pushed
out onto the eastern portico. and remains
there yet. Under the law governing such
matters. the architect of the Capitol has
no authority 10 give II house room. He
has. however. covered It with friendly
covering of boards and thus keeps it safe
from inclement weather. In the early part
OF the centennial year Mrs. Deems con-
ceived the idea that 1t would be the proper
thing to have all persons holding high Off
cial places to sign a document setting forth
the position held by them, all to be dated
July L. 1876. In addition to this, she re-
quested all signers to furnish copies of the
photographs which We're locked up in the
safe. Her desire was that the safe should
remain unopened until July A, 1876. Presi-
dent Grant took kindly to her intention,
and started out the list of signatures as
did the members of his cabinet and the
great majority of the senators and repre-
sentatiyes in Congress that day. Hundreds
and hundreds of departmental and other
officials, the justices of the United States
Supreme and the local courts and United
States judges in all parts of the country
also handed in their signatures and pho
tographs. At the proper moment and
without much ceremony, the big iron safe
was locked, the signatures and photo
graphs having previously been incased in
alright copper boxes. All who were about
the Capitol that day were allowed to put
their autographs in the safe, and with the
others mine went in. But twenty-five years
have passed. and nearly every man whose
autograph went into the safe has passed
away. Some one promised to get Congress
TO pass a resolution accepting the gift, to
which conditions of no kind except that it
be kept safely were attached for Mrs
Deems gave the safe and all her labor in
connection Herewith free and out of pure
patriotism, but the some one forgot to do
so. The architect Of the Capitol could do
nothing else than to have it lifted outside
OF the Capitol, for under the circumstances
it could not legally find home there The
law was construed that it was all right it
the safe and it's contents slept for one hum
dred years on the outside. There it is to-
day, and not one person in every ten thou
SAND persons who see 1t from day to day
knows or ever heard anything of it's his
tory, Tor no sign or anything else indi-
caling the contents of the safe will be al
lowed upon it,
* x X X
The first theater in Washington stood
upon the site of the present Lyceum Thea
ter. at the corner of 18th and C Streets"
said an oldest inhabitant to Star re-
porter, land 1 think the present side walls
OF that theater are those of the original
1t was first occupied in 1900, and was de-
stroyed by fire in 1890. Previous to that,
my father told me. it was the custom of
the residents Of this city to attend a thea
'eA III <AicAdHuFid, WneTe tnere was a
tEeater established previous to the found
ing OF the city of Washington, in 1890.
Most of those who attended the tneater
there from this city drove down in their
own carriages, though there was kind of
an omnibus or stage which went to Alex
andria the nights of the performances. 1t
started at 3:30 o clock, and generally made
the trip in ore hour. The ticket for the
round trip on the stage was one dollar
The performance started promptly a I
o'clock, and was over by 10. SO that the
stage returned to this city by IL O'clock
The performance at the old Washington
theater also started at o'clock every
evening until after 1921"
X X x
Now that the oyster is in season again.
said dealer in oysters to a Star reporter.
Il presume that some oyster vendors will,
so as to increase their sales, play the usual
tricks upon their customers in the matter
of pumping their oysters. small oyster
is not very attractive thing, and, as
large oysters will not commence to arrive
fer some weeks yet, for big oysters don't
come until cold weather has set in, some
shuckers have a way of making them
large, by drinking them in bucket of
water. In this way oysters are nearly
doubled in size. for floating them in fresh
water swells them up, or pumps them,
TO use the oysterman's term. There is no
advantage to the consumer by Pumping
them. for the moment they are cooked all
the plumpness leaves them, and what
looked like large oysters are, by the time
they reach the table, as small as when
they were originally shucked. There are
tricks in every trade. and the oyster shuck-
er learns a great many in his experience.
and it is only natural that he uses some
to his advantage.
THE National Library is not after all
such an exclusive affair as is generally
supposed" said one of the library assist
ants to a Star reporter, land nearly every
one can share in the royal feast in the way
of books which is provided by this great
institution. 1t is true that books are not
loaned out promiscuously to every one. for
the time that they may need them to take
to their homes, but every book is as free as
air to those who ask for them in proper
hours. without fee, provided, of course,
they read them in the library building. To
those who desire to take books to their
homes, all that is necessary is to obtain a
letter from a senator or representative
vouching for the person and the return of
the book within a reasonable time. II it is
not handy to secure such a letter books of
almost any kind are loaned any respectable
person on leaving a deposit covering
the value of the book, which is about the
only way its return can be guaranteed. All
the dictionaries and encyclopedias are in
open cases and can be consulted by any
one without going through the form Of
uaking a written request for Them.