Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1897-07-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Young Hobart and His Kite Stories Of
Stewart L. Woodford Colonel
Hepburn and the Cyclist.
[specIal Correspondence.l

friends without trying. He is az well
known about the senate side of the cap
itol as his distinguished father, and he
has a delightful fad. 1t is electricity.
The queer instruments in the marble
room have perfect fascination for him,
and he can read them at "a glance and
explain all about them in scientific
terms. He hovers around them as though
bewitched, according 10 Post writer,
and he and Mr.. j. III. Jones, the oblig
ing weather bureau man of the senate
side, are fast friends. If you want to
win Mr.. Jones, just express an interest
i'm his weather bureau apparatus. Young
Master Hobart has been very much in
terested i'll the big kite experiments at
Fort Myer and has piled Mr.. Jones with
questions till he knows almost as much
about it theoretically as Mr.. Jones does.
Like all boys, he is fond of kite flying,
and he said he would give Il good deal
to have kite just like the Fort Myer
one all for himself
A Diamond Cell Kite.
AS the weather bureau kite is nine
feet long il would he rather an un-
wieldy toy, but Mr.. Jones set an expert
at work on kite of such dimensions as
would be satisfactory for boy to fly,
and the completed work has been pre-
sented to Master Hobart 1t is Potter
diamond cell kite, made exactly like
the weather bureau kite, only smaller.
1t is a queer enough looking thing, and
old Ben Franklin would have spell of
nervous prostration over the posterity
of the crude affair he used to provoke
Jupiter Pluvius into sloshing around
with thunderbolts which ran down his
wet kite string. But this is an up to
date kite of the most approved scientific
pattern, and Master Hobart is the en-
We'd of all when he goes down OH the
White lot to test his fine new toy.
Stories of Minister Woodford.
Many stories of Stewart l.. Woodford,
the new minister to Spain, are afioat.
Some of them go TO show that the presi-
dents choice is pretty determined sort
Of fellow and knows how to act in an
emergency. The Chisholm murder, in
Kemper county, Miss, many years ago,
was vigorously prosecuted by the fed
eral government, and Woodford was
sent there to assist. The first time he
entered the courtroom he passed down
an aisle lined on both sides with friends
of the man charged with the murder,
and nearly every man carried a shotgun
or rifle. Woodford did not even change
countenance. Putting down his law
books, he turned and faced the crowd.
Personally, he said, II have no
objection to the extensive display of
firearms which see here today. have
often gazed into the barrels of guns of
much larger caliber. However, if this
case is to be tried with shotguns it
might be as well to have an understand
ing in advance.
The sternness of his face and the
calmness Of his words created wonder
| full effect. Although numerous threats
had been made against "the Yankee
| lawyer" he was not molested in any
way during the entire time Of the trial.
Colonel Hepburn and the Cyclist.
Colonel Pete Hepburn, whose gal
| lantry is Of the old school order. such as
women like to be the recipients of, has
about concluded that the bicycle girl
needs some coaching in what is due
pedestrians. He was meandering across
| the street the other evening, lodging
bicycles in front of him, never dream
ing of an unwarned attack in the rear,
when something struck him amidships
| ] 200 horsepower and threw him about
20 feet over the pavement, nearly dislo-
eating his neck When he gathered his
scattered senses and glanced around, he
saw young lady picking herself out of
her bicycle, and before he had regained
the use of his tongue the havoc creating
miss had mounted her silent steed and
stolen off into the night. Colonel Hep
burn now contemplates steel cage
armor or loading himself with dynamite
when he takes his walks abroad.
Corcoran Art Gallery Open Sundays.
"The success of the Sunday afternoon
opening of the Corcoran Art gallery has
done more" said member of the com
mittee Oh public buildings and grounds
of the senate, TO hasten the Sunday
opening movement along than the years
that the question has been agitated,
and | am convinced that the next sun
dry civil appropriation bill will have in
it clause providing for the opening of
the National museum ON Sunday after
moons at least, even if the longer step
of having it open the entire day is not
adopted. The opposition to the Sunday
opening has almost entirely died out,
for the success of the Corcoran Art gal
lery has clearly demonstrated that the
thing is practicable and desirable, and
sensible people are willing that there
shall be a trial. A year will prove
whether the public wants the National
museum open ON Sunday or not. The
movement has been necessarily slow,
but it has been sure, and think the
National museum will be the best
place to make the experiment.
Letter Writing Colored Folks.
Taking the number of colored peo-
pie in this city in comparison with the
number of others, -" remarked an official
Of the city postoffice, 1.-THE former write
and receive more letters in proportion
20 the others than is generally supposed.
1t is wonderful how colored people en-
Joy writing and receiving letters, and
many of them seldom allow day TO
pass without writing letter. BY this,