Evening star., 1898-03-12

other nation; but, though there are excep-
items, each always pays for what he gets
With Americans it is the other way. When
we treat it means that we pay the price
When German asks a friend to have a
glass OF beer with him, it does not mean
that the person invited is to drink the
beer at the expense of the one who asks
him to drink as it does when we ask a
friend TO drink with us. 1t means that he
desires the coMpanionShiD of the person he
asks to drink with him. not that he desires
also to pay for the beer. "A Dutch treat
means that every one pays for what he
himself drinks. There is much more So
ciahi1ity about such treat when properly
understood than in the American treat,
where tie person who treats, though he
pays the bill for all, would not feel called
upon to associate minute afterward with
those he treats, or in many cases to accept
a treat from all of those he has treated.
There are Tany contradictions in this mat
ter of treating which are peculiarly Amer
icanisms. II is no unusual thing among lis
to ask q friend for cigar. and not unusual
to receive oae. No one would think of Of
fering or receiving any money for cigar
received or given in this way. But a mo-
nent afterward if one were asked the ac-
onmodation of postage stamp he would
expect compensation for it, or give ii if he
asked for the stamp, though the cigar
cfte ntimes costs five times as much as
stamp. In the case of the postage stamp it
would be regarded as business. Now all
that is nonsense. There is no business in
giving away cigar which costs ten cents
and expecting money for postage stamp
which costs but two cents. 1t IS purely
custom. So is treating purely custom and
1 am free to confess that the German Gus
tom in this matter is a great deal better
than ours
X + X *
I'm the olden days of Washington re-
marks oldtimer. "the scenes in the
everyday life of our people were so diff
ferent from these of the present day that
we who have witnessed the rapid strides
OF invention and improved methods and can
recall the primitive ways of DID, are amazed
by the comparison. Take the matter of
ccroner's lnquests. for instance. and COM
pare the mode of procedure with that of
the present day. Why. many of the YER
diets when death was sudden were that the
cause was the visitation of God The cor
oner for the county of Washington in the
forties and for many years after was Mr..
Thomas Woodward, father of Mr.. w. r.
Woodward who lives in Georgetown Con-
siderins that he was usually called by a
foot messenger and reached the scene of
duty with the all of his horse he made
good time. Now there are dozens of in
quests where there was one in his time.
TEen, however, numbers of cases failed to
be reported, for as at present in some
Instances the circumstances were not dis
closed, and there being but one or two po-
Ice constahles to ward. it was easy to
Keep the facts from them if family and
friends of the deceased were so disposed
Now, however, with the improved methods
of communication and the weil-organized
police force, such cases are rare.
There was scene enacted forty years
ago, when l was called as a juror by the
coroner. growing out of the misunderstand-
ing by the husband of the corpse. He was
working at fishery on the south side of
Eastern branch. and was at his home at
irregular hours His wife was given to oc-
cesional spells of liquor drinking in one of
which she fell on the floor of her room, and
was dead when a neishbor called to see her
the next morning. The police constable was
called, and a messenger was dispatched for
the coroner, while friends of the husband
started for the fishing shore in a boat to
have him at the inquest 1t So happened
that wher the husband arrived the jury
had been called by the coroner, and he was
swearing the foreman to due inquiry and
true presentment make, according to the
evidence, sDaring no person by reason of
fear, favor, affection or hope of reward
Hating at the door the husband took in
the words of the oath, and Striding into the
room, with one leg over the body of his
wife, and raising his clenched fist before
the coroners nose, exclaimed. Mr.. Cor
orer, 10 you mean to say my wife didn't
die fair? If you mean that, this iurys ad-
journed, and We'll fight it out
OF course this stopped the proceedings,
and the good-natured coroner and the
jurors (most of whom knew the NAM sue
cseded in convincing the bereaved hus-
band that orly the forms of law were fol-
lowed. and no one thought that such fair
woman could be unfair in dying. Then the
inquest was resumed, and the jury, after
debating whether they should say by the
visitation Of God or by the excessive use
of spriFuous liquors. Used the latter in
their verdict, and the bereaved owned that
it was fair verdict
Perhaps I should add that in those days
corOnerS inquestS were regarded as i'm
portant events, interesting the community
often for week"