davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
A Day Literally Lost.
From the ChfcaRo Chronicle


Out in the Pacific ocean. somewhere about
midway between San Francisco and Yoko-
hama. is a place where tomorrow is born
and the traveller skips from yesterday to
tomorrow without being able to get a grip
on today. One day II absolutely stolen out
of his life, for II 1t be Tuesday on one side
of the line it Is either Thursday or Tuesday
is repeated on the other. No matter which
direction the ship may be sailing, the pas
senger is shy one whole day when he gets
to that point. The weekly calendar oper-
ates from different sides Of the sea and the
result is this conflict.
In crossing the Atlantic from London to
New York the passenger gains slightly over
half an hour day. From New York to
or four crossing the ocean, another in
reaching Denver and still another on reach
Ing San Francisco. The latter city reckons
time eight hours later than London and the
better portion Of day later than Shanghai
or Yokohama In crossing the Pacific the
traveller comes to the time when he catches
up with the procession and drops q whole
day out Of his life az easily as he giides
through the water driven by the ship .
powerful screws.
This line Of demarkation IL not a perpen-
dicular one from north to south. The is
lands in the Pacific take their time reckon
ings from the continent with which they do
the bulk of their trading. This causes the
line to. zigZag down the ocean in q very
ragged manner. 1t might happen that the
boat would strike an island which ciinRs to
San Francisco time. the vessel having al
ready skipped a day. In such a case II
would be Monday on shore and Tuesday
aboard ship. These features illustrate the
ease with which the days get tangled M n,
the Pacific.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
ENJOY QUIET LIVES.

Astronomers Do Not Worry Them.
selves With the Affairs of Earth.
Julian Hawthorne in Golfers Weekly.
I suppose nobody can be so detached
from mundane troubles as the man whose
calling it is to investigate the other earths
of the universe. In the astronomical OBJ
servatory there is always peace. In our
churches We offer up prayers for the po-
htical welfare of the country, and listen
to sermons advocating or deprecating war.
Sitting at home, amid wife and children,
In the security of our firesides, we read
the newspapers and discuss the chances
OF battle and the horrors of famine But
in the observatory there is no mention or
thought of these things. The nearest the
astronomer gets to this planet is 240OOO
miles-the distance that separates the
moon from us. He does not, however, lin
ger there long; 1t Is too near; he Is like
the old frontiersman who began to gasp
for breath when any one came within five
and twenty miles Of him. Our astronomer
Is not satisfied with miles; he wants diam
eters OF the solar system: the speed of
light vibrations is his yardstick. Mars is
the. nearest spot where he can sit down a
Dit and feel at home. He begins to smile
and open his shoulders at Jupiter or Sat-
urn; he Is strfding along at q round pace
by the time he passes Neptune; and then,
with sigh of relief he bestraddles the
awful gulf that yawns between us and the
nearest fixed star, and disappears cheer
fully from view In the mists of the Milky
Way. What is the use of talking to such
a person ABOUT tie war in Cuba? How
soon do you think 1t will be settled?" you
inquire. He replies that II Will require SO
many billion ages for Alpha Centauri to
alter it's present position. But think of
those starving folks in Matanzas"' you
continue. He refers you to the fact that
a thousand million years hence the sun
will have cooled down. and all the inhab-
ftants of this solar family will have frozen
into icicles. Have you pictured to your
self the terror of the moment when the
Maine was blown up in Havana harbor?"
you want to know. At this he smiles
fearful smile. and saying something about
a recent collision of two planets adjoin-
ing a nebula of Orion, is of toward the
north, probably on q hunting expedition
after the Great Bear. Sometimes l feel
inclined to go home.
Yes, 1t is healthy once in while to re-
mind ourselves of the relations Of things
in this creation. to breathe infinite space,
to cool our little fevers in its absolute Zero
to set our watches by the Procession of
the Equinoxes, and to seek a quiet corner
for meditation somewhere behind the back
stars. Hitch one end of your hammock
to Sirius, ard the other to Arcturus. and
compose yourself for nap of few stellar
periods; when you wake up, the matters
that SO concerned you here will have ad-
juSted themselves.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
Wanted the Birds Cared For.
ON the 81 Iamaa Gasofta

rom the 1T. James Gazette.
There is story just now current in
Rome to the effect that a sculptor In that
city, In an evil hour for his reputation
as an artist, undertook some time AFRO tn
produce ito order" q bronze statue of Pres
ident Kruger. One of the conditions i'm
posed was that no liberties were to be
taken with Dom Paul. He was to be rem
resented in all his native heaviness Of fea-
lures with the fidelity which Oliver Crom-
well exacted; and for personal decoration
he was to be depicted in his ordinary froc,
coat and tall hat. The most trying stipuIa-
ton OF all was however. that Madame
Kruger, Dom PauPs amiable lady (whose
health. we hope. is by this time completa
~ recovered) insisted that the crown OF
the hat should be made concaye SO that II
might catch and hold rain water for the re-
1reshment OF little birds! The artist has
succeeded In doing the bidding of his pa
irons. and the statue is now almost ready
TOT transmission to Pretoria. This concern
Tor the welfare of the harmless little birds
Is creditable to Madame Kruger's maternal
neart, but humanitar1anism Of this kind
rs certainly not conducive to the produce
lion OF keen aesthetic sense.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
While We May.

The hands are such dear hands:
So often; they reach out V E.lE
With trifes scarcely thought about,
So many times; they do s9fl2o
So many things for me- for youila
If their fond wills mistakesr"tT '-
We may weff bend, not bresk9o'
They are such fond, frail lipst 70
That speak to Pray, If love strips
Them of discretion many tinAes
Or IL they speak too slow OF Quick, such crime
We may pass by; for we may .sebn
Days not far OF when those 44na3li words may be
Held not as slow, or Quick'r Or eat Of place. blu
Because the lips that spoke are 20 more here.
They are such dear familiar feet that go
Along the path with ours--feet fast slow,
And trying to keep pace-ir they mistake
Or tread upon some flower that I'VE would take
Upon our breast, bruise some reed,
Or erush poor hope until it bseed.i' 80
We may be mute, I3f1.
Not turning quickly to fmpute
Grave fault; for they and We ~ -
Have such little way to go-can be -
Together such q little while along the way,
We VIII be patient while we may.
80 many little faults we find.
We see them; for not blind
Is Love. We see them but II you and
Perhaps remember them some by and by.
They will not be
Faults then-grave faults-to you and me.
But just odd ways-mistakes, even less-
Remembrance to bless.
Days change many things-yes, hours,
We see 30 differently in sun and showers.
Mistaken words tonight
May be so cherished BY tomorrow's light
We will be patient, for we know
There's such q little way to go.
FRANCES E. WILLARD.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
A King Killed by n Beef Bone.
Sir Walter Besant in the Pail Mall Magazine.

Sir Walter Besant in the Pail Mall Magazine
The king who died in this house was that
young Dane who appears to have been an
incarnation Of the ideal Danish brutality.
He dragged his brothers body out of its
grave and flung 1t into the Thames: he
massacred the people of Worcester and
ravaged the shire: and he did these brave
deeds and many others all IN two short
years. Then he went to his own place.
His departure was both fitting and dra-
matte. For one 80 young 1t showed with
what yearning and madness he had been
drinking. He went across the river-there
was. repeat. no other house In Lambeth
except this. so that IT must have been here
to attend the wedding Of his standard
bearer, Tostig the Proud, with Coda
daughter of the Thane Osgod Clapa, whose
name survives in his former estate Of
Chaplain A Danish wedding was always
an occasion for hard drinking, while the
Ministries played and Eng and the num-
mers tumbled. When men were well
drunken the pleasing sport of bone throw
Ing began: they threw the bones at each
other. The fun Of the game consisted in
the accident of a man not being able to
dodge the bone which struck him, and
probably killed him. Archbishop Aphege
was thus killed The soldiers had no spe-
cial desire to kill the old man; why couldn't
he enter into the spirit of the game and
dodge the bones? As he did not, of course
he was hit. and as the bone was big and
heavy bone. hurled by a powerful hand,
of course 1T split open his skull. One may
be permitted to think that perhaps King
Hardacnut, who is said to have fallen
down suddenly when he stood up to
drink" did actually intercept a big beef
bone which knocked him down, and as he
remained comatose until he died, the proud
Tostig unwilling to have 1t said that even
In sport his king had been killed at his
wedding gave out that the king fell down
in fit. This, however, is speculation.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
One Way Of Posting . Letter.
from Household Words.

The Island of st. KXda is often visited bv
tourist steamers in the summer, but it's
regular mail communication with the
mainland. some $50 miles distant is con-
nned to the annual visits of the steamer
wnicn brings the factor and his stores
But II at other times the inhabitants de-
sire to communicate with gren. Britain
they employ the following curious device:
man cuts the rough mod 81 Of boat from
billet OF wood. hollows it partly out
places In tho hold a tin or small bottle CON-
tanning q letter. nails on deck, and when
the wand 10 blowing toward the mainland
Launches the tiny craft, having first con.
nected It with bladder. which drives
along before the wind and acts as q tug to
the little mailboat. But the set of the gulf
stream frequently drives this curious craft
out CT its course. and as oftea as moi It
reaches the Shetland Isles or the coast of
Norway. where, however. the letter is BRET
y sure to be found and posted to its Ges-
tination.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16

Queer People Who Inhabft Kfus.s h
laAd In the DeRfnG Sea

0ueer People Who Inhabit kings In.
Hand In the DeFfnG Sea.
From the Pittsbug Chronicle Telegraph
A race Of cave dWellers Hive on q small
island OF the Alaskan coast. It is Kings
Island in Boring sea, due south Of Cape
Prince of Wales, There IL only one vii-
lase there. and this has population of
200. DR.. Sheldon jackson. the United
States agent of education In Alaska. says
that It 10 one Of the most remarkable set-
Elements In America. yet few people know
Of its existence.
Kings Island IL about q mile In length,
and Ia a mass OF basalt rock which rises
perpendicuIarly out OF the sea to height
OF from 100 to 1.000 feet At the south side
this Is cleft In two by q deep ravfne which
2 naied BY huge permanent SNOW hank
High up On the west hide Of the ravine b
the village Of Ouk-fv&k, which consists Of
about forty dwellings. partly followed ont
OF the cliR and built up outside with stone
wnlas Acroas the top Of these walls are
iatd large drift wood po4es over these are
placed hfdo1. and over the hides grasB and
DIRT Ihe h0uDee are entered by tunnel
which rum aion6 underneath, somstfnes
tor dlstanca often Of Afteen test, and
ENDS unf3er . hcse-efg hteen tnehw n dlan-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
The Days of Old.
Alfred Ellison in Chicago Record.

Let's go back, o brother mine,
To the precious ways Of the days gone By
Back to the CLEAN OF the glad sunshine,
When we were children. you and 1.
We are growing old, but l long much
For the grasp Of a mothers hands to hold
Me- away from sin and its soiling touch,
Az they usec to do In the days of old.
I'm tired Of dogma Of Church and State;
Let's trail with our feet the dust Of the lane,
As we wander down to the pasture gate,
And bring the cows for mother again,
And see once more the woodlark dip
From stake to stake Of the ridered fencej
And feel the Old-time fellowship
We felt 10 our boyhOOd innocence.
Let's climb to the rafters overhead,
And build a swing on the old barn floor.
Let's hide and seek" In the wagon shed
And be knee high" again once more.
Let's part the weeds where the truant hen
Has stolen her nest; then stoOp and fold
The sheltering weeds DER the nest again,
As We used to do in the days OF old
Oh, the endless joys Of the days Of oldi
With the path that led to the fruted trees,
Where the dandelions their coins Of gold
Had scattered to bride the bumblebees.
Down In the grass was the ericket's chtrr,
And overhead was the dragonfy;
And round about everywhere
Was the dreamy CLEAN Of the days gone BY.
And oh the years and tears since then!
The miles and smiles that have lured us ont
The graves we have passed and the moments when
The cradle and coffin seemed almost onet
So let's go back. o brother mine,.
Forgetting tonight our greed OF gold,
And talk awhile Of the glad sunshine
mat g1ided the ways Of the days Of old.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
LONG FINGER NAILS
Indicate Rank and Good Breeding I'm
Many Oriental Countries.

Indicate Rank and Good Breeding I'm
Many Oriental Countries.
From the Chicago News.
The countries where the long finger nail
is most affected are Siam, Assam, Cochin
China and China The approved length va
ries from three or four to twenty-three
inches. A Siamese exquisite permits the
nails on his fingers to grow to such an ex-
tent that his hands are practically useless
The aristocrats who affect these nails cam
not write, dress themselves or even feed
themselves.
The Siamese hold the long finger nail in
the same reverence we hold the family
tree. Many Of them never have had their
| nails cut from the day Of their birth. On
the first finger the nail is of moderate
length-three or four inches-while on the
other fingers the nails grow occasionally to
two feet The thumb nail, which is also
allowed to grow long, after reaching a GER
tain length curves around like a corkscrew
In both China and Siam the owners Of
long nails wear metal cases over them to
preserve them, made Of gold or silver and
teweled. While long nails are not regarded
as singular In China, they are rarely met
with except on fanatics and pedantic
scholars
Among the fakirs In Hfndoostan a pecu-
liar custom Is that Of holding the hand
tightly clenched and In one position 80 long
that at last the nails grow through the
palm, emerging at the back Of the hand
and growing thence almost to the wrist.
When the wasted muscles refuse to sup
port the arm any longer It IL bound in posi-
ton with cords.
In Nubia the long nail Is regarded an IN
dicative OF good breeding. The aristocrats
constantly subject their finger tips to cedar
wood fire to insure q good growth.
inc inhabitants OF the MarQuesas Islanda
arc among the most expert taftoery On
earth. and not even the crown Of the head.
the fingers and the toes are exempt from
the needle. The hands are ornamented
with utmost care an the fineerr hevsn~
their own pattern. 30 the hand would LOOK
- though incased In q tight-fittine Rove
were # not for the finger nails of enormous
length which complete the hand adorument
OF the Weather natives
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
The Chinese ~ Mathematfcian..
From the Manchester Guardian.


From the Manchester Guardian.
Cambridge University has just had a re-
markable proof Of the mathematical genius
OF the Chinese. Some time ago much sur
prise was caused among mathematicians
generally BY the discovery among the
papers OF the late Sir Thomas Wade of
Chinese fame of evidence that in the time
Of Confucius the Chinese knew an equa-
ton which only became known In Europe
during the last century, when It was dis
covered by Fermat. and has since been
known as Fermat's equation. But the Chi
Hese version recently discovered stated
that the equation did not hold with regard
to certain numbers. This puxxled the
nathematicians. and al efforts to solve
the point have hitherto fAtIAd. Now how
ever. . young undergraduate Of Trinity Col
lego, Cambridge. has demonstrated that the
Chinese were right and his solution IS
frankly admitted BY the experts 20 b per-
feet. The correspondent understands the
result ID shortly to b pubiished at Cam
bridge n "a authoritative way.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
PETS OF THE AQUARIUM.

About TIE Homes Of G0ldosh and
Their Curious Habits.
From the Detroit Free Press
Some time during the seventeenth CEN
fury, about two hundred years ago. Por-
tuguese sailors saw swimming in the lakes
end rivers Of China and Japan q very
beautiful variety Of fish. which glistened
like gold. They captured some specimens
and brought them to Portugal. The little
fish found the lakes of Europe as pleasant
to live in as the lakes Of China. and they
at once domesticated themselves and rails
ed their little families, until the European
streams became well stocked with these
beautiful creatures. They are also found
In many brooks and streams in the United
States.
The gllstening gold color Of these fishes
made them much sought after as house.
hold ornaments and the demand for them
became general that establishments
were opened for raising them for the mar
ket. One of the largest and most cele-
brated OF these places for gold fish breed
Ing Is in Oldenburg, Germany, where more
than a hundred small ponds contain the
fish In all stages Of growth. from the tin
lest baby to the big, stout fellow eight and
even ten inches hong. The little ones are
carefully kept apart from larger ones. for
the goldfish is a wicked cannibal. and de-
YOURS its little brothers and sisters and
even its own children, whenever II has an
opportunity. At the same time ii Is q
great coward, and will hide away from
fish much smaller than itself that have
the spirit to attack It, A gentleman who
possessed an aquarium In which were sew
eral large goldfish once placed a tiny
pumpkin seed" or sunfish, about the size
OF a silver dollar, in the water. Watching
anxiously to see that the goldfish did not
inture 1t, what was his establishment to see
the pumpkin seed" dart furiousy at the
larger fish. which huddled themselves i'm n
corner, or scurried hastily through the wa
ter to hide among the stones and mimic
grottoes of the aquarium! From that mo-
ment the pumpkin seed" remained lord of
the field, scarcely allowing his companions
to come to the surface, as they are fond Of
doing, or to take a mouthful Of food until h,
had satisfied his own hunger. Finally he
had to be removed from the aquarium to
save the goldfish from dying Of fright.
The enormous demand for goldfish IL
shown by the fact that from the establish
ment at Odenburg alone over three hum
dred thousand fish are sent to market
every year. Their price varies according
to their size and beauty. for there are
grades of beauty in gold fish as well as in
all other things.
The ingenious Chinese make great pets
of their goldfish, and, with patience teach
them many tricks. such as eating from
their hands. or rushing to be fed at the
tinkle of a bell.
The goldfish belongs to the genus Cy-
pr1nus, or the great carp family, and Is
sometimes called the golden carp.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
Ancient Methods Of Signaling.
SroHn ffe Ccrnhf1l

From the Ccrnhfn.
The fabulous honor Of being the first in
ventor of the art of signaling La bestowed
by certain classical writer's upon the in
genious Palamedes. This hero may have
introduced improvements in detail, but 1t
is certain that long before the time of tho
Trojan war the Egyptians and Assyrians,
IL not the Chinese and other nations OF re-
mote antiquity-of whom monumental rec
ords alone remain to us-had developed
regular methods Of signaling by hre.
smoke, flags, etc
The great wall, built by the Chinese ages
ago, and 1,500 miles long, IL studded with
towers. Between these signals were inter-
changed when troops had to BE- collected
In order to resist attack at any point
threatened by the Tartars, or ''outer bar.
barians" By Maj. Boucheraeder and 9TH
ers II has been considered that the huge
tower Of Babel was erected for similar a.
well as for Q number Of different purpooea.
That In to say, for the signaling not neces-
sarily of any particular words or SEN
tences. but Of expected events imperial de-
crees, military orders and other matters
intended to be understood through conven-
ticnal signals. whether Of lights, nags,
semaphores or other devices, By all the
motley host OF natioualitiea and languages
Of which the Chaldean empire was COM
posed.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
Battle Ships and Cruisers.
nm the (YevAIonN T>~A~~


I tell you." said Jayson sprisgs. "all
this talk about our not being prepared for
war has been simply buncombe We've
been ready from the first. We may not
have as many old hulks in our navy as
Spain has. but when It comes to battle ships
and cruisers we beat her two to one. easy -
Say. pa" asked little Willie Sprters.
WHATS the difference between battle
ships and cruisersy anyway? They look
about alike In all the pictures that ever
seem"
( "Roohw Mr.. elFiegs calculated, don't
you know the di6erepce between q cruiser
ana battle shipf'
NO and I amt seen anybody that dosa.
either" the boy replied.
They must be craxy. then" said whites
Pc. why. the papers have told ths DIT
ference dozens and dossne OF times Cruis-
ers are named after towns and battle
ships are named after states. Any fool
ought to know that By this time
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
The Heart of God in Nature.
Robert Lo"eman in the Independent.

The Heart of God In Nature.
'obsrt Lo"eman in the Independent.
I bear no i'll to any hill, -
I'm brother to the treea
Ny mind doth melt to mountains,
And my soul doth seek the seaSt
greet the sun uprising
With friendly. loving nod;
Within the breast OF Nature
Throls the heart Of God, ae
To me !: star 10 not afar.
Tho morn doth know my face.
often dream beneath har beam,
And sue her sovereign Hsee;
The SKY and air are vefx fafr-
Queen rose and eoldeR-f6dt
Within the breast q NatufS
Throbs the heart Of God,
A little day. and then HxAS4
Unto another shore; OIJAC
Some hasting years Of blnbs and tsazA
Then Charon at the oar:
Whatever someth after Il I, 3;
Our s0t0urn meath thegsoald
Within the breast Of N6SakC.t
Throbs the heart Of 0od!ilqi
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
The Present World.

This worlds pretty good sort Of world.
Taking II altogether.
In spite Of the grief and sorrow we meet,
In spite Of the gloomy weather.
There are friends to love and hopes to cheer
And plenty Of compensation
For every ache for these who make
The rest of the situation.
JOSEPHINE POLLARD.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16

But though the ability to spend largely
q any moment without feeling 1t confers
- vast a power. It cannot be denied that
practically no millionaires avail themselves
4S their opportunities. Miilionaires are, in
Quth. envied and wondered at for possess
~ powers which they never dream OF
SofnG. Mr.. Rhodes. as far as We know. n
fhs onsy millionaire who has ever tried to
Nealt3e In action the fact that money Is
power. He has. no doubt. tried to use the
Power OF the purse for political and Inn
tDteal ends. 1t ID true. his handling OF
nat power has been extremely clumsy and