Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-20

Parnassus in the background. In another
group of drawings the artist is seen in his
hours of relaxation, when he was ready
to g&mbol with children, and to amuse
them with his quantity humorous fancies:
At the Royal Academy can be seen the
finest collection of Rembrandt ever shown
here, and rivals the permanent exhibition
of the Dutch artists paintings a the state
museum. Amsterdam, which many Ameri-
cans will remember. These pictures in
London ara loaned by various owners, and
all but six, which came from abroad, be
long to British collectors. The artistic ar
ranSement which is so prominent 4 feature
at Amsterdam, is lacking here, but the OPP
portunity presents a glorious feast to the
art lover.
LOndOn's New Departure.
London made new departure on Mon
day, when shortly after midnight on Sun
day the London county council took over
the direct control of the London Tram
way Company's system and became the
trustees for the people of twentyseven
miles of cable and horse lines, three hum
bred and iftyfive cars. thirtyseven ON
nibuses and three thousand eight hundred
and fifty horses. The act also added two
thousand persons to the weekly pay rolls
of the council. In payment to the com
pany's shareholders the council handed
over check to the value of $4250,ED.
The bargain is good one for the vendors
though the business has long been worked
as q paying concern, and the amount is
considered as a fair valuation. The econo-
my of its management has bean proverbial,
and l believe that the total expense of sew
enteen cents per car mile for working the
lines constitutes unique record In street
railway history, at any rate for this coun-
try.
No new developments are looked for at
present under the new control. With all
its eagerness to make the best use of its
acquisition, the county council is com
PEELED to go Slow at present by reason of
the fact that it has no legal power to work
any portion of the lines by electricity.
bill is to be promoted in the forthcoming
session of parliament to secure the neces-
sary authority, and meanwhile an eXhaus-
tive series of trials Of various kinds of
traction, including gas and compressed air,
will be made.
Millions for Charity.
l was recently discussing with an Amer
lean lady the various charities of England
and the great spirit of generosity which is
at all times manifest throughout this coun-
try. My friend thought the United States
the most generous country in the world,
and spoke Of the number of charities and
missions supported by Americans. l am
aware of the immense sums given in benev-
olence IN America, and l do not think that
any one is prepared to decide which nation
Is the more liberal, but certainly the bene-
factions Of this country are enormous just
to give some slight idea of how the regular
charities are supported l will give brief
resume from the new volume Of the CLASH
fled Directory to the METROPOLITAN Chart
ties, which mentions long list of national,
together with the purely London charities
Foreign missions received more than &c.
10000 during the year, and another 81, &c.,
600 was raised by seventy societies for
home missions of various kinds. Ninety
seven different societies collected upward
OF S-,1oo,Voo for the relief of the aged
Eighty-cight homes and orphanages had an
income of T,3IO,000. Sixty-seven institu-
tlons Tor reformation and prevention, eigh-
ty-hve Tor education and sixty-four for
promotlnS social Improvement secured
enough money to keep them going fairly
we'll through the year.
Money Easily Raised.
Turning to the London medical charities,
including dispensaries and convalescent
homes, nearly $5,O00,000 was raised by one
hundred and siXty-two different institu-
tons, and this Is leaving out Of account
forty-four more that made no returns. AL
together, there are nine hundred and sew
enty charities On the list, and this does not
count the hundreds upon hundreds of SINH
lar organizations local to the provincial
towns throughout the kingdom. Ii is in the
response to special appeals and the fire.
quent large sums of money raised on par
ucular occasions in which London appears
to me to excel. To realize this it is neceS-
sary to go no further back than to the half
million dollars raised inside of two weeks
for Lord kitchenerS college at Khartum,
or the five millions gathered in a few
months for the famine-stricken Indian peo-
pie. During the Armenian troubles in Tur-
key, and Immediately after a fund was
raised for these poor people so quickly that
the announcement made week after week
in the newspapers to tho effect that the
Duke of Westminster yesterday forwarded
another sum of % 600 to Sir Philip Currie,
British ambassador at Caastantinope, to re-
lieve the homeless Armenians," was almost
the only means the general reader had of
knowing that such work was going on.
And this announcement of a further gift
of $4,000 was in fine print in an unimport-
ant place in the papers. Scarcely month
passes without Its special appeal for money,
ard 1t generally meets with generous re-
sponse.
And who can place an estimate upon