davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
To Amuse the Shah.


Many stories are told Of the late Shah of
Persia in connection with his last visit to
England. One of these tales. probably more
amusing than true. is that he advised the
Prince OF Wales quietly to make away
with q certain extremely influential duke,
as the latter was growing too powerful TO
be safe.
But a story which is vouched for is the
account of the shahs visit to Newgate
prison. While there he suddenly requested
to see an execution. He was courteously
Informed that at the present moment there
was no one under sentence. The shah
swept away these trifiing objections with
wave of his hand. Take one Of my
suite said he. ANY one will do. And
he was woefully disappointed because the
officials on the spot declined to comply
with his request.
The shah had a magnificent collection OF
jewels, among them being an emerald near
ly as large as a hens egg
The present shah will make q continental
tour this summer, visiting England in July.
1t Is said that he is bringing with him a
number of costly and beautiful gifts for his
royal and imperial hosts in all the places
he intends to visit. His tour will take six
months. He intends to stop in Russia,
Germany, Austria. France, Greece and Eng
land.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
Mysteries in the War.
rom thp New York Tribune

There have been some curious things go
ing on of late in connection with the South
African war;" said c. A. Gordon-A rmitage
of London recently. "It will be remember
ed that Cecil Rhodes short time ago came
out with a bitter attack on the generals
then In South Africa that aroused a storm
of criticism and adverse remark, but which
later died away when Gen. Lord Roberts
famous dispatch Of censure was published.
Whether Rhodes knew whereof he spoke
and that the dispatch in question was
forthcoming, or whether it was due in part
to good luck and in part to his wonderful
acuteness that he made the criticism when
no did, must rest in doubt. but there is no
question that his position is greatly
strerg thened by the publication of Lord
Roberts dispa tch. Then there Is the con-
troversy that Rhodes had with Col. Keke-
wich, the commander Of the besieged Brit
ish forces in Kimberley. 1t leaked out
after that city had been relieved that bad
blood existed between the two. but what it
was that started the row the public has as
yet not been advised. OF a surety it wasn't
fellow prisoners. He is not that sort Of a
man, and the trouble must have lain deeper
than that. Then, too, there is the ominous
suppression of the name Of the officer re-
sponsible for the Sannas Post disaster.
which it Is apparently an open secret will
ultimately be revealed to be one Of the
princes Of the royal blood now serving with
the army there. Altogether. we seem to
have our share of the mysterious and I'M
explainable in this fight which 1t is to be
hoped will be ultimately cleared up
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12

From Casters Magazine
Let w. take a pound Of what We will call
average coal. containing. say. 1000 heat
units. This would be somewhat smaller IN
size than mans fist. A pound Of this
coal if expended in mechanical work,
would give us 25G horse power. Imagine at
thu tme of the Pharaohs two long lines of
men extending over half a mile al pulling
steadily at the command of tho taskmas-
ter at great rope to raise some huge obe-
lick and you them sweating. tug
grg and straining think again of this
small lump Of coal in which nature has
placed an equal amount of power. In some
countries men who have been specially
trained porters to carry heavy loads
their backs will. as a full days work.
carry total of from $50 to GO pounds
distance Of one mile. And yet each has
expended but one-third Of the power stored
Up In this pound Of coal.
An exceptionally strong man has been
known to- be one-half horse power of work
his mightiest effort. but in Two and a
half minutes work at this rate exkausts
his muscular force. Let US suppose 1OC
such men putting forth such extreme eff
fort at rope or crank or crowbar; as they
fall back. red-faced and putting to catch
their breaths, we might imagine this little
black lump saying to them: Il can do as
much your whole company and then
can stand it for fully two minutes longer
before ] am exhausted
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
The Quick-Lunch Habit.
From the Atlantic Monthly,

1t Is the habit of the modern time-saving
young man upon entering a quick-lunch es-
Establishment to dash for the bill Of fare
and give an order Of he Ia adroit enough
to catch one Of the maids on the fy) be-
fore removing either coat or hat; at least
fifteen seconds may be economical In this
way. Once seated, the luncher falls to on
anything at hand-bread, coldslaw, crack
ers or catsup. When the dish ordered ar
rives he gets his fork into 1t as it appears
over his shoulder and cleans the plate be-
fore the sauce makes its appearance. SO
that Is eaten by itself or with bread.
cups OF coffee or tea go down in two
swallows. Little piles of cakes are cut in
quarters and disappear in four mouthfuls.
much after the fashion Of children down the
ogre's throat In the mechanical toy; masti-
cation being either lost art or considered
a foolish waste Of energy.
A really accomplished luncher can as
simulate the last quarter" of cakes, wig
gle into his coat and pay his check at the
desk at the same moment The next he
10 down the block In pursuit Of a receding
trolley.
Last week a friend offered me a 'luno1-
con tablet from box on his desk. tits
more expeditions"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
Biltmore, the Model village.
com Ainslea,s Mapazine

Just outside the entrance lodge to the
Biltmore estate Is the village Of Biltmore.
in which are the office Of the estate, the
railway station and post office. and also
the church and rectory. The village does
not amount to much yet, but plans have
been made for its extension. Streets have
been laid out, sewers have been put in.
and the pavements are, without doubt, SUI
perior to any in North Carolina The pro-
prietor does not sell any Of the houses,
but rents them, and he has the intention
Of making it a model home village, where
comfort shall be general and virtue get Its
abundant reward.
Model villages have not been remarkably
successful in this country, where the best
Of US have yearning to plant, on soil of
our own, the vine and fruit tree under
which we live. That disposition has htth-
erto interfered with the model village, just
as it will hinder the growth Of the single
tax propaganda. But Mr.. Vanderbilt may
succeed in Biltmore, the houses of which
are now supplied with modern conveniences
of the most recent and improved sort.
They not only have their houses lighted
with electricity in Biltmore village. but the
cooking Is also done by it. The 1.-THE to
the church is not burdensome to Biltmore
villagers, as Mr.. Vanderbilt pays all the
charges. including the rector's salary.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
What the Kaiser Can Do.

from tle i+lnuOu 1OulS Nan.
We are told that he has written O. pub
lie prayer and conducted q choir. He can
cook as well as he can eat. He can play
chess paint pictures. or draw caricatures.
He has learned engineering and studied
electricity. Though he can only use one
arm, he can shoot game for four hours at
the rate Of two a minute. He has over a
hundred titles. and is an admiral In three
OF the biggest navies. In twenty-five years
he has shot 23.OO0 head of game He
changes his dress a dozen times a day, has
a dozen Wallets. and wardrobe worth 600, OOOI
He works every day from am. to 7 pm.
He can write song as well as he can
sing 1t, can manage a yacht as well as he
can ride a horse. He can conduct a reli-
gious service as we'll as a bishop. He
can command g. fleet as well as an army,
a ship as we'll as a regiment. He Is king,
emperor author. musician, dramatist, tray
eler choir conductor. sportsman. singer,
and there is nothing, from rocking a cradle
to ruling an empire, of which Is not a
master. He is the royal Observation-Disclosures,
with the pride of an emperor and the power
OF Caesar. He IS the modern William
the Conqueror. Before he had been on the
throne two years he had dismissed the
foremost statesman on the continent Of Eu-
rope.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
Wreckage on the Cornish Coast.

From Good Words
In most of the gardens roundabout the
dahlias and sunfowers were staked with
stout bamboos. These also were the
products of "wrecking," great numbers
having been washed in from time to time.
In certain unpretentious cottages 1 know
the inmates used nothing but wax candles
to illuminate their rooms for several years
real wax candles, none of your paraff1n
or composite. Some vessel that had broken
up in the vicinity included wax candles in
her cargo, and these had got loose. A
southerly gale. five or six winters ago. lit
tered the shore with candles of all sizes.
the biggest of them obviously intended for
altar lights. A friend of mine wandering
along shore found so many that he had to
go home for large-sized galvanized bath
tub which he filled with the candles. A
rinsing in warm fresh water soon got rid
of the salt from wax and wick, and they
burnt as well as though they had never
been to sea Each winter since then a
number of them rolled in after every south
erly breeze. showing that there is still a
good stock below.
Barrels of tar and petroleum have landed
themselves at different times and during a
gale considerable interest and excitement
have been manifested by the appearance Of
some dark object bobbing up among the
waves a mile or two out. 1t might be a
cask, 1t might be a boat, 1t might be a
corpse. Glasses are leveled upon 1t, but
with a strong sea running and high wind
blowing. nothing positive can be made out
by the loungers along the WALL yet
some of the men would be certain 1t was
this or that. Then a couple of hardy crab
bers would put off in their boat to inter-
view it. and after much risky trouble would
succeed in hitchins a noos> rope over 1t
and getting it in tow. This time it is an
upturned boat with a hole in Its bottom.
Next time it may be a baulk of timber, or
a derelict log that has been floating for
many a day in mid-channel, and has only
now got into landward current
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
CHINESE CONSERVATISM.
The Greatest Difficulty to Be Over
come by Foreigners.

come ny FOFc18neESs
From Casters Magazine
The difficulties in the way Of success for
the engineer and foreign capitalist in China
are very considerable. In the first place. 1t
may be safely asserted that the authorities
actually in power do not want foreigners
The statement one so often sees in articles
on the subject that the Japanese war has
opened the eyes of the Chinese and shown
them that If they wish to keep up with
other nations they must adopt more en-
lightened policy is incorrect, or, at all
events. misleading, because whatever truth
there is in 1t depends upon the fact that the
statement is merely to the effect that the
enlightened policy Is necessary to enable
the country to progress on the same lines
as the rest Of the world, and it Is mfslead-
ing because it suggests that, in the opinion
of the ruling classes, such progress Is a
thing to be desired. No such feeling exists
In the minds of the majority, or even of a
considerable minority; but 1t Is the MEM
bers of this minority who are most likely
to meet visitors to China, and who are
more likely to be appointed to foreign mis-
sions, and whose views, consequently, are
most readily impressed on the European
public, and are naturally taken as repre-
sentative of the views of the majority.
Nothing would please the bulk of the
mandarin class better than that foreign ma
lions should go away and leave China alone.
She has done without railways, and steam
cotton mills, and mines where 600 tons Of
coal a day are raised by steam instead of
twenty tons. dragged out by coolies, and
she can do without them now.
The Chinese have. no doubt. begun to
realize the fact that foreigners are deter
mined to exploit their country. and also
that they are too weak to successfully re-
sist this action. and they are. therefore, re-
duced to putting distractions in every
bodys way. In doing this most of them are
honestly convinced that they are doing
their country service, and if they cannot
keep out foreign civilization they should
at least delay Its entry as long as possible
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
Out of His Element.
From the International Journal of Ethics,

A man who is accustomed to be heard
with respect on one subject Is often over
bearing when he meets with opposition on
some other matter, but not. thing, as a
rule, in dealing with the matter which he
has made his own. 1t must have struck
others besides myself that men unaccus-
toned to writing seem sometimes to lose
all self-restraint when they put pen to
paper, and though good enough gentlemen
in private life. seem not to know how to
behave in the republic Of letters. They
never were there before. and they do not
know the traditions and conventions Of the
place. So soldier will become violent in a
political discussion, but yet will treat diff
ference OF opinion on point Of military
technique with candor and with respect
for the views of others. We have long ago
condemned the doctrine that virtue Is
knowledge, but this is partly because 1t
has depths Of meaning which we have
never sounded.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
CANADA.s PEAT BoGs.
Prepared in Various Ways and Used
as Fuel Mt Slight Cost.

From the Buffalo Express
The best authorities say there are 100000
acres of undeveloped peat bog in Ontario.
principally in the counties OF Perth. Wei
land and Essex. The largest area lies IN
the county of Perth. eight miles north OF
the city Of Stratford. on the Grand Trunk
railway. Here is a swamp of 10000 acres
with a depth of peat bog that varies from
a foot to twenty feet.
The process Of manufacture is as follows:
The peat Is cut and air dried, after which 1t
Is pulverized by being passed through
picker, and automatically deposited in
hopper. which feeds a steel tube about two
inches in diameter and fifteen inches long.
The pulverized peat Is forced through tl;s
tube by pressure and formed into GYM
drical blocks three inches in length and al
most equal in density to anthracite coel.
The fuel is non-frable and weather-proof
by reason Of its soidity and the extreme
glaze impaired to 1t by FRACTIONAL contact
with forming dies. The inherent moisture
of the peat is reduced to u per cent of the
mass. In weight it compares with coal as
follows: Eightythree pounds per cubic foot
of peat equal seventy-three pounds of btu
minous or ninety-three pounds of anthracite
coal.
1t is claimed for peat that 1t is superior 10
coal in Its absolute freedom from sulphur
and the absence of smoke, SCOT, dust and
clinkers during consumption. In a great
measure this solves the problem of furnish
ing cheap clean, uniform and reliable
fuel for all domestic purposes, as It is
equally serviceable for CRATES. stoves, cook
ing ranges and furnaces, giving a long.
bright flame and intense heat almost from
the moment OF ignition. 1t has been tested
in locomotives with excellent results, show
ing that the thermal value of 100 pounds of
peat is equal to 95.15 pounds of coal. 1t
was also tried at the power house Of the
Metropolitan street railway, Toronto, and
gave great satisfaction. The heat produced
was much greater than that Of the coal,
but it was 8 per cent deficient In lasting
power. 1t requires but little draft and
burns best in shallow firebox.
The machinery used in manufacturing
peat fuel is not expensive and requires but
little attention when in operation.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
Mems Fashions for Street Wear.


The suits for street wear will be made Of
fine worsteds or cheviots, in very neat and
almost invisible stripes. checks in more or
less pronounced patterns and In neat plaids
and mixtures. The effects in these suitings
will be in variations founded on gray.
brown or heather shades. Here and there
one finds dash Of green and red, but these
colors are used very sparingly. Serges will.
OF course, be in favor. This fabric is the
ideal one for the double breasted jacket.
The worsted suitings in file or herring bone
weaves, and in checked or striped. and
basket treatments in cheviots, as well as
the rugged staple combinations in home
spuns and tweeds, will figure prominently.
For outing wear, golf and lounging about
the country Knockers are doomed. The new
flannel suits SO popular last summer will
undoubtedly be great favorites during the
summer to come. These fannels are In
broad stripe, and have line stripe effects in
grays. blues, heathers and states. Blarney
tweeds in grays and heathers will also be
good for suits designed for informal coun-
try wear.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12

of the very few personal facts we know
regarding our Shakespeare! Shades Of
Ulysses and Shakespeare A bed was a
bed then! In Greece a couch worthy of a
hero; In England miniature stage OF life
with it's tapestried Soof and hangtngs and
curtains that rose on TIL with fitting pomp
on the great scenes of'the domestic drama
Round the canopied four-poster was
passed the candle cup after the birth OF the
heir. and again around it shone bright ser
ried tapers when the dead lay in state
Comedy, too. played her part on this stage
Here Christopher Sly was laid, to awaken
and find himself a lord, and between these
close-held curtains has not the night-cap-
ped, spectac.ed face of Pickwick peeped
when that strayed reveler called out very
loudly, "Ha-humr'
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
Instructed the Queen.
From the Scottish American.

From the Scottish American.
A hitherto unrecorded anecdote Of the
queen is the following: One autumn after
noon. many years ago. her majesty was go
ing out to sit on a hillside and watch some
Of her relatives fishing in the river below
her. when she found that she had no thin
BILE in her pocket, SO could not work. as she
had intended. at the sewing she was carry
ing. Turning out Of her way to Mrs
Symond's shop, she bought the smallest
thimble there, which was, however, many
sizes too big for her. There was an old
Scotch dame at the counter, impatiently
waiting to make her own purchases. Not
recognizing the queen. she broke into the
fuss an faddle you're maxim. Blow intas
1t weel an it'u stick"
That phrase. the latter part Of the SEN
tence. amused her majesty Immensely and
became quite q proverb in the royal family.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
A Hint to Letter Writers.

The practice OF writing private letters
from the first to the third pages Of q let
ter sheet, and then going back to the Sec
ond page, is matter Of taste. but it will
not do to follow that course Of procedure
in writing legal documents The New York
courts have just disallowed the provisions
of a will written In this way. The testator
wrote the will on three sides Of folded
paper. commencing on the first page and
continuing on the third page, at the top
of which was written second page" and
completing and signing the instrument on
a page marked third page" which in fact
court held that the will was not signed at
the physical end as required by the statute.
The law does not contemplate going back
ward in order to get forward. and the will
was refused probate. The New York court
Of appeals sustains the decision throwing
out this form of will.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
The Dinner-Pail Brigade.

From the Denver Post.
We applaud the blue-clad soldiers as they march
along the street
Keeping time with elock-like motion to the drums
Every patriotic instinct CLEANS as brightly as the
Wien the hero boys are going to or coming from
Yet there are heroic Iesfons men who daily pass
Who are given but careless. unapprovlns glunco
Men who render to the country most invaluable aid
In the steady march Of prosress-the great dinner
pail brigade
Strike that army from existence. and the world
Cities wondrous In their grandeur soon would crum-
All our s trade and manufacture would be doomed
And that healthy, giant. Commerce. never draw
Heavens sun.rays soft descending would but fall
And the gores Of existence as the stricken flowers
would fade ,,
pail brigade.
IT'S the he muscle 'snS and the snew and the n'l00d OF
Every Industry is fostered by the workman's cal
Every palace that is housing an imperial millionaire
Owes Its presence to the toilers whose industry
Every penny that In Golfers Of the wealthy finds
Is drop of Precipitation from hard labOr's heated
face;
ss Sa III sSes s 81 ns Il ss
pail brigade.
While we laud our gallant soldiers for their valor
in the fray,
Let us not forget the heroes who with US every
day;
While we praise the gifted toilcrs In the sciences
and arts,
Let us not forget the toilers who playing hum
bier parts
While the men who owe theie fortunes to these
heroes, in their lust
After yet more golden dollars grind the workmen
in the DUST
Let the honest masses see that well-eaned tribute
shall be paid
To the ever active legi0nS OF the dinner pail
Brigade
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
An Easy Name.


On March 2, 1883. the following telegram
was handed In for delivery at the post Of
fec of Chepstow: Going to Llanfairpwli-
acknowledgement; shall be
home by 40" The postmaster, thinking
that there was more than a fair penn orth
Of consonants in the name. referred 1t to
his surveyor. who wrote back: at Ia an
attempt at the name Of a village in An
glesey. but is evidently not written by q
Weshman: the spelling Is incorrect. and.
but for ths joke of the thing, the ordinary
abbreviation. Llanfairpw,l. would have been
better. The fun name correctly written
willandisilliogogogoch''
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
Tolstoi's Sense OF Humor

Hfoin Tue NeWcasti6 (EngJ Chronicle.
The family of Count Tosstoi has a large
circle OF acquaintances and hardly an even
Ing passes but there are gdests. At one mu-
sic party lady's singing displeased Count
Tolstois boys. and they adjourned to an
other room and made Noise Their father
lost patience and went after them. and a
characteristic admonition ensued.
Are you making noise on purpose7"
he asked. as y
After some hesitation came an answer In
the affirmative: "Y-y-yes"
Does not her singing please your
"Well. no. Why does she how'll" declared
one OF the boys with svexation.
80 you wish to protest against her
singing?' asked LysH Nhkolaevitch in a
serious tone. q.
Then go out and say so or stand in the
middle OF the room and tell every one pres
ent. That would be rude. but upright and
honest But you have got together and are
squealing like grasshoppers in a corner. 7
will not endure such protests"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
Beds,
Beds.
From Chambers Journal.

We cannot tell with any certainty when
the first portable furniture was invented:
and, to Judge by the ark, as 1t survives
among our children, Noah was either ig-
norant of such things. Grand more prob
ably-nobly denied himself their use for the
time being in order to leave more room
for the animals. But long before Cowper
somewhat apologeticalIy sang the sofa
Homer was proud to enumerate the cher
ished and decorated pieces Of furniture In
the tests Of the heroes before Troy. and de-
scribed Odysseus' pleasure In seeing once
more his own beautiful bed as sympatheti-
cally as any other incident Of the return;
while that he had q second-best bed is one