The times., 1901-04-17
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

are being made to repair the damage to |
the buildings done by the winter winds |
and SHOWS. and TO make certain addi- !
tions which will materially increase the |
pleasure of bathing. For one thing the |
beach will be improved by the addition |
of several car loads of fine sand Inc
winter tides have worked a good deal Cf
damage at the beach, and have piled IN
heaps the sand which had been so care
fully distributed or at least a good part
of it above high water mark Instead OF
shoveling this down new sand VIII pe
added to make the whole beach take the
proper slope.
There will be a good deal of repairing
necessary to get the buildings into shape
and the man with the paint pot VIII
probably find plenty of employment pe-
fore the gates of the beach are hhallE
opened to the anxious youthful puphc-
This happy event will take place May @V'
and work will be pushed so that all auui-
tions and repairs are finished by tiia'
time.
"T should like to know" said a we'll
known New York botanist and florist ak
the Raleigh yesterday, why Iittie
more attention is not paid to the appear
ance of the Mali l have just returned
from walk around the Department Oh
Agricultura and l am really quite sur
prised There of all places in the city
we ought to see landscape gardening III
its highest form. The trees ana shrups
ought to be of the very best klnu ana III
| the very best condition. The grass ought
! 10 be smooth and the lawns shoulo DE
| closely cropped and velvety. Alas! such
| is not the case. and making even the
! most charitable allowance for the time
able
| abuse my mind of the impression that
| the place is unkempt.
Il noticed it specially in regard to the
! little pond which lies near the entrance
| gate and just by the driveway. IL seems
! TO have been left to take care OF Itself
! Leaves and branches of trees ana othef
| kinds of refuse float on it's surface. while
| around il there is hardly spear OF grass
growing The banks have been washed
! down until they seem like the edge of
! stream where cattle have come 10 drink.
! Especially on the side near the road does
| it look dilaDidated. The water from lne
| pond has evidently been allowed 10 over
! flow at every rain and it has left It's
! high-water mark of mud everywhere lot
| a circle of a dozen yards from the pduh.
! The little path which l suppose at one
! time ran around the lake has long since
| been washed into ruin and is almost op
| liberated. What seems strange TO ME ~
| that such a condition of things shouln
! exist around Il place so notoriousiy wen
managed as is the Department of Agri-
| culture.
1T would surprise you if list could
| he prepared showing the number of
clerks employed in the Government de-
partments in this city who make a good
living on side lines" said the head of a
bureau of the Treasury yesterday Many
of these people devote hours of the time
for which they are paid by the Govern
ment to schemes Of all kinds from which
they manage to derive good income AS
matters stand today the tenure in office
of a clerk is much longer and safer than
il has ever been before, and while all OF
them are getting good salaries, they
seem TO have an idea that the world
owes them two lvings. and they are
getting them in strange ways. Personally
I am acquainted with clerks who have
established real estate and rooming
agencies, shoe stores, bucket shops and
chicken farms At least one of them has
| a fiourishing loan business. Then the clerks
who are engaged in the study of law and
medicine are numerous There are
scores of embryo lawyers in all OF the
! executive departments ana Iui-nedsea
| doctors by the dozen. Many OF these 90
| a little business on the side when 1t comes
! their way but few OF them dare adVer-
/ tise for it. Some years ago the sun
| down doctors were very prominent III
Washington, but of late they have been
| kent down These ''sundown doctors
| were Government clerks who practiced
! medicine after Office hours and many of
them even left their desks during the DAY
to make professional calls and 10 pre-
scribe for patients. This scheme has been
broken up but there are many others
which have not. Many attempts have
been made TO compel the clerks TO dc
that for which they are paid by the Gov
ernment and nothing else. but these have
. never resulted in anything.
Two large crows dashed against the
/ southern wall of the White House yester-
day and fell 10 the ground seemingly help
less One of the laborers in the garden
| picked the birds up and after observing
that they were blind. carried them TO the
| head gardener who ordered them taker
: TO the Agricultural Department. In
:. speaking of the matter the gardener stat
| ed that he had seen dozens of blind crows
! recently.
Some of the experts in the Agricultur
! al Department are making a study of al
4 the blind birds they can find" said he
t with view to determining whether o
+ | not an epidemic Is prevalent. The dis
e ease originally appeared in Virginia, nea
a this city, where the woods are filled witt
= blind helpless crows. Many of then
starye to death investigation showed tha
crows entering or found in the District o
n Columbia We're afflicted with blindness
K and some experts at the Agricultural De
a partment have been making a study o
the affliction. The disease causes a rec
: skin 10 grow over the eysballS, leaving
e the birds blind. The two found hero to
= day will ba carefully examined and an at
!, tempt will be- made to check the epidemic
tt-hf trrlefY he far