Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-23

the pension office was started and are not
much nearer settlement than they were
twenty-five years ago. The cases are not
only hoodooed, but they hoodoo nearly
every one who comes in contact with them,
and the clerks there tell how the hoodoo
even follows them from the cases to their
own homes and into their families. And
this, remember, is the twentieth century,
too"
A teacher In an Indian school in Michigan
writes as follows: 1T Is very interesting
to study these children, especially as We
have them from four different tribes, and
1 should very much like to write up my
impressions, only that I can scarcely keep
up with my work as it is These boys
have a sense of humor In my flag drill
last Friday the partners were a boy and
girl, and where the lines intersect to form
the cross 1 taught the boys to let their
partners go first, and hard trouble l had
to do 1t, too. After the exercises Isaac
Crane came up to me and, in his solemn
way, said, Miss B., in letting the girls
pass in front of the boys you have struck
at the root of an Indian national custom.
L said, How so, Isaac? and he answered,
1t is the custom for the man to go first,
CARRYING his dignity, and for the woman
to follow. carrying everything else"
x u X
The ship of state was missing from the
last inauguration parade as it was from
which preceded it," remarked an old citi
zen to Star reporter, though the time
was when the ship of state was the big
attraction and feature of the parade.
particularly remember the ship Of state
which was the feature Of the Buchanan
inauguration, for I was a boss carpenter
in the navy yard at the time and had
charge of getting it up. The same ship Of
state was used at the Lincoln Inauguration.
1t was an immense affair drawn by
dozen horses. A sloop rugged yacht about
sixty feet in length and ten feet in width
was the foundation. This was placed on
six wheels built for the purpose, the whole
being dressed up in the handsomest sailor
style. There were at least forty sailors on
it with complement of officers. Every
sail was spread and feature was the fir
Ing of minute guns from her bow. 1t
was wonderfully attractive for the little
folks as well as for children Of larger
growth. Most of the sailors were employees
of the navy yard, the crew and officers be-
ing, of course, volunteers. The lead line
was thrown out every few minutes and
the Imaginary depth of water found sung
out. The same thing, it may have been no
ttced, has been attempted, though In some
what smaller way, in emancipation parades,
which have taken place in this city since.
Another of the great attractions in the in
auguratfon parades of the days before the
civil war We're the volunteer fire COM
panies, from various cities, with their ap
paratuS complete. They made a splendid
showing, for as rule only the swell fire
companies of the country participated. 1t
was fashionable in those days for rich men
to be members of home fire companies,
though about all the service they per-
formed was in parades. They put up the
money, however. and paraded for all they
were worth their whole idea being to excel
those who were in competition with them.
he ina ton
rade was great fire company parade every
four years. l have often seen fifteen or
more companies in a parade representing
the leading cities of the country"
* X y *
"One of the many things that help to
favorably impress a stranger with the
beauties Of English country life Is the ex-
cellent condition In which the roads are
generally kept" said a gentleman who has
just returned from cycle trip through
rural England to the writer yesterday.
After making an extended wheeling tour
through the principal counties cannot re-
call seeing a highway of any Importance
that was not level, hard, Clean and in per-
feet order, and this is due, learnt, to their
constant and good supervision.
Every county council has a standing
committee on roads, which takes charge
of the highways and keeps them in repair.
The committee is divided into subcommit-
tees each of which Is assigned to a dis
trict. There is inspector for each di-
vision, who employs force of road mend
ers and holds each responsible for the por-
ton of road assigned to him. The road
member lives in a cottage on the line of
the highway which he is required to keep
in order. He goes over the road every day
and removes in a barrow or cart every
thing that Is unsightly.
After each heavy rain he looks out for
breaks and washouts and mends them by
dumping loads of broken stone, dirt or
gravel, according to the nature of the re-
pairing material needed. Supplies Of dirt,
stone, gravel and hand or householder are
kept along the roads at intervals ready for
the use of the road member"
x x
1.-THE little elastic rubber band that Is
nowadays used in various businesses in
place of Irvine seems simple sort of
thing. but there are few, if any, of the
multitude of small articles made out of
rubber for which there is such an enormous
demand, especially in the United States" re-
marked a wholesale dealer in rubber bands
in New York to the writer the other day.
In this county the number of rubber bands
sold in one year amounts to about 4OO-
600 gross or 81 100000 single bands At
least 90 per cent of the goods are made in
New York and the rest are produced in
factories located in New Jersey and New
England. In New York there are a half
dozen factories devoted partly or exclu-
sively to the manufacture of rubber bands.
1.-The process by which the bands are
made is simple. The rubber in a liquid
state is nodded into tubing of sizes suita-
BILE for forming the small and medium va
rieties of bands When the tubing is ready
for use 1t is put into a rapid-running ma
chine having knives, which cut or slice the
rubber into bands. The larger bands are
cut by machinery from fiat sheets of rub
Der and Joined together with the aid of
heat and pressing machine.
Rubber bands are made In only two
coiors, black and brown. They range in size
from one-quarter of an inch to six inches
In length. The smallest bands are one-six-
teenth of an inch wide and the largest are
one and one-half inches wide. The small
est bands are worth "A cents per gross
while the meduim-sized ones sell at from
~ to eG cents per gross wholesale. Larger
sizes cost from 81 up to SO per gross.
The greatest consumers of rubber bands
are druggists and grocers They use the
smallest and medium-siZed bands in place
o. Irvine for putting up small packages
Inc large nat and expensive bands are used
py court officers. lawyers, bankers and
merchants for filing documents and papers.
NO rubber bands are imported into this
country, but few American rubber bands
are exported to the West Indies and South