The times., 1901-03-26
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

! ton last night. Two firms alone put out
| 500 watches a day. and they are good
| ones American watches have the mar
! ket They are exported in large quanti-
ties to England. where some years ago
they became the fashion, and the liking
for them has been passed down from ia
ther TO son ever since. Our watches go
also to Europe and the situation is re-
versed in regard to Switzerland from that
of generation ago. our forefathers used
to have Swiss watches, and be proud of
them, but today "A Swiss watch cannot
compare with the best American makes.
The excellence of American watches
arises from clever and delicate workman
ship and improved machinery. The Amer
lean watch is largely machine made and
marvellous are the machines that do the
work. almost as intricate as the watches
themselves Put in one end rod of
finely tempered steel and it comes out at
the other in a shower OF little screws, or
put in brass strips and they come out
delicate cogwheels. There are machines
for every use and all they need is clever
men to watch them. The watches that
are made today by the best houses are
practically Chronometers. especially the
watches made to be used by trainmen,
which must be balanced 10 a fraction OF
a second or they viii not be accepted by
the railroad management.
The watch trade began in the United
States nearly sixty years ago, when 1t
was in the hands of man named DICK
inson at Waltham He failed after hav-
ing spent $l0a eco i'm building up his works.
Under man named Knout the work was
continued and has spread to be one OF the
biggest industries in the country
'The day of the gold-handled umbrella
has gone said FiIbert Flynn at the
Shoreham yesterday. Mr. Flynn is an
attorney from Chicago. and is in Wash
ington in regard to matters before the
Patent Office. The umbrella renting
business has killed the expensive jeweled
topped, fine silk affair, that we used to
carry with such pride and such continu-
Gus fear that we would misplace 1t or
have it stolen. Who cares for a fine
looking umbrella today? No one. All
we want is an umbrella that is whole
enough to keep the rain from our heads,
and one that we can carry around with
us without that terrible haunting sense
Of responsibility that used TO make us
grey. and one that we can leave n the
car. or at our friends house without be-
ing out more than a few small coins.
consider that the man who instituted the
business of renting umbrellas should be
thanked by public vote for having re-
When / carried an umbrella that be-
longed to me l had TO keep thinking about
it every minute or Ia lose 1t.
Now / rent my umbrella, and trot off
in the rain without feathers weight of
care on my soul And / don't have TO
think and decide if l VIII carry one when
go on a journey. l go without one, and
find one ready for me when l want It.
That was by no means the case when |
used to own my own umbrella. When
= nos eafgf |
did not want il it was everywhere. Any
one who has tried TO make journey with |
an umbrella Will tell you what an awk-
ward travelling companion II is. There is
never a place 70 put il, and il is always
Just the one last thing that YOU cannot |
carry in your hands. You imperil every
ones eyes with il, and stumble over II
yourself at very opportunity. And now
thanks TO the umbrella man at every
hotel. you can nave one when you want I
il and leave il severely alone when you
have no use for il. If OYershoes and ra'n
coats were at hand in the same way, life
would be really worth living.
Edward Eggleston, the historian, is in
Washington, spending a few weeks near
the Congressional Library and other
sources of information which he finds
necessary to use in some work upon
which he is now engaged. He has been
for several days at the Arlington Speak |
ing yesterday concerning the recent dis |
cussion in Washington over the accuracy |
Of school histories, he said:
Concerning the special quarrel over |
books that you have had here in Wash /
ington ! know too little TO express any |
definite opinion but taking it generally, |
the public has a right to find fault with |
the kind of histories which are used in |
the schools. They are all miserably mae |
curate / remember having looked recent |
ly over a school history, in which | found /
a glaring error on every page. 1t was a /
history written in recent years, and the |
people who compiled it had access to the |
most recent documents. They were not |
errors that could have been the result of |
a difference of opinion on any disputed |
fact, but simply errors, due. probably, to |
the lack of the true historians genius, |
and an inability to handle the facts.
Il give all history writers the credit for /
wanting TO be accurate, but many have |
not the gift Taken all in all, the books |
used in our schools are not such as they /
should be, yet too much care cannot be |
expended IN the choice of them, for it |
must be remembered that they are forced /
upon the people ana that the children /
must study what is provided for them.
Il believe that a sincere attempt is /
being made to give the right view of the |
civil war. OF course, we are still too /
near the great event for all fancor to !
have disappeared, but we are certainly
far enough away for less emphasis to be /
placed upon it, in our histories. All the |
histories now In use go into the subject |
IN great detail and lay stress upon the
war which keeps alive i'll feeling. / be- /
heYe that the writers try to be unpreju- |
diced, but they do not wholly succeed. |
lhey were probably all living at the |
time, and they are writing the events
rf low