Evening star., 1901-03-09

4iS was indeed a SOrrN-lOohlnS
rs he leaned against the rail of the Poiice
Court dock the other day Not one among
the spectators doubted that the policeman
who appeared as prosecuting witness was
fully justified in selecting this defendant
from the throng of inaugural visitors as
one who should occupy a cell.
The clerk read the long information, de-
.-laring the man in the dock to be Va
grant. person of evil life and fame, with
out a fixed place of residence. with no visl-
bIe means Of support. idle and disorderly
person etc. and concluded by demanding
TO know if the prisoner was guilty or not
guilty.
What's the charger" inquired the spec!
men Of humanity most interested in the
proceedings
You are charged with being vagrant,"
Explained the clerk.
What's vagrant, judge" the defendant
then wanted to know.
Why" replied his honor. you are ac-
used of being loafer, an idle person, with
nothing to do. What have you to say about
IT,
I'm not guilty. SIR" declared the prison.
with spirit. Il have plenty to do. I've
got Waterbury watch, and have to wind
X x X
F'ilipinos have the oriental gift of oratory
IF the ornate, fiowery kind. An illustra ton
If this is contained in the last mail from
Manila. When about hundred F'ilipinos
employed in the ordnance department in
that city took the oath of allegiance to :he
United States. their spokesman, Hugo AsIn-
zion. delivered the following patriotic ad
dress:
"FilipinOS: This is the hour in which the
light spreads itself over the fields like
mantle of gold: when the ancient trees,
with their clinging parasites, lazily move
their great crowns in the breath of the
-arly breeze; when the shrubs greet the
lay with the delicious odors of their flow
-rS. on whose tendrilS the dew has left
pearl which the sun turns into a beautiful
gift from a serene night of love: when the
birds raise. in concerted choir, their hymn
"f praise: in short, all nature salutes the
father of life, the luminous representation
IT the creator of the world. Now that we
have had the happiness of being gathered
under the starry banner, do not doubt, Fill
ipinos. that the grand republic of America
i THAT which will conduct US, be it late or
Early. to the moral and material good of
these islands. Therefore, you who have
signed and sworn your fealty to this grand
nation join with me In crying: Long I've
the starry banner, Long live our colonel,
Long live our lieutenant, Long live Amer
lea"
* 4 *
1T is doubtful If any of the big railroad
companies combinations will ever under
take to go into the express business" said
official of one of the large express COM
pSnies to Star reporter. Nearly all of
the large roads have tried the experiment
at some time or other, but have given it
UP sooner or later, having come to the
conclusion that the present method is by
far the most satisfactory and profitable to
all concerned. As a matter of fact the rail-
reads come out all right in the express
business. They are paid from 40 to 80 per
cent of the gross receipts and are at prac-
ucally no expense, except in furnishing the
cars and pulling them with their trains
Some OF the railroads are quite exacting in
the matter of their share of the receipts
and will do absolutely no business unless
they get as much as 90 per cent. The
railroads would have great trouble in build
ing up the mammoth organizations that
have been in existence for the express COM
panies for years. Yes. the express COM
They have their fields SO well handled that
there is mighty little competition
x x X
on March 4. from 9 am. until 10 pm,
I2,1i2 people visited the Congressional Lii
hrary building. This is the largest number
Of visitors at the library building in any
one day. A careful count Is made of every
"ne going in the building, the watchmen
at all the doors used by visitors having
small counting machines in the hands with
which a record is made by a mere pressure
of the thumb In this way 1t has been pos-
Sible TO preserve an accurate record of the
number of people who have gone through
the marble palace. in which a million VOL