Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-16


fered. SO that students may gain an insight
into the mechanical properties of autocars
and the various means of transmitting
power to the road wheels. The polytechnic
schools are developing to an extraordinary
degree in all directions, and there is an
increasing rush for education of a supple.
mentary character of students who repre-
sent no small portion Of the strenuous life
In London.
Repairs on London Bridge.
London bridge is undergoing extensive al
terations. with a view of carrying out its
long proposed widening, and while that pro-
cess is going on the public will have to use
temporary foot bridges. The last girder of
one Of these structures was put into posi-
ton yesterday. Each girder weighs over
800 tons. There are to be two temporary
bridges and as they will cost $500, 600,
some idea may be formed Of the expense of
permanently widening this famous bridge.
which for twelve hours every day, SUNDAYS
excepted, presents the spectacle Of vast
multitude of people apparently flying from
some pursuing enemy. The Tower bridge
built at a cost of some millions, was to re-
lfeve London bridge. So it did for time
London bridge, however, is now as bad as
ever and the traffic on Tower bridge shows
signs of congestion.
Woman's Letter Causes a Stir.
An American mother seems to have
stirred the university world to its deepest
depths by writing a letter to the Times, In
which she stigmatizes the rooms Of under
graduates at Oxford vile and insanitary
and not fit for her sons occupation She
compares them most unfavorably to the
students quarters provided at Harvard and
other American colleges. The matter ha s
been taken up on all sides, the college au-
tnorities protesting against the Dissertation
of the sacred dust of Oxford, which has
from time immemorial been undisturbed
and the mere fact that American inva-
sion should show itself in this quarter is
too much for most Englishmen to bear
This and the proposed purchase by Mr.
Pierpont Morgan of the Burns MANUSCRIPTS
has aroused the deepest resentment. Dozens
of letters have been written on both SUBJ
1ects to the papers and it seems that Ameri-
cans might capture the meat market the
shipping trade, the boot and shoe business
or anything else in the commercial line but
an attack upon such respectable things as
university life and literature cannot be
borne. Perhaps the funniest thing is in
reference to the Burns manuscripts the
fact that the strongest letters opposing the
purchase come from Scotland where the
Scots Indignation knows no bounds that
the precious manuscripts of Bobby Burns
should pass out Of the Land. The humor Of
the case lies In the fact that the manu-
scripts passed out of Scotland many wears
ago and are owned by library In Liver
pool.
William the Conqueror's Day.
Sunday was the s3Gth anniversary of the
arrival Of William the Conqueror in this
country. I suppose there Is no fact in En-
glish history that is more drummed into
English children's heads than the William
the Conqueror story. My little daughter
has now been going to school in England
for some time. Various changes of location
in London have compelled us to change her
school from time to time. At every school
William the Conqueror has doomed up large
and splendid, and at one time it seemed as
though we never could get her beyond the
1866 period of history. when that most for
tunate man came to this country. The
curious thing about 1t is that though the
English seem to set so much store on the
fact, the only place where the anniversary
is celebrated IS little town called Falaise
In Normandy, where William was born. I
never heard of celebration of this ami
versary anywhere in England. The inhab-
itants of the Channel Islands claim to be
of the race to which William belonged and
that race, in their opinion, Is not French
OF course, 1t Is well known that the early
Normans were not French, nor did they
speak French. But it Is. perfectly astonish-
ing to find how thoroughly pro-English are
the Channel Islands people If they see a
drunken and dirty man rolling along in the
street they will shrug their shoulders and
say, "Oh, he's French" They will tell you
that nearly all the criminals in the islands
are French They do not like the race,
and on the slightest provocation a French
offender Is sent back to his native land.
They regard England as their country and
Will tell you that William the Conqueror
was their leader. but in spite of this the
Channel Islands, Jersey especially are full
of French names of places, things and peo-
pie. In Jersey most of the people speak
only French, and in the States" their
home rule parliament, French is the official
language. The French of the people, how
ever, is chiefly the old Norman dialect.
Gen. Booths Departure.
General Booth left London on Saturday
for four months tour on your side and
had wonderful send-off on his way to
Southampton. His headquarters staff were
at the station, but the enthusiasm of the
rank and file of his army set all ideas of
discipline at naught, and lassies in poke
DonnetS of no higher rank than privateS
pushed aside full -fe1ged colonies and even
officers of higher degree in their desire to
snake the hand or kiss the cheek of their
great leader. The general himself sa d.:
i snail trek twenty-five thousand miles,
ana anticipate taking part in two hundred
ana n1ty engagements before 1 return in
february: This will probably be his last
visit to America. The vitality of General
Booth is extraordinary. He works from
morning until night, and with increasing
years appears to be able to do with les 8
sleep than formerly. General Booth is a
strict vegetarian, and tea and toast" is
MS staple diet L. H. MOORE.