Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-26

count of the divorce suit as soon as they
settle themselves in their seats Just what
is to be gained by these year-in and year
out exposes of human weakness as ex-
hibited in New Yorks unceasing tide of
divorce suits among individuals of wealth
and occasionally of distinction Is some
thing that Is not clear. but that the inces-
SAINT publication of the details of these
stormy and guilty matrimonial tangles is
a distinctly harmful influence in the COM
munity is undeniable.
A Terrible Example.
A few years ago certain singing actress,
well-known all over the country, made a
great laughing hit by her rendition of the
song, I'm a Merry Little Mountain Maid
en- the humor of the thing being the alb
surd contrast between the nature of the
song and the actress tremendous obesity.
The singing actress at that time tipped the
scales at figure that must have been
nearer to 300 pounds than go. In Juvenile
dress on the stage she was a laughable,
roly- poly spectacle.
Suddenly this actress disappeared from
the stage and from public view for about
six months. When she reappeared none of
her friends knew her. She was willowy,
svelte. sinuous, slender as Mrs. James
Brown Potter, a picture of esthetic grace
fulness. She had hit upon some sort of
obesity cure, had applied it to her own per-
son. and returned to the world vision OF
Spirtuelle fairness.
Her stout friends of the profession, act
resses and singers, clamored around her for
the secret. But she only smiled a slow
smile and told them that it would cost
them big money to obtain the Secret-that
she had permanently retired from the stage
and intended to devote herself in the future
to the curing of obesity for a sizeable con-
Sideration in each case cured. The act
resses and singing women pouted and beg
ged and implored for free or at least rea-
sonable treatment, but the woman who had
thus marvelously melted her too, too solid
flesh was as adamant and only treated
those who were able and willing to hand her
a considerable sum of money In lump,
usually in advance. She was successful in
most cases in reducing her obese patients.
and made a lot of money at her obesity-re
ducing practice. She did so well at it that
there was no necessity for her to return to
the stage for a livelihood. She numbered
among her patients many very wealthy
women who had for years been vainly
fighting against excessive flesh by starva-
ton. inordnate exercise. drugs and so on.
No later than last winter this writer saw
the actress at an after-theater supper at
Broadway restaurant. and her figure was
wiillowy and beautiful.
He saw her again the other evening She
is sight. She is probably as stout she
ever was in her life before. and there was
an expression of intense worry on her ex-
cessively fat-jowled countenance. 1t seems
that her obesityreducing combination sud
denly failed to work in her own case early
this spring, and, desperately as she tried to
revive its efficacy, 1t went right on re-
fusing to operate. She took on flesh with
horrid suddenness. despite all she could do,
until, by the time the summer was under
way, she had quite regained her tremend
Gus bulk Of years ago. 1t is grievous to be
compelled to relate that the friends to
whom she refused free or moderately rea-
sonable obesity treatment, when she made
her discovery, are not only not sympathiz-
ing with the again-ponderous actress, but
that they are actually publicly gloating
over her misfortune On the contrary, those
women who were able to afford the act
ress obesity treatment are trembling with
fear that in their cases too, the fat-con-
querng system will sooner later fail to
work and that they will inevitably arrive
back at their balloon-like proportions.
Two Men Needed.
The other day a Lexington avenue cleo
trio car created a lot of havoc and damage
for the length of a good many squares
owing to a sudden attack of faintness
which rendered the motorman partially I'M
conscious. The car careered ahead at full
speed, throwing wagons off the track. mar
rowly missing pedestrians crossing the
track at corners, with the belief that the
cars speed would be slackened. smashing
an automobile to flinders and doing all sorts
Of tricks Of the sort. finally butting into
the ahead before the somewhat stupid
conductor arrived at the conclusion that
and brought the car TO stop. The motor
man was found leaning. halfdazed from
an attack of vertigo, against the front door
of the car
This sort of thing has happened in New
York before on several occasions. and now
strong agitation has begun looking to the
placing OF two motormen on each electric
car, so that in case one of them becomes
incapacitated through sudden illness the
other will be on hand to protect the
safety of the passengers. The street rail
way monopoly of New York will of course
fight the proposition, but the aldermanic
body of this town has been showing graft
flying signs of sternness in its dealings
with the hoggish street railway corpora
ton of New York and it is probable that
the two-motormen plan will have to be
adopted, whether the corporation favors it
or not.
There is nothing unreasonable about the
suggestion, either. A number of years ago
the solitary pilot in the pilot house of a
New York ferryboat was suddenly stricken
with apopleXy while at the wheel. The
craft he was guiding was in the middle of
the East river at the time. The boat, I'M
plotted, banged into half a dozen other
craft. jeopardizing the lives of hundreds of
persons. and finally smashed into a dock,
knocking a hole in her side that caused her
to sink within a few moments. The passen-
gers and crew all got off safely, but it was
only through luck that their lives were
preserved A law was promptly made re-
curing two pilots to be on duty in the
wheel houses of all ferryboats from that
time on. The ferry companies strenuously
opposed the measure. matter of course,
but they had to comply with the law. and
the wisdom of the law has been vindicated
time and time again since, when one of the
men in the wheel house has been suddenly
stricken at his post.
So that the two mot0rmen plan has. after
a fashion, precedent. The average sur
face Of New York, too. makes pretty
nearly as much money in the course of a
days work as the average ferryboat. so it
is said by experts that it would be no
hardship to the railway corporation to in
stall a pair of drivers on each car, not to
speak of the vastly increased sense of Sc
curity on the part of passengers.
His Cocaine Jag.
A lot of cheerful grafters, ever on the
alert for good thing. had a pleasant time
of it on one of the 9th avenue elevated sta
ton platforms one afternoon last week.
The agent of the station was in a state Of
delightful delrium from the effects of a
large dose of cocaine which he had taken
at dentists office before going duty.
The agent had had all his upper teeth
drawn by the dentist, hence the cocaine.
His cocaine Jag took the form of an eX-