Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-19


The Liverpool Courier's view is interest
ing as following out a line Of thought in
troduced by an excitement just now over
the food question. There is no instance in
human history of great nation being de-
pendent on possible enemies for its food
supply. Great Britain is creating the first
instance of the kind. and the fact causes
acute alarm in the breasts Of many
thoughtful men, A very powerful associa-
ton has been formed to promote an Off
cial inquiry into the matter. The Duke of
Sutherland is the president and Lord
Strathcona and Mount Royal the chair
man. On the committee are many dukes, a
number of earls many members of parlia-
ment admrals. soldiers and leading com
mercial men. Some people pooh-pooh the
whole question and say that all that is
necessary is an all-powerful navy. But if
England had quarrel with the United
States, where Is the bread to come from !?
America could easily prevent Canada send
ing wheat, for she could without much diff
Guilty render both the Grand Trunk and Pa
ciffc railways useless. If England We're at
war with France half a dozen of her fast
cruisers could be destroyed But apart
from that, the moment war seemed immi-
nent American spectators would send the
price of wheat up by leaps and bounds. and
as every barrel of flour in England would
be bought by the rich and well-to-do before
the TFSI gun was nreQ, millions of peOnle
might be starving in the streets
Three loaves out of every four consumed
in this country are made of foreign wheat.
and half the rest Of all the other food in the
country comes from abroad Stop these
supplies for few weeks and Great Britain
would be conquered and doomed en-
pire, though the fleet might be greater than
all the fleets of the world put together. It
was a perilous policy to discourage the
growth Of wheat in the united kingdom
The outspoken character of the renort of
the public health committee of the London
county council on sewage-contaminated
shellfsh is causing dismay in some of the
favorite resorts of Londoners during The
summer season.
The report on oysters and cookies Is a
somewhat alarming document. London gets
its cookies from Southend and the report
condemns them in toto. It gets it's oysters
from many places, but the board of health
deals with those from five places, and out
of eighteen samples it reports that eleven
were polluted Colchester oysters were not
included, and it is presumed that thew are
above SUSPICION, but strange to say some
of the renowned WhitStable oysters were
among the condemned.
The existence of the danger has been
well known for years. but for fear of di-
verting the tripper element the presence of
fever has been carefully concealed by the
local authorities. Now that the matter has
been taken in hand by the London authori-
ties secrecy will no longer be possible. Prob
ably the local goVernm mt board may be
stirred into taking action in the public in
terest So many Of the local authorities in
seaside resorts are eager to keep dark any
unfavorable features that the action of a
disnterested body is highly desirable. The
local government board, by securing an
amendment of the existing law against the
laying down of shellfish in sewage cont mi
mated areas. could do a good deal to check
the spread of disease. even if its action tenn
porarily affected the popularity of the town
as summer resort. This l hear is likely
to be done.
Oil Paint in Sticks.
An exhibition just opened at the Holland
Gallery is composed Of pictures painted by
solid oil paints Invented by NJ. Raffaelli.
Every one who paints knows the troubles
which surround the use of the oil medium
the ever present necessity Of making and
remaking ones tints on the palette, the
many processes required to keep the colors
from chemically quarreling with one an
other, and the multitudinous number of
necessary utensils. NJ Raffaelli claims to
have done away with all this, and to have
supplied a swifter means Of communica-
ton between the brain of the artist and the
work of his hand.
The solidified colors are, in short, cased
sticks, which can be sharpened to a point
by knife used bluntly and rubbed in
with a rag. You can buy 200 different tints,
but a score will suffice for an ordinary
masterpiece. One good point is that when
the sticks out of use skin forms over
the paint which requires only to be scraped
off for the color to be as good new. AS
to effects, Judged from the ninety pictures
in the Holland Gallery, the colors have
strength, richness, and a certain vivacity
when ,.Seu by skilled hands.
The eXpermenters il the new medium
are nearly all men of weight and standing
with whose works one is familiar, and there
fore, one has some basis for comparison
NJ. Raffaelli, himself distinguished among
French impressonists, shows a number OF
swiftly drawn views full Of atmospher,
and light He uses the stick with the skill
Of the accomplished pastellist the art world
knows him to be, and the effect is graceful
but somewhat unambitious as oil painting
Mr.. Fitz Thalow, the Danish artist gets
more fluid quality with monotonous sur
face, and Mr.. Bernard a water-color- like
result in his drawing of a nymph. On the
whole the old method does not seem to ne
seriously assailed, but for rapid open-a'r
sketching M. Raffaelli has formed a me-
dunn that has come to stay.
The Haymarket revivals Of eighteenth
century comedies met with so much sue
cess that it Is hardly surprising that
Messrs. Frederic Harrison and Cyril Maude