Evening star., 1903-08-01

| almost like a panic. so cheaply have they
| sold their summer goods The fact that the
| woman of fashion will not wear a gown Of
| last seasons cut and that. therefore, the
| 1rocks OF this summer are practically I'M
sa!able for next summer. has. of course, its
| eHectS on the prices. But when one sees
| the costly fabrics that are being almost
| given away one cannot but wonder that
| half the drapers in London are not in the
| bankruptcy court.
Americans as Hero Worshipers.
| Americans are the most enthusiastic hero
| Worshipers in the world. Just now many
OF them are devoting their energies to
| Dickens pilgrimages in London, usually
| chartering large wagonette and proceed
Ing from spot to spot accompanied by a
guide, whose comments on the sacred spots
are OFTEN more amusing than strictly ac
! curate Such a party l encountered yes
terday at the corner of Portsmouth street
| Lincoln's Inn Fields, where stands a
| quaint old seventeenth century house and
| shop, having on its walls the inscription
| The Old Curiosity Shop, immortalized by
| Charles Dickens" There was an eager
| rush to enter the shop and purchase pho
| tographs and pieces of wood guaranteed
| as coming from the famous novelsts bed
| stead. He is supposed to have slept there
ono night to obtain the necessary local
| color. / ventured, in the mildest fashion
to question the irrefutable truth Of the
| question that this was the shop Dickens
| had in his mind, but my suggestions were
| received with a noby enthusiastic scorn
| Meanwhile q Boston girl was snapshotting
| her friends in the historic doorway. and
| some of the gentlemen of the party were
| speculating on the precise antiquity of Mr.
| Tulkinghorns house close by, No. IS, Lin
| coins Inn Fields. From the Old Curiosity
| Shop 1t Is but stones throw to the burial
ground. now turned into a playground.
where Lady Dedlock, accompanied by Poor
Joe, paid her secret visit. Where Is Tom
| All-alone's? " asks one Of the party well
versed in Bleak House. But the guide
! shakes his head. Pulled down." says he,
pointing to the last remaining ruins of New
| castle street and the Globe Theater. But
| hurry up, please. ladies and gentlemen
| We will next proceed to Kingate street
Holborn, where Mrs. Camp lodged. and
| then on to the house of the eminent nov
| street has however. disappeared in all the
| debris of the Holborn-St improvement
| scheme, and the American Dickens wOr-
| Slippers would only where 1t once was
| But they went off quite excitedly and one
| was left to ponder the problem why
Londoners take such little interest in places
! and assOcia tons which others travel thou
sands of miles to see.
| Women for the Dockyards
! I hear that the admiralty contemplate an
| innovation at the government dockyards in
| the employment of women in various
| branches. They would more or less super
| sede boys, who are at present used as
| SopyAstS VIII AHotltI opening lDI
| which women are well suited is in the up
| holstering department, in which men
| at present employed in the yards Women
| have always been employed by the ad
mirality in flag making. but that ia. of
| course, very limited and special kind of
| work. and If the suggested changes
carried out a new and wide field Will be
| thrown open to working women. Meantime.
the various dockyard authorities have been
! called upon to furnish special reports to
headquarters on the matter. According to
some people. women are already employed
| in and about the war Office, with no very
happy results, except for those more for
| tunate officials who climb to comfortable
posts with their assistance. But, of course,
In that case the women ladies.
Oxford House Mission.
The oxford House Mission, which has
accomplished so excellent work in the
East End of London, was much discussed
at a meeting held at the house of Lord
| Brassey yesterday afternoon. The Bishop
| Of Stepney was Of the speakers and,
describing the oxford House Mission as a
! kindred institution to the Toynbee Hall,
! the famosu East End educational institu-
| ton, said the problem of the future was
| the outlook for the poorest boys. Many of
| them were provided with means Of self
| Improvement and of recreation at Toynbee
| Hall and at oxford House. He pointed out
| that fewer than 100000 boys between
| the ages of sixteen and tWenty-One belong
| to the working classes OF London, a large
number of whom live in Bethnal Green.
They must either run to waste or be
trained to efficiency.
In sense the children of east London
are a fresh kind of hope, for they more
| original and natural than those who are
gently nurtured They have also much
capacity and promise. but the life of the
street is demoralizing and impairs the vigor
| both in mind and body. The oxford House
Mission trained about 500 boys of ,Bethnal
| Green. Physical efficiency was needed to
lctr nOfha in
spirit of secularsm which was sprinsing
| up. Sir Frederick Miner, who addressed
| the meeting. spoke of the wide barriers
which had previously existed between class
and class. Now. owing to missions, a
| wider sympathy existed between rich and
poor.
Sale of Antiques.
During the last few days several valuable
| lots have come under Messrs Fosters
! hammer in the Sinclair Galleries,
| Shaftesbury avenue. The Jacobean carved
| oak paneling of a room, its surface meas
urements 7bO square feet realized I95
guineas; a pair of Nankin Jars and covers,
decorated in peony and conventional de-
sign, feet high, 112 guineas; Louis Seize
gold snuff box, chased. the lid having
| guineas; a French gold watch. enameled
| back, painted with a figure subject, ~
guineas; a 5-feet ebony commode of the
same reign. 80 guineas; two w pairs pairs OF Chei,
inches high. 265 gu1neas.
Fortunately the fire which made such an
alarming affair Of what should have been
| most brilliant society function at the resi-
dence in Grosvenor square of Mr.. Lionel
Phillips, the well-known South African
fnancier. did not involve the fine Gains
borough picture which Mr.. Phillips pos
sesses. This is the Harvest Wagon" the
famous Bath landscape. in which the
painter has represented his daughter In the
guise of a rustic maiden, climbing up into
the wagon with the help Of the WAGNER
who has stopped his horse for the purpose.
| Gainsborough painted this subject at least
three times. A later version than that
owned by Mr.. Phillips belongs to Lord
Tweedmouth and is one of the number Of
paintings which Gainsborough gave with
reckless generosity to the carrier Wiltshire
| by way Of payment for carrying his ex-
hibits for the Royal Academy from Bath
to London. This copy Of Lord Tweed
mouths only passed out of possession Of
Wiltshire's descendants in 1877, when il
realized e, ,O97 los. at Christies.
Fires have caused the loss Of three Of the
finest Of Gainsborough's works. His beau
tifuI portrait group of sisters. THE Misses
Ramus" which was sold at Christie,s IN