The National tribune., 1903-05-21


with few side trips, such as the two
| weeks successes at New Orleans. the
weeks stay with the Vanderbilts at Bilt-
more, where her social triumphs were
numerous, and the opera season in New
York. all Of which have combined to break
down not too strong constitution
! It is said that never in the history of
the White House have its social tri-
| umphs been more numerous or more splen-
did. There is an old saying that charity
| begins at home. Certainly, the President
in his joy iii a large family, should curb
the overweening desire of that family in
the social direction, which, as has been
shown. is bound to result in race sui
eide" for the feminine portion of it if the
pace at which they are going is not les
sened. Mrs. Roosevelt has in a measure
| recovered from her own social strain, and
as soon as the President returns will go
| to Oyster Bay. where the family will
spend the Summer in practical seclusiOn.
Miss Roosevelt, however, seems to be Suf-
fering from a prostration that does not
succumb as readily to treatment as might
be desired. While her condition is not at
all serious in one way, it Is in another. "A
healthy young American girl ought to have
nerves strong enough to withstand any
reasonable society eXertiOnS, and there
must be something radically wrong in a
social system which results in the break
ing down of the physical strength of n
normally healthy young girl in her second
season. Is it wise example, this society
race suicide" which the Presidents fam
lily seems to be setting?
The Post-ofiice muddle, with its inspec-
tors and its investigations, has ceased to
become n nine days wonder, and it is
now believed that the Postmaster-Gen-
eral is proceeding with vfgOr to probe
matters to the bottom. There has been
a great deal of smoke but not so very
much fire in this investigation, after all.
1t has been shown that the business meth
DDS were more or less loose, and, OF course
it is considered that heads of Departments
have been negligent in permitting this con-
dition of affairs to continue.
The latest action has been to suspend
A. w. Machen. pending the inspection of
his Department. 1t is developed that
there has been more or less jealousy
among the heads of Departments, and
good many of the rumors that have gone
out have been the Outgrowth of the dis
cussion of these jealousies, and have very
little foundation in fact Just at present
the Rural Free Delivery is standing the
brunt of the charges of looseness in car
rying on this Department of the Post
office service. 1t is not at all probable
that when the Post-office Department
scandal is sifted to the bottom, that GRIM
inality is going to be charged up to any
body in a responsible position. What the
country does want, however, is to know
the truth.
Gen. Jas. Longstreet, Commissioner of
Railroads, who is a great sufferer from
rheumatism, has been quite seriously i'll
in riff oil III al fnys 10
had the misfortune of injuring his right
knee some time ago, and rheumatism set
Ting there has given him very serious
trouble. He is considered now, however,
to be on fair road to recovery.
We are inclined to smile at the opera,
or when listening to the play, when the
mature society woman discovers the
strawberry mark on the arm of the rib
bon clerk, or by the diamond-studded lock-
ct which the poor little stenographer
wears, her long-lost daughter, stolen by
gypsies, kidnapped by Indians, or in some
other way lost to her in infancy. Yet,
these things really do happen. The other
day Baltimore paper had a story about
one Of its society women who lost her
little girl when she was three or four
years old in some mysterious way. but
who always believed that the child was
stolen by tramp whom she had turned
away from her door unfed. No trace of
the child could ever be secured, and for
more than % years Mrs. Clark has been
mourning. A lady, by the name of Clark,
who had been placed in a Washington
orphan asylum by man some % years
ago, and who when she was IS years of
age had gone to Baltimore and secured
employment in a silk factory, where she
has been for 10 years, happened to read
this story. She Immediately wrote to Mrs.
Clark telling her the little that she knew
about her early life, which really would
have established nothing, and informed Mrs.
Clark that she had in her possession. or
at least in the possession of the asylum,
the little dress that she had worn when
placed in the asylum. She had an indis-
tinct recollection of a pretty home and a
woman whom she had loved. She said she
believed that she was Mrs. Clark's child.
The mother called upon the daughter, and
together they went to the asylum and
looked at the dress. Mrs. Clark at once
identified it as the dress that she had
made for her little girl more than a quar-
ter of a century ago. OF course the cur
tain fell upon reunited and happy fam
lily.
In its mighty efforts to clean up old
Manila. the War Department ordered the
removal Of the sea wall of the ancient
city. The old walled city of Manila is
one of the curiosites of the world 1t is
quaint beyond all description, and has
stood for more than four centuries. There
has been an intense interest among the
historical societies of the United States rs
to the old walled city, and when these Or
ganizatiOns learned that the walls were
to be razed. great indignation was ex-
pressed, and many petitions against it
were filed in the War Department. After
giving the matter serious consideration,
Secretary Root concluded that if possible
he would save the old wall, and so ca
bled to Gov. Taft to stop the work of
removal. Gov. Taft cabled back that
the portion of the wall which it was pro-
posed to remove was along the Pasig
River, and the section which, at least,
did not interfere with the sightliness of
the city. Further, that there was a great
demand for more wharf room for the
commerce of the city. After considering
this message from Gov. Taft, Secretary
Root determined to permit the removal
of this portion of the wall to go on, but
he is on record as saying that so far as
possible the historic portions of the city
shall be preserved inviolate.
A decision has just been rendered by
Justice Barnard, of the District Supreme
Court, that is of special interest to own
ers of rented houses, in case Justice Bar