Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-06
PEOPLE AND THINGS
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| A Little Batch of Stories From
y Various Places.
QUAINT AND CURIOUS
YOUNG ROOSEVELT AS A SUNDAY
SCHOOL TEACHER.
Champion Underwater Swimmer
An Ancient Church Bell-oldest
Pharmacy in the World.
QUAINT AND CURIOUS


Written for The Evening Star.
One of the most interesting Sunday school
classes in the United States is that taught
by Theodore Roosevelt. jr., the seventeen
year-old son of President Roosevelt. located
at Oyster Bay. N. Y. The membership OF
this class is composed OF twelve little iaos'
who are devotedly attached to their young
teacher, who never fails to be on time regu-
larly every Sunday to greet and instruct
the Juvenile class in biblical history. Inc
latter generally occupy corner IN ,ne
chapel of the Episcopal Church OF Oys'e'
Bay with the young teacher in the center.
TIE boys in his class are all ABOUT eish'
or nine years of age. and they are all rug
ged and sunburnt. The most or them arc
sons Of men who make their living III oSs-
ter Bay. Two are the sons of caretakers OF
the homes of summer residents out near tne
Presidents place One is the son OF clerk
in a grocery. The father of two OF them
are OYSTER Bay storekeepers. and TWO are
the sons of men who work on Long lsiaho
railroad trains. =. II. ,r,,t,co
Young Theodore has made 1t his pract,ce.
during the short time that he mas nao .ue
a,ass 70 give the boys a talk each Sunday
on some of the noted biblical characte eas.
This is entirely aside from the resuia' Ae'
son. .,,,ad RI tbem
A fp
- ns,-;d and Saul The lesson was
bout tho arrest of St. Paul Inc poys
n,ere told how ST. Paul got permissiom
from the captain of the Roman solul .,s
to speak to the people from .he .stI
stairs: how they listened to him patiently
at first and then attempted 10 moo nm
and now he was saved by being proushl
into the castle and then scourgeu. Al '4 nc
boys listended to what the teacher ilao "
say with close attention
Underwater Swimmer.
sixteen-year-old Thomas NJ. smuitze
Of Denver Col. has startled the SWIM
ming world by his remarkable perform
ances in swimming great distances unoer
water, remaining submerged for nearly
four minutes. In recent sensational
feat performed in London. England. ne
was able by reason of his extraoroihary
lung power to swim the distance OF one
hundred and twelve yards five inches IN
the remarkable time or Two minutes
three and one-half seconds. thus giving
him title of worlds amateur champion
ship.
The MANAGEMENT of baths in London
where this wonderful feat took place. con-
sidered it presumptuous on part OF sucn a
youngSter to aspire to break the World
professional record held by Prof Finney.
who swan under water a distance or lI3
yards and inch. but as he was stranger
they agreed to allow him to test his abiii-
ties.
He desired that the water should be regu
LAT ed at a temperature of 10 degrees. PluuS-
ing in he did 112 yards inches. to the
amazement of the attendants and others
who came from other parts of the building
to see him. He beat Finney's records for
time at this distance. 1t is also worthy of
notice that while SmultZer had the water
at a temperature of 10 degrees, Finneys
record was made at 80 degrees, which is
considered among swimmers of great
ont 70 ha at &
out that if the Denver lad had essayed the
task from the deep instead of the shallow
end of the bath he would have beaten the
worlds record.
land again in the autumn to try for the
underwater swimming record of the world
Canine Wins Fame.
Rags" is the name of little mongrel
dog. not prepossessing in appearance owned
is bookkeeper in a tannery at Middletown.
n. Y. where the canine spends much of
his time. but nevertheless. this dog. owing
to his remarkable intelligence, is highly
priced by his mistress. Rags makes a
daily practice of visiting the local bank.
where he deposits the money of the firm
where Mr.. Morrison is engaged. He has
developed an instinct almost human. He
will not allow any one to handle the de-
post book after once taking it in his mouth
save the bank officials and his master at
the tannery. Rolls of bills in Rags "
mouth are much safer by far than in the
hands of many men who would be trusted
with this important errand.
Another pastime of this remarkable dog
is to visit a pond near by his home. and
with rod in mouth swim out to the middle
of the stream and there fish for specimens
of the finny tribe
- Supt. Harry NJ. Hayes of the tannery was
walking past the pond recently when he
thought to have little sport with Rags"
by pretending to hurl something into the
pond for the dog to go after. The dog
jumped in, and. swimming to the center of
the pond. was to plunge about for a
minute and then start to swim back.
The action of the dog excited Mr.. Hayes
curiosity He came to the conclusion that
Rags" had suddenly become ill. and was
upon the point of going to the rescue. when
in the mouth of the dog he saw rod from
which a line was trolling. Now and then
there was a violent jerking of the rod and
line which almost pulled the dog from
sight, but the plucky little fellow finally
reached the bank in exhausted condition.
In It's mouth was rod and line. on the
end of which was large catfish.
Ancient Church Bell.
The oldest bell in the United States has
just been acquired by Gov. Miguel A.
Gently at Santa Fee from Algondenes. This
bell was cast, according to inscription. in
1880. and is therefore $40 years old. ante
dating the discovery of America by 1S7
years. 1t contains much gold and silver.
z6 c.
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