The San Francisco call., 1904-02-09
SNOW AND ICE GIVE WGOR
TO LIFE IN WASHINGTON
Californian Uses Photographs to Show Citizens
of the Capital Startling Comparisons in
Weather-Korea's S Mysterious Minister to Leave
BY S. w. WALL.

CALL BUREAU, HOTEL BARTON,
WASHINGTON, Feb. S.-Not forget
ting to mention the weather in the gen.
eral discussion, IT should be said that
Washington, that may be by many
supposed to stand in the Southern belt
has been enjoying an uninterrupted
season of skating for nearly three
months. There has been excellent sleigh
ing for the past week, and during GER
tain afternoons Pennsylvania avenue
has witnessed as brilliant and exciting
scenes as are offered by the streets of
Ottawa with her winter carnivals.
Perhaps it is to secure the advantage
OF these conditions by way of offering
a sharp contrast that A. H. Heber Of
Los Angeles has been in the city dur
ing the week showing photographs of
wonderful vegetation in what has been
named the Imperial Valley, in San
Diego County. California, on ground
that two years ago. he declares, was
waste and worthless desert land.
The change was wrought by
irrigation, the result Of the dig
ging OF some 500 miles of bitches,
through which water from the Colorado
River now flows. His visit here is TO
secure some legislation, and he has been
endeavoring to enlist the aid of the
California delegation.
The effect of water on the desert IN
the production Of immense crops or
grain. alfalfa, maize, etc, with ala OF
the summer and winter sunshine of
Southern California, is very difficult or
belief to the legislator from any other
part of the country, says Mr. Heoer'
and requires an unwavering front and
plenty of evidence to convince.
DIPLOMATS CHILDREN REVEL.
Before getting entirely away from
the weather it may be interesting to
note how the children of the Chinese
Minister and others of the legation
are enjoying looming as they do
from the sunniest sections of the
fiowery empire. Arlu Liang-Cheng,
the Minister'S youngest son, celebrated
his ninth anniversary a few days ago.
giving a party to which the legation
children were invited. together with a
lot of American children. distinguished
in diplomatic and official life. The
Minister has a sumptuous home at
2O01 Nineteenth street-and the party
had a sumptuous as well as a strenu-
Gus time. Or perhaps it was the elders
that had a strenuous time.
Not counting the Americans there
were in the party Ardee and Arlu, the
Minister'S sons, aged IL and 8; All
Yung, the Minister'S nephew, aged 8;
Bernie Yung Kwai. aged I, son of the
first secretary of the legation, and
Bernie's two little sisters, Elizabeth
and Gertrude, aged and 4.
The distinctive feature of the cele-
bration was the presentation of sleds
to the members of the party and the
fun they had in the house was only
preliminary to the fun they had in the
snow outside later on. This is merely
to show that all the merriment among
the children of Washington is not
limited to the boys at the White
House. These latter, by the way,
have been largely engaged these days
in snowballing the distinguished folks
who come and go at the Executive
Mansion.
But if life at the home of the Chi
nese Minister is relieved by the riot
of children-There it might not be eX
pected to bet is distinctly different
with Korea. One excellent reason for
this is that there are no children there.
For a long time past, for reasons that
may be well understood by those who
read the dispatches under st. Peters
burg, Seoul and Toxic dates, the house
of the Korean Minister has been un-
der surveillance, so to speak, by the
Of ,irc on
KOREA IS A PUZZLE.
But it has been mighty small pick
ings with which they have been re-
warded. The Korean Minister and his
diplomacy have been. the first a sphinx
and the latter a mystery to everything
and everybody in Washington. His
name is Minhui Cho, but it is doubtful
If he would tell you as much if you
asked him. His gray house is in what
is known as Iowa Circle. but no one
passes its portals. It is a somewhat
humiliating confession in newspaper
dom, for many of its best have tried
Whether the Minister is here as an Of
fetal exponent of hermit life or wheth-
er il is an individual characteristic
with Minhui Cho. the diplomatic corps
is unable 70 answer.
Cho called at the State Department
the other day and Assistant Secretary
Loomis saw him for the first time. No
body is certain as to what he said on
this occasion. He cannot speak English
and his interpreter cannot interpret
hins This is perhaps the real reason
of his seclusion. He is packing up pre-
paratory TO a return to his own coun-
try and is soon to be succeeded by vi
I