Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-09

Deen thrown out by the WlIe.
But hobbies are developed by women as
well as men. woman of wealth, who for
many years lived on Capitol Hill in a large
house, died after living like hermit for
many years. Last summer when the house
was cleaned out after her death her hobby
was discovered. The rooms from garnet to
cellar were filled with books bought at
auction at random. There was scarcely a
valuable book in the entire collection. Most
of the books had been bought in bundles,
and were found in the packages in which
they had been taken to her home. 1t was
simply a mania for books that could be
bought cheaply. The entire collection was
sold in a local auction room and brought
two and one-half cents per volume. 1t was
all trash.
Hobbies sometimes run to valuable COL
lections such as the art collection of Mr..
Morgan, in which are hundreds of the great
est paintings known to the art world, and
sometimes they run to trash. Frequently
they embrace things that no one but the
collector can appreciate. A noted oculist
of this city whose name is borne by one
of the great literary lights of this genera
ton has for his entire mature life been a
collector of rare Japanese objects. He
does not care especially for the beautiful in
Japanese art. He has beautiful things in
his collection but rare antiquities that have
nothing of the beautiful are treasured by
him. He is still buying with all the inter-
est he had many years ago. There seems
to be no end to his desire to collect japanese
relics.
A lady we'll known In social circles here
some years ago and still resident Of the
city has collectors hobby to strong
degree. She has abundant funds and her
fad runs in another direction from that
of the usual collector She has buying
hobby. She buys japanese articles of art
constantly. At auction and in Japanese
stores she is frequently seen, and she can
not resist the temptation to possess those
haa nj
feminine mind. But she has no place to
store her collection, and consequently dis
tributes articles as she buys them among
her friends.
Another possessor of hobby who is we'll
known in all the auction rooms when not
able sales are going on Is dentist, who
buys and gives his purchases to the friends
at whose homes he spends most of his time
socially. He is a bachelor, and when he
makes purchases he gives them away so
that he is able to look at them when he
makes calls.
There are several young men in this city
who for years have collected old Japanese
prints, and they are seen at all the sales
and in the art stores whenever such old
prints are on sale. They want nothing else
They know the Japanese artists well, and
can tell the name of the artists who produced
these old prints without hunting for their
signature.
The late DIR. William A. Hammond of
New York and this city was a great be-
lever in hobbies. He used to advise his
patients to take up hobbies, especially in
those cases in which ennui was the chief
element of the patients ailment One of his
patients he advised to collect corks.
Collect corks?' queried the patient
What can I dc with corks?"
The doctor commanded that his patient
should collect corks and study them until
he could return to him and tell from what
kind of bottle any old cork had come
The tired young man departed. He could
at first see nothing In the Idea that had
any element Of interest. BY and by he be-
gan picking up corks from the cutters and
the sidewalks. He learned what kind Of