Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-24
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR.

| IN THE STAR
The demand for local manufactures was
heard in the Middle of the last century
quite as often and as In
Local ssstsnt,v - :, rrssant Tn
I Enterprise. The Star of Monday. Sep
TENDER II, 1855. occurs the
following statement of the case:
"a gentleman from distance. shrewd
observer of men and things. who is well
acquainted with our city. remarked to US
a day or two since that there Is no other
population of the same number in the Unit
ed States within the range Of his Informal
ton, which we know to be extensive who
manufacture SO little of what they use,
while there is probably no other population
of our country blest with more facilities for
the production of most of the various man
ufactured articles for which their money Is
sent abroad. There is not only truth in this
remark. but foodfor serious reflection. Steam
power Is as cheap here as In any other
American city of Its size on tidewater and
our water and railroad communication, with
the great centers of American commerce.,
Is second to that of no other region. Water
power in Georgetown, too, is as abundant
as in Lowell, II we are not mistaken: yet
perhaps an aggregate of forty-nine out of
every fifty dollars worth of manufactured
articles consumed in the District of CO.
lumbia are produced abroad. If our popu-
fation were to come very generally to the
determination of purchasing, as far as pos
sible, articles made in the District, our Dis
trict merchants and artisans would not be
slow to have such stocks on hand; and
profitable employment would soon grow
up among us for additional population
or, 1t may be, 10000 souls
X
The work of collecting contributions to
the fund for the relief of the Norfolk yell
low fever sufferers continued
NawsDoys vigorously. The Star of Sep
Generosity. TENDER 10 printed the follow
Ing acknowledgement:
-Four of the newsboys of Washington.
active. intelligent and well-behaved lads.
all of them, have left with the cashier of
The Star Office to be forwarded by us
for the relief of the. Norfolk and
Portsmouth sufferers, contributions-the re-
suit Of their business on the day before
yesterday-as follows. viz: ]. Clemenson.
$2.50; B. Adamson. $1.T5: E. French. s2C0:
G. w. Owens, Sl.75; total. $500. At least
half the aggregate thus generously sub
scribed by them is money invested from
their own pockets for the stock by the
sale Of which they made the other half.
In most northern cities the newsboys are
a very vicious class of youngsters. Here,
while possessing all the energy and pre-
cocious sagacity in business which charac-
terlze them everywhere, some of them are
endowed with a pride of personal character
which bids fair to make them with few
exceptions. useful and honorable citizens in
after Life. We necessarily know the tribe
in Washington well. and take pleasure in
writing of it, as We have above. as but
giving it it's just due. The four lads named
above especially are models of industry, at
tention. sobriety and proper pride of char
acter.''
y X
Old residents will remember the day when
there was a close relationship between the
volunteer firemen and
'eAnen the militiamen. In some
Regiment. cases organizations of
young men falling into
both classes. In The Star of September 20,
1855 occurs an interesting suggestion to the
volunteer fremen of Washington and this
vicinity:
ut has always struck US as next to mar
velous why the components of the fire COM
panies of Washington and Alexandria fail
to follow the example of their brethren of
New York and other northern cities in the
matter of organizing themselves into a
volunteer regiment, uniformed in the en-
phatically American style, with a black
coat and pantaloons. white vest and blue
ff1aO cap. We have seen near a thousand
men on parade in New York city SO uni
formed, who. with white bayonet and car
tridge-box belts, made far more sodierly
appearance than any other body of volun-
teer troops we ever saw. They We're a
portion of the fire department of New York
young, active. intelligent and efficient
men. We have in Washington and George
town at least 1900 men. none of them past
the prime of life, attached to the various
fire companies of the District of Columbia.
uniform such as We suggest would cost
nothing more to each man than the pur-
chase of a blue d1ap cap; insomuch as 1t
is quite safe to say during the prevalence
of the existing fashions) that every young
man in the District owns at least one black
frock coat and pantaloons. There is no
earthly reason why we should not have
such regiment Of at least 1000 volun-
teers here, District fire department
numbering in all at least 1000 such men.
The Franklin Fire Company has made a
beginning in organizing a Franklin tar
get company which, increased to the
proper number of men, will, as the first
company, form an admirable nucleus around
which such splendid addition to the vel
unteer force of the District of Columbia
may be organized
X
Fifty years ago there was just as keen an
interest In matters pertaining to the Dis
trict of half century preyi-
Lie Oiseiict Gus as there is today, as this
in 1872. print in The Star of Septem-
Der q, 1865. attests:
1.-THE following letter eXhumed from the
musty records will be interesting to our
readers:
GEORGETOWN Md, August s, 1892
On Saturday, the 4th inst, the corner
stone on the western abutment of the fed
eral bridge tbeing the second cornerstone of
the same) was laid in due form by Uriah
Forrest, mayor of this town. After the
ceremony was over the company returned
to Mr.. Suffers Fountain Inn, where a hand
some entertainment was given by the mayor
to the workmen and others concerned in
erecting the bridge. The correspondent OBJ
serves that 1t must afford general salts
faction to every well wisher of the pros
perity of Washington to be assured that
the public works now being carried on in
this place are conducted with spirit and en-
terprise and at the same time with that
due regard to economy which is so abso-