Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-07

ana everything brown, bare and unsightly
has been, as IL by a magician's wand, glor-
ified into something silvery, radiant and
beautiful. Nevertheless. 1t is best to be
amazing careful how you go poking about
amidst all this gorgeousness. Creeping on
all tours seems to be the favorite mode of
locomotton today, though some folks man
age to go 1t by drawing on stockings out
side OF the shoes. Pride has many a fall
and so has modesty too, for that matter.
We fell this morning, but rose again
promptly and gracefully like stately ship
-ahemr
The annual message OF the President did
not go to Congress fifty years ago until De-
p.1.4.d cember ~. 1t was printed in
The Star of January /, 1865.
messa8e. covering the entire first page
and nearly half of the last
page. In The Star Of the same issue is the
following explanation of the reason in the
delay Of the publication, which casts a
light upon the difference between the
methods of distribution then and now:
I'VE were unable to obtain copy of the
message until some two hours after we went
to press. We were, therefore, imperatively
debarred from serving 1t on that day to
our large number of subscribers; as it would
have been impossible then to get 1t in form
ready to be worked off ere nightfall, when
our carriers. having completed the delivery
all directions. This morning they were all
busy In the delivering of their annual adj
dress, and as the city had already been
flooded with copies of the message the
previous evening we concluded to publish 1t
where our readers will find it-on the out
side of our regular edition this afternoon.
1t will be perceived from all this how much
truth there is in the allegation of jealous
contemporaries that The Star is the recip-
lent of favors from the government We
would have freely expended $500 to have en-
abled us to have published this document
as early 1t was got out by the Union
but found 1t impossible to get copy in
time to do so, at any cost whatever
In The Star of January is summary
of the annual report of the Secretary of the
Interior, including some in
q. "a" teresting comments upon To-
Needed. cal interests under the juris-
diction of that official. The
Secretary urges the construction Of a fire
proof public building, and touching upon the
after Of public parks, he says:
THE extent of some Of the public grounds
has been trenched upon whilst perhaps their
limits should have been enlarged. Ground
enough for public purposes has not been re-
served and many years will not clapse ere
there will be an universal regret that more
space had not been retained. The plan
adopted for this Mall should be more vigor-
onsiy prosecuted. Its present appearance
is tnelegant. when with comparative small
expenditure. 1t might easily be converted
into a beautiful park. The grounds for
which suitable appropriations were made
by Congress, have been we'll improved and
are admired by all for their neatness.
beauty and tastefulness 1t is recommended
that a competent and intelligent landscape
gardener be employed to superintend the
improvements of the public grounds. The
coEdition Of the Long bridge is noticed and
the Secretary advises that 1t should be re-
| - 49,, tH-4 fs,1 ,n,,f
structure The bridge is Indispensable and
the means of defraying the cost of construc-
ton abundant
X
Apropos of the change of methods in pub
| fishing the Presidents message, the fol-
lowing extract from the
Rapid Baltimore American, re-
Telegraphy. printed in The Star of
January A. 1856, is inter-
esting:
I'VE learn from the New York papers
that the whole of the Presidents message
was telegraphed to Boston on Monday
night and appeared in the papers of that
city Tuesday morning. A trihe over two
thirds OF the message was sent over the
Morse Union wires, commencing at a quar-
ter past pm. and ending about half
past am. The other third was trans
mtted over the House wires commencing
at about haff-past 10 pm, and ending at
II o'clock midnight The Union line using
two wires a portion of the time, was over
the House line, with one wire. took up but
one and one-half hours in sending theirs,
thus showing the capacity Of the House
system to be more than twice as rapid as
the Morse
But everything was not leisurely in
1855 as the foregoing might suggest. In
The Star Of January 8
buying appears an article de-
Literature. scriptive of the manner
in which the Washington
public patronized the book stores on Penn
ylvania avenue Saturday night After
telling of the deliberate manner in which
certain classes Of book lovers fingered over
the latest novels and some of the periodi-
calls. The Star continues:
MS is not the way the purchaser of
yellow covered literature does business He
ouys oH-hand and with no after-claps He
can tell by glance at the pictures If the
book Is likely to suit him; he throws oue a
portion OF his Saturdays wages in payment
with the air OF prince. scarcely deigns to
OF tobacco in his cheek and striding oa ST
the sprigs of white kid-dom,' who are
dawdltng over the bound books, with a
scarcely disguised look of contemnt ba
makes his way homeward
When William Chambers, the celebrated
edinburgh publisher, was In this city dur
ing MS late American tour he was In the
haplt or dropping in at one of our avenue
periodical stores quite frequently, and he
expressed much interest and considerable
amusement at our American style of doing
business, especially our fast way of get
ting out magazines and papers some weeks
ahead OF time On one occasion a sharp
little specimen Of young America rushed
into the store, and, throwing down his half
dime. called loudly for the next week 9
rag! and on the paper being handed over
TO him he inquired suspiciously: is this the
latest? Good heavens, exclaimed the as
tonished Scotchman, what does the boy
want? He gets paper dated a week
ahead and inquiries If 1t is the latest
ElVII IclnRNV HAND