Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-25
FIFTY YEARS AGO
In THE STAR

The corner loafer evil was acute in the
nfties Of the past century. Those were the
days of almost universal to-
Corner barco chevtnr. ana there
LoaferR were no ordinances against
expectorating on the side
walks. In The star of March II 1853. &C.
ours the following:
What has got Into the men7 We have
received shower of communications from
ladies complaining of the impertinence OF
loafers and that class of bipeds who con-
gregate at convenient portions Of the pub
lie promenades, and make a habit Of star
Ing rudely at all lady passers and OF dis
tributing the tobacco Juice with which
their cheeks are distended in a manner
alike destructive to the dresses and tenn
pers Of the fairer sex. The first ofrense is
heinous enough. and has no other possible
extenuation than that the fair complainers
may be SO extremely pretty az to make
the time being AS for the latter COM
paint, to use the remark of the learned
Linkum Fidelius no man can expect-to-rate
as gentleman who wantonly or carelessly
spoils lady's dress with his vile tobacco
juice. Tobacco chewing Is a very sense-
less. filthy habit at best, and 1t is about
time for our moral reformers to get up
chewing and splitting pledge, and at the
same time the signers might bind them
selves to abstain from the use of all in
toxicating glances at the ladies as bev-
GRACE Who'll start such a society?''
In this column last week was printed
paragraphs relative to the invention of an
atmospheric telegraph" de-
stopping signed to send mail matter
the Mails between cities at high
rate of speed, and express
i've, also of the incredulity of CORE
spondent as to the feasibility of stopping
large packages at the end of the journey.
In The Star of March 10, 1856, Mr.. /. s.
pheric telegraph" printed this letter:
In answer to your correspondent 'Iago,'
who inquiries II seven tons of maiable mat
ter move at the rate of 700 feet second,
how Is 1t possible to stop II when 1t ar
rives at Washington 1 would say that the
air contained in the last mile of the tube,
at the Washington end, will be employed
an elastic buffer, to resist and overcome the
momentum of the load. This compressed
air will be allowed to escape however
through safety valve, under weight Of
forty pounds to the square inch, which
amount of resistance against the plunger
Will very nearly overcome the said momen-
tum, and after the load has passed the
safety valve (Which will be located a few
feet from the end) the escape of air will be
restricted to a small aperature, by which
arrangement the velocity will be arbitrarily
reduced with a gentle motion, bell will
announce the arrival of the mails, which
are thus safely landed in the post office at
Washington, which operation is more GER
tain more regular and nearly as quick as
the stopping of 2.40 horse.
Fifty years ago the city of Washington
was sadly deficient of house gardens and
parking improvements. such
City as are common under the In
Gardens fuence of the civic improve
ment movement, which has
been felt in Washington for several years
III The Star of March 20, 1856, is the fol-
lowing appeal to citizens to cultivate their
premises
"Our fellow citizens who have gardens or
plots of ground ten feet square in their
yards unoccupied should begin as soon as
possible to make preparations to set out
flowers, vegetables and fruits. A piece of
ground thirty feet square cultivated closely
with q spade will produce almost as many
vegetables In succession Of crops as will
amply suffice family of Ave or six persons.
Two or at most three hours labor in it per
diem during the season will raise and secure
them. The sweepingss of the streets, such
as can be gathered almost anywhere in O.
wheelbarrow, will answer for the material
necessary to enrich the ground. No one
can fail to be healthier for the labor of pre-
pairing and cultivating such garden. Every
female in a family and every child over
eight years of age can help In 1t to adyan-
tage Dwarf fruit (Which properly set out
and cultivated will commence to bear the
second summer will bear quite supply for
a family the third summer and very pro-
fusely the fourth) may be purchased at from
371a cents to so cents per tree and planted
ten feet each way. They will not interfere
flowers in and around them. We often
grow the finest specimens Of vegetables In
such a garden, and therefore know that 1t
can be done. II we could have our way
there should be by law carefully cultivat-
ed garden IN every ten or twenty feet
square hou5eyard in the District of CO.
luuibia."
X
DR.. Lydia Sayer. the advocate Of the
bloomer costume and other reforms, before
leaving Washington where
a Boomers she had been lecturing for
Farewell. several weeks, published
the following card In The
Star of March q. 1856:
With regret do I say goodbye to the
| many kind friends have met in Washing
ton. Ere this meets your eye I will be on
my way to my northern home, and as can
not take you all by the hand, with my heart
l will say goodbye. hoping our brief inter-
course has proven profitable to both. / have
chosen rugged path, hedged in with
brambles and thorns. yet there are roses
by the way. and as l pluck and inhale their
sweet odor 1t strengthens the 1istless arm
that sometimes grows weary in propelling
the oar against the mad waste of waters,
and would fam rest in the quiet cove where
the air Is vocal with melody, where the
sunbeams play and the graceful branches
OF the dropping trees dip their boughs in the
sparkling waters But onward and upward
Is the voice Of my soul; and could not. If
would, quiet this ever-present monitor; and
as go forth to other fields of labor with
my patrons and friends would leave you
God bless YOU and hope for thine in re-
turn. j hope to return to you at no distant
day-yet the future alone will develop itself
with the present let us be earnest, active
and unfaltering. Once more, goodbye"