davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04
Wine Club ut Oxford.

From the Ncr OricGns Timcs-De mocrat.
A Cecil Rhodes student was talking about
wine clubs at the University of Oxford.
They are ornate things" he said, but I
don't think they would be tolerated In
America.
These wine clubs have often a special
uniform. The members wear dress coats
OF red, bright blue or green, faced with
silk Of a lighter shade. Their waistcoats
are white. with gold or silver buttons. Their
trousers are striped down the side with tho
color of the club.
1T is a pleasant sight to see a wine club
Al its evening meeting. The boys, with their
bright faces, look well In their rich, gay uni
forms, The huge table Of polished mahogany
has no cloth aud In its surface, as In a pool.
you can see your reflection. There towers
In the centre Of the table a superb dessert, a
mountain OF tropical fruit. and down the board
in rows flicker the tiny lanes OF many silver
cigar lighters.
THE wine has been preceded by q dinner
somewhere. Now everybody is happy. Chairs
are drawn 10. The butler brings in q dozen
bottles of a good vintage, with Havana cigars
and Egyptian cigarettes. The fun begins.
The elegance of these wine clubs is what
impressed Ine-the beauty of the club silver,
the good looks OF the men in their light uni
forms, the excellence OF the wines and of the
tobacco. the absence of any beastliness.-
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04
INDIA NATIVES EARTH EATERS.
Soil That Oriental Gourmets Consider .
Delicecy.
From the London Express.

from tHt LOHuOH nIpFtS6'
Efforts are being made to stamp out the
habit OF earth eating which is prevalent
among natives over almost all India. writes
the Calcutta correspondent OF the Express.
In northern India the ~fsvorite form OF earth
Ia q gray or drab colored shale. This is
~excavated mostly at Meth. In Bikanir. and
Is exported to the Punjab at the rate OF 1000
camel loads a year.
In different districts different varieties
Of clay are eaten. but II the natives have
at one time q taste for a special kind Of mud.
as the habit increases the depraved appetite
soon becomes satisfied with bricks and broken
pots. White ant soil. with the nests and ants
themselves. is a great delicacy.
The reasons given for indulginR in the habit
are classified under the following heads:
/. A peculiar fascinating odor and taste In
the clay. rendering 1t a delIcacy. 2. An I'M
natural craving due to disease, s. To satisfy
hunger. 4. Force Of example, s. Supposed
medicinal virtues.
A university graduate confessed to q friend
thai the bland earthly odor was q great temp
tation TO him. and the thought OF it made
his mouth water. He always enjoyed the
odor, he said. when April showers fell upon
previously parched earth.
The effects OF the habit are disastrous,
Those women addicted TO II very soon oom-
plain, first, OF pain and weakness In the limbs.
and then palpitation and difficulty Of walking q
little distance up hill. After some time all the
other symptoms Of anPmia are fully estab-
lished-sallow and pale complexion, tongue
and gums bloodless, and general debility.
Very often dropsy supervenes.
A planter In Assam almost completely
suppressed the habit on his estate by max
ing the offenders stand out with a piece OF
mud in each hand exposed to the ridicule
OF the rest OF the coolies.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04
AN INEXPENSIVE HOTBED.
Device for Getting Ahead OF h Season
and Raising Early Crops.
From the Getden Mo1oRins.

From the Gdfden MdooRfns.
Enough plants can be started In one small
hotbed to stock a good sized garden with
vegetables and flowers.
There are three types OF hotbed that are
within the means of the ordinary amateur
gardener. =
The first Is the temporary bed. in which the
manure Is spread ON the top Of the ground 10
the required depth and a portable frame
placed over it.
The second differs only in having q shallow
pit dug to hold the manure.
The third type ls a permanent bed, the
frame being made two and a half feet higher
and built directly in a pit Of that depth. In
q bed OF this kind the bottom should be tile
drained. and II Is a good plan to cover II also
with q layer OF small cobblestones or plnnks.
The outside should be well banked up with
manure, earth or coal ashes.
The last type can be used not only as q
hotbed in the early spring, but also when
the manure and earth are cleaned out IL can
beused In the fall as a storage place for plants
that are not quite hardy. such as tea roses, or
for bulbs that are TO be forced for winter
bloom.
OF the three forms above mentioned the
frat ls the easiest and cheapest TO make, and
therefore the one best suited TO most begin
ners.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04

After half a century's exposure to London's
dirt things do need washing.
To the number of twenty-one, these old
c%anvases have been washed, lightly var
nished and placed on exhibition at the
Tate Gallery; and the result is one Of the
greatest and most genuine art sensations
that have occurred within years. The
neglect of former generations is the good
fortune OF the present one.
The thick ooatin gs of dirt that were al
lowed TO settle on the pictures acted as a
preserv alive, and never before nave the
people Of to-day been able to form 80 good
an opinion of what Turner's pictures looked
like when fresh from his easel. They are
not slow to recognize their privilege, and
the attendance at the Tate Gallery has
risen 70 an average of 1900 a day.
These newly recovered pictures are
valued at E25o,o0O. A dozen Of them
measure 4 feet by 3 feet. One, a River
Scene, with Cattle showing signs of
Dutch influence, is larger. Eight Of the
pictures are comparatively small.
With the exception of an Interior at
Pctworth," which is little more than a
gorgeous color scheme of crimson, orange
and green, the characteristic Of the pictures
measuring four feet by three feet permit Of
their division into two classes, a gray series
and a golden series. TO the former series
belongs THE Evening Star" the work
which receives the greatest amount of
praise alike from artists, critics and the
general public.
The subject is very simple-a fisherman
and his dog on the shores OF a tranquil,
gray blue sea; some spars rising up
at the edge of the water; a sky paling
in the twilight; a single star reflected
in the sea. The sentiment is exquisitely
rendered.
1t is expressed with a skill which is both
mastery and unobtrusive. There is q
r~eticence which one hardly associates with
Turner, q grave and tender beauty which
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04

cost Of his tomb. He desired to be buried
in st. Paul's Cathedral, and this his nation
did for him-at his own expense
- Well, what more would you expectf
His genius placed him beyond the com-
prehension of his generation. Socially
he was only the son Of a London barber, and
apparently the barber was no great shakes
at hts trade, for he presently gave it up for
the purposes Of stretching his sons can
vases and tinkering about in his garden.
The old man used to catch cold in the garden
and this Worried the son more than you
would think.
Morally, this son was an abandoned
liver, and what made his profligacy the
more annoying was that it could not well
be brought home to him. He hid 1t from
the avid curiosity Of the ultra righteous.
He was j. NJ. w. Turner, Il. A., in one es-
Enlistment, and a mysterious Mr.. Booth
in another.
His manners were churlish. His temper
was as short as his stature. His person
was as ridiculous as his pictures were sub
lime. Never did the soul of a genius fame
within a less attractive vessel.
So he lived a lonely life, and in 1851, at
the age Of 70, he dice in the house In which
he was Mr.. Booth, in Chelsea. He kept
his pictures in his other ablishment,
In Queen Anne street.
Shortly before his death he refused an
OFFER of eioO,oOO for them, because he
wished to lea VI them to the nation, and
in the fulness Of time the nation got them.
For some years, however, during the litiga--
ton, they were allowed to remain in bis
studio, which seemed, says Redgrave, as
II broom or busting brush had never trou-
bled il.
THE carpet or mating (for its texture
was indistinguishable from dirt was worn
and musty; the hangings, which had once
been q gay amber color, showed a dingy
yellow hue where the color was not washed
out by tho drippings from the ceiling
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04

were to 60 elsewhere. Fifty-fve years
have elapsed since Turner died, and as
yet no part Of the condition has been full
filed; but the nation has the pictures.
1t was his expressed desire to devote
the bulk Of his moneyed estate, about
el4o,OOO, to the endowment OF a charity
for male decayed artists living in England. .
The awkward wording of his will gave the
lawyers a chance.
They played their profitable game ii
the Court Of Chancery for six years, and
then made over the remainder Of mis- money
to the heir-at-lnw and next of kin. One
thousand pounds was deducted for the
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04

are only able to attain In a somewhat me-
chanical fashion.
OF the smaller pictures, the most elab-
crate is "A Regatta on the Midway a
brisk and animated scene and a fine COM
position. Two further pictures represent
shipping on the same river. the Midway,
and another is shipping off e Headland."
There remain then a Study OF Sea and
Sky" and three studies of yacht racing on
the Solent.
In the yachting pictures the artist is
preoccupied not so much with effects Of
light as with the problem of suggesting
motion, and the name in which he has
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04

were also buried In the store rooms Of tho
National Gallery.
Fifty years ago they were consigned
to these vaults by Sir Charles Eastlake
Chen directory, Clarkson Stanfeld, r. A.,
and one or two more. who thought these
paintings untitled for public exhibition,
too slight in execution" and mot likely
to do Turner's fame any credit" Suisse
quent directors and boards Of trustees
have taken these opinions on trust, the
later ones a%ttributing also to the pictures
"a more or less wrecked condition.
The simple fact is that a few canvases
needed refining and that all needed washing.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04
Ninth Member Of Family to Commit Suicide.

From the 81. Louis Globe Democrat.
Arnold Van Ven. is years old, upon whom
rested the responsibility of caring for six
brothers and sisters. killed himself with a
revolver yesterday afternoon at his home,
Carondelet, He and his sister recently had
q quarrel over a trilltng personal expense the
boy had incurred.
He makes the ninth member OF the family
70 commit suicide. His father killed himself
while In Denver. bis grandmother also killed
herself. as did six OF his aunts n unoles.
overdose OF morphine.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04

solved it is a lesson to the hosts of painters
who attempt to render similar scenes. 1t was
said of Turner hat he was the only painter
who could paint yachts that had nothing to
do with the toyshop; and you have only to
look at these vigorous sketches to realize
how much truth there was in the remark.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04
Ropes Of Human Hair.
From the LIsbrrn StaAdord

From The DbbtTn StdNddTu,
The egg estherers Of St. Kinda consider
themselves rich II their prospective brides
can give them a rope Of human hair.
The ropes vary In length. q really good one
OF forty or City feet being especially priced.
To manufacture such a rope IA the work OF
years, but the st. Kilda girl saves her hair
comblngs reliRiously. -,
Uiahed TO buy n fine specimen OF hal rope
hut the sum Of go of cred waa refused.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04
Al They Viewed IL.

From The Afldnid Constitution.
ITS q hne day. deacon"
yes: but we're all miserable %creeturs.'
Well thank God. we're still a-livin'l"
Yes groaned the deacon. but our times
Oomin'l'
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04
TURNER'S BURIED PAINTINGS.
NOW PUT on EXHIBITION, THEY
CAUSE A SENSATION.

TWenty-one Notable Canvases Rescued
From the store Rooms In London After
Half a Century OF ObliviOn-Many OF
His Other Pictures Stll Hidden Away.
LONDON, Feb. 22.-"The nation,' wrote
John Ruskin, with reference to the most
famous artist London has ever produced,
buried with threefold honor Turner's
body In st. Paul's, his pictures at Charing
Cross and his purposes in Chancery."
Turner left suoh pictures as were in his
possession at the time Of his death to the
nation, subject to the condition that they
should be kept together and displayed in a
room or rooms to be added to the National
Gallery. This was TO be built within ten
years; il 1t was not built then, the pictures
The Washington times., 1906-04-29

wrecks and treasures. As soon as they
are linked together by this novel rail-
way they Will no doubt be as thIckIy
populated and as carefully cultivated
as the Bermudas.
Although these keys have been more
or less cultivated for many years. and
have produced enormous Quantities Of
pineapples. lines. bananas. and other
fruits and vegetables, the natives-or
"Conchs," as they are called-who
came from England via the Bahamas.
have devoted themselves mainly TO
wTecking. sponging. and fishing
Wrecking IS really an important in
drstry down there. even in calm
weather. For all along the shores on
the ocean side there are coral sand.
masses OF broken coral fingers. shells.
sponges. and the fotsam and jetsam
which is carried hundreds Of miles
from the coasts OF South and Central
America. Great floating islands from
the mouths OF tropical rivers are vaft-
ed northward by the gulf stream.
They are broken into bits by its choppy
waves and are piled upon the shores of
tho keys. The notage, including Ium-
Der and wrecksge. form an interesting
museum. so that beachcombinE is an
exciting and often profitable pleasure.
The Washington times., 1906-04-29

which It viii be within a couple Of
years. Il VIII open up q paradise 10
sportsmen-a paradise which IS at
present monopolized by mil!.onaires.
for It costs a small fortune TO chart
er a boat Tor a fishing tip down
among the keys. And fishing IS the
natural sport OF such a region. IN
the spring OF the year the tarpon and
the giant ray can be seen jumping IN
the channels between. and along the
keys. There is some talk OF a hotel
10 be built on one OF them. 10 be built
partly over the water so that A man
can fsh from his bedroom window.
However. Il IS neither the sportsman
nor the tourist that Henry n. Flager
is considering in building this road. u
IS first Of all. Henry NJ. Flagler. lie
has for twenty years or so been de
veloping' Florida, for his own pleas
Ure-and profit. This is part of the
development. II promises to be both
pleasant and profitable. II is a tre-
mendous commercial proposition. Key
West has long been recognized as an
important commercial post. as well
as a most essential naval and military
base. II Is about 100 miles from Ha-
vana. and in connection With mis- rail-
way. Mr.. Flagler proposes 10 estab-
Hsh a car ferry. which will transport
a train OF thirty cars 20 Havana At
Key West. extensive docks and termi-
mails VIII be built. as well as dry docks
ard wharves. each 500 feet long and 100
feet wide. The trip TO Havana VIII
be made in from four and one-half 20
FIVE hours. Key West is 10 develop
into a great port
II IS already a port OF call FOR many
passing ships. and besides the regu-
lar steamship lines which stop there.
saIships run 10 the Bahamas. Cuba.
Bonaca, Caymen. and to other out-of-
the-way places. L is a place where
many ships come 10 be repaired. and
where the affairs OF many ships which
are wrecked upon these dangerous
reefs are finally adjusted.
The Washington times., 1906-04-29
Only Just Above Sea LeUei.

Then there is plenty Of wreckage
that Goes not have far to float. The
islands are not much above sea level.
and were they any less rocky and
solid one would feel that they were IN
danger of being washed away. Aside
from their own solidity they are pro-
tected by a line OF reefs which breaks
the force OF the waves. These reefs
come very close to the surface and
are exceedingly dangerous When
ship runs ashore. which happens often
in spite Of many lighthouses and bea-
cons, the Conchs for miles around
know Of it I'm a mysteriously short
time. and indeed it Is a Eruesome sight
to see a great ocean liner like the
Alicia, which was wrecked recently.
loaded with precious stuff from Rflboa
Tot Havana. hOpelessly aground and
surrounded by a solid mass OF white
winged wreckers- In the early days II
was loot and lark: today II is some
what organized and regulated.
There are no roads on these KEYS
People visit and go 70 school and
church In boats. Although these peo-
pie are very pious. church is post
poned If wreck Is on.
When there is nothing doing on the
The Washington times., 1906-04-29
Second Only to Panama Canal.

II IS already the center of a big
eo0 week. every cent OF which Is
soon put into circulation again II Is
the center OF our sponge industry.
which employs a feet OF 80 vessels.
town, with large proportion OF ne
ErOes and Cubans in a population or
about 2o.ooo. IL Is said by those who
are we'll Informed that this island OF
about 1000 acres will have a population
of over 10000 in less than ten years.
So that there IS more IN Mr.. FIagler's
scheme TO annlhilate time and space
between Key West and the great mar
The Washington times., 1906-04-29
Built on Coral.

The sixty miles viii be on solid coral
rock and cement emban<ms ..t= h-'ng-
ing the rails thirty-one feet above
salt water. There will be numerous
concrete viaducts aggregating nearly
six miles with ffty-foot spans resting
upon concrete piers set in solid rock
and strengthened by piles. There are
deep channels in constant use by
ships ~l,ere. Of course. there must he
dra : b.1dges: and broad channels not
SO d ,ep where there will be miles Of
embankment and only water openings
twenty-five feet wide.
The two longest of these water
spaces are the one between Bahia
Honda and Knights Key. the other
between Long Key and Grassy Key,
the former perhaps ten miles long, the
later a trife less.
Everywhere along the proposed line
men are already at work. The seven
teen miles from Homestead to Waters
Edge. and the fifteen miles across the
lower end OF Largo are pretty we'll
under way. The construction Of the
grade between these two points IS by
means of a number Of dredges. these
powerful machines make their own
canal and deposit the earth and
mari on line forming the roadbed.
Jew Fish Creek connects Barnes and
BIackwater sounds. Here viii be the
first drawbridge. Lake Surprise.
small body Of water about half mile
across. has given the engineers con-
siderable trouble. No end OF material
has been dumped on the line Of grade
which runs across the widest part OF
the lake Each night the grade was
above water and in the morning it
had sunk completely out Of sight. 10
avoid this a turn was made TO the
southwark. and the roadbed now runs
along the lake instead of across it.
The roadbed now IN process OF con-
struction on Key Largo passes down
the center Of the island through a
thick tropical jungle or hammock.
where mahogany Is as common as
maple in New York. by fields of pine
apples and groves OF lines. and by the
houses of the natives. which are To-
Gated on the ocean side and are sur
rounded by cocOanut palms. sapodfIla
trees sugar apples bananas, and other
tropical fruits and vegetables.
PROM the end of Kew Largo all the
way Key West the grade is constructed
entirely Of coral rock. The concrete
work of the long viaducts will be a
APRIL %. I0O6
The Washington times., 1906-04-29

sea they cut the hardwood timber on
patch Of land and burn It. In the
ashes they plant pineapples. No fer
tiiizer is used. and after a few years
the field is abandoned and allowed r.
come again in forest.
The keys. as described bv Jobn
clifford in an article In the National
Geographic Magazine. are nearly all
OF them extremely fertile. THE soil -.
he says. is mostly solid coral rocL-
In places broken. and in the hoIIo,ys
there are patches Of rich red soil and
hnmus. in which bananas and vege-
tables grow with great luxuriance IN
midwinter. There are many fruits
but the one the Conch loves best is
the sapOdiIla. This tree grows almost
wild. and bears an enormous ar,o,,,,,
Of fruit. From the juice of the g,een
fruits Of this tree 'chicIe gum the
basis % chewing gum. ~ manufac-
tured and shipped in immense ,u,ap-
titles to this country from Mexico
The Conchs call this fruit 'dilIv' for
short. In the woods there Is a So
called wild dilly.' close relative to
the famous South American traa
which yields the valuable balata gum
OF commerce. 1t is here where va
MIA w;h grow, and perhaps coffee,
and many other tropical things which
nave never been tried on his plan
tation on Elliott's Key the writer has
picked in one day cocoanuts. bananas
lines. pineappIes. papaws. sapodillas.
sugar apples. sweet potatoes, toma-
toes, es6plants. and pepuerS
The Washington times., 1906-04-29
Where the Ocean Voyage 9tnyes

"HO'C tH6 OCSCtH HOgUgG CICT s..
The road at this point Is about to
start on its ocean voyage for 50 far
the land has been high. From upper
10 lower Matecombe n high viaduct
will carry the grade; in some places
where the channel is deep, II will reach
a height Of thirty-One feet. The next
long stretch Of concrete work is from
lower Matecombe to Long Key. In
@@"t. from the southerIy end OF upuer
Matecombe Key the grade will be over
the water over tWo-thirds OF the time
or distance of about sixty-odd miles.
From Knights Key to Bahai Honda
the distance is about ten miles. The
concrete wiz have to be very high
that Is. up TO the thirty-one foot limit
in order to be out of reach Of the
tremendous seas whipped up by East
Indian hurricanes that sweep across
the Atlantic and the Gulf Of Mexico.
When the train is running on this
stretch OF grade the sensation will be
similar 10 that experienced on an ocean
voyage. At least one will ha-e all
the advantages OF sea air and InIim-
tied sea view without the accompany
ing disadvantage of possible seasIck-
ness
The Keys are so much alike that A
description Of one Will answer for all.
Starting on the westerly side they are
lined with red mansrove trees which
grow partly in the water and throw
OF roots from nearly every branch. II
one Of these trees is cut dowr and the
trunk thrown in the water It will sink
If the roots are pulled up they float
away Towards the center of the
island where the land is formed Of
coral rock with rich black soil denos
tied in the assures cocoanut. walnut
and many other varieties of tronicaI
trees grow freely The Atlantic side
is covered with palms and sxIrted by
a wide coral beach. The line Of grade
follows the highest point Of land on
each OF the keys. Tropical flowers at
tain enormous growth. Cactus ,., 20
hfteen feet high. giant orchids. the
flower OF which in bloom measures six
ieet across with petals two and one
half feet long and eleven inches v;6a
night blooming cereus of .. thornv
variety are very plentiful.
In spite Of their likeness to one -,
otner' the Florida Keys are so direr-
ent from any other part of the United
States so different. indeed. from any
other part of the world. that a trava,o-
who has never seen them will ga
tnat for him at least there is soma
thing new under the sun when F,se,s-
gets his road finished About 49,
little islands set in waters OF psn,,
eoiors. cluster legends Of pirates and