Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-08
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

The currency stringency Of half a CEN
fury ago caused many endorsements.
- not the least Of which was the
Hard necessity to take whatever
Fash might be offered in the form
of money. In The Star of De-
cember l. 1857. is a news paragraph sug-
gestive Of the awkward effects Of the
panic to which the government clerks In
Washington were subjected:
Yesterday the employees of the govern
ment were paid their months wages and
salaries in half dollars (silver). This is
the first time. we apprehend, when such a
| thing has been done. The result was that
| the brokers Immediately put on consid-
cradle rate Of premium when called on
| to exchange gold for silver. The effect of
thus paying off the public employees must
be greatly to increase the quantity of
specie circulating In business here, for
silver today on the street is not worth
anything more tnan the currency of the
banks of the District of Columbia"
Almost all letter writers back in the f1f-
| ties used sealing wax to protect their mis-
stves from being opened on
Mail In the way. This practice led
Rundlee to no trouble as long as the
mails passed only through
| the temperate zone. But when the south
ern regions were reached difficulties arose.
as the following paragraph in The Star
of December 2. 1857, indicates:
I'VE are informed that notice has been
given by the postmaster at San Francisco
that many letters arrive at his Office from
the Atlantic states. via Panama, which
are found adhering so closely together by
SAILING that II 10 fronosCihla tO
arate them without mutilating and in
many cases entirely destroying the ad-
dresses. 1t is important, therefore, that
persons mailing correspondence for Cali
fornia and other parts Of the Pacific coast,
via the Isthmus of Panama, should abol-
ish the use Of wax in sealing their let
ters."
X X
In these days of electricity the idea OF
Illuminating a large building or hall with
gas seems archaic, yet fifty
Capitol years ago the spectacle OF
r}rb+;,c lighting the new hall OF
the House of Representa-
tives in that manner was regarded with
little less than awe by the public of
Washington. In The Star of December 3,
1857, is an account of the trial of the new
system:
Imagine the party fairly assembled in
| the hall, the chill gloom Of which put an
effectual stopper on all efforts at cheerful
conversation. The Pickering light shed
down from the single torch or two in the
hands of the operators high UP in the
ceiling served to obscurely outline the vast
proportions of the hall and to bring out in
vague relief the groups of spectators who
| stood silent and motionleSS in patient
half awe-struck anticipation. Then, while
all was grim, forbidding, Plutonic. at sig.
there be light the hall was suddenly filled
with a flood of the richest golden rays, every
| tongue was loosed. and the walls of the
light. At another signal every light was
eXtinguished. and the hall, by contrast
| seemed darker than before. And again
| the torch was applied. and by the singular
process now for the first time introduced
| the fire was seen leaping along the jets
eddying in thousand graceful sinuosities
| until, in the marvelously short space Of
twenty seconds, the entire round was
| lighted.
1.-THE squares in the ceiling, forty-five
! in number. are disposed in five rows, con.
| tanning nine in each. Each square three
feet in dimension) contains % burners
| or 1880 burners in all. But in addition
to this magnificent fund the curved car
riers which lead the light to the squares
are provided with jets to the immense
number of $4,000, by which the light fur
| nished by the squares can be almost in.
definitely augmented. Provision has beer
made, for the expansions and contractions
caused by the intense heat generated
The allowance made is about four inches
| on each line. The glass skylight (not yet
| in) will shield and add greatly to the
| beauty of the light. it being enameled. and
| the centerpieces. containing the coats OF
| arms OF each state, richly stained. The
| disagreeable glare consequent upon the
use of exposed chandelier burners will
thus be obviated and the effect at the
same time much finer than by any other
| method
X X
Congress assembled in 1857 on Deem
Der Z. In The Star of the 9Th is an edi-
torial relating to the demo-
congress cratic caucus to be held that
Ceucus night in the hall Of the
House to select the candi-
dates of the majority party for the House
Offices. The Star says:
AS there is an indefinite multitude of
| candidates for their favor. and as there
is also legion of candidates for SUBJ
| ordinate offices in the gift of those who
may carry off the elective prizes, and as
all of both have numerous outside sup
porters-such pulling and hauling of ar
irving members, opposition as well as
democratic. as has taken place in the con-
SreSdIlnS nails OF the nOLelS Tor the last
few days was never before seen or heard
Of here or elsewhere; the disease Of Office
seeking having increased it's ravages
greatly since the House of Representa-
tives had last to organize
SIf one desires to realize how univer-
sally this disease has affected the nation
he has only quietly to observe what goes
on in the places mentioned until Z O'Clock
tonight. Such bowling and scraping and
hand-squeeZng, such anxious inquiries
after the health of honorable members
and their dear wives and children, such
whisperings, such pledges. such petition
ing. etc, ETC., to the end of the chapter
of the usual appliances of candidates will
be then and there witnessed and heard
as must put quite new wrinkle into the
noddle Of any one not up to snuff in the
federal metropolis.
1--WE presume that there are at least 500
of those technically known as outsiders
not candidates themselves, but indiv duals
for some reason or other taking especial
interest in the election of some one par
ticular candidate for some Office, or in the
organization of this or that committee
now busily engaged in buttonholtng hon
| orable members They make such pan
demonium around the uninitiated of Con-
evidently In times like the present we
fully realize the eternal wisdom of the
venerable adage, blessed are they who
expect little, for they shall not be disap-
| pointed.
THIRTY THOUSAND WORDS.
| IL md RI