Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-16

reputation Of being business-like. and Buck
ingham Palace has now many of the fea-
lures Of most up-to-date business es-
Establishment. His majesty believes in the
telephone. the typewriter. and every device
that saves time and labor. Several new
typewriters have recently been added tS his
maJestys office equipment at the palace,
and he has recently adopted the card index
system, which enables him TO turn up
any document or paper at will.
1t has long been known that letters ad-
dressed to his majesty received a more
prompt response than those sent to any
other European sovereign. Everything
about the Office establishment at the palace
comes under his majcsty's direct notice,
though Lord Knollys, of course. exercises
general supervision sup a. Any An. inventor se Or. who
sure to find the king interested in his in
vention.
The kaiser, too. is not behind his uncle.
l hear from Berlin that he has given Or
ders for the extension Of his private tele
phone system. Until quite recently he was
contented with wire connecting him with
the empress, and his calls over this wire
were very numerous. Just like any other
husband. he was in the habit of telling her
when he was detained anywhere or when
he was bringing any one home to dinner.
But now he has established communica-
lions not only with his favorite, the chan
cellor but with all the ministries, the com
manders of the various Prussian army
corps and with the head Of the admiralty
both in Berlin and in kiet. His receiver is
a most elaborate affair In ebony and silver.
When his majesty rings up any one he does
not annouce himself for example, as Herr
the Kaiser He takes 1t for granted that
the person rung up knows from the voice
or from the nature of the communication
who is speaking
There is no record of any mistake having
been made The kaiser himself is never
rung up. That would be taking a liberty.
But there are three exceptions to this rule.
The chancellor may ring him up when he
likes, may the chief of the general staff
and the head of the kaser's private civil
cabinet. The other day the kaiser was be-
moaning the destructive effect of the tee-
phone on the art of letter-wrting He de-
would not even be able to dictate an ordi-
nary letter to secretary.
French Entertaining Proverbial.
Despite France being republic, royalties
going there always enjoy themselves better
than elsewhere, not only because Paris is
city of beauty and pleasure, but because
the French know SO well how to care for
their guests. 1t was not always SO. When
it was announced ten years ago that the
car was going to pay Paris an official visit
the excitement and confusion We're great.
The republic had no lord chamberlain, no
protocole' of any kind, no well-established
order of precedence. The appointment of
Nj. Mollard head of the protocole and the
drawing up of rules have changed all this.
There is no longer any danger of awk-
ward contretemps. Everything is now de-
fined and the rules and regulations of the
French ''protocole" are as cast-:ron as
those of the court of Madrid itself. Every
thing is now provided for. Tie military
and naval aids-de-camp meet the royal Wis
itor at the frontier. The reception in the
capital, the military honors, the escorts,
the order of precedence at banquets and
gala performances are all safely estab-
hshed. The exact number of steps the
president advances to meet his royal guests,
the officers who receive him at the stair
case or the courtyard and the persons who
form the presidents suite are all carefully
laid down in the archives of the Palais
Orsay.
Paris is-srcky in possessing numerous pal
aces where royal guests be regaIly
lodged. Every French minister is given a
palace as his official residence, and that of
the minister of foreign affairs on the Quai
Orsay is the finest of them ALL 1t is here
that foreign sovereigns are usually lodged.
France also possesses an institution called
the 'garde mouble' or state furniture ware
house. Here are countless art treasures,
furniture of every epoch in French history.
Its value runs to millions of francs When
a royal parsonage is to be lodged at the
Palais d'Orsay the president of the republic
has only to decide in what style his apart
ments to be acknowledgements Louis
XIV, Louis XVI, rococo etc.-and it can
be carried out in the smallest detail
The ''protocole'' takes a special pride in
showing how endless are the resources of
the "garde mouble." The furnishing of the
royal apartments has been different in style
and period each time a sovereign has been
the guest at the DUAL d'Orsay. When the
car went to Compiegne there was even a
library of 200 volumes in Russian of his
favorite authors placed in the sitting room,
all faultlessly bound and stamped with the
imperial arms. The republic likes to do
things royalty.
Old Landmark Sold.
Crosby Hall, the well-known city res
taurant, one of the sights every American
sees when visiting here, has been sold. 1t
has had wonderful history. Built in the
latter part Of the fifteenth century by a
lord mayor of the name of Crosby, 1t after
ward became a royal palace, and it was
there that the crown was offered to Rich
ard. Duke Of Gloucester. In the course of
its existence it has been the residence Of
the lord mayor, non-conformist meeting
house and an office Of the East India Com
pany. For many years 1t has been popu-
lar dining house in the city. 1t has now
come into the possession of the Chartered
Bank of India, which is said to be con-
templating the erection Of new premises,
the present offices in Threadneedle street
having been outgrown by the expansion of
the banks business. 1t will be most re-
grettable if building with which SO many
historic incidents are associated Is not pre-
served.
SO many Of London's landmarks have been
pulled down during the past few years
that scarcely anything old Is left.
: Few things indicate the immensely Of
London better than the large number Of
houses which are chronically empty. In
half yearly return issued today by Dor
ough council / notice that no less than
Ella, 991 out of f18.7S1 in recoverable rates
is in respect of empty houses. Altogether it
is estimated that there are always so, 900
empty residences and tenements in London.
Camberwell south of the river, where
"empties' are for some reason more nu-
merous than anywhere else, suffers yearly
loss of over f25. 900 from this cause. The
total number Of houses of all kinds in Lon
don at the last census in 1901 was 99l 100,
and there must now be much more than
million l.. II. MOORE.
INFANT TRAFFICKING.