davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
STRENGTH OF SILK.
How Yarn Is Weakened by Modern
Method of Treatment
From the Chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
Silk science is changing. If the SILK
dresses of fifty years ago are compared
with many of the silk articles manufac-
tured at the present day it requires no
elaborate tests to show the superiority in
strength Of the older materials.
This usually is due to the fact that SILK
yarns now are frequently treated with
metallic salts. such as tin chloride, which
are readily absorbed, forming insoiuble
compounds and thus increasing the weiaht
OF the fiber. So prevalent did this prac-
tice become some years ago that even
the manufacturers recognized the neces-
sity OF putting some limit to II.
Apart from the fact that one is DuyilS
a compound of silk with a metal instead
of pure silk this treatment frequenti!
causes the ibers to become tender. es-
pecially after exposure TO direct suhiight.
From Herr Strehlenerts experiments II
was found that taking the strength or
genuine silk as 30 to o' the strengWl
of a sample of loaded French Silk con-
tanning 40 per cent of added materiai
was only 10. Not only does the weigh
ing process reduce the tenacity of the
fiber and often destroy the dye stuff but
it also Is frequent cause OF the appear
ance of mysterious spots.
Often bright red spots appear on FAB
ric after exposure to the sunlight 1t mas
been found that even diluted solution
of common salt acts upon loaded SILK
in presence of air and moisture and pro-
duces stains and complete disintegration
of fibers within twelve months. The &C
ton Of stronger solutions of salt Is still
more rapid. and the tendency of the
fiber is marked after treatment for seven
days with per cent solution.
The. presence of salt in stained and
weakened silk may be accounted for read
ily by the fact that salt is a constituent
of human perspration and thus may have
been introduced during the handling or
the yarns by the workmen.
Special precautions are now taken 10
eliminate this source of injury, and the
disintegrating action of the tin salts upon
the fbers also is reduced by a subse-
uuent chemical treatment of the yarn.
So the weighted silks Of today are strong
er than their predecessors of few years
back.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
AVOID THIS CROSS-EYED INDIAN
HIS PICTURE ON SIS NOTE MEANS
IT'S BAD.
Otherwise New Counterfeit Is a
Dangerously Good Imitation and
= May Fool You.

Chief Wilkie of the secret service an
nounces that new counterfeit 81 silver
certificate Qndian head has been de-
tected in circulation, having first made
its appearance in Providence, r. L. The
counterfeit note purports TO he one of
those authorized by the act of August 4.
1856, series of 1899, check letter ID. face
plate number >. back plate number tit,
with portrait of Onepapa.
The officials declare it is a dangerous
photomechanical production printed on
one piece of heavy bond paper. but a
defect in the plate gives the Indian chief
a cross-eyed expression. The blue seal
closely approXimates the genuine in color.
but is badly printed. being coarse and
rough. with many broken lines. The back
of the note is very deceptive piece OF
work, and. except for being lighter in
the sample furnished Chief Wilkie there
appears 10 have been no attempt TO imi-
tate the distributed silk fiber.
new counterfeit SCI United States
note also has been discovered. 1t pur-
ports To be one authorized by the act
OF March 3, 1853, series of 1907. with a
portrait of Jackson. check letter ID, No.
A-1, ~ This spurious production is
a straight photograph. with the seal and
denominated design on the face of the
note touched up with color and the back
painted muddy green. The note. how
ever, is by no means cleverly devised and
should not deceive persons familiar with
money.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
Standard of Public Virtue.

James Bryce British Ambassador to the United
States. in Leslies Weekly.
1t is highly creditable that the standard
of public virtue is so high and that it is
steadily rising. Once the standard is
lowered it is hard to raise it again.
Some great cause may stir mems hearts
and they give their best and most dis
interested service to their country for a
time but they fall back and allow selflsh
interests to control their actions. Pub
licity is valuable engine to root out
self-interest and install in its stead
public interest but prevention is better
than cure, and there should be legisla-
ton and administration which will pre-
vent men from getting rich through pub
lie life. The wars of the world have
been of four kinds-between races, over
religious subjects, for political power
and between classes to obtain power The
first three have passed or are passing
away forever, and the wars of the future
will be those over material possessions.
Between the rich and the poor, revolt
tons of the poor at times have been
justified. The condition of moderate for
the selfish interests of the two classes will
not sway large classes from the public
interest Nothing is to be more desired
than that party lines should not coincide
with economic lines. and that as large a
share and number of persons as possible
should be willing and able to put aside
selfish interests for public good. The
prospects in America for solution of its
great economic questions without revolu-
ton or bloodshed are on the whole en-
couraging.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
PARTY IDENTIFICATION.
Lines of Division Being Obliterated
OF Qhscured 4.

Goodwin Smith in North American Review.
The United States are being filled with
aliens to whom American institutions and
Ideas are strange. while the native race
is not prolific. Public schools may i'm
prove the intelligence. but they cannot at
once change the character In the womb
of the future there may be forming forces
which by sheer necessity will compel you
TO put government above party
y force, in fact. in England at least
is visbly forming which must apparently
be fatal to the system. When il was
question between the Stuarts and Han
overians-that is. between despotsm and
d free constltution-to preserve party
unanimity and discipline was not so diff
ticult. But those days are not ours In
England. the house of commons is still
divided down the middle in conformity
with the party hypothesis: but on both
sets of benches there is diversity of opln-
ion; on the liberal side not only diversity,
but positive contradiction. The party
called liberal on which the present
government rests, is made up. in fact. of
five sections with wide differences of
opinion and object; liberals. radicals
labor men. socialists and home rulers The
labor men and socialists have to be kept
on terms with very moderate liberal
such as Sir Edward Grey. The opposition
meanwhile plays it's appointed part by
uOlnS all lNaI IL can TO embarraSS the
government. The consequence is that an
extreme section of the other side can. by
playing on the balance of party. control
the action of the government and thereby
force its own policy. England is now in
danger from this source. / learn on the
best authority that the home rule ques-
ton is on the eve of settlement. Pressed
by the home rule party the weakness
of the government it can hardly fail to be
a settlement dangerous to the unity of the
nation.
Opinion political and social, is increas-
ingly active. New sects. female suffragism
among them, are being formed and pre-
senting themselves in the political arena.
With these the two regular parties will
have to reckon. 4 curious tesselation of
objects and creedS is likely to result. The
difficulty will hardly be met by dividing
the house into two sets of benches with a
gangway between them.
Not only in England but in the United
States this process of disintegration of
party by the formation of sectional COM
binations appears to be going on. The
temperance party. the labor party and the
female suffrage party, seem to be forming
in force outside the regular parties of
republicans and democrats. they will
probably soon learn the trick of playing
on the balance. When they do. and thus
acquire power of passing minority meas
ures as the Irish party. and it may prob
ably be said also. the old age pensions
party. has been doing in England, it will
apparently become time for American
statesmen to set their wits TO work on
the creation of something to come in the
place of party government.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
KNOWING THINGS TOO WELL.
Sometimes Too Well Trained Mem
DRY Plays Odd Tricks.
From the New York Sun.

rom Inc New 1Ork sun
Very often folks get to knowing a
thing SO well that they don't have to
think to remember ii. Take. for in
instace. your home address If you have
been living in the same house in the
same street for years your address gets
easier and easier to recall. Except,
sometimes. 1t doesn't take the influence
of liquor to make you forget either i 1t
merely is that you know it too well.
There was man who was in the
habit of writing letters to a girl and
after year or SO he got TO know her
address by heart One day. long after
he started writing to her, he was ad-
dressing an envelope to the young. wom-
an, when suddenly he became suspicious
of the number he had written. He read
it aloud and tried other schemes of con-
vincins himself. He wrote the same
numbers on other sheets of paper, but
they did not seem entirely right.
Eventually he had to so over to call
on the girl instead of writing. in order
to satisfy himself that he still knew the
address. His figures had been perfectly
all right. but the trouble was that he
knew them too well.
That sometimes occurs to person
giving an address in a store. 1t slips out
so naturally that when by chance the
shopman repeats BLANK Blankety-
blankth street," you begin to wonder if
breath of suspicion kills your chances
of remembering correctly. You simply
have TO go to the directory to verify the
place you live in, and naturally that
leads to suspicious on the part of the
shopkeeper.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
RAILWAY COMPANY TO flGHT
WILL TEST ORDER FOR
THROUGH BRIGHTwooD CARS.
Briefs Setting Forth Legal Position
to Be Filed With District
Commission.

That the Washington Railway and
Electric Company proposes to test the
legality OF any regulation that may he
sion providing for through service over
the Brightwood line. Notwithstanding the
fact that ii has assured the commission
that such service will be provided next
year. is evidenced by the fact that II pro
poses 10 avail itself of the suggestion of
the commission that it file a brief of It's
legal stand upon the subject.
The contention of the railway company
is that although the stock of the Bright
wood line may be owned by those VINO
own the Washingi on Railway and Elec-
trio Companys stock. We; the two corpo-
rations. as such, are absolutely different.
and there is no existing law which can
require the Brightwood corporation TO run
its cars over the line of any other corpo-
ration.
The interstate commerce commission
sa I'd Commissioner Clark today, lis
awaiting the railway company'S brief or
rather awaiting the expiration of the ten
days given in which to file il before II
takes up the matter.
There are a number of other recon-
mendations of the District electric rail-
way commission before us, said Commits
sioner Clark. and they will be taken up
and acted upon soon we can get IN
them. OF course all matters of law must
be determined by the interstate commerce
commission. and not by the District COM
mission, whose province is rather to gath
err information and submit recommended
tonS. That is why the brief TO be filed
by the railways If there is one filed, Will
be received directly by the interstate COM
merce commission
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
LITTLE GIRLS AS JURORS.
All in Favor Of Whipping for the I'M
corrigible Boy.

From the Kansas City Journal.
Judge Van b. Prather of the probate
court of Wyandotte county is a busy man.
but he took five minutes off yesterday
afternoon to speak to a bevy of little girls
from Toad-a-Loup. a suburb OF Armour
dale. who hade come to the juvenile court
as witnesses in the case of Ezra Moulton,
charged with incorrgibility.
While the lawyers were arguing the
case before Probation Officer w. w.
Lacey Judge Prather invited the wit
nesses into his private office. Now. lit
tie girls said the judge, gravely, when
the youthful visitors were all seated in an
eXpectant circle, most of you came here
in behalf of the defendant, little Ezra
MoultOn. I have written my decision on
a slip of paper. You will each take one
of these slips and write on it your opinion
as to what the punishment of Ezra Moul-
ton should be-a good whipping by his
mother here in the courtroom or several
long years in the house of correction
When Judge Prather returned to the
office after leaving the jury to mediate
few minutes he found them all in favor
of the whipping.
That was what l had written" said the
judge. triumphantly. THE jury is dis
missed"
Mrs. Moulton. however refused to whip
her child in the courtroom and so was
allowed by the court to take him to the
back porch. where In a few minutes the
judicial decree was fully carried out.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
Long-Winded Preachers.

From the Westminster Gazette.
Dean LEROY. who has expressed the
opinion that ten minutes is long enough
for sermon. would have met with scani
sympathy from some divines of past cen
turtles.
Thomas Hooker considered three hours
a fair average allowance for a sermon.
though on one occasion, when he was i'll,
he let his congregation off more Lightly.
PausinS at the ENG Of fifteen minutes, he
rested while and then continued his
homIy for two hours Longer Cranmer S
sermons We're each small book when set
up in type; and Baxter Knox. Bunyan
and Calvin rarely reached. Lastly, my
brethren, under two hours.
George Herbert once said The parson
exceeds not an hour in preaching. becauS :
all ages have thought that competency,
but a certain rector Of Bilbury, GlouceS-
tershire, was OF another opinion, for he
never sat down under TWO hours. The
squire, we learn, usually withdrew after
the text was announced. smoked his pipe
outside. and returned for the blessing.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
Fine Arts of 5000 Years Ago.
From the New York World.

In an interesting and extraordinarily
complete collection of ancient Egyptian
amulets which has just been placed on
exhibition in the Brooklyn Institute
Museum are some works of art which
would do credit to the most skillful of
our modern sculptors. When it is con-
sidered that many of these were made as
early as 5000 b. c. and some of them as
far back as 5000 Il. C.-before even Abra-
ham was born-one cannot but wonder
what sort of civilization must have eX-
listed in those days. There is the face OF
q lioness carved in stone that would do
credit to Barge; there are tiny bronze
figures of Isis. Osiris and Horus that are
as perfect in their proportions and as
masterpieces of Rodin: there are alliga-
tors turtles. cats and other animals
which resemble nothing so much as the
best work Of the Japanese. and there are
carved ladies' and turquoises winch
Boutet de N.Onvel or any of the present
day designers of jewelry i'm Paris might
take as their models.
In arranging this probably unique coliec-
ton Prof. w. II. Goodyear wisely placed
in the very center of one OF the cases
pair of the chisels with whicl such cary
ings were made, Ghisels that he says are
5000 wears old-and they are made OF
copper. The metallurgist of TO-DAY VINO
could so temper copper as to make a
chisel of il would not only earn a fortune
but would hand his name down to. pos
terity alongside of that OF BeSSemer,
vet he would but be revivng an art
which was a commonplace one to these
aucien; Egyptians. and probably to the
ancestors of our own American Indians.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
A FAMOUS SATHTUB.
Big Shoe in Which Marat Was
Killed Now in Paris Museum.

From the London Illustrated News
The bathtub in which Marat was killed
by Charlotte Corday is still in existence.
y man vino has seen it in Paris, where it
is now on sale, says that il is totally un-
Ike the bathtubs with which We are
familiar
II is shaped like A sabot, or shoe. and
is covered except for q space where the
bather gets in. 1t is not long enough
FOR man 10 stretch out comfortably.
That would be impossible anyway, owing
To the shape. The occupant must sit up.
his head and shoulders coming out of the
ankle OF the shoe.
On the upper part there are two hooks
which could be used 10 support desk.
4 sort of stCoi in copper is fixed To the
bath which ena bies the bather To sit and
write. Under this stool the heating APP
paratus was placed
The bath has not been used since the
murder, and even now. perhaps the
bloodmarks of the friend OF tie people
can be seen. At least the sulphur and
other chemicals used by Marat, VINO. as
Is known. suffered from skin disease.
have left their trace on the metal.
After passing through many hands the
bath came into the possession of the cure
of Sargeau, who sold il to the Grevin
Museum for 1900 francs.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
Her Photographic Monitor.

From the New York Press.
Above my desk. said the woman who
does not lie about her age. Il keep an I'M
complimentary photograph OF myself.
keep it there as disciplinary measure. 1t
r-'avents frivo!ity. My present photo
graphic monitor makes me look about
seventy years old. | am not seventy. but
| am more than half that age, and l look
every day of my actual years. But I
don't feel that old. Gay and eiddy eX-
ploits still attract me. Pleasures. diver
sions. hraIiOns that for a young girl are
perfectly legitimate appeal to me also,
yet if / should rush into those gave
ties as a girl does my behavior would be
charact erized as fcolshness. Every day
I hear the actions OF women younger
looking than myself SO described.
Just look at that old thing the
critics say. Doesn't she act dio;ic?
Then 1 come home and study this pho
tograph. That destroys whatever inclina-
ton ! may have had to behave like q SIX
teen-year-old I never write letter TO n
man friend--I never make an engagement
without keeping an eye on that photo
graph.
Don't he a fool. says that varacious
guide. You can't afford to do that.
SO | temper ardent phrases and tone
down ebullisnt spirits generally.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
USE MORE THAN ONE DESK.
Men Who Find Two or Even Three
Desks Convenient.
From the New York Sun.

From the Ne" Ork sun.
lone man I had occasion to call on the
other day." said a man whose business
takes him around among people more or
less, Il found sitting between two desks.
Facing one, he had the other directly at
his back. and evidently both were in use.
The significance of the two desks was
really very simple.
This man is at the head of an estab-
lshment calling for both scientific and
administrative, work and in one of his
desks he has all the material required
in his scientific work and in the other
the various things required in his bust
ness work.
He sits between the two desks in a
revolving chair. If he has business to
attend to he swings around and goes at it
on the business desk. Business finished
he swings around again to his other desk
and resumes his scientific work enabled
by the arrangement to avoid confusion
and to prosecute his work in either direc-
ton with convenience and economy of
time all Of which / thought was very
fine.
II have since heard of another man
engaged in three pursuits who uses three
desks in precisely the same manner, the
three desks being set to form three sides
of a square, with his revolving chair
In the center. the papers and documents
and data pertaining to one thing in one
desk to another thing in another and
to the third thing in the third desk, all
very convenient and time saving.
And / suppose if you looked around
enough you would find in fact a consider
able number of men who make use in
their business or professions of more
than one desk
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
TIDAL BASIN TO FILL ITSELF
IN NOVEL WORK ON
RIVER FRONT.
Combined Bridge and Gateway at
the Inlet Is Now Nearly
Completed.

Good progress is being made in the con-
struction of the combined bridge and
gateway al the inlet to the tidal reser-
of engineering. and will add much to the
popularity of the park for the reason that
It joins the upper and lower sections to-
gether by way of the new riverside drive
The project for the improvement OF the
Potomac river provides for a flushing
basin with automatic gates at the inlet
and outlet. so arranged that at each os-
cillation of the tide the basin or tidal res
ervoir will be filled during food tide from
the Virginia channel. and emptied to the
level 10 low water during the ebb tide
into the Washington channel. In order
to provide for a highway connecting the
park drives on each side of the inlet to
the tidal reservoir, an appropriation or
GOO was made by act of Congress APP
proved May -. 19S. To dcfray the ad-
ditional expense involved in widening the
proposed inlet gates and constructing a
road across them.
The plans now in execution provide for
a structure with automatic gates TO close
during the cbb and open during the flood
tide. with curtain gates to be closed when
the Potomac river is heavily charged with
sediment with q lock for the passage for
small water craft. and with park high
way over the top. The structure rests
upon pile foundation and will be of con-
crete or reinforced concrete throughout.
The actual field work on the structure
began last April and is now about half
finished. A complete plant has been as
sembed and number of temporary build
ingS erected for the shelter of the work
men. The portion of the old sea wall
which would have interfered with the
construction of the cOfferdam has been
removed and the stone stored for future
use. The riprap foundations have been
dredged out, and as far as practicable the
stone has been deposited for a foundation
for A new sea wall. The greater portion
of the stone removed from the old pier
No. ! of the Aqueduct bridge was also
used for that purpose.
In the east half of the bridge the arches
and walls are practically completed and
work has started on the roadway and
sidewalk floors and on the ornamental
concrete corniceS. In the west half of the
structure the cofferdam has been COM
peted and the sealing concrete deposited
preparatory to pumping the coferdam
and starting the work on the pier and
abutment footings. Lieut. Elliot j. Dent
Corps of Engineers. assistant to Maj.
Cosby, is personally experimenting the
work