Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-05
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

Crinoline was still in vogue half CEN
fury ago, and the wearers Of 1t were more
or less distressed by the
Sk1rts and fact that they required
c,d.r.1L. more room in the puohc
streets than was always
| available for them. owing to their breadth
of gauge. In some instances it was I'M
possible for two wide-skirted ladies 10
pass on a narrow sidewalk. and on muddy
days the bell-shaped petticoats interfereo
seriously at the crossings. In para
graph printed in The Star Of June -
1858. nuisance of the period is men,
toned
THE ladies complain to us Of getting
the skirts Of their dresses torn by stoves
and other wares with which the Sidewalks
are crowded in some localities of the led
eral metropolis-to be remedied. Of course.
by more strict observance Of the cor
poration ordinance in that connection on
the enc side, and due curtailment OF
dress hounces on the other. In these
days of the elaboration of the latter and
the remarkable competition among our
friends in the stove trade the clash or
| their respective rights to occupy the side
| Is tremendous. threatening to end, it may
be, In lawsuits-dimity versus cast iron
and lampblack. Being man of galIantry
of sentiment, while at the same time we
go in strong for enterprise and competi-
| ton among the tradesmen Of Washington,
we confess that we are in a sort Of guam
dairy as yet to know on which side of this
brewing war of interests to range our
self"
Whether the police force OF the city had
| been improved in numbers and personnel
or not fifty years ago, as
Police demanded by the citizens
Tr,;<.. of Washington, 1t was to
be given a fine new dress,
as the following paragraph, printed in
| The Star of July 1, 1855 indicates:
THE mayor has. in accordance with
the authority vested in him by the recent
act of the city councils, fixed upon the
| following summer uniform for the police:
Chief of the police and captain of the
guards-White hat, black band. with let
| tiers G. of P. and c. Of G.; Russia duck
coat and pants. gold straps on shoulders.
| yellow metal buttons on coat, with p G.
| on the face.
''Lieutenants of police-White straw
| hat with black band, on which shall be
printed Lieutenant of Police No. 1 and
No. 9: coat, pants and vest Russia duck
with yellow metal buttons on which shall
| be engraved the letters l.. p, and gold
band on left shoulder.
Policemen-Sack coat Of Russia duck,
pants of the same material. and light
vest; the buttons on the coat and vest
| the same as worn on winter uniforms; a
dark summer hat. broad black band. with
| the same kind of wreath and number as
on the winter cap. The Auxiliary Guard
shall have the letters A. G. and their re-
| spective numbers. within wreath of yell
| low metal. on the front of their hats, and
| the letters A. G. on the face of the but
| tons worn on the coat; and in all other
respects the same uniform as the day
police
| July 4. 1853. fell on Sunday. so that the
formal celebration Of the national holiday
occurred on Monday, the
Nat1onaI 9Th. In The Star of July
Birthday. appears two-thirds Of a
| column Of information for
the citizens inclined to celebrate by one
means or another the signing of the Dec
laration, beginning as follows:
mo general celebration having been de-
termined upon, the citizens of the metrop-
oils are with one accord casting about for
| the pleasantest method of passing appro-
priately the holiday which ever accom-
panies the anniversary Of American indie
pendence. This year that glorious day re-
occurs on Sunday, and the solemn sane
tity of the Lords day yields not even to
the Jubilee of Freedom. We may expect
therefore that except an ahlusion in the
discourses of that day to the wonderful
men that God raised among our fathers
| to do His work for the freedom OF this
continent. or thanksgiving and praise that
He has made their children to be the lead
ers and teachers of the world, that all the
| associations and characteristics of a
Fourth of July in this latitude will pass
over to the succeeding day and be cele-
brated on the 9Th. AS the 9Th will prob
ably be a warm day, the minds Of most
of the people have a tendency to the
shady places of the country round about
or to the cool waters where the wind has
full play to relieve the SUMS rays Of half
their heat"
Among the resorts named as inviting
excursionists are Arlington Landing. The
Analostan Retreat the White House.
Harpers Ferry and other up-canal points
and such sylvan retreats as Holmead's
woods, Berry's woods. Gales woods, Kali
Drama and Meridian Hill.
Judging from the reference to the pros
pective heat of Monday. the 5th. Wash
ington was suffering from
Severe caloric visitation of I'M
usual severity. Further
nea'' evidence is found in The
Star of July 3. as follows:
Excepting hanging, murder. sudden
death and all manner Of death. whether
by artificial or natural means, it would
be difficult to imagine anything more dis
tasteful now than the summer heat Of a
burning sun. Surely nothing could be
moro insupportable than the present
heat 1t comes in every oppressive
wearying. destructive form: it makes nat
ural Incidence torpid and sluggish and
drags heavily upon the most active. We
feel the day long somniferously inclined
and are not unfrequently disposed in the
midst of duty to yield to Morpheus. like
the officer who once bore important dis
patches from the Crimea to the Car
Nicholas, and fell asleep while relating
his story. The necessity for that mas
terly inactivity referred to by different
emirent men. is most forcibly impressive
at the present time: he who succeeds in
best observing 1t keeps coolest. We COM
mend the doctrine to every sensible man
IL it be allowable to wish that this great
globe were an icehouse and every creature
in It q lump of ice, we almost wish it,
fo- we could nearly prove that Washing
ton Is now the hottest place on earth. We
learn from different scandalous tongues
that certain ladies on entering a ballroom,
a concert room, the opera house. and