Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-30
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

kSdEAoA THROUGHOUT the GASlSu-
r,. speaking world. He is
best known, however, in
| this day on this side of the Atlantic
| through recollection of the garment much
| worn about half a century ago to
which his name had been given. In The
| Star of August "a, 1853. is a paragraph
describing this long-discarded article of
| apparel:
The approach of cool weather brings
out this new style of overdress. which
| promises to become quite the rage among
the ladies Of New York. Though intro
duced last spring, but few were made up.
and those altogether in cloth. serving for
| during the summer. The cloth Is much
| lighter than ordinary ladies' cloth and
darker in color. The raglan is a long
and loose sacque, with wide flowing
here and. there. 1t is buttoned close up
| to the throat and finished with small
collar. over which no muslin or lace col
| lar Is worn. There is no trimming on
the other portion, except row OF but
| tons down the front. serving for fasten-
| ing. The effect is not SO graceful as the
circular. but is becoming to tall figures.
| It will be worn almost universally as soon
as the fall opens"
=
| One of The Stars most interesting sum-
mer features in those days was the cor
respondence of Mon
Monsieur sieur Tonson," who trav-
ror.or eled about the resorts of
Virginia and wrote en-
tertainingly for the delectation of the
stay-at-homes. In The Star of August
%, 1858. is one of his letters. written
from the White Sulphur Springs in Green
| brier Co., Va. in part as. follows:
after I closed my letter at the Old
| Sweet the other night I went out through
| the mud and water nearly half a mile to
look for a nice comfortable room which
had been promised me all to myself
| Well. 1 found it, but somebody had been
| ahead of me and locked the door on the
| inside, SO that / just had to walk back
and get three chairs and sleep on them
| all night as well as 1 could. amid the
| bowling and barking of an army of dogs
| in the yard below.
I'VE arrived here about 10 o'clock a.
M, and after remaining little more than
a reasonable length Of time. 1 was
hustled away in a little back shed-room
at one of the miserable little cabins away
off toward Dry Creek. where I hardly
| had space enough to turn around in; and
| there I still remain, though I have de-
| termined to put out by the next stage
and go somewhere else. l found here
about 1,6OO visitors; and among them
some notable characters and some of the
prettiest women I ever saw. I love to
| look at pretty women and don't know
when and where I have ever seen so
| one time and place. The handsomest Of
| them are from North Carolina, Missis-
sippi, Louisiana, Alabama and South Car
DINA.
THE accommodations here. it is true,
are wretchedly poor, but everybody ex-
poets that and no one Is disappointed.
The place Is completely wrapped up in
| dust. There has been no rain here for
eight weeks and you can hardly get
| along for the clouds of dust that are con-
tinualiy binding YOU"
| Needless to say that conditions have
greatly changed in the management of
the Virginia resorts since Monsieur Ton
son" slept on three chairs at the Old
Sweet Springs.
| X
Signals were dribbling across the At
| lantic cable at rather tantalizing rate.
In The Star of August
CapIe "a. 1858, is printed a dis
News patch from New York
giving the contents of a
general news budget received from
London that day and explaining that no
commercial news of any description had
yet been transmitted through tine cable:
| London via Valentia, August o. morn
ing.-The Emperor Of France will return
| to Paris tomorrow.
| The King of Prussia is too \sicx to
| visit Queen Victoria.
Her Majesty will return home on Mon.
! day.
by the treaty recently concluded with
! China by France and England the empire
is open to the trade of all nations, the
Christian religion allowed and foreign
diplomatic agents are to be admitted.
| Full indemnity is to be made to Eng
| land and France on account of the war.
mo mention is made of the United
States.
'St. Petersburg dates to the 21st of
August have been received. The an
| nouncement of peace with China gave
great satisfaction to the emperor and
court.
Dates from Alexandria to the 9th OF
August. The steamer Madras arrived
| at Suez on the 18th, with Bombay date to
| the 18th of July.
There is nothing important to add to
Tuesdays advices.'
| In discussion of the public school
system of Washington. then occupying
| the public attention to a
Oeuc1ent considerable extent, The
Schools Star of August %. 1853.
| printed the following:
From a census taken last December
committee appointed conjointly by the
educational convention of the board OF
| school trustees, it appears that there
are in this city 1857 children Of the
| proper age to be attending school. OF
| these 5000 do not go to any school: 3d.
22S belong to private schools and only
2. 400 are accommodated in our public
! schools: and Heaven preserve them from
such accommodations as these afford
The palpable reason that there are not
schools are all full. Numbers apply
mission and many more would no doubt
| those who have been unsuccessful Of the
be perceived that great injustice toward
a large proportion Of the children in this
city is being constantly perpetrated and
a remedy is loudly demanded. The
school trustees do not have it In their
power to remedy these evils, for they are
only authorized to expend some So, coo
annually to pay the salaries OF forty teach.
ers. the officers of the board. rented
schoolrooms. etc. The remedy must there.
| fore come from other sources-from Con.
gress and the citizens
|
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