Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-19
ODD FACTS OF LIFE
By Geo. E. Walsh
IN this cosmopolitan land,
1 made up of all nation

IN this c0s n Of lit nlt aod By Geo.
alities, the questioned names
is an intricate one, and most
have long since abandoned the effort to trace
nationality by mere names. We may still spot
d Russian, Pole, an Armenian Greek, or a
Japanese by his name; but the others are
mostly battling
of many common American names is found.
There are reported two hundred and hfty-three
thousand Smiths in England and Wales, and
two hundred and forty-two thousand Joneses.
Then in order follow the names of Williams,
Taylor, Davies. and Brown. Again in Scotland
the name of Smith leads, followed closely by
Mcdonald. Brown, Thomson, Robertson,
Stewart, and Campbell In Ireland we find
Murphy leading with over sixty-two thousand,
and Kelly second with fifty-six thousand, while
Sullivan, Walsh, Smith, o. rien, Byrne, Ryan.
Connor, O'Neill, and Reilly are bringing up the
rear in close order.
WHAT WOMEN SPEND
A MEXICAN women may be the greatest
spenders in the world for dress, if they
been given to show how much woman needs
a year to dress on. These vary all the way
from few dollars up to many thousands. But
fact not well known is that ninety per cent.
of American women spend less than fifty dollars
a year for their dress, including all kinds of
clothing.
Then too we may have wrong idea as to
her extravaganza in household matters. 1t is
a fact worth noting that eighty-two per cent.
of American housewives employ no servant
whatever and of the other eighteen per cent.
not half of them employ more than one servant.
In conducting her household expenditures
the American woman spends little more than
in any other nation; but that may be due to
the higher cost of goods here. The average
American woman spends for food fifty
Io1to o~ao1,u forf1y o1nt,<
dollars; a German, forty-fve dollars; a
Russian, forty dollars: Spanish, thirty-three
dollars; and an Italian twenty-four dollars:
Altogether it may appear from these facts that
the American woman as a whole IS not so
extravagant helpmate as many people seem
to suppose.
THE WORLDS GREAT BRIDGES
A MEXICAN railroad bridges are considered
the marvels of the world, and New York
its two new structures, the most expensive,
the longest, and the most remarkable bridges
in the world. At present the Victoria Bridge
over the St. Lawrence, at Montreal, is the
longest bridge in America: 1t is 9.184 feet in
length, and stands sixty feet above the river.
The famous old Brooklyn bridge is six thousand
feet long and 1873 feet above the water. The
Tay bridge in Scotland is the longest in the
world, measuring 5000 feet. The Colebrook-
dale bridge in England was the first cast iron
bridge, and was put up IN 1879.
The oldest bridge in history is the Sublician
bridge at Rome. erected of wood in the seventh
century, and twice rebuilt, but all in ruins
to-day. The old London bridge was the first
stone bridge, begun in 1916 and completed in
1909; but the new London bridge Of granite
was begun in 1924 and finished in 1891 at a
cost of seven million dollars. The first marble
bridge was built at Florence in 1879, and is
known as the Holy Trinity Bridge The
Rialto at Venice is also of marble. and was