Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-10-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondence


persons who make Washington their
temporary home is the Chinese Minis
ter WI Ting Fang. DIR. WI as he is
generally called is graduate of an
American University and speaks Eng
lish with precision and without very
marked accent. He has always worn
| the Mandarin costume and the silks of
his gowns and fiappy trousers are the
admiration and envy of women wher-
ever he goes. He is in much demand
in society where few Cinnamon have
been received owing to their peculiar
table manners, but DR.. WI is a cult
waited gentleman and true cOsmopoli-
tan. One of his engaging eccentricities
is his open and unabashed admiration
of American women and though the
average Chinese gentleman has the
world, even Ireland, outdone in the
variety and subtlety OF his fattery, it
is believed that DR.. WI is sincere in
! the respect he pays the American So
ciety woman at time when that more
or less anomalous creature is coming in
for such large share of the blame for
all unhappy social conditions. He de-
clareS that it was owing to the inf1u-
ence of an American society woman
that he renounced all meat foods and
wines and that as result of his chang
0I dict his Iifn nplu coyoI h,,f
that he has developed the expectation
of living to be one hundred years young.
1t is believed that this society woman
is Mrs. Henderson, wife of ex-senator
Henderson, of Missouri, who as one Of
the wealthiest women at the Capital
has converted many persons of promi
hence to meatless diet through her
delightful luncheons and dinners, invi-
tations for which are eagerly sought
though neither meat or wine is ever
served at her table. DR.. WI, like Mrs.
Henderson was rescued from semi
invalidism on account of indigestion by
reformed diet and he goes abroad in
the land preaching the gospel of vege-
tarianism to all like sufferers.
In speaking at vegetarian sanitari-
UNI here few nights ago he declared
that complaint with which he had suf-
fered for twenty years had been COM
pletely cured by the abstinence from
meat and champagne, both OF which
he had greatly enjoyed previously. He
said that the three essentials to a sue
cessful life were pure non-fiesh food
and no intoxicating drinks, pure air
and pure thoughts. Certainly our mis-
sionaries who 90 to China every year
in such numbers cannot preach bet
ter doctrine and it is interesting to have
a Chinaman in our own midst who is
doing such fine missionary work.
Orville Wright, the aviator whose
aeroplane fell during practice flight
at Fort Meyer near Washington few
weeks ago, resulting in the death of
Lieutenant Selfridge and serious in
juries to himself, has so far recovered
as to be able to receive visitors in his
room in the United States Army Hos
pital at the Fort and in a month or SO
will begin the building of new ma
chine for making the test. Owing to
the accident the War Department ex-
tended the time which Mr.. Wright
would be allowed for making the test
until next June 1t is believed that by
that time Mr.. Wright will have sutfici-
entity recovered to make the official
flights but if he is not able then they
will be undertaken by his brother,
Wilbur Wright, whose experiments at
LIE Mans, France, have been so success
full. This brother is now on his way to
America having sold his machine for
100000 to French syndicate which is
to begin manufacturing machines for
sale. AS these two brothers, not long
ago obscure bicycle manufacturers with
little shop in Dayton, Ohio, are now
international notables every scrap of
news about them is eagerly sought and
for days after the accident to Orville
Wright the bulletin boards here show
ed frequent announcement of his con-
dition. The sorrow that was felt for
him in his disappointment and suffer-
ing was not less than that manifested
by the Germans when Count Zeppelin's
air ship was wrecked and several pub
lie subscriptions for him were started
at once. 1t developed though that Mr..
Wright had the best financial backing
and the men whose sympathy had been
touched even to the pocket nerve were
not compelled to cash in.