The National tribune., 1908-11-05

RSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1908.
members of the family. for the purpose
OF playing these machines. Thus II
will be seen that slot machines arouse
several OF the latent passions in the
| small hearts, and these grow by what
they feed upon. 1t will be very easy
thing for these children to go from
the machines. which are, after all, only
games of chance, to cards, and with
the cards come all the kindred evils of
| cigarets and drink. The woman who
| fixes a "grab-bag" for her children'S
party is intoxicating lessons of gambling.
| because each child expects to get a
good deal more than its moneys worth
| out of the grab-bag. Selling chances
on something comes next. One pays
| 10 cents for the hope of winning some
thing worth $40. The appetite for this
kind of hope is easily whetted by one
| or two winnings, and the easy step 20
stalking money on cards is taken inn
iperceptibly. 1t is said that half a
dozen homes are ruined every year in
Washington alone by women who al
most wager their souls salvation on
the turn of care. 1t would be -diffi-
cult for a woman who plays poker.
whist or bridge for money to spank
her young hopeful for stealing pennies
to put in a penny-in-the-slot machine,
So maybe the reform should begin with
mother and father. The law Is not
able to reach them, however, II they
are in polite society, so it will stretch
its protecting arm about the children
and remove one of the evils, anyhow.
Down in Virginia they are still using
the old Biblical term "relict," the same
meaning widow. While the term has
Bible authority. it isn't a bit euphoni-
Gus. and one involuntarily smiles at
seeing it in everyday print A lady
died in Washington the other day. and
"relict" Of the late Rev. DIR. Some
body.
Quite storm was raised few days
ago by somebody who thought all the
old models in the Patent Office were to
be destroyed by order of Congress. 1t
was false alarm, however. Commits
sioner Edward B. Moore, of the Patent
Office, declares there has been no in
tention on the part of the Secretary
of the Interior, or any one else, to de-
stroy the models of patents accumu-
lated by the Government up to 1880,
when mechanical drawings were SUBJ
stituted for models in the filing of
claims by inventors.
Widespread publicity has been given
to statements that this collection of
$4,000 models would be destroyed or
scattered, and many protests against
such action have been received.
"The entire collection" said Mr..
Moore, "haS been catalogued, boxed
and labeled. and is now stored in the
basement of the Patent Office, where
it will be kept until finally removed to
the New National Museum Building,
IL ruh hn Jay
directs the models shall be lodged un-
der the control of the Commissioner of
Patents, as heretofore"
ambassador Reid has bought Chill
ton Lodge for his daughter, Mrs. John
Ward, paying s500.OO0 for the stately
place. Sir William Pearce, a former
owner. spent 100000 for improve
ments, planned by Sir Arthur Bloom
field. A. R. A, which were completed
in 1892. Mrs. Ward will expend $780,
900 more on alterations to bring it up
to her ideas before she moves into
the mansion in January.
Before the marriage Of Miss Reid
her father promised to give her any
country estate in England she would
pick out. After the honeymoon Mrs.
Ward looked over 43 Of the stateliest
homes in the Kingdcfn, and finally
she selected Chiffon Lodge.
The estate, embracing 2,332 acres. is
25 miles from London, on the borders
of Wiltshire and Berkshire, a mile and
a half from Hungerford Station. The
park is we'll timbered with yews, some
of which are said to be 900 years old,
and with ancient oaks.
It is one Of the finest sporting prop
critics in Berkshire.
Some time ago the President decided
that he would like to give sort of
reward of merit" to those employees on
the Panama Canal who remained in
the Government service above two
years, For long time it seemed i'm
possible to keep people down there.
The climate was inclement, 1t was
lonely, and the people who went there
just wouldn't stay, and left in such
numbers as to almost cripple the SER
vice at times. Times have changed,
however.
A ton of copper pipe collected from
old French excavators and locomotives,
some bronze bearings taken from cars.
locomotives and excavators, and 200
pounds of tin found in one of the old
French warehouses have been collect
ed and will be sent to~the Philadelphia
Mint to be used in casting the bronze
medals which are to be presented by
the President to employees of the Com
mission who have served two years or
more on the Isthmus. It is expected
that the medals will be ready for dis
tribution early in 1909. The design
of the medals and the method of their
distribution have not yet been deter
mined.
Poor DIR. Wiley, Chief Chemist of
the Department of Agriculture, His
sins seem to be all those of commits
sion, and there are none of omission
The very latest drubbing the Secretary
of Agriculture has received about him
comes from a number of prominent
millers in the great Northwest, and
from Minneapolis in particular.
The millers assert that the Chemist
IS an enemy of white flour, and also of
millers, and that he should not be al
lowed to sit on the board at the hear
ing to be held in Washington Nov. 1S
TO decide whether or not the artificial
bleaching of flour is violation of the
pure-food law.
Threats have been made that unless
DR.. Wiley is kept off the board an
appeal viii be made to the President
The Secretary has not yet replied, but
it was said at the Department that the
millers would probably be told to go
ahead and appeal, as DR.. Wiley would
sit with the board.