Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-25

NEW YORK, May ga rare collection
of immigrants arrived this week from
Germany in consequence of which there
is much excitement down on Grand street,
the stronghold of the German colony.
They were four hundred strong, these i'm
migrants, and exceedingly green-greener
even than some of the immigrants who
have helped to make the history of the
east.
Nobody. however, feels affronted by
this latest importation from Germany ex-
cept the weather observers, for these
German natives are croaking barometers
shipped here to do the work that wealth
err scientists have signally failed to do.
They are little green tree frogs, as
fieshily offensive as the elephant with
their wthered and fabby launches and
scaly backs, but not near so hard 10
dispose of. 1t might also be said that
they didn't bring their trunks with them,
only the Germans scorn pun as sincerely
as they do the artificial instruments for
making weather predictions. Goodness
knows why the German colony down on
Grand street should want to be so COCK
sure whether it is going to rain or not
for there is nothing down there but things
that would be materially benefited by
water. However, they wanted the barom-
eters, and they have them.
These weather forecasters were snatch
ed up at 30 cents a piece and probably
felt like their purchase price when they
found their future homes were to be
modelled after the manner of the gold
fish home, instead of being given trees
where they might hop about among the
foliage and make their representations
Of bad weather from ambush. These
croaking barometers are said to give the
common people of Germany start of "a
hours on the weather proposition when
they are at home in their own treetops,
but II remains to be seen whether they
will give honest returns from the clouds
when they are placed in the narrow con-
fines of a glass jar, even though this new
home should have in it a branch of tree
upheld by rocks and bit of moss sub
merged in water. The importer said in
stalling these immigrants in their new
homes was very simple matter. Given
the glass jar and the miniature swamp
inside, the immigrant had only to be int
ed carefully by the left hind leg, held
four inches above the mouth of his fu-
ture home and then dropped. The impor>
ter seems confident that the croaking ba-
rometers will report on the weather in
due season and the human weather
prophets are slammng their artificial IN
struments about their sky parlors and cit
ing the case of the bIackhanders and the
English sparrows which drove out one
evil only to substitute much worse one
as an argument dBdlhSN NASAhs
In the meantime the weather is fine
and the stolid investors in frog legs are
debating whether certain amount OF
cultivation would make the green immi-
grant pleasing to the palates of Ameri-
can epicures. And they resented II hotly
when someone suggested that the frogs
were imported because the Germans got
homesick to hear their own language, and
not because they were in the least con-
cerned about the weather.
The race going public has never been
quite so excited as they are just now
when the racing season opens with no
possible forecast, except good weather,
of how the thing is going to end, with
oral betting allowed. At last the sport
of horseracing has been made gentle
mans game, and book makers with their
camp stools, paper pads and little satch-
els have them ruled out. sr.. ..
OF course the erstwhile bookmaker VIII
be able to do some business In quiet.
gentlemanly way, but 1t all depends on
the capacity Of his head for holding fig
ures and then, of course, on his gentle
manly qualities no less than on the honor
of the man he is betting with to hold to
an oral contract. The racing association
puts 1t up to the public good and stin
right in the beginning by charging ar
admission fee of &c. And on the public
depends the future of horse racing in New
York The city's real sporting blood is
to be tested. Are people willing to amuse
themselves by spending SO to listen to the
band and watch a group of horses tear
around the race track, or is it necessary
to have a bit of sauce for the feast in
the way of betting on the racers? There
Is no law to prevent an oral bet, and
there was a good deal Of that sort OF
wagering done within the sacred pre-
cincts of the club house at Belmont park
Thursday, but the privilege was not
Haunted in the face of the public and po-
lice and from the way things looked, in
terest in horse racing has lost nothing
through the rulings Of the law among
real sports-that is gentleman sports.
Belmont park was a joy TO look upon
on the day of the opening. The lawns
had had a fresh shave, the track had ap-
parently been combed with finetooth
comb, the hedges were clipped in true
English STYLE the posts were white, the
grandstand shone respondent in its new
! coat of paint, the jockeys In their vivid
silks, the ladies in their multi-colored
directoire costumes and flowerladen hats,
the sound of the bugles, the insistent mu-
sic of the land, and through it all the
fire of excitement and wonder as to what
steps the police would take, made won
derfully enticing May-day picture The
sun may SHINE Oh tue just anu bAAO
lust alike. but the racing element accept
ed the brilliant story of the day as
good omen.
But even New York sporting blood can
restrain itself for day, and maybe
longer 1t remains to be seen whether the
end of racing in. New York is near;
whether this is the swan song of the
greatest of sport.
The bread question has assumed alarm
Ing proportions in New York, with the
price of wheat gone sky-high, and the
bakers assistants on a strike. Why the
lady or gentleman who presides at the
dough pan or the oven should consider
, II worth more wages to make loaf half
the size it ought to be than to fashion 1T
after the old regulation pattern, has not
been answered intelligibly, but the fact
remains they want satisfaction and they
are having lots of trouble getting It, The
old pound loaf that sold for nickel be-
fore Patten made his spectacular play
down in Wall street is a matter of ancient