davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1911-08-27

the mind; and he really became a bit of
a fanatic on the subject Of temperance.
lie would not take a man into his en-
ploy who did the least bit of drinking.
nor would he enter into any sort OF
financial deal with drinking man.
Often his intimates wondered just what
had happened to him In the days OF his
younger manhood to set him SO deter
minedly against even moderate drinking.
They were of the impression that he had
got some sort of severe lesson At that
time; but they could not fathom what
it could have been, and he never talked
about it. During the latter days of his
life, before he went to Germany, onl:'
to return to this country to die, his New
York physicians were unanimously OF
the opinion that he should have. daily.
a certain amount of alcoholic stimula-
tion. He resolutely refused to accept 1t.
Nothing could prevail upon him to listen
to his doctors in this respect.
The late John Mackay was a man of
the same mind in this respect Of drinking.
He had not touched a drop of anything
intoxicating for thirty years before his
death. During all of his young manhood
he led the rough life of miner, and he
freely admitted that at that time he
drank with miners lberality and care
lessness of consequences. But when.
with his associates of the famous Big
Four, he struck the Comstock Lode, he
made up his mind that he was through
forever with liquor and he never depart
ed from the. vow that he made to him
self at that time. He told me this him
self one Christmas eve, many years ago.
when / was sent to interview him at his
apartment at the buckingham. He was
quite alone at the time; all of his family
We're in Europe, and he seemed a lone
some, heavyhearted old gentleman to
me at the time. The decanters were on
the sideboard: 1t was a blustery, bitter
night Of snow, and / was cold when l got
to his apartment. He offered me drink,
and l took it. Then. very mildly, he
treated me to little advice-it was too
finely and delicately put to be homily-
on the evil that lay in store for young
about his own experience. There was
something very noble about this strong
man, and at this moment Of writing I
can hear his words, and / remember
them with a certain sense Of solemnity.
The high liver phrase Is overworked
and unjustly employed In respect Of too
many famous men Of wealth In this coun-
in my journalistic capacity. I suppose I
have met up with (not once only. but
often) the great majority Of famous
American financiers. Not one of them
that / ever met was a drinking man.
Perhaps the deduction to be drawn from
this is Of the simplest: II they were
drinking men, could they have became
famous financiers? am willing to leave
that question to the readers Judgment,
and merely state the fact.
There is no particular reason why great
wealth and the consumption OF booze
should 60 tOgether-except in the fevered
imagination OF the man who lacks the
price Of drink. Most of the wealthy
men / have met OF the abstaining class
have frankly said that they managed
to get more fun out of life without drink
Evening star., 1911-08-27

Up and down the waterways the great
blue herons walk and wade. or fly with
long, dangling legs trailing behind them.
The fishing is good for those big fell
lows; minnows and frogs along the
sedgy edges, or water snakes. ably tur
ties and the like. The small blue heron
"fy-up- the-creek," the settlers call him
hunts here, too darting his long bill into
the shoals of minnows, millroach or smelt
driven shoreward by marauding bass or
pike. Night herons-bittern is the proper
name-lurk in the deeper. duskier coverts
of the marsh or flight of big white
cranes, startled from muddy stream bor-
ders or the coverts of hidden perches in
the willows, drifts. spotlessly snowy.
across the green of reeds or trees. or
flash like bits of floating cloud against
the clear blue of the sky. Oh, there are
more than reed birds In the marshes and
Evening star., 1911-08-27

ing more and more upon the marsh to
the north of the road. and the canals
that drain out the water make more and
more dry land each season. Down. be-
side the Benning bridge lie piles of stakes
the by 2-inch stakes of the surveyor.
Photographs of the flats have been made,
and surveys are starting now, including
the whole of the marsh; for the army
engineers are beginning to work out their
problem of reclaimng the flats. They
say that three years will see the work
completed; then there will be no more
reeds and swamp grass, lilies and
wild oats. Instead, there will be truck
patches and gardens, and the reed birds
and ortolan will come there never again.
Just as they have been banished from the
place where the Potomac flats used to be,
so will they be driven from the Anacostia
and Benning fats. Men who are not too
Evening star., 1911-08-27

old yet to handle gun recall the Sep
tember days when reed birds flew in
clouds over the place where Potomac
Park and the Speedway now are. All
tide flats, covered with wild grasses,
reeds and wild oats, it was down there
then. And then a sea wall was built;
the big pumps and dredges set to work
sucking up the ooze and slime, dumping
1t behind the wall. the water draining
away and leaving the soil to pile up and
dry out, until today the learning autoist
drives his machine about Inc oiled road
way. band concerts draw thither crowds
of the city's equipaged elite, and polo
games are played over the place where
the reed bird shooter used to plow in his
waders or pole in his skiff.
On the Virginia side of the Potomac the
dry ground creeps farther and farther
out across the flats, each year marking
Evening star., 1911-08-27

Along the water lanes. creek edges and
open spaces in the marsh the ortolan rum
long-legged and awkward, intent on the
business of their lives. which is to feed,
feed and grow fat, and to avoid the gun
shot of man or the swoop of hungry
hawk Ortolan cannot be shot as reed
birds are they must, usually, be taken
one at time. But then, the Ortolan IS
more of a bird than is the reedbird, else
had Lucullus not wasted a great deal of
time with them. A little later in the sea-
son men and boys, making daylight
ming bridge. searching for ortolan which,
flying by night, have hurled themselves
to death against trolley wires and tele-
phone lines. 1t is no uncommon thing for
one of these early risers to pick up six to
ten ortolan, self-slain in this manner the
night before.
Feeding along with the reedbirds and
fattened Until their little bodies are fairly
bursting with the good forage Of wild
oats. the blackbirds fly about the
marshes in f1ocks as numerous as the
more sought latter brown fellows. The
sober, slaty-black ones, that in the west
are called "cow blackbirds, and the
bigger, bolder fellows, with flame-tipped
shoulders, that some call soldier black
Birds dart and skim and f1utter above
and among the oats, feasting and chat
tering. until the guns begin to pop. And
they go well in a potpie. too: properly
the gravy. and the whole cooked under a
coverlid of fiaky potpie crust, crisped to
just the right shade of rich brown, a
blackbird pie is a thing of joy, even If
the eating of 1t prove tedious. If any
one tells you there are millions of black
Evening star., 1911-08-27

be allowed to congest. II possible. When
the analysis Is complete the importer Is
notified that no further action will be
taken by the Department of Agriculture.
provided. of course that the analysis has
shown nothing which violates the law.
That is termed a release for the snip
ment But If. in the opinion OF the chief
of the la abora tory, the results of the anal
ysis or inspection show violations OF the
law the collector Of customs is requested
to obtain actual possession OF the con-
signment. and the importer is notified as
to the findings. He is then told on what
day he may, either in person or in writ
ing, show why the shipment should not
be excluded from entry into this coun-
try by reason of Its violating the food
and drugs law.
Goods thus found to be In violation OF
the law are required to be reshipped be-
yond the Jurisdiction of the United
States. Ii not reshpped within three
months they are destroyed by the col
lector of customs. In cases where the
violation is misbranding permission is
sometimes granted TO relabel the articles.
under the supervision of the customs
authorities.
To those not familiar with the import
trade the amount of food and drugs STUFF
entering this country is enormous II is
the general opinion. too. that those prod
ucts imported constitute for the great
part only luxuries. But this is an error.
as, for example. all our tea. coffee, cocoa,
spices and the greater portion of our
sugar and olive oil are imported. Fresh
and dried fruits. dried and salted fish.
canned vegetables and other everyday
necessities all appear In the list of i'm
portations. During one year there were
entered and passed at the port of New
York $1,000 invoices covering shipments
of food products, with a total value of
more than SS4.0O.000, while the value of
the drug importations for the same
length of time was nearly Ss.500.o0o
products imported into this country are
entered at the port of New York.
Olive and peanut OILS because Of sus-
pected adulteration, are among the most
one year the value of these products en-
tered at the port of New York was
So 100000 Another class Of products
closely inspected are meats and meat
of hams, bacon, sausage. etc, and NUT
ton and beef. The total value Of these
entered at the port of New York during
one year was more than 100000. or
the varieties OF fish imported, the sar-
dine has been most subject to adultera-
ton, while the total value Of the fish i'm
portations for one year at the port or
New York reached nearly $5000,0O0.
The coffee imported exceeds in value
any other one product as one years en-
try amounted to more than so. 100000.
The principal inspection in connection
with this product is an examination for
goods. BLACK Jack" a trade
name given to berries which because OF
damage have turned black. is prohibited
The value OF the spices entered at New
York is placed at $8.OO0.O0O. while the
value of the wine and liquor importation
Is placed at $5.O0O.000 in one year In
connection with the wines and liquors Is
found one of the principal classes of in
spection. as cases OF Misrepresentation
as to kind. quality and place of produc-
tion are often found.
Evening star., 1911-08-27
Nv IL w ~
VIRGINIA Marsh SoUTH
OF ANALOSTAN ISLAND

added limitations upon the feeding
grounds of the birds and the hunting
grounds of the sportsmen. Soon-within.
as the engineers of the army say, three
or four years, at most-the flats and
marshes of the District and near vicinity
will have vanished. made over by dredge
and pump into parks, OF market gardens
or residence lots.''
Out farther. though. along the Patuxent
river the marshes are safe for a good
many years The shooting should be
good out there this season, too: the
marshes are heavy and there are plenty
of wild oats to feed the birds. But re-
member. hunters, that the Maryland sea-
son opens several days later than the
reed bird season in the District, and re-
member. too. that you need shooting
license, and that the game wardens be-
ing piece-workers and paid from the fines
of those who are unlucky enough to fall
into their clutches. are not likely to over
look any opportunity to fatten their
wallets.
Within the District. however. there is
little to beware of. 1t is illegal even
to fire a gun within the District before
September ]. On and after that date
you may shoot reedbirds, biackbirds. or
tolan and the like without having to take
out a license or permit, provided you DO
not shoot within 200 yards of a road or
highway or occupied building. And bear
in mind that ii is up TO you to find out
If buildings near where you are shooting
are occupied. nobody is obliged to go out
and warn you. II you violate these SIM
pie provisions you are liable to arrest and
fine and you deserve Ii.
All marshes within the District in the
neighborhood of roads. highways, rail-
roads or buildings are plainly posted.
signs and stakes showing the on0-vard
limits. so that any one who can see 10
shoot can see the limits of the ground
over which he may shoot.
So, IL you care for marsh shooting and
have a gun and the time. prepare for a
day off September ]. You will not have
a great many more opportunities.
Evening star., 1911-08-27

along the streams about Washington
these days. when the waning summer
calls and drives and the waterfowl and
marsh dwellers wing from the muskegs
of the north to the oozy bayous of the
sunand.
The marshes are heavy this year.
Mike Whalen, who has known them for
long. long time, says that in fifteen
years past he has not known so ''heavy"
marsh or SO fine stand of wild oats.
This means good shooting. for where the
oats are there will the reed birds and
the ortolan and the blackbirds be found
likewise
But not for many more years will the
marsh shooting last in the District. Out
by Benning the city dumps are encroach-
Evening star., 1911-08-27

Of finance who are continually in the
public eye.
suppose that every uniformed per
son who ever has had a glance at j.
Pierpont Morgan or who has ever seen
picture of him, takes 1t for granted
merely from Mr.. Morgan's appearance
that he is a man who INDUCES himself
literally at the table. both in the mat
ter OF liquids and solids. He has ruddy
look that would seem to indicate this
! was going to say vinous look. But
Mr.. Morgan is absolutely a non-drinker
He has one of the most noted wine Gel
lars in the world, a cellar that contains
vintages for which he has paid fabulous
prices. and there is an expert in old
vntages who has a standing order 10
fetch to Mr. Morgan the finest things to
be found in the world in the way of old
wines But this cellar is wholly for the
fnancier's friends. He never by any
chance touches any OF the wines, ana he
has never tasted a drink of hard liquor
tion to any body else drinking, he himself
is an abstainer simply from choice.
His brainy son follows IN mis- fathers s
footsteps Moreover. j. Pierpont Nor
gan. while his chef Is a man with a
world wide reputation as a culinary ar
tist. partakes of the simplest sort of
food. He never has permitted himself
to indulge in the ecstasies of the gour-
met. He simply has no taste for that
sort OF thing: and aside from that IL IS
pretty likely that he has a distinct fancy
for keeping a clear head and normal
state of health. The result OF 1t Is
that he really is growing old with ex-
ceeding slowness; he is as alert, as
springy. as many man quarter Of a
century younger.
II was more than thirty years ago that
James r. Keene. the man who is called
''the pulse of Wall street." left San
Francisco for New York. after having
failed there for the immense sum OF
$1,000. .0OO-a failure which ne very soon.
in New York. turned into gigantic
win. The last drink Of any sort Of alco-
holic liquor that Mr.. Keene ever took
was taken in San Francisco before he
came to New York at that time. He
never had been much more than a mod
came to the conclusion tnat he would
give UP even the moderate drinking,
and he did. Yet I suppose there are
many, many persons who, because Mr..
Keene enjoys the companionship Of bon
vivants and has been the leading Ameri-
can turfman for many years, entertain
the idea that he belongs to that vague
class Of rich men known as high liv-
erS.
The late E. II. Hartman was another
famous financier who, for the iinal
thirty years of his life never indulged
In any sort OF an alcoholic drink. In
his youth he was known as a bit of a
then justly known as bohemians-there
have been no real bohemians in New
York since that era. But when he once
got into the thick of great affairs i'm the
world of finance he decided that he was
through with things that served to cloud
Evening star., 1911-08-27

I Il O'Clock on the
night Of August 81
men In hunting rig
and with gun cases
in hand will begin
dropping off the
late cars at the
B e n n / n & bridge
over the Eastern
branch. BY the
time the first faint
hints of gray light
en- the sky in the
Evening star., 1911-08-27

D EED-B1RD shooting in the District of Columbia.
N Open for reed BIRDS ortolan and black birds
begins September Any shooting the discharge of
gun before that date is illegal and punishable by fine
Shooting within 200 yards OF any road or highway
railroad either electric occupied building,
illegal and punishable with fine.
No license permit is required for shooting
the District of Columbia.
Evening star., 1911-08-27

WHEN Uncle Sam passed the law
w prohibiting the sale of injurious
food and drug products he not
only ruled against his own citizens but
against those of other countries who
might try to sell injurious goods in this
country as well. For not only does the
pure food and drugs act prohibit the en-
try into any American port of products
which transgress that law, but it is also
necessary that those products do not
transgress any Of the laws of their re-
spective countries as we'll. In other
words. the foreign products must con-
form to the laws of this country and also
to those of the country in which they are
produced or from which they are shipped.
There are, in addition. moreover. sew
eral other laws of more specific nature
than the food and drug act covering all
classes of foods and drug products. One
OF the most important of these, for in
stance. is what is commonly known as the
drug law of 1S4S," which prohibits the
importation of adulterated and spurious
drugs. medicines and medicinal prepara-
tions. Tea, too, has a special law re-
garding it. The first tea law was passed
in 1888, but was repealed by the tea act
of 1897" This act required that the law
be enforced by the Treasury Department
as is also done in the case Of foods and
drugs. Thus the Department of Agricul-
ture and the Treasury Department CO.
operate in enforcing these laws. The
standards of purity upon which any ex-
animation of tea is made are fixed each
year by the Secretary of the Treasury.
These standards are ascertained as the
result of standard samples submitted by
board of seven experts whom he ap-
points.
-
It was not until 1890 that the Depart
ment Of Agriculture had any authority
In the matter Of inspecting food products
entering this country, but as no money
was provided for it that year it was not
until 1903. when an appropriation, under
that for the bureau Of chemistry, pro-
vided for the carrying out Of the work.
The first years work consisted mainly in
sending out information regarding the re-
quirements to shippers of food products
OF foreign countries and importers. Sam
Piles for analysis of imported goods were
obtained from the collectors Of customs
at the ports of entry, by request upon the
Secretary Of the Treasury. In this way
the law could be enforced, but it was
found that the method employed required
such an amount Of time that 1t seriously
interfered with the handling Of importa-
tions. as considerable time was consumed
In transmitting the samples to the De-
partment OF Agriculture in analyzing
them and then transmitting the findings
to the collectors Consequently, in 1904
Congress provided for the establishment
of branch laboratories at the principal
ports OF entry.
Evening star., 1911-08-27

The method by which only pure foods
and drugs are allowed to enter this coun-
try is an interesting one. and is a pro-
cedure which has grown as the demand
for purity has increased. The work 10
closely identified with that Of the-cus-
Evening star., 1911-08-27
HUNTERS ON The UPPER .
REACHES Or EASTERN bRANcE

would be much like trying to bail out the
tidal basin with a pint cup.
Doube-barreled or magazine gun, one
may suit ones self. but the gun for reed
bird shooting should not be larger than
12-gauge. Nos. 8 or 10 shot are big
enough, with load of smokeless powder
behind it, The gun should scatter sufi-
ciently to spread the charge over as
much space as possible. So armed, the
man who is after re&dbirds gets into the
marsh as early as may be: in waders if
he knows the marsh and can avoid the
holes, quagmires and bits OF floating
marsh that are there for the engulfment
of the unwary: or In skif or punt, poled,
at high tide. into the water lanes among
the wild oats. where the birds feed and
fatten. Once in the marsh all there is to
do is shoot-pump the handfuls of small
shot into the whirring, darting nocks that
rise here. there, everywhere. in chatter
ing bewildered clouds: then search the
tangle of lily stems. matted reeds, swamp
grass and the like for the fallen. If one
finds and brings to bag two birds OF
every dozen brought down he is lucky
hunter.
Evening star., 1911-08-27
Clarence Cu11en's New York Letter

ing than they possibly could get by
drinking: and usually they tackled on the
remark that they had certain sort of
a partiality for living just as long as
they possibly could. I never failed to
perceive the wisdom Of their observa-
tions. even though at times 1 marveled
at their self-controI.
THE night clerk of one of the tender
loin hotels was nabbed recently for
peddling cocaine. He was held in S5, 40
ball. which was easily furnished and he
has jumped his bail and probably never
will be brought to trial. He had grown
rich selling cocaine to hugh tenderloin
patronage. All during the hours of the
night his clientele plodded into the hotel
Evening star., 1911-08-27

birds along with the reedbirds in the
marshes about Washington do not dispute
him; go and take look for yourself,
and you will believe. For they are there.
if not by the million, Ut least past all
counting by man.
Evening star., 1911-08-27
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
NEW YORK, August 26. 1911.
rN most OF the obituary notices of the
late John W. Gates. who died in
Paris the other day that picturesque
financier was referred TO as high
liver" / have never been able to de-
ternnine just what that phrase high
liver" means; but ] presume that where
a man OF moderate means, or no means
at all. is referred to as a heavy drinker.
the blithe-seeming man of wealth is ad-
verted TO as high liver.
II, in the case OF the late Mr.. Gates,
high liver was meant 10 convey the i'm
preston that he was a heavy drinker, or
any other kind of a drinker. then the
obituary notices did him a serious in
Justice
tp TO about ten years ago. when Mr..
Gates quit me running turf he was an
extremely moderate drinker; meaning
that, once In great while he would take
cocktail before dinner and a bit of wine
with the meal. That was the extent OF
his Indulgence in alcoholic frivolIty And
always his meals were of the simplest
il was at this period, about ten years
ago. that Mr.. Gates happened to be en-
gagged IN swinging a big deal with a
.fnancier who, at that time. was contin-
ually under the influence of liquor Mr..
Gates became so disgusted with his asso-
ciate that he withdrew from the deal
and his disgust had the additional result
OF causing him TO VOW that he would
never take another drink OF anything
alcoholic as long he lived He stuck
rigidly to that VOW. He had drank moth
ing but mineral water for decade be-
fore his death.
He was fond of attending banduets at
which notable speakers were present but
invariably at these affairs he turned
down all OF the glasses beside his plate.
He enjoyed the companonship OF men
who customarily are referred to as "men
of liberal habits" and often he remained
up late with them, for he was a born
night owl: but he adhered 10 his favor
lite brand If mineral water through these
sessions.
And. too. most OF the stories OF his
gambling activities-especially the yarns
about his f1fty-thousand- dollar and one
hundred d-thousand-dollar poker winnings
or losings in one evenings play-were
/ purely imaginary. He enjoyed the stimu.
really a rare thing for him to play for
high stakes. A man who was in most OF
those famous poker games at the Wal
dorf-Astoria, which have been much
written about told me that $50 limit
was the tallest game that ever wa:
played at these seances.
This ''high-lving'' legend has a habit
of barnacling itself most American
0sn OF distinguished ability in the worle