davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

whereupon he bowed low and went away.
A moment later beggar woman with .
child in her arms trotted in and reached
out for some matches. She was handed
three boxes Then came another lame
man and then a woman beggar with
cigar in her mouth. Each took out three
boxes of matches. and the procession con-
tinued until fully a dozen poorly clad OF
these lame. halt and blind had been sup
piled. | asked the cashier what this Ill
meant. He replied:
Tuesday is CARS day. 1t is the enc
day during the week when the beeGars
have the right to march from bank to
bank and business house to business
house and ask aims Every establish
ment prepares for Them and the custom
is to give from I to cents. Just now
there is scarcity OF nickels, how
ever, and We give out boxes OF matches
instead. They can peddle these for about
= cents apiece and thus get the money
to satisfy their wants.
This custom seemed interesting to me.
and, upon leaving the bank. 1 went
around to other business establishments
to see what was doing. In one store the
merchant was giving each beggar three
cigarettes. In another they were supplied
with candle or so. and "A third and more
thrifty man, a green grocer, was furnish
ing apples. all of which were decayed. L
saw one beggar who had received three ~
these rotten apples break them to pieces
as soon he came out on the street
and throw them away. cursing the givor.
FRANK q. CARPENTER.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

tories of music in the country for binding
sheet music and music books in order to
protect them. In Conservatives students
use their music SO constantly that sheet
music, especially. is liable to get torn in
no time If not bound. Some music or
other student could certainly earn money
in this way. by binding the sheet music
OF other students, and these students
would be glad to pay few cents to have
their music so protected. 1t would really
be money in their pocket. as II would
save them the expense of having to du-
plicate their music SO often.
The following is the best way to bind
music so that it will stand the wear ann
tear Of hard usage: Buy some strong
MANILA paper and heavy white linen
thread. Open the music at the center
the MANILA paper. which will be at least
one inch wider all around than the size
Of the music as IL is spread out. Dampen
two-inch-wide strips of cheesecloth with
thin flour paste and bind every edge OF
the music with this cloth. If used con-
stantly bind the MANILA cover also with
the cheesecloth.
This process will prevent new musia
be neatly patched on any part. as the
notes show plainly through the cheese
cloth. After FASTING a three-inch-Wi6O'
strip of the cheesecloth down through
the center of the music to make stfonG.
sew binding and music together with the
linen thread and tie neatly on the In
side. IL there Is one single loose sheet.
bind the inner edge with the cloth and
sew i'm with the other pages. Write on
the MANILA cover the name of the selec.
ton, the opus number and the conn
posers name.
To clean cloth and paper back books
which are soled by finger marks or dust.
or are shopworn use pulverized pusnics
stone. Real leather-bound books Should
be treated casionally with some 9ooA
oil or vaseline TO prevent drying or
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

clerks. and would be capable of being
more closely packed Banks. as well a.
subtreasuries could store probably % per
cent more notes of the smaller size in
their vaults than at present. It would
not be necessary to change the dimen-
sions of cash drawers, tills and compart-
ments which now hold the present size OF
money, as they will also hold money Of
the proposed size. Another advantage 81
that the bank clerks and tellers who are
constantly handling money would fine
that the proposed size of notes would not
tend to cramp the hands of those manipu-
lating them do notes of the present
size. while they would be just as easily
handled and counted as the old ones.
In addition to this. ii is believed that
the life of the reduced size note would be
increased p per cent, due to the fact thai
ii would not be folded as many lines as
the larger note, and that less surface
would come in contact with the wear and
tear of business life, and consequently the
hberS of the paper will not be broken and
the face of the note will not be soiied as
quickly as the larger notes
An objection to the scheme that i~>
worthy of consideration is that for some
time there will be two sizes of papeY
money in use. This may cause some In
convenience and annoyance for a time
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

exact fac-simile Of portrait, even if the
latter has been engraved by himself.
The Secretary, DESTROYS of circumvent-
ing the raising of notes, caused to be
prepared denOminatiOnal counters in
plain, legible figures engraved in a lathe
counter in such a manner as to preclude
the possibility of anneXing a cipher or
altering the figure. This has been one Of
the most perpiexing problems the gov
eminent had to solve, as the cashiers or
banks We're given more trouble In the
raising of notes than they were by
counterfeits. 1t is believed that the new
design when approved by the Secretary
will entirely eliminate the possibility OF
raising or altering denominations OF
notes.
In connection with this proposed reduc-
ton in size Of notes which would result
in an economy Of several hundred thou
sand dollars per year. 1t would also be
to the banks and CONNER
cial houses inasmuch as the smaller notes
would be capable of being carried fat by
would be preserved in that
shape and would, therefore, He more
readily handled by cashiers. tellers and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

Park. which is used for band concerts
This had been fenced off SO that the COM
mon people stood on the outside. with q
lot Of young men and girls, some of
whom were no better than they should
be, sitting between them and the more
fashionable crowd within. These young
men and girls sat on the rails of the
benches with their feet on the seats. They
were all dressed in their best. as were
also the high-class Costa Ricans walking
inside.
Then. when the band played, the men
and boys of the city walked around
throwing confetti and squirting at each
other and at the girls with syringes fill
ed with water. The greatest of license
prevailed, and they We're no respectors Of
persons. In the past. the perfumery bot
tie with the ordinary bulb has been used
but last January the boys bought all the
syringes and waterbags that the drug
stores had on hand and. putting these
under their coats. they sauirted alike on
lady and peasant. Some of the young
men. not satisfied with water. filled their
receptacles with a sticky red mixture
called kola juice and squirted this on
friend and stranger alike. At the same
time confetti was brought in by the bag
full and thrown everywhere. The mix
ture made nasty mess. and it destroyed
many beautiful hats and gowns. Never
theless. the people seemed to think it
was fun.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

from Italy and the walls are of Italian
marble. Statues made by great artists
face you as you enter. and at your
right and left are restaurants where
acts.
Passing through this lobby, wide
marble stairs lead TO the foyer or
great salon. where the spectators walk
about during the longer intervals Of
the plays. This is beyond description
gorgeous Indeed. / doubt whether
you will find anything finer in Europe.
The work was all done in Italy and
shipped here to be put up by Italians.
The most beautiful marbles were em-
plOyed in the decoration. and the walls
and ceiling are covered with pictures
which were painted by Italian artists
in Italy and then tackled into place.
The marble columns which uphold the
roof are carved with masks of tragedy
and comedy and with other appropriate
figures. and the frescoes are either al
legorical or expressive of the beauties
of Costa Rica. The furniture is equal
ly magnificent. 1t is gold plated, up
.-olstered with silk tapestry. and upon
the walls are mirrors each as big as
the floor of the ordinary parlor sur
rounded by gold frames made in
Florence.
This parIOr Is almost as lOHS DIS inc
east room of the White House. 1t is 100
feet wide, and has ceiling about thirty
feet high 1t is lighted by electric cham
deliers designed for the occasion and
the execution of all is such that it makes
one think of that famous room of the
sultan at Agra. of which it was said:
Its artisans worked like Titans. anA
finished like jewellers"
The orchestra of the theater is entered
from the ground floor. and from this
parlor there is a lobby which leads to
the boxes. There are three galleries of
boxes all finished in red plush and there
is a special box for the president The
orchestra chairs are of dark brown leath-
err and they are wide and comfortable
They are SO made that they can be re-
moved and the floor can be raised and
made level with the stage. turning the
whole into a magnificent hall for dances
and fiestas. The stage is immense. and
it's scenery, made for this city Of 10000
people. is of great variety and in ex-
cellent taste. 1t was in this theater foyer
that Secretary Knox was given a great
dinner. and this was followed by a dance
in the orchestra.
1t was Nero who set Rome afire that
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20
Chinese Logic.

BISHOP NJ. S. LEWIS of Foo Chow,
- urging recognition of the Chinese re.
public at a luncheon at the Union League
in Philadelphia, told little story illus
trative of Chinese unworldliness.
"A gentleman, he said, entered q
Chinese shop to purchase tea. He found
to his anna cement. that five pounds of a
certain tea cost $3.50. while ten pounds
of the same brand cost $3.50.
1.-The gentleman ridiculed these illogical
prices, but the shopkeeper on the con-
trary insisted that he was acting In a
perfectly logical way. AS he put it:
More buy. more rich-more rich, more
can pay'''
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

rS the average housewife in Wash
inEton keenly alive to the re-
probabilities resting on her posi-
ton as d purchaser of the food for
her family use? Does she realize
that her individual standards and
ideals concerning the condition of the
shops that she freQuents and the food
which she buys are very important,
forming. as they do. the part of the in
tegral community conception of hy-
giene?
Miss Teresa Norton. who was in
charge of the market display at the
exhibit of the Congress on Hygiene and
pemography and a representative of
the Wornens League at Boston, main
tains that real awakening of house
wives over the entire country to the
part they play in the molding of civic
health and the physical welfare will
mark d step forward In the winning of
the world to cleanliness and the sani
tation of food supply.
Miss Norton is very enthusiastic and
fresh from her work among the Boston
housewives and shopkeepers. In dis
cussing conditions with which she met
and the obstacles which were over
riddsn she touched touched, few points that
housewives eager to exert their infiu-
ence and persuasion in revolutionizing
untoward conditions.
Miss Norton says that in dealing with
any grocery or market-stand keeper
the first consideration is the general
cleanliness of his shop.
-
When the Women's League which is
q private organization of Boston, was
first started four years ago." she ex-
planned. our general thought was that
"A great many things in and about the
city might be improved. When our gen.
erai inspection of markets took place We
realized that here was field where con-
centration of effort was required. After
investigating about seventy-five shops of
very perverse conditions We decided to
pursue such drastic measures We're
al owed was given a personal badge
(Which permitted mo 10 enter any shop
nd examine the condition of cleanliness
~ unclcan'ncsS which prevailed
Miss Norton related some experiences
which We're appalling. probably because OF
the ignorance they Indicated. She says
that refuse was piled high in the closet
of one shop and all sorts of garbage fer
mcnting and decaying were held in no
receptacle whatsoever. The store itself
was paSsably clean. but with this breed
ing place for germs the food which was
exposed IN the store was sure OF pollution
each time the closet door WAS opened
The housewife. she says. should be very
alert in her observation for such posi-
bIities in the seemingly attractive stores
al which she deals.
The cat that unaCcornt able accessory
TO the grocery store which is lying among
the vegetable on the market stand at the
exhibit. has caused much merriment to
the public bat Miss Norton related some
experiences, with eats in grocery stores
that make the housewife shudder at the
amount of faith she places in the grocers.
Il went into a store in Boston" she
saws lat the time customer was buy
ing some maca ron l saw the grocer push
cat which was peacefully reposing on
q box Of macaroui On the floor. and calm
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20
The Land of Silk Stockings.

&c ILK stockings must be very cheap
~ in America. Nowhere in the world
do women's ankles CLEAN In lustrous silk
as they do here
The speaker was Robert Lorraine, the
English actor He continued:
"A married man told me the other day
that, going into one of your department
stores. he said to a hoor-waiker:
I'm looking for something pretty in
silk stockings
THE foor-walner smiled. and with a
gesture embraced the long rows of coun-
tiers with their charming saleswomen.
That remark he said. describes, /
believe, practically every one Of our
young ladies'"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

uses it to flavor his food pays about ten
times the original cost in the harbor of
Port Limon.
This gives you some idea Of what things
cost in this part of the world and why
there are all sorts of taxes on trade
Everything is licensed and all that comes
in is charged for. 1 had to pay cents
a pound on my baggage to bring it into
the country. and l am told that l shall
have to give $50 to get a permit to
leave.
The interest charged on the foreign
debt is something like 100000 per an
mum. That is equal to a tax of some
thing like SO per family. Enough -four
to make one Of our four-cent loaves Of
bread pays cents in duty. and other
things are proportionately high.
l am told that the Costa Ricans are in
debt up to their eyes. There are many
individual mortgages. The people are
sanguine, and the better classes will
mortgage their crops at l per cent
month and upward in order that their
wives and daughters may make show
during the social season. l do not know
that they are any worse than our citi-
zens who are now borrowing money on
their homes in order that their families
may have joy rides in automobiles. But
still it is bad. enough! Take. for in
stance the fiesta. which occurred at the
close of last year. One of the American
ladies of San Use tells me that she
knows a milliner who sold 300 hats for
that occasion at a cost of so apiece.
Many of them were bought on install
ments and will be worn out before they
are paid for. You will be- the more sur
prised when 1 describe some features of
the festivities for which these hats were
worn. One Of the foreigners has told
me about them. Said he:
The fiesta was held in the Central
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

he might see big con1agration. and. as
the story goes. he fiddled during the
burning. 1t was for the few rich and
well-to-do Of this town Of San Jose that
Costa RIGA was loaded with a theatrical
debt and they amused themselves here
while the people toiled to pay the bills.
Not more than One-tenth OF the popula-
ton live in the capital. and Of these few.
not more than One-tenth can afford to
go to the theater. There are no railroad
facilities which make it possible to run
in and out to attend shows. and the cost
of bringing trOupes here from Europe Is
such that comparatively few can be had.
Nevertheless. the theater was paid Dor
All the money has come from a tax.
which. until this spring. has been IL
cents Costa Rican per kilogram upon all
goods imported. 1t has amounted in
round numbers. to about % cents OF our
money on every 100 pounds of goods
which have been consumed by the peo-
pie. and the tax has included such things
as sugar. salt. grain. flour, and. in short,
everything that came into Costa Rica.
Being an indirect tax. every one has had
to pay it. and this is so OF the barefoot
ed peasant and the leather-shod rich
wherever they live.
In my talk with the president Of the
republic l referred to this beautiful the
alter and also to the fine insane asylum.
He replied: They are both grand. but
it seems to me that the remark of an
American tourist who came here this
year was not far out of the way. The
man said: After seeing your theater !
can easily see why Costa Rica needs an
insane asylum. 1t should be to contain
the men who persuaded the people to
build the theater.'"
A q ~ t1,o in a la
the palace of some tropical prince. 1t is
magnificent and is well equipped with all
modern appliances for the treatment Of
the mentally weak. 1t is we'll managed
and is said to be one of the best of its
kind on the continent.
Another institution Of which the coun-
try is proud is the national museum. This
contains a. good representation of the
natural history and archaeology of Costa
Rica and of it's resources and some Of it's
industrial features as we'll. II has a COL
lection of axes and hatchets made out of
the hardest of flint and Of rude stone
knives which are polished like mirrors.
These show something of the stone age
down here in Central America.
And then the animals and birds. There
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

mire. The people are kindly. The upper
classes are we'll educated. and even the
peasants have that manly INDEPENDENCE
which comes from their being land own
ers. Ninety per cent of the whole are Of
the white race and. although the de-
scendants of Spaniards. of a part of that
race not filled with revolutionary blood.
Honduras. Nicaragua and Guatemala
change their presidents at every outburst
of passion. and the bullet defeats the
choice of the ballot. Costa Rica elects
her president for term of only four years
and for the past generation her every
ruler has been the choice of the people
The country is one of reformers It's
rulers have advocated sanitation. educa-
ton and modern improvements The
people are now annually spending a dollar
head on their schools. and they have
free lands which are open to settlement to
those who will farm them.
costa Rica has rich soil. 1t raises some
of the best coffee on earth, and is a land
OF mighty banana plantations. 1t sup
plies more bananas to our country than
any other part of the world. 1t has
fair foreign trade. and that it's people
are good spenders is shown by the fact
ttdt tHcN Uuy more IMAM theN sell. Their
imports last year were over s. ONtOOO and
OF these about FIVE millions came from our
country.
This is one side of the picture The
other Is that the nation is wildly eX-
travagant. The people are full of
emotion and want to do things in the
large. There are three notable in
stances of this in the three finest in
situations of the capital. One of these
is the National Theater. another is the
insane asylum. and third a great
prison which lies just outside this city
Costa Rica contains altogether about
as many people as our national capital.
and San Jose has perhaps 10000 all
told Nevertheless. the theater here
cost over 100000. Its decorations
are finer than those of any amusement
place of New York. and it ranks third
among the theaters of our half of the
world
The National Theater is directly op-
posite some low one-story government
buildings which are rooted with red
tile. The great structure dwarfs it's
surroundings and makes them look
mean. 1t is entered by a wide hall
upheld by pillars of marble with CAPT.
tails and bases of bronze. The ceiling
of this hall is covered with frescoes
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20
GY1T|2EMlR<ahl&TCGCT1

COME Queer Features of
- Money Spending in the
Heart of Central America
How the Nation Is Taxed
for the Few-It Has the
Finest Theater on the Cont
nent and Luxurious Mad
house-A Look at the Ma
tional misunderstanding
About the Taxes-Ruining
Fifty-dollar Hats With Squirt
Guns-A Nation Which En-
tertains-Queer Customs for
Beggars.
Copyright. 1912. 10y Frank e. Csrpenter)
SAN lose D;oa
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20
Hous@k@@p@rs Should Insist Sanitary Supply Shops

convince the shopkeeper that sanitary
store is worth while and more liable to
bring him success than the insanitary
one. and cause the housewife to realize
that her personal influence is a positive
factor of the worldwide movement for
sanitation
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

EFT me give You
some pictures of
this little land of
strange contradic-
tons. They are
merely impressions.
which / see in pass
ing. Every one tells
me Costa Rica is
the best of the
Central American
republics and l find
in 1t much to ad-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

The Costa Ricans are proud and their
pride runs in advance of their pockets
Take, for instance. their entertainment of
a delegation from Salvador which was
here not long ago. The delegates had
just come to say good-day, as it were,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

are monkeys ranging in size from rats
almost to gorillas. There are armadillos
with coats of mail and iguanas, sort Of
lizard. as big as cat. This animal has
the latter running along its back from
the head to the tail. There are also
stuffed tapirs as big as goOd-sized ponies.
which have bodies and shouts much like
a hog, but with ears and hoofs like a
horse. There are sloths. deer. leopards
and cougars and hundreds of varieties OF
birds There is no end Of the objects
which represent the civilization which
was here at the time Columbus discov-
cred America, and the collection of pot
terry probably antedates that period by
some hundreds of years. This museum
shows the wide interest of the Costa
Ricans in history and science. and it is
another example of the contradictions
everywhere to be seen. 1t shows that
the nation II it We're really rich would
spend large part Of its means upon Gull
ture. But. alas. it is poor.
The national debt is a fttle over S13,-
5000 This is according to recent re-
funding agreement which makes the OBJ
legations pay or ; per cent interest. but
which as the bonds were sold at much
below par makes the actual interest rate
considerably greater. This debt would
not be large for big country. Indeed.
little Sweden owes more than ten times
as much. But it is enormous for Costa
Rica, the bulk of whose population is
miserably poor. and the country has no
public improvements to speak Of to show
for 1t.
AS it is now the taxes are out of all
reason: and. as they are mostly indirect.
the burden falls On the poor. There are
no land taxes whatever. nor any taxes
on incomes. but everything else pays.
The prices are high and anything that
costs 10 cents in the states is sure to
cost % OF 10 cents here. Sugar is now
selling at about 10 cents a pound and salt
at ) or cents. l have some figures
from our American consul of the cost
Of hundred pounds of salt landed c. l.
f.. that is with cost. insurance and freight
paid at Port Limon. 1t is just ffty-six
cents. BY the time that salt has passed
through the custom house and paid the
wharf dues and freight OH the railroad to
San Jose, the cost of the whole is $2.56
and when the wholesaler then adds his
profit the cost to the retailer is 1926. So
you see what the consumer must pay.
The railroad freight alone over hun
dred miles of track is equal to the orig
inal cost of the salt; and the man who
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20

Copyright. 1912. 10y Frank e. Carpenter
SAN lose Cost, D;ca