Evening star., 1935-03-17

Chojnacota, and finally owner Of the
Santo Domingo Mine. Yet his wife
has never been into South American
mine, because of the superstition
among the miners that If woman
enters the mine death will soon oc-
cur. She went through a strike, how
ever, at Pulacayo, when the French
manager was so dragged about and
battered that he was in hospital at
La Paz for five months. In health,
Mrs Woods had better record than
her husband. He had one operation
and a run of typhoid fever, but she
apparently had only one altitude
headache and suffered no i'll effects
from a hazardous journey by motor
and train over washed-out roads and
through swollen streams, from Huan-
carani to Arequipa, where her hus-
band lay ill in a hospital. 1t was in
February and March, the worst part
Of the rainy reason. when no one
travels in that part of the Andes un-
less from dire necessity.
Mrs. Woods tells of many cases OF
altitude sickness, or "soroche," some
quickly over as the first step in ac-
clImatization, some so serious as to
cause the sufferers to be carried hasti-
II, with no prospect of return, from
those heights of $4,000 to $4,000 feet.
Struggles with menus and food
budgets, the entertaining Of officials,
Journeys back and forth to the coast.
teaching "Evangeline" to native chill
dren, mine rivalries and disorders,
gold and silver hopes, all enliven Mrs.
Woods story about everyday life. She
hardly even alluoes to South Ameri-
can history, art, literature or arcn-
eology. Other writers have done that.
She writes of such things as any
woman would like to know about her
friend living in a foreign land.
SIXTY YEARS OF THE LITERARY
SOCIETY. BY Helen Nicolay.
Washington, D. c.: Privately
Printed.
WHO are the intelligenzia? What
are they? Some Of them at
least are harbored in the Literary
Society. which never sends in notices
about itself to the club or society
columns, but is modestly proud OF
its age and distinguished member
ship. Not long ago it held its 500th
meeting, and in January OF 1884 1t
was so years old. Celebrating the
birthday, Miss Helen Nicolay, daugh-
ter of John G. Nicolay, who was an
original member, gave a paper before
the society, which has been printed,
with a list of members, past and pres
ent. in an attractive, slender book
bound in two tones OF green.
The Literary Society came into the
quiet provincial world of Washington
on January 6, 1874, in the back par
lor of Miss Esmeralda Boyle, 723
Twenty-first street. Olive Risley
Seward, adopted daughter Of Lin
coins Secretary of State, was another
founder. The membership was at
first limited to 80, but was afterward
extended to 40, the number of the
'immortals" of the French Academy.
One of the original members. Miss
Julia T. R. McBlair, is still living and
attended a meeting this season.
Authors, artists. musicians and SCI
entists have been numbered among
the members, and when the society
was only four years old the President Of
the United States (Hayes), the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, the
Speaker of the House Of Representa-
tives and the Attorney General ac-
cepted honorary membership. Gen.
Garfield was q president of the So
ciety.
Among early members were Made
leine vinton Dahlgren. who wrote un.