Evening star., 1942-12-20
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Fifty years ago Santa Claus was Just
as real to children as he is today, as was
evidenced by many letters, received in
post Offices addressed to him-letters
which resulted in a widespread breach
OF regulations. The law
Sonto Clous required these miSsives
In Post Office to be sent to the dead
letter Office, strictly
speaking. but Christmas spirit proved
more powerful and they were turned
over to kindly persons willing to pinch
hit for Santa Claus and make him a
reality. Said The Star of December l9,
1882, in this connection: "As the letters
are addressed to a fictitious person,
under the rules of the department they
should be sent to the dead letter Office.
But the rue is not strictly enforced in
this city and in a number of other places,
and if some person of benevolent mind
and large pocketbook notifies the post
master that he would like to represent
to the writer's of those epistles the patron
saint, the correspondence is turned over
to him. 1t seems likely the department
cent manner to ignore the strict letter
Of the law Fostmasters no longer have
to break the law; it has been amended
to allow them to turn these letters over
to charitable institutions and to repu-
table individuals, exclusively for philan-
thropic purposes"
X X
A rather severe ~,
headed "A Mile of Sewage" appeared in
The Star of December II, 1892: AN open
sewer extending through thickly popu-
lated section of a great
Rock Creek city like Washington isn't
Assoiled pleasant to think about
especially in the light of
the narrow escape made by this country
last summer from the scourge of cholera >
Accompanying the article were no lcr
than four line cuts. depicting sewer
mouths opening on the creek, and one
Of huge and unsightly dump on the
bank. Most of the trouble has been
corrected long since and Rock Greek is
a scene of beauty. though it's waters are
not absolutely clear.
Naval development was discussed in
The Star of December 49, 1892. as fol-
lows: Norfolk. Va.-Three new ships, the
battleship Texas, the monitor Amphi-
trite and the cruiser Raleigh
More are building here. The Texas
Worships is a second-class battleship
CT $500 tons. The 3,000-ton
cruiser Raleigh, which was launched last
March, is a sister ship of the Cincinnati,
recently launched at New York She is
nearly comple.ed.' Further description
of the armaments were given they would
seem Insignificant today
France was jittery again. Paris in
Ferment,' reported The Star of Deem
Der a, 1892. THE excitement over the
Panama scandals is today greater than
ever and the widest reports
Unrest in are afloat of monarchist
Fronce plots and coming arrests. 1t
is asserted that Herr has
been in communication in London with
agents of the Count of Paris and that
the exposure of the TfAerree checks is
olioCtly dItllDutdulc 10 IUy dllSl lllllucIlCe.
Another rumor is that the officials and
deputies, as well as civilians connected
with the Panama scandal have had it
intimated to them that their salvation
lies in an espousal or royalist schems
and that all their of1enses will be con-
doned if they will consent to betray the
republic
Slave dealers operated openly in the
the port of San Francisco, according to
an account from that city in The Star
of December 81, 1892: The tramp
steamer Montserrat, which re-
Slave Gently carried cargo of Gilbert
Troffic Islanders to Guatemala coffee
plantations, has now been
bought by the slave dealers and will be
used to transport by the wholesale these
poor ignorant South Sea Islanders to the
unhealthy coffee plantations of Central
America. Unless England, which
lately assumed a protectorate over the
Gilberts, steps in and forbids this black
birding, the island will be practically de-
populated" England did step in, and
the slave trade was choked off.