Evening star., 1946-12-22
Fifty Years Ago
The Star for December II, 1896,
quoted Harper's Weekly to the effect

quoted Harper's Weekly to the effect
that: New York will
HorseIess be greatly interested
Mail WAGONS in the horseless mail
wagons which it is
announced to be the purpose of the Post
Ofice Department to introduce here
within few weeks. Inasmuch as fly
ing machines are still slow in getting
off, horseless wagons and streetcars
that run by compressed air are the two
novelties that we expect to see next.
OF the two, the wagons will be the most
interesting, for we are used to seeing
streetcars run without visible motive
power, whereas wagons not drawn by
beasts, though common in Paris land
not so rare as they have been in Eng
lanO are not at all familiar in New
York. If the Post Office finds them
cheap and efficient for its use, their in
PRODUCTION for other purposes may be
expected to follow at once. 1t was only
a month ago that the electric and
steam wagons in England got the priv
ilege of unrestricted use of the high
ways. Now word comes from London
that Is large factories in England are
at work on this class of vehicles and
that London is likely to swarm with
them by next spring" For the real,
honest-to-goodnes swarm" OF horse
less wagons, however, the international
public had to wait for the invention OF
the inexpensive gasoline motor automo-
bile in 1908 or thereabouts.
In The Star on December Il, 1896,
there was a lengthy account of wtllfW
injury to important Gov
Vandalism ernment buildings in
Reported the District of Columbia.
The most wonderful
pair of doors in the United States 1t
said, "are those hung at the east en-
trance of the Capitol. 1t would seem to
be very risky business for any one to
tamper with the delicate and artistic
ornaments giving a sculptured history
OF the country from its earliest settle
ments which adorn these remarkable
doors of bronze. These doors were Sc
cured at immense cost and are one of
the great sights, not only Of the Capitol
Building, but of the City of Washing
ton. The vandals have not overlooked
them. The stirrups of soldiers, the
swords of the miniature warriors and
various delicate parts of the ornamen-
tation have been knocked off and car
ried away to the homes of the yandals
in various parts of the country, in order
that they might have relics of the great
building" II also was explained that
visitors to the Capitol we're in the habit
of breaking the fingers and toes OF
marble statues on display there.
Local residences of distinction were
reviewed in The Star on December IL,
1896, among the num-
Fine Homes in ber mentioned being
Wosh;noton the homes OF Charles
j. Bell on Connecticut
avenue, W., G. Whittemore at New
Hampshire avenue and o street, Charles
G. Dulin on Sixteenth street and w. ].
Boardman at Eighteenth and P streets.
OF the last of these mansions, 1t was
declared: "It has all the modern ideas
of construction, all the fashionable
fancies Of the day, but at the same time
is a model for comfortable living"
Charles Watts of England" reported
The Star for December IA, 1896, 'ad-
dressed the Secular
British Aenostic League yesterday He
In Town denleo tne lnspiia-
ton Of the Scrip
lures, analyzed eight factors which he
said contributed to civilization and de-
cIared that the Bible contributed noth-
ing to promote any of these agencies,
but that on the other hand skepticism
was deserving of the credit for the bet
terment Of the conditions Of mankind"
Another visitor from Britain then in the
city was Miss Agnes E. Slack, secretary
of the World WCTU, who entertained
somewhat different opinions.
collection of early editions Of the
poet Virgil, according to The Star OF
December Is, 1896, will
Gift 70 be placed in the new. Ii
Princeton brary" at Princeton Uni-
versity, "as soon as that
building is completed" The books were
understood to be worth $4,000. Com
prising 3l2 volumes, the gift was notable
especially for its inclusion OF 81 rare
18th century editions. It also embraced
the oldest translations Of their kind IN
English, French, German, Spanish and
Italian. The donor was Junius s. Nor
gan Of New York, the international
banker who invented the original equiv
alent of the phrase Never sell Amer
lea short"
X II *
Thomas Jefferson, son OF the dis
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