Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-02-02


Star of January %, 1897, Washington
is the organ grinders paradise.
Music No other city in the country
Note begins to approach this city
in its appreciation of barrel
organ music. While the population
may certainly be termed musical one,
the popularity of the barrel-organ here
would seem to indicate that the musical
tastes of Washingtonians are nom
eclectic, large, liberal, democratic; that
The Maidens Prayer and The Black
Hawk Waltz harrel-organed, find lis
tenlng ears here, as well as grand operas,
oratorios and chamber music. Any and
all hand organists are given hearing,
and much backsheesh, in the form OF
copper and silver coin, besides. Several
Sicilian hand organ virtuosi have been
in Washington for years. y" These ex-
press their determination to remain here
several years longer"
"A man who gave his name as Morti-
mer Downing" disclosed The Star for
.,-.. January 26, 1897, was
Vondoljsm caught In the act of
At CopitoI striking match on the
marble statue of Daniel
Webster in Statuary Hall at the Capitol
this afternoon. Being noticed by Capitol
policemen, he was at once taken into
custody and sent to the sixth precinct
station house. where he gave collateral
in the sum of IS and was allowed to
depart. This is the second case during
the past week of an arrest for striking
matches on Websters statue"
Supplying letter boxes to the Post
Office Department must have been a
fairly lucrative business
New so years ago. The
MojI Boxes Star on January 26,
1897, chronicled the fact
that 80 different manufacturers we're
competing for contract to furnish
them. Each bidder submitted sample
Thus go boxes all painted and let
tered were shown" in a gallery ar
ranged for their accommodation. Rolled
steel was the material of which they
we're made. THE boxes now in use
1t was affirmed, will continue to adorn
the sporadic lamp post until smashed
by the occasional runaway or the OPP
perfume thief. But they ultimately will
be wholly displaced" The old boxes
were of cast iron construction, and lit
was an easy matter for an expert
craftsman to cover them with blanket
and quickly blow them to pieces and get
away with the contents"
X X
Numerous complaints, said The Star
of January %, 1897, "have been re-
ceived at the Treas
Currency ury Department with
Disopproved respect to the new
silver certificates.
They emanated principally from mer-
chants whose business transactions re-
ouire the constant use of notes of small
denominations. :. Judging from the
character and extent of their repre-
sensations, the new notes, with their
deliberately artistic designs, have not
won the. popular success that was
hoped for by the Treasury officials
responsible for their existence. The chief
objection to them is that they do not
wear well. that they tear easily and
that they soon become blurred and in
distinct. . - The great mass Of engrav-
ing on the front and back of the certif1-
Gates, greater than was ever put on
notes previously issued by the Govern
ment, adds much to the difficulty OF
easily distinguishing the different de-
nominations"
1t was reported in The Star for jan
uary 80, 1897, that Victor Herbert and
the band of the 22d
Victor Herbert Regiment, New York
Chosen National Guard, had
been selected to fur
r1ish the music for the Mckinley inau-
gural ball and for two concerts follow
ing that event The choice naturally was
popular. Mr. Herbert at the time was
only So years OF age, but he already had
won grand reputation as cellist, .
conductor and composer. Soon he