Pittsburg dispatch. (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, December 21, 1890, THIRD PART, Page 20, Image 20

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    V 20 i ' THE PITTSBUBG DISPATCH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, -1890.
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i
I
DINED WITH IRVING
Colonel Bnrr Describes a Delightful
Symposium Given by Lon
don's Great Tragedian.
SHORT SKETCH OP THE LTCEUM.
Situated Among Groceries and Gambling
Dens, bnt Tet a Center
of Intellectuality.
THE MANAGEMENT OP THE THEATEE.
Elta Ten; aid Her Acecsjlisitd Son it tht HosptaMe
Board Wtti the Rest.
COEKrSrONDESCE OF TUB DISPATCHI
Losixkr, Dec 12. Henry Irving cave
a midnight dinner only a short time
ago to a few friends, as he frequently does.
I was there. A number of pleasant people
were around the table, but the interest was
not alone centered in the company but in
the surroundings. The women and men who
sat and ate would have been more than wel
come in any company on the face of the
earth. The story which this dinner tells
is a singular one, because it brings out new
phases of character and presents Mr. Irving
in the light of a host, rather than that of an
actor and stage manager.
The caprice which prompts this remarka
ble man to surround his playhouse with a
romance surpasses my understanding. Vet
this is one of the sinews ot his power, not
only in England but in the United States.
He thinks we Americans are parsimonious
onlv in relation to amusements. The other
night he said to me:
IBYIXG'S OPINION OP AMERICA.
"An American will spend 20 for a din
ner, but debates about 81 SO for the play
house. I am delighted with my experiences
in the 2Jew World. While your people do
not have the same idea of seat values in the
tbeaters tbat we have here, they are per
fectly willing to pay me the same price as I
receive in England. I could not have
plaved for less. It cost me from shore to
shore $1,710 everv night I raised the cur
tain. I paid my company 60 per cent more
than they received in England, because the
difference in living between here and the
United States is so creat. I think Ameri
cans are liberal in the extreme with every
thing except the theater. There they are
economical, and the result is that they can
not get the productions that we can in a
country where living is cheap and perfec
tion can be obtained by discipline and thor
ough education."
The Lyceum Theater is a curious old
building. How long it was erected before
Henry Irving and Ellen Terry occupied it
I do not know. But those two remarkable
personages have given it an individuality
and strength that it has never before known.
It has strange surroundings. The entrance
is on Wellington street, and the door lead
ing to the pit is on the Strand. A .big gin
mill occupies the ground between this com
mon entrance to a great playhouse and the
place where the high-toned people enter.
A EESOBT FOE SPOBTS.
There are big, brown Corinthian pillars in
front which remind me of those before the
residence of Andrew Jackson at the "Her
mitage" in Tennessee, 16 miles from Xash
ville. To the right, as you co to the main
entrance, there is the gamblers' club. This
is one of the curiosities of Loudon, where
millions of money arc every night laid on
the races or at cards. Yet, the theater, with
its master, dominates the whole of this sec
tion of the British metropolis, and it is a
bright spot in a rather somber quarter.
There is an air of mystery surrounding
Mr. Irving's theater. Perhaps it would be
better to sav an air of dignity. He has any
number of secretaries and servants. It is
difficult to see the master of the house un
less you have an engagement. Then it is
cjsv. The morning usher is an old soldier
who wears an armless sleeve, and the author
ities call him a commissionaire. There are
1,500 of these veterans in London who are
undertaking to make a living as errand
runners, porters or attendants upon shops.
The average Englishman has no use for the
messenger boy. For a year tliey have been
trying to establish the new system patterned
after that in the United States, but the peo
ple won't have it, and the telegraph, which
is prompt and cheap, combined with the
commissionaire, fills the bill to the English
mind.
ATTBACXITE ONLY 'WITHIN.
The entrance to this historic playhouse is
cot inviting; in fact, all the theaters in Lon
don lack color and spirit either by day or
night They are dreary places to look at
and difficult to get into, tor you either have
to go under ground or upstairs to see a play.
As a rule, they are not attractive until you
get into them, but there is an air of comfort
about all the surroundings that makes you
contented wben you get there. The bar
room privileges ate abundant, and you can
have a drink brought to your seat or an ice
for your girl without going out. In fact,
they do not permit you to leave a playhouse
in London without charging lor return.
They provide everything on the inside and
expect you to patronize them. Yet, no one
abuses these privileges, and neither man nor
woman get funny because they are allowed
to have what thev want witbout leaving the
theater. These English women and men are
Tery much in love with their stomachs, and
food and liquor play a very eminent part in
the economy of this nation.
As I said before, the theaters are mostly
underground; some of them entirely so, and
they bear no comparison whatever to the
American play-houses for beauty, but in
comfort they can give us points. The seats
are roomy, the aisles wide and the attend
ance as perfect as it can be. That is proba
bly because pretty girls are the ushers in
stead of boys.
FILL ONE TVlTn APPEEHENSION.
The long passages and singular byways
by which you get in and out set the average
American wild with apprehension lest he
be burned up or murdered in case of a panic
The new theaters now being constructed
change this condition of affairs, and give
you more of an American play-bouse than
they have ever known in the British capital.
2o matter how big the kick among actors
and actresses about American theaters the
London houses are no comparison to them so
far a& comfort tor the players is concerned.
The audience, however, lares better and the
people who pay the cheap prices are just as
well off as those who buy the most expensive
Bests known us the stalls.
The Bookmaker's Club, within marble toss
of Heury Irviug's business borne, does not
contaminate it in the least. The Lyceum
Theater is the shrine toward winch all the best
of London turn. Mr. Irving and Miss Terry
impart a wonderful charm to this strange
old play-house. It is regarded as the home
of the drama, and Mr. Irving a intellectual
ity gives it a standing that is superior to all
else. His productions are the perlection of
stage management, and he prides himself
upon pictures as much as upon acting. His
idea is that in this age of wonderful re
sources there should be as much perfection
in detail as power in utterance. Beading
lines well does not play the entire part in
bis idea ot a production. Perfection in
scenery, color and costume lends its assist
ance to the actors who play their parts well
in all they have to do.
THE OLD BEEFSTEAK CLUB.
Tne Beefsteak Club was once a great in
stitution iu the social life of the British
Capital. It was once the resort of high-bred
Bohemians like Mr. Irving, and by some
strange chance it was located just back of
his theater. When it tell into decline or
moved its headquarters, Mr. Irving rented
the old building and had a stairway con
structed irom behind his stage leading up
to the rooms made lamoui by the revels of
all the old artists, actors and writers of
London. It is now the Garriek Club. No
theatrical manager of the world has so many
and such broad social qualities as Mr.
Irving. In and around this old home of
the Beefsteak Club he has established a new
order of things. The dining room is just
the same as iu the old historic days, but
there are new pictures, new surroundings
and a new and broad-minded master. There
is a portrait of Napoleon on the wall, but
a very lew reminders of the great (hop be
low, where money is earned to keep up the
expensive entertainments which take place
iu this strange attachment to a great play
house after the night's work is over.
No theatrical manager in the United
States has even a glimpse of such a life as
Mr. Irving leads in this strange old apart
ment behind his .stage where the pick of
broad men and women are often called to
eujoyhis hospitality.
COMPABED 'WITH BOOTH.
Mr. Irving must be as old a man as Ed
win Booth, and yet with all his love of his
feliows and of their association he is a much
vounger one Possibly this is because of
Lis constant touch with humanity. Mr.
Booth by force of circumstances is more or
less of a recluse. He is obliged to live
apart from men or their delights. His
knowledge of human nature is limited,
while that of Henry Irving is very broad.
While Edwin Booth is anxious to benefit his
profession he does not know how, as the
Players' Club in New York illustrates.
But Mr. Irving is so careful to keep within
elbow reach of the warmest elements of life,
whether they be grave or gay, that he knows
just whereto help the people whom he ad
mires. Perhaps no broader example could be pre
sented than in members of his own com
pany, who have been with luni for years,
and will probably remain with him as long
as he continues to be a factor in theatrical
life. Many of them are old, very old, but
tbey still act their parts, and be treats them
with a consideration that is remarkable I
have never thought Mr. Irving the greatest
actor in the world, but there is a complete
cess about his conduct and power that is
something far beyond the average.
IRVING'S MIDNIGHT DINNERS.
One night after I had looked upon the
splendid production of "Bavenswood," I
joined Mr. Irving in his dining room be
hind and above the stage. Frequently, very
Irequcntly he had these symposiums, to
which a dozen or more people sit down. It
is close to 12 o'clock before the first course
is served, and there is no telling when the
light will be put out The food is of the
best and the liquids of the rarest. But
there is no straining after effect, and there is
an atmosphere of liberty, and yet of intel
lectual force about the surroundings that
admonishes you all the while that here is
the home of hospitality, tempered with a
fine responsibility on the part ot all those
who participate.
The atmosphere of the whole place is de
lightful. There is nlenty of good talk tend
ing to improve the vision and touch the
reality of life The dinner is simply a ve
hicle to the greater purpose that lingers
from 12 o'clock at night until any reasona
ble hour in the morning. The surroundings
are such that no one dreams of license, and
if the day dawns before the intellectual
game is ended everv one goes home feeling
the better for having enjoyed Mr. Irving's
hospitality.
THE GUESTS AT THE BOARD.
Not long ago there was a notable gather
ing around this table from which so much
has been taken and over which so much has
been said. The affair was unique. Mr.
Irving sat in the center of the table, and
Ellen Terry directly opposite him. Mr.
Loveday was at the head of the table. He
is Mr. Irving's stage manager and super
vises all his productions. At the other end
was Dram Stoker, Mr. Irving's chief lieu
tenant in management To bis right sat
Ellen Terry's son, a handsome young boy
of 20 who wears spectacles, and has hair
which looks like his mother's. He plays
the part of a younger brother to his mother
in "Bavenswood" and plays it well. In
fact, there is something so sympathetic in
the conduct ot mother and son on the stage
that it seems to you like real, and when you
meet him at the supper table the illusion
only grows stronger.
Mrs. Ward, the mother of the sculptor,
sat next to Henry Irving and three or four
members of his company were sandwiched
around among different people while John
H. Francis, who owns the Troy Times, and
used to be our Minister to Austria, wore a
black scull cap, looked wise and talked
with all that diplomacy for which he is
noted. Mr. Irving's association with the
members or his own company struck me as
something unusual when you come to con
sider the relations between master and men.
HARMONIOUS AND RESPECTFUL.
Those around the table as well as those
who wee with him behind the scenes seem
to be in perfect harmony with his methods,
although they made it apparent by their
acts and utterances that they had great re
spect for him. Colonel Tom Ochiltree came
into the aymposium of intellect and fodder
to find some similar recollections ol old-time
days and to marvel at a theatrical manager
who every week entertains more Americans
than any other man in London. In fact, I
have olten thought that .air. Irving had
rented this Beefsteak Club and fitted up
that large dining room just to keep himself
in good temper with the people of the New
World whom he thinks well of, and is more
than willing to entertain.
One ot.the pleasures of the evening was
meeting Charles Wyndham, whom I knew
in the Union army during the Rebellion.
He and Irving are great friends, and the
limit of their hospitality has not yet been
touched. Wyndham has a singular theater
up on Piccadilly, which is entirely under
ground. The roof of his playhouse is a
restaurant and swell place where good food
and good drink can be found. The night
after Mr. Irving's dinner Mr. Wyndham
entertained the company in Piccadilly Cir
cus, just beyond his theater, where you have
to go down three nights of stairs to nnd
your seat Going inlrom the street you are
confronted with a sign board pointing to
ward the cellar, reading: "This way to the
theater."
A CLOSE BUSINESS MAN.
"I have co habits," said Mr. Irving one
day to a man who asked him what were his
hours. "I live in the theater," he con
tinued, "and every day at 12 o'clocc you can
find me here unless I have some very special
engagement I have plenty to do to look
after the details of my business on and off
the stage, for I not only act but pay close
attention to management"
Just at this moment Mr. Loveday, the
stage manager, came in and the actor turned
to give him directions for the day. There
seemed to be perfect harmony about all the
arrangements. Every hour seemed to have
its exactions, and the heads ot departments
appeared at a fixed moment, transacted
their business and retired. No surplus
words were wasted and In a short time Mr.
Irving turned to his mail, which is some
thing enormous. Letters of inquiry upon
all sorts of subjects are awaiting his direc
tions, and he had to answer all kinds of
questions asked by stagestruck girls, by a
preacher or a statesman. As men and
women in England rarely send letters ex
cept those written with their own hand. Mr.
Irving is obliged to pen a large number and
a great deal ot his time is taken up with cor
respondence. Alter supper in the Beefsteak Club I sug
gested the possibility of his coming to
America next fall.
"No," he replied, "I am going into the
provinces and Mr. Dalv is coming to my
theater. I do cot intend to leave England
again soon unless some new condition arise
of which I am not sow advised."
Frank a. Btjbb.
Phonographs In Hospitals.
The telephone has for some time been used
in Tarious hospitals as a means of communi
cation between patients who were suffering
from infectious diseases and their visiting
friends. It is now proposed that the phono
graph be brought into the hospital lor the
entertainment ot the patients,and it is argued
that a phonograph in a ward, with a large
and constantly renewed supply of cylinders,
would be a source ot amusement and pleas
' nre to the patients, which wonld admirably
supplement the hospital treatment.
IN HUBBY'S POCKETS.
The Pretty Wives Can Go and Take
Onl All Tbey Can Find.
NO LAW FOE SUCH A THEFT.
Beauty Musi be Painted to Show Well
Under tbe Gaslight.
A MIEEOE AB AN ADVERTISEMENT
ICOEEESFONDEKCB OF THX DISPATCH. 1
New York, Dec. 20.
OSY beauty doesn t
ilways get on happily
in the married state,
and this fact some
times gives rise to odd
questions. For in
stance, can a woman
be arrested for robbing
her husband? Under
the common law of
England, no; for hus
band and wife are so
absolutely one that
a woman might be ar
rested for transferring 5100 from one pocket
to the other. But the so-called reform spirit
of the age, especially in the great State of
New York, has gone far toward destroying
this oneness of the domestic relation. A
married woman may now perform almost
any act possible to an unmarried one. She
may have her own real or personal estate
and control it absolutely; go into business
on her own account, or take her husband in
as her partner; will her property away to a
friend and leave her husband penniless;
.and so distinct and separate are man and
wife nowadays that a well-known ex-railway
President lately arrested his wife for
larceny because, upon leaving his bed and
board, she had carried away valuable furni
ture and refused to return it
"I'm sorry this case never was allowed to
reach the Court of Appeals," said a lawyer
to me, "for I would like to have a decision
to guide me in a case which came into my
office last week. Briefly, the facts are these:
For several years an old client of mine,
whom I'll call Gibbons, has had trouble
with his wife. He wanted me to draw up
articles o! separation, but I counselled for
bearance on account of the children. Gib
bons is a wealthy man, has an elegant resi
dence on upper Filth avenue, a host of
charming friends and, according to my
thinking, a charming wife. But in spite of
my wholesome advice to both sides, things
have been going from bad to worse lately,
until Mrs. Gibbons returned to her family,
the daughter following her, and the sou
sticking to his father. The day after her
flight Gibbons rushed into my office ashen
pale and too agitated to speak. I gave him
a glass of brandy and water and waited for
him to pull himself together.
"'Would you believe it, he ejaculated,
she has robbed me?'
"'Bobbed you? I repeated.
"'Yes,' he whispered hoarsely, 'of 510,000
in bank notesl The money was in my pri
vate safe in the dining room you know
where it stands. She must have taken the
keys out of my trousers pocket while I was
asleep. I want you to arrest her for larceny
this very morning.'
" 'I don't think I can do it,' X said
quietly.
" 'Can't do it?' he almost shrieked. 'Is
there no law co justice in the land?'
" 'Calm yourself, Gibbons,' I made an
swer; 'You must look at this matter in the
proper light A wife can't steal lrom her
husband. Get tbat into your head at once.
I'll try to reach this money by replevin.
That's all I can do, and I don't believe that
will be effectual, for it will cot be found in
her possession.
"'This is infamous,' he blurted out
" 'I'll say this, however," I continued;
'if you can prove miud what I sav that
she took the $10,000, it will be charged
against her in providing for her support;
but I don't believe you can prove she took
it. It is hard, I admit, but the world is full
of just such bard things. I am afraid you
are $10,000 out, and I'm almost ready to say
you deserve to be.'"
Christinas In the Shops.
Christmas shopping has been the feminine
pursuit in town during tbe past week, of
course, and I have kept my eyes and ears
receptive to its peculiar phases. It was in
one of those huge emporiums where yon
may purchase anything from a sealskin
jacket to a dictionary. The young lady iu
the rich furs and with such fresh red cheeks,
who had just bustled in from the cold street,
sat down on a revolving stool at the first
counter she came to, and said to one of the
salesgirls that she desired to make a great
many purchases and did not wish to run
about from counter to counter. One of the
floor walkers sauntered up and said be
would take her orders if she desired to en
trust them to him. Accordingly she drew
a slip of paper from her portuionuaia and
proceeded to read lrom it
"I want," said she, "six yards of your
very best black cashmere, three of the pret
tiest lamp shades that you have, all blue; a
bootjack for a man, six pairs of your best
black silk stockings. No. 4 not lor a man;
a pair of bcissors, a crockery coffee pot for
tbe kitchen, a box of gold-colored hairpins,
a bottle ot lavender water, a bath sponge ot
crystal inkstand, a dozen linen collars for
myself. No. 13, and a half dozen pairs ot
oh. I'll get those of this young lady."
The floorwalker assured tbe young lady
that he would personally perform her com
niisMon so that she needn't wait She
thanked him, and then, beiore banding to
him the card containing the orders, she
erased the last item and put in its place:
"One copy of Milton's 'Paradise Lost,
bound in half calf."
When the floorwalker had disappeared
tbe young lady turned to the salesgirl and
made her quiet purchase, after which she
sought her carriage. The girl was some
what different from the old maid at a neigh
boring counter who had been trying to
select a pair of mittens for the greater part
of an hour, and was not then decided
whether she wanted them blue or brown.
The Magic of a Mirror.
"I have always attracted attention to my
window, ' said a Broadway merchant, "by
means of a very simple and commonplace
device tbat I should think would be utilized
by more men dealing in wares such as mine
In my window is a mirror, as you have, of
course, noticed. It is the only mirror to be
seen from the sidewalk between Madison
Square and Thirty-third street There is
not a regular promenader in the neighbor
hood who doesn't know my mirror. Women
anticipate it a block away, and when they
arrive opposite to it they take a quick glance
to see if they are looking well. It is just
here that I catch them. That is a peculiar
mirror. It lends a fresh color to nearly
every face. It refuses to reflect sallowness,
and at the same time it softens the tip of a
too red nose The men and women have
grown to love me and my store, simply be
cause every time they pass it they get such
a picture of themselves that they are made
happy.
"A woman who has been up late the night
before comes along with a sad countenance,
and when she gets to my window she looks
np at the mirror. Instantly a light of joy
springs into her eyes and her gait grows
elastic. Instead of the pale and heavy-eyed
creature that she leels, she sees a face that
is deliciously pink, while the eyes look only
poetic and interesting. A man who is feel
ing mean and needs a shave, shambles up
and when he views himself in tbe mirror be
is delighted. Helooks ten years younger than
hedidwhen he examined himself in bis own
bandrglass that morning, and, as for shav
wrTkWMUku
, &KrSM?J r
ing, he is so attractive as he is that be goes
away wondering if it wouldn't be a good
plan to let his beard grow. Oh. it's great.
If you were to ask me the very best way in
the world for a storekeeper to drawattention
to his windows I would say put in a com
plimentary mirror. One must be very care
ful, however, to secure a mirror that softens
blemishes. The publio is very conceited,
and when you prove that It's nose is in
flamed it beoomes your enemy. By all
means secure a complimentary mirror.
Beanty Behind Footlights.
At a theatrical benefit given at one bf the
city theaters on a recent Sunday night.a very
famous comic opera singer of trnly splendid
beauty sang a song. She was attired in
street costume and she had not painted her
face.
"Why, she looks positively ugly," said a
young woman in one of the front seats to
her companion. "I always imagined she
was so lovely."
The singer was, in fact, as lovely as ever,
but in leaving off her "make-up" the foot
lights of the stage threw a glare across her
countenance in Buch a manner that every
line was accentuated ten-fold and her com
plexion was rendered ghastly. The actual
beauty of Mrs. Langtry or Mrs. Potter has
never been seen by those people n;ho have
merely witnessed them perform. Both of
these women make up badly, and cannot
possibly preserve the extreme delicacy of
coloring and texture tbat is noticeable in
them when viewed in the light of the street.
If Lillian Bussell were seen on Broadway
at noontime as she is when acting she would
have a crowd of small boys following her,
she would look so like a freak, with the
purplish-red spots on her cheeks and
temples, the marble whiteness of her nose
and chin and the heavy cakes of charcoal
tbat cling to her eyelashes. Yet Miss Bus
sell is one of the most skillful women at
making up that the stage possesses and she
obtains an effect of almost perfect beauty.
Ladles who sit in proscenium boxes suffer
sadly from the effect of the footlights.
There is Mrs. Grover Cleveland, who always
occupies a box when she goes to a theater,
and who looks so pale and peaked that
everyone in an audience remarks upon the
decline of her reported beauty. Now, tbe
face of Mrs. Cleveland is in reality as fresh
and pretty to-day as it ever was In the
full glare of daylight the skin is delicate
and white, and the lines are as soft as could
be desired. Her beauty is remarked upon
by strangers who do not recognize her. one
lady who sat opposite her in an elevated
train the other day observing to a companion
that "the tall young woman who just got on
has tho purest complexion I ever saw."
This same lady would have been impressed
in an almost precisely opposite way had she
seen Mrs. Cleveland in a theater box.
A young lady in society was conversing
on this very subject with a man some even
ings ago. "Oh," exclaimed she, "I don't
believe it is quite true tbat you cannot look
beautiful in a theater box. Why, I that is,
I have seeo a lot of my pretty friends In
boxes, and they looked lovelier than ever."
"Yes," replied the gentleman, "but Mrs.
Cleveland, vou see, probably never antici
pated the effect of the footlights;" and as he
spoke he dusted from his coat sleeves the
powder that had lodged there in some mys
terious manner during the last waltz.
Clara Belle.
BITTING BULL'S PBIDE.
It Would Not Permit Him to Uncover His
Head Before the Camera.
Dnring a visit of Sitting Bull and some of
his braves to Washington several years ago
it was decided to take a photograph of them
in the Capitol. The photographer got his
camera ready, and the group was arranged.
Several of the Indians had on their hats,
and through one of the interpreters the
photographer suggested that the picture
would look better with heads uncovered.
The Indians were loath to remove their
hats, but finally, alter much persuasion,
they consented to appear in the picture
bareheaded. Only Sitting Bull refused.
He had on a tall silk bat of an ancient date
probably "of the vintage of '79" and he
was evidently impressed with his own ap
pearance The photographer appealed to him,
through the interpreter, to remove the hat;
but Sitting Bull made no reply. He merely
folded his arms, threw himself "back on his
dignity" and struck a heroic attitude. He
presented a most ludicrous appearance, but
he swelled with evident pride and dignity,
and said not a word. The photographer saw
it was useless, and so the picture was taken.
In the group of 40 or 50 Indians there ap
peared only one with covered head. That
one was the old chief Sitting Bull.
Tipping the Hat
The custom of lifting the hat, not only
to one's lady friends, but also to gentlemen
acquaintances, is on the increase, and now
it is almost universal when gentlemen greet
each other. It is one of tbe most curious
survivals of a chivalric usage. In the olden
time, when might was right, a knight sel
dom appeared in public save with his arms
and protected by his helmet and coat of
mail. Among friends the helmet was laid
aside as a token of the security he felt
A Conservative Pennsylvania!!.
Indiana (Pa.) Messenger.
Ararat, Pa., is tbe abiding place of a
man who has lived in Susquehanna county
all his life, and has never yet set his foot on
a railroad car, though tbe Erie tracks run
through his farm. When the road was built
he declared that the locomotive was the in
vention of Satan, and he wanted to die be
fore one whistled through his meadows. All
attempts to induce him to take a ride upon
a train have thns far proved futile
The Male and the Horse.
Some people say that a mule can be fed
cheaper than a horse, but they are not post
ed on the subject. A horse will eat more
grain than a male, but the latter will de
vour twice as much bay, and will need it,
too, to keep him in proper condition. A
mule can stand more hardship than a horse.
but more work and better service will be
rendered by a borse than by a mule
To Core Squeaky Shoes.
I had a pair of squeaky shoes, says a St.
Louis man in the Globe-Democr&t, and tried
every remedy I had ever heard of. Nothing
succeeded till the other day a working shoe
maker I rode with on a street car, told me to
bore a lew holes half through the soles and
let out the air that was doing all the mis
chief. I tried the remedy and found it per
fect Brave, Indeed.
Cblcaco Inter Ocean.
"Speaking of brave men," said Colonel
Bluegrass, of Kentucky, "there is Colonel
Blood, of our town. He's the bravest man
I know" "Indeed!" "Yes, sahl Why,
sab, the doctor prescribed a glass of water
oeiore Dreasiasi bij ujuiuiuk, nun, sau,
the Colonel is taking it without a kick."
A Noteworthy Exception.
From the Kimball (S. D.) Graphic
While the columns of the Graphic are
open to any and all unobjectionable adver
tisements, yet it is quite impossible for us
to speak knowingly of the merits of the va
rious articles ot merchandise advertised.
Particularly is this true of patent medicines.
But there are exceptionsoccasionally, and a
noteworthy exception is the celebrated
Chamberlain's Cough Bemedy. This now
universally known medicine has been ad
vertised in the Graphic lor four or five
years, but not until recently had we any per
sonal knowledge of its wonderful efficacy,
which has come about through the prevail
ing influenza and the stubborn cough that
his so often attended it In the writer's
family this medicine has ou several occa
sions this winter cured a cough that b iffled
any and all other remedies, and the number
of families in Kimball and vicinity in which
this remedy has been used with like effects
attests to its value at a specifio for coughs
and colds of every nature xhsu
CHRISTMAS DINNERS
May Doubtless be More Fancy Than
This, but Kot Any Better.
ELLICE SERENA'S SPECIAL MENU.
Dainty Dishes to Tickle the Stomach and
Gladden the Heart.
AN ALL-AHEKIGAN PLUM PODDING
rwsxrrzit ros in dispatch.1
The Christmas Menu. ,
Oysters on half shell.
Mock bisque sonp.
Boast turkey, bread-crumb dressing.
Cranberry sauce, scalloped oysters.
Stripped potatoes; Creamed turnips.
Stewed celery. Baked sweet potatoes.
Orange salad.
Hard crackers. Cheese. Olives.
Plum pudding, brandy sauce
Mince pie
Ices. Cake
Baited almonds. Fruit
Mericgued coffee.
OYSTERS OK HALT SHELL.
Wash the oysters on the outside until clean
and bright. Kemovo the upper shells, detach
tbe oysters and serve on the deep shells con
trary to tbe .English fashion.
Garnish with celery tops or sprigs of green.
Serve on a separate dish a quarter of lemon
and a thin sandwich ot brown and white bread,
cut in fancy shapes.
MOCK BISQUE SOUP.
Stew a pint of tomatoes for 80 minutes.
Strain and add to a quart of milk about to
boil.
Stir in a tablespoonful of dissolved corn
starch and two tablespoonfuU of butter.
Season highly and serve on warm soup plates
a ladlef ul for each plate.
SOTAL F1SII SAUCE.
Cream together two lablespoonfuls of butter
and a heaping tablespoonful of flour.
Add gradually a pint of boiling milk and stir
over the nre until It thickens.
Bemove, stir in the beaten yolk of an egg and
a tablespoonful or minced parsley.
Season with salt pepper and cayenne
EOULETTES.
To a heaping pint ot mashed potatoes, add a
tablespoonful of butter, two of cream, tho
beaten yolks of two eggs, a little grated onion,
a teaspoonful each of parsley and sweet mar
joram, a dash of cayenne, salt and pepper to
taste
Heat tho mixture thoroughly, set aside to
cool and then form into ballets.
Glaze with eggs, roll in cracker meal, arrange
in a frying basket and immerse for a few min
utes in boillDg fat.
Serve as a garnish for tbe boiled fish.
BOAST TUKKEY, BEEAD-CRUMB DRESSrSQ.
Select a fine young hen turkey. Draw, pre
pare for roasting and fill with a dressing made
as follows:
lo a quart of stale bread crumbs, take two
tablespoonfuls of butter, a level tablespoon! ul
of salt a fourth teaspoonful of coarsely ground
pepper, a small onion, minced, a teaspoonful
each of sweet marjoram and summer savory.
Sew up the opening, truss, season, lard with
thin strips of sweet bacon, and cover with
greased nhite paper, tied securely.
Put to roast in a baking pan ou meat rack,
pour in a cupful of hot water, and cook, ac
cording to size, from 2 to 3 hours, basting fre
quently. Garnish witu small port sausages
fried brown, and serve with rich brown gravy.
CItANBERBT SAUCE.
To one quart of cranberries, pickled and
washed, add a pint of boiling water.
Cover closely and simmer until the berries
burst or pop.
Add tn o enpf uls of sugar and cook gently
uncovered and unstirred for 15 minutes.
Mold and set to cool.
SCALLOPED OYSTEES.
Batter a deep baking dish, cover the bottom
with fine cracker crumbs and moisten with
oyter liquor.
Over this put a layer of fine large oysters;
seasun with salt, pepper and bits of butter.
Contmuo tba layers, the seasoning and
moistening until the dish is full.
Strew tho top thickly with tbe crumbs and
pour over the whole a cupful of milk, with the
beaten yolk of an egg adueo.
Cover the dish and bake slowly for 80 min
utes. Uncover and remove from the oven when
well browned.
STRIPPED POTATOES.
Wash and pare smooth, well-shaped potatoes.
cnt into strips not too thin wash well and
steam tor about zu minutes or until tender.
Put some butter into a stew pan, and when
it is melted throw in some very small parsley
sprigs, season with salt and pepper and pour
over the potatoes.
CKEAMED TURNIPS.
Bcrape the turnips, throw Into cold salted
water and let stand for 3D minutes.
Scoop them with a small vegetable cntter,
being careful to have tbe balls well rounded.
Cover with boiling water and cook until
tender, adding salt when they are about half
done
Drain, turn Into a dish and pour over them
cream dressing, which should be well seasoned
with salt, pepper and a large lump ot fresh
butter.
BAKED SWEET POTATOES.
Take a half dozen good-sized sweet potatoes,
prepared for baking. Split lengthwise and
parboil for 20 minutes.
Arrange in a baking dish or pan, season
lightly with salt and pepper, dredge with flour,
toft with butter, and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake until brown and tender,
ORANGE SALAD.
Peel six or eight tart oranges and strip oft
tbe white inner skin.
Cut into thin slices with a keen-edged frnlt
knife removing the seeds and thick skin of the
cores.
Strew over them a half cupful ot sifted sugar
and the juice ot half a lemon and a gill of
sherry. Prepare abont two hours before serv
ing and keep in a cool place.
CHEESE.
After the salad course serve two kinds ot
cheese mild and pungent with bard crackers,
PLUM PTJDDINQ.
The Christmas, or plum pudding, is one
of the features of that holiday dinner iu
England, which is so general, from all ac
counts, tbat every family is presumed to
have it if nothing else The name ia familiar
to us from its association with the 'nursery
rhymes of our childhood.
Who that has read Dickens will not
remember the dinner at Bob Crochet's and
the incidents connected with (it? We are
reminded oi its importance on all sides.
Washington Irving says that the names
of the very streets and alleys of Eastcheap
bear testimony to the good cheer of that lo
cality, ot which Falstuff was betimes a
notable resident, one of the streets still be
ing called Pudding lane.
A. curious ou oi pudding lore is preserved
in the account of a celebration of an anni
versary as far back as 1661 at Newcastle-on-Tyne,
at which there was a gathering of
the provincial nobility and gentry. In an
ticipation of the great number of guests
who were expected, each of the citizens and
patrons was requested to bring his own dish
of meat This very naturally led to a com
petition, and many strove for prominence;
but the specimen ot Sir George Goring was
accounted the most unique. This master
piece "consisted of four huge, brawny pigs,
piping hot, fitted and harnessed with ropes
of saosage, all tied to a monstrous bag pud
ding." AIT ENGLISH PUDDING FEAST.
It was an old custom in England, and in
some parts it is still retained, of having nt
stated periods a pudding feast. At a village
in Lancashire there is such a feast held
every 21 years, called the Aughton Pudding
Feast, and the latest one occurred recently.
On that occasion there was a plum pudding
of 1,000 pounds' weight After being car
ried around the village in procession, it was
distributed among the villagers and those
who were attracted thither through curi
osity. But while we speak of plum pudding we
may assert our patriotism by declaring that
more of the ingredients which enter into tbe
composition of a veritable plum pudding
are produced in America than in England'
and thanks to Mr. James W. Parkinson'
one of tbe most accomplished writers and a
most excellent authority on this special sub
ject, we have available the means and
method of making an American-English,
plum pudding which, judges say, is unex
celled. Following is the recipe for this delectable
disn:
Stone a pound of the best California raisins:
or, where the American raisin is not In the
market then the best of Imported bloom
raisins.
Wash and clean a pound of Zante currants.
Mince fine a pound of tbe best beef suet
Mix with this in a large pan a pound ot stale
bread crumbs and half pound of floor.
Bee that this bread is neither sour nor moldy
Use tbe crumbs only ot tbe sweetest home
made bread.
Even the flour must be scrutinized to see
that it Is still sweet and originally of the best
wheat
Beat together in another pan eight perfectly
fresh eggs.
Mix with these half a pint ot tbe Dest and
richest milk.
Scan the milk very closely, especially if -it is
"milkman's milk."
Pour the eggs and milk thus mixed over tbe
suet and the flour.
Stir and beat the whole well together, and
add tho currants to tbe raisins In a separate
dish.
Season these with an onnce of cinnamon,nalf
an ounce of dinger, a grated nutmeg and a
teaspoonful of salt
With theso blend two 20-ounce pippin apples
chopped np very One Now, add ten ounces of
the best Louis lana sugar.
Chop np a pound of best California citron
(or imported citron); a quarter of a pound of
California almonds; two ounces of California
or Florida orange peel, and tbe same quantity
of lemon peel. Pour In a generous wine glass
of best California or Catawba brandy.
Tie in a stout cotton cloth and boll briskly for
six hours in a large pot with plenty of water
tor a plum pudding is in soine respects like a
duck, it likes to swim.
Prepare and mix your materials at least 21
hours befnro you begin to coot. It requires
time to prepare this high piece of art.
Beiore removing the padding from the bag
Immerse in cold water.
SAUCE FOE THE PUDDESO.
Put into a small sauce pan two ounces of
prime batter, and to this add a large table
spoonful of flour.
JIIx these well together while they are cold
with a wooden spoon.
.. p.onr ,n half a Plat of cold water and add a
little salt.
Place these over the fire and stir until it has
almost reached the boiling point bat not quite.
Now add a glass of the best brandy, some
powdered sugar, a dust of cinnamon and tbe
grated peel ot half a lemon the outside rind.
Slake the sauce hot and sprinkle another
aash of cinnamon on the surface.
Now ornament our plum padding with a
miniature American flag stack on top. Four
over and around it a small quantity ot pure
California brandy.
Now set this brandy on fire and serve In a
blaze of glory your eldest daughter at tho
iano playing the tune ot "Hail Columbia!
LappyLanai"
MEHINQUED COFFEE.
From a mixture of three-quarters of a pound
of Java and a quarter of a pound of Mocha
take a large tablespoouful for each cup and
one for the boiler.
Put the ground coffee into a pan, setiton the
stove and shake gently until it is thoroughly
heated, without scorching.
Moisten with cold water and stir in a whole
egg. shell included.
Pot the coffee Into the pot and set where It
will gently simmer for ten minntes.
When ready to serve put a tablespoonful of
hot milk Into each cup, partly fill with coffee,
and add a tablespoon! ul of whipped cream.
Pass with cut sugar. Ellice Serena.
TEYTNG 10 TAX CAT8.
The Minister of Finance of Saxony Moved to
Write on the Subject
Hew York Sun.
A tax on cats has been proposed repeated
ly by Saxon financiers of the last three or
four decades. Becently the petitions for
the introduction of the tax have become to
numerous that the Minister of Finance has
been moved to publish a rather exhaustive
paper concerning the impracticability of
the scheme in question. In this paper he
says:
"Aside from the unpopularity of the tax
in the household, sufficient reasons against
it may be found in the impossibility of a
careful assessment and correct collection,
the difficulty of determining the owners,
and the prevalent reluctance of any one to
take charge of stray cats. Again, a cat
canuot be marked in such a way as to show
that the tax on it has been paid. The
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals suggests a leather collar, with a
record of the payment on it This, how
ever, would hinder the cat in catching rats
and mice, and would be likely to hang fast
on nails and pegs, thns causing the cat
great misery and "eventful deatb, often from
starvation. All references to the dog tax
mnst fall of all argumentative force, as the
cat is of a different nature and cannot be
confined within the same limits as the dog."
TUMBLED TO TEE GAME.
A New Yorker Discovers What the Drop 6f
the Handkerchief Means Nowadays.
Hew York Times.
A gentleman who makes It a point always
to carry a few nickels in his pocket for any
worthy mendicant whom he meets during
his day's wanderings Btarted to cross City
Hall Park from the Park Row side yester
day afternoon -when he was approached by
a seedy individual whose face waa almost
blue from tbe cold.
"Excuse me, sir," said the seedy one, "I
have been down here for two days from
Boston and I haven't eaten Oh, thank you,
sir, you're a gentleman," his smudgy fist
closing over the nickel.
The gentleman turned after taking a dozen
steps and saw the seedy one drop his hand
kerchief. Instantly another beggar sidled
up and also got a nickel. Like tbe first, he
was profuse in his thanks and emphasized
them by dropping his handkerchief. Then
came a third, with the plausible tale of a
long and wearv walk from Philadelphia.
"See here," said the gentleman, "I've
just been held up by two of your pals, and I
think you are a gang of professionals.
Skip!"
Number three took the advice, but failed
to drop his handkerchief.
E0HEST7 TBE BEST POLICY.
The Experience of a Hungry Beggar Con
firms the Troth of the Law.
Hew York Tlmes.J
A gentleman was hurrying across City
Hall Park last night when a rough-looking
man stepped up to him and said: "Kind
sir, will you " and his voice sank away in
a plaintive whine that ended in incoher
ence The gentleman passed on. "Sir, will
you " urged the other, persistently follow
ing alongside. The gentleman passed
sternly and silently on. "Gimme suthin'
for a lodgin', sir." Tbe gentleman still
paid no heed. In a sort of desperation tho
rough-looking man suddenly shook himself
together and in a loud, strong voice, with
all the obsequious whine gone from it,
roared out:
"Darn it, bo, I'm darned hungry.
Gimme a nickel, will yer?"
The other suddenly stopped short, drew
some coin from a side pocket, gave it to the
man, and passed on.
"Well!"' muttered the .tramp, "hanged er
honesty ain't tbe best policy after all."
And with a smile that knew not care he
picked his way across the park and disap
peared in the darkness.
AH AWFUL BmtTEB,
One Man Allowed to See Himself as Others
Did.
rrom the Philadelphia Times.
Jay Gould tells the following little story,
which is not without amoral: "Daniel
Drew once went into a tabernacle where sin
ners were confessing their crimes. There waa
one man thumping bis chest and accusing
himself of so many awful offenses that Drew
became horrified. Turning to the man
next to him he inquired:
" 'My friend, who is this man who has
done these awful things?'
" 'I don't know who he Is,' the stranger
said to Drew, 'but I guess from his account
of himself he must be Daniel Drew.' "
Chasing His Tall.
&&
Old Toi It's of no use. me boy;
you'll
never obtain your ead.
THE LADIES OF LIMA
Easily Carry Off the Eibbon In the
World's Beanly Show.
SENOEITAS AT TBE BOLL FIGHT.
They Cheer Their Lovers on to Glory
Whether Living- or Dead.
SIGHTS 1.1 PJZAREO'S OLD TOWN
ICORKKSFOTOIXCX or THS DISFATCB.I
Lima, Peeu, Nov. 20. The sojourner
within these gates finds it difficult to be
lieve himself living in the latter part of the
nineteenth century, so strongly do all tbe
surroundings savor of vice-regal days.
Those vice-kings of Spain left their finger
marks upon everything, and there is hardly
a street, park, public garden, church or gov
ernment building that was not named,
planned or erected by one of them.
Beginning with the great Plaza Major, or
principal square, which covers nearly nine
English acres, we find that the handsome
stone fountain in its center, surmounted by
a bronze statue representing Fame, was
built in 1653 by order of a Viceroy. One of
tbe earliest Viceroys erected the enormous
cathedral that faces one side of this plaza,
with its facade painted red and yellow, its
three green doors and a tower at each angle.
Eor nearly three centuries its altars were
burdened with gold and silver and jeweled
articles of church service and ornament,
until a few years ago, when most of its
treasures were appropriated and converted
into money by a needy republican govern
ment In its dark crypt is the stone coffin
of Pizarro, the conqueror, and another con
taining the remains of his rascally relative,
Gonzalo Pizarro.
THE PALACE OP PIZABBO.
Another side of the same square is occu
pied by a rather mean-Iooking building,
with small shops beneath it, which is no
less than the old palace where Pizarro ruled
with a high hand during his brief dav here,
and where he was assassinated by "the men
of Chili," who appointed themselves the
avengers of Almagro's murder. Its upper
part still serves as a Government "palacio"
and is occupied by various officers of the
new regime.
The long, straight streets that diverge
from this central square and run at right
angles have an appearance of age and sol
emnity not borrowed from tbe frail struct
ures that line them on either side. As
earthquakes are momentarily expected and
the city stands in the very heart of the rain
less region, its peculiarities of architecture
are largely the outgrowth of local causes.
More substantial structures of brick or
stone could not so well resist the convul
sions of nature and the taller and more top
heavy thev were, the greater would be the
danger to their inmates; therefore the build
ings are generally of one story onl", seldom
more than two, and of the lightest materials
that can be made to hold together. One
can hardly believe that the apparently mas
sive towers and buttresses of the extensive
churches are merely great wicker baskets,
deceptive combinations of canes and poles,
tied together with thongs, plastered over
with mud, and painted; .but such is the
case
HOT A SIHGLE CHIMNEY.
As the absence of rain renders pitched
roofs nnnecessary,the coverings of the houses
are flat, often made of poles, over which ia
spread a matting of Bhredded cane, support
ing a layer of ashes and dried grass, In
tended to absorb the dampness of the fogs.
More commonly, however, the roofing is of
boards, overlaid with adobe; and one is
struck by the fact that in all Lima, and, in
deed, in all South America, there is not
such a thing as a Northern chimneyl The
barred windows are relics of early days in
old Castile, when precautions against
bandits were a constant necessity: and they
have served equally well in this country
during the time of tbe viceroys, against
hordes of pirates from tbe sea and bands of
robbers from the mountains, and in later
days against revolutionists.
The more modern houses are two-storied,
and these always have balconies, regular
Borneo and Juliet retreats, whose golden
opportunities for flirtation are by no means
neglected. Wherever there is an upper
story, the lower one is seldom used for living
purposes, but is generally given over to
stabling the horses, storing the carriages,
servants' quarters, etc., or is rented room by
room to as many small shop keepers. It is
not all uncommon to find a family of high
degree and great social pretensions, belong
ing to that exclusive inner circle of upDer
tendom, than to gain admittance whereto it
would be easier for a camel to grow through
the eye ot a needle, residing aboye a
butcher's stall, while near the main en
trance a cobbler sits.
THE PLACE FOB PBOMEHADIHO.
The two Bides of the Plaza Major are oc
cupied by portales, with shops behind them,
or to be more explicit, by buildings whose
street lronts are faced by pillared corridors
roofed in a long series ot arches. These por
tales are the favorite promenade of the ladies
of the city, and therefore, as a matter of
course, of the gentlemen also. At all times
and seasons one may meet here the beauty
and fashion and "flower" of Lima, as well
as tbe extremes of riches and poverty, pride
and squiilor, that make up the variegated
life of this old city.
The shops are small, but surprisingly
crowded with handsome goods, and in them
one may find nearly every article of fashion
and luxury which the largest stores of
NOTICE!
The guess prize contest now in force at HIMMELRICH'S
Shoe House, 916 BRADDOCK AVENUE. BRADDOCK.
will be brought to a close on SATURDAY, December 27,
so as to have every guess recorded in due time for the an
nouncement which positively takes place JANUARY 1, 1891.
All those who have not availed themselves of this golden op
portunity of buying Shoes as low as ever should make their1
selections now and receive a ticket with each purchase, which
entitles you to a guess of how many buttons in jar exhibited
in
ourwindow. UUK JrlUl.lJJAY bLIFfEK. DISPLAY
IS GRANDER THAN EVER.
O-TJESS PRIZE
Men's and Boys Department, A FINE GOLD WATCH.
O-TJIESS PRIZE
Ladies' Department full equipped SEWING MACHINE.
O-TJESS PR,IZE
Misses' and Children's Department, A HANDSOME LIFE
SIZE DOLL.
HIMMELRICH'S,
916 Braddock Avenue,
BRADDOCK.
Europe and the United States can show.
They are neatly all kept by foreigner,
French predominating. Germans coming
next in line, then a few Italians and En
lishnien. Some of the finest fancy goods
stores are owned and managed by Chinese
merchants, who enjoy the monopoly of trade
in embroidered mantas and silk dresses.
There are three or four large establishments
conducted by merchants from the United
States and the house of tbe Grace Brothers,
(of which Banker William B- Grace, of
New York city, is the bead), practically
monopolizes North American trade iu Pern.
THEATER AND BULL BIXO.
The quaint old theater, which nowadays
serves lor a swell Italian opera house, was
built by another Viceroy, more than 100
years ago. Its alleged "boxes," which are
mere empty stalls, all open upon a gallery
in tbe open air, and to get into one ot them
yon mnst climb a long flight ot outside stairs
leading to tbis airv corridor. The splendid
Pantheon (cemetery), just outside the city
limits, was laid out by another Viceroy,
Abascai, in the year 1808. Its chapel con
tains a handsome altar, and there are many
costly monuments and well-kept flower beds.
The vaults are built up in the walls, like
rows of ovens, tier above tier, each num
bered in order. Most of them are rented for
a stated number of years, payment of course
being iu advance; and if the lease Is not re
newed at the end of the term the coffin, with
whatever it may yet contain, is summarily
evicted.
Another victory laid out the beautiful
Alameda ("grove or elms," of public paseo),
and also built tbe bull ring. The latter ii
well worth a visit, though bull fights are
now of comparatively rare occurrence, say
half a dozen iu course of a year. It is au
immense circular enclosure of old-rose tinted
adobe, surrounded by seats rising tier above
tier, with "boxes" above as in the theater,
the latter being entered irom an outer cor
ridor, reached by flights of stairs running
up outside the circle. The fashionable en
tertainment is what is known as "bull bait
ing," and always takes place on Sundays.
The bull is not always killed as in Spain,
Mexico and some other countries, but is
simply tormented for the sport of the popu
lace AH AEISTOCBATIC SPOET.
Generally the young bloods of society do
tbe "baiting" and it is looked upon as a
very high-toned athletic sort of pastime,
something like cricket matches in England,
or polo at Newport The senoritas decorate
tin darts with lace and ribbon rosettes and
give them to their lovers to thrust into the
hide of the bull. The great .'eat is to stick
these darta into the face or the fore-shoulder
of the enraged animal, and in order to do
so the thrower must stand in Iront of his
horns. No horses are disemboweled in these
performances, bnt it now and then happens
that a gentle maiden has the excitement of
seeing her active young lover gored to
death. Many years ago an attempt was
made to suppress bull-fighting alto
gether; but though the press was opposed
to it and many of tbe best people,
the "ruling passion" was yet too strong in
the minds of the populace. So it was de
termined to regulate the Snnday pastime by
law. The official code is about twice as
long as the Constitution of tbe Bepublie
As all the world knows, tbe ladies of
Lima are proverbial for their beauty. Such
large, liquid, "soulful" eyes; such rosebud
lips and pearly teeth; such dainty hands
and feet and rounded arms and graceful
figures, it would be hard to find so commoaly
anywhere else on earth. A comparatively
few of the more ultra-fashionable wear mod
ern hats and bonnets for state occasions, but
the vast majority still cover their glossy
black tresses with the lace mantilla or black
mants of silk or wool. Some of the embroid
ered mantas of black crepe are extremelv
beautiful, and cost from $100 to $500, the
amount of silk embroidery upon it indicat
ing the wealth of the wearer. Ordinary
mantas can be bought for from $15 to $30.
A common article of dyed cotton is imported
from England, at a cost of ?3 or ?1 a piece,
for the Indian and negro women.
THE SPAHISH IXQTISITIOH.
It was not long after the conquest before
the inquisition was established in Peru
that fearful engine of Spain's despotio
power. It is a mistake to suppose tbat it
was altogether a Popish institution; or
here it was essentially Spanish at least in
its worst form. The student of history
knows that while the Spaniards were using
it as a cloak to cover tbe most hideous
enormities, popes weie found expostulating
against the atrocities they perpetrated. Cer
tainly the inquisition of Spain and Peru
was not so much a religious as a political
institution, employed by rulers to render
themselves absolute. In theory, the In
dians were exempted from its jurisdiction,
but it is extremely doubtful whether those
persecuted people always escaped its cruel
clutches.
The Peruvian Senate now occupies the
Council Chamber of the old Inquisition
building, whose famous ceilinsc was carved
by monks in the mother country and sent
over as a gift to Pizarro's capital in the
year 1560. In the old days the Council
Chamber was presided over by three Inquis
itors; and many were the unfortunates
whom they condemned to be burued, near
the spot in the suburbs of San Lazaro
where now stands tbe bull ring. Others
were torn upon the rack, or partially broiled
over live coals, or subjected to other diabol
ical torments, long alter the inquisition had
ceased to exist in Europe It was only at
the beginning of the present century and
shortly before the Peruvian war for inde
pendence (in 1812, I believe), that the
fearful tribunal waa abolished and an in
lariated populace destroyed all the instru
ments ot torture. The room where the
latter were employed adjoins the Council
Chamber, and is now used as a retiring
room for the Senators, tbe dark pockets in
the walls, in'which heretics were sealed np
and smothered, being utilized for closets
and wardrobes. Faniue B. Waed.
de&tf