x WASHINGTON’S HOME AT MOUNT VERNON. 8 NN SOIC IICIOIISIIISIBICIOBICIOIOR During the Civil War there was only one spot in all our now United States where soldiers of both armies conld meet on common ground as [riends, not foemen, as brothers and sons of one father, the ‘Father of His Country.” That spot was Mount Vernon. A ‘truce of God” prevailed throughout the broad acres that con- tained the home and tomb of Wash- ington. Whether hunted by their enemy or drawn hither by the same reverent in- spiration that attracts visitors to Mount Vernon from every part of the habitable globe, wearers of the blue and the gray were equally welcome. The only restriction placed upon their coming was the servants’ request that they leave their arms at whatever point they entered the grounds, some- times at the old porter’s lodge, three- quarters of a mile away. At Washington’s tomb unarmed pickets of the South and North fre- quently met during the years of the “great conflict.” Sacred, however, as this home of p®ace is, it is to the women of the United States, and to them alone, that we owe the purchase and preservation of Washington’s home, and only their loving care has made possible the past and present restoration of this fine old type of the colonial mansion of a century and a half ago. The high privilege and real happiness of visiting this house and grounds, with all* their varied and tangible memorials so intimately as- sociated with the life and character of the immortal Washington, the American people owe to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union. Of the early struggles and patient’labors of successive members of this association much might be said. Organized in 1858, under the regency of Miss Ann Pamela Cunningham, it obtained by purchase some 200 of the thousands of acres owned by the late Colonel John Augustine Washington, last private owner of Mount Vernon, who found himself unable to maintain the estate. To his credit be it said, Uolonel Washington did not sell the land on which rests the tomb of Gen- eral Washington and his family. The tomb, or the two acres containing it, were deeded as a gift to the associa- tion. Later donations from Jay (Gould and others have increased the real estate of the association to 237} acres. The restoration, equipment and keeping of the respective rooms of ~ the mansion have been-intrusted to the noble women of the different States represented in the Board of Vice-Regents. These vice-regents are representative women of most of the leading States, appointed by the regent, their names being submitted by her to the Board of Vice-Regents for confirmation or rejection, after the manner of Presidential appointments. There are thirty-three vice-regents now in office. These ladies have wrested what they affectionately style ‘‘this, our beloved home,” from decay and almost from annihilation. Not only the mansion and tomb-—with its family vault and two sarcophagi in- closing the remains of ‘the General” and his ‘‘consort’” — receive their anxious care, but the work of the as- sociation extends to all the outbuild- ings and every distinctive feature of the grounds that has any connection with the period of Washington’s occu- pancy. The annual reports presented read at the yearly meetings of and the 3 * ¥ Stuarts, Dicks, Masons, Carlyles and other friends of Washington and the ‘Curtises, with their hair-powder, face- patches and silk stockings, and even their outdoor life, with outriders and fine equipages. In the report mentioned, and in conversation with the writer, Mr. Rogers explained how, in response 4o the request of the committee, he made a thorough examination of the cellar, first floor hall, second floor hall, the antique staircase that greets the visi- tor’s eye as he enters the main door, also the side walls of the halls, doors, cornice, columns (supporting the girder sustaining the upper floors of the mansion), windows, ete. After carefully removing each layer of a small section of the paint on the side- wall panels, the original color was re- vealed. This proved to be a delicate from various States. To be sure, they are, for the most part, neat and fres enough, but recent investigation has shown that they are not to-day as they were in Washington's time. Thus the ‘river room,’ or guest room, on the second floor; was originally gray, with white window sash; the mantel was originally painted white, then painted, at some later date, in infitation of gray stone. This should be restored to its original color, white. The chairboard and washboard should be gray. The woodwork in the Maryland room, the bed chamber of charming ‘‘Nelly Custis,” afterward Mrs. Laurence Liew- is, was originally the same gray as the walls of the first floor hall. The mantel was originally white, then painted black (two treatments) and again painted white over the black. This should be | burned off and repainted white, the window sash white, chair rail, trim and washboard gray. In General Washington’s room’ the mantel, now black, was white in its original coloring. The trim of theroom was gray and the washboard stained and varnished, and, at a later day, painted black, the chair rail and trim gray and window sash white. The above points were brought by Mr. Rogers to the attention of the Vid r WASHINGTON’S HOME AT MOUNT VERNON. French gray, almost a robin-egg blue. This color had originally been applied to the side walls and ceilings and panels of the stair skirting. This delicate tint was in entire harmony with the then prevailing hues as seen in the garments and appointments of persons of colonial distinction. The present coating of paint is a deep yellow-brown, grained and hideous enough to any one possessed of ar- tistic tastes. It doubtless antedates the period of control by the associa- tion. While carefully preserving any portion of the woodwork and carving from dilapidation, and repainting when the same was needed, it has only been recently that from six to ten layers of paint have been removed to ascertain what was the early col- onial tint. Mr. Rogers’ examination also extended to the doors, trim, door heads, choir rail, washboard, windows, stair-gkirting battons, cornice, etc. These proved to have originally been painted ivory white, china gloss finish on the hall side. The present cornice and cross gir- der, supported by two columns on either side of the hall through which the visitor approaches the staircase leading to the second floor, all are re- garded by Mr. Rogers as of modern construction and entirely incongruous with the rest of the work, Rebecca, Robinson, once a slave of John Aug- ustine Washington, told the writer the history of the origin and construec- tion of these columns in the hall. She states that many years ego the cross- beam supporting the entire upper part of the house badly sagged. Then an arch was raised to remedy this defect. This arch was regarded as ineffectual, and in 1884 it was removed and a new Ls / aN 2s WASHINGTON’S TOMB AT MOUNT VERNON. .s i Fo. Ladies’ Association show admirable results in their care of the place and in the accumulation of articles of use in, or identified with, the General's family life. T= During the gatherings of the Board last year, Mrs. Charles Curtis Harri- son, of Philadelphia (Vice-Regent for Pennsylvania), invited Architect T. Mallon Rogers, of Philadelphia, archi- tect of the restoration of Indepen- dence Hall, to come to Mount Vernon and confer with the Mansion Commit- tee. The result of this conference is fully outlined in.a written report made by Mr. Rogers, embodying details of a projected restoration to be under- taken this fall. This work will in- volve and effect a more complete transformation in the general aspect of the interior than any yet attempted. The restored second floor of Indepen- dence Hall has proved a revelation of Colonial beauty and simplicity. This restoration of the paneled halls and antique stairway of Mount Vernon will vividly recall the faces and costumes of 8, Fairfaxes, Lees, Piercys, Dulanys, Johnstons, Craiks, Hunters, Dades, Ramigays, Fitzhughs, Wests, iron beam inserted, braced from the cellar, and these columns erected ac- cordingly. They were never a part of the interior eonstruction in Washing- ton's time, and their removal will greatly add to the exact restoration of the first floor hall. Other details in necessary repairs to the oellar, and features of the staircase mot in har- mony with other portions, in varnish or color, form matter of no great pub- lic interest. An examination of the walls was made, starting from the stairway to the second floor, and after a removal of three layers of a small section of wall paper the fact was re- vealed that the original mortar was a colonial buff. In someplaces it would seem to have been white-coated, and in other places a rough finish of buff mortar is found under the paper. Re- search will be made to ascertain whether the walls were originally of a buff mortar finish or pagered after the fashion of one of the layers removed. It seems more than likely that, when commenced, this transformation of the halls and main staircase will nltimate- ly tead to a new restoration of rooms committee after an examination made by him at their request. As the great purpose of the associa- tion is to keep the mansion and its surroundings forever open to the public, the projected restoration will be made be degrees, so as to interfere as little as possible with the freedom of visitors. F. W. Parsons. WASHINCTON’S BIRTHDAY. The People Began to Celebrate It as Far Back as 1783. We may reckon February 22 as one of our oldest holidays, for though no Legislature had at that time set it apart as a legal holiday, the regular celebration of Washington’s birthday began in 1783. On February 22 of that year a party of gentlemen metina tavern in New York. One of them had written anode on Washington,another brought a list of tracts, still others had prepared speeches. There was great feasting, patriotic toasts were drunk, and before the company went singing home they agreed to meef to- gether on every coming. February 22 in honor of their country’s chief. Other little knots of friends followed their example, and before long the, celebration became general. Though not publicly recognized, wherever there were a score of more of houses the people gladly devoted at least a few hours of the day to jollity and good cheer. The celebration of the day gradu- ally grew in importance till in the be- ginning of this century. Every theatre on that day brought out some new play and made itself gay with flags and transparencies. Taverns spread their best cheer. There were balls and bonfires, barbecues and cannonad- ing, bell ringing, feasting and toasts. A glance over the Gazettes and Adver- tisers of that period shows that it was quite the end of March before they ceased to publish accounts of the fes- tivities which had taken place in every city and town in the land. ‘Washington was born before the adoption in England of the Gregorian Calendar, and was, therefore, born on February 11, old style. For a long time some of his most ardent admirers persisted in celebrating this day rather than the 22d. We find as late as 1796 certain counties in which men of the old school were unwilling to adopt the new calendar, at least so far as con- cerned the birthday of the Father of their Country. ? Dolls’ Hair. The hair on the head of most of the dolls in this country is made from the hair of the Angora goat. WASHINGTON. In the upright little sappling lives the mighty mountain pine, ” Straighter than an Indian chieftain with its long, unswerving line, Lifting high its sturdy branches, rooted in its rocky bed, Landmark to the valleys under, shelter for the weary head. In the boy so true and fearless lived our hero good and grand, Through the days of stormy trouble shelter to his native land. For the unbent twig, believarie, ever grows as an And the child of noble nature makes the noble-hearted man. ‘ make the best winter cows, given over to the care of vice-regents —Youth’s Companion, Corn Cobs for Kindling. Corn cobs are often used for kind- ling fires. But while they light easily, the cob being solid does not c¢reate a draught of air and the fire soon goes out. Finely split kindling is much better, as it gives more heat, and thus sets fire to the heavier wood. But if dipped in kerosene and placed under the wood, the cob will furnish heat snough to light dry wood in large pieces without using any other kind- ling. It isthe only wayin which kero- sene oil can be used with safety in lighting fires, i , Utilizing Incubator Eggs. Eggs are expensive food for chick- ens, but when an incubator is used the clear ones are sometimes given as food, but usually cooked hard., - This is a mistake. The best mode of feed- ing eggs to chickens is to pour boil- ing water on the eggs, beat them, and thicken the mess to a stiff dough with corn meal. Fed in this manner, con- stipation will be avoided, but they should not be used oftener than every other day, giving them at night. Hard boiled eggs are excellent, they ave usually fed too liberally and cause bowel disease.—Farm News. Hogs in Small Lots. It is neither profitable nor sntirely safe to keep great numbers of hogs together. Besides the liability to disease getting among them, there is always a certainty that the stronger will erowd the weaker from their feed- ing places, so that inequality in size will increase instead of decreasing. In every litter there are always one or two weaklings that were born runts, and unless given a better chance than their fellows, they will always remain runts. The best way to manage this is when the pigs are seven _or eight weeks old, take out the stronger ones and wean them, giving them plenty of the best food that can be got to make growth. Then the runts left to suckle the sow alone will in two or three weeks more take a start that may make them as good as the cthers, so that in later life all can be fed to- gether. No other feed, without the sow’s milk, will do this, though such other feed should be given and the pigs be encouraged to eat all they can be made to eat. Providing Winter Cows. Many farmers who would like to breed cows so as to have them farrow in the early fall are unable to do so, because it is difficult to get a cow which is giving milk to come in heat at this geason. It does not pay to dry off the cow,in which case she would come in heat quickly enough, but might be- come too fat to breed well. The bet- ter way is to feed extra with oats, wheat bran and middlings mixed with ground rye. If this rye has got some ergot in it there will be no trouble about the cow coming in heat. Rye in any form has the effect of increasing prolificacy in all animals that will eat it. There are many advantages in having calves dropped in the fall, pro- vided there are warm quarters for them the first winter. They will as they will naturally come in heat when a lit- tle more than a year old, and may be bred then. Spring calves also coming in heat in the spring make cows which will give the bulk of their milk during the summer, when milk and all dairy products are cheapest. —Boston Culti- vator. The Sex of Eggs. There are many theories regarding the hatching of eggs—i. e. the sex. Bome claim that round smooth eggs will produce pullets; others that the position of air space has much to do tvith the sex, etc.; but these are merly theories—not a fact in the lot. On'e of these theories might seem to give good results one season, only to be reversed the next. There is room for much experiment on this line. = The male bird has much to do with it—cockerels mated with two-year old hens and cocks mated with yearling hens. In ofr opinion the individuality of the male bird is all important. The stronger $his in- dividuality the more male birds will be the result. In special matings or double matings for show birds this has often been commented nupgn. We believe that this question will never be dettled, for the simple reason that hens have as strong individual quali- ties as cocks, and while a strong cock might influence a majority of his get, yet the minority, due to strong indiv- idual hens, will always be present. While experiments along this line will {be profitable, yet it is idle for the average poultrymen to thus employ himself. We do not believe we will ever be able to mate so as to produce either all pullets or all cockerels.— Agricultural Epitomists. Success With Home Made Fertilizers. For nearly 40 years I have been the pccupant of a rough, sidehill New England dairy farm, writes ‘‘A Vet- eran.’’ I ran in debt almost wholly for it, having hardly means to stock it and bly the necessary teams and tools. but’ always And after all these years, I must say one of the greatest sources of pleasure has been in clearing land of stones and bushes, and increasing its pro- duction fourfold. I well remember the pleasure given me by the first crop of hay taken from a nine-acre field of 24 good two-horse loads, this from a rough hilltop pasture without commercial fertilizer, and it is to- day a productive field, adding much to the beauty of the landscape. This is but one of a number of fields that have responded bountifully to the ap- plication of homemade fertilizers, I recollect one crop of corn producing over 200 bushel of ears per acre with homemade fertilizer, with a very little phosphate applied in the hill and clover turned under. For composting manure, TIT have found nothing equal to dry soil, often taken from the roadside, where it has washed from the road bed, and is of little value to use again as road ma- terial. A friend of mine made a prac- tice of storing a large quantity in the dry season and using it as an absor- bent behind his cows during the stab- ling season. The results were two heavy crops of grass and rowen in one ‘season, I use horse manure, sawdust and dry waste material in the trenches behind the cows, as absorbents of the urine. This greatly increases the quantity of manure, with good results. The live farmer who enjoys his calling with eyes open, will discover sources of supply to increase the manure pile in | in fallen leaves, in the wild ferns pastures, in swamp grass to be gath- ered and used for bedding for cattle, horses and swine. Much fertilizer is lost by allowing the waste from farm building to run in the same channels year after year; which ing new parts of the fields.—New England Homestead. Notes, are neither Toultry Good laying hens gry nor too fat. The large breeds, as a rule best for the table. Reduce the winter stock of poultry to layers as much as possible. Use carbolic acid occasionally in the dust bath, to destroy the lice. The best plan is to give a good riety of both cooked and dry food. va- Paralysis in chickens is often to overfeeding and lack of exercise. ~~ Wheat, corn and buckwhat fed to fattening fowls will whiten the flesh. It is often a good plan to feed corn | on the cob and let the fowls do the shelling. So far as possible in feeding, scatter the grain so that the whole flock will hold an equal chance. Well fed fowls rarely become over- fat when they are compelled to scratch among litter for their grain. The winter care of fowls is an easier matter than the stmmer - because there is less liability of disease. “Hens will not lay when their combs are frosted. ‘This is one reason. why warm, dry quarters are necessary. Never try to stimulate egg produc- tion with irritating condiments, as they usually do more harm than good. Hardiness, vitality and vigor of constitution are of more importance in poultry for profit than all other qualities combined. It is unreasonable to expect hens to lay in winter under adverse condi- tions. They require more food than at other times because a large per- centage goes toward supplying ani- mal heat to keep up their physical condition. Poultry in yards would give better returns than if on a range if properly managed, but to give a small flock the proper attention would cost too mueh labor. This is not counted when the flock is kept for pleasure, but on the farm the case is different. It is found that when charcoal is added to the food of fattening turkeys they gain more rapidly. ‘When crowded, a portion of the food is li- able to ferment in the gizzard. Char- coal absorbs gases and relieves acid- ity, and to this property of the char- coal the benefits are due. Herdiwg Sheep Good for Consumptives. Another class of men who watch sheep are those who do it for their health. Dozens of men claim to have been cured of consumption simply by putting in several months at watching sheep. The work gives what is most required in the deadly disease—plenty of fresh air, moderate exercise, and employment that is not wearing on the brain, but is still enough to keep it occupied and prevent nervousness. Of course, if a man has plenty of money, he can get these without herd- ing sheep, but there are many men who need them badly who have no money, and all who have taken advan- tage of this knowledge have surely been benefited. A number of men who have taken up sheep herding have become so fascinated with it that they have stuck to it long after they got over the trouble.—Providence Journal. Captain Brown of the British ship Windward has spent forty years sail- ing in the Arctic seas. . He began on a whaler when twelve: years old, and has been in the polar seas oftener probably than any other man. ™ { method proved very successful. | zarbolic acid should be | turned in new channels, thus enrich- | hun- | are the | | are not too busy to attend to the mat- due | SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS, The average weight of the brain of a Scotchman is larger than that of any other race on’ the globe. : A Russian admiral has invented an ice plow capable of breaking through ice from twelve to twenty inches thick. A German professor reports that he has found living bacteria in wine which had been bottled twenty-five or thirty years. Berlin is to have a combination . electric street railway, part of the sys- tem being underground and part run on the American elevated method. Artesian wells have proved success- ful in New South Wales, the area within which underground water is found extending 62,000 square miles. The Japanese cite 269 color varie- ties of the chrysanthemum of which sixty-three are yellow, eighty-seven white, thirty-two purple, thirty red, thirty-one pale pink, twelve russet and fourteen of mixed colors. Munich used to be notorious for its excessive typhoid-fever death rate, it being twenty-nine per 10,000 in 1856. With the introduction of a pure water supply and improved sewer system it has fallen to less than two per 10,000. The Berlin Post says that the estab- lishment having exclusive rights to manufacture Berlin’s anti-toxin pays him a monthly royalty of $17,500. The Paris Figaro quotes these figures, and observes that Dr. Roux, assistant director of the Pasteur institute iu Paris, does not profit at all from hig discovery. a is Plague bacilli, it appears from the elaborate report of the (German gov: ernment commission -to Bombay, in most cases enter the system through small wounds or scratches, and the disease is mostly confined to dwellers in poor and insanitary localities. The | bacilli are very quickly killed by ordi- nary antiseptics, and -heating serum inoculations gave little protection in the Bombay epidemic, but Haffkine’s This consists in inoculation with the prod- ucts of bacilli culture. Toa virulent growth of plague bacilli was added solution” or essence of mustard, destroying the microbes, but leaving products having remarkable protective power. An even better vaccine resulted from heating the { plague cultures to 150 degrees I'ahrn- heit for an hour. The Mystery of Sleep. The sleep of a human being, if we ter, always evokes a certain feeling of awe. (Go into a room where a person is sleeping, and it is diffienlt to resist the sense that one is in the presence | of tlle. central mystery of existence. PeopleWho remember how constantly they see old Jones asleep in the club library will smile at this; but look quietly and alone at even old Jones, and the sense of mystery willsoon de- velop. It is no good to say that sleep is only “moving” because it looks like death. The person who is breathing s0 loudly as to take away all thought of death causes the sense of awe quite as easily as the silent sleeper who hardly seems to breathe. We see death seldom, but were it more famil- iar we doubt if a corpse would inspire so much awe as the unconscious and sleeping figure-—a smiling, irrespon- gible doll of flesh and blood, but a doll [to whom in a second may be recalled a proud, active, controlling consciousness which will ride his bod- ily and his mental horse with a hand of iron, which will force that body to endure toil and misery, and will inake that mind, now wandering in paths of fantastic folly, grapple with some great problem, or throw all its force into the ruling, the saving, or the destruc- tion of mankind. The corpse is only so much bone, muscle and tissue. The sleeping body is the house which a quick and eager master has only left for an hour or so. Let any one who thinks sleep is no mystery, try to ob- gerve in himself the process by which sleep comes, and to notice how and when and under what conditions he loses consciousness. He will, of course, utterly fail to put his finger on the moment of sleep coming, but in striving to get as close as he ean to the phenomena of sleep, he will real- ize how great is the mystery which he is trying to fathom.—London Specta- tor. : How to Tell a Good Banana. “When you are buyingbananas never purchase thelong thinones unless you want fruit that will pucker your mouth. No matter how well ripened these thin bananas may appear to be, they will always be found both sour and acrid. This is because the bunch which con- tained them was picked too soon. The banana grows faster at first in length. When it has reached its full develop- ment in that direction,it suddenly be- gins to swell, and in a few days will double in girth. Tt isat the end of this time that it begins to ripen natur- ally, and the effortof the banana im- porter is to have the fruit gathered at the last possible moment, and yet be- fore the ripening has progressed even enough to tinge the bright green of the fruit with yellow. A difference of twenty-four hours on the trees at this time will make a difference in the weight of the fruit of, perhaps, twenty-- five per cent., and all the difference in its final flavor,between apuckery sour and the sweetness and smoothness which are characteristic of the ripe fruit. To get the bananas to our market in good condition requires fast steamers, which must be provided with ventilation and other means of keeping the fruit from ripening too fast in the hold. Much of the finest fruit does ripen in a few days of pas- sage, and this is sold to hucksters for’ ‘street sale. Blackfish have not been seen in : Massachusetts bay for thirteen years.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers