OCR Text |
Show -I At the National Capital j H Gossip of People and Events Gathered in Washington Next Mistress of the White House LBIIIIIIIIIH HOUSE - ofsV WASHINGTON. When Mrs. llooso-velt llooso-velt leaves Washington next March her place ns "first lady of tho land" and mistress of tho White Houso will bo taken by a woman gracious nnd tactful, of broad culture nnd Intellectual In-tellectual strength, a fit hostess for tho presidential mansion nnd n lit helpmeet help-meet for tho president. Mrs. William Hownrd Tatt la no stranger to tho Whlto Houso. During hor husband's term of secretary of war sho was n frequent guest of Mrs, Roosevelt's and almost Invariably hold her placo In tho receiving lino nt tho largo presidential receptions. In her girlhood days Mrs. Toft, then Helen Herrou, was tho houso guest for Bevernl weeks of President and Mrs, Hayes. This visit Is said to bo ono of Mrs, Tnft'B most highly-prized recollections, but It may be that In tho THOUSANDS or tho halt million farmers, farm-ers, teachers, physicians, business men and others who wore invited to co-opernto with tho commission on couutry life havo already sent In ro-piles ro-piles to tho list of questions asked thorn, although tho Ink Is hardly dry on tho printed sheets rushed out to thorn, Tho members of tho commission which was appointed by President Iloosovolt to conduct this oxtonslvo Inquiry In-quiry Into the conditions or furm llfo tho country over, have a problem nt perhaps groator magnltudo to work out than over enmo boforo n similar commission. Not only Is tho subject of tho Inquiry ono of great Importance, Import-ance, but tho breadth of Kb scopo Is such as to require tho varied conditions condi-tions of tho whola country to bo token Into account. Tho amount Of work Involved will hardly bo realized by tho casual rentier, Tho mora reading of tho letters which ore flooding In each day In answer to tho questions Is a difficult, though most Interesting, task, for tho commission's Incoming mall Is running from 3,000 to 6,000 pieces a dny. And this Is not oil, Thero Is vastly more ahead for the commission's Interest In-terest Is by no means conflnod tn those who happonod to bo on tho list of 600,000 to whom tho questions havo IF IT Is truo that llarou Speck von Stornburg left all his fine old silver nnd art treasures tn hi. widow nnd that sho prefers to convert the curios Into cash American collectors will have a rare opportunity to obtain antiques. an-tiques. Von Stornburg spent a good .part of bis big Income In gathering silver, Oriental Ori-ental bronzes and tapestry. It Is said that ho carried flOO.OOO Insurance on his collection, and thnt his bronzes and Ivories surpassed many public museum collections'.' Washington gosslpers say the baron could leave his widow, who wns Lillian Lil-lian Langham of Loulsvlllo, only his private possessions, as bis father Is still living and none of the ancestral signed by President Washington. It covered a devlro for making pearl ashes, and tho document Itself Is said to bo now OWIlPlIiyn rirnpn mUor "tori' "M'r.'Moorn estimates that tho one millionth patent will bo reached In tho year 1911. As going to hIiow tho inventive ten. dency of (he Aluarlcun mind, ns compared com-pared with oilier count'Jet, Mr. Mooro calls attention tn tho fact that notwithstanding not-withstanding tn.' among the newest earlier tiny In tho Whlto House no B thought entered tho head of the young H girl guest that ono day she would be H mistress of the mansion, H Tho now enres and social duties :flH which Mrs. Tatt will havo to take on may tax her strength to tho utmost. but It Is probably true that there could H not bo found n woman better fitted for 'H tho placo than the wife of the next H prosldcnt. Sho has Individuality, strength of character nnd an Inde- H pendenco of belief, added to a mind H of raro cultivation, the result of years of study and travel. She has devoted horself to tho caro of her homo and H children nnd the socondlng of her hus- H band's public career, nnd In the latter capacity she has familiarized herself with tho great questions of tho day, J So well equipped educationally fit,1 Mrs. Toft that sho will not only be jM ablo to convcrso intelligently on sub- H Jccts of public Interest with her own countrymen, but being n linguist, she H will bo ablo to discourse familiarly with foreign statesmen and diplomats 'H In tholr own tongues, It Is said that H Mrs. Taft has devoted a part of each H dny for years to the study of languages nnd music, nnd In both has attained a proficiency reached only by tho few. Great Problem for Country Life Body Just boon mailed. Only a comparatlvo- ly row or tho farniors nnd tholr fnm- lllcs could bo reached In that way, and hctico tho nowspapers havo boen en- llBted to bring tho Inquiry to tho at- tcntlon of tho widest circle uf readers It Is possible to reach, Tho field cov- 'H erod Is so broad that It touches the Intorest of overy ono familiar with country-Ufa conditions. This Is shown by tho list ot questions which are ;H being asked tho people of tho country. H Under each question an explanation H for tho roasim of tho condition Is '-H asked, and suggestions as to what 'H should bo done aro Invited, The pith ot tho whola matter Is contained ln '.H tho concluding question; What, in -H your Judgment, 1. tho' most Important 'H single thing to bo done for the gen-oral gen-oral betterment of country llfo? Tho commission Is anxious to hear jH from ovcryono who la acquainted with or Interested In conditions surround- (""""" Ing tho farm, and luttors will reoh their destination safely tt simply ad- ' dressed to tho Commission on Coun- try Life, Washington, D. O. Tho qttes- tlous may ho replied to by number, or 'H any special phase ot tho subject dls- cussed. Tho rich oxpcrlcnco of men who .H havo spont their lives on the farm l should provo most helpful, aBd out ot , .H It should come a wide expression ot r opinion nnd practical suggestions for , tho consideration ot tho commission. Never beroro In this country or any jH other hns such on opportunity been offered to tho formers to prosent their -jH vlows and their needs, and the ultl- ' mnto success of the Inquiry will de- pond In largo measuro on their co- IH operation. uLfl Widow May Sell Valuable Art Treasures wealth had come down to Speck. NeH From his mother, however, ho received lLfl rich salt mines In Qallcla, and . from theso ho derived his wealth. iH Tho state dining hull and tho draw- 'H Ing rooms of tho Von Steruburg home '-.L aro filled with silver sconces and carved pieces that ropresont tho old- :IH est signed work ot workers at Nurem- burg and Ilrugcs. 'H Certain sconces woro part ot the booty obtained by the baron's anoee- fM tor, Gen. Ilaron von Sternburg, who 'H took a conspicuous part In the Thirty . H Years' war. Tho sconces belonged to jH un nbboy near Dresden and bore mor- ILfl tuary tnblots of dead abbots. When tho sconces camo to adorn Castle Btornburg tho records of the Henedlo tines wero removed and glass placed Instond. jB Tho great swan that was a consplcu- 'H ous ornament on the Stornburg buffet attracted tho attention of J, Pierpont jfl Morgan when he was entertained In the embassy. This piece, It Is be- ' jlovod, will go to the Morgan collee- , American Patents Reach 900,000 Mark I f 00. oo olfebl Patents T"f? Wood's H mm THE nine hundred thousandth patent from the United States patent office of-fice has been Issued, nnd to It was attached at-tached the name ot Putont Commissioner Commis-sioner Mooro. The patent was an improvement on traveling stairs, such as are used In hotels and other largo buildings, and whllo Mr. Moore ordinarily attaches o.ily his last name, with his initials, he signalized the attainment of tho nlno hundred thousandth by using his full name of Kdward Ilruco Mooro. In the early history ot the nation the law required that patents should bo slKned by the president, and as tho first one was Issued during tho first presidential administration It was of nations tho total of patents Issued :H by tho United States Is not very far ijl below tho total for all other countries -B for all tlmo. The Issuanco of foreign 4H patents up to the date of last reports j 1H was 1,135,000, or only 235,000 In excess jH of tho total for this country. ijH |