July 7, 1907 (Sunday)

CHARLOTTE BRONTE'S BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION: In London, Sotheby's is getting ready to sell an unusual batch of relics later this month. The collection includes some schoolbooks belonging to Charlotte Bronte (shown) and her copies of books by Voltaire and La Fontaine. In addition, auctioneers will sell her writing desk and workbox and a LOT OF MANUSCRIPTS. Among them is an "apparently unpublished work in seventeen chapters, entitled 'Caroline Veruva,' written by her under the pen name of Charles Townshend." Also, there a small piece of paper that's the size of a threepenny bit, on which she wrote the Lord's prayer.
The lot also includes Charles Dickens' copy of "A Christmas Carol" -- one he used when reading aloud -- and a first edition of Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," a copy of which once was sold for 1,500 pounds.

PRIEST TURNS TO A HIGH-TECH SOLUTION TO TAKE THE PLACE OF AN ABSENT ALTAR-BOY: A story with a Toulon dateline indicates that a parish priest in the Department of Var has come up with a clever way to deal with the shortage of altar boys in his area. In order to have a voice ready to give the necessary responses during the celebration of a mass, the priest made a phonograph recording. He spoke the necessary sacramental words, recording them onto the plastic disc. It's all "timed to make responses at the proper moments," according to the article in today's New York Times. He's praying the record doesn't skip.

GERMAN-AMERICANS WHO RETURNED TO THE FATHERLAND ARE QUITE NERVOUS ABOUT CHANGES IN IMMIGRATION RULES: A new law regarding immigration has caused plenty of anxiety among American citizens of German descent who have chosen to live in their homeland during their final years of life. The specific provision that concerns them about the law -- which went into effect on July 1 -- is quoted in today's New York Times:
When any naturalized citizen shall have resided for two years in the foreign State from which he came, it shall be presumed that he has ceased to be an American citizen, and his place of general abode shall be deemed his place of residence during the said years.
They want the State Department to issue some kind of statement allowing them to stay where they are -- enjoying the fruit of their labor -- as full citizens -- in the United States. The paper says, "Hundreds of German-Americans living in the Fatherland fought in the civil war and draw pensions."

U.S. ATTEMPTS TO FIND OUT WHY ITALIANS WANT TO COME HERE: Members of the American Commission for Emigration are in Italy trying to learn more about the impetus behind the massive Italian immigration, which has grown rapidly since about 1870. (This picture shows an Italian family coming to America about 1905.) Members have interviewed many Italians -- both those who have returned from America and those planning to go.
The commission asked one person -- with relatives in Hoboken, N.J. -- why he wants to go to America: "Because I am told that in America there are free lunches, while here we almost pay for the air we breathe."
Another young man said his uncle promised him passage to the U.S. and the man plans to go. He hopes to do well enough in the U.S. so he can save $10 and return to Italy and BUY A COW, "by which he could live comfortably for the rest of his life."
Here's one exchange between a commissioner and a prospective emigrant to the U.S., as presented in today's New York Times:
"Why do you return to the United States?"
"Because the wages are higher and there is more liberty!"
"What do you mean by more liberty?"
"There is NO MILITARY SERVICE."

July 6, 1907 (Saturday)

CLERGYMAN WANTS TO BECOME A CITIZEN -- AND LEAPFROGS OTHERS IN LINE AT COURT: Dr. Charles Frederick Aked, who recently took over the pastorship of the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church in Manhattan, took out his first naturalization papers yesterday at U.S. District Court. In passing the first threshold to citizenship, Aked -- who came here from Liverpool, England -- formally renounced his allegiance to King Edward and also stated he was neither a polygamist nor an anarchist. An article about this was on the front page of today's New York Times. The story mentioned in an oblique way that Aked had received some preferential treatment in the process. The relevant paragraph put it this way:
Dr. Aked expressed himself as greatly impressed with the proceedings and declared that the method of naturalizing citizens was really beautiful. A long line of would=be citizens was still curling its way through the corridor when Dr. Aked left with his first papers.
The Boston Globe put it a little differently:
When he reached the U.S. court the distinguished divine found a long line of ragged aliens waiting and was about to take his place at the foot of the line when he was saved the annoyance and his case was at once attended to by the clerk.

BALL STICKS IN THE FENCE, SO LAJOIE TROTS HOME AND BEATS NEW YORK: With Cleveland and New York tied 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Cleveland's Nap Lajoie came to the plate with nobody on base. A home run seemed unlikely. He hadn't hit one since 1905. He took the third pitch and drove the ball to deep center field at Cleveland's League Park (shown above, after a renovation in 1910). Hoffman raced back as the ball hit off the screen. To Hoffman's horror, the ball STUCK IN AN OPENING IN THE SCREEN. According to today's New York Times, Hoffman "wildly began to claw the ball and CUT HIS FINGERS in a vain attempt." The ball fell to the ground, but by then Lajoie had crossed the plate with what was to be the winning run.
(Note: When the park was rebuilt in 1910, it had some very interesting dimensions.)

July 5, 1907 (Friday)

ITALIANS SEARCH MORGAN'S YACHT LOOKING FOR ART: As financier J.P. Morgan's yacht Corsair (above) sat in the harbor of Venice recently, Italian officials acted on a tip that a number of items from the Strozzi collection -- linked to the belongings of Filippo Strozzi, builder of the famous palace in Florence -- were hidden on board. So, customs authorities clambered aboard the yacht and searched. They did not find the art they sought, according to an item in today's New York Times. The paper notes, "The protests of Mr. Morgan, who was on board at the time, were disregarded."
(This Corsair is one of a number of Morgan-family ships with that name.)

CROWD GIVES HIGHLANDERS A DISTINCT HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE IN GAME WITH THE ATHLETICS: The New York Highlanders (aka Yankees) split a holiday double header yesterday with the Philadelphia Athletics at Hilltop Park (shown above) in New York. One trouble: About 20,000 showed up to watch the game. The park's capacity, according to today's New York Times, is about 15,000. Evidently this was not a problem in the first game, as 5,000 people calmly watched while standing on the field, in foul territory. When that game ended, the crowd started surging onto the field, to get a closer look at the players and the diamond -- "as if they had never seen them before at close range." When it came time for the second game, the crowd lacked discipline. Pinkerton officers and some players were required to push the crowd off the field. They were so close to fair territory that "only a few of those in the stands could see the infield." That led to trouble. People in the stands threw cushions and "pop bottles" at the spectators on the field. Once New York scored six runs in the third inning, the spectators thinned out. It was noted by the Times that "several of New York's runs were made after the Athletics were prevented by the crowd from catching fouls which would have been easy outs under normal conditions."

COULD THIS BE A TASTE OF GLOBAL WARMING? Today's New York Times reports that the warmest spots in Europe on July 4 were ABOVE THE ARCTIC CIRCLE. Lapland sizzled at 70 degrees, while London chilled out at 56 (at 8 a.m.). And Iceland was "several degrees warmer" than some spots on the coasts of Ireland and Wales.

July 2, 1907 (Tuesday)

FUNERAL POSTPONED; THE ASHES ARE MISSING: The Philadelphia funeral for Dr. Charles Evert Cadwalader, who died last month in London, was scheduled to be held tomorrow in Christ Church in Philadelphia (shown). However, the service has been postponed indefinitely. The ashes have been lost. He was cremated in London, and the ashes were sent to the United States. They were supposed to be on board the New York, which arrived in Manhattan on Saturday. The package, which measures one foot per side, can't be found. No record was made of the crate in which it was placed. The Times reminds readers why the doctor's name likely sounds familiar:
Dr. Cadwalader shocked Philadelphia's exclusive society a few years ago by marrying his housekeeper, Bridget Mary Ryan. Soon after that episode the Cadwaladers took up their residence in London.

STOCK BROKER GIVES PITTSBURGH A PEEK AT "THE BATH": All the furor about the painting "The Bath" drew lots of attention to the work, by French artist Gaston de la Touche. (For background, check out the entry for May 2, 1907 on this Web site.) Pittsburgh stock broker Robert C. Hall has bought the painting, which won first prize in the recent Interantional Art Exhibit but was rejected by the Carnegie Art Gallery. When news got out that the controversial painting was being removed from the gallery, hundreds showed up to watch, and hope for a glimpse of the picture, which depicts a woman "in the act of donning her garments by a pool." The article in today's New York Times speculates that these gawkers "had never entered the gallery."
Hall plans to exhibit the picture in one of his office windows for a week before hanging it in his office.