Demoreali Winton
=
Bellefonte, Pa., January 9, 1925.
PLEASANT GAP.
Prof, Treaster spent Chrismas with
his parents, at McClure, Snyder coun-
ty.
Prosperity is coming in leaps and
bounds, and our pool room has added
two new tables.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Corl are vis-
itors at the home of Harry Bilger.
Mrs. Corl is a sister of Mrs. Bilger.
Our friend, Charley Stitzer, has a
severe attack of acute Bright's dis-
ease. His many friends hope for his
early recovery.
Contractor Otto Hile has very wise-
ly been selected as bricklayer for a
good sized job at the western peni-
tentiary. Otto is master of his pro-
fession.
Miss Margavet Swartz had a most
enjoyable kitchen shower in honor of
Misses Henrietta and Helen Gettig.
Both young ladies were recently mar-
ried, hence the grand entertainment.
Our esteemed friend, Christ Hoffer,
of Bellefonte, spent Christmas at the
W. H. Noll Jr. home. Christ knows
where to locate palatable eats; and
by the way, he is always welcome
when he returns to his former home.
To say the least it looks rather en-
couraging when we take into consider-
ation that Whiterock has increased its
payrool from $4,000 to over $20,000 in
the past year. It occurs to the writer
that that is going some. It certainly
reflects great credit on the judicious
management of the promoters.
Dorothy Mulfinger and mother, of
Williamsport, spent Christmas at the
home of Mr. John Mulfinger, who in-
cidentally had a grand feast in honor
of his son, who resides at Cleveland.
The entire connection enjoyed the fes-
tivities on this unexcelled occasion,
and no one enjoyed the event more
than did Johnny.
Yes, the continuous cold spell is
surely having its inning in this vicin-
ity; but never mind, there is always a
calm after a storm and a change in
weather conditions is anticipated. The
farmers, who are so worried over the
drought will no doubt be supplied with
a sufficiency of water for their every
want. They can depend upon a just
providence Who will come to the res-
cue in due time. He never fails.
Some of our school teachers tell me
that they have considerable trouble
on account of truant pupils; they seem
to make it a point of having all kinds
of senseless excuses to absent them-
selves from their studies; they don’t
seem to realize that they are robbing
themselves, or that they are facing a
reformatory, where they will be de-
prived of their liberties for a number
of years. It would be well if our
school directors would take a hand in
annihilating this ruinous nuisance.
Bell and Showers, proprietors of
our new poultry farm, are getting in
shape to fill orders for choice chicks
the coming season, so that we can be
supplied at home. Mr. Showers states
that they wrote to a certain Farm pa-
per for advertising rates, and a reply
came promptly, giving as their rate
for a page ad. in colors, $12000. per
annum. To say that the new firm
was dumbfounded would be putting it
mildly. Many of our people think
that when our home papers charge ten
cents per line they are extremely ex-
travagant. The new firm has decided
to patronize our home papers for the
present.
The sweeping assertion, sometimes
made, that modern marriage is a fail-
ure, 1s a grotesque exaggeration. The
pathological phenomena whice give
color to this view, proclaim themselves
from the house-tops and shriek in
public print. On the other hand, the
normal, happy marriages do not pro- | If
claim themselves, but rather shun
publicity, and bring their homage to
the prenates in the guarded precincts
of sacred privacy. Fortunately, the
great majority of marriages, though
they be not perfect, as nothing human
is perfect, are, doubtless, on the
whole, the brightest aspect of the life
and the human race.
The word duty is one of the hardest
words in the speech of men, and one
of the most important. It was duty
that sent 10,000,000 soldiers to their
death in Europe, and many times ten
million others to wounds and hideous
suffering. It is loyalty to duty that
holds our civilization together in time
of peace and that gives us at least the
promise of something higher and bet-
ter than the usual selfishness of hu-
man character. Whether in politics,
in religion, in business or industry,
they will never be helped to a better
understanding by their deviation from
duty. The workman may dislike his
job and have small respect for his em-
ployer; yet when he undertakes a
task he assumes a responsibility which
he cannot ignore without proving
false to the demands of his own sense
of duty,
Our K. K. K’s had a most bounteous
banquet at Noll’s hall a few evenings
ago, which was up-to-date in every de-
tail and was very liberally patronized.
They had a superb orchestra and all
were delighted with the ably managed
entertainment. A most beautiful
scene was demonstrated before the
hall. At 10 o'clock a large cross,
spreading out about fifteen feet, with
the three K’s artistically attached was
fired and created unusual excitement
in the community. Rev. Rishel had a
very able and appropriate address.
He lauded the organization for its un-
usual activity in the way of charities
bestowed upon the poor during the
holiday season, and in the course of
his remarks said the people would be
surprised if they knew the amount of
money expended for the poor during
the holiday season, in Pennsylvania
alone. It is surely a great blessing
for a well disposed organization like
this one to exercise charity toward
their fellow men, who are suffering
from the effects of want and poverty.
It is well that christians and charita-
ble organizations should remember eff
the poor; the thoughts of their wants
and sufferings should lead them to the
chservance of benevolent, duties en-
eter
{ joined upon them by the Savior they
profess to serve and worship, and by
the religion they profess to practice.
Benevolence is a part of religion; it
falls like dew from heaven on the
drooping flowers. The organization
here is in a flourishing condition.
That greatest of all grammarians,
‘Alexander Kinkham, has in his gram-
mar this sentence. “The days of man
are but as grass.” How truthful, to-
day we may be all smiles, and tomor-
row we may be in Eternity; just pon-
der for a moment; look over the list
of your old-time friends and you will
discover that the majority have passed
away. Though our affections are
blighted, and our expectations in this
world disappointed, we know that our
heavenly Father has the power to
make all these melancholy scenes of
life of salutary influence, and conclu-
sive to the soul’s eternal health, and
point, with unerring truth the bright
way up to the mansions of felicity in
our Father’s house. Man has an un-
dying soul. Helis only a sojourner
here. It is necessary that he should
prepare for death and for the world
beyond; hence, by all the fear of the
dying pang, and by all the horrors of
the grave, God would fix the atten-
tion of man on his own death, as a
momentous event, and lead him {fo
seek the hope of immortality, which
alone can lay the foundation for any
proper removal of the fear of dying.
How short and uncertain is life, and
what a woeful miscalculation to con-
fine cur estimate of felicity to what
the present world can impart; where
highest hopes and greatest comforts
are but so many flickering rays of fu-
ture bliss, reflected here for the tem-
porary consolation of the benighted
wanderer. About the best advice to
give to mankind is “Prepare to meet
thy God.” The only sure way to safe-
ty and future happiness.
There is no more heaven-like circle
than is embraced within the limits of
a virtuous and happy family. There
is nothing beneath the skies more en-
nobling to human nature, kindness
and love; industry and peace go hand
in hand; when a contented and cheer-
ful spirit chases away the gloom of
the world, and religion with her sweet
lessons of philosophy, softens and
purifies the heart; when the head of
the family is recognized and respect-
ed as such and the greatest happiness
within the circle is derived from his
approving smile; where the low, sweet
voice of woman is seldom heard but
in accents of gentleness and love, and
the name of mother is never uttered,
unassociated with some endearing ep-
ithet. Such a family can only be col-
lected together under the influence of
a happy marriage—a union of hearts
as well as hands; a tie consecrated by
pure and chaste affection; an engage-
ment formed on earth, but sanctioned
in heaven. On such a union the an-
gels who dwell in the bright abode of
the blest, must turn their eyes and
gaze with looks of interest and de-
light. Nature may lavish much on
her form—the beauty of her counte-
nance, the strength of her intellect,
vet her loveliness is uncrowned until
piety Phtrows around the whole the
sweetness and power of its charms.
Her beauty may throw a magical
charm over many; princes and con-
querors may bow with admiration at
the shrine of her loveliness, yet her
piety must be her pearl; and when the
notes of the last trump shall be heard,
and sleeping millions awake to judg-
ment, its possessor shall be presented
faultless before the throne of God.
Br ——
THE PASSPORT TO
ANIMALS’ FAVOR.
There are two ways to control an
animal—kindness and fear. Instances
of the first are seen in the relation
between the owner and some pet, like
a horse or dog, that has never known
cruelty; while the circus furnishes the
best examples of government by fear.
you want an animal to love you as
well as obey, you must treat that ani-
mal in a way to attract rather than
repel it, just as you would in dealing
with a person.
But while kindness is the only road
to the heart of a dog, for instance,
there remains the interesting ques-
tions of why some persons will be ac-
cepted by him even before an acquain-
tance is formed, while some others
arouse his suspicion or anger at the
first approach.
Numerous theories have been ad-
vanced to explain it, the most popular
resting upon the assumption that cur
dumb animals have a sort of special
sense, a protective instinct that ap-
plies particularly to human beings.
Undoubtedly instinct is strong in
the lower animals—I have seen dogs
that seemed to read human character
with astonishing accuracy; but I be-
lieve the sense of smell is the ani-
mal’s first means of judgment when
approached by a stranger. When two
men are fishing within arms’ length of
each other and one is being made al-
most frantic by insects while his com-
panion is scarcely annoyed at all, I
think there is no doubt that the differ-
ence in personal odor, the effluvium,
explains it.
. Another point worth consideration
is that this ability always to win ani-
mals to oneself seems largely hered-
itary. One zoo attendant in whom all
animals seem to have perfect confi-
dence immediately, states that both
his parents and his children possess
the same ability. A man and a wom-
an, especially in characteristic dress,
must look very different to a wild ani-
mal, yet he may accept the overtures
of each, then repulse a third person
who appears to be a twin to one or
the other, Certain it is that the ani-
mal’s judgment goes below surfaces.
Bodily odor we know to be often a
family or hereditary feature.
Louis C. Mullikin, an expert with
animals, explains his success on the
theory of odor. He can, on first ap-
proach, pet dogs that are so fierce
with other people as to be chained.
He has petted . wolves and coyotes
when they would fight every one else
present, and has had panthers snug-
gle up to him contentedly like a pet
kitten. He takes no credit to himself,
but says that it is simply a matter of
uvium. His father and grandfath-
er had the same trait, or faculty, and
his daughter now displays it to a
marked degree.—By Lester Banks.
[ Belated Honor Paid
Founder of New York
The city of Avesnes, Belgium, re-
cently was host to a large delegation |
of Americans, here to pay tribute to
the birthplace of Jesse de Forest ,
founder of New York.
It was just three centuries ago that
this son of Avesnes, at the time a ref-
ugee at Leyden with other Walloons
who were fleeing from Spanish oppres-
sion, set sail for America, where he
had planned to establish a colony. He
died before reaching the shores of the |
new world, but his sons and son-in- |
law carried out the plan which he had
conceived and perfected during long |
years.
The Walloon emigrants, landing on
Manhattan island at the mouth of the
Hudson river, reared there the foun-
dations of a city which they called
Nieuwe Avesnes. A few years later
Dutch colonists, more numerous than
the Walloons, changed the name to
Nieuwe Amsterdam. Still later the |
English again changed the name f= |
New York. i
May 20 a monument recalling the
above incident was unveiled in Bat- |
tery park, New York. This was the
gift of the provincial council of Rai- |
naut, Belgium, and was presented to
the American metropolis by Baron de :
Cartier, Belgian ambassador to the
United States. The monument was |
unveiled by eight-year-old Priscilla |
de Forest, a direct descendant of Jess-
de IForest.
The day following the arrival of the
American delegation an exact replica
of the New York monument was un-
veiled in the presence of a representa-
tive of the United States government.
On one side it bears a commemorative
inscription and on the other an en-
graving of the vessel in which Jesse
de I'orest started his long voyage, sur- |
mounted by the arms of New York |
and Avesnes.—Irom Le Petit Parisien |
(Translated for the Kansas City Star).
Old Coin Revived
Modern Palestine has adopted as its
monetary unit the dinar, or dinarius, |
of the time of Herod, the Roman gov- |
ernor. Its present value is of two
English shillings, or about 50 cents
in American money. Originally the
dinar was a gold coin issued by
the chiefs of the Damascus govern-
ment and by certain Arabic tribes of
the time of Christ.
It became a silver coin as that metal
grew more precious. As dinarius the
coin became widely known by reason
of its use in the literature of the day
and since. The dinar was a distine-
tively Palestinian coin. To give need-
ed support to the young government,
the issue of dinars will be secured by
an equal sum in British bank notes.
The new coin will attain circulation
independently of the existing Egyp-
tian pound: and be a strictly Jewigh
affair.—Detroit News.
Petroleum From Coal
The extraction of petroleum from
coal by the low-temperature carboni-
zation process is the object of the in-
stallation of a plant at Nottingham,
England, consular advices to the De-
partment of Commerce state. The
promoters expect to make Nottingham
a smokeless city (the first in England),
to furnish cheap gas and to reduce
both waste and danger in the coal
mines fn addition to securing from
18,000 to 20,000 gallons of oil from
every 1,000 tons of coal, which is the
expected daily capacity of the plant.
Under present circumstances England
imports oil to the value of £50,000,000
a year. It is proposed to replace this
supply as far as possible with the
gasoline and other petroleum products
which are to be separated from the
small coal heretofore regarded as al-
most a waste product of the mines.
Valuable Chinese Tree
Many specimens of the Chinese
wood-oil or tung-oil tree, which was
introduced into Florida some years
ago by the United States Department
of Agriculture, are now coming into
bearing. The ofl is expressed from
the nuts and is considered one of the
most valuable in the paint and var-
nish industry. It is one of the best
drying oils known and is particulady
desired in the manufacture of water-
proof varnish, The tree does best in
a warm climate and does not bear
when frequently subjected to tempera-
tures lower than 20 degrees. It has
handsome dark green foliage which it
sheds during the winter. It is esti-
mated that there are now more than
39,000 of these trees in Florida, 3,900
of which are in bearing.
Hardening Rails
The first application In America 01
the process of hardening railway rails
after they have Deen laid is reported
from Toronto, according to the Elee-
tric Railway Journal. A blowpipe is
mounted on wheels and passed over
the surface of the rail at a speed that
gives a temperature of 850 degrees
centigrade to all points heated. Im-
mediately after heating, a jet of water
is played upon the rail, the effect be-
ing to harden the surface and prolong
its wearing qualities. The process is
effective to a depth of from two to
three-tenths of an inch, according to
the pressure used in the blowpipe,
“Agin” the Constitution
The motorist had been fined and his
right to drive suspended for a year
for reckless driving.
“Your honor,” shouted the attorney,
“1 will appeal this case.”
“On what ground?” asked his honor,
“On the ground that to sentence a
man. to become a pedestrian is cruel
and. unusual punishment,” replied the
lawyer.—Cincinnati Enquirer.
| Printer Surely Worthy
of His High Position
i
Skilled workmen are today receive !
ing higher daily pay than ten years
ago, says the national industrial con-
ference board. No news or novelty is
! in that statement. But it may be
worth knowing that at the time of
making the report printers held first
place in the magnitude of their week-
ly earnings, writes Merle Thorpe in
the Nation's Business. Newspaper
and magazine printers received an
average weekly pay of $36.14. Rated
second were the iron and steel work-
ers with an average pay of $33.57 a |
week. And in third place stood the
automobile factory workers with
$3312 a week. Next in amount of |
their pay checks were the book
and job printers, foundry and ma-
chine shop workers, agricultural im-
plement workers, chemical factory
employees and workers in electrica?
and rubber factories.
Well, who would begrudge the prin-
ter his high place in American indus- |
try? Ile makes known the sayings,
writings and doings of other men, and :
for that service the world is much
beholden to him. Much ink lias gone
over the rollers since the times of
. until in the time of Charles II it was
Gutenberg and Caxton, and now the
craft of the printer's hand is supple- |
mented with machinery of artful ca-
pabilities. But
to reflect human frailties and fall-
manuscripts continue |
bilities, and printers must still grope
for the meaning of absent minds.
Printers are much with the world and
in close touch with its sham and ar-
tifice. Small wonder that they should
become dour and gray with brooding
on the injustice of “typozraphica?
arrors.”
But the great peace wiil come when i
the last line is set at last and rule |
and stick put by and type and setter
both alike in proper makeup lie. Oth-
ers will then do for the printer the
mortuary honor to print Lis name in :
“caps,” and perhaps accord him the
dignity of the four-stroke dash. And,
like as not, his soul would remain in
character with his life, and would re-
lax no standard of his craft—prob-
ably the Milky Way would seem only
“wrong font,” ;
Made His Point Clear
Sir John Simon, K. C, the eminent
advocate, was once addressing a group
of young legal students, and among
other things he warned them always
to sift carefully all evidence, and never
on any account to allow themselves
to jump to conclusions.
“Now,” he continued, “a friend ot
mine who has just returned from a
hunting expedition in central Africa
told me of a most remarkable occur-
rence. He and his party were trek-
king through a heavily wooded region
when the cries of a number of birds
attracted him to a bit of overgrown
Jungle. Peering within he beheld a
trunkless body.”
“But, Sir John,” interrupted one of
his hearers, “surely you mean a head-
less body.”
“My dear fellow,” retorted the smil-
ing KX. C, “didn’t I warn you not to
jump to conclusions? The body was
that of an elephant.”—San Francisco
Argonaut.
Lugubrious Message
When Miss Marie Lohr, the clever
English actress, was appearing in the
part of Cinderella in “Pinkie and the
Fairies,” a play that was being pro-
duced under the direction of Bcer-
bohm Tree, she was also rehearsing
for a part In the tragic play “Han-
nele,” in which she had to die. The
preparation for both productions was
being carried on simultaneously at the
same theater, His Majesty's.
In the midst of Tree's reiterated in-
Junctions to the “Pinkie and the Fal-
ries” company to be merry and
bright, a lugubrious-looking stage car-
penter, working on Hannele, appeared
in the wings and, beckoning to Miss
Lohr, called out:
“Excuse me, miss, but can you step
dahn below a minute? I want te
measure you for your corfin.”
At the Ends of the Earth
When explorers and naturalists
come back to ‘clvilization their ac-
counts often read as if they were fairy
tales. William Beebe, who has re-
turned from a visit to the strangest
islands in the world, the Galapagos,
600 miles off the coast of South Amer-
ica, apparently discovered the source
of many tales of fiction. Buccaneers
buried their booty there In old days
when the islands were called “the En-
chanted islands,” Whalers, mutineers
and shipwrecked persons have told
of their charm, In Mr. Beebe's ac-
count, entitled “Galapagos: World's
End,” he speaks of five hundred pound
turtles, fantastic reptiles, and birds
and beasts that gave no sign of fear
when encountered.
Their Tragedies
10 Father—A drop in mining shares.
To Mother—The ink spilled on the
dining room rug.
+ To Brother Dick—Having to attend
the local college Instead of one of his
choice.
To Sister Allce—That she can't
have a car.
To Aunt Kate—That her knight hay
never come riding.
To Grandma—That Willie wriggled
during prayers.
To Sister's Flance—Their frst quar:
rel.
To the Cook—That the policeman
ate pie In the house next door the]
other night and she hasn't seen hin
since.
To Baby—The tooth he's cutting.—
Judge,
OF FIRE INSURANCE
Business, as We Know It
Now, Long Conducted.
Most people are aware of the promi-
nent part played by insurance in mod-
ern commerce and industry, but it is
seldom realized over what a long pe-
riod of history this form of business
extends.
In feudal Europe, long before any
system of fire insurance came into be-
ing, it was the custom for tenants to
recover damages caused by fire, from
their landlords, at whose cost the prop-
erty was replaced, providing the loss
was not due to negligence.
In this country in the Seventeenth
century accidental fires were made the
subject of a petition to the king,
whose advisers, after investigation,
sent out what was termed a king's
brief to churches, sheriffs, justices of
the peace, and others, asking for con-
tributions to make good the loss. The
system was continued for many years,
abused and, as a result, abolished.
The first organized effort to found
a fire insurance company was made in
1635, when a number of London citi-
zens petitioned the king to allow them
to insure houses at the rate of a shil-
ling a year for each £20 rent, the as-
sociation undertaking to repair or re-
build houses that were burned and to
institute certain precautions against
fire, sich as watchmen to patrol the
streets at night. '
Political disturbances led to the
idea being abandoned, but it was re-
vived by the great fire of 1666, which
led directly to the establishment of
fire insurance companies.
One of the first was founded the
following year by Dr. Nicholas Bar-
bon, u son of the famous Puritan,
Praise-God Barebones. The busi-
ness thus started was taken over
shortly afterwards by a company styl-
Ing itself “The Fire Office,” its pur-
pose being to insure houses in London
for a fixed premium of 215 per cent
for wooden buildings.
The business developed, and so
great was the interest taken in it that
the common council of the city of
London proposed insuring its citizens’
houses at lower rates than the com-
pany. The plan, however, was vetoed,
the judges upholding that the coun-
cll had no power to transact such
business.
Many insurance companies sprang
up at this period, among them the
“Phenix Office,” which was not, as
some suppose, the original of the pres-
ent Phoenix company; the Union So-
clety; the Company of London In-
surers, known nowadays as the Sun
Office; and the Hand-in-Iand, which
began as the Amicable Contributors
for Insuring From Loss by Fire, and
with which, it is believed, Daniel De-
foe was connected.
A little-known fact is that the pres
ent-day fire brigade system owes its
existence to these early companies,
each of which kept its own fire engine
and staff of firemen. Not quite a hun.
dred years ago the companies amalga-
mated their staffs of fire fighters, and
in this way the term “fire brizade”
came into being. The first captain of
the London fire brigade was James
Braidwood, who lost his life in the
terrible Tooley street fire of 1861, |
when £2,000,000 worth of damage was '
done. |
The old “fire-marks” of the compa. |
ales may still be seen on houses in
London and elsewhere. They were
metal plates marked with the num-
ber of the policy and molded in a dis-
tinctive design. Property to which a
“fire-mark” was affixed was judged to
be safa from incendlarism. The
“Sun Office” mark was one of the
best known, and in many places it be-
came an object of superstitious re-
gard.—London Tit-Bits.
Already Taken Care Of
Out on Charlotte street an old man,
nearing eighty years of age, lives all
alone in a large house. Next door to
him live the Martin family, who look
after the old gentleman's every need.
Much expertly cooked food finds its
way from Mrs. Martin's kitchen to the
old man’s table, and Mr. Martin never
goes to bed at night without first go-
ing in to see that his neighbor is set-
tled for the night. Mr. Martin also
attends to his financial affairs and Is
his friend and adviser in all things.
A few days ago the minister called
apon the old man. On leaving he
said:
*Good-by, my friend, and may Goa
bless you.”
And the old gentleman, who is a lit-
tle hard of hearing, replied with a
smile:
“0h, that’s all right, Martin wil
‘tend to that, @ 'tends to every-
thing for me,”—Kansas City Star.
Not What He Expected
A clergyman from Cambridge, Mass.,
had occasion to preach to the inmates
of an insane hospital. During hig ser-
mon he noticed thaf one of the pa-
tients paid the closest attention, his
eyes riveted upon the preacher's face,
his body bent eagerly forward. Such
interest was most flattering. After |
the service the speaker noticed that
the man spoke to the superinterrdent, |
s0 as soon as possible the preacher |
| inquired:
“Didn't that man speak
aliont my sermon?”
ony
“Would you mind telling ma what
he said?”
The superintendent tried to side
step, but the preacher insisted.
“Well,” he sald at last, “what the
man said was: ‘Just think, he's out
and I'm in. "—Christian Register.
to you
ROMANTIC HISTORY
DANUBE’S DELTA
A WATERY MAZE
Its Many Mouths Present In-
numerable Lairs for Pi-
ratically Inclined.
Washington, D. C.—Playing hide
and seek with Rumanian gunboats in
the sixteen mouths of the Danube
river, a robber chieftain called Ter-
rente, self-styled “King of the
Swamps,” is reported to have brought
shipping on the great river to a
standstiil,
“Standing well to the front among
the rivers of the world the Danube
with its many mouths, presents in-
numerable lairs for the piratically in-
clined,” the National Geographic so-
clety says in a bulletin from its head-
quarters in Washington, D. C.
“After sprawling in a great angle
around the barrier of Dobrudla, con-
tinues the bulletin, “the so-called blue
Danube drops its load of mud and
sand gathered from eight nations of
Europe in a large delta at the west-
ern end of the Black sea. This delta
takes the form of a huge, cquilateral
triangle fifty miles long on each side.
The northern border is the Kilia
branch, the south, the St. Georges
branch, while on the east is the Black
sca shore. The two malin branches
of the Danube are subdivided time
and again in their never-ending im-
possible task of trying to make land
and flow over it at the same time,
“Bisecting the triangle is the Sulina
branch of the Danube which receives
practically all of the shipping trade,
since a deep channel té the upper riv-
er is maintained through it by the con-
certed action of the governments of
Ilurope. The treaty of Paris of 1858
created the European commission of
the Danube and ordered it to make
the mouths of the great river opeh
to navigation within two years. Evi-
dence of how little the diplomats
knew of the engineering problems in-
volved in making a huge river serve
mankind is shown by the fact that the
commission not only worked two years
hut is still at work.
Deltas Dreary Places.
“Of all the varieties of earth sur-
face, deltas rank high as the most
useless to civilization, Mountains
are admired for their inspiration, des-
erts hold rare beauty for those who
seek it, but no one goes to a delta
even to hunt ducks if he can help it,
The Danube’s delta is particularly un-
attractive since the peasants have
not been able to adapt it to agricul-
ture as sugar cane planters have large
parts of the Mississippl delta, Some
deltas such as those of the Amazon
and the Yangzte consist of large is--
lands surrounded by considerabie wa-
ter, but the Danube’s waters run
through a vast swamp which was al-
most a complete barrier to navigation
before the European commission of
the Danube took a hand,
“In country that is neither land nor
water the reeds and willows take com-
mand and do not catch malaria, De-
prived of timber the peasant fisher-
man put the reeds to many uses. Wil-
iows are used for basket making and
for fish weirs. A plumed reed is cut
for fuel and still another kia is wove
en into mats or used as thatch. Ine
{ habitants of the Danube delta are
mostly Russian fishermen. Those who:
are irritated at fishing restrictions in
the United States can appreciate what
a fisherman's paradise they live in by
comparison. The Rumanian govern-
ment considers fishing a government.
monopoly, and every commercial catch
must be brought to a government cu
toms house to be auctioned off.
“By the construction of levees and:
piers, the European commission of the
Danube has opened a channel to-
Galatz, the Rumanian naval port, ca-
pable of receiving shipping up to 4-
000 tons. The trafic in and out the:
river amounts to more than 5,000,000:
tons annually. By thls route Ru-
mania, fifth nation in petroleum pro-
duction sends out much of her oil to.
the world. From the loess plains of"
Bessarabia and southeast Rumania,
continuations of the Black Earth belt
of Russia, come tons of cereals and
even American corn which is a staple:
Rumanian product.
“Before the Sulina channel was:
made products were brought to the:
sea In lighters and put aboard ships
waiting in the open moadstead. Once-
a heavy storm arose and dashed 24
sailing vessels and many lighters on:
shore with the loss of 300 lives. Such:
a disaster is now impossible.
Danube Shorter Than Mississippi.
“The Danube rises in the Alps and
flows 1,750 miles to reach the Black"
sea, breaking through the Carpathian.
mountaing at the Iron gate, which is
the Culebra cut of the Dalkans. It is
about 760 miles shorter than the Mis-
sissippl, and although it drains a great
part of Enropz outside of Russia, the
Danube basin is only one-fourth «f.
that of the Mississippl, The Nii. .
like the Danube, has many mouths. x.
recent map showing eleven, The Mis-
sissipp! once divided into many sizable-
streams to reach the Gulf, but engl-
neers have succeeded In guiding most
of its force into a single channel.
“It may be that Terrente. the Da-
nube pirate, is using the uninhabit-
ed Isle of Serpents off the mouth of
the river for the headqu: riers of his
fleet. This precipitous island about
a mile {n circumference figures in
Grecian history and is supposed to be
the home of the spirit of Achilles.
Great flocks of white-winged sea gulls
frequent fits rocky slopes together
with the black «nukes from which they
{sland takes its name.”