THE FILIPINO CONGRESS.
Uru'rlpliun of Ha Opening by th*
ft*'uiu<>ti• Icinurifenl Lflldt'r,
Atsuinulilo.
At last, to the sound of the national
march, the delegates moved in a body
to the door and then back again, di
vided, and then Aguinaldo, looking
very undersized and very insignificant,
came marching down, bearing an ivory
stick with gold head and gold cord and
tassels, says Harper's Weekly. A group
of tall, fine-looking generals and one
or two dignitaries in black accom
panied him, and half surrounded him
as they walked along. Mounting the
chancel steps, Aguinaldo took the mid
dle seat behind the table, the acting
secretary of the interior took the place
on his right, and a general occupied the
carved chair on his left. Without any
formal calling to order, the secretary
lose and read the list of delegates, and
sat down again. Then Aguinaldo stood
BRIGHAM H. ROBERTS.
This gentleman has recently been elected to congress from the state of Utah.
His political and personal opponents assert that he Is not only a powerful polyg
amist partisan, nut also one of the most successful missionaries of the Mormon
church. Resides having been electtd to the house of representatives, Mr. Roberts
and his friends have captured the state legislature and will send two United States
senators to tight for the interests ol polygamy in Washington. The republicans
will contest Mr. Roberts' election in the house.
up, and after the feeble vivas had
ceased, took a paper from his pocket,
ai.d in a low voice, without gestures
and without emphasis, and in the hesi
tating manner of a schoolboy, read Ins
message in the Tagalog language Only
once was he interrupted by vivas, and
that was when he alluded to the three
great free nations—England. Franc-*,
and America—as worthy models for
imitation. He next read a purported
translation in Spanish with even more
dittic-jlty, and when he had finished
here was quite a round of cheers, pro
posed and led by the veteran general,
P.uencamino, for the president, the re
public, and victorious army, and lor
the town of Malolos. Then Aguinaldo
arose and declared the meeting ad
journed until it should reassemble pre
pared to elect officers and to organize
in the regular manner.
Soma Knulinh Immigrant*.
Up till now. if the inhabitant oJ a
Norfolk village emigrates, it is gen
STATUE OF JOAN OF ARC, BY PROSPER D'EPINAY.
\ „■/ : :-:x- < -: > , M
This piece of work, which is now to be seen In Paris, represents 20 years of spe
cial study by the greatest living French ? culptor. One sees in the statue the In
stinct of the horse scenting danger, while the self-possession of soul of Jeanne la
shown In her attitude of prayer—it being the moment before battle. The exclusive
aristocratic set of l J aris has already paid homage to the author of th- statue, and
it is to be presumed that the mob will echo the sentiments of praise expressed by
the leaders of society.
erally to America, says a writer in
Longman's Magazine, and very often he
does nol like America when iie gets
there. I remember a blacksmith with
whom I was well acquainted going
there, but in a couple of years or s.< he
was to be seen working at the old forge
in his native village. 1 asked him why
he had come back, and he told me that
he earned plenty of money out there,
but he "didn't like it." When 1 WHS in
New York a tailor came to see me who
had been an apprentice here in Bungay.
He told me the same story. Plenty of
money, especially at times, but he
"meant tc get back as soon as he could."
Also I had a .••onversation with an Eng
lish coachman whose tale was much
the same, llis wages were large, but
"there weien't no society for such as
him:" >n the state* they were all "gents
or n _ger»."
POLITENESS FOR NOTHING.
The tin limit Action of n Man Hrlutfi
Only Humiliation at the lliiiitl*
of u I'rooil Woman.
A stylishly attired woman was seen
walking down Washington street the
other day, attracting considerable at
tention by her line figure and graceful
ferriage. Men turned to glance after
J.cr and women managed to see the
uweep of her skirt and the cut of her
Coat behind out of the corners of their
tyes without turning around at all, a
habit most women have. At all events
♦he woman was (tunning and a young
nitist, turning to obtain a third look at
t cr, saw to his delight that she dropped
her purse. Hurriedly he ran tow hers
th<= object lay and stooped down to get
it. At the same instant a ragged Italian
woman made a grab at it, says the Chi
cago Chronicle.
The young artist got it and the wom
an got it, and both were determined to
retain his hold. After some words on
the subject, during which the artist felt
like a fool, he conquered and rushed
frantically down the street, where th«
stunning woman could still be seen. Hi
*vas breathless when he overtook her
but, lifting his hat politely, he said:
"i saw you drop your purse, madam,
r.na lake pleasure in returning it to
you." Haughtily the woman looked at
inm. "Really, sir, you are very kind,
but I have my purse," and she extended
toward him a brand new article that
lutd certainly just been taken from its
paper wrapping. "I changed my money
ill this one," she continued, "and threw
the old one away. You inay have it if
you like."
Tariff on Lkulls.
A Swiss anthropologist, on his return
from Patagonia, brought hoaie with
him a complete collection of Patagonian
skulls, and when the custom house pro
posed to tax them on the basis of ani
mals' bones imported as manure he pro-
t< sted that this was an insult to hu
manity. To his surprise his objection
was listened to, and ne received a re
ceipt for the duty charged upon a high
er scale, with the skulls entered as "re
turned emigrants' worn effects."
Knrlli'H liutti'Nl lleit lon.
The hottest region on the earth is on
she southwestern coast of Persia, where
l'trsia borders the gulf of the same
name. For 40 consecutive days In July
and August the thermometer has not
lnllen 1 wer than 100 degrees, night or
I day, and ol'ten mounted as high as 128
degrees.
I.nttrrlr* In Montreal.
It is estimated by the police of Mon
treal that the people of thai city spend
over $2,500,000 a year on lotteries. The
number of policy tickets bought <uv
nualij is about 0,000,000.
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER Tsi 1898.
THE DREYFUS CASE.
Wife of the Devil's Island Victim OD
the Situation.
Site Point* Oat n Number of Ilennoni
for Hellevli»« Iter II iimlhi 11 <1 Inno
cent of (lie Terrible Crime
of Treason.
The London correspondent of the
New York Journal has just secured
from Mine. Dreyfus a statement iu
which she demonstrates the innocence
of her husband, the exiled French mili
tary officer. Mine. Dreyfus declares
without reserve that the bordereau wis
the work of Esterhazy. She signs the
following:
First —Men of honor do not betrav
their country. My husband was a man
of honor. All who know him admit
that.
Second —I can conceive of no motive
to induce him to commit such an act
of treason, lie dearly loves France
He had a splendid future in prospect.
He was not in need of money. lie was
a man of independent means, lie has
always guarded with jealous care the
fair name of his family. He has even
given orders that all his fortune be ex
pended in rehabilitating that name.
Third—My husband constantly and
in the most solemn manner professes
his innocence.
Fourth —France imitates the example
of Russia in her blind prejudice against
the Jews. This is the reason why it
has been so difficult to let the light
shine upon my husband's innocence.
Fifth —Most of the intellectual per
rons of France believe in the inno
cence of Capt. Dreyfus. His well-reg
ulated life and his rapid military ad
vancement induced them to look into
his case. The leading newspapers in
Paris hold that he is innocent.
Sixth—lie was condemned upon evi
dence which was never shown to liim
nor to his counsel. The irregularity
and the illegality of his condemnation
are no longer denied. The laws of evi
dence did mot govern the trial of Capt.
Dre3'fus.
Seventh —The character of the men
who are mos* bitterly opposed to my
J f&z IjL
CAPT. DREYFUS.
(From a Picture Taken After Ilia Degrada
tion.)
husband is such that it establishes a
strong presumption in favor of hLs in
nocence. Take the chief specimens—
Marquis de Mores, the most violent Jew
baiter of his time; Col. Sandherr, who
died in a madhouse; Commandant di!
Patty de Clam, who fears to face the
charge of forgery; Col. llenry, the con
fessed forger and suicide; and lister
liazy. the unspeakable.
Eighth—Of the experts who exam
ined the bordereau, upon which he was
condemned, three declared that it was
rot in my husband's handwriting.
Everybody knows now that the bor
dereau was the work of Esterhazy.
Ninth —Henry's forgery is in itself
sufficient evidence that in the judgment
of the men who opposed Capt. Dreyfus
his condemnation needed propping up.
This forgery was "la preuve absolue,"
which M. Cavaignac, when minister of
war, recently read out to wildly en
thusiastic deputies as putting the guilt
of my husband beyond yea or may.
Tenth—The seven officers who con
stituted the court-martial would not
have condemned him were it not that,
after their deliberations had been con
cluded, Gen. Mercier flourished before
their excited eyes documents which he
said were proofs of my husband's guilt.
These documents were not examined,
and were forgeries.
Eleventh —M. Ooeb«M*t, the best Hv
irg authority on graphology, says that
the bordereau is not "u the handwriting
cf Capt. Dreyfus.
Twelfth —It is n.ow clear that the war
department has broken down in its ef
forts to sustain a case against my hus
band.
Thirteenth —The four journal istswho
led the newspaper campaign against
uiy husband are paljKibly unworthy
of credence. Druinont, of the Libre
I'arole, praises Luehend, the murderer
of the empress of Austria; Deroulede it
crazy upon the Jew question; Mille
voye, of the Patrle. blundiered before in
'he Norton forgery, and a bete noiri*
the breath of his nostrils to Kocliefort
rf the Intransigeant.
Fourteenth —The specific accusations
made by Zola in his famous letter, "I
accuse," are turning out to be wonder
fully accurate.
Fifteenth—The conductors of the
campaign against my husband have
he-sitated at no eryne. Forgery, rogu
i»iy, conspiracy, duplicity, lying, and
perhaps murder have been resorted to
to keep my husband in chains.
Moupli on t!»e Prlo«(.
Tt used to lie the custom when the
chief priest of one of the Congo tribes
showed symptoms of illness to kill
him forthwith, either by strangling o»
by the aid of n club, the natives be
lieving innt if he were allowed to die
by disease all tne rest of the world
would perish.
SUNNY SIBERIA.
All of the 1.11 ml la Mot lllrnk nnd Deso
late ua lienerally Huiipoaed—
Yeitetutlun la Luiurluut.
Thomas G. Allen, Jr., who, some
5 ears ago made a tour of the world
awheel, has written an article on"The
Hoys of Siberia" for St. Nicholas. Air.
Allen says: "'As dreary and cold as
Siberia' is an expression that has come
to be almost a proverb. The very name
bas always conjured up a scene of deso
lation and perpetual winter, enlivened,
perhaps, by a band of criminal exiles
plodding along some lonely highway or
practically buried alive in some gloomy
mine pit. In imagination we have even
l.eard the clanking of prison chains,
the moaning of suffering men, and 'he
sobs of distressed women. And yet,
however displeasing the picture which
the name of Siberia never fails to con-
RABBI GUSTAV GOTTHIEL, D. D.
This famous Jewish preacher has just finished a quarter 0 f a century of suc
cessful labor as spiritual head of the famous temple Emanuel, at New York. Kabbl
Gotthell is to the Israelites of the United States what Cardinal Gibbons is to the
Catholic church and Rishop Potter to the Episcopalians The rabbi was born at
Pinne, Prussia, May 30, 1827. He receive a splendid education at the best schools
of Europe, served as rabbi of the congregation at Manchester, England, for 13
years, and then came to the United States. His labors in New York have been char
acterized by wonderful success.
vey. its mysterious and melancholy as
sociations have ever exerted a strange
fascination. I must confess that I have
been no exception to the general rule.
At a very early age 1 developed the de
sire to visit this mysterious country,
and to discover for myself, if possible,
some of its terrible hidden secrets.
"It has been my good fortune, on two
recent occasions, to gratify this way
ward ambition; and from what I saw
and experienced I can assure my youth
ful reader that his general gloomy no
tion about the 'land of snow and exiles'
Is. in the main, incorrect —that there is
another and a very bright side to the
Siberian picture.
"Not raising the question of the de
plorable Siberian exile system I would
impress upon the reader that Siberia
itself, in its southern portion at least,
is a region where the vegetation is as
varied and luxuriant, where the birds
warble just as sweetly where the chil
dren play and the people laugh and
A MUSICAL FOR A COBRA.
An English woman residing In India one recent evening found, to her horror, that
a huge cobra had colled itself about her veranda rail, near which she sat playing
the violin. She was too near the reptile to run away, so she continued playing
while she gradually edged away. The snake was fascinated by the music, and re
sponded to every change in line Finally the lady gradually worked herself far
ther and farther, and then i-.ade a sudden bolt into her room and banged the door,
leavliic the cobra to wander disconsolately to Its lair In the fields.
King just as cheerfully, as in our own
country. In fact, that portion of Si
beria which is now reached by the new
Trans-Siberian railway might very just
ly be called the northern 'promised land
of milk and honey;' for in its teeming
soil, genial summer climate, and iab
ulous mineral wealth it is second to
none in the world."
Carlnff for Hindoo Dead.
The Hindoos consider their dead as
*acred and do not allow them to be han
dled by alien hands, the nearest male
relative —sot.. father or brother —pre-
paring the body for burial, and if there
U none of these relatives a son is
adopted by the family for the purpose.
The <lueeiß°n Footmen.
Queen Victoria's footmen wear wigs,
which have eiffht rows of curls, whereas
those of the prince of Wales are allowed
•even tows, unci those of the lord mayor
o< Loudon are given six town.
THE BANANA PLANTER.
In Honduras He la « Crenture Wlioati
Philosophic Culm la Never
Disturbed.
"The small banana planter of Hon
duras is the happiest creature on
earth," said a local shipper, reports the
New Orleans Times-Democrat, "and
nothing ever removes him from hia
philosophic calm. The frightful hur
ricane which raged along the Ilondu
rian coast on the Ist of the month ab
solute'y destroyed scores of planta
tions. Thfe trees were plucked out of
the earth like blades of grass, the
fragile buildings were blown into kind
ling wood, and nothing whatever left
to tell the tale. Happening anywhere
else, such a disaster would have bten
a tragedy of the first order, and meant
incalculable suffering, but nature is
very kind to her children on the banana
coast. All that is necessary to rehabili
tate the ravaged plantations is to stick
a few clippings in the ground and wait
for them to take root and bear. The
work is usually divided between the
plantei and his wife —she sets out the
clippings and he does the waiting.
Some time during the year, if he is not
too tired, he may rebuild his residence.
This is done by tying a native rope
around four suitable trees and laying
cane stalks crossways over the top.
Other cane stalks are now and then
used for sides, but they are really un
necessary. as the Honduranian concep
tion of privacy is very vague, and there
is never anything to steal. So, as a
matter of fact, the hurricane was much
less calamitous than it appeared to
those who are unfamiliar with native
conditions. The principal loss which it
entailed was in damage to the present
banana crop, and the fruit grows with
such rapidity that three months ought
to completely repair it. Meantime, the
planter does quantities of resting and
is happy."
Feather* for FONIIIOII.
Manufacturers of artificial birds buy
directly from the fm mers and make up
their stock with no particular regard
for the accurate representation of a
species. Just at present the birds in
fashion for mourning hats are small
black parrots, and there art no such
birds in nature. A fashion is in vogue
to match t he costume in the plumage of
the bird trimmings, and manufacturers
i. pe their best art to supply the demand.
Sooner or later this fashion will be the
means of establishing regular farms for
< he production of feathers for millinery
purposes.
Hi* 11 M Worn by <>lr!a.
In the eighteenth century Polish
ladies obliged their daughters to wear
little bells in order to proclaim wher*
they were all the tiiu*.
POPULATION OF EUROPE.
DlfKjult'tlnß Sfatlntlcn Which I
>1 finy I'rec»n<-elv<*>l \olionN of
lli« Old Countries.
It lias popularly been supposed tliat
the population of the monarchies and
unstable republics of Europe was de
clining-, or if not declining, increasing
at a ratio so small as to be almost im
perceptible. For nearly half a century
there has been a steady stream of emi
gration from European countries to the
I'nited States, South America and Aus
tralia, and no increase of population in
any European country from immigra
tion from other countries than Europe.
The devastating wars which, theoreti
cally, at least, reduce the population
of all military countries abroad, have
Operated to the disadvantage of many
lands, and especially those which have
maintained colonies the pacification of
which requires military operations.
Again, the decrease of the birth rate
in some European countries has been
the subject, of abstruse controversy
among physicians and men of science,
and yet it appears from oflicial figures
at hand that the increase in the total
population of Europe during the past
ten years has been nearly ten percent.,
a statement which, published in tin"
Kevue Francaise de l'E't ranger, of Paris,
has obtained corroboration in other
countries, and the correctness of which
is proved by the records of countries in
which there have been censuses re
cently.
At the beginning of the present cen
tury the population of Europe was put
by Levaseeur at 175,000,000. In 1830 it
was 220,000,000. In 1800 it was 290,000,-
000, and in IS9O it was 350,000,000. It is
now 380,000,000, and the continuance of
the present rate of increase will make
it 355,000,000 in 1900, ten per cent, in
crease over what it w as in 1890,
The yearly emigration from Europe
is about 500,000 at present, or 5,000,000
in a decade. In the absence of newcom
ers to make up this decrease and in
view of the backward and unprogres
sive condition of many European coun
tries, it might be supposed that there
would be no vast gain of population,
but the contrary of this is shown. The
number of inhabitants is increasing all
the time, although the means of main
taining them are not increasing in like
ratio. These are the figures given of
the increases in European countries
during the' past ten years: Russia, 14.5
per cent.; Germany, 11.5; Austria-Hun
gary, 9.0; England, 3.5; Italy, 4.5;
France, 0.8. At this rate in 100 years
Russia would have 228/100,000 inhab
itants, Germany, 100,000,000; Austria.
79,000,000; England, 05,000,000; Italy,
41,000,000, and France, 40j000,000.
The modest estimate which this
French statistician makes of the
growth of population in his own coun
try may, perhaps, disarm tire answer
ing' criticism of the German statistician
whose profound ethical treatment of
"ratios" in population lias already out
run many volumes of Leipsic. lieriin
and Dresden publications, but the Eng
lish and Scotch statisticians are not.
thus easily satisfied, and the Scotch
statisticians especially are obdurate
when asked to revise, correct, amend, or
in any way modify their conclusions, as
to the population ot' other countries, al
though in respect of the population of
Scotland they are less steadfast. I'os
sibly this is due to the fact that the.
population of Scotland varies compara
tively little, though there has been a.
remarkable growth in late years of the
population of its chief cities. The pres
ent population of Glasgow is in excess
of 700,000, Edinburgh has ri00„000, and
Aberdeen 125,000. —N. Y.Sun.
GROUND IS THEIR TELEPHONE.
Amazon Itivrr Natives Talk from
Camp to Camp I>y Mean* of u
Novel Invention.
There are many claimants to the
honor of having been the first to in
vent the. telephone, and the fact is that
few people really know who was the
Inventor. It is generally attributed to
Edison, but it seems that that sorcerer
had nothing whatever to do with it. At
any rate, it seems that it is anything
but a modern idea.
Travelers in tlie district of the Ama
zon tell u» that the Catuquinaru In
dians, since time immemorial, have
been accustomed to correspond from
one camp to another by means of u
little device that recalls to one the
small toy parchment telephones we
used to play with in the days of our
childhood.
They bury a hollow wooden eylindet
in the earth, filling it half full of sand,
fragments of bone, and pulverized mica.
The upper part remains empty, and is
closed by a piece of leather, wood or
indiarubber. This instrument is called
a "cambarysu."
In the next camp, perhaps 1,600 yards
away, is another similar instrument.
When one camp wishes to correspond
with the other, they strike violently
with a mallet on the cambarysu, and
the sound is transmitted by the earth,
to the cambarysu of the other camp.
As soon as the inhabitants hear the
signal they answer by a similar one,
and then two individuals, putting their
ears near the apparatus, can converse
as easily as we can at a London tele
phone. A traveler who has investi
gated this primitive telephone says
that he is inclined to think that the
nature of the soil has something to do
with the wonderful transmission of
sound. —London Chronicle.
Courage of Ignorance.
Manager—Your play is marvelously
good. Its one fault is that it is be
yond the abilities of my company.
Tankpleigh—Then how can 1 get it
produced'?
"You can easily get an amateur com
pany to undertake it."— Roxbury Ga
zette.
Flr»t Ma«le liy MonUn.
Champagne was Prst made by monks
In the seventeenth century.