NOTES AND COMMENTS. Tue total crop of cotton in the United States in 1791 was only 5,550 bales, and in 1795 85,5606 bales, Last year's crop reached the enorm- ous total of 9,476, 435 bales! Tue fiscal year just passed has been a bloody one for San Francisco. More than thirty men and women were murdered in this city between the last of July, 1804, and the last of June of 1895. ExcrisH is taught after a fashion in the public schools throughout France. a small Picardy village, herself in a schoolboy’s ercise, read as follows: ‘The bird has a nest.” ‘The horse has a nest.”” Substituting the word ‘‘mare’’ for ‘‘horse’’ the young woman passed on the exercise as correct. interesting English ex- THERE seems to be an extraordin- ary craze for cycling in South Africa. The Johannesburg Star stutes that cycles are more generally used in that town than probably in any other town of similar size in the worl There are, it adds, some 4,000 machines in use by all classes, from the head of the mining industry down to clerks and shop assistants. One firm have sold 600 in e two years. *: cycling Ladies freely, and so are are Kaffirs, GARDNER M field, ; specimens Indian relics that he himsell picked up and one of the most remarkable collections of these relics in New England, if not outside of the Smith- sonian Institution. Not only is Mr. usiastic coiiectior, Sherman an enth indefatigable been an that pertains pet study, for over a a century. He is a me- and has had to take the odds > 1ds of his time for this work. SHERMAN, of Sprin of » - { Mass, hus 500 but also an explorer of patience, and has nivorous reader of all to ti 3 he omi- CIliS, 1:8 X . the oats market, t y ing dealers ats is ¢ siderably This is « that according timates elect at least street railway systems fal nate of the iimals More Was 4 year ago. hen we learn to conservat.ve es. assy r + ppianted Various ricity has (000) horses on the : su wil f th untry. grain « is only 14,- wer, we © estir i= fair to presume ghty thou- e trolleys ats owing should be vat shrewd tial no using + Lae at the summer whiel mm yaths wooded f cathar dasines wy oy = Po RE most as great om = wy oe riTy ! — » DEAr:y tw has eve i ilar attempted such a gigantic scale, and, while Artist Banvard as the ““Mic Augelo America.” he will long remer lovers of the ions, in or nature man wh : : largest painting ever Known. sin on t Known ae. be cn as the i% a matter y resuit o f of geography, a transforma- susceptible Vous current equally nervous current. These facts may comfort brunettes who the supreme beauty cf the fair complexion. Dr. Beddoe made some careful and elab- orate inquiries, and his conclusions were published in The British Med- ical Journal. He examined women—taking them haphazard from various classes, Of these, had ed, fair light brown hair; 361, ack or dark brown. It proved that 60 per cent of the former were married, against 70.5 of the latter and 82 per cent unmarried, against 21.5 per The sum does not work out correctly, but it must be supposed that the deficit represents those who, for one reason or another, could not properly be reckoned. It appears, therefore, that brunettes have a very decided advantage in the lottery of marriage ¢ ’ ite bray the ner covet oy i 2) a0 oat or is ont cen Tue accounts of an eye-witness of the hideous cruelty of Chinese to men of their own race in Formosa form one of the darkest pages in the history of the oriental war. A big powder magazine near Kelung ex- ploded and scores of men were fatally or dangerously injured. They were thrown into the paddy fields, where the growing rice is covered with water. There they lay in the broil. ing sun. and though their female relatives wailed over them, not one of the able-bodied Chinese men who stood around lifted a hand to help the suffering. In fact, they jeered at the unfortunates and when the poor wretches tried to call The incident is typical of Chinese concert shown by the nation in the war with Japan. When neighbors will not help one another, even when such help calls for no outlay, what can be expected of provinces, each jealous of the other and bound by none of the principles of patriotism or honor? new type of the new woman such as | different parts of the country. | heroine of Plymouth Township Mrs. Frank Freas, who, { herself of her gown, leaped | water fifty feet deep and saved a little girl from drowning. ing, she heard screams. These, found, came from the abandoned | quarry, where, in water fifty feet | deep, she found a young Polish girl struggling for her life. There no fence rail, rope or anything of the gort which she could throw to the Mrs. Freas hesitated but a moment, and then, divesting herself of her tea gown, she threw it toward the drowning girl, but it was not of sufficient length to reach her. was not long in considering what next to do. for she sprang into the water and swam close to the child She kept far enough away te prevent the latter from grasping her, but just near enough to throw the gown to the girl to reach it. The almost exhausted one seized dress, hen Mrs. Freas swam oirl trailing the ashore ho i the advantage her civil of thi , is by no means to follow. During Enghish elections Rider Haggard was stoned by & mob for no other offense than his candidacy for an unpopular side. For the same reason the wife of a peer was in her carriage by a ruf who struck her inthe fi But ning exhib brutality com: from Bulgaria. that the funeral of tl minister, Enuwore has and exp ization, | ie estimation lanta Consti an examrie for us in age rience, but tution tue | 1, 4 saulted Han, fist, seems Stambulof! most d idow ronsole myself. to his rotting funeral was i ated people o wut the Lil in my own i I send my eu body. W hile progress many reos the rabble to Stam- y that the er were rescued 1 nave iis Iaw- "SHE'S PLANTED, BOYS." The Old Farmer's Object Lesson to the Newboys. Hoeorat od sSURRess ware sl Lite the ba 1 faded : A SWO pe d down ore } i 10 Al to attract Lis attention neckties, spectacles, collar lowers and matches. The old man was wildered fora time, b he naturedly and shook the When they found he was profitable started in to # amusement at his expense, Reuben and asked about the little bunch whiskers. Another addressed him as Jasper, and inquired about the folks. “Get into the hayseed! one. : The old man had retaines nature through it all beamed on the boys. “Come here, sat down trunk, placed carpet bag his feet and picked a wild oat straw off his sleeve The youngest gathered and stood in « The old man placed a wild oat the palm of his hand and said “1 may be a hayseed, learn you boys something. see that?’ with his hayseced. that has been in the country have ont man h i He ol 1 coat tails and pulliy tuceineg completely be- at | smiled boys Ull= they have ome One called him of boys,’ he said, as he on on be tween in Do and he prodded the finger. ‘‘Well, that you Now I'll tell you. The sun and makes cracks in it. the oat falls off, one of the I'll show you. Pretty soon and plants itself in cracks. How? Well, looks like the hairspring of a watch? Well, when the rain comes it wets that like this,’”’ and the old man moistened his finger in his mouth and applied it to the oat. “Now we'll play this crack in the floor is the crack the sun makes in the ground.” . The old man laid the oat down, and the boys watched breathlessly. The little spiral spring commenced to unwind slowly and in doing so | rolled the ont over and over till it | fell into the crack, | *She's planted, boys,” exclaimed | the old man, and they cheered him | lustily as he walked up Market street, The avern . rice of pariots in Sout Americals ) ponte. : b SUBURBAN ARCHITECTURE. A Light, Airy and Convenient House for Small Cost, (Copyright 1503 by the Co-operative Build ing Plan Association, N. Y.) Those writers who take every oc casion to deplore the tendencies ol the times, often without any basis for the complaints, are fond of erying about the crowding of the cities and filling of the slums by those who are lured away from the country. It preems to be the general impression that the country fast becoming depopulated, whiln the slums and tenements are steadily filling up. is Official figures that however, show that sas, for while it ulation is dwindling, it slowly, buildin More fart are available, not the is true that the | y tiiis 1s in is steadily hers. all in ot than ilding up important under beneficient laws and regulations, slums 1g purified and over crowding Ss prevented. tL significant thin t far 0» LilAR Snn.Ln ns, the decade, this has been ir +} ' shown a d A h« tration roomy and and still within cos t afforded by avers brief description is General dimensions cluding veranda, 89 ft use hat A350 53 hat cou person, ows Wid th ro wile Ke f us 10: th including veranda, 40 ft Height of ax ado ber irst Floor Exterior materials Found and over staircase bay, tin Two coat plaster soft wood floorir at ash: bath kitchen, wainscoted: a work finished with hard gables ie walls, roof Interior fini hard white finish and trim: room and wr wood shingles; sh main airs inter oil, All shi and gables to be left un weather stain. All ro lipped and brush coated moss ; stain; trim, blinds white: veranda and oiled. I'he principal rooms, their closets, ete. , are shown by the plan. Cellar under whole house with inside and outside entrances: room with fall nlumbing in see story; open fireplaces in parlor and dining room. Numerous and large closets. Colors ngles o sashes and an Hoor 81208 ' floor NG Hecond Moor Cost $2,500, not including mantels, based on New York prices for mate. A laundry could be introduced in the collar with set tubs at a very cost. Bathroom may be omitted on the second floor and the space thrown into the rear room. Lar~est Clock in England. The clock in tho tower of St, Paul's Cathedral, London, is the largest in the British Isles. The dials, three in number, are ench seventeen feet in diameter, and the figures on them are two feet long. The project to build an @rial tram. way at Niagara Falls is likely to be carried out the coming summer. The plan is to run a cage like car ona huge cable, strung across the river immediately over the falls. It will be operated by electricity. FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS. THE LARD OF MARE BELIEV] I know of a dear, delizhtful land Which is not so far away That may not to its strand No matter how short the day Al, there the skies are always And hearts forget to grieve For there's never a dream but true wo pail sunlit Ling Liue, coma In the Land of Make-Belie Ve. There every laddie becomes a knig And a fairy queen each lass And lips learn laughter, and grow bright As the dewdrog For there's nothing beautiful and bold That one may not achieve % in the grass prave reac r forth | his a ainst the never felt co: d afterward animal dropped dead ; AWS closed Conwy 1iaively ' 8nd iis ex and tendons of Lord Hast hurried the BRE crushing the 1 majors t and his brother ward to congratulate his coolness and lucky for the injury to his thigh ght lameness the worse for nus gh officers ings for. on Save maior which Major his ugly NS. was none HOW TO AIM. Although few boys possess a shot. gun, and only a small portion of those are crack shots, doubtless every boy thinks he knows how to aima gun. Bring the piece to your right shoulder. shut your left eye, take a sight with the right eye, and blaze away . But that is wrong; at least Sir Ralph Galway save so, and he is ac- knowledged authority. He main- tains that the use of both optics open in aiming is by all odds the | most advantageous, and, indeed, nocessary to the shooters. He by no means asserts that only those who shoot with both eyes open | are sure and accurate shots, but he claims advantage for this method | which are lost in the other. Among other merits, he says that | shooting with both eyes open en. ables the hunter to see on all sides | at the moment of firing. Even in the | act of pulling the trigger a shooter ean realize the presence of another bird or rabbit close by to his left, or | coming from that direction, and so | fire his second barrel far more quick | ly than he could did he close his left | eve on aiming. and as a result shut out all the landscape on that side of his face from his view. Te e2nnot also notice if the effect his first barrel is good. especially if the game is crossing left, and whether neces sary. iO Bin to his another shot is He can it his quickly with both eyes open than if he merely hit, which principally employed in aiming, and apt to consider nothing for the mo- ment but the part it is performing. It must use but one eye ir let him bring his gun up to his game with both eyes open, and then ¢l left just at the in- stant of pull trigger. Ralph further Galway iu brilliant marksman generally game more uses his right is a4 sportsman aiming ing the Nir that a shoots with both eyesopen, and con- gequen 1 i Quick thought : firine n rin if i at rabbits California Fruit. Bequests of Hearts. 8 ugias, promised to ful- his soy st, and i“ vr iia ered alter Bri Ast req ud having received yf goid, an tro 1 + 1 v He Jed in il a casket « his missic hows ight with the Moors his ial Bruce from his whe he carried it into the ranks of the inf crying, , ward as thou wont, Douglas will follow thee! Bruce's heart afterward recovered by Sir Lockhart, by whom it was brought to Scotland and buried along with the bones of Douglas in the Abbey of Melrose. When the re- mains of Bruce were disinterred at Dunfermline, in 1819, the breastbone was found sawn through so as to permit of the removal of the heart. ver the thick having previou cast t § € 1a » {3 it charge ne hes breast Geis Une % 4 wert was Simon Eating Crow. “To eat crow’’ is a phrase whose unpleasant significance has been de- finitely annihilated. Two ago plovers being unusually scarce the woods around Wittenberg, sands of these delicious birds are snared for the gourmets in the large crows as a substitute. It was found that crow, when young, Iinexperi- enced and well fed, is a dainty the flesh white and tender and of fine flavor. During the last six weeks this dealer and others who followed in his wake have been sup- piying hotel and private tables in Berlin and elsewhere with young crows, under the name of plover, and nobody found out the difference until somebody told the secret. It is the rival bird dealer who exposes the substitute who Is disagreeable, Sparrows on toast go very well until are not quail, VAST HERDS OF CARIBOU. In the Far North They Are as Thick as Ever Buffaloes Were, The Barren-Ground Caribou now inhabits the Great Slave Lake coun- and just eastward thereof, not only in thousands, but tens of thous- it is almost sal SAY hundreds of thousands In 1581, when Mr. Warburton Pike found himself in the very midst he vast throng of Caribou that migrat- southward, he i to whether the aver existed In greater number of it! Vast her e to of t 31 were Wis mov ing e tq a% 1 buffalo had doubt ¢ Ji fi te glaugh the Lor id army of gr Barren Gu ers Jad at BAYE ID agrourton ner they keer ner Laey x i were the that gome r passage th starvation a hasty retreq a commo the Carib Barren vast herd till they Caribou, r re Gr . The when were vers rea Ass they 1 in large tame, and on found n if right in with =a several VEE a 3 pick ou " san cd itd conaision glories th tha tail numbers lieve that Caribou Beet Sugar Industry. According to official reports the production of beet sugar is one of the ordinarily profitable branches of ag- ricuaiture. The returns are double wheat and many olher crops An acre of beets properly cultivated will yield about tons. Eight hundred and six pounds of beets widl produce hundred There is a great deal of sirup residuum, which may eieven one It said that aleohol can be made ata high profit, which will add largely to the average net results from this source. Imperfect and undesirable portions of the crop may be fed with great advantage to domestic animals. According to care. ful computation it costs thirty dol- is the crop into the ground and up to harvesting point, then something like eight dollars additional is neces- gary to gather the crop. Itis hard work to grow beets. A gentleman who has made a study of their cul. ture gives the following facts about them: *‘This is a peculiar crop. It eannot be raised in a slovenly fashion, Itmeans work; it means intelligent, painstaking labor. It re- quires a much higher order of invelli- gence to grow beets than it does for wheat or corn. Every acre planted in beets means twenty days’ labor for one man. If two million acres of land are needed to supply this coun- try with sugar, it follows that forty million days’ labor could thus be iven to the laborers of the United tates. It would also mean the trans. rtation of twenty-six million pounds freight for the industry,” ¥