RkZKSBI CTgwP i k -SBMf; fPi-;-5 4 THE PITTSBUEG- ' DISPATCH, 'SATURDAY, JAOTART 17, 1891. r t I 3 r ' f v A LITERARY TREAT. A Lll ERARY TREAT. ANOTHER SPLENDID SERIAL FOR DISPATCH READERS. READ THE OPENING CHAPTERS OF "TH WITCH OF PRAGUE," "THE WITCH OF PRAGUE," OY F. MARION CRAWFORD. PUBLICATION BEGINS TO-MORROW. A NEW HYPNOTIC NOVEL. A NEW HYPNOTIC NOVEL. ARE YOU READING RUDYARD KIPLING'S LETTERS? THE SECOND APPEARS TO-MORROW. KIPLING ON AMERICA SHOULD NOT BE MISSED. OTHER SPLENDID MATTER WILL BE FOUND IN THE COLUMNS OF TO-MORROW'S DISPATCH. EVERY DEPARTMENT COMPLETE. SPECIAL CABLE NEWS, LATEST SPORTING NEWS, ALL THE HOME NEWS, NEWS FOR ALL CLASSES SECURED FROM EVERY SOURCE. ORDER THE DISPATCH BY MAIL, THROUGH NEWS AGENTS, OR GET IT FROM A CARRIER. YOU CANNOT GET RIFLING'S LETTERS ON AMERICA OR "THE WITCH OF PRAGUE" THROUGH ANY OTHER MEDIUM HERE THAN THE DISPATCH. igpafclj. ESTABLISHED FEBRUARY 8, 1M6. Vol.45. J, o.3.-Entcrd at Pittsburg rostoffice, JovembcrH. 13s7, as recoud-dass matter. Business Office Corner Smithfleld and Diamond Streets. News Booms and Publishing House 75, 77 and 79 Diamond Street HAhTEKN ADVERTISING OFFICII UOOM SI, TRIBU.NK IJUILIJINU. 2EW YOKK. where complete files or THE DISPATCH can always be found. Foreign advertisers appreciate the con venience. Home advertiser and friends or THE DISPATCH, 'nliile In Aew York, arc also made welcome. TEE3IS OF THE DISFATCH. rOSTAGE TVT.Z IX THE TOTTED ETATXS. Daily lJisrATcn, One Year 8 00 Dailt Dispatch, Per Quarter S 00 Datlt DisrATcn, One .Month - TO Daily DisrATcn. Including bunday, lyear. 10 00 Daily Dispatch, including fcunday.Sm'ths : DAILY DisrATCU. Including bnnday, lm'th 90 bo-DAT Dispatch, One lear tM ft ItCLT DisrATCH, One Year 123 The Daily DisrATcn is delivered by carriers at Hcenu per wccL, or inducing bunday edition, at 1C cents per week. PITTSBURG. SATURDAY, JAN. 17, 1891. A COMPARISON OF THE CASALS. Those gentlemen in Congress who can see their way to cmrauteeing ?100,000,000 or bonds for the Nicaragua Canal can hardly refuse adequ.- encouragement to the much more importaut work of connecting the great lakes with the Ohio and Mississippi. '-The importance of a ship canal from Lake Erie to the Ohio in connection with im jiroTement of the Hudson river and the Erie Canal in Xew York State far tran scends the more ostentations scheme which has been favorably recommended to Congress on behalf of the Nicaragua water-way. A great deal has been said about the necessity of the United States having con trol the short-cut for international com merce; and the particular importance of , this in time of war has been specially dwelt upon. But financial control is one thing, and the power to maintain actual possession and use for the water-way under war con ditions is another. At present there is no pretense that our navy can begin to com pare with that of several of the great powers of Europe. To build and keep up a navy able to hold the canal against all comers would cost infinitely more than the canal itself. In citing this point we do not wish to detract from the value of the Nicaragua Caual for purposes of commerce. But there should be no false pretenses in the matter; and so far as considerations of future war are involved an interior canal which will make possible a safe inland route from Xw York harbor to the Gulf of Mexico is of vastly more importance than the one for which wc are invited to guarantee 5100, 000.000 in a foreign territory. There is another feature of the case which must be seriously weighed. A guarantee of bonds by the United States for such enter prises has heretofore meant that the Treas ury practically assumes the cost of con struction. Our experience with the Pacific railroads is full of instruction. While the proceeds of the bonds go to perform these works, the profits of the future rest with the ttockholders of the private corporation which invests little, if anything, more than its talents as a company promotor. It is true, the present proposition contemplates an absolute ownership by the United States of a large part of the stock. But it has been the experience of city, State and National Government that they usually come out at the small end of the horn in such partnerships. So if Uncle Sam has to put up the cash he might better be single in the undertaking. The system of construc tion companies inside of large corporations is well understood bv the public Where themeansareobtained from bonds guaranteed or paid for by outsiders, the insiders very often get their profits in the contracts for the work, while the stock ownership is a gamble upon the future possibilities of the undertaking. So far from going the length of main taining that Government guarantee under any circumstances is ill-advised, we believe there arc occasions where foresight and a just regard to the promotion of trade amply warrant it. But one of the first essentials should be a thorough scrutiny of the plans. In every instance it should be seen that the private promoters put up a proportionate amount of their own cash, and that the work shouli not be left wholly in their hands, but that strict Government control and supervision should insure an honest expenditure of every dollar. First of all, however, when contemplat ing a project involving the enormous help of 5100,000,000, Congress should ass: itself how is the result to compare with the im mense advantages to the business of the country and to its safety in time of war that would follow from ship canals cannecting the lakes with the Ohio and Mississippi, Two of these are now projected. One from Erie to Beaver. The other from Chicago to the Mississippi. At the highest estimates the joint cost of both would be less than half what is demanded for the Nicarauga Canal. Not only that, but if the Govern ment were to divide a guarantee of even, f2J.0O0.000 between these two projects pri vate capital would doubtless be quietly found to furnish the remainder. honor rx Aran: life. In another column is a letter from General Howard, giving some very interesting in formation regarding our-recular army. He is convinced of the necessity for maintaining flieB a respectable armed force which shall he ed ucated and practiced in the arts and strate gies of war. Iike most military men, Gen eral Howard Is for peace, so long as it can be maintained on an honorable basis, but he has no sympathy with the Tolstoi school of non-resistants; nor the much older Quaker belief that war is never necessary. He is of opinion that arbitrament of disputes is far less difficult to a government with a good show of physical force at command than to one which is helpless. Regarding the impression that to be a soldier is to be disgraced, the idea is strongly denied, and with good reasoning. The overt acts of one man in uniform no doubt brings bis class into disrepute, while similar acts on the part of a civilian are not charged to the discredit of society at large. But one point the General does not touch upon, the question of pay. Young men with brains and ability can usually get mnch greater re turns from Jheir efforts in private life than from the life of a private in the ranks. As a result a majority of those who enlist are men who are not equipped for success in the battle of life. Some of the disrepute in which the life of a soldier is held is due to this cause. However, the point is well made that it is no disgrace, inherently, to be a soldier. Many honorable, men have served time in the ranks and many honorable men wear military titles. And there can be no doubt hut that the practical life of the barracks is just as essential to the production of the competent military man as the teaching and preparation at the military academy. THE GRADES OF SOCIALISM. Cardinal Manning, in reply to the charge that he is a Socialist, very justly refers to the difficulty of defining socialism,. To the vast majority of disputants socialism is any other than their especial ism; while to the more select few, who claim to be Socialists, socialism means their peculiar method of re forming society. There is more difference betn een the avowed socialism of Prof. K. T. Ely and that of Most than between the former class and those who would reform evils by means which are opposed to the general class of reforms assigned to the sphere of socialism. The Cardinal very justly criticises the disposition to use the term of socialism as a bugbear by which to cry down all reforms that have a tendency in that direction. "In the first place," he says, "the, society of man is not of human but of divine creation. It is founded upon the three great laws of au thority, obedience and brotherhood. The whole of our legislation is essentially social for the protection of poverty and labor." The Cardinal might have strengthened this point by saying directly, as he intimates elsewhere, that some forms of legislation universally accepted as just and proper are as clearly of the socialistic class as the measure proposed by perhaps half the avowed Socialists. Socialism in its broadest sense means the interference of the State by taxation or otherwise to confer on the masses the advantages which would otherwise be confined to individuals. Trie poor laws are a distinct recognition of the principle of socialism. Free schools sup ported by public taxation can only be justi fied by the socialist theory; and the exercise of eminent domain to tax away private property for the establisbmen' of public hichwavs on which the poorest man shall have rights equally with, the richest, is largely of that sort Having made this just distinction, the Cardinal proceeds to' attack the sort of socialism which identifies social evils with society itself, and wonld kill the patient in order to cure the disease. He takes the class of Socialists who, to cure the evil of great fortunes, would destroy the natural right of private property. But he favors the legislation necessary to enre existing evils, "which is conservative of the life and health of society," and says that "anyone calling such legislation socialistic does not know what socialism means." But in this, the Cardinal's logic, or perhaps the summary of it that has reached these shores, seems to go a little lame. The most extreme Socialists would be as ready as he to claim the desire to con serve whatever is necessary to the life and health of society, and as to the concluding assertion it is robbed of its force by his open ing statement of the impossibility of deter mining what socialism really does mean. The discussion of socialism in its broadest sense is only to be carried on intelligently by recognizing that it includes a great deal of what is absolutely necessary in legisla tion. When we attempt to narrow the de finition we must make an arbitrary division, in order to distinguish between the socialism of Ely and James, the socialism of Bellamy and Hale, the socialism of Guntor and Morgan, the socialism of Most and Kra potkin. In the broad sense theissne of socialism and its opposing idea may be stated to be the tendency to increase govern mental control and the disposition to limit it Thus in regard to railroads the socialist idea will be to extend the Government con trol of these highways even to the extent of our ownership, while the theory of individ ualism is to protect individual rights and equality in the use of the railroads to the greatest possible degree. But both recog nize that the interference of the State is necessary, and to that extent both recognize the basis of the social theory. It is hardly necessary to say that The Dispatch is opposed to the extension of the theories of socialism much beyond the limit already accepted by legislation. But there is one fact which may be of value to both sides. That is that the corporate legis lation, from which arise the greater share of the abuses that stimulate socialism, rere themselves based upon the socialistic theory. The legislation to permit the combination of capital in corporate enterprises, the grant of the right of eminent domain to enable rail ways to be built, and the extension of Gov ernment aid to railways, as to other depart ments of enterprise, are essentially social istic In the main it was a class of socialism which it was necessary to adopt; but it was not sufficiently guarded against abuses. It may help to a clear understanding of the case to recognize the fact that the inequali ties of the present day arise from the partial and necessary adoption of socialistic methods in legislation, and the liability of all such methods to the grossest abuses. THE POLITICAL HUMORISTS. A' display of what has since been alleged as jocosity was made at the recent orcaniza tion of the Republican Committee of .Indi ana. In a discussion on the question whether the committee should be organized in the interest of General Harrison or not, a member made the following interesting argument on choosing the right man for Chairman: Yon all snow that we carried tbejilcctlon by the use ot boodle In 18S8 and that we lost It in 1890 because it could not be used to advantage and because of the new Australian election law. "We must have a Chairman who is smart and brainy enough to get around that lav, and It must be cot rid of somehow. This remarkable avowal of the political methods by which Indiana must be kept in the party ranks got into the newspapers." Mr. Brush was shocked and surprised to find his private remarks exposed to the rude sun light of publicity, and while not denying that thia remark was made, was prompt to explain that he did not mean it. The speech was made to be laughed at, and was intend ed "to put a little life into things." The latter purpose seems to have been attained all too perfectly to suit the wishes of the creator, but still the inquiring mind may be pardoned for pushing the inquiry as to where the joke of such remarks' comes in. This is the view which that light of In diana Republicanism, Mr. Fishback, takes of it. He declares in a card that such frank speech violates the sanctities, so to speak, of the political family. Men who have a sense of decency do not discuss matters of domestic privacy in public A great many things are said and done In the daily ordering ota Christian household which are taken lor granted without talking abont them, even to onr most intimate friends. So in politics there is a certain prudence to be observed as to mat ters of management in a campaign. The "workers" can meet socially and grin at one another, as the Roman augurs used to do, but they should be very caraf al of their speech. Let the proprieties be observed at all hazards. It must be said that Mr. Fishback brings out the humorous phase of the matter much more clearly than Mr. Brush. It is the frankness of such speech that "violates the sanctities of the political family," not the actual support and execution of boodle work. You may do such things in the "Christian household" of practical poli titians, but they are not to be talked about The workers can distribute the boodle and meet and grin at one another; but they must never nuke speeches about it, most es pecially if there is the slightest chance that their speeches will get into print. For a political humorist it must be said that Mr. Fishback is not to be lowered from his lofty estate by an unjust comparison with Mr. Brush. On the whole, a certain element of humor is to be recognized in this affair. The real humor is the expose which the politicians of Indiana have succeeded in making ot themselves, and which is most complete in their efforts to put themselves on what they suppose to be a high moral level. GENERALMXLES' MUSEUM COLLECTION. The ancient and peculiar weapons being delivered to General Miles by the surrender ing Indians tell an eloquent tale of the rea sons for the hostiles' delay. While the big chiefs were parleying with the military au thorities, the uncultivated savages were carefully concealing the modern rifles in their possession, and preparing a collection of firearms for surrendering purposes that would surprise a dime museum. If they surrendered no blunderbusses it was because they could find none. But this is not the reason why they have given up no modern firearms. The Indian is nothing if not cun ning. COLONIZATION, NOT DEPORTATION. The statement of Mr. Henry M.Stanley in reply to questions addressed to him by the President of a negro organization, that the forest tract of Central Africa would be an ideal region for negro colonization, arouses the dissent of the'New York Sun, which says the colored people are here to stay. "They have learned here the advantages of civilization," says the Sun; "they have ac quired here the habits of orderly industry; they enjoy freedom; they live on peaceful terms with their white fellow citizens; they are making good progress in prosperity, and they like the land of their nativity." We heartily agree with the Sun in declar ing that the colored.people of this country must be considered an integral part of it; that their induetry and progress, for a race that has spent only a generation out of slavery, entitles them to respect; and could indorse a more hearty repudiation of the stupid idea that they must be deported. But when that position is fully accepted, it still remains a very commendable thing to inquire whether there Is not work for the civilized negro in Africa. The advantages and honor of colonization and bringing under cultivation the unoccu pied portions of the world has been fully recognized by the Anglo-Saxon race. It has not appeared either that because the Anglo-Saxon has colonized America or Australasia he has expatriated himself from Europe There is no reason why the propo sition that the civilized colored people shall colonize Central Africa should not be viewed in the same light as the enterprise of New England, New York and Pennsylvania citi zens in colonizing the trans-Mississippi region. The Congo and Central Africa dis tricts have a climate which few white con stitutions can endure; bnt if the inherited physical qualities of the colored race enable tbem to settle in that land and turn the forests into fertile plantations, why should they not have the honor and profit of doing so? Of course, there can be no deportation of the colored people from this country. That would be barbarous, stupid and execrable. But if any number of them wish to under take the work of building up civilization in Central Africa, they should be encouraged in that praiseworthy and honorable enter prise. HOAR DISAPPOINTED AGAIN. Senator Hoar's scheme to force a vote on the force bill has fallen short of its aim. It lacks several essential things. In the first place the presiding officer is not willing to imitate the dictatorial methods of Speaker Reed so as to bring the bill to a vote. And then there are good grounds for the belief that several Republican Senators, who voted for consideration of the hill, are not in favor of it and will not assist in pushing it forward. THE INDUSTRIAL SITUATION. The review of the industrial situation, in this section, for the first two weeks of 1831, recognizes the fact 'that the iron'and steel trade is affected by weakness of prices and slackness of demand. Neither of these features has developed to a degree which threatens serious complications. Prices have not gone far enough from the conserv ative basis to make any serious fall possible The review shows the demand is sufficient to keep all our works tolerably active. But the situation is evidently such ss to call for careful consideration of all possible methods of economizing in prodnction. This to maintain the supremacy of the market which we have heretofore enjoyed. The re view gives especial attention to two features, in which the need for economy in produc tion is manifest. One is the shut-down of the Mahoning and Shenango fur naces until they can get concessions in in rates on coke, freights and we presume on ore, that will enable them to continue in active operations on a lowered market. The Dispatch has heretofore given its reasons for regarding the demands of the furnacemen as deserving of the careful con sideration of the interests from which they ask the reduction. The furnace owners have, however, taken the subject out ot.the realm of argument and into the sphere or demonstration. We have no doubt their shutdown will afford convincing proof to the railroads, coke and ore companies that they need living rates. The other matter of vital interest is re ferred to in the reports of the mills which are changing their furnaces to burn coal in stead of gas. This is not a change in the direction of economy, but it is the best that can be done under present conditions. It remains that an important factor in the preservation or Pittsburg's manufactur ing supremacy lies' in the develop ment of reliable results in ar tificial fuel gas. Both individnal and general interests make this work imperative, and Pittsbure will be guilty of permitting great benefits to escape her if she does not push it to ultimate success. The Disston works, at a time when the natural gas supply was considered permanent, lo cated outside the gas region, adopted by preference a gas process which was then asserted to be cheaper than the charges for natural gas then prevailing here. If any approximation to such a result conld be made then, of what incalculable value it would be to Pittsburg now? When these two questions are properly settled, the industries of this region will con tinue to prosper and expand as they have done during the past five years. Until then it is pleasant to learn that the prospects are good for steady operations in the Pittsburg mills, under the conditions prevailing at the opening of the year. WEEK'S COMMERCIAL MOVEMENTS. On the whole there is cause for encourage ment in the trade report! for the week. Business in all lines has been quiet through out the country, and without startling features. Exports continue greatly in ex cess of imports, so far as merchandise and raw products are concerned, and this must eventually lead to a flow of money in this direction. The domestic money current is from West to East. This is accounted for in the fact that the bulk of -last season's production of the great agricultural region has been sold, and the proceeds are going Eastward again for manufactured goods. This indicates natural and healthy trade. Unless the silver legislation interrupts present tendencies the indications are for recuperation and increasing activity all along the line. Speaking of the removal of the agent at Pine Ridge Agency, a Republican organ tries to find the best excuse possible for his appoint ment by saying tbat be was "selected under the rule that appointments in the Western States and Territories should be made from the State and Territory in which they are to serve. The rule is sound." So far as the Indian agencies are concerned the rule is stupidly vicious. The Territories and States in the immediate vicinity of the reservations are Interested in robbing the Indians of their property and securing their ultimate extermination. To put tbem under such guardianship is the surest way to produce exactly the calamities that have resulted from this appointment. Last year the United States stepped into the lead in the production ot Iron, and the best authorities declare tbat after a few years of comparatively level prodnction another leap will be made, eclipsing all former achieve ments. The public, or that portion of it which believes In Wiggins, will be reassured at his assertion that no more earthquakes need be looked for until about the 17th of August, 1904. "There mav be a few shakes," says the Pro fessor, "but I know of no great earthquakes to pass through Canada." As this is evidently based on the assumption that the earthquakes Wiggins does not know of are not worth know ing, the prophecy would be decidedly com fortable if it were not for one thing. Wiggins' prophecies of earthquakes tbat were coming tailed of realization, and there Is reason to fear that his prediction of a quiet period must also be interpreted by contraries, and we must look out for convulsions. Commander Reiter receives another broadside from the Secretary of the Navy, along with a refusal to grant his request for a trial by court-martial. It would have been better to have given the man a new trial. It is one of the interesting phases of poli tics to observe tbat when Senator Ingalls be comes convinced tbat the Decalogue and tho Golden Rule oncht to have a place in politics, and that corporations ought not to rule, he is frowned upon as a demagogue. The charge may be true, bnt in view of the short time that has elapsed since Ingalls was the prophet of the party, it is hardly discreet for the party to dis own him quite so promptly after he has shown a capability to learn something from the course of events. Senator Stanford's re-election is not to be taken as an approval by the California Legislature of bis plan for Government loans on long time. It is more clearly an approval of doing business on a cash basis. The eighth paper on river improvement, published elsewhere, devotes its attention to the scientific aspects of the reservoir capacity of river channels in relation to flood volumes. This particular branch of the subjectfis a de cidedly abstruse one; but those who have fol lowed the course of the previous articles will recognize its vital bearing on the proposal to utilize this reservoir capacity, and will appre ciate the scientific demonstration of its magni tude. THE force bill and the Harrison PresI dental boom rise like a couple of phronixes once more, and are likely to repeat their former act of going down together. Thirty Hoboken policemen made an at tack upon the German steamer Elbe and clubbed tho officers and the firemen. Conse quently, the German Government wants to know what it means. Tbat effete monarchy should be informed tbat a free and independent policeman of the latitude of New York would club the Kaiser himself unless the latter ap pealed to the German vote. . The continued silence ot Speaker Reed contains as much golden eloquence as the speech of the silvery-tongued Ingalls. "It looks as though 'silver' was to be the rock on which Democracy was to split in 1892," says a cotemporary. Perhaps so. But a more immediate contingency seems to demand the attention of the Republican organ which makes this remark in the prospect that silver will he the rock on which the Republican party may eplltin 1891. There is certainly a good opportunity hereabouts for investment in small houses for renting purposes. "Fall Rtver print cloth manufacturers seem incapablo of agreeing upon anything. They need a Jay Gould." remarks the Provi dence Telegram. Tbat journal seems to think that the cure for the plight of the Fall River people is the heroic one of being left without anything to agree upon. "what IT MEABB. Free Coinage Will Compel tho People to Pay a Big Premium. Philadelphia Ledger. Reduced to its simplest analysis, the "free coinage" bill passed by the 8enate on Wednes day is a bill to compel the people of tne United States to pay silver owners II 29 for the onnce on silver which in the bullion markets of the world is worth no more than SI 05. Reduced to its plain intent, that is the purpose of the bill: and If it shall be concurred In by the House of Representatives and approved by the President tbat will be its effect. It is a bill to compel the people of the United States to pay to the silver operators nearly 25 per cent more fpr their commodity than they could get for it at the free sale in the honest open market. SNAP SHOTS IN SEASON. A great many family trees bear forbidding fruit. You know some one who Is In hard luck, of course The woods of the world are full of un happy people, who imagine they aro heirs to misfortune who parade their ill luck and re fuse to be comforted. There's no sun in their sky, no moon in their night, nothing bnt dark days and black clouds sorrows unending, fate unbending. Day lu and day out they pour Into your ears a tale of woe and the world's cruelty. They are on the outside of all that's good and cheerful and hopeful iu this wonderful old world, and firmly believe that life is a failure and they are useless. Footballs of fate, they roll hither and thither, never stirring until tbey are kicked by the toes of the trampers in whose pathway they lie. Of course they are believers in luck, and nothing but luck. The man who has fearlessly faced life and ascended its scale by tireless effort and persistent endeavor is a lucky dog, nothing more, nothing less, so far as tbey are con cerned. They would stand on tho same round of the ladder as he had they only his luck. Pluck isn't in it at all. The world owes them a living, of course, but tbey won't make an effort to collect tho debt, and snuffle and shamble along life's path way, unhappy images ot misfortune singing a sorrowful song day in and day out. To be sure there be unfortunate folk In this big cold world. We are not all built un huge, strong lines or launched on calm waters. Sick ness, the sins handed down by the fathers, the curses of heredity, find numerous victims, and they are pitied and helped. These are the suf ferers, the ones who feel the cruel hand of fate, but not the complainers. Tbey carry their load in silence and shed their tears in secret. But tho able, healthy and strong who snivel when tbey should strive, who drivel wben they should delvo, who grumble when tbey should grasp, who are cursing their luck when they should be blazing a pathway, aro the ones who buzz about your ears and spread the story of man's inhumanity to man, who paint a black picture of life, wbo imagine tbat the world Is cold, cruel, heartless, homeless. The players who stand pat usually win with bands down. Light-hearted people can carry the heav iest loads. The Philadelphia doctor who claims lymph priority over Koch probably belongs to the class that believes tbat a good thing should be treasured as a secret. What is the use pf a thought if it is not express ed, or an invention if it is not applied? Ix billiards a scratch frequently follows a kiss. The Oatmeal Trust is merely mush, but it makes us feel mealy-mouthed. The next time the Indians want to dance Uncle Sam should hire a ball. ' The crank who is gunning for Cleveland doubtless believes that death loves a shining mark. The Wanderers. This is the season when many Tramp through tne snow and the wet To see where they can find any Suitable houses to let. The cuns surrendered by the Indians should be handled with care. If tbey are fired off the soldiers behind them will suffer. The granger Legislature of Kansas is loaded for bulls and bears. The practical joke often survives the practi cal joker. Emma Abbott's will is a notable document, and contains a score of bequests. The man who is squeezed in a crowd by pick pockets and loses his watch was pressed for time. Jat Gould regrets the close of the Sioux war. It will reduce the W. U.'s receipts, as tho correspondents will soon be called off. A great many players in the drama of life rely too much on the prompter, and are in a bad box most of the time. Before a legislative measure is dissected it is frequently laid on the table. The housekeeper who owes back rent and cannot pay It is unable to move. The other day a man who bad a snake and owl story visited The Dispatch. He had it to sell. He located it in Freedom, Blair coun ty. No telegraph, no railroad, no postofflce. No way In which it could be verified, except by goin; to tbe wilds of Blair, which would be a I 1 1 ..,.IV. k. .. Am 1 .(..I- .. . ! jjaru kaBii wi.u kuo iuaiu iu bucit preaeui con. dition. Then tbe Postal Gnlde was consulted. No such hamlet in Blair county. Fake, of course. Still the man managed to dispose of bis yarn. It appeared yesterday afternoon. Another harmless He going tbe rounds of news paperdom. Cheaper Than War. It music has power to mesmerize And soothe the savage breast,. Perhaps a brass band could hypnotize The Reds in the woolly West. Sealed proposals Marriage engagements clinched by a kiss. The poultice will always bring matters to a head. If dirty linen Is washed in public the river of life is contaminated. Mixes is now tbe Chief of the 'Sioux, and they may christen him Son-of a-Gun. The artist occasionally airs his views. The new legislative ideas entertained by the farmer statesmen are cropping out all over the laud, and there's no telling what the harvest will be. The life of tne baby Is rather rocky. When you are lost in admiration you will be all right after you recover your senses. Lawyers are clever cite hunters. One of tbe profitable stocks on the market is built on air, but too much water will break it. A drt hole The local option town. Emma Abbott's chorus, which worked for starvation wages, is in want. The beneficiaries under her will sbould whack up. Deceased evidently forgot that charity should-begin at home. The tea expert is a man of taste. TnElast decade of the nineteenth century promises to go down into history as tbe Silver Ace. Some of the dreary speeches In the Senate drive men to drink after adjournment. Willie Winkle. Rewards and Punishments. i Pblladelphla Times. The nomination of Austin li Taggart for Senator by Representative Magntn, of Dela ware, and tbe adjournment of tbe House until Tuesday next coupled with tho statement ot Speaker Thompson that the committees would not be ready for announcement before tbat time, indicate tbat' something beside routine work is to be done. While there are nosurface indications tbat Candidate Taggart is making any inroads on Cameron's safe majority, Speaker Thompson Is not going to announce his committee's selections until the Senatorial vote has been taken and the faithful have stood up and been counted." " - A Practical Suggestion. Philadelphia Inquirer. In view of tho .frequent changes of site for the Chicago Exposition, it would seem advisa ble to put the buildings on wheels, with a motor attachment. As nothing of tbls kind has ever been attempted on anything like the requisite magnitude, tbe 'idea suggest theme for American inventors. I A GBEAT HOTEL Prom the Pen of F. Marion Crawford Se cured by The Dispatch. The Dispatch has secured a splendid serial written b jr F. Marlon Crawford, author of "Mr. Isaacs," "A Roman Bingor," etc., entitled "The Witch of Prague." Publication begins to-morrow, January US. The leading character of the story, Unarna, the Witch of Prague, is a young woman ot ex traordinary beauty who possesses to a, remark able degree hypnotic powers. In fact, in this character Mr. Crawford lias delineated a human being who in ber own person is able to perform as great feats in hypnotism as any character in real life, and she may, in fact, be said to stand for the greatest achievement in this field. It is distinctively a pure story. The series of experiments made to prolong human life are of themselves of extreme interest and would give distinction to tbe novel. The series of hypnotic experiments are also most extraor dinary. The love story, which is intense and all-pervading, being the story of tbe love ot two women for one man and of the man for one of the women, possesses in itself all tbe elements of a very striking romance. The opening chapters of this remarkable story begin In The Dispatch to-morrow. A Senatorial Figure of Speech New Vork Telegram. United States Senator Wnlcott says of his colleague from Idaho that "McConnell could draw to a hairpin and get a lady." That is a figure of speech which will survive beside the Arab saying concerning a lucky man "If he fell into tbe Nile he would come out with a fish in bis mouth." Advice to Rural Legislator. San Antonio, Tex., Express. As to-day will witness the biennial assem blage of tbe Texas Legislature, people shonld be especially careful about fooling with elec tric light wires. There is an old adage abont raining and pouring. A Fitting Garment, Boston Globe.! Quay has been patching up the force bill. But tbe patch is such an unsightly thing tbat even its friends are ashamed of it, Tbe ragged force hill cannot be patebed up. What it needs is an entirely new garment a beautiful white shroud, A Bullion Ring, as It Were. Boston Herald. Tbe investigation into the Congressional sil ver pool will probably show that this coin has a peculiar ring. PERSONAL MEHTIOH. Annie Millet, the famous French painter and sculptor, died at Paris, aged 75. Empress Augusta will accompany Em peror William and bis wife to England. M. Meissonier, the famous painter, has been elected President of the French Academy of Fine Arts. Path. Lindatj, the well-known German novelist and essayist, will visit this country in a few weeks. He will remain hero for three months. John Fitzroy de Cotjrcet. Lord Kincade, wbo recently died in England, was one of tbe two British noblemen entitled by royal giant to keep their bats on their beads in tbe presence of royalty. The wife ot Captain Wallace, the gallant Seventh Cavalry officer who recently lost his ife in a fight with the Sioux, is dangerously 111 at Fort Riley. Kan. Mrs. Wallace is a daughter of Judge Otis, of Atchison. President Diaz began his political career while an officer in tbe army by beading an in surrection. He kept on in that line until' he reached the Presidency, but Is now the most conservative politician In Mexico. Mrs. Fujh, wife of Rablro Fujil, the Jap anese Consul at New York, died in New York on Monday of consumption. She had been in this country about six years, and Was a ereat favorite with tbe Japanese residents ot New York. Mart Kyle Dallas thinks her sex has made a grand stride toward perfect indepen dence by dining at restaurants without male escorts. "Our grandmothers would have been Insulted for attempting such a thing," says Mrs. Dallas. Andrew Lang has never been In robust health, and he is said to be fast becoming a valetudinarian. Within six months bis lungs have exhibited an alarming weakness, and fre quent hemorrhages have occasioned his friends mostserious apprehensions. But bis ill-health does not interfere with his inclination or ability for work. Dr. Kate Bushnell has left Chicago on her great tour of the globe in the interest of tbe Woman's Christian Temperanco Union. She represents 500,000 women, and wherever she goes she will "organize. Instruct and encour age" tbe branches of tbej order. She has traveled extensively and is a physician, orator and author of acknowledged ability. Richard Harding Davis, who is to be as sociated with George William Cnrtis in tbe conduct of Ilarpen Weekly, Is 20 years old. He is the son of L. Clarke Davis, editor of the Philadelphia Ledger, and Rebecca Harding Davis tbe, well-known writer. He was edu cated at the Universities of Lehigh and Johns Hopkins and was three years in Philadelphia journalism. The Most Ductile Substance. Chicago Times. Platinum Is drawn into wire strands so fine that 27 of them twisted together might be In serted in the hollow of a hair. Its only known superior in ductility is a politician's conscience. Not the Only Ones, However. New York Press. ' Men who are blown up by tho explosion of sticks of giant nowder, which tbey stand on end before a blazing fire, are precisely the kind of men wbo deserve tbat fate. Sadly Reminiscent. St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Bep. There was more interest in the Dempsey Fitzslmmons prize fight than In any contest since tbat which closed on the 4th of last No vember, in wblch. we regret to say, we played the part ot Dempsey. DEATHS OP A DAY. Dr. Mary C. Nlvislon. rtriciAi. nxioRjiK to thb dispatch, i Canton, Jan. 15. Dr. Mary C. Nlvislon, a lady physician, well known among herschool through out the State, died in this city to-day, aged 57 years. Her life was of strange Interest. She graduated from the Electric College, of New York City, In 1871, and Immediately removed to this region, being tbe pioneer lady physician among tbe coal mines of Pennsylvania. Owing to the prejudice against women in the profession, she bad to contend against great difficulties, bat fin ally made ber way and effected an opening for other lady physicians. At one time she was Vice President of the Electric Society of the State. Lewis Landers. NASHVILLE. Tenn.. Jan. 13. -Lewis Landers, the oldest citizen of Limestone county, died at the residence of bis daughter in uboalford Heat, yes terday arternoon. He was almost reaay to cele brate bis Mth birthday. lie was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was with General Jackson at the battleofNew Orleans. In many respects he was a most remarkable man, always enjoying fine health, and until last year has made a crop, doing all tbe work himself, out last summer be gave up all but a small tobacco patch. In tne cultivation of which be was an expert. He enjoyed line health until the end, having died while sitting by the fire. Miss Lillian Owen, Soubrette. CHICAGO, Jan. 18. Miss Lllllan'.Owen, of Sol Smith Kussell'a company, who was Journeying eastward from San Francisco to wed Charles Kent, of Stuart Bobson' company, died here to day, after a short illness. Like Emma Abbott, she was taken 111 with pneumonia at Salt Lake City, bnt bad temporarily better fortune tnan the famous opera singer, and managed to con tinue traveling until she reached Chicago. Miss Owen bad considerable reputation as a bright little soubrette. She was 24 years old. Mrs. Mills. COFiNBAOSN, Jan. 16. Mrs. Mills, the mother-in-law of Hon. UlarkE.Carr. the United States Minister to D.nmark, died here to-day. The Earl of Devon. LONDON. Jan. It. Tbe death of Edwin Bald win Courteaay. arl of Devon, is announced. THE TOPICAL TALKER. Bow the Rivers Are Robbed. Tbe rivermen have been a long while in get ting together to move against tbe Incessant en croachment of manufacturers and railroads upon tbe three river, but it looks as if some thing serious in tbe way of opposition to tbs invaders may come of tbe suit against the B. & O. railway and General Merrill's activity. It doesn't require anything more than a pair of good eyes to see samples of the encroachment from any of tbe bridges, but a better idea of tbe immense proportions of the new ground added to the rivers' banks can be bad from tbe deck of a liver boat. The other day, in the course of a voyage, wbich covered two-thirds Of the harbor, I was enabled by the courtesy of one ot the best posted rivermen In this city, to obtain a comprehensive view of the land which has been stolen from the rivers. In many places Indeed the very process of appropriation could be seen in oper ation. At one spot on the Allegheny bank of the Ohio several inches of iron mill refuse, slag and coal dust were added to tbe embankment while our boat was tied up for less than an hour. A stream of men with wheelbarrows kept steadily dumping the stuff Into tbe river. Back of tbe embankment's present edge were several acres of made land which had at one time been tbe river bed. When tbe Pittsburg and Western Railroad was first built it ran over trestles almost all the way from the Union bridge to Manchester, but now in many places the trestle work is, buried under solid soli, and practically its roadbed is as mnch on dry land as the Fort Wayne a mile back from the river. But it i hardly fair to name one offender where there are so many. .It is safe to say that there is not a manufacturer or other owner of property abutting upon tbe river that has not added more or less to his realty at the expense of the rivor. I have beard of one manufacturer, and there may be many like him, wbo has been systematically increas ing bis property in this way. and whenever tho new land amounts to anything he files a bill against the city lor improvements, obtains compensation and then erects buildings npon the property and calls it his own. So general has the filching from the unprotected rivers be come that it is no longer concealed at all. Dry Land Where He Swam. As an instance of how the Ohio river has been diverted and contracted by tbe filling-la Drocess on its banks, a story told me by a river captain tbe other day may be related here. "About ten years ago," said he, "when the Oblo river was pretty high and full of ice a boy fell into tbe river close to the foot of River avenue. Captain Rodgers, who saw the acci dent. Jumped to tbe rescue without a moment's delay, reached tbe boy and swam with him two or three hundred yards to about where tbe gas works tipple projects, and there both were pulled on board a skiff and taken ashore. The rescue will be remembered by lots of people in Allegheny wbo saw it done. I remember tbat Rodgers bad an unlit cigar in his mouth wben be jumped in, and by a queer chance he carried it in his month till he got borne, wben bii wife, as she was assisting him to remove bis wet clothes, told him to take the cigar out of bis mouth, and then for the first time bo became aware that a cigar was be tween Jiis teeth. Stranger still, the cigar was still dry. But in a very little while not a word of this story will sound true, for tbe place over which Rodzers swam is now nearly every bit of it dry landfand some of it a good distance from tbe bank." Plain Perils in Sight. And I have verified the above assertion with my own eyes since. From abreast the Alle gheny Gas Works yon can obtain a very-good view of some ot tbe most formidable en croachments. On tbe one side tbe Mo nougabela's narrowed conrse and on tbe other the outward curve of tbe Allegheny caused by the erection ot obstruc tions nearly a quarter of a mile wide from River avenue outward. Then the Point has been elongated from where the Exposition buildlnc now stands to below tbe abutments of tbe Union and Point bridges. The Point en croachments do not appear to be of such ma terial injury to the rivers as the others. Tbe most striking of tbem all is the territory occu pied in part by railroad tracks and the Exposi tion and the baseball grounds, and otberwise a solidly built-up section of Allegheny. From below tbe Union bridge it is easy to see why rivermen predict for this made ground tbe fate of Johnstown should ever a very high stage of water in the Monocgaiiela occur coincldently with a flood in tbe Allegheny. Happily as yet the Allegheny and Monongahela bave chosen separate dates for their rampages, but a com bined flood is by no means impossible. Truly the Raging Ohio. Whenever tbe Ohio is at all high, as it was on the day this week that my observations were made, the making up of coal fleets becomes a perilous and tedious proceeding. Tbe river within its contracted limits rashes along with prodigious violence. Rivermen remember wben tbe largest tows could be made np without difficulty in tbe harbor, but now nobody at tempts it. Tows are made up in sections and taken down tbe river by small boats twenty or thirty miles, and then aro united again and turned over to tbe more powerful towboats. Even the small tows seldom leave the harbor without getting into difficulties in tbe currents, which are growing more cataract like every year, as the bed of tbo Oblo is contracted. A good-sized boat belonging to W. H. Brown. I think, on leaving the landing under tbe Pan handle tracks with a tow of four barges last Tuesday morning, found tbe current at the Glass House Riffle too much for ber and bad to call for assistance. Another towboat came over, and between tbe two the tow was swung around and started on Its journey, but not without a vast amount of maneuvering beyond a landsman's powers of description. When ever there is a coal rise anyone who likes ex citement with a spice of real danger may bave his fill on board a towboat on what is trnly then "the raging Ohio." Artificial Gas for Fuel. "Whathope is there of artificial gas coming into general use as a fuel fur domestic pur poses?" was tbe question I put to an expert in all sorts of gases yesterday. "I tbink tbe chances are that Pittsburg will noibareto go back to coal wben natural gas fails which it has not done yet, by the way," was his reply. "I see no reason why artificial gas shonld not be made for beating purposes and supplied at such terms as would bring it within reach of most of those who now use natural pas. Tbe existence of a system of mains and supply pipes is. of course, an Import ant factor, and my calculation includes tho utilization f tbe natural gas companies' plant. There will remain to be established gasometers for tbe manufacture and storage of gas at suitable intervals throughout the city. A num ber of gasometers of moderate size Is preferable for many reasons to an enormous ono centrally located. The supply will not be dependent upon one source, and by the distribution ot gasometers the difficulty of maintaining a suffi cient pressure will be overcame. Consumers will have to pay more attention to the problem of extracting a maximum of heat from a mini mum of gas. Economy in the use of gas can alone bring tbe artificial fuel within the reach of the average consumer. There is no difficulty in this direction, however, as the heat-producing and gas-saving burners are Increasing in number, and efficiency and decreasing in cost daily. You can rely upon it tbat enough men of brains and capital are at work npon this problem to solve it satisfactorily if it can be solved. Already a company has been formed in Allegheny to supply artificial gas at 20 cents a thousand, and I am confident tbat King Coal will not be allowed to resume bis sway in this community without a very hard fight" Senator Teller's Voracious Appetite. Chicago Times. It is said of Senator Teller that hs is a man of such careless and Indifferent appetlto that be doesn't care whether he has a fire-course and remove dinner or a free lunch of pickled tripe. Tbe recent attempt of Teller to devour Uncle John Sberman, Granny Hoar, and Ben jamin Harrison seems to confirm this state ment. More Likely the Heavy Villain. Louisville Courier-Journal. J- If Mr. Ingalls is really writing a novel, tbe public may rest assured that the hero will not be an agriculturist. This Pat Nothing In the Treasury. Albany Argns.l California has sent back 150,000,000 to the United States Senate, In the person-of Leland Stanford. ' CURIOUS CONDENSATIONS, A London vegetarian amateur athletic club has been formed. A sharp shock of earthquake was felt at Brockville, OnL, Wednesday. Long kid gloves are going out of fash ion. Tbe lace or silk gauntlet substitute haf already appeared. The largest county in the UnitedJ3tates, it is said, is Custer county, in Montana, which contains 55,000 square miles. A new way of serving raw dlnnersisinagood-sized china .i,.if7.S ." the bivalves lie in their owS juice? ,n wWeJl Haifa dozen New York la'dies earn a handsome living by holdIneconT.,.f . and giving priv! te TuSonsfn StW CUMM .hT ,aW " abont be "acted compelling all alien owning land in Russia to 7ii Vh.i. property or become Russian subject. " Brtnb.?t6 TeterinwT eons in Great Britain signed a paper condemning overhead UveCofrdisDe,a,ae.PafDrBlt h"eS Two Havana journalists are in jail, 0na for mentioning the formation of a new poll tical torh7iun1tehds.frad70Cltineanne"Uo Withio 63 years Mexico has had M Presidents, 1 Regency and I Empire, and ffiSerMHS!0 Government has been In London town 1 woman in every 20 il Pauper 1 in every 13 Is Illiterate and 1 In every an F?1.'V,,r,Sker- So savs recent report of an Englisn industrial society. - """"" , A New Y'k husband was so insanely !0 tbat h8 won,a uk8 bi3 we' shoes. SIm. wben be went to work so that sha could not go out in his absence. It is said that the city of Boston Is com. pelled to pay on an average $15,000 a year on ao- 2I5B!!!5Mn,n..r,e" 8Da'ned by Deople wbo meet with accident on tbe sidewalks. Farmer Meall, who lives near Cawker City, in Mitchell county. Mo., clsaned his well nlJlf week S,nd rnnd39 big bull snakes and 2a bullfrogs. The reptile were alive. v A number of French manufacturers have warned tbe Government of their Intention to remove their factories to place abroad if terlal lmPCt dUtleS "8 lmp"d "n wii- A discussion upon the modern pro nunciation of English leads to tbe observation that the letter R has ceased to bo beard. There "lore!" D UfferenC8 between "law" and U". D. Eood, of Santa Barbara, CaL, while out sailing the other day with a party of ladies and .srentlemeD, shot and captured a spotted or leopard seal weighing 300 or 410 pOuQuo The Academy of Sciences of Cracow has just published a poem of the sixteenth "KW71, S,U of t?e Ianla Object a d5co?er copy has but lately been James A. Payton, of Posev township, Harrison county, Ind., undertook to wash hi sweetheart's face with snow, and tbe younz dUIyocSfehisIknee0.WnWUIlS.U':1, TlIenC to A San Francisco lawyer, and one of no particular eminence either, ha been allowed for his services as attorney for the admmis- ofto- iSXtlle.?,jr:ne e,ute tne magnificent fca of 135,000. His name is John A. Wright India and Ceylon are increasing their production of tea to such an extent that it: is expected they will furnish 75 per cent of the amount consumed in Great Britain this year. China is a great sufferer from this change. The Douglass Company's steamer Ka moa, when about 5 miles from Hongkong, was boarded by about -10 pirates armed with revol vers, who, after killing and wounding a number of the crew, ransacked the ship from end to end. The royal Saxon collection of china, tho finest lot of Dresden china in the world, ha just been greatly increased by the addition to It or the H0O0 pieces ot Dr. Gustav Spltzner. The museum now contains about iStOOu pieces from the Meissen factory. A remarkable petition Is on its way from India to Queen Victoria. It is more than JO feet in length, and is signed by more than 10,000 women in India wbo are anxious to have tbe legal niarnaee age for girls raised from it present limit of 10 to U year. The report of the KussLau Imperial Com mlssionjntrusted with tbe doty of invesigating the Hebrew question is decidedly in lavor ot tbe Russian Hebrews, and proves tbat they made their Hvinc not through usury, but by agriculture and other industrial pursuits. The most precious bit of dog flesh out side of a coursing grayhound is going to quit England for America. The noble animal is the St, Bernard. Sir dedivere. sold by T. H. Green to E. B. Sears, ot Boston, for $6,500. Tbls dog hasn't as yet left a prize untaken. The case of Governor Francis T. Nichols, of Louisiana, shows tbat tbe anatomy of man might be much simplified without great injury to hi nsefuluess in the affairs of life. He has lost a leg and an arm and an eye, still be gets about in a lively war. strikes a sturdy Dlow and can see thing a quickly as anybody. Washington is overrun at present with speculators from tbe South American States. Many of them are experienced promoters who bare found London rather dull since the Bar. ings failed, and have come to the United States as to fresh field and pastures new. They are loaded down with concession for mines, rail road, harbor privileges and other promotable A unique Maine school is that taught by Miss Mamie Desilea on Mark Island, three miles ont from Green' Landing, Deer Isle. Her school consisted of the lighthouse keeper's children, whom tbe keeper engaged ber to in struct for a term of ten weeks, two sessions a day. The school was divided into classes like any other. For weeks at a time it is imoossi ble to cet off this rock-bound isle. There are 28,000 names of pensioners on tbe books of the United States Pension Bureau at tho corner of Lalght and Canal streets. New York. Regular times for tbe payment of claim are the f onrth days of March, June, September and December. There is a horde of applicants on the days referred to, but tbe majority of tbe claims are paid by letter. Tbe money is sent all over tbe world, including China. Japan, In dia and the far North, in sums ranging from $3 to 572. Among tbe largest sums paid out aro those received by Mrs. George B. McClellan and Sltr. Ulysses S. Grant. The former re ceive J2.00U annually and tbe latter 5,000. Emperor William's attack on the classics in tbe German gymnasia ha beenfol lowed.ln England by an attack wblch will carry even more weight with scholars and people in general than tbe German Emperor's pronun ciamento. At the recent conference of the head master of tbe public schools at Oxford, Mr. Weldou, the llead master of Harrow, moved a resolution declaring tbat it would be a pain to education if Greek were not a "com pulsory subject" in Cambridge and Oxford. The resolution was supported by tbe head roas ters of Marlborough, Wellington. Rugby. Clif ton and Shrewsbury, and though it failed of passage, it was rejected only by a rote of 31 nays to 20 yea. WISPS OF WIT. A Very Different Thing. Mr. Gaznm (to hi son) Well, I bear that Brown' boy thrashed you soundly, and tbat yon took yor punishment meetly. Young Qazzam-Took.lt. did 1? Notmuchl He gave it to me. DraWi Magazine. There Is no need of the Government at tempting to transfer the Indian to the War De partment. They have already done that them selves. Jfino Orltant l'ev Delta. After the Fight. Not a sparrer falls to the ground without being observed by all-seeinf eyes.n'eie Orleans fieayune. Mis C. (a Bucksport Seminary girl) Oh. that I bad the wings of a dovel Mr. M. What! That you mightily tome? MIssC No-c-o-ol that lmljcbt fix over my last summer' bonnet. Lewltton, He., Journal. At the National Capital, Truth makes men gentle. Wblch accounts for some of tbe wild person we meet every minute or two In tbe day. Washington Star. Legislative safe-blowers are fairly active and state-stealers looking np. Aew yor World. Accepting tbe philosopher' theory that money represents trocblo It is surprising to see bow many people are wllllnz and anxious to bor row trouble. Washington Pott. The Maxim gun fires itself a second time by it own recoil, and so on ad infinitum. It doe a man good sometimes to kick himself a little, Minneapolis Journal. Wood II I had my choice I would spend my summers In Newport and my winter iu Florida. Kvde What would you do is spring sl&4 autumn? . '" , Wood-Ob, I would be falling is NewXfsi'W Tt n... - ,. .-;.."'
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers