Z&SF. .'?i7,vw1SFDsfS ?f-J 'QfRW Wn 'tg fWS?: 7! vst vvfxT'pvC' "wars-wrasrersi -p-3prjK-W"- "" - :r-;(jrr- 3W3fi EV1EW OF SPORTS, Arthur Whitney's Very Foolish Con duct Toward the Local Baseball Club. THE 2IAKEUP OF THE HOME TEAM. Csrfcett's Eeasons Eecardinp Hotr lie Will Defeat John L. Sullivan Xext ML FRITCHAFJV3 OFPEE TO MITCHELL. 11 Local CricVet league and Bicycle Prospects for li'.i Season. There is only one day between us and the inauguration of the championship season of : is year. To be sure, cranks, fans and terybody interested in tlje game are wait- g for Tuesday, and the opening games j ght to be very interesting ones all round. - e officials of the home club have started get their players down to the requisite i umber, and are using very great caution in u ing bo. The players who have to make i the team have been working hard daring t e week, but there are still two or three v 10 can and need be in better condition t' an they are at present But there is one event ol the week that 1 s eclipsed all others of a local nature. -thur Whitney has caused quite a surprise I threatening to sue the clab for his year's i-.ary. To do this he intends to remain 1 re and report for duty every day. This 11 be quite a task for Arthur, and even rter be has done this it may be safe to say tr at he will be no further forward than he i at present. But there is much significance in Winf rey's threat and refusal to accent his re lc ae. If there is anything at all inhis claim, then the baseball business is simply built on a quicksand foundation. It is hardly necessary to say anything about the ingratitude and the unuianliness of Whit nev. Doubtless everybody interested in tbegame will have very strong opinions on that point, as a more ungrateful act couldn't veil be done. "Whitney was given 5500 ad vance money by the local club. All along p -id authorities have shown that he was t clas enough for a team that aspires to a f .id position in the League, and where mere were better men signed to fill c place he was to occupy. But he comes -e and fails to impress people favorably. h is released, won't go way and invokes i' law. A man who has been made a cent of J500 does thi. "What do you nk of it? Still, further, the man wants nay here and force himself upon em- overs and a public who don't want him. v here is the spirit of manliness in a man c i hat kind? Does Mr. "Whitney ever think of the posi va he is putting himself into by his very inborn conduct? He cannot lor one mo it ever expect to be recognized in an ini .tant baseball league again. Kven il the r ntract i; legally defective the conditions which he objects have been in vogue so one that everybody understands what they 'pean or are intended to mean. Nobody knows better than Arthur "Whitney, and most assuredly he would have played a more honorable part if he had objected o what he calls the unequal conditions before he Figned the contract By all means Whit i y's actions are censurable to the extreme. Of conrse he may and may not have had a verbal contract with 3Ir. 31c Ounnigle. Atcct the Xvocat Clnb. There is every indication that the local t am will report at Cincinnati on Tuesday n good trim. According to present inten tions the team who are to take part in the tienicg ot the argument are: Baldwin, Miller, Beckley, Bierbauer, Shugart, Far--11, Smith, Hanlon and Swartwood. On apcr they are a capital team, and if they cau get into their average form they will ake scrne beating. During the last few lajs Elmer Smith has made a very good mpression as an outfielder, and I suppose mat will be his regular position, but it is l.Uely that he will not be a success as a pitcher. True, his throwing has not been of the highest order, but he will improve in this respect So tar, the greatest defect of the team has been at third base. Farrell has been and is jet sadly out ot form, and it is no use shut ting our eyes to the fact "When once he gets into good trim I expect to see him do tome very brilliant plaving, and if he does not he will compare very badly with the balance of the infield, because they are cer lamly giving promise of some cry gilt edged work this season. All of us wilt be glad that Baldwin is showing up in such good icrni thus early in the year. If he keeps all right he will be a "winner this vear, and so will Galvin. Ehret is rapidly getting into first-class fettle, and when he reaches that point he ought to be a very Effective pitcher. Swartwood and Hanlon are also all right, so Jar, and altogether it eerns to me as i: we had a better team than many ot us think. One thing is sure, that vhen they once get their "eye on the ball" there will be some tremendous hitting, be cause, as a team, they are certainly very nard hitters. Manager Buckenberger ex pects the team to win lour out of the seven '.ines that are to be played on the team's i.rst trip. If his expectations are realized I think all ol us will be content The Coanly leagae. Everything is now in proper shape in the County League, and the members of that organization are awaiting the opening of their season w ith very pleasureable f eel ngs. The schedule is apparently satisfac tory to all concerned, and the teams are all made up. It is generally considered that the teams are stronger this year than they Mere last year, and we may expect to find eonie very good plaving. The East End Gyrus have demonstrated already this sea son that they are a good team. They have in Gumbert and Thompson two excellent i l'.chcrs, and it is not easy to say who is the I 'tter ot the tw o. And they have a good iificld and one or two good infielders. i y arc a little weak behind the bat, but vking everything into consideration they ppear to he the ttrongest team in the oumy League. The Wilkinsburg team are a stronger lot of phncrs than they appeared to be at Ex position Parc last Monday; indeed I wouldn't be surprised it they were to give lie Gyms an exceedingly hot argument iunug the seasou Gardiner is not a bad p. teller, audlexpect him to be very effective in the County League. The Tarentunis liso have high aspirations and so have the Mansfields. Altogether there will be a lucly time among our "amateurs." But one thing ought to be fully recognized this veni. and that i1- tne authority of the umpire. he lias very great power now, and umpires lonby their positions will assert that power" in the furtherance of order and re spectability. This is a point that must be attended to if the County League is to have the public's respect llio rw Cricket Leagnr. It is pleasing to note that a local cricket league has at last been definitely organized, unci it now remains tor the next tew months to tell as to whether or not it is to be a su; cess. The great notion throughout the country at present is to "league" almost cxerything of a sporting kind, and the cricketers have made up their minds not to be behind in this respect, True it is that the old and historic game is not as popular in this country as its friends would like to see it It is looked upon as a kind of ex otic, and I fear it will continue tojbe looked upon as such for a very long time to come. "While I don't want to make any detailed comparisons between cricket and baseball, I think there are very few ot us who will not admit that cricket is not as much a game for the masses as is baseball. I say this, while 1 am a very ardent aJmirerif cricket, and quite mindful of its many excellent features. But I have always held the notion that cricket playing is more of a game for the players than for the spectators. It is because of" this circumstance that, in my opinion, it will never be a very popular game in this country nntil. we have a ciass of leisure very much more numerous than we Lave at present. But don't let anybody run away with the notion that a game'ot cricket is not worth looking at It is always something to in terest an onlooker who knows anything about the game at all. The league just or ganized will, I trust, tend to educate the lover of wholesome, outdoor sports and recreation in the good points of the game. And there is one thing that snouiu not be overlooked in connection with this league, vis: it has been formed entirely because of the love of the game, those who are connected with it have no desire to gain a cent out of it; their only oliject is to enjov the game themselves and help others to enjoy it The league ought to succeed it harmony is onlv sustained among its members, and to make sure of this the officials of the league ought to be prepared at all times to stretch a point or two rather than have relationships strained. There are some enterprising clubs in the league and the officials have been wisely selected. " Iiocsl Amr.tcur Boxtaz. There is a strong desiro in and about Pittsburg to popularize amateur boxing and I don't see why it should sot become popu lar here among our hundreds of young ath letes. Mark, when I speak of boxing I am not at all referring to fighting or slugging. Boxing pure and simple is what I mean and there is not abetter or a" healthier exercise in the world than boxing. If there was more of it, that is in a rational way, we would not have so many young men with sunken chests and round shoulders. This fact is well understood among the savants of colleges and universities all over the world. It is also understood by everybody who has paid any attention to "the question. Asa rule young men who steadily take their boxing exercise develop into strong cheited men and iilso men of muscle. It is a pity that the kind of boxing I am speaking of has been on the wane for some time. I cau remember the time when some of the most faithful and the ablest expounders of the Christian Gos pel made it part of their daily routine to put on the gloves, and some of them were just as clever as anybody I have ever seen. There was not the remotest idea of "fight ing;" these gentlemen were simply taking care of their physical welfare in a way that nature and intelligence point ed, out as one of the best And anybody can learn to box if he is only put on the fight road. It is the true and false starting out that concerns a student most Of late we have had one or two imposters in the neighborhood who call themselves "Professors." They areirauds, and yonng men should steer "clear of them. Pro lessors! Yes, they are professors, but only of rank imposition. It is this class of frauds that nasdone so much to ruin and kill the good exercise ot boxing. They know nothing of the art except what they have seen in street brawls or read about in the so-called "Boxing Guides. Price, 10 cents." "Whenever you meet a man who claims he is a boxing teacher and call J him self "Professor," beware of him. Well, it is pleasing to see that our local athletic clubs are all taking an interest in boxing, and they can do more to popularize it than anybody else. I anticipate that when next fall comes these clubs will still make greater efforts than ever to make the noble art popular. ZticvcIlDc; on the Boom. During the week just ended there has been any amount of evidence that this is to 1 be a great year for bicycling. In almost every city in the United States that Is, cities of any importance clubs of wheel men have been discussing plans for the sea son, and some of these plans are very ex tensive indeed. Pittsburg is in the swim, and Lain informed that the Keystone Club is stronger in numbers and wealthier to-day than it was ever expected to be. But the bicycle trade shows beyond a doubt that, there is certainly a bicycle boom going on in Western Pennsylvania. This is satisfac tory, b:cau;e bicycling is really one of the high class recreations, and, what is more, it is one of the most useful. But there is still another feature in connection .with this sport The more bicyclists we have the greater are the chances of our getting good roads. And most, assuredly as the roads get better there will be more bicyclists. I am just as confident as I can be about anything that if we had as good high roads here as have the English people there wonld be more bicicle riders in the United States than anybody dreams of to-day. But although the roads are a drawback the sport is still remarkably well forward and it can be made more so in this locality if the Keystone Club would just make itself a little more public. Why should the Keystones not give us a public entertain ment? They could easily get up a field day and let us see how they are progressing in quality, and it might " enrich their treasury to do so. If they were to arrange a' day S good bicycle contests here that would do more good toward popularizing their sport than anything else. Optimistic Mr. Corbjtt A few days ago there appeared in The Disimtcii a statement made by James J. Corbett, telling how he would defeat John L. Sullivan when they fight their battle. lb is always satisfactory to see a contestant confident, and there is no doubt in my mind aboat Corbett's confidence. If he goes into the ring with Sullivan I firmly believe that he will be confident ot making a draw or defeating the champion. U5ut, while read ing Corbett's interesting latk as to what he would do in front of Sullivan, I was forci bly reminded of the fable of the fox and the cat You may have read the fable while at school, but I'll lepeat it The hounds were out after the fox wnen he met a cat Itey nard told the cat about the many tricks lie had of escaping the hounds and the number rather praliyed the poor cat The latter only had one and that was to run up the tree. The hounds came and up the tree the cat went and Mr. Fox began to put his tricks into operation. He tried them all and then was caught Tne cat escaped. Well, now Corbett has named many things that he'll do, but Sullivan has one trick that may likely end everything that is hitting Corbett If Sullivan can land on Corbett all the latter's tricks will be worth less. I am not going to say now whether he will land or not The affair is too far off, but it is quite easy to see that the one trick of hitting as hard as Sullivan can hit may be w orth all the dodging and reaching that Corbett can command. And Corbett may, of course, escape. He thinks' he will, and he reasous very fairly and talks very gentlemanly on the matter. But even at this early date let me say that Corbett can only deieat or make a draw with Sullivan by following the example of Charles Mitchell and Dominick McCaffrey. Cer tainly to do that will be perfectly legiti mate, and I am of opinion that had the two men named never lought Sullivan, Corbett would not now have been matched to fight him. They showed where John L. Sullivan was weak, and Corbett" doubtless thinks that what they did he can da Considering the time that has elapsed since Sullivan met Mitchell and McCaffrey, Corbett has much the best of it Mitchell and Vrltchard. Headers of this column will know that I am a strong believer in Ted,Pritchard. He is a pugilist of the genuihejorder and when he challenged Mitchell the other day I was not at all surprised to learn that Charles did not feel inclined to meet Pritchard. There was a time when Mitchell would not Lave hesitated for one moment to fight THE Pritchard, but that day Is past and the latter is much too hard a man for MitcheU to run any chances against at this late day. But somebody will sav: "Why doesn't Mitchell want to fight Sullivan?" Certainly he does and just as sure as we live he would rather meet the big man than the little one. Of course there is a good reason for this. Mitchell's hands are badlv injured and wouldn't stand much. Were he to meet Pritchard he couldn't make a defensive battle of it, because he is as big, if not bigger, than Pritchard. If his hands failed him,"he would just have to stand and be battered down or leave the ring. It would be different were he to meet Sullivan, because of the' difference in size. Mitchell would then take every advantage of the rules, and if he could make a draw it would be a victorv for him. But even if he fought back at Sullivan and his hands failed his defeat would not by any means be as serious as his defeat by a man like Ted Pritchard. Were the two Englishmen to fight this year I believe that I would prefer the chances of Pritchard, because he is a much better fighter than many people think he is. "S"obody"knows that better than Mitchell. But the latter has just as much right to de cline to fight him as Corbett Sullivan and others have to refuse to fight many men who want to fight them. At best, pugilism has become merely a business, so much so that almost every pugilist we meet or hear tell of is a champion of some class or some place. This is to boom their show business, of course. Well, I don't expect that Pritchard and Mitchell will fight, but that will not prevent the former from meeting somebody else if he wants to. Tlio Champion "Feather-Weights. As matters look now we are to have a battle between the .two famous feather weights, Dixon and Johnson. It is likely that the contest will take place in England, although there ought to be more money for them here. But wherever it does take place we may rely on a good and honest contest, because I feel confident that both parties are very, much in earnest about the matter. Personally, I know that two years ago when Dixon defeated Wallace, John son was very eager to fight either of them, and particularly Dixon; in fact, Johnson's backers deposited $300 as a forfeit for a match. At that time I had a conversation with Johnson, and he assured me that he was anxious to meet Dixon for anything like a reasonable purse or stake, and that there was plenty of money behind him. I supnose there is yet But, while I have the, greatest respect for Fred Johnson, and while I am a great ad mirer of his very accomplished boxing, I am still inclined to think that he is hardly strong enough to outstay Bixon. Johnson is a little gentleman, and anybody who kpows him would wish him well, but when he meets Dixon he meets something more than a feather-weight. Dixon is & feather weight on the same lines as Fitzsimmons is a middle-weight, and I venture to say that there is not a feather-weight in this country Arnvntlip ae Tpntionflllv well built as the colored man. He has the reach ani -I.A..U. fft. a nmt if . fnf R "nlf 1 V auuuiucia lui ai v. v ...... . ..... ... height, and his legs couldn't have been made better than they are. His reach has enabled him to do great things with little, short-armed men; he hits very hard and is not a bad boxer. On the other hand, John son is exceedingly active and very game. Still the big advantages are all on the side of Dixon.-- Those Heavr Mlddle-Welshts. We are still in the midst of lots of talk among those men whom we may call heavy middle-weights, and, as far as indications go. there is little hope of many real battles among them. It is, perhaps, satisfactory to know that they have at last taken notice of Ed Smith, who is now in this city. And while they have taken notice of him there is a desire among them to give him a show, but enly at the apprentice price that is, if he will help them to fill a house, they will pocket the entire amount and give him a lew dollars pocket money. Of course, that is all in the latter-day boxing business. But let me ask anybody who has taken an interebfin pugilistic matters latelv what claim Jim Hall has on any big purse, or stake, or receipts more than Smith has? Why, none at aU. Hall has done nothing in this country whatever to earn the name of a great .pugilist While I look upon him as a tolerably fair heavy-weight, I admit that my opinion is all conjecture or almost all. He has not defeated any body here yet True Parson Davies says he is a wonder, but in this instance the Parson's statement goes as far with me as Madden's did about Maher. Bear in mind I am not saying that Hall is not a good man. I am only contending that until he has won his laurels here he should not assume such a dignified attitude as to say he will not fight this man or that man because of lack of reputation. The truth is there is nobody in the United States more in need of a public reputation than this same Jim Hall. Then why should he hold out against a man like Ed Smith, who is always ready to fight anybody. Probably it isbecanse Hall and his friends think there are easier things to tackle. I be lieve there are. International Athletie Contests. There have been many things' said during the last few days about the prospects of international athletic contests this year. Subjects of this kind are always interesting, although not a local representative'may be among the contestants. But a spirit of patriotism causes all of us to take an in terest in cpntests of the kind in question. I was talking to a very well informed man on this question the other day, and he was emphatic in the belief that this year the United States will be more prominent in international contests than she has ever been. This is a verv strong and sweeping anticipation, simply because we have been so prominent before. But there are indications that the United States will be just as good this year as ever. Already we have one bicvele rider in England, and it is likely he will let the Britishers know he is there before, he returns. I refer to Zimmerman, and report has it that the Manhattan Club intends to send Willie Windle to bear him company. The two of them ought to carry away many trophie". It is not likely that our athletic clubs will send an all-around athlete to Europe this year, but then! is no reason why the English amateurs should not send one here. I don't mean one like the Salford Harriers, but a simon pure team of amateurs, and the best in England. They wonld do well here, and I venture to say they would be well taken care of. If would be interesting to have them here, just to see if they could sustain the same form here as they have in their native land. Professionals, as a rule, lose form, and an amatenr team coming here might still further enlighten us on that Pmngle. A PLAUT WITH THE PIANO. The Former 1 a Sort of an Alarm on the Condition of the "Latter. You know the sounding-board the life of a piano is forced into the case when it is made so tightly that it bulges up in the center. The wood is supposed to be as dry as possible, but of course it contains some moisture and gathers a lot more on damp days and in handling. Now when you put a piano in an overheated, dry room all this moisture is dried out and the board loses its "belly" and gets flabby' and finally cracks. Even if it does not crack, the tone loses its resonance and grows thin and tinny, and the felt cloth, and leather used in the action dry up, the whole mechanism rattles, and the piano is blamed. How can you prevent it? Easily enough. Keep a growing plant in the room, and so long as your plant thrives your piano ought to, or else there is something wrong with if Just trv it and see how much more water you will have to pour on the flower in the room where your piano is than on the plants in anv other room. Some neorjle keep a huge vase or urn with a sopping-wet sponge in'it near or under the piano, and they do this u long as their fires are kept up. PITTSBUKG - DISPATCH A MAN HARD TO KILL. The German Government Proposes Taking a Whirl at Dr. Peters. BEEN KILLING TOO MANY BLACKS. ) The Illness of the Duke of Edinburgh Doesn't Worrj the People. MUCH ADO AB0DT A WEE WHITE ROBIN CWBITTX? FOB THE DISPATCH It is the fate of most African explorers to be be killed, in the newspapers, at least once a month. To one wlitCiIesires to read his own obituary, a dive into the depths of the Dark Continent pos sessess unique attrac tions. Dr. Carl Peters 'HfJ&jiSS: must have read some singularly candid obit uary literature about himself, for since he Dr. Titers. began exploring Afri ca iu 1884 his death, by violent means mostly, has been reported fully a half dozen times. In Kovember, 1889, for instance, what the papers at the time called authen tic news reached Zanzibar to the eflect that Dr. Peters, with his whole party, with the exception of one European and one Somali,. had been massacred. But the founder of the German East African Company turned up safe and sound to plague the British, who have always regarded him as a poacher upon their preserves. Since then he has been industriously hoisting the German flag wherever and whenever he could over new slices of the continent which belongs a trifling consideration to the black and brown aborigines. His recent letter, in which he related with delightful cheeriness how many na tives he had killed in one day, appears, strange to say, to have shocked some hu manitarians unequal to a proper conception of imperial conquests, and it is said that the German Government, intends to haul Dr. 'Peters over the coals when he retnrBi Some doubt exists about Dr. Peters' amena bility to reproof from the German officials, for the Colonial Department has more than once officially disclaimed any responsibility for Dr. Peters or his expedition. With most of his countrymen, moreover, Dr. Peters, who is a young man still, of un doubted courage and energy, is extremely popular as the chief champion of German interests in Africa. A Chance for a Eoyal MovIds. Although the telegraphio reports of the great fire at Mandalay, the capital of Bur mah, do not state that any of the joyal pal aces were destroyed or injured, the King of Burmah will, no doubt, find an excuse in the present wretched condition of the town' for a change of residence. The Burmese monarchs have always displayed a restless ness only equaled by the American Indians. For centuries they have not maintained-the capital at one place for any great length of time; thus the city of Ava was made the capital iu 1SG4. next Monchobo was chosen by King Alompra the Great about 1740 as a site for a palace. Alompra, it may be said in passing, was really a person of low birth who was honored by the surname "great" as a reward for having driven the Talains out of Pegu and causing himself to be pro claimed king. "Alompra first built a palace at Dagong, which name he changed to the one it now bears. Bongoon; made a verv ad vantageous treaty wi h the English and es tablished the present dynasty of Burmese monarchs. In 1782 the capital was again changed to Amarapoora; from there baolc to Ava in 1819 at the advice of the court astrologers. A disastrous earthquake visiting Ava 20 years later, the capital was in turn removed io Monchobo again, and then again a short time afterward to Amarapoora, and again for the third time to Avn, and finally to Mandalay in 1857. Mandalay was then a promising infant city of a couple of years' growth. In 1855 the area on which "it stands,on the bottom lands of the Irruwaddy, was merelr farm land. In 1856 the build ing of residence places was ccmuienced, and one year later the palace was ready for the occupation of the Burmese court. The city propc- is in the shape of an exact square, measuring a mile on each of the four sides. The main streets intersect each other at rilit angles, are macadamized, and 100 feet in width. On account of its situation the city would be very pretty if it contained any buildings of consequence, but, except ing the king's palaces, there are none that amount'to much. . Thi Cottage or Sweet Anne. It is very evident'that the action of the trustees having charge of Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford in out-bidding American speculators for possession of the cottage wherein "Sweet Anne Hatheway" was born and wooed, puts an end to any possibility of its being brought to this country for exhibitiorrat the World's Fair. After all, I do not think the Exposition is much the loser. It is difficult to conceive of any great measure ot interest being taken in even this lamous dwelling place when removed from its quiet, picturesque sur roundings in historic Warwickshire. It may be argued that it would be prettily enough situated at the World's Fair, but even so, no matter how painstaking the efforts made, I do not think it would be possible to surround the cottage" by any artificial means so us to couipeii- sate for the absence of lovely Shottery's fields of meadow sweet and rosemary and the quaint, old-fashioned dwellings of the better known Stratford-upon-Avon, any part of which recalls the memory of the famous poet more vividly than would a row of transplanted Hatheway cottages stretch ing along the entire lake front of Chicago. The robin does not sing in the cage as, when singing in the topmost branch, he pours out his soul to silute the dawning day, the woodtiower never looks as charm ing in the vase as it does when half hidden by dead leaves in the forest ingle. The surroundings are quite as essential to "a thing of wood or stone. "Sweet Anne's" home, without its neighboring Stratford and Coventry, Castles Warwick and Kenil worlh, Trinity Church and Avon river, would be almost as uninteresting as . any other tumble-down dwelling, and as unsuit ably set in Chicago as a diamond would be in glass. The Orgnn-Grindlnc Tlicoant. The prospect's of Viscount Hinton, the organ-grinding son and heir of Earl Poulett, were made the subject of some sneering re marks in the English gossip cabled from London a few days ago. In'the trial of a suit brought against Earl Poulett it came out that all the family estates were mort gaged np tp the handle, and "Viscount Hin ton's anguish at the news .was. painted via r - p ft jSSrsT a? ftiSJa. Anne Hatheway' t Cottage. SUNDAY APEIL 10 vivid colors. This was rather, absurd see ing that "Viscount Hinton's recourse to vagabondage was dne .years ago to his knowledge, and the- money lenders', that cash could not be borrowed upon his pros pects. "Ho doubt he tried hard enough up on postobits and the like to raise the wind before he took to grinding an organ and far less respectable practices. Viscount Hinton's father does not de serve much pjty either. He married the--first woman he met after leaving the Twenty-second iufantrv's barracks in Ports mouth, as he wagered $5,000 ho would, and then disowned the boy who was born six months later. Is it any wonder that the fruit of such an union should prove on sound? Viscount Hinton's career has been strangely checkered.. He has been a clown .in pantomine that's how he came to marry a ballet girl a soldier in the Seventeenth Begiment, from which he deserted, and at all times and in all sorts of garbs a sharper and'a blackleg. His most respectable ef fort was with a peripatetic organ in the London streets. Several jails have enter-, tained him, and almost unawares this coun try incurred the honor of his presence in the fall of 1889. A Great Publisher Dead. John Murray, the third member of the famous English publishing house of that name being dead, it will now be in order to issue his memoirs and corre spondence instead of waiting nearly 50 years, as in the case of the sec ond John Murray. When the book dealing with ttie latter was is sued about a twelve month ago it was al most universally given 'fs John Murray lit. the credit of being the book of the year. Any man who could boast of having at one and the same time, as visitors at his house, Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, Disraeli, Canning, Croker, Gifford and Sir John Bar row would certainly have interesting remi niscences to relate. The Murray just de ceased, who has been connected with the house for over 60 years, must have had an equally interesting career. It covers a con siderable period during which his father was alive and extends 49 vears beyond. As an epoch that should be as important as any in the history of literature. It is the era of Scott, Byron, Bulwer, Thackeray and Dickens, and John Murray knew aud was intimately associated, with them all. The fourth Murray, another John, who now as sumes entire control of the big publishing house's affairs, is a very capable, pleasant gentleman, of little more than 35 years of age. For a number of years past he has taken the greater part of the work from his aged father's shoulders, and is esteemed very highly by the authors and writers with whom he has had dealings. A Promise of Fine Cartoon Work. That very clever artist, cartoonist and general illustrator, Harry Furniss, will shortly visit this coun try, it is said, to regain the health he has lost through hard work. His endeavor to illus trate parliamentary and other scenes for one journal, to make timely cartoons for Punch, and to carry out a unique panoram ic lecturing' tour at one Harry FumUs. an(j the same time floored Mr. Furniss, and he will come here to rest, quite an unusual thing, by the way, for a foreign visitor to do. His indisposi tion is not regarded as very serious, and a short stav at Niagara, it is thought, will work the desired oure. The contemplation of many honevtnoons may prore soothing, even if the falls themselves and the hack men thereof are not A little later on Mr. Furniss will take a peep at Washington as a tonic With Congress in session, the tariff and silver bills under discussion, and Harry Furniss, pencil and book in hand, somewhere about, we may look forward to some spirited drawings of Congressional scenes,-as they appear to an Englishman who has made a world-wide reputation in just such work. The Tax on Bachelors. Bachelors had to pay dearly for their blessed freedom a century ago in England, and perhaps the Canadian Government, in its efforts to increase the population of the Dominion, may fall back upon the mother country's castoff expedient Between 1695 and 1706 the tax on bachelors, by reason of their single estate, reached the maximum. It was graded according to rank,a mere gentleman paying about $1 50, an esquire $6 CO, and so on up to a duke, who w'as taxed $62 for the blessed privilege of re maining unmarried. Though this tax was materially reduced during the last centnrv, it was not entirely abolished until 1853. This direct method of discouraging celibacy has never been so popular as the encourage pient of marriage by putting a premium on paternity, as is" now done in several of the Canadian provinces. The Foss About an Albino Kob'.n. The appearance of an albino robin in the neighborhood of Zanesville, O., has been deemed sufficiently important to warrant many telegraphio reports to the leading newspapers of the country. A white robin or albino bird of any description is really not so uncommon a freak of nature as most people suppose. It arises, as is well known, from the absence of coloring matter in the outer skin. Its cause has been fully ex plained by scientists and is generally well known. It occurs among all races of mankind,- and it is possible and not uncommon among many species of animals. The abnormal whiteness of skin, hair, feathers, etc., is due to exactly the same causes as in-the human albino. We know of white blackbirds, mice, foxes, and every body has seen white rabbits; as for white robins, to the writer's personal knowledge at least two have been killed in the vicinity of Pittsburg within the last few years, and a naturalist connected with a famous col 'le'ge situated on the slope of the Allegheny Mountains, several years since, captured and now possesses a fine specimen in his study. One would think from the amount of fuss made "that a .white elephant an other kind of albino had suddenly ap peared in the neighborhood of the Ohio town. Unpopularity of Prince Alfred. The Duke of Edinburgh, whose failing health the cable tells us is causing alarm in English royal circles, has never beeu very popular. He has not the magnetic man ners of the Prince of Wales, who is by the way as people are prone to forget, only four years older than Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, and is in his ways far younger than the latter. The Duke of Edinburgh is the sailor prince of the royal family, and, ought, therefore, to be a favorite with the people for the navy is the most popular institution in England. Perhaps it is the tact that he is not, very much of a sailor that stands in his way. Beyond running around a vessel whici he commanded, this royal sailor, who is now an admiral, has not done anything very startling at sea. As a violin player Prince Alfred is more ambitious,' but his playing is hardly cal culated to 'make him, popular. Recently a newspaper critic lambasted the royal musi cian tor a performance of his,and in revenge he swears he . will never play in public again. If he sticks to this resolution he may yet achieve some degree of popularity. W. G. Kaufmans. How He Has Changed. Detroit Tree JressT r Madddx Jay Gould was once a messen ger boy. Gazzem Is that so? Well, there's noth ing alowUiboutliiEVixow,-" '. - CtJ'-7 MJT WKmr v 1892. DIGESTED OF POETRY California Is Found to Have a Glori ous Climate, bat Not Perfect. THE PEOPLE ARE GREAT LIARS When It Comes to Polishing. Off the Fine Toints of the State. PBETTI SIGHTS IX THE SCHOOLS 1WBITTZN FOR THE DISPATCH.! Having no land, no hotel, no brand of orange or wine, no irrigating company to boom, I may speak the truth about this wonderful and, at the same time, much exaggerated place, California, which un doubtedly in its southern part has the climate which bears comparison with the choicest of the world. That does not mean it is perfect There are days, weeks and months which are a procession of clear, dazzling, snnny days neither too hot nor too cold. All the rain takes place in four successive months generally from Decem ber l'to April 1. It often pours for a week at a time. There is never thunder, but the rains are often accompanied by terrific winds. Often it blows furiously, without rain. Earthquakes of a menacing but not dangerous character occur. I will never forget the night of December 10, 1891. It was the opening of the season at 'one of the hotels at Pasadena. We sat down to dinner that evening in the immense dining room aglow with lights and flowers. The polished floor shone like a mirror. The next morning the mirrored floor was cov ered thickly with dust that had sifted throngh the closed windows. Such a pande monium as reigned that night from 11 o'clock until 5 the next morning could only find its equal in Hades. The crashing of windows aud heavy chimneys the rollings of immense detached tin roofs and the hideous wailings of the terrible winds made a night of horror long to be remembered; and yet the first 20 days of January follow ing were the most perfect days we ever ex perienced. All that a Californian would say about that awful night would be, "It blew a little." A few days after the storm we stepped into a shop in Pasadena to avoid a disagreeable wind while waging for a car. I remarked about the unpleasant weather to the suave clerk. Like a true Californian he answered: "Yes, it is a very unpleasant day. I have been in Pasadena for six years, and in all that time we have never experienced such weather as we have to day." When I recovered mjr breath I said: "Young man, I admire you as the most irre proachable liar I ever met. We were at the hotel on the opening night" He smiled pleasantly and said he had forgotten that night They love the Tenderfoot. They say California produces the smallest matches and the biggest liars. The natives smile complacently when this statement is made, and that leads me to believe it true. Contracts here should always be made in writing and attested by a half dozen disin terested witnesses. Strangers intending to settle need not expect the natives to give them a welcome which means hone't treat ment. Iu discussing the crops, and you may bo sure that discussion is large and flowerv, you will often hear, "And the most profitable crop in California is tne Eastern tenderfoot." However, the tenderfoot profits quickly by his lesson, and soon adopts the native tactics. Groves in bear ing, when the season is good, yield immense profits, but a bearing grove is a costly pur chase, and it takes some years and steady labor to transform the bleak brown land into a floral or financial success. Servants, laborers and mechanics wages are very high. If you are not willing to toil your self you will need a long purse to get "your land into shape. Iu El Cajon Valley we know a swell young Bostonian who owns and runs a rannch." The charms of the great hotels are frequently necessary to recall civilized life, and the "ratinch" is run bv hirelings. His income last year was 1,200 expenses, 57,000. In answer to the inquiry whether the ranch would ever pay, he said: "I don't know. I am onlv waiting a chance to sell it to an Eastern sticker." If a man of small means is willing to work moderately and steadily, he can have a comfortable maintenance in a few years from even a ten-acre lot In comparison with the East, meanwhile, he is living in a heavenly climate, aud a life frco from small worries and cares. The Schools Are ala;nlflc.int A poor man's children havo the benefit of a royal education. The public schools of California are conducted in palatial build ings throughout the State. The salaries are liberal the instructors of a high grade everywhere. The children are stunning so big so bright so healthy.1 They are a delight to look upon. Living out of doors almost every day in the year, and not bur dened with too much study or stylish cloth ing, the young Californiaus mate it seem as if a fine nice of giants would be the out come. Such physique such complexions and such appeti'es! The girls are simply immense both literally and in slang par lance. The young Amazons tread the earth as if" they were princesses. There is a fear lessness about them which would be bold, if it were not so innocent and pure; a dig nity, which would be pretentious, if it were not so natural, and a composure which would be affectation, were it not so woman ly aud gracious. "if you have never been to a citrus fair you can anticipate one of the pleasant sur prises of life. Bcmembering the country lairs at home, I deemed it a waste of time one golden February morning in Los An geles when we decided to attend the fair. Visions of TJncle-Tom-Cabin quilts, home made bread, big pumpkins, over-fed pigs, plows, etc., flung together in picturesque confusion under tents or in barn-like struc ture, arose as we neared Hazzard's Pavilion, formerly a mammoth skating rink. Im agine our delight when we found that the ugly rafters overhead were entirely Covered by a ceiling of the beautiful pepper tree branches, studded star-like in oranges and lemons, and the big supporting pillars and arches were gorgeously upholstered in royal palms 2nd smilax galore. Artistic Displays in Fruits. Everywhere gleamed myriads of golden oranges and yellow lemons, not heaped up in great unmeaning piles, but beautifully combined in fantastic shapes. Of course, there were numerous tables on which the choice fruits ot all kinds were placed lor the convenience of the judges awarding prizes, but, the great bulk ot oranges and lemons were made into designs.'representative of the place of pro duction. Bedlands had a model ot her High School in oranges about 20 feet wide", 30 feet long and proportionately high. The frame, being of wire, allowed fancy architec ture. San Diego was represented by the fort hoped for. The oiange walls made an effective background for the iron guns that had lemons for shot and shell. There was a towering Chinese pagoda of lemons, a tem ple, an arch, an obelisk and innumerable small designs. Even the perennial "Gates Ajar" appeared in mandarines the whole show a poem ot gold. California has numerous and varied hotels. Some an a tremendous scale. There are two that overtop all the rest in splendor. One is spoken ot as "A veritable dream by the sea." It is the one place in the world, where even, the nervous American is content to lounge and dream away the golden winter days dolce. lar niente., The" other great hotel is placed in a forest miles in extent The live oaks there are among the oldest and finest With the primeval forest as a natural beginning, money ana art in a lew years I have made its gardens so fine that they have but onerival the IJew Gardens near London. The California gardens, however, have the advantage of being beautiful all year round. Thereis a 17-mile drive through the grounds, which com prises mountain and marine scenery in a combination of surpassing loveliness. A Metropolis In Kach End. San Francisco is the metropolis of North ern California Los Angeles of Southern California. While differing greatly in size, they-have the same active population. In San Francisco the streets are never quiet, but present an animated apnearance at all hours of day and night The climate of both cities is unfavorable to sufferers from throat and lung troubles. For such persons there are nnmerons places in the toot-bills from Pasadena to Bedlands and from Biver side to San Diego, south to Old Mexico, keeping well back from the coast The sea side resorts are all attractive, and when to a fine beach is added such a quaint and pro ductive rose garden as Santa Barbara, one can only regret that the place is still old fashioned enough to exist without an hotel, such as the -traveling public expect The days of inns and taverns have gone by. For views some of the inland places are great rivals of the coast The outlooks from the Barmoud Hotel porches and from the Smiley Hills at Bedlands are matchless. In the Ojai Valley the scenery is very like that ot the Allegheny Mount ains in summer. Which recommendation is surely sufficient Notwithstanding many inconveniences and that California lacks much of the fin ished elegance and tender associations of Europe, foreigners are more enthusiastic about the States than Americans east of the Mississippi. Samttel A. Ammon. W02KEB3 OF THE CABINET. How Elklns, Wanamaber and Foster Get Throngli Their Duties. The Cabinet Ministers work hours after the clerks have gone away. Secretary El kins is always in the War Department till 6 o'clock. He does business rapidly, and lie can get rid of 29 callers in 20 minutes, and send every man away happy. A great deal of his work he does in the morning at his house, and he usually comes to his office at 11. He says he works best in the morn ing, and that an hour before breakfast is worth two afterward. Secretary Noble spends a full day at the Interior Department He is particular to do everything himself, and he doesn't like to trnst matters to others. He has no confidential , manager like Wanamaker and Foster and the result is that he does not turn out matters so fast as the heads of the Postoffice and the Treasury. Postmas ter General Wanamaker comes to the de Iiartment early and you seldom find him at eisure until after 4 o'clock. He has had a big glass plate made iorthe top of his desk and a map of the United States fits under this so that, the country and its postoflices are always before him. He does his business very aaickly, decides matters at a glance and manages his department on business Manciples. .He has a number of private secretaries and he dictates all of his corre spondence. All matters that can be at tended to by others are given over to them and the result is that the Postoffice Depart ment is in better condition than it has ever been. Secretary Foster when he first came in said to his friends: "This Treasury, they say, killed Manning and Folger, but I can tell you I'm not going to let it kill me." As he said this his eyes were bright, bis dark face was full of iron and the "rosy molecules of pure blood shone through his skin. His step was firm and bis big-boned, broad shouldered frame was the personification of Western strength and energy. He tackled the work aud after a few months he broke down and since then he has been under the care of a doctor. He is a good worker, too, and he has as much common sense as any man in public life. . .- VERY IIXE BUCK FEVEB. A Western Settler's Heroic Attempt to Brine Dt wn a lintdlo Bull. Forest and Stream. Ten years a;o the hunter ambitious to se cure a buffalo could still go to a region where he could kill hundreds of them. Then there was a Western "town" into which the buffalo often came down at night, and it was not unusual for the residents when they arose in the morning to see a bunch within rifle range of the houses. Among the dwellers in this town was one who, al though he had lived on the frontier since the early '60s, had never killed a buffalo. One morning when Hiram looked out of his door, he saw, not far away, a great buf falo bull rubbing his ragged side3 against the pole of an old Cottonwood tree. Here was a chance such as had never before pre sented itself. "Such an opportunity might not occur again," nnd he was filled with a great longing to kill this bull. Seizing a gun he crept ont, and stealing throngh the sage brush and among the trees, was soon quite near the bull. Its immense size for lie had never before been close to a buffalo somewhat startled the hnnter, but he had gone too far to retreat now. Feeling a little nervous, he leveled his gun and fired. At the report the bull jumped a little and then glared. slowly about with an air of the utmost ferocity, i if eager to pulverize whoever had fired the shot This slow, searching gaze and the brute's fierce aspect was too much for Hi's nerves. They gave way, and, dropping his gun, he ran nimbly to the nearest-tree and climbed into it with the activity of a boy. The bull, meantime, was thuudering off in the oppo site direction.while some of Hi's companions, who had been looking on, were shouting with laughter. CABDIHAL GIBBONS APP20VES II. A letter From Ills Eminence on the School Children's FlMlpn. His Eminence. Cardinal Gibbons, has sent the following letter to one of the gentlemen interested in the total abstinence pledge for the school children of Pittsbnrg: CArtDntAfs KFSinEaoE, J Baltimore, March ii. i JIt" Deab Sir I am very much pleased with the form or pledge which It is pro posed to give to school children. I am ac customed, on the occasion of confirmation, to ask thef hiJdren to accept such a pledge. If they remain tompenito till the age or 21 years there io tron; hope that thoy wilt bo atrenstbened by the good habit. If sneh a form meet with the approval of your Bishop yon will be engaged In a uoblo work In extending It as far as you can. May God ble-s your nrm endeavor. Faithfully yours in Christ, J. Card. Giecos. The first edition of the school pledge is almost exhausted. - St Kiernan's Ladies' Societv, under the direction of its presi dent, Miss Bertha C. Mclntire, gives prom ise of permanent prosperity. The cause of total abstinence is progressing rapidly among the Catholics of this vicinity. Imnortinz Bees From Cyprus. A very excellent and popular stock of in dustrious honey-getters has recently been introduced from Cyprus. When the Vene tions owned the island, 200,000 hives were kept there. People used honey for sugar in those day Now there are only 30,000 hives, owijjg to oppressive taxes levied upon the.industry by the Turks. The residents are unusually unwilling to sell any of their bees, believing that those left behind will fly away after the ones which are disposed ot Accordingly the purchaser is com monly obliged'to buy 60 hives in order to secure fifty queens. Warding Off Grip Germs. A preventive messnre against grip and malaria is to keep a handkerchief to the mouth and nose that has been thoroughly saturated with ammonia or spirits of camphor. Ladies use this protection frequently ou damp nights when goina; to parties or balls where exposure to tne night air may induce chilliness and cold. It is at such times that malarial, and presumably grip germs, become established in the arstem through the mouth and nose. 15 CHUNKS OF COAL OIL The Man Who Can Put Up Petroleum in Blocks Has H13 Fortune. ITS UTILITY A3 AN OCEAN FUEL Cap' urinj Fugitive Smoke and Chanjrinf; It to Useful Products. ODD BITS OP SCIENTIFIC L0RI IWBlTTEJT TOR THE DISPATCTI.I The value.of petroleum as fuel in navy work has been signally proved in the full speed trials madeatTSpezzia with the Italian ironclad San Martino, in which both petro leum and coal were used. The .maximum, speed obtained with coal was nine miles an hour, while that reached with the oil was 13 miles an hour. Experiments have also been made under the auspices of theEnglish Admiralty with block petroleum in a tor pedo boat, the object being to ascertain its actual value as a fnel. The great objection that experts have hitherto had to liquid petroleum is that it would require specially constructed boiler in which to burn it, whioh could be pro vided only at enormous cost, while it would also necessitate the construction of special tanks for storage pnrooses. It has been found that block petroleum is much more powerful as a heat-giving agent than coal, and it is possible with it to attain a speed averaging over three knots an hourmore than would have been attained with ordin ary fuel. The discovery of a cheap and effective method of solidifying petroleum will be a prize of snch value that many chemists are now engaged in experiments and researches with that object in view. As is well known, the agitation of petro leum with soap produces an emnlsion hav ing more or less Jelly-like consistency. The same resnlt can be brought about by agitat ing the oil with water and ground saponarla bark. Chemists have also tried the effects of soaps made from various oils, making the soaps in contact with the petroleum by saponifying a vegetable or animal fat with either "caustic soda, sodium, aluminate or sodium silicate. The oils, etc., used em braed linseed, rape, cotton, lard oil, suet, tallow, cocoanut oil and castor oiL The best results were, obtained with the last two oils. Sodium aluminate and silicate were found to answer better than caustic soda as saponifiers. Automatic Sialic Kecorder. Not many months ago an instrument was brought before the public by means of which, it was claimed, a permanent record of the improvisations of a performer on the piano could be made. The instrument, however, was somewhat complex, and it was found, in actual practice, to present features which militated against its general use. Another mode ot attaining the object of the invention is now offered by a patent auto matic music recorder, which can be attached to a piano.'organ or harmonium without af fecting the tone or the action in any way. A feeding and receiving roller are placed parallel to each other and to the front of the piano a few inches beyond the back- of the ivory of the keyboard, inside the piano. On the feeding roller is a roll of paper, which moves upward to the receiving roller as soon as the clockwork attachment which revolves the rollers is started. As the keys are struck both the location and value are registered by means of prickers on the moving sheet of paper. The apparatus being in position, the composer has only to start the clock work by pulling out a stop within easy reach of his left hand and to play upon his instrument, when his performance, to the extent of over 1, COO bars, it required, is recorded accurately for future reference. Transcription is a comparatively simple matter, and it is made easier from the fact that not only are the notes indicated on the record, but also their exact duration. Fortunes in bmoli. The ntilization of the smoke of factories is becoming an element ot greatest importance. Tne waste smoke and gases from the blast furnaces of a Scotch iron works are rented out for a handsome sum. From the works they are conducted through several miles of wronght iron tubing, diminishing in size from 0 feet to 18 inches, and as the gases cool there is deposited a considerable yield of oil. From a comparatively snall factory some 23,000 gallons ot furnace oil are thus recovered weekly, to say nothing of the large yield of sulphate of ammonia and residnal gases which can be used as luel for distilling and other purposes. In many other industries the same disposition to use what was formerly wasted is manifesting itself. A company has been formed in England for collecting the carbon dioxide given ofl at breweries and distilleries during the pro cess of fermentation. This has hitherto been allowed to simply poison the atmo'nhere, and the loss is estimated at il.000.000,000 gallons a year, equal to $2,300,000,000. It is intended to liquefy the g.ts by a new process at abont one-sixteenth the cost of the ordinarv methods. The snpply of liquid carbonic acid will be sold almost entirely to manufacturers of carbonated drinks. la spite of this prospective economy of pro duction it is not reported that any reduction in the price of the popular beverage known as "soaa" is contemplated. Kfcordlastho Density of Smok-. An ingenious instrument has been pat ented for recording the density of smoka passing in chimney flues, by means of which comparative diagrams of the actual per formance of a chimney at various times can be obtained In his initial experiments the inventor lonnd that by exposing pieces of paper in smoky chimneys and withdrawing them after a few seconds he obtained marks corresponding in depth with the amount of smoke passing up. He also ascertained that in order to obtain accurate results the paper should be kept cold. Orf the strength of these observations he so constructed his in strument that a strip of paper may be ex posed lor a definite time in the interior of a chimney and changed by clockwork after the required period of exposure. It is kept cool in the meantime, by water circulating through the tube on which it is wound. This instrument will be of great service in pro moting the economy ot fuel by enabling exact records of the enormous waste in es caping smoke to bv- made. Tlio Cigarette Eye Epidemic. Notwithstanding all that 'has beeu said as to the hurtfulness of tobacco smoke to the eye, many opticians hold a contrary opin ion. Cigarette smoke, however, comes under a different class, and concerning its noxious effects the professional voice is unanimous. The harmful nature of cigar ette smoke lies not in the tobacco but in the paper, in the manufacture of which chem icals have been employed that indues serious consequences when brought into contact with the eye. Iu some large cities "cigarette eye" is qnite an epidemic, and a most dangerous affection it is. The eyes become dim and covered with a film-Ilka gathering which comes and goes at inter vals, and there is a loss of control of the nerves of the eye, which, if neglected, may lead to permanent trouble. TJnwearable Stair Treads. An excellent stair tread has been pat ented,.composed of chilled steel or iron and lead. The two metals are arranged in strips, and the one withstands the wear, while the other affords a finn foothold. This combination possesses many advantages over cast iron strips and lead. Cast iron strips soon become worn and slippery, while lead gets ragged. at the edges, spreads ou and is soon trodden down. 3 V i 3 -4 i i S ' 1 ili.aSi,
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