THE PITTSBURG. DISPATCH. SUNDAY. ATJGrtfST 14. 1892L 18 A REVIEW OF SPORTS Magnates "Who Want the Baseball Championship Season Shortened. PEMAKT EACE FEATURES J. A. Hart's Uncalled-For Interfer ence in the Burns Case. SULLIVAN AND CORBETT BATTLE Ixaggerated Keports About the Poinds of the Jlen While in Training. THE PROSPECTS UP I-OC1L FOOTBALL There hasn't been much out of the ordi nary in basebill afiairs dnrinjj the week. The contest for the second pennant still con tinues to he exceedingly interesting and in Eome respects surprising, but there has been nothing bordering on the sensational to record. Once more the question of shortening the championship season has been brought to the (ront. One report has started that several of the magnates have been conferring on the matter and have come to the conclu sion that it would be profitable to shorten the season to 133 trames and not to commence the championship contests until May. As far as steering clear of the wet and chilly weather is concerned the move would not be a bad one, but there is anotherand very important feature connected with it. The financial element must be considered and it is safe to say that it the season is short ened to the extent above suggested there will have to be many financial changes made. It is reasonable to suppose that players will not get as much money for the short season as for the long "one. Besides the short season will tend to knock on the head the pan of signing players lor 12 months at so much per month. In a woid it is fair to assume that clubs would realize less income in the proposed short season than they would in the long one. It is argued, I think, that if the season were shortened the crowds in attendance at the games would be much larger. This is, indeed, a very conjectural 'point and if that is the hope of those desiring the change it is likely to be an illusion. To shorten the season and retain a 12-clnb league would be an unvise move, and I am inclined to think that such a change will not be maae. J.eadiiic; TVatures of tin Fcnnnnt ILice. About half of the teams in the pennant race continue to make the contest just as interesting as one could wish to see it. I am sure that cranks who like to see close struggles can have nothing to complain about in that respect as iar as the pennant race is concerned. The Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Xew York and Baltimore teams are "making matters ex ceedingly close, and while it may be easy to say what team will not win the pennant it is not so easy to say what one will be the prize winner. I had a. notion some time ago that the Brooklyn team would get the flag, but that team's work lately has been so tar short of their best that my iancy for them now is not by any means as great as it was. Thev are not Jar behind and if they could pull themselves together and play as they did during the closing games of the first season they would come out victors. I don't ex pect that the Cleveland's will long remain at the "head, and in this I may be dis appointed. - "Est there werlwo teams so much im proved that almost all calculations have been upset The New York and the Balti more teams are piavinir remarkably com pared to the work they did during the first half. The New Yorks may be able to keep it up, but I question very much whether the Baltimore team will, It wouldn't be a bad wager to risk on Pittsburg's team beat ing the Baltimores out But after all the Boston team will take some beating and so will the Philadelphia. But these Bostons are not as formidable this. half as they were in the first half, and while thev may be hard to down they do not look like getting the second pennant The most interesting part of the struggle for the second pennant will commence to morrow when each Eastern team starts a series of 18 games in the West This long series and at this stage will go a long nay toward determining who are to be the win ners, and, of course, the AVestern teams being at home have the advantage. The series will certainly test the pitching Btrength of theEasternteamsand Iwouldn't be surprised if Eome of them were to go sadly to pieces. These long spells are a great evil and are one of the bad features of the 12-club plan; and they also show up the gross absurditv of the rule limiting each team to 13 men. Fanry a team leaving home lor more than 20 League games with 13 men. The thing is ridiculous. Mnrt About the Burns Cage. Tt is very interesting to note now and then how some people coucern themselves about o;her people's affairs. In this respect there are men a hundred times worse than ever Mrs. Gamp or any other gossipy old woman was. I know of nobody in the baseball business who busies himself in other peo ple's afiairs like James Artful Hart, of Chicago, hike all old gossipers of no thought and lots of words, he is always making his tongue go about the business of other people, v hile his own is going to the doss. During the last few days this noisy man has been telling the public about how badly Tom Burns has been treated by the Pittsburg club. Doubtless Mr. Hart has any amount of time to look after other peo ple's interests as the Chicago is doing so well, and by the war, has done so well since Mr. Hart became connected with it James A. is apparently satisfied that Chicago only wants a tail end team, and I know of no body who is abler to get one than Mr. Hart He "can do it with case and have lots of time to talk about other people. Let me ask, what in the name of common sense h-s Jim Hart to do with the Burns case? Was Hart one of the party who loisted Burns on the Pittsburg club in lull knowledge of Burns" shortcomings? It would seem so. Hart is either a down right lalsifier, a thorough knave or a con summate fool. He says that he would cer tainly hae paid Burns his full three years' salary had he (Hart) had a contract with Iturus similar to the Pittsburg contract Tiiis means that if Hart signed a man who did not fulfill requirements contracted for and was an utter failure he vouid still re Iain him. James A. Hart might do that, but if he did would A. G. Spalding retain James A. Hart? Not a bit of it But Hirt would do no such tiling. The cae of Burns is an important one be cause there is no desire on the part of the Pittsburc ciub to act unfairly with any body. I am in a position to sav that it Tom Burns can demonstrate to the officials of the Pittsburg club that he can play ttiird base as well as it uas said he could do he can be on the club's payroll every day his contract calls for. This" statement is authoritative, and surely there is everything that is fair in it and everything that is reasonable The Pittsburg club nor any other club can afford to pay'enormous salaries to men who are no good whatever, but on the contrary mak tilings worse. The vaporimrs men like Hart ought to be emphatically condemned by the League. Of late Hart ha? become notorious by his idotic claims and statements. It he is look ing for fame he hid better devote a little more of his time in tryins to improve the team that he is paid to loak after. Tin- Appointing fL:t;:n Umplri-n. Paring the week just ended there has i been a deal of talk and discussion about the method of appointing League umpires. At present President Young has the power of making the appointments, and he has cer tainly been the target of considerable cen sure and condemnation during the last few days. It seems to me that nothing could be more unreasonable than all this "kicking." True, some of the appointments have not baen very successful, but that is not the fault of'Mr. Young. Nor could appoint ments be more successful under any other system that has been suggested. It must be borne in mind that Mr. Young has almost entirely to depend on the recommendations of others when he is selecting a new um pire. He cannot travel around the country inspecting the work of every young man who is aspiring to be a base ball umpire. But many men are recommended through sympathy to a very great extent Some p'eople will stretch a point or twp in prais ing the abilities of the man they recom mend to Mr. Young, -and the latter has to be guided by those outside opinions. It is thus easy ' to see that in many cases the people who kick most about bad umpires are the very persons who help to get them there. But how would Mr. Young's detractors have umpires appointed? Surely they would never think of relegating that power to the Lcasue directors. If that were done then we might have the directors in ses sion all season keeping tab on old umpires and selecting new ones. The most prac tical and the most enective way ot select ing umpires is the present way. New um pires must be tested and well tested. In the testinc process teams may suffer but this drawback will have to be endured unless a plau can be pointed out by which new um pires can be had thoroughly developed to the hrst class degree. A Prevailing False Notion. As the discussion about the reduction of ball players' salaries continues it becomes clearer and clearer that those who defend the unfair and dishonest method recently indulged in have not a peg to stand on. One very precocious youth who favors the "cut" has become so utterly helpless in up holding the trickery that he has thrown his hands up in disgust, and declares in a kind of dying gasp that the matter is being talked about more than it is worth. "Without doubt the question is one of the most important that has been connected with the League for a very long time, and the bad precedent laid down may some day recoil with great force on the magnates themselves. But there is a false notion prevailing re garding this matter. Many people think that I and others are entirely opposed to any kind of reductions in the salaries of players. A day or two ago Manager Harry Wright stated that salaries were too high, and o-ie writer claimed that he (Wright) was helping to keep them up by not en forcing the new plan of brigandage. Now Mr Wright is acting quite con sistently and honestly. While he is con vinced that salaries are too high he is eager to have every man under him who is doing satisfactory work paid every dollar that was contracted for. That is "noble; that is fair dealing and honorable and a great con trast to the sordid and sinister trickery and rieppntinn is nrar.tir.ptl nn Mllilflne and others. The truth is that the new mode of reducing salaries has struck at the very root of the integrity of the League. Let the magnates make salaries to suit their means, but let them do it honestly and justly. When the proper time cpmes the system of uniform salaries or anv other system can be adopted in an honorable way, but most certainly there is nothing but fraud in a plan by which a player can be signed for 3,000 "and after the season is fairly started cut down to 51,500, and if he insists on his contract price he is pushed out of the business. Why it is an outrage and one ot the most discreditable swindles ever perpetrated on men who work for wages or salaries. A man should blush to delend such a notorious fraud. The Approaching Football Season. "We'll not have to wait long before the football season is upon us again. Clubs all over the country are 'beginuing to get their teams ready, and, of course, everybody ex pects to do better than has ever been done before. .Generally speaking, it seems safe to say that if the weatheitieps reasonably good this will be the greatest football year we have had. There are more players and teams throughout the country now than there has ever been, both Rugby and Asso ciation. This means that we will have more playimr than ever, and I dare say the playing will be ot a better kind than in Jormer Years. Locally the prospects are exceedingly en couraging, indeed" they were never so bright The patrons ot the Rugby game are already as busy as beavers getting their men ready, and lrom what I can learn we are likelv to have some fine teams in Pitts burg. Mr. Barbour, of the East End Gyms, is confident of getting a team together that will give the best teams in the country all the plaving tbey want I hope his expecta tions will be realized. The Three A's are also determined to have the best team here this fall that Pitts burg has ever had and I am inclined to think they wilL Some of the best players in the country have applied for positions on the Three A's team and altogether there are nearly 40 good men to select from. Of course we will have many other local teams of lesser note. But what I want to point out is the necessity of the clubs be ginning now and securing dates with some of the best teams in the country. No team need be afraid to come to Pittsburg as far as making money is concerned. With a reasonably good day there would be an immense crowd to see a good local team tackle a prominent visiting team. There will be a greater interest in the game this fall than there was last fall, and that means paying crowds when good teams are play ing. President Matthews, of the association club, tells me that his club intends to have the very best association teams in the coun try here. The local association team will be a professional organization and the play ers hope to do well. They will likely be a good team, as players are to be carefully se lected. Altogether we will have plenty of football. There is plenty of fun in seeing either a Rugby or an association game and I know of no community of people who like fun better than Pittsburgers. Great Spout or the Trotters. The interview with Mr. Robert Bonner published in this paper last Thursday, re garding Sunol and the trotting record, would be exceedingly interesting to the thousauds of people who patronize trotting races and admire trotting horses. Year after year for a long time we have satisfied ourselves at the end ot each season that surely the trotting and pacing records had almost reached their limit But each succeeding year is introducing to us some new wonder and the possibilities of the trotter are just as open a question now as they ever were. Mr. Bonner is inclined to think that Sunol will lower her own mark of 2:08, and it would be unsafe to say that he will be disappointed. As a rule the chances are always in favor of a record standing, but the speed" of trotters has of recent years been developed so wonderfully that a world's record is now in danger all the time. It would be very interesting if the famous mare Sunol could be engaged to come to Homewood track, in the fall and try her speed. She probably might not be able to lower her mart, but if she was in good form she would certainly go a fast mile or two. Th- Two rvntlirrwlsht 1'ngillsts. Both Dixon and Skelty are now in the vicinity ot New Orlean. getting ready for their coming battle next month. Both are reported to be in fine condition, and of course each man is confident. Last week I hadn't space to say much about the two little fellows, but what I did say was in favor of Dixon. I am still so in clined, although I give Skelly the credit of being a very clever little fellow. He has not yet taken part in a professional battle, so that when be meets Dixon he will make his debut as a professional. This is quite a big step up lor him and I fear too big a step. Skelly, indeed, must be a veritable wonder if he-can step out of the amateur r.mks aud defeat a rn'nn like George Dixon. My experience leads me to think that no such result will happen. Skelly has done wonder fully well among the amateurs, but he trill 1 find quite a difference when he faces a pro- lessional champion. As a rule 1 uo not De lieve in any such big jumps. It is hardly fair to the amateurs to take him from his class and put him directly in front .of the best professional in the world. The judgment is bad because the amateur may be a thoroughly good niaii and get defeated entirely because of lace of experience. Had Peter Maher been thor oughlv tested in finish fights with second and third rate men before he met Fitzsim- mons, it is likely that Maher would have beaten the Australian. But he was be wildered and his defeat discouraged him so much that he became worse than ever he was. True, Skelly may be a wonder, but the chances are against it In the past when amateurs have faced first-class professionals they.have invariably come off second best But if Dixon wins there is likely to be still plenty of work for him. There is a strong desire to back Griffin against the colored champion, and I really believe that Griffin is the most likely of all the little fellows to meet Dixon. A man who knows what he is talking about tells me that Griffin is an extremely good man and may prove himself better than Dixon. At anv rate I don't think there will be much talk about matching Pearce against Dixon now since Pearce was unable to de feat Siddons. The battle between the latter was a good one, and it exploded' some big notions about the abilities of Pearce. He is a game little fellow and somewhat clever, but he lacks force. He could not knock Siddons out, although he had nothing to do but thump Siddons. The truth is Pearce was just about beaten when the contest was declared a draw. Reports About Corbett and Snlllvan. "What we hear daily about the doings and condition of Corbett and Sullivan is extreme ly interestine; but I venture to say that what we do not hear or read would be much more interesting if we knew it The most won derful stories are being circulated by the press agents of these two pugilists and if we can place any reliance at all on these re ports we can safely conclude that there never, in the history ol pugilism, were two men in better condition than Corbett and Sullivan. Now, I don't believe these reports, any more than I would believe the report of one of them growing six inches taller in one night Here is a sample report A day or two ago we were told that Sullivan, after performing a Tery great amount of work, went out and ran ten miles in 55 minutes. That is within three minutes of the American record time; the time made some years ago by our friend Steele. Sulli van, under special preparation and on an excellent track, intent be able to come near, Steele's time, but it is simply preposterous to try to persuade people that' he could come near record time at Long Branch and in comparatively poor condition to run. Nobody who knows anything about loot running will for a moment believe the "53 minute" story about John L. I mention this as a sample of the exag gerated reports circulated about both Cor bett and Sullivan. Doubtless they are both working bard and successfully, but there is room for much improvement in both. During the week it has been noteworthy the large amount of money there has been forthcoming to back Corbett Only a short time ago I never for a moment thought that Sullivan's followers would hesitate tobet2to 1 on their man, but even now they are not very willing to bet 5 to 4 on John. This is something that nobody expected. But it is very likely that before the battle takes place there will be greater odds on Sulli van than 5 to 4. As soon as his friends.and they are numerous, get warmed up they will raise the odds. Pkingie. A IHLIPu'nAS NAVAL BATTLE. By the Aid of Chalk and Hatches a Fiery Combat Can Take Place. Harper's Young People. The amusing experiment of a lilliputian naval battle can be made with white chalk and the ordinary table vinegar. Model, say a dozen chunks of chalk to the resemblance of ships, planing .the bottoms evenly, and using matches for masts, smoke-stacks and turrets. The rival forces you can distinguish by coloring the enemy's ships with black ink, leaving your own white. Having them in a pan or plate close to an imaginary dividing line, pour a good quantity of vine gar between the chalk sticks. Instantly you will hear an audible seething, like the hissing of shells In actual warfare, while ships as if puffing up team wiil begin to move forward in slow revolutions, leaving behind them streaks of foam such as are ob served in the xwake of moving vessels. When meeting at the dividing line, they will have attained quite a respectable speed, bumping and cuffing together in the endeavor to push one another furthest from the dividing line. The engagement often proves an exciting one. Of course, the side has won which has the larger number of ships nearest the center after the affray. The chemical solution of this seeming mystery is quite simple. Chalk being largely carbon, combines with the acid of the vinegar in caibonic acid the same gases that cause the effervescence of most mineral waters. The gases rise to the surface of the vinegar in small bubbles of sufficient strength to cause the current which turns the chalk. Since the patriotic youth will want to see the American boats win, it will be well for him to remember that the best quality of chalk contains the largest proportion of car bon. It will also prove of advantage to plane the chalk carefully, so as to permit it to glide easily. HOW TO KEEP COOL. Practical Bints to Those Who Suffer In the Sweltering Beat. Philadelphia Times. Anybody can, of course, keep cool if they are able to run away from the city and en joy the ra'cy ocean breeze or the fine scented zephyrs of the hills, but the stay-at-homes are the ones who are on the look out for something to make them feel a little more comfortable when the thermometer is up in the nineties and the energies down to zero. Of conrse we can all talk, advice is cheap, which probably acconnts for so much of its being given away gratuitously, yet the fol lowing hints are really worth observing: To begin with, don't fret and stew because it is so warm. It won't reduce the temperature the hundredth part of a degree, yet it will have a tendency to make you hotter than ever before in your life. Therefore, it is to be avoided religiously. Next wear thin clothes and eat light food, such as salads, ices and cold tea, and avoid heavy, hot and greasy viands. 3?rom 5 to 7 in the morning let the air have full sway through the rooms of your house; alter that close the shutters and doors until sundown, when they should auain be thrown wide open until bedtime. In this way the heat of the -day is kept out and the sweeter, cooler breezes of the dawning and the wan ing hours are given lull sway. Then dur ine the heated term place a big dish of water in the. room where it seems most oppressive. Change it once or twice and you will find that the temperature will be perceptibly lowered. It won't hurt yon th try these" simple methods and may add greatly to your comfort Iron Industry In Australia, Telegrams from Sydney to England state that the Australian Government has decided to invite tenders for 175,000 tons of steel rails, to be manufactured in the colony from material obtained in the colonv. The ob ject in view it to induce British ironmasters to develop the iron mines of New South Wales and to build up local manufacturing industries. Doings nf Vthlt Ant. The famous termites, commonly called "white ants," although they belong to the order of the dragon fly Infest Ceylon in countless swarms, devouring everything eatable, and even gutting the timbers of dwelling houses so that the latter are re duced to mere shells. . ORGANS IN POLITICS. An Aspiring Georgian Asks Bill Nye About Their Advisability. ADVISED TO GET ONE AT ONCE. Office Seekers Can Say Klce Things Ahout Themselves in Them. THE WAT TO SDDSID1ZB THE PKESS tOOBBKSPOIIDENCE OF TH DISPATCH. Buck Shoals, N. a, August 12. The following letter from Georgia seems to re quire and call loudly for a public reply, let the chips fall where they may. Mr. Smith is only one of a large class each member of which would 'be glad to have some of the questions contained in this let ter settled at once and forever. After this week they will be regarded as settled: Macox, Ga., July 31. My Dear Mb. Nra You will excuse me If I encroach on your valuable time long enough to gain some Information about a matter over -which I am put to considerable thought I am at present residinir In a small villa near Macon, G.i., where I have been raised all my Ufa. My neighbors have hon ored tne on several occasions by electing me to positions on the school board and such. Some of tliem have pone so far as to mention my name In connection with higher honors. So far I have managed to be nortcommlttal on all subjects, rather' waiting a unanimous call from the people. Decent developments almost convineo me that I am pursuing the wrong course If I hope for success, and this is the subject of which I would speak. The campaign is drawing near to Hand and fome candidates have already announced. As yet I see no immediate hope of success unless 1 do likewise. Mv natnre is very sen sitive and 1 don't think I could stand defeat since flouring" so prominently for so long a time in my district I have exhausted my bialns in trying to devise some means by which I can create excitement aud catch the people bv storm. It Is Impos-ible to find a platform that is not already filled, and I don't like to play second flddle to any man's lead. The ques tions I would ask are these: Do vou think it the w ise policy to subsidize thepiessT I speak to yon in all confidence, and know von will tieat my questions as such. This 1 think I can do, but not without figuring against my general disinclination to do so. The other day, as I was on the train to Ma con, the editor and prop-ietor of our only weakly paner was on the train too. He ap proached "ine first, and I want you tore niember that fact. He told ma that his wire was very unhealthy, and that he had about made up his mind to change his residence. Wcutingthe Oonv ntion's Call. He desired mo to bo considered as his confi dant in this matter before going further. There was a position opened to him on one of the metropolitan dailios, I believe ho said, at a handsome salary. This, in connec tion with his wile's health, made the mat ter all the more serious. But he could not entertain the Idea ot parting with such lrlends ana such a paying business without great concern. I thought this was my chance. Now, I have quite a snuss little sum say, $3,000-nnd can raise more on some property my wife owns. Do you reull v think I w onld bo rhrbt in buying his papcrt I have never been a particular admirer ot the paper, but that is because they never gave me any notice. He will sell, and after talking the thing over I was given this inventory on a pieeo of pa per. You can hotter tell whether the price he asks 53,789 Is all right: One Wasnington hand press, 1 mallet, 1 shooting stick. 1 box quoins, 100 pounds long primer, 3 touts Job type, 1 case head letter tvpe, 2 stands, 6 type cases. 2 pair chases and column rules, 1 table, 1 bucket, 1 wash pan, 1 case potash. Besides, lie said he was advertisina a piano, and next year he would get it. Two machines were ilue him on ad vcrtlsinjr and a clothes wringer and pa tented chin n. He mentioned lots about the good will of the paper and said the legal notices were great. 1 will not longer take up your valuable time, but hope soon to know your honest advice as to whether it will be to mv in terest to buy this paper or not I am de sirous of having ftn organ. Yours truly, J. P. Smith. Smith Struck the Right Flirty. There could be no wiser thing done, Mr. Smith, I opine, than to do just what vou have done, viz., to come for information where information is made a specialty of. You will do well not to wait too long for a unanimous call from the people. You can see how it has worked in ray case. I have been patient and pure in a political sense pure as the baking powder whose name would have been put in here if check had been received in time and yet, although, or althongh yet, 1 should say perhaps, not withstanding the fact that Phave repeat edly given the public to understand that my health was good enough to withstand the strain of a canvass, convention after con tention has gone by and my came has not as yet been presented. You are sensitive of course. Your whole nature recoils at the idea of announcing yourself, and yet it I had my life to live over again I would smother this shy feeling and fire my brain with koumiss. Then I could come forward and ask for the popular suflrage. Possibly you might object to firing vonr brain. Some do, but when a brain shows signs of incapacity and lack ot interest I claim it should be fired. Political Platform on Finance. So far as platform is concerned, there is, as you say, uo new one. Finance has always offered a "good opportunity for the ingenious capper to go out and green goods the thoughtless and the ignorant, but thjs year it will not da The day has gone by lor a great financier to borrow the money and elect himself to office. All the great na tional financiers have now exhausted their credit I slated the last one several years ago, but be was defeated and is playing beanbag at the poor farm this summer with a gent who has a theory about an interna tional language, together with a long stand ing case ot paresis. Ever since the Mayor of Seattle said last year that "the entire country has been this, year at what may be called the extreme sinister point ot commercial oscillation," I. just gave up and went to work by the week. I knewithat I was that way myself, but I had no idea that the country was "such. Yes, it would be well to subsidize the press. It would help you and at the same time it would not ofiend the press. ' Subsi dizing the press should be done in a genteel way of course, not rudely or coarsely. How Nut to Subsidize the Press. So not go into the office while others are present and in a loud voice seek to swap a cigar with-one warm, wet end to it for the never dying love of a paper that has come to stay. You only give offense and hurt your cause. Vulcarity is just as offensive to an editor as it is to a man of refinement Again, do not fancy because you are ae anyinted with the man who writes the musical column on Sundays that you can claim the political support of the paper. Do not, because you have been out late with the editor, fool yourself with the idea that he will let yon dictate the course of the paper. You might come in on him dur ing one of his lucid intervals and be thrown out.' Editors do not feel bound to drop their work in 'the morning and play croquet with the casual outcasts whom they met the evening before. Do not go into the editor's office "to "cheer him up." You would not go into a mer chant's office to cheer him up, would you? Not if he saw you first Editors are the only ones who have twice as much to do as Jfr K'$np,4r,s I -ill vV I Greeting the Bailiff. anyone else, and yet have to be cheered up by men who are the life and sunlight of a smoking car and have an hour or two to spare, so come in to "swap lies with the editor." Welcome the Editor Extends. The only editor who succeeds in making his office a delightful rendezvous is the editor who finds himself at the close of the second year with "a host of friends," a large exchange list and two bundles of paper at the express office which he cannot get out. "When I ran a paper I did not re fuse to see anybody. Almost anybody could drop in casually and have fun with me. Even when the bailiff came in, and I knew thatI ought to work, I said: "Come right in. I never have refused anybody yet, and it is too late now to begin." So he came in. The manner in which you met the editor you speak of was extremely fortunate. Always meet an editor on the train if you can, especially if you wish to subsidize him. His wife's ill health will be a good thing, not so much fur her, but for yourself. You are no doubt getting a'good property if you buy the paper. Do not count too much, however, on the good will of a paper. When I closed out at what was called by the foreign clothier, who closed me out, "a great sacofize," I did not get so much for the good will of the paper as I did for the navy revolver which I bad used in securing the good will. You need an organ if yon contemplate coming before the people as a candidate, and I would say that you should lose no time in closing the trade. Unless he has basely deceived you regarding the bucket and the potash, yon will do well to close with him at once. The Use of an Organ in Politics. The beanty of having an organ while you are a candidate is that while you can say the most fulsome things about yourself no one will suspect that you have any interest in the paper. No one ever does. With a paper, Mr. Smith, you will be surprised to notice how the public will be as clay in your hands. Guard with jealous care the good will of the paper. I used to put the good will of my paper on top of the diction ary,and then,put the dictionary in my chair to'make it high enough to fit the desk. "When the office was afterward shot into by admirers of the paper, the good will and the dictionary alone escaped mutilation. You will excuse me, Mr. Smith, if in closing I wish you well, and also express my amazement that a green politician should punctuate so well and write such good copy lor the printer as you do. Can it be that you are, after all, a jour nalist? Bill Nye. FACTS ABOUT COLOR BLINDNESS. .Looking Steadily at One Color Makes It Lnsn Its Particular Hue. Youth's Companion. "While the number of color-blind persons is not very large, only about five in every hundred suffering from any defect In this respect, and most of those being affected only in a minor degree, yet the phenomenon sometimes assumes very remarkable phases. Captain Abney recently stated that he had found two persons who possessed monochromatic vision, that is to say, all colors appeared to theji to be simply differ ent shades of gray. If the reader will look at a photograph of a landscape, or better, ot a garden tilled with brilliant flowers, he will be able to form an 'idea of the appearance which na ture must present to one who suffers from the infliction called monochromatic vision. One can sometimes imitate the effects of color-blindness through over-fatigue of the eye. Thus Mr. Brett, the English painter, told the members of the Koyal Astronom ical Society not long ago, that in painting a scarlet geraninm, after working at it for a quarter of an hour, the artist will not know that it is scarlet at all, but will go on painting it as if it were black or colorless. "JKed," he explained, "is a very irritant color to the retina," and he added that "you can look at green until all is blue." VALUE OF OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. The Good to Be Derlvea From Them Not Xt Quito Understood. The value of many documents issued from our Government members is but little under stood by the people ot this country, says a writer in the St Louis Globe-Democrat It is a fact, however, that some of the most valuable contributions to the knowledge ot this country are made in the form of public documents. Every Consul is required to transmit to the Government whatever is ,of interest in the city where he is stationed, and a volume of Consular reports is often as interesting as a book ot travels. In addition the Bureau of Education sends out every year an im mense mass of literary matter pertaining to the educational systems of this and other countries. While the reports of the Government agri cultural stations ought to be in the hands of every larmer, and if properly used would increase the aggregate production -of our land 10 per cent in a single year, yet neither teachers nor farmers seem as a rule to care lor these documents, and, althongh they are to be had for the asking, thousands of them every year, it is said, are left undistributed because no one calls for them. Saving Money In War Practice. The British naval authorities are saving money in a novel way in connection with big gun practice. The Benbow has been practicing a good deal with her 110-ton guns, and, as this gun throws a projectile weighing 1,800 pounds, the expense ot each shot runs pretty high. So tubes have been placed in the bores of the big gnus which fit a musket cartridge, and while the big guns are themselves handled and aimed, all that is fired is a musket bullet. Some excel lent hits have beeu made in this practice. A New Way of Washing. A French paper says that a laundryman of Paris has discovered a method of cleans ing fine linen. and other fragile textures without using soap or other chemicals. In stead of thesehe uses boiled potatoes, which he rubs, into the goods and then rinses out It is said that this method will make soiled linen, silk, or cotton much whiter and purer tbv Trashing in the ordinary way. NOTES AND QUERIES. How the Cholera Appears in One of the World's Famous Kovels. ENTERING THE ARMY AND NAVY. Tha Party in Power Sits to the Eight in Legislative Bodies. LONGEST TKrALS ON COURT EEC0BD3 fWKlTTIH FOR TIIE DISFA.TCn.1 Has the cholera ever been made the sub ject of a novel the deus ex machlna, so to speakT D. M. W. It was Eugene Sue who in his great story "The "Wandering Jew," used the cholera as a deus ex roachina. In that story Ahasuerus, the "Wandering Jeff, marches on his eternal journey, and with him moves the cholera. Sue pointed out that the cholera moved about five leagues a day, as much as an elderly man walks, and describes the Jew as aware of his companion, but unable to rid himself of its presence. In the story the Jew and the cholera together are del ex machina, protecting the Itennepont family, and finally circumventing the efforts ot Bodin to obtain for his order the possession of the vast fortune of the family. The cholera affords the motif for the famous song, "Revelry in India," begin ning, "We meet 'neath the sounding rafter, And the walls around are bare." This was written about the same time that Sue's storr was, and has been ascribed to many different persons; among others, to Alfred Domett, to Bartholomew Cowling, to a brother of Daniel O'Connell; but we think the real author is as yet unknown. What are the conditions on which one enters the United States military and. naval academies! Please give me full information. William F. Appointments to the academies are made in turn by the Congressman; generally a Congressman learns that he will have the right to nominate a candidate for one or the other academy about one year before the candidate need appear at the military acad emy and about three months in advance for the naval academy; he then selects a candi date and an alternate. They must fie be tween 15 and 20 years of age for the naval academy, and 17 and 22 for the military academy, and must pass a rigid physical ex amination aud a hard mental examination. This latter, however, is in the subjects taught in the high schools, the ordinary English branches. The phrsical examina tion is the harder of the preliminary exam inations, however. The course at the mili tarv school lasts four years, at the end of which cadets, passing successfully are com missioned second lieutenants in the army. The course at the naval academy lasts four years; then successful cadets pass two years at sea; on the expiration of their cruise they pass another examination, when they are commissioned ensigns. For detailed information write to the superintendents of the academies at "West Point, K". Y., and Annapolis, Md. How many International rifle matches have there bcent How many were beld In this country! 6. A. O. There have been eight, of which five were held at Creedmoor. They were held as follows: September 26, 1874, at Creed moor, when the American team beat the Irish team; June 29, 1875, at Dollymount, near Dublin; the American team won; Sep tember 13-16, 1876, when the American team beat teams representing Ireland, Scotland, Australia and Canada; September 21, 1876, when America beat Ireland; September 13-14, 1877, at Creedmoor, when the Ameri can team beat the British team; June 29, 1880, at Dollymount, when the American team beat the Irish; September 14-15, 1882, at Creedmoor, with military rifles, the Brit ish team winning; July 20-21, 1883, at "Wimbledon, England, with military rifles, the British team winning. The "Wimbledon match was the last What Is meant by the names Bight, Left and Center, and sometimes even Moderate Klght, etc., as applied to continental Parlia ments? A. W. B. Just as with us the Republicans in the House of Bepresentatives sit on one side of the passageway aud the Democrats on the other; and as in the British Parliament the members of the party in power sit on the right hand side of the Speaker; so in the continental Parliaments the parties sit as much as possible by themselves. The Bight alwavs means at the right of the Presiding Officer. At his extreme right sit the High Conservatives; then come the Conservatives; and the center is occupied by the Moderates; at the lelt sit the Rad icals, the variety getting more extreme the farther left one goes. The names of the parties differ in each country, but they scat themselves on this principle" always. Can any pe-son go from this country to Europe and bring back free of duty any amount of clothliur, regardless of whether lts silk, wool or other fabric? S. C. H. No. In the decision of the United States Court in the case of Astor against the Col lector of the Port of New York, which is the authority in the matter, it was laid down that a person could bring back from abroad free of duty clothing suitable to his condition in life. That is, that a wealthy man a person usually described as a "gen tleman" can bring in many suits of clothes, underclothes, etc., because they are such as he uses; and that a mechanic, who does not use so many different suits of clothes, can not bring such clothing in free. A bill has been submitted to Congress to prevent per sons from bringing in free ot duty more than $100 worth of clothing; and it has passed the Honse of Representatives. When was the Beecher-Tllton trial? J. Killt. The trial began on Tuesday, January 2, 1875, and ended on July 2, 1875, when the jury, after being out several days, reported that they were unable to agree, and were dismissed. The trial is one of the longest on record; the Tichborne trials surpassed it, however. The civil suit brought by "the claimant" to obtain the Tichborne title and estates began May 11, 1871, and occupied 103 days, nntil March 6, 1872, when the jury interposed, declaring against the claimant; thereupon the claimant was indicted for perjury and forgery, and brought to trial on April 23, 1872. The trial lasted 198 days, until February 28, 1874, when the claimant was found guilty. The Tichborne trial is the longest auywhere on record. 'why do we have on our clocks and watches four strokes (IIII) to mark 1 o'clock, instead of the usual IV? J. M. W, One story says that Charles Y. of Spain, who in his madness devoted himself to man aging an infinite number of clocks, made four strokes by mistake and refused after ward to correct his error. "Watchmakers ot to-day, however, have forgotten why they use IIII instead ot IV. They do it in ac cordance with a long-standing tradition. It may be that IIII is used to complete the three groups into which the figures on clock laces are divided, the first group consisting entirely of repetitions of the Roman figure I, the second consisting of Y and I, the third of X and I used in various ways. How many calls for volunteers were there during the Civil War and how many drafts? Conscript's So.v. There were eight calls for volunteers and four drafts. The calls were as follows: April 15, 1861, for 75,000' men for three months; May 3, 1861, 42,034 men for three years, 22,714 men for the regular army and 18,000 men for the navy; July 3, 1862, 300,- 000 men. October 17, 1863, 300,000 men for three years; February 1, 1864, 200,000 men for two years; March 14, 1864, 200,000 men lor two years; July 18, 18C4, 500,000 men for one, two and three years; December 19, 1864, 300,000 men for one, two and three years. The first draft was in Julv, 1863; the second April, 1864; the third immedi ately after the call of July, 1864, and the last immediately after the call of Decem ber, 1864. What is meant by "Blue Laws!" Teacher. The original Blue Laws were drawn np in 1650 for-the governance of the people of Connecticut The people were Congrega tional Presbyterians; the title "blue" had long been applied to the Presbyterians, perhaps originally because their ministers covered their prcachinz tub with a blue cloth, until it had come to mean anything as strict as the Presbyterians. So, "partly became the Connecticut people were Pres byterians and partly because the laws were very strict the laws were called "blue." Nowadays the prohibitory laws of various States and the Sundav laws are called "Blue Laws" because of their strictness, either real or fancied. Whejf; on what day of the week, was tho Exposition building In Allegheny City burned? G. C H. On October 3, 18S3, which came upon a "Wednesday. Apropos of a note in this colnmn last Sunday, G. L. E., ot New Brighton, Pa., writes: I am inclined to think that yonr reply to E. F. P. in last Sunday's issue In explanation of what is meant by Congressmen at large will not be satisfactory to htm or anyone who does not understand the phrase. The qnestion has no doubt been asked by E. F.P. because two represantatives at large to Con gress are to be chosen at the next general election. I have been many times aiked, "How does It happen wo have to elect two Con-rres'men at large this fall?" The answer is: The ltepresentatlves in the Lower House ot Conaress are apportioned to each State in accordance with the population, as as certained at each decennial consus. This apportionment is usually made at the first sitting of Congress a. ter the census has been taken. The last censns that of 1S93 gives Pennsylvania two more Representative than were given her by the censns of 1SS0. After Congress has determined how many Bepresentatives each Statu shall have. It Is then the duty, or at least the privilege, or the Legislatures of the several States to divide the States into Congressional districts eaual in number to the Representatives. Onr last XiOgisiature am not reatstnet our state; hence we have two districts less than the number of Representatives to which we are entitled in the next Congress: therefore, in order to have our full representation, all the voters In the State are allowed to par ticipato in the election of tbe two for which the Legislature has fulled to provide dis tricts. I believe no reason exists why the whole numberof Bepresentatives should not be put on the State ticket and chosen by the electors at large; but, for tho purpose of hrlngintr each onn more closely to his con stituents, ana maklntr him the immediate representative of a definite portion of the people, it has been dociiled good policy to have them chosen by districts. TWO ANCIEUT E0MAN AUTH0KS. Medallions of Horatlns nnil Virgil Lately Cnearthrd In Pompeii. Manchester Guardian. Lovers of literature will be interested in the recent discovery in a small house of the buried city of Pompeii of two medallions representing respectively Horace and Vir gil. The death of Horace occurred eight years before the Christian era, and that of Virgil 10 years earlier, while the date of the destruction of Pompeii by the ernption of Vesuvius is A. D. 79. Hence the portraits are not cotemporary, though they cannot be placed very long after the age of the poets. But although they are in that respect onlr fancy portraits, M. Gaston Boissier has pointed out to the French Academie des Inscriptions that they have a distinct resemblance to the minia tures of Horace and Virgil given in the manuscripts of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The Pompeiian medallions are only of a very mediocre character when re garded solely from an artistic standpoint. This very fact strengthens the idea of a con tinuous artistic tradition as to the bodily presentment of the two poets. The Poin peiian artist and the monastic scribe could nave had no direct connection, but they may easily have derived their figures from a common source. Another point of interest is to see the popular criticism within less than a cen tury after their death, linking together Horace and Virgil. How enduring their fame is may be realized if we remember that now, after the lapse of 19 centuries, they have more readers and admirers than at any preceding period. It is to be feared that few of the literary reputations of mod ern ages will withstand so successfully "the cankered tooth of Time." ATJTEOES OF FAMOUS HYMNS. In Spit of Their Sons They Often Uve In Entlrs Oblivion. Boston Globe.j It seems a singular fact that apparently nothing in a literary way will relegate a writer to oblivion so surely as to be the au thor of a world-famous hymn. Take a few instances: Ncarlv everyone has heard or sung the line of "Shall "We Gather at the River?" and yet how many know even the name of the author, much less the fact that he is living? The writer is the Rev. Robert Lowry, D. Da a resident of Plainfield, N. J. In Richmond, 111., lives Dr. S. Fillmore Bennett To how many is the name famil iar, yet to whom is his familiar church songj "The Sweet Bv and By," not known? In the Interior of New York State lives Mrs. Annie Sherwood Hanks, who wrote those famed lines of "I Need Thee Every Hour." Hardly known and never recognized on the streets of New York as she walks out is Fannie Crosby, the author of countless hymns, among them the famous one, "Safe in the Arms of Jesus." It is odd that the veil of obscurity should seem, to be the inevitable reward of those whose pens have given us the hymns which have brought consolation and joy to so many thousands. BASKIHG IN THE SVS. It Wonld Be Well for Mankind Sometimes to Copy Animals. "Basking in the sun" is in itself of real and considerable benefit, and it is no com pliment to our human intelligence to find that cats and dogs understand that fact much better than we do, says Dr. Hutch inson in the Sorlh American 'Seviem. Even the "blue grass" craze had a truth un derlying it, and owed such success as it achieved to the proportion of sunlight which penetrated its colored medium. The love of sunshine is naturally one of our strongest instincts, and we shonla be far healthier and happier if we followed and develope-1 it instead of practically ignoring and repressing it How a sparkling, sunny morning exhilarates us and makes us feel that 'it's too fine a day to spend indoors," and vet how few holidays are taken for that reason. The wealth of the sunbeams is poured out lavishly all around us, and we turn from it to struggle for a lew pitiful handfuls of something else that is yellow and shining, but not half so likely to bring us happiness,- and often has strange, red spots upon it , Give nature a chance, and we will find that there is more than a mere fanciful connection between natural sun light and that "sunny" disposition, which, after all, is the true "philosopher's stone." When Baby was sick, we gave her Castorla. When she was a Child, she cried for Castoria. When she became Miss, she clung to Castorla. When she had Children, she gave them Cattcri LIGHTHINO OH THE 0CEAH. Tery Few Precautions Are Taken to Guard Tessels Against Accidents. New Tort Tines. An electric storm at sea is one of the alarming experiences to which a mariner it exposed, but, as a matter of record, it is one that is least fruitful in disastrous re sults. As a rule few precautions are taken to gnard against a stroke of lightning, especially in the merchant service. Ships of war are usually fitted with lightning conductors a precaution made necessary by the explosives stored away in their magazines. Bnt these safeguards are seldom seen on a merchant vessel, and, judging by the extreme rarity of the eases where they have been struck. Jack's claim that he is safer on the ocean than on shore during an electrical disturbance must be ad mitted. It is a well-established theory that on caught in a thunderstorm should not take refuge under a tall tree, especially if it stands in a clearing, "Why lightning should strike an isolated piece ot timber on shore and spare it after it has been converted into a vessel's mast is yet to be satisfactorily explained. SICK HILaJACHE-Clrter,JljltagTjTerp1jU SICK HEADACHE-Clrl!r,lTjtUeL,Terpinji SICK nEADACHE-Carter,, jj,, TjTer pjj SICK nEADACHE-ct,sIatUeIilTerJrmii iei-Uxwrtv MEDICAL. 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