Jffi I WIDOWS OF ROYALTY. Sorrows That Are Attended l)y Bunning Footmen and Laced Lackeys. BUSY LIFE OF YICTOBIA. The Knn.Liko Eugenie Once the Host LoTable of Beauties. " A WOMAN WHO HATES BISMAECK. The Grandmother of an Infant King ffh Tares Sot Visit Dim. EUROPE'S MOST PAECIXATIKG CEEATDEE ir.OEItESFOXPIJ.-CE or TBI DISPATCH 1 IOJTDOS', Dec, Already there is a bnstle of preparation ior tbe Christmas hol idays, and Londoners are beginning to in quire whether it be really true that Queen Victoria,after almost 30 years uninterrupted retirement, is at last to resume her in terest in the social life of the capital Only a few weeks ago an operatic company ap peared at the royal residence at Balmoral, $n Scotland, and performed before Her Majesty, and this fact is naturally accepted as an evidence of her intention to enow her self in public to her loyal London subjects during the coming winter. The truth is that almost any other nation in Europe than the stolid English would have been restive nnder the Queen's long and persistent mourning. London trades men and shopkeepers resent being ig nored, year alter year, while her august Majesty, when she goes abroad, doesn't hesitate at all to do her own shopping, Christina Qwcn Regent of Spa n. whether at Nice, Cannes or any ot tbe other, reports, where she is likely to meet her multitudinous tribe of relations. Indeed, if the aristocracy dared to risk being sent to Covtntry by being as irank and out spoken as the tradespeople, they would say outright that it might have been wiser had the Queen allow ed tbe Prince of Wales to play a more prominent part in the affairs of the Kingdom. His participation in public affairs and sharing of the responsibilities, even in an advisory capacity, would Have done much to lighten the burden now rest ing on tbe shoulders of the aged Queen, and besides would have afforded satisfaction to the great world of society, to which Victoria has given the cold shoulder all these years. The Busiest Woman In Europe. But though the imperial widow (who rarely appears without the distinctive cap of her widowhood even now) may huld aloof from many ot the gjyetie and social indulgences that go to make the lile ot a court, she dare not neglect Christmas To do so wotibi be to givr undviug offense to her subjec -, and she is inr too wise and shrewd to do that. Some ot the-c su! jects, more witty than loyal, have sa.d t a Vic toria is neier so nappy as when she is miser able, and that her cmei pleasure is found in mourning, but thai it would be unreasona ble ior her to expect that he can keep the whole in tion lorever in tne attitude ot woe. In spite of age and an increasing ten dency to obesity, Victoria is easily the busiest monarch I had almost said the busiest woman in all Europe. There may be some American business women who ac complish more in a day than she, but I doubt it. Certainly no lady ot wealth and social position would undertake halt the work this little, pleasant-faced, stoutisb, old lady does. She is a very early riser, and breakfasts at an hour when lashionable London is still abed. She is always plain and somewhat antiquated in her dress, pre ferring the old-strie two-button gloves to 10 or 12-button. Her maids ot honor (eight nice-lookinggirls ot good lamily and with pleasant, fresh English complexions), consider themselves tortunate now in being permitted to wear bangs a thing which Victoria stiffly opposed lor a loug time. These girls get 1,500 a year each, a com plete trousseau when they're married, and, altogether, have a very nice time. Victoria is an easy mistress. The "un or Rural Farnborough. There i another royal widow in England, whom Victoria has met more than once in her saunterings about Windsor. She is a sweet-tneed, low-voiced, slender woman; anyone can see that she must have once been very beautiful. Indeed, this woman, whose hair, once of glossy blackness, is fast whitening, whose face is wrinkled and, whose form is so bent that she has to walk with a cane for support, was once the love liest creature in Europe. She is prema turely old, her eyes are dim and her limbs ftitl witb rheumatism. Yet Eugenie, of France, is only CG. When in .England, Eugenie's home is at Farnborougb., where she has a beautiful viIla,surrounded by fine grounds. She is occasionally invited to Windsor, lor Victoria is quite fond of dp Italella of Spain. the pal? woman, whose sun of empire set fprerer many yean ago at Bedaa, and whose .last tie to earth was broken when the Prince Imperial perished in the Zola wars. Once the best-dressed woman in Europe, Eugenie ia now always bablled in black. Her old friends, somehow, seem to bare forgotten her all except a very few. She is no longer spoken of even in Imperi alist circles in France as the Empress; she is now "the fatal woman." Such is the ef fect of misfortune. She travels in Europe; goes to. Paris, Venice and .CaKsc7i!sisB mw w Ex-Empress Frederick. Switzerland, but finds neither rest nor peace. She is happiest at Farnborougb, one of the most charming rural spots in England, a little better than an honr out of London, because there rest the bodies of her husband and son. A Ufe Devoted to Pleasures. If we cross the Channel, we need not go very far to find lurther attestation of the fact that "sorrow is often attended by run ning footmen and laced lackeys mounted behind," as a philosophic writer has re marked. In Paris, spending theideclinine .years of her life as best she may after her own peculiar tastes, resides ex-Queen Isa bella ot Rnain. Heroine of scandals in numerable in her own country and else wheie a coquette in both love and politics, at one time the idol and again tbe de testation of the Spanish people, Isa bella has contrived throughout all her varied fortunes to control suf ficient funds to keep up at least a semblance of state and also to gratify a life-long love of dissipation. The passing years have touched her very lightly; it any thing, she is a trifle heavier and grosser looking than before. The daughter of Maria Christina end Ferdinand VL is still active and vigorous enough to be a danger ous factor in politics, if ermltted. She has never forgiven Madrid the grudge she owes it for the expulsion of 1868, when she was compelled to flee from her palace and her lovers and find a refuge in France. She was at one time the baby Queen of her be loved Spain, and now ber grandchild, the posthumous heir of her only son, the late Alfonso XIL, is tne babv monarch, Queen Christina acting as regent dur ing his minority. Isabella has thus the double vexation o! knowing that, while Spain loyally tolerates her descend ants, it wants nothing more to do with her, having a too vivid recollection of her troublous reign. Isabella never knew the blessings of do mestic happiness. Her wedded life was one of alternate estrangements and recon ciliations. During her reign Spain took rank nmong the leading powers, and the country would unquestionably hae uros- aft? Kata ie, of iervia. pered had not the open immorality of the court and the imbecilityof the Government made a path for the revolution. Her four daughters are lorever shut out of the suc cession. Mother of the Baby King. Probably of all the royal widows in Eu rope at the present time, the happiest is Queen. Begent Maria Christina, the mother oi six-vear-old Alfunso XIII., whose affec tion for her boy, as well as her ) atriotic devotion to the welfare of her country, has won the hearts of the impulsive Spaniards. Maria Christina is a Hapsburg; but she seems to have escaped the aderse fortunes that have overtaken so many other mem bers oi that gloomy house. She is one of the kindest and most charitable of women; not beautiful, as the Madrid standard of loveliness goes, but so lovable that the pretty Madnleoes press forward when she appears in public ami strive to kiss tne hem of her dark mourning gow n. The poor es eciallr love her, for her deeds of kind ness among them. Naturally much of this affection will be transferred to the voung monarch who already seems in a tafr way to be spoiled through popular petting. Carlotta,the widow of tbe ill-starred Max imilian, Emperor of Mexico, over whose fate the whole f Europe has wept, is now in a retreat at Lacken. She is not violently insane, as many have supposed, although at times subject "to exciting seizures, which soon pass away. The doctors, however, re gard her as beyond all hope of cure. Every year on July 27, the, anniversary of her wedding in " 1857, she is visited by her brother, tbe King ot the Belgians, and his queen. It, as once happened, they miss calling on the appointed date, she is liable to become greatly agitated an violent At other times she is the victim of a settled sadness or melancholy, sneaking only when speech is unavoidable, and then in a low whisper, and never smiling. In spite of long years of suffering all traces ot per sonal loveliness have not disappeared. King Leopold's Lovely Daughter. There are still many in London who can recall the first appearance there of Carlotta, Archduchess of Austria and Empress of Mexico, during the season ot 1856. At that time she was really the idol ot aristocra.ic Europe, by reason ot her beauty and her gentle nature. She drove in the same car riage with Victoria and Prince Albert on a review day, and nobody was more looked at than King Leopold's lovely daughter. Car lotta never really liked the Mexicans nor their ways, .and even now, it is said, she gives bitter evMence of this feeling at in tervals. It has been said that her madness would never have reached a serious stege had it not been for tbe ill-treatment she re ceived at the bands ot Napoleon IIL, on her return ironi Mexico in 1866 Thus, singularly enough, her misfortunes may be said to be allied with those of the recluse of Farnborougb, ex-Empress Eugenie. Two very amiable royal widows, neither ot whom possess the slightest pretensions to notoriety, are Queen Emma, ot Holland, and Queen Olga, ot Wnrtemberg. The latter is the relict of King Karl L, whose rule was scandalized by the singular rise of two Americans, Kichanl M. Jackson and Charles B. Woodcock, to phenomenal in-' fluence a condition of things which so dis pleased the steady-going WnrtemberRers that theyput a very sudden stop to it. In 1883 the Cabinet went on a strike,- and the king had to agree to dismiss the foreigners. Karl didn't eet over it. He was very fond Y& 5. Belli, W jtth of the two strangers and .be died shortly after the trouble about their dismissal. He was a weak-headed sort of man, unfitted to rule, and an easy prey to designing poli ticians. She TVon'dn't Kefuse to 'Be a yneen. Queen Emma, of Holland, has also had a somewhat! checkered matrimonial experi ence. Her late spouse, William HL, led ber a terrible lite. Queen Emma was a younger .princess of Waldeck Pyrmout. William bad proposed to ber sister and had been refused, when Emma said in his hear, tag that she ''would never refuse to become a queen.'' The old fellow (William was then 62) took her at ber word. She is quite homely, with rather pleasant features, and a simple, quiet dignity that contrasted oddly enough with William's pompous ways. She was a much better wife than he deserved, and now with the old Don Juan underground, Queen Emma is living quietly at the Hague as regent, till her daughter, little Queen Wilhelmlna, is of age to rule tbe Hollanders. The widowhood of ex-Empress Frederick, ot Germany, is passed in semi-retirement and in the performance of acts of charity. She is one of the few royal ladies of Europe who may be said to take more than a pass ing interest in scientific things, and, though by po means a bluo stocking, she devotes considerable time to literary studies. Since Frederick's death she has wielded but little influence in public affairs, though she pos jesses marked ability in that direction. Of course everybody remembers the diplomatic lory creumug iier wiwi procuring tne downfall of Bismarok and his withdrawal from bis commanding position in German politics, and that it was brought about to even up an old score she owed the grim Chancellor. Carries a Doll In Her Arms. The placid life of Victoria's widowed daughter and her beautiful domestic- rela tions contrast strangely vjith the stormy household deities that have ruled the for tunes ot tnose two roval daughters of mls fortune,Natalie and Elizabeth. Neither is a widow, yet both are husbandless, cronn less, exiled and almost friendless. Em press Elizabeth, the "dear Leisel" of Franz Joseph's wooing days, when as ayoung and romantic Kaiser he roamed his kingdom in search ot a mate is an exile in Corfu. The Emperor's weaknesses had already driven her almost insane, and tbe suicide ot Prince Budolph with Baroness Vetsera completed the wrecc of her mind. She mopes about in her retreat, carrying in her arms a doll Queen Victoria, to which she. talks endearingly, calling it bv Rudolph's name. Her life seems des tined to close in hopeless lunacy like that ot the Empress Carlotta. Europe has laughed not a little over the follies and absurdities of that opera bouffe pair of royalties, Natalie and Milan, and there are some who have declared that in spite ot her unhappy experiences, both with her unlovable husband and with the worshipers she has always kept dangling on her train, she is still tbe most fascinating and irresistible woman of her age in Europe. This "royal grass widow," whose domestic squabbles' are continually coming to the surlace, is a true Russian, in temper ament, morals and verve. Although some what stouter than when the Servians raved over her charms of laca and person, as Milan Obrenovitch's bride, she still pos sesses a regal beauty, A fair, broad tore head, over which is a crown of hair ot jetty blackness; eyes that ripple and sparkle and a voice and smile that are irresistible these, added to many other graces of per son and to a love of pleasure and intrigue which everywhere sought opportunity lor indulgence, are still characteristic ot the woman whose loves and quarrels bave brought sorrow to Servia. Milan is nou a drunkatd and broken-down gambler in Paris, having lost throne, queen and coun try. Ex-Empress Eugenie. Estranged and divorced from her husband, torn trom ber son, tbe boyish Alexander, and 4oraken by the people who once vvor shiped her, Natalie find a melancholy pleasure in occasionally returning Irom her exile in Southern France to revisit old scenes in Servia, where she may revive the memories ot dead assions and satisfy a mother's love by a stolen glimpse of hereon. CAPrAIH B0ETJP HAS PiSIEHDS. Some of Them Aro Senators Who Will De mand fVir Flay for Him. Washington, Dec. 10. Although noth ing has been heard lately of the case of Captain Borup, the military attache to the American Legation in Paris, it will soon figure with more prominence than ever. Captain Bornp, it will be remembered, while attached to the legation in Paris, was charged with obtaining French military secrets, and was recalled by the State Department in order to mollify the indignation that was created throughout France. Since then the matter has drifted into the Senate, and Senators Davis, ot Minnesota, and iiiscock, ot New York, both of the Committee on Foreign Relations, are pre paring to reopen tbe case for the purpose oi auowing isapiain uorup to vindicate bimsell. There lias "been no denial that he bought military secrets belonging to tbe French Government, and tbe French Gov ernment makes no pretense that hlssodoing was not legitimate, it theso secrets were not betrayed to its arch-enemy, Germany. The so doing appears to be a venal offense of diplomatic science. The Teopening of the case is to enable Captain Borup to show enough of diplomatio practice to prove that he has simply acted as a conscientious agent of the Government in doing that lor which he its' ungenerously recalled and after ward left to languish with a stigma upon bis lame. .. The place to buy diamonds, watches, Jewelry, etc., Is at M. G. Colieus, 38 Fifth uveiiun. Our stock it unsurpassed in the city, and our prices will please. Call and aes for yourself. Store open evenings till Christmas. Da. SiEoxnT's Angostura Bitters, Indorsed Dy physicians lor parity. la BSStamS3t' I'lll f('0 2i&r -"w r. "U Vtt EVERY "DAY SCJETO. Efficiency of Electric Lights as Af fected by the Coating. TAKING FOOD BEFORE BETIRING. The. Future of Aluminum in Making Horse shoes and Microscopes. TRASEFERRIKG WRITING fO IRON HBlrlJK TOB TH DISPATCH. t Tbe blackening of incandescent lamp bulbs, and the consequent deterioration of the quantity of lightt I pronounced by a leading electrical journal to be one of the most practical questions with which elec tric, light engineers have to deal Tbe or dinary efficiency of the incandescent lamp mav be calculated on the basis that if the life be limited to the time when the lamps give 7S per oent of their initial candle power, tbe average death is at 460 hours, while 80 per cent M limit cuts them off at 330 hours, and 90 per cent at 180 hoursL In the course of late investigations it was found that the lamps which were the least blackened were those exhausted by mechan ical pumps, hence it is .inferred that exhaustion by mercury has a deleterious effect. It was also found that the absorbing power of the coating itselfis sufficient to account for a very con siderable 'falling off" ia the candle power. The effect of the "age coating," as tho black deposit on the bulb is called, is to dim tbe lamp without appreciably changing the quality of the light. This means that quantity changes and quality remains, so that it a given number of candles is esti mated for the lighting of a room, tbe amount of light decreases 10 per cent after ISO hours' use of the lamps. One sugges tion arising out of Prof. "Nichols" statement that "the rate of deposit of the coating in incandescent lamp bulbs is greatest in the early part ot the life of the lamp," is -that such modifications in tbe manufacture of the lamp should be made that tbe manufact urer should'not send tbe filament out in a bulb till all the conditions of early life .have been passed; in other words, the par ticles from the filament should be disinte grated before, not after the use in a bulb. A life of 500 hours ought then to be at tained, and a rate of blackening and a dim inution ot light much slower than at present secured. JTeiv Dnst Testing Instrument. The "koniscope," or dust-testing instru ment which is now being placed on the market, is intended for estimating, in an easy and simple manner,the amount of pol lution of air in rooms lighted withjras, and also lor use generally in sanitary inspec tions. The action of the instrument is based on certain color phenomena associated with what is called the "cloudy condensation of air," and which can be produced by steam jets, cold or low temperature of tbe air, an increase in tbe number of dust nuclei, and other conditions. The koniscope is a very simple and portable apparatus. Air is drawn in by means of an air pump and passed into a test tube, which is fitted with glass at both ends. When the tube, thus charged, is held toward the light, various colors, from pure white to nearly black blue, according to the purity or impurity of the airunder observation, are indicated. -Tbe dust particles also lorm the most im portant factor in the variation in the depth ot the coloring. For instance, if there are few contained particles, one' stroke ot the pump will show tbe light first blue, then Igreen, then yellow, and then a second blue and green, and finishing witb yellow. But it the number of particles present is very much greater,, the same amount ot expan. sion will make only tbe first series of colors 'visible; it tn nupber ofDarticles is still greater, one -stroke -may not give the whole series ot colors, but may stop at blue. In making a sanitarjr.inspection, the external air is tested first, and its depth of color noted. Any increase on that depth indi ,cates pollution, and tho degree ot such in crease gives themeasure of pollution. The use ol this instrument has made very palpable the fact that in rooms where gas is burning the air near the window is very im pure. Eat Beiort Sleeping. There has been quite a revolution of late years in many countries in regard to tbe connection between eating and sleeping, and it is stated that a radical change is likely to take place before long in the prac tice of a great many families in Englaud. Tbe popular idea is that eating at night is highly injurious to the constitution. It is npw recognized that nature contradicts this notion. Provided a man is hungry, add bis stomach is in proper condition, the practice is not only unharmlul, butrather beneficial. To go to bed on an empty stomach is apt to itiive sleep away altogether. Three or tour hours before -be'dtime 3 substantial dinner or supper should be eaten, and on going to bed some simple food should be taken every nigbt by those who have an inclination lor it, and especially by delicate persons or in valids. Persons invariably- leel drowsy alter a heavy meal, an 1 on the other hand wakefulness is often merely a iiifiicalion of hunger. The digestive" organs liavincr finished with it, the blond fios once more to the head, bringing with it consciousness. The prevalent notion seems to be that the digestive organs rest simultaneously with the brain. Physiology does not support this proposition. Innumerable cases can unfortunately always be found ot men, women and children complaining ot sleep lessness, solely occasioned by hunger, the satisfying of which would be immediately followed by sleep. Electric Hallway Fenders. The report ot a commission appointed at the instance of the Massachusetts Railway Commission tor tbe determination of the best form of fender for use on electrio cars contains a recommendation ot the invention of a master mechanic of the Boston West End Railway. Two hundred and eleven fenders were submitted to the commission. These were divided into three classes, viz., A. Buffers which solten the blow give 1 by tbe car to the person and pick him up in tt net. B. Platforms which project beyond the dashboard ot the car, and upon which a person could leap or stand up or could be caught and carried along. C Fenders which are placed below the car platform, and whose object is to push along a body lving down upon the tracks and preventing it trom getting under the wheels. The tests were most interesting, the experiments be ing tried on dolls and dummies made as nearly as possible ot the size, shape and weight of a man, woman or child. The tests have extended over a year, and have been carried on on several lines. In tbe type of fender adopted the turning ot & handle first applies a brake and then lowers a lenUer down- to tbe track. The action may be made so quickly, however, that tbe two movements appear nearly simulta neous. Comparing Cable and Electric Boadg. At n, recent street railway convention some instructive figures were given in a paper on tbe relative cost and results of cable and electric roads. Comparison was made of an average cable road with an aver age electric road, both located in the same city, both of the same magnitude, both 'spending the same for fuel and labor, and neither nsing trail cars. Each. road was re garded as typical of its class. The compar son resulted in showing that the cable road had .85 penny greater fixed charges per mile than the electric. The gross receipts of the cable road were 1 cent per car mile larger than in the electrio road; but, re sorting to the comparison by "figure of EfeortorqizifjA !mV4- i tbng X-.f?a5 trees ' WT -JPf) oM y vfop iz -Sp -&m'L v ba!i$Sn wity jns j&r JerftBne merit," the ratio was nearly as three to four in favor of tbe electric road. The total in vestment in the case of the cable road was 1 times tbe total investment of the electrio road. It is believed that cable road practice has reached the stage where but little room is left for improvement, and, on the other hand, the possibilities in the development of electrical systems of traction are infinite. It is authoritatively stated that 89 per cent of the electric roads in the United t States report dividends of from 5 to 12 per cent. Experimental Alamlnnm Horseshoes. Captain E. Lambart, in writing on tbe subject of the recent experiments with aluminum horseshoes in tbe Finland Dra goons, says that at the end of six weeks It was found that the aluminum shoes lasted better and preserved the foot more thoroughly than tbe iron ones. Tbe former are only one-third to one-fourth the weight of the latter. Their cost is certainly greater; but this is to some extent compensated for by the facts that very little charcoal is re quired in shoeing, that there is no loss in weight, and that the value of the old metal is the same as that of the new. In making the shoes some skill is required, as the forg ing must be done at a low out exactly regu lated temperature. Taking into considera tion tbe importance ot lightshoes, especially for horses doing fast work, and the ad advantage of being able to carry a large number of spare shoes on a campaign with out increasing the load of the wagon, and lastly, the probability of a fall in tbe price of aluminum, Captain Lambart thinks it safe to predict tbe general introduction of aluminum for the shoes of cavalry and artillery horses in the near future. The Secret of Warm Feet. A life insurance company whose advice under the circumstances may be taken as sincere tells its clients that the golden rule in cold weather is to keep the extremities warm. The first and most important rule frfr the carrying out of this idea is never to be tightly shod. Boots or shoes that fit closely prevent the free circulation ot tbe blood by pressure; but when, on the con trary, they do not embrace tbe foot too firmly the space lett between the shoe and tbe stocking has a good supply of warm air. The second rnle is never to sit in damp shoes. It is often supposed that unless shoes are positively wet it is unnecessary to change them while tbe feet are at rest. This is a great fallacy, for when the least dampness is absorbed into the sole in its evaporation it absorbs tbe heat from the loot and thus perspiration is dangerously checked. This can easily be proved by try ing the experiment of neglecting the rule. The feet will be found cold aud damp after a tew minutes, a.thougn on tatctng oil tne shoe and examining it, it will appear to be quite dry. Snow Storage and Uronghts. Countries that have inadvisedly allowed their forest lands to be denuded eventually come to t ' conclusion that such reckless ness involves most serious penalties. This appe rs to be the case in certain parts of Russia, where severe droughts cause great distress and injury. To.remedy this ponds are to be dug or built up in tbe courses irom which the rivers are led, and on the plains long banks are to be raised, against which snowdrifts will be formed. Tbe snow thus accumulated will melt more slowly than the thinner masses eisen here, and will form a valuable supplement to tbe water supply at the period ot the j ear when tbe droughts have hitherto obtained. This ia .simply a wholesale alaptationot a prac tice that has long been attributed to the more provident Russian peasants, who are in the habit of using plank walls to inter cept the snow. The banks thus formed are said to frequently serve as the family water supply up to the" mouth of August. A Decidedly Lnckr Accident It was a fortunate accident that led to the discovery of the method of transferring handwriting to .iron. An iron founder while experimenting with molten iron un der different conditions, accidentally dropped a ticket into a mold. He presently found that the type. of the ticket was trans ferred to tbe iron in distinec characters. Following up the idea which this fact sug gested, he procured a heat-proof ink, with which he wrote invertedlv on ordinary I white paper. This paper was introduced into the mold before the molten iron was poured in. When the mold cooled the pa iper had been consumed by the heat, but tbe ink, which remained intact, had lett a clear impression on the iron. Photographing the Sound of Towels. Tbe report that Prof. Hermann has suc ceeded in photographing the. sound ot vow els has been confirmed. The vowels were first spoken into an E lison phonograph, and afterward reproduced very slowly, the vibrations being recorded by a microphone. The microphone was furnished with a mir ror which reflected the light of an eleotrio lamp upon a registering cylinder. This cylinder was covered with sensitised paper and protected by another cylinder with a small opening,' which a.lmitted the rays ot light trom the reflector. Very distinct photographic tracings were thus-obtained, and the results secured were remarkable tar their uniformity. Progress In Artificial Bnbber. , The discovery made by Dr. H. A. Tildin some months ago that isoprene, which can be prepared trom turpentine, under certain conditions, changes into what appears fo be genuine rubber, has been followed up by ex periments, the result of which points to an early utilization of the new process. It is now' announced that BouoharJat has pro. duced the same change by heat, and the product is a material resembling pure Para rubber in every. way and amenable to vul canization. This is one of the many depart ments ot industry in which a fortune is awaiting tne man who develops into prac-x tical shape an improved plan of supplying an urgent demand. Nervous neadaohes promptly onred by Bromo-Seltzer 10a a bottle. J -c V I nlnnm flAll in - zm ! ?t nnfc-ii.M ' mm I, iiw '&zf l. 1 1 w iiM imam m i llrnrr l f. .- n l '-paseWESsssssstLdi JXMlM-1, (isisssssssssfST' kuwmksKsi1K -1. as'll W it 15 doma; oow yi nsSS&Z GETTING Hfpr ToR, CHRISTMAS. A CLERGYMAN'S DUTY When Loving Conples Present Them selves to Him to Be Married, HENRY WARD BEECHER'S WIDOW Tells How the Great Treacher Managed to as to Avoid Mistakes. A TOUCHING E01IAN0B IN HEAL JQ1FE rwiirrriw fob tot dispatch, l Every week brings before the public some new topic for discussion of some question to be answered through the now unnumbered newspapers. As this desire to investigate increases, it would be strange if .nor and then there should not be some questions that seem too unimportant to notice, which one can hardly refrain from feeling were manufactured for the simple satisfaction of seeing the question in print, 'lis pleasant, sure, to see one's thoughts In print A book's a book although there's nothing In't. One of the inquiries which has been re ceiving some little attention of late, and perhaps deservedly so, has. been brought to my notice within a few days, and an answer requested, viz., "Are clergymen, usually, particularly careful in questioning those.who come to.them to be married, and thereby securing such information as is legally demanded? Was Mr. Beecher?" To me, this appears a singular, if not a needless question, because 'the law sq posi tively demands such information, and can inflict a penalty for its non-fulfilment. How strictly other ministers are governed by this law I do not know; but jn the CO years of Mr. Beecher's ministry, I recall but two or three instances where there was even a question or momentary doubt con nected with tbe propriety or legality of auy marriage he performed, and these "were al most immediately explained, causing with the exception of only one instance not even "a nine days' wonder." How Sir. Deecher Married Folks. In 18S0 the Board of Health prepared a "Register," which it was expected would be "kept by every officiant," and by it they were to be governed. Mr. Beecher always nsed this "Register," and kept several copies on band. Doing so, he could not tail to be careful. It contained a loug list of questions to be asked by the person officiating, and the answer to each question was to be written in tbe "Register' before the marriage ceremony wa& performed. For instance, the date and place were nrst written; then came tbe following ques tions: L Name of tbe groom. (The answer im mediately following eaon question. . 8. "Residence. 8. Ai;e. 4. color. 5. Number of marriages. 6. Occupation. 7. l'lacoor birth. 8 Fatuer'a name. 9. Mother's maiden name. - The same questions were also asked of the bride, ami entered in the same way on the "Register" before the ceremony. After the marriage was solemnized tbe name of tbe one officiating and the names of tbe witnesses were added to the lis:. A printed marriage certificate indepen lentot the one given the bride was attached to every one ot these papers in the "Register," and must be sent, with the copy ot questions and an swers, to the Board of Health within a given number of days. If these requisitions were honestly carried out, there could be little danger of carelessness on tbe part ot the minister or other official. No doubt most clergymen bave a large store of amusing as well as annoying inci dents connected with their work in this de partment But with Mr. Beecher they were rare. At the West, where his first ten years of ministerial labor were spent,as a pioneer's life, in a new and partially un settled country, there were occasionally some few humorous experiences. In his Brooklyn work I recall only one incident that for a few days threatened to cause any trouble or anxiety, and that was of short duration. It went the rounds of tbe news- papersand furnished gossip for iittle circles tor a short time, but there was so little cause tor blaming Mr. Beecher that unceas ing cares and duties of. greater importance soon nut it out of our minds. leaving in the end so little anxiety that at this late period we can only recall tbe outlines, which are too meager to risk repeating. All the cir- cumstances connected with the marriage of the parties are a matter of history; but I only allude to it to give Mr. Beecher's ex planation of his connection with the pitiful story, as told bv himself at the request ot tos people in a Friday night prayer meet ing soon after tbe event. I quote from an account published tbe next day: Just before the close of the meeting a dis- cusionaroie among the members of the congregation regarding Mr. Beeotier's (art in the marriaae. A lawyer present, a mem ber of the ohurch, said he thought this the time aird place lor the cliurch to deny tlie report that Mr. Beecher waslosing hit popu lailty and His peoplo on that account. Upon closing, be asked Mr. Beecher to tell those present, as it talking in hU own family, among his children, ttie story, which lie did, as follows: Free to Admit His Mistakes. "I revolt from scandal, and turned from every lorm of It as found in the new spapers, and so bad lead nothing relating to this tragedy, aud only knew of it from general public conversation, whlchl oould notavold hearing, that there was a misused wife, divorced, and a murdered man, who wished to give tho shelter of his name lo the womau for whom he wasdjiug us that warali lie could do." Mr. Boecher was asked to marry them. Ho said he always hud a feeling or generosity ror those in trouble, and willingly 00m pllaa. "People say 1 have made a mlutake as it I had never mado .one. before! Why, I am full of mistakes; and there is only one man on the enrtli who is iutalllble-he lives at Rome.' I try to keep my heart warm and rqy conscience pure, and then do not hesi tate to do ior otheis Vhat many pernupt inUht shrink from doing. And as tor being careful of myreputatUin.Iuak yon, do yon want your pastor to be all tne time vratoh- Me Wife's present"" fer'per'wa&an4. nR I'ow'lonj; his shadow Is, and where tt fallsT One summer, when we were at the Twin Mountain House, a couple came from a distance to have Mr. Beecher marry them. He told them he could not legally marry them, excepting in the State where he lived. They were greatly tronbled by his answer; but our good and dear friend, the Governor of New Hampshire, being pres ent, said: "Now, Mr. Beecher, you make tbe service as pleasant as you can, and do all but pronouncing these young friends of yours man and wife that I will do at the proper time." Married by Preacher and Governor. The guests at the Twin Monntain House assembled, the happy couple wore assigned a suitable position; then the Governor and Mr. Beecher came forward. Mr. Beecher prayed, and then, making a very impressive address to the young couple before him, told them in a touching manner what duties they were now assuming, how trulv their usefulness and happiness depended upon their loving and faithful performance ot, those duties. "And now join bands. In the presence of God and these witnesses, you have married yourselves, one to the other, and I, as a minister of tbe Gospel, ratify your act." Then Governor Smyth, laying his hands on theirs, added: "And I, as a civil magistrate, pronounce you hus band and wife." Some 40 years ago a friend found a young girl sitting on the sidewalk of one of the principal streets in Brooklyn, late at night, weeping bitterly. Inquiring the cause, she said her aunt had turned her out-doors; that shs was a stranger, but a few days in this country; was destitute and knew not where to go. Whatever the cause for such treatment, tbe gentleman felt that the girl could not be left there through the night, and brought her to us, and we gave her shelter for the night. In the morning we asked for an explanation. After many tears and great reluctance she said sbe had just come from Ireland to marry a man to whom she had been long engngeiU She went to an aunt's, by her invitation, from, whose house sbe was to be married; but this aunt tried to persuade her to marry a nephew board ing with her and discard the old lover. Jenny was a very handsome girl, and the nephew made ner much trouble; but she would not listen to bis solicitations or his annt's threats. A Narrow Escape for th.e Girl. The wedding arrangements were all com plete, the guests were assembled, when the aunt called Jenny irom tbe room in a state of gVeat excitement, saving-sha had just re ceived a message telling that tbe bri e cronm, in going on to tbe boat at the ferry, had fallen and been caught between boat aud bridg'e and killed. Sbe gave the poor girl a hort time .to recover from the shock, while the guests were waiting below, aud then cruelly insisted that she should marry the nephew at once, aud no one be told of the accident, as the- guests did not know Robert. Jenny refused. The aunt dismissed the guests; then, making her remove her wedding finery, turned her out into the street iu the night, a stranger in a strange land I It was a strange story. We did not be lieve that her aunt told the truth. The fiapers told of no snch accident, and leani ng where her lover had boarded, his land lady told ns that he bad gone promptly to tbe nouse to ne married, ano was met at the door Dy the aunt and told that Jenny had just been married to her nephew, and would not allow him to enter the house. The landla y said that the next morning the poor lellow, nearly heartbroken, gath ered together all he had and lett for New Orleans, Ie rving no other.addresi. Through this information we found tbe girl had not deceived ns. Her annt lived near bv. She was compelled to give up all Jenny's clothes and leave the place or risk ex posure. And Mr, Beecher Tied the Knot. The poor child so grievously tormented remained in our family, and then we began earnest efforts to find Robert. Letters in numerable were sent to Xew Orleans. We could find no other address. A year passed by and no reply. .Returning from church one Sabbath morning, Jenny, laughing and crying, ex claimed, "Robert has come! Robert has cornel" A tall, fine-looking man drew near, a fitting mate for our handsome Jenny, and told us that tbe week betore he stopped, as usual, at the postoffice in New Orleans, and someone coming in called him by name. The postmaster came forward and, after suitable identification, gave him orobably the largest mail a man ever bad at one time: Robert lett everything, and came on as rapidly as possible. Each one w ho reads must imagine, if they can, tbe meeting between these tuowho had been so cruelly separated. Mr.Heecher married them that evening, and none -cnld rejoice with them more truly than he did. Robert left tbe next morning tor the South to settle up his affairs there preparatory to taking hir wife West, to a position that hod been offered him. Their alter life waS peaceful and prosperous, as their-earlier days had been lull ot sorrow and trouble. Mbs. Hza Br Waud Beecher. MAIHMAKIHG A LTJXTjaY. Artificial Bain Can Be Produced, bat It Costs Too Slach Vrr Drop. Chicago, Dec 10. John H. P.King, of Washington, D. CL, representing a number of Chicago capitalists who interested them selves in the artificial rainmaking process, arrived at the Great Northern Hotel yester day Jrom San Antonio, where he has been watching the experiments made. "Prom a scientific point of view the In ventor of the process has scored a success," he said; "from the practical point ot view, however, the invention is a tailnre. That is tbe opinion which I have reached. Yon can produce' rain, but not in sufficient quantities to warrant the investment of money. The tests made were most thorough. The" men interested nsed 12,000 pounds ot roselite powder, one ot the most powerful explosives; they rent up balloons' and exploded them at distances ot from 1,000 feet to one mile. When clouds were present a little water would be knocked out of them. But, as I have said, it tell in such small quantities that it does not look as if it could be tnrned into any nractical value. Therefore, the results ot the experiments would not, justify the expenditure by private persons. r MUSCLE FOR A BE1U. feminine Hearts Thrill at the Sigui er the Football Heroes. KOT EXACTLY APOLLOS EITflEE. A Woman Loves a Dog Pecauja He Standi for Brawn if ,0t Brain. iCCOHPLISHHENTS OP DEBDTASTE3 reOHBISPOITOENCE OT TUB DISPATCH.1 NBA?" Yoek, Dec. '10. I wish Yale and Princeton would never play another gamo of football in New York. I don't like to see men real, live gorgeous men just once a year, and have only the memory ol them to love daring tbe next 351 days. Perhaps I am a blood-thirsty pagan, but I couldn't control a queer exultant thrill when any one of those long haired giants seized the ball and dashed toward the goal, knowing that --v- A TTonian at Sixteen. 11 other men would instantly jump on his head and mingle his elements with those of Manhattan's battlefield. And when the re maining ten men hurled themselves, with & momentum greater than Holmes' comet ever thought of, upon the waving pulp be neath them, and 44 legs began to revolve like Fourth of July fireworks, my one mad wish was that when individuals finally , evolved from the primeval jelly, an even number of orange and blues might be lying1 stark and stiff on the ground. That happy accident, you see, would give Laurie Bliss a fair chance to make a touchdown, and tha tall, curly-haired. Princeton fellow to thumo somebody's eye with one fist, while) he tackled his knees with his disengaged arm. To the Brave Belong tha Fair. I told Charlie so, and added that it was s pity he couldn't play football, because I would marry any man who could do what those heroes do. "Caroline," was the savage answer, "I wonld rather play 20 football matches than keep you on your feet, I have picked you off the top of that high hat in front of you. four times because you won't sit in the seat I bought for you. Sit down," he fairly shouted; "I missed that last punt tending to you." But Charlie had "tackled" in time to save me from a wild tumble, and so I think him entitled to some of the rewards of war. Still, it isn't the same as if he wore large humps on his knees and spavin-cure things around hir ankles.' Honestly, the football men didn't look like Apollos dnriugtbe rare intervals when they were on their feet Tbeir closest re semblance to anything else on earth was to disheveled interrogation marks. Bat, dis heveled or not, "if one of those interroga tion marks came my way I'd answer "Yes" in a minute. Who wouldn't? As 1 have been dawdling abont at tha theaters and in the shops aud on the street this week, I have scanned the men with a hypercritical eye. In turn, a sociological .problem has stared me in the face. It is this: Why are' oar city chappies only sad exenses for those splendid college athletes whose brain and brawn we women love? Tbe solution ot it I shall not pnzzle over now. The Idea Represented hy a Bo;. A funny iittle incident at t ie Caifho the other nigbt showed how another girl might have been thinking of the football hero, too. She lives on Madison avenue, and has 2fpre of a Man Than Vie Other One. dangled a twig of nobility ever since she returned from Lun'non this fall. Papa bought him, they ray; his name is Lord no, I won't give it the exposure wouid.be altogether too mean. He sat beside her ia the front of her box, and even irom where we sat among the populace we could plainly distinguish that he appeared to be simply shriveled all around tbe edges. Charles taid his blood hadn't reached bis extremi ties for ever so many year, and sngested that one of; my remarks might bring it to the surface. Not understanding, I let this pas,? and watched milord languidly leave hl flAt and ltn Ti3f.tr tntn thr hnr. The girl with the bored look stooped, picked up I 1.:. . J -- . t; j ' .1 I.....4 . a oib vi a uog anu sat mm aown rawci wh in the vacated cuair. Then she unbent a little, turned affably toward the canine and began to talk to him as if she appreriated a possible interchange of ideas. By and by be jumped into her lap, and she actually kissed him, and we telt sorry lor any woman in her Madison avenue shoes. 1 can, tell you why women are so fond of dog It's because they haven't anything else to take tbe place of tne idea they rep resent. Now, I don't need a dog not whilt I have Charlie. Born 50 Tears Old. The bnds are beginning to blossom at high teas and receptions and coming out balls at Sherry's and Del's, and the merry farce goes on as usual between the girls and a hard old world. Buds! Debutantes! Whv, these girls were born 50 yearn ojd. They can walk down a crowded room with all tbe eclat and neglige of manner of the oldest married woman in society, and can listen to a Frenchman with the artificial smile ofBer- nard-Beere as he "whisners soft nothings" in her ear. I couldn't d"o that, aud I write for the newspapers, too. But. thank the kind-hearted editors, nobody knows the real name ot Cabbie Cabeless. A Bust of Uarrison. A magnificent bust of the President ot the United States is to be chiseled out of a block of anthracite, five feel square and weighing five tons, whirfh was quarried from the Bennet Vein, Plymouth, Pa. This unique work of art will be exhibited at the Chicago Pair. w 1 sa lKT .
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers