T3M JPITTSBTTRG IDISPATCH. SUNDAY; - DECEMBER -25. 18921
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PITTSBUKG. SUNDAY. DEC S. 1S3Z.
TWENTY-FOUR PAGES.
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRrT.
The return of the Christmas season this
year is rich with the accompaniments
which tradition has surrounded it with as
typical of its peculiar joys. The sharp
weather, which meteorologists learnedly
describe "as an anti-cyclone" with "an
extraordinary piling, up of the atmosphere
to 3L10 inches," means in the older
phraseology "a white Christmas, and
that is typical of the festivity and pood
will of the cold and snowy holidays. The
thrones in the great- stores, the street cars
crowded with holiday buyers laden with
packages, the wealth of Christmas cheer
in markets and grocery stores, and above
all the happy aspect of the people gener
ally, all tend to the conclusion that this is
to be an old-fashioned Christmas, full of
wonder and delight to the little folk and
of peace, content and good will to then
elders.
Such a season of festivity and enjoy
ment is always to be contemplated with
satisfaction. The best reality in life is
that pleasure which is bom of content,
and the mutual pleasures created by the
manifestations of love and good will
toward our fellows. It is rightly typical
of the Founder whose name the festival
bears that the truest happiness is to be
fouad by cultivating the controlling sen
timent of peace, contentment, good wi'l
and enjoyment of mutual and innocent
pleasures. It is well for the world to lay
aside at stated periods the strife and labor
of the year, in order to enjoy even though
ue faintly realize the ideal of Christmas,
the temporary reign of its controlling in
fluences, and to experience the happiness
that can exist when those influences are
predominant It may be that there are
too many stern realities in the world to
let the spirit of Christmas reign the whole
year round. But it is" certain that the
world will be none the worse if it can
take those influences to heart so as to give
them a greater sway in its constant life.
Besides the general prosperity which we
can perceive in the festivity of the season,
one of the most gratifying features of the
present Christmas is the good ground for
hope that the unprosperouahave not been
forgotten. While we are compelled to the
know ledge that there are many reduced
to poverty by influences the exact opposite
Df those which rule this" season; there is
compensation in the knowledge that the
spirit of peace and pood will prevails suf
ficiently to repair partially at least this
drawback. We can enjoy the Christmas
feast with a better appetite in the knowl
edge that organized and universal effort
has been made to give those who have
suffered by strife or been burdened by
misfortune an assurance that the love and
good will toward men of the holiday does
not omit them. Every human being should
have some reason to rejoice in Christmas;
and one of the greatest pleasures of the
day is in the thought that especial effort
has been made this year to realize that
ideal.
With these thoughts on. the high and
sacred spirit that rules the day, The Dis
patch takes pleasure in that old-fashioned
and hearty wish A Merry Christmas to
all!
THE OPPOB-TONITriN WEST VIRGINIA
The special correspondence from Cam-
den-on-Gauley, West Virginia, which
appears m this issue of The Dispatch,
concludes the review of the splendid nat
ural resources which can, with slight ef
fort, be made tributary to Pittsburg. In
connection with the articles that have ap
peared before, it shows that to the south
of us there are rich and undeveloped
materials for wealth, which it is peculiarly
the function of Pittsburg capital and
Pittsburg enterprise to exploit.
A single point indicates one source of
wealth that is especially important In
that embryo city at the terminus of the
Davis and Elkins system of railways, there
is a lumber plant with a capacity of
30,000,000 feet per annum with a supply
for 30 years. The diminution of the sup
ply of lumber from the old sources has re--ently
become an important matter to this
city, and indeed to this entire, .section.
The opening up of a new district, with
tupplies of this magnitude at every point,
Is of the first importance, and promises
the establishment of a great commercial
interest
But beyond the lumber supplies of West
Virginia, its coal and iron fields are of vast
Import to Pittsburg. Connected with our
interests they can be made'to extend and
strengthen our. supremacy in the great
staples. Forced to independent develop
ment, they may create a rivalry in which
their mass would disturb if not divide that
leadership. All these things lying within
easy reach of onr city belong to its trade
and industry, and can. only be permitted
to establish a separate" existence by the
utmost neglect on our part.
When it is the fact that less than a score
pf miles of new railway is necessary to
"brin;-. Pittsburg In close communication
with all this natural wealth, it is plain
that only stupid indifference can prevent
our city from improving the opportunity
rosecorethea; as tributary to her enter
prises. WORK FOR- THE CANAL.
The Dispatch publishes this morninga
series of interviews with prominent busi
ness men of Cincinnati on the Oliio River
and Hake Erie Canal, a? furnished by a
staff correspondent The vigorous in
dorsement of this project, and the enthu
siasm evinced In support of improvements
for the OMo river and inland navigation
in general, are evidence that Cincinnati is
thoroughly alive to the advantages of
these things and intends to do all it can
towanLsecuring them. And the Queen
City can do much to aid in a grand co
operative rally om behalf of an under
taking that means mucti to the country as
a whole, and still more to Pittsburg In
particular.
There- Is no doubt that the plan for the
canal to Lake Erie is entirely practicable.
A survey has been made by a State com
mission, able engineers have pledged their
reputation to the feasibility of the work
and have approximately estimated its cost
Since then improvements have been mado
in lock construction that will facilitate the
enterprise. A private syndicate has ap
plied for a charter for a canal from Lake
Erie to Montreal and New York. Here is
at once a recognition of the opening for
safe and profitable investment In inland
waterways, and the inception of a work
that would add to the value of the Ohio
River and LakcEne Canal.
There is more than enough traffic actu
ally visible to guarantee a return for
money invested in the waterway which
would connect Pittsburg with the Lakes.
Evidence or the insufficiency of railroad
facilities is constantly forthcoming. Rail
road extortion, insecurity and injustice in
general are rapidly becoming a byword
among shippers. The construction of in
land waterways is the natural remedy for
this stato of affairs. And the most merit
orious of the projects now before the pub
lic is the Ohio River and Lake Erie Ship
Canal. Its construction would benefit all
the industrial districts" for miles on either
side of its course. And' in the Jong-run it.
would be a benefit to the very railroads
which now scoff at and object to the pro
posal. It is a matter for grave regret that
Pittsburg's Chamber of Commerce is not
represented on the National Board of
Trade which :s to discuss this along with
other important subjects at Washington
next month. With the interests of the
city truly at heart, the' Chamber cannot
but work hard for this undertaking. This
city must seizj every opportunity for dis
playing its importance, and' inproving its
condition. It must make such opportuni
ties wherever possible. The Ohio River
and Lake Erie Canal deserves the ardent
support of Pittsburg, andstrohg concerted
action is all that is needed to secure this
and other invaluable boons. Public spirit
and public effort are the means to progress;
public apathy necessitates retrogression.
NOT ALL THE FACTORS.
A correspondent of theNew York Times,
writing from Minnesota, is the latest to en
deavor to relocate and reform the iron and
steel industry. He starts out with the
assumption that the protective tariff has
permitted pig iron manufacturers to locate
their plants without reference to the
greatest economy in production; conse
quently he avers that, when the tariff is
reduced, the great iron and steel produc
ing plants will be driven from tho Interior
to the shores of the great lakes. He pro
'ceeds to the effect that a ton of ore can be
laid down at the lower lake ports for S3 15
and on the shores of Lake Superior. Con
sequently he believes that plants must be
located on the shores of both lakes. The
vessels which carry ore to the lower lakes
will carry back coal to the upper lake
works, and thus, it is asserted, "our iron
masters could produce steel rails at 512 per
ton."
The correspondent who thinks that the
pig iron industry is not driven to seek the
most favorable locations should study the
regular reports of furnaces in and out of
blast When he discovers there that
about one-half of the furnace stacks in
tho country are constantly Idle, he will
run against proof positive that when
furnaces are not located where there is
the greatest economy of production and
marketing, they are turned into dead, cap
ital by the competition of those that are
most favorably located. After he had
perceived that fact he might further dis
cover that the furnaces which are most
steadily in blast are not located on the
lakes, nor are those which stand idle
by reason of their bad location all in the
interior mining districts.
The fact that it takes- about three-,
fourths of a ton of coke to smelt a ton of
Lake Superior ore has often impressed
those of a superficial knowledge with the
idea that blast furnaces should be located
at the iron mines. One ox two experi
ments have been founded on that idea at
very large cost to the experimenters. The
syllogism, that as h costs less to transport
three-quarters of a ton of coke one way
than a ton of ore the other, therefore it
will be cheaper to make pig iron on. Lake
Superior than in Western Pennsylvania,
sounds very conclusive. It would be if
the bulky coke could be transported as
cheaply as the heavier ore, and more than
that, if pig iron were the final
product. If those things had been
true, the entire pig iron industry would
have been located on Lake Superior years
ago. But when these gentlemen discover
the further fact that it takes from one
and a half to two tons more of coal, or Its
equivalent, to convert the pig iron into
finished iron or steel, they may percelvo
that there is a further factor. The ques
tion, then, is not that of the transporta
tion of three-quarters of a ton of coKe
against a ton. of ore, but of transporting a
ton of ore in preference to transporting
from two to four tois of coke and coaL
As long as that is the case the most econ
omical location of iron or steel Industry
will be near the fuel, rather than near the
ore.
The correspondent of the Timet is right
in asserting that there is economy in the
ability of vessels to carry ore one way
and coal the other, although he does not
seem to be aware that tho practice is al
ready in operation. Its economy can be
greatly increased when, by the construc
tion of the ship canal, vessels can unload
ore at Pittsburg and load with coal back
again. When that is established, if tho
correspondent will furnish us with Lake
Superior ore at $3 15 per ton, Western
Pennsylvania will not ask .any odds
against European competition.
THE PENDING ISSUE.
The renowed appearance of cholera at
Hamburg and its steady persistence In
Russian Poland, even in winter, warn
this country that only tho strictest vigil
ance can preserve it from an epidemic
next season. What measures are to be
taken to secure that protection must be
settled within the next ninety days.
In the meantime steamship companies I
an? claimln&the rigta. to bring shiploads,
of infected immigrants to our shores,
Tammany politicians am? aataRpnizing a
national quarantine for: the salfe of the
new patronage; and it Is even doubtful if
the SVato politicians will supply ne wata
Board of Health with, the funds to make
an effective fight against the spiad"of
infection,1 if is should ever gain a loot
hold. Itis gettlnft;to,be time to have a square
test made,- whether the whole-nation is to
besubjected to jJ. fatal pestilence, rather
than diminish, tho profits it steamship
companies, or. the perquisites of politi
cians. THB-.FBEItteH TUE31CW
The turmoil of French politics hag
reached a point where.it Is impossible to
predicate the future. "The conrmentator
carronly recognize the elements which
have brought the politics ft France to this
scandalous .pass, and expwss the hope
thatrtlutnatural strength of the republic
may enable it to throw off il ailments.
The evil, of course, started with financial
joohery extending its contipting in
fluences throughout politics, aLd bringing
the press to the level of hired retainers.
But-the outbreak- first obtained activa
force through political jealousy. Jki pur
pose was to kill off political rival.!. , The
exposure once begun became so stvitillng
and far-reaching that instead of one
politician orone faction Doing ruined", the
wholo republic was besmirched. Of
course the mrmentthe republic is brout'Jit
into discredit the old monarchist and ha
perialist hopes take a sudden revival.
On one day the lost cause of the Bona-
partistais agitated; on tho next the long
standing claimant- of the Bourbon suc
cession is brought forward by his follow
ers. Back-ottbeinall is the specter of
Communism, with a greater force-behind
it tban either of the other enemies o the
republic; only waiting, the chance to BSt
its ungovernable elements into activity.
In the presence- of such factors tho
friends of stable republican government
for France can only hope that she
will pass the ordeaL m safety. There
are- some grounds for such hope in the
latest developments.. Franco has now en
joyed, twenty years of republican govern
ment, and, notwithstanding- the scandals,
has been better governed than either
under tho empire or tho monarchy.
Moreover, late years have shown an in
creasing ability on the part of that vola
tile nation to settle its crises by constitu
tional means. This alona gives, real rea
son for hoping for the best It is above
all things to be desired that the Govern
ment may be purged, and justice done
without a repetition, of the terrlblei
slaughter which drenuhed Paris with
blood in the days of the Commune-
One point is worth remembering as an
example to- all nations. The French re
public could not have been brought to any
such pass as the present but for financial
jobbery and political corruption Other
republics than France can find a profita
ble lesson in that fact
AlTiaiPORXANT TTKDICAIIOjr.
There is satisfaction as well as justice
in giving-prominence to the fact that a
rigid inquiry into the methods pursued by
General Booth, of the Salvation Army, in
handling the funds put In his charge for
relieving the poor of London, has resulted
In a complete vindication of his integrity
and efficiency. The plan proposed by-the
Salvation reader was so comprehensive
and thorough in its purpose of turning
tbe outcasts into useful and self-supporting
men, that it commanded strong support
Intimations of loose methods of account
ing for the funds were not surprising or
even grave, as It was possible that an
evangelist might fall short of the standard-
of an accountant But when tho
hints wenfcthe length of intimating actual
misappropriation- there was a decided
necessity for investigation. f
The investigation has. been completed,
and the only ground for criticism is as to
certain methods pursued in large building
operations. There is no reflection what
ever on. either the integrity or efficiency
of the head of the plan; and the intima
tions to that effect seem to have been
emanations from the powers of darkness.
This result will permit the good work to
go on, which seems to promise more for
tbe actual redemption of the dregs of so
ciety tham any plan previously devised.
It would have been illogical if the. plan
had been condemned, because personal
mismanagement defeated its work. But
there is no doubt that if tbe charges had
proved well founded the work of the Sal
vation Army would have suffered a severe
check.
The opposite is the case, however The
Salvation Army can proceed with its ef
forts, with its integrity unquestioned; and
sincere men will recognize that, however
wide its manifestations may appear, it is
doing more to reach the fallen tban any
other existing agency.
MUCH TOO ONE-SIDED,
While the Inter-State Commerce Com
mission has taken a rather remarkable
course in failing to attempt any enforce
ment of the anti-pooling clause of tbe law
under which it is acting, there is a point
at which it is impelled to draw the line.
It strikes the present movement to emas
culate that section a vital blow in the fol
lowing sentence from its recent report:
"Until the law is mado -s strong as its
framers intended, in the matter of fair and
stable rates, equal treatment and suppres
sion of all favoritism, it is idle to seek to
protect carriers whose immunity under
authoritative constructions of the law
from restrictions Intended by Congress
seems one of the most remarkable facts in
current history."
With this salient declaration on the
official records, the movement to legalize
pooling is put in its proper light A law
intended to protect tbo public has been
practically brought to naught, and it is
now proposed to pervert it to the degreo
of establishing a special privilege for the
benefit of the very corporations that have
defied and nullified it And that special
privilege is to be the maintenance of the
most powerful and far-reaching combina
tions of the exact class which national
legislation hy special statute has pro
hibited as obnoxious to public policy and
inimical to public interests.
Tbe Commission has been notably in.
different as to the enforcement of tbe
fifth section of the act But the assurance
of the railroads in asking an amendment
for their special interest after they have
reached practical success in defeating the
effort of the act to curb their unquestioned
abuses Is very suggestive, to say the least
Christmas is not' a time for the vulgar
display of wealth in providing material for
gormandizing and orgies, nor for the exhibi
tion of extravacanco in the purchase' of
costly luxuries. It is a season of charity, a
festival of peace and gopd-wlU. The law of
self-preservation for the nonce gives way to
the Dractlco ot selMorgetfulness. Would
'that this characteristic of those days could
be more pievaleut throughout the yearl
Xow is tho time above tUl otbers when the
surplus of tbe well-to-do elces out tho wants
of the needy. And proportionately as this
voluntary division of tho go-oil things pf this
world prevail, does tbe number of t boss
good tilings Increase, and tbe world be
comes 'a more and more happy sphere for
the lives of hurremlty.
The world would be better than it Is if
none of chlldhood's-llluslons were shattered
more painfull than Is the belief In Santa
Clans by tho revelation as years go by that
lie is pnly tbe instrument of load parents
and loving fri ends.
Music and Chnstmastide are Intimately
related. The music of ohurch bells, tbe
tinkling of sUdgh bells, the singing of carols
are all associated witb the filadsomenoss of
tlio season. Ttjere is music in the crisp
crunch of tho tixyrr, there Is music in tbe
'swish of tho ice as the skate elides over its
surface. There is music in the very ntr.
But the boat of All Christmas rausio is the
cheerful sound of human voices in loving
converse, and the merry laughter of child
hood's lmppy Innocence. May there be much
of )t and may it last long!
IT is typical of the blind intolerance of
anti-bemitlclsm that Sara Bernhardt should
mve been subjected to mob Tlolenee in
Odessa. -Artutleaat Jsto be recognized as
international, cosmopolitan, and without
race distinction.
Workmen in Ohio agitating for the en
forcement of a statute demanding bi
monthly payments of -wages are evidently
in tbe right. A test cue cannot be made too
sooii. If the law be upheld by the courts it
Bhould be enforced, and any doubts as to its
constitutionality ought to be set at rest one
way Or theotiier once for alL When labor
organizes for tlio observance of lair, publio
opinion is with it in all enthusiasm.
When tho laws of South Dakota are so
reformed as to forbid Sioux Falls from mak
ing divoico its leading industry, it will be
time tor Kew Orleans to relinquish prize
fights and masquerades as its leading at
tractions. .Externax. weather is appropriate to all
preoonceired. ideas of Christmas this year.
Hut it is thetsunsuiue and cheer of the heart
tbat are most essential to the season's
propw observance. And como rain, come
snow, come cloud, come shine warmth of
heart trill always insure a happy, joyful
time.
TnER.E is one never failing reeipe for a
mirthful Christmas in every household. Let
each ma to tbe happiness of otbers the first
thought. tnd the baulshment of all carols
infallibly involved in the merrlness of all.
The series ot Columbian postage stamps
to be Issued with tho New Year will mark
a new era in philately. There is no reason
why the precedent of combining artistlo
work and liistotlcal instruction with useful
ness should not be followed in all future
designs of tlw little letter-carriers.
Ecualizaxiox of taxation and the fram
ing of a road bill are matters intimately as
sociated. An Intelligent Legislature should
be able and willing to do something satis
factory ia, both at an early date.
Pbesidcent-elect Cleveland is no
doubt reserving those much sought after
portfolios as valentines lor his friends.
They are too big to be givenawayin a hurry,
and be will hardly have time to make bis
choice from the would-be and won't-be re
cipients In time for the Son Year.
Ax English society has been formed to
put down gambling. The heir apparent to
the British throue should be tbe first object,
of Its solicitude.
POOE Europe! France's Christmas is
spoilt by the impendence of Panama scan
dals and Germans are too bard up to make
their usual ChrUtmas purchases. America
is fortunate, and may good statesmanship
always preserve the land's good fortune is
the ardent wish of every patriot!
Evxx a man-of sixty, and deaf to boot,
can escape from tbe City Farm. Tbe wonder
is that the retreat over has any inmates.
Cabs for the motor-men on the exposed
electric cars would have been and'always
will be a seasonable gift. Theirs is not a
happy lot in wintry weather. Passengers
nre forced to put up with discomfort, Bat
the motion companies-ought at least to care
lor their employes.
The glad tidings ot this sesionare of
more importance to mankind than all cur
rent mundane news.
.Cable slots are breaking too many
horses legs in this city. Constant Inspec
tion of the tracks ought to be rigorously in
sisted upon. And, at tbe same time, drivers
cannot be too careful and horse owners
should be particular about the shoeing of
their beasts.
This is a progressive and changeable
age. But an "old-fashioned" Christmas is
always welcome.
PROMINENT AND POPULAR.
Father Marttk, the new General of
tbo Jesuits, is visiting Dublin on business
connected with the Jesuit order.
Mips Gertrude Vanderbilt dresses
so plainly that ber gowns would be called
cheap and quiet, even if worn by a poor
governess.
A xhk named Frulanda, who entered tbe
Armenian monastary of St, Jacob, at Jeru
salem, ft) years ago, died there recently at
tho reputed age of 115 years.
Empebob WdjLIAM has resolved that
the Crown Prince shall have a public sehool
education and has selected tho Eoyal Gym
nasium at Kiel as tho school.
The body of Miss .Mary A, West, the
Illinois temperance lecturer who died re
cently in Japan, is on its way home for in.
terment. Appropriate ceremonies will be
bad in Chicago.
Senatob Cockbell, who Ja spare and
wiry, has an elder brother, recently elected
to Congress, who is very broad efface and
heavily built. Both were Confederate brig
adiers and tbe elder was the hero of tbe
battle of Lono Jack.
Dr. Alexander, the Bishop of Deny,
whose Lenten sermons in this country this
year are well remembered in Episcopal cir
cles, Is about to celebiate the twenty-fifth
anniversary of his elevation to his present
offlce. Dr. Alexander is regarded by some
critics as the most eloquent prelate ia Ire- J
land.
Lady Florence Decet, who is an ex
pert in the use of rod and rifle, and who
has done her share in shooting big game,
has provoked the wrath of her sporting poin
patriots by denouncing foxhunting and
rabbit-coursing as wanton cruelty, aho ad
vocates the substitution of the auls.bag
chase.
Conan Doyle, the novelist, writes to
the London Times suggesting that it would
be a graceful aot on the part of the British
Government to ofTer three of the craok
British bands, including tbe band of tue
Guards, to play at tbe World's Fair in Chi,
cago, and a squadron of the Life Guards to
take part in tho opening procession.
' N
A BfiW QA8 CQHPAHY,
Several Gentlemen to Invest SJ00,Q0Q in
Johnstown.
Jobsstowk, Pa., Deo, IL. Special Anew
gas company, known as the Manufacturing
Gas Company of Johnstown, will shortly
apply far a charter. The Incorporators are
Senator K. E. Eobblns, C It Miller and C. B.
Hamm.of Greansburg, and John Pendry, ot
this city. The capital stock is to be (100,000.
a large portion or wlileh will ba taken by
Mr. Hamm. Mayor Hose, of this city, will
ulsa tHke a -huge share.
The new company proposes ta manufacture
gas for domes tlo use" exclusively by a pro.,
cess'known as the Askin, having been tn
vented by Joseph Askin, of Lima, O. Itis
said that gas manufactured bythlssvstem
will bj sola at a much cheaper price than
the natural gas, Mr. Hamm will take charge
of the new works when started,
UVE NATIONAL T0PJC&
A More to Protect American .Callroads
Against Canadian Discrimination o
Notice to Be Takn of Canada's Alleged
Little Worships Other Matters of In-,
terest.
Washington, Dec. 21 The President
has called upon tbe executive departments
for all information in their possession rela
tive, to freight coming into the United States
oyer tho Canadian Pacific Railroad. Atten
tion was directed to this subject by the
President in his annual message to Congress,
and since then tbe subject has been alive
and interesting one in the Treasury Depart
ment. The unjust discrimination against
United States railroads made by law or
rather by its construction in favor of the
Canadian Pacific Railroad, by means of tbe
consular seal system, has long been a source
of complain tat the Treasury Department.
This law was passed in IKi, and its sub
stance is Incorporated in section 8102, revised
statutes. TJn der this law reign ts are shipped
from Canada to Interior ports in the United
States under the consular seal system. The
United States Consul certifies that the man
i'est is correct; that be has sealed and closed
the ear, and that certification carries tbe
freizht through without insnection at tbe
border, saving from one to two days' delay
and tho costs of rehandlinc tbe freights,
etc. When the law passed the traffic was
small. It ia also rnn tmiriori at the Treasury
Department that the freights entitled to tbe
privileges of consular seal were cringinolly
confined to the piodncts of Canada, and tho
traffic between lC5 and IS70 being thus lim
ited, the United states Cousuls could and
did give personal attention to inspectingthe
suipment or irelghr, making out tue mani
fests and sealing the cars, as tbe law spe
cifically directs they should do. But gradu
ally the business has crown, and the law has
been perverted, and now mure goods hav
ing their origin in China and Japan are
shlnped over the Canadian Pacific lor tbe
United States ttiau goods or products of
Canada. Enjoying this superiority over
American railroads the Canadian Paciflo
caused to be put into the Canadian tariff
a discriminating duty of 10 per cent on all
coffee and tea imported into Canada from
the United States. It Is pointed out that as
the truffle over tbe Canadian Paciflo has be
come so great that it is impossible for
United States Consuls to personally perform
tbe duties required of them under the pro
visions of the consular seat law, a due re
gard for the revenue would warrant the
suspension of section 3102 until such a time
as Congress makes provision for its perfect
enlorcement Should this be done It would,
in the opinion of Treasury Department offi
cials, put a stop to discrimination agalust
American railroads and also be a retaliatory
measure against Canada for her uniriendli
ness of conduct toward us.
No Notice or Canada's Alleged Warships.
It is not probable that the Senate will
take any action on tbe alleged intention of
Great Britain to strengthen her armed force
on the great lakes with war vessels under
tbe pseudonym of revenue cutters. Senator
Frye, of Maine, Chairman of the Committee
on Commerce and a leading member of the
Committee on Foieign Affairs, a recognized
authority in marine matters, and who is
noted for his interest in affairs relating to
Canada and this conntry, will have much to
say as to tbe policy of the United States in
the matter of protection on tholates.andhfs
influence will have welsbt In deciding the
matter, pne way or the other. It is or inter
est, therefore, to know that Senntor Frye
places no credence whatever In the allega
tion that Great Britain is contemplating tbe
structure of a strong armoied lorce In tbe
great lakes in violation of the agreement be
tween the United States and Great Britain'
forbidding suoh action. He believes the
present agitation of the matter, apropos ot
revenue cutters, which are being built in
Canada, is "all poppy.coak."
Proclamation of tbe President
The President has issued a proclamation
reserving for timber and fish culture pur
poses the Island of Afognak, Alaska, and its
adjacent rocks and territorial waters, in
cluding the Sea Lion Bocks and Sea Otter
Island. The Secretary of the Interior and
tbe Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries,
nnder the directjon of tbe President, have
investigated this subject and, finding that
he has the authority by law, strongly recom
mended that the action should be taken.
The Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries has
selected Afognak Bay and A'ognak Elver
Lake, and tbe tributaries thereof, with a
mile of land from the shores of the river and
lake, for the purpose of fish culture under
the statute authorizing bim to do so, and
this Is included in the proclamation of the
President. Tbe whole comprises a national
reservation and all trespassers are required
to remove theiefrom. There is a cannery
on the island tbat will have to be vacated,
but those of tbe former subjects of Russia
there, a few la number, will be protected In
whatever nzhts they may have under the
Bussian treaty.
Suppressing Bio Grande Lawlessness.
Secretary Elkins had a conference with
General Schofleld at the War Department
to-lay with regard to the best method of
effectually suppressing the apparently in
creasing lawlessness along the Bio Grande.
Captain J. G. Bourke, Third Cavalry, who
has been summoned from Texas for con
sultation on this subject, will probably
reaah here Monday nightv No official re
ports in rezard to these troubles have been
received lor tbe past two days.
Mr. Allison Will Be Home Soon.
Senator Allison, Chairman of the Senate
Appropriations Committee, will be at his
desk before the holiday recess Is over. The
Senator sailed from Europe on theLahn,
December 21, and is expected to reach this
city next Wednesday. He will return to
Eurone in time to attend the adjourned
meeting of tho monetary conference in the
spring.
Indians Summoned to Washington.
Secretary Noble to-day dirteted D. S.
Hall, the Chairman of the Chippewa Com
mission, to bring to Washington six chiefs
and head men of tbe Mille Lae band of Chip
pewas, for the purpose of conferring with
the President as to the necessity for their
removal to the White Earth reservation.
No String on the Populists.
"No political party has a mortgage on
the Populists," said Mr. Peffer, this morn
ing, speaking of the situation in the West,
and having in his mind tbo statements of
the two parties relative to the election of
United States Senators from the doubtful
States. Mr. Peffer repudiated in strong
terms tbe idea tbat any party had a right to
advance tbe theory that the Populists were
inclined In oue .direction or another. "In
those States where we have the votes and
can elect onr Senators." continued Mr.
Peffer, "we will do it, and ask no questions
of anybody. There are, however, certain
States in which we do not hold the power,
and In which one or two of the two parties
maintain the balance and have sufficient
votes to combino with us in the eleotlon of a
Sonator. In such case wo will make the cora
pi omlse that will be most advantageous tolas
and that can be made without sacrificing
any principle. We will combine upon the
men who are nearest to us in the matter of
legislation affecting our people. Naturally,
three out or every lour of the members of
the Populists in the Western States are Be
publicans 'who have been driven away from
the party because it has been drifting
toward Wall street rather than toward the
people. We are In love with neither the Re
publicans nor Democrats, and when we
combine, where we are compelled to pursue
that course, it will be on the roan who most
nearly comes up to our standard of what the
lepresentatlve of the party in tbe United
States Senate should be." Mr. Peffer inti
mated very strongly that the members of
bis party were not In the-buslness or pulling
the chestnut out of tbe fire for Democrats or
HepubllcacS, but they were arranging their
plans to mako as good a play as possible,
with the sole objeot In view of bettoring the
political opportunities of the party and the
principle for which they stood.
A BIG LOSS OP OIL.
The Crescent Pipe line Company Loses
2,000 Barrels of the Greasy Stuff.
Huirrixaoox, Pa., Dec 21. The Crescent
Pipe Line Company, whose line of pipe
through the lower end of this eounty Is be
ing put under ground, sustained a loss or
about 2,0(0 barrels of oil to-day by the break
ing or a section of their pipe on Blackleg
Mountain.
In order to removo an oostrneting portion
of rock, tbe workmen set offa grand powder
blast whieh shattered a section of the pipe
line from which flawed a continuous stream
or oil aawn the mountain side for six hours.
The oil formed in a pool at tho base where
larmers and others living in the neighbor
hood gathered it up in backets and ban els
and carted it away.
The Nicaragua Canal Next.
St. uoals Republic
After Franorf ges through with De Leweps
ft Co. it has permission to patronize the
great canal epierpvise of our own Warner
Miller,- ' t , '
m
CHAMP HOPES FOB ALL CONTBACIS.
B?e Says the Beport That the California
Firm Got One Is Incorrect.
PHiCADixt-HiA, Der. St. Charles B. Cramp,
L President of tbe William Cramp ft Sons'
.Ship and Engine Ballding Company, re
turned from Washington to-day, whither he
had gone to consult with Secretary of the
Navy Tracy resorting the docking of the
cruiser New York and the progress of work
on the war vessels now being completed at
tbe company's yard here. The dry dock at
the League Island Navy has been repaired,
and December 28 was agreed upon as the day
for the docking of tbo cruiser there. After
her bottom has been thoroughly overhauled,
preparations for her trial trip will be pushed
forward with all possible speed.
Tbe test of this latest addition to the navy
will be made very early in the spring. Mr.
Cramp said to-day, in speaking of contracts
for the cruiser Iowa and the battleship
Brooklyn, tbat dispatches from Washington
stating that the Secretary or the Navy had
expressed a desire to award the contract for
building one or these shins to tbe Union
Iron Works, or San Francisco, were uninten
tionally incorrect
"I am not worrying," said Mr. Cramp,
"for I am sure the contracts for both ships
will be given to our firm according to law
and rtebt, and I am awaiting with calmness
a formal notice from the Department to
that effect There has been no delay in
awarding the contracts. It has been tbe in
variable custom to lay all bids, before the
law officer ot the Navy Department, who in
vestigates tbem, and the result ot his labors
is placed before the Secretary. This gen
erally requires two weeks. We are not agita
ted concerning the matter, and neither does
the Secretary appear to be worryingbimself
about it. Mr. Tracy, being a thorough law
yer, will know exactly what to do, and we
are content to leave tbe matter in bis hands.
K'MILLAN A GAS MAGNATE.
The Senator's Latest Purchase Said, to Be
for the Standard Company.
Detroit, Dec 24. Senator James G. Mc
Millan has added to bis holdings of the
stock of gas companies in this city, by the
purchase of the Detroit Gas Works at a
price said to be $2,000,000. Recently the
Senator purchased tbe Mutual Gas Works
for $1,500,000. Itis said the two companies
will be consolidated. It is also said tbe pur
chase of the gas companies is in the interest
or tbe Standard Oil Company. The great
monopoly bos been for some time buying
out gas companies in other cities, and it
has large interests in Detroit.
The discovery of a practical method of
manufacturing fuel gas at low cost has
made its introduction at an early day very
probably because of tbe dissatisfaction
irequently caused by tbe low pressure of
the natural gas. Senator McMillan U also
Interested m the Michlican Gas Company.
CLEHENCEAU AND DtEuULEDE,
The latest style in French duels is the
"low-down safety." Chicago Dispatch,
Fsxkck duelists as a class ought to be
remarkable for longevity. Wheeling Reg
ister. FORTUNATE that neither Clemenceau nor
Deroulede earned tbe deadly unloaded
pistol of every-day American annals. New
York World,
Oca French friends should stop using
pistols in their polite affairs of honor. It
endangers the lives of the spectators. &.
Louis Republic
Duxls like that of MM. Deroulede and
Clemenceau do more to abolish dueling than
any numitartan agitation can. They make
it ridiculous. Buffalo Express.
Clemescbau and Deroulede may be clever
statesmen, but they nre very poor marks
men. They are scarcely up to the Winkle
standard Baltimore American. t
It might be worth while to say something
about tbe Clemenceau-Deroulede duel if it
were worth while to say anything about it.
But it isn't. Earriiburg PalrM.
The bloodless dnel in Paris softons the
French situation. There must be a decline
ana fall In tbe temperature and the excite
ment. Brooklyn standard- Union,
The Freheh duel remains bloodless and
frequent. There is room for a suspicion
that tbe weapons intended for French duels
are especially manufactured with a view to
securing safety. Washington Star.
The French duel has its uses. After the
burlesque performance between Clemenceau
and Deroulede, nobody In or out of Paris
will be preparod to admit that the political
situation is serious. New York Tribune.
What a miserable farce the whole busi
ness 1st At five, seven or nine paces they
might have had all tbe satisfaction they
wanted. They should agree on that distance
next time or stay off tbe field. Philadelphia
Inquirer.
Prom the Stable to the Church.
Detroit Jodrnal.1
Someone remarks upon the frequent
changing of abandoned city churches into
stables. The approaching Christmas sug
gests that Christian worship began in a
stable.
Good in One Way.
Philadelphia Times.
Why should the opponents of vivisection
waste all their sympathy on the dogs. Look
at the number of fleas tbat as a necessary
consequence starve to death.
DEATHS HERB AND ELSEWHERE.
J. H. Crozler.
J, F. 'Crozier, long and favorably known
as tbe agent of theUoion News Company and DIS
PATCH at Oil City, died at bis residence yesterday
at 0:30 p. M. Mr. Crozler bad been connected with
the Union Neva Corananv for mny years, andhia
large circle of a"quilnUuces in Cincinnati, Pltts
b.lrg and Baltimore, as well as at HI City and
vicinity, will regret to learn of his demise. By
cioie attention to ounuci, ana uTcr.uiK nis neaiin
cave war tome months since, and In spite of the
beneat ne nopeu tu receive iroia
a trip to Hot
Snrln and El Paso, be returned home
ime last week
to breathe hla last, surrounded by his grlef
stricJcen family.
General Frederick T, Dent.
General Frederick T. Dent, the dis
tinguished Union soldier and brother-in-law of U.
S. Orint. died Friday in Denver. He will be
burled In tbe Military Cemetery at Ft. Leaven
worth, Kan. General Dent had been In Denver
for the past four years, enjoying a peaceful old age
afteraiareerof energy and movement. He was
born in MiMontl in 1SJJ. received an appointment
to west Point from that State and served with
honor In the Mexican ami Civil wars, la the late
war he served on the staff of General Grant with
tin rink of Lieutenant Colonel. In March. ISE5.
he was made Brevet Brigadier General.
Brntflsch, Budolph's Cabman.
Bratfijch, the noted Vienna cabman, who
drove Crown Prince Rudolph, or Austria, to the
chateau atMelrling the nlxht the Prince met with
his trigla death, died yesterday or apoplexy. He
kept secluded for a long time after tbe death or the
Prince, not being permitted to live in Vienna. At
the memory of the scandal faded, however, he was
allowed to return to the Austrian capital, and He
was not again beatd or publicly until his death
was announced.
Josiah U. Flake, Financier.
Josiah M. Fiske dropped dead while
entering the American Excpange National Bank,
In ftaw York, Friday. Mr. Flike bad been a
director of the bank for 46 years In continuous
service, being the dean of the board by many years.
He bad come down town to attend a directors'
meeting. Mr. Flike was passing the paying teller's
window when, without a word, be staggered and
fell forward. He was unconscious ami appeared
to be dead. The probable causa was heart disease.
John Baker, Revenue Service.
John Baker, of the United States Beye
nue Marine Service, commanding tho cutter
Seward on t lis Gulf station, died Friday at Pas
Christian. Mils., of peritonitis, aged 61 years. He
was a native of Salem, Mass.. ana had Imrn la the
service of the Uovernment since 1901. His remains
will be sent to Salem.
Obituary Notes.
Box CnAKLis Riciiabdsox Miles died In
Charleston, S. C, Friday.
Jlits. Elizabeth schuckeks died Friday night
at Masslllon, aged 74. She was the widowed
mother or J. M. 8chuckeri, oasbier or the First
H aUonal Bank of tbat town.
GEOnoi B. KxAL,-a wed known Tarkersbarg
cltlrtn. dropped dead yesterday miming from
heart disease. He lived there all lus IUV, aud bat
occupied many prominent position!.
Mas, Captain N. M. Wilsox, or Homestead,
whose husband it a znemtjer-elect from the Sixth
Legislative district, died yesterday morning. The
burial will take place Monday afternoon at Eliza
beth. Coloxel Samuel" Mosbt, State senator, cousin
of the famous General Mosby, and a colonel In the
Confederate army, died at Linn. Mo., yesterday.
For 3 years he has been prominent in the Demo
cratic politics or JIUsQtul.
Wiuib Weaver, the young man at Canton, a.
Who was JoJ urcd by the accidental discharge of hi
gun while out hunting, has died or bis rniurles.
tie was a ll.tmuer of a prominent (amtiy and
numbered hi friends in Cauloa by tlis nuadred,
A VISIT TO VERSAILLES.
iwairrur roa Tint dispatch.
After a month of wet weather, we
concluded to wait no longer for a fair
day to visit Versailles, lest tbe snows
should overlap the rain?, so on Tues
day we set forth witbont waiting to see what
tho morning promised. Wewent in a meek
little train from the Gare St. Xazare, Paris.
To onr delight tbe sun came out warm and
bright as September, and dogs and bare
kneed children in bibs and blouses over
Sowed the streets to bask In it, after being
cooped up by careful housekeepers in dread
of croup and muddy floors. The fortifica
tions were passed and the trainshot through
a couple of long, dark tunnels, across a
stretch of tiny martt gardens where small
vezetables woro being "raised by hand-
under glass globes, and out over a high
bridge above a winding country roadbord
'eredwith poplars and hedges. A small ceme
tery twinkled by, looking like some glass
exposition, or the North Pole done In alum.
Thickly strewn upon every grave and
hoisted upon the crosses at tbeir heads were
hideous funeral wreaths of flowers, made
of black, purnle and crystal beads; here and
there was a stiff wreath of dyed Immortelles,
but not a single natural blossom to be seen .
Tbe effect to American eyes is ghastly and
horrifying. Tbeir very durability makes
them more unendurable. It is as much as
to say: "I've mourned oace and for all, ac
cording to the fashion, and now I shan't
need to think of it again. These things'll
last!"
Madame De Malntenon's Tula,
It was a pleasant journey, so we arrived
nt Versailles in a mood to do it thorough
ly and took cabs to the Grand Trianon.
The glassy waxed floors of Madame de
Atalu tenon's beautiful villa look as if no
loot had trodden there since her time, and
mucn of tbe aucient furniture remains,
carefully guarded from profane touch. In
the Salon des Giaces stands -a magnificent
round taDle which misht almost have served
King Arthur and his knights. The great
slab, nine leet in diameter, is made of a
single piece ol oak; such kings of the forest
I-no longer exist in France.
We stopped to admire a beautiful marble
group in the Grande Vestibule, representing
France and Italy exchanging tbe kiss of
peace. It was' a gift, some 30 years ago, from
the ladies of Milan to Eugenie, then
Empress or tbe French. Whether by chance
or by design, the resemblance of tbe
statelier statue to tbe ill-starred Zmpress
herself is very marked.
The Playthings or a Queen.
The Petit Trianon, where Marie Antoin
ette spent her happiest days, stands near by
with her beloved dairy on tbo margin or a
little lake. Ontstdo the dairy, under a
thatched shed, are tbe stone beeches where
the lords and ladies or her court used to sit
and drink milk and pose as shepherds and
milkmaids, with all tbe picturesque improb
ability Boucher has immortalized on sorcens
and fans.
The lovely gardens and walks were almost
deserted notwithstanding the beauty or this
mild November day. The dead leaves were
still tailing and rustled pleasantly under
our feet as we walked through the cross and
picked some lato bluebells and buttercups,
with nobody to "shoo" us back to the road.
Toe leaves were drifted thick, too, In the
quiet little moat around the Temple de
l'Amour, the open-air theater where Marie
Antoinette and ber ladles acted plays.
Some workmen were repairing the little
time-stained marble temple, and their ham
mers and the twittering of the sparrows
were the only sounds that broke the silence
of the woods. It was even lonelier about
the tiny mill and "hamlet," with their
painted imitations of ancient stucco, fallen
away to show the painted pretense of
bricks. It is most pathetlo to come upon
the elaborate simplicity of these pretty toys
of a Queen, which have survived two mon
archies and two empires, and which three
repuDlics have spared, and even preserved,
in pity of their harmless triviality.
A Costly and Almost Endless Work.
The day was dry and pleasant,but moisture
dripped from the beds of moss that covered
tbe thatched roofs, and the grass, through
which we strolled toward tha gardens and
the palace of Versailles, was very wet.
The dank, swampy ooze of the soil still
makes ltselC seen through all the labor- that
countless bands have spent upon it through
more than two centuries.
It is easy to believe that
A million peasants starved to build
Versailles:
to diain froggy marshes, plant forests of
alien trees, build a palace a quarter of a
mile long, and cram It with all tbat was raro
and costly; to erect magnificent fountains.
and to construct aqueducts to supply
them, which (on account of the
unwholesome nature of the work)
destroyed a greater number of the unlucky
soldiers who were compelled to perform it
than many a battle that has decided tbe fate
of nations.
There was something really uncanny in
the sight of the vast and elaborate gardens,
adorned with tbe colossal statues and foun
tains, the interminable broad walks, and
the lmmenso flight of marble steps leading
up to a palace which has been inhabited by
10,000 people at a time; all in perfect repair,
apparently as void of lire as the mountains
of tbe moon. It was like a scene from tho
Sleeping Beauty, or Hawthorne's new Adam
and Eve, exploring tbe ompty city.
Some of the Striking Pictures.
It would be hopeless to attempt a descrip
tion of the endless galleries of pictures.
To me, the most Interesting of all was oue
of Napoleon as First Consul; a thin, keen,
handsome face, with a look of quiet control,
as if he felt the reins In bis hands, and the
power to hold them. I believe it is not a
particularly fine thing from an artistic point
of view, bat, as a bit of historical enlighten
ment, 1 admire and value it more than Mels
6onier's"lS07,"orany of the multitude of
paintings of the Emperor's countless bat
tles and triumphs.
Another picture, historically enlightening
(to Americans, at least) represents "le
Comte Roobambean and le General Wash
ington giving tbe final orders at the battle
d'Yorcktown" where Cornwallls surren
dered. The title is a little misleading, lor
the chubby little Count Rochimbeau is giv
ing the final orders all by himself, while
Genoial Washington (life sized, though
very French looking) stands meekly behind
him, rebuking, with a gesture, an eager
young ofileer who is evidently appealing to
himforlnstruotloni. "Don't you see tbat
this gentleman knows much more about
such matters than I dot Ma voai n,
foolish boy!"
Now, one doesn't mind if tho French are a
trifle vainglorious over their Henry ot
Navarre and Napoleon; but that they should
reach oat and appropriate tbo American
Revolution to add to their hall ot triumphs,
it seems like carrying tbe thing too far.
Full of Historic Suggestion.
It was 4 o'clock when we, together with
several hundred others whom the fine aft
ernoon, bad tempted to Versailles, were
gently beaded to tbe doors by the guard
ians, and we were astounded to find the
rain falling fast. Oue can never depend for
an hour upon Parisian weather, bat we con
cluded to ride back to Paris upon the top of
a buss: and taking a last look at the little
Swiss lake, which Madame, our guide and
companion on this Interesting trip, said her
grandfather had seen red with the blood of
the King's guards whoso bodies were flung in
to it, after tho heads of many had been cut off
and set upon pikes, we walked slowly down
to tho huge iron gates tbat open upon tbe
Place d'Armes.
It was a pleasant ride of two hours along
the broad avenue from Versailles to Paris;
tbe rain, stopped, aud tha sun set golden red.
Old "bouses along the-road bore upon their
facades tbe fading Inscription: "Llbcrte,
Egalitc, Fraternite," and it was all most In
teresting andnlcturesque. But what seemed
most real after all, was the tact tbat it was
by this samo long Avenue de Paris a seven
hours' vra Dolorosa to them that the King
and Queen, and tbe little dauphin, who was
crying with hunger, surrounded by a savage
mob bearing tbe beads of their defenders
upon pikes, returnod prisoners to the capi
tal, which none of tbem lelt alive. .
Paws, Dec 18. A PrrrsBuna Gicl.
Its Persistence Is Suspicious.
Boston Herald,
If Tamtnitny doesn't stop saying it doesn't
want anything from President Cleveland,
some peoplo will begin to doubt It,
CURIOUS CONDENSATIONS.
East India gives us guttapercha.
Seven hundred Columbus biographies
are extant.
The fly -honeysuckle came from South
Africa in 1752.
New York City lays-claim-to Aver 00
womea "bicycle riders.
In China every villagiS has its theater;
every city has severaL
Catherine de Medici imported muffs
into Frames from Italy.
Pork was the most highly esteemed
flesh at tbe Soman table.
The telephone has been known in In
dia for thousands of year's.
Many raits of armor worn in tbe four
teenth century weighed 17j pounds each.
Boman ladies dress their locks in
eight different styles with numberless vari
ations. Sparkling chaTflpajjnB -ras the discov
ery -or .Petrns Perlgnan, a jraonk, who died
in 1715.
The shield of Hector, -when slung at his
back in walking, covered tbe body from
neck to heel.
Four-fifths of the engines now working
in tbe world have been constructed during
the last 2Syears.
Among tbe French dainties of the
fifteenth century were fried loeches and
bashed porpoise.
The Union Pacific has IS long and a
great nnmber of short tunnels, tbe aggre
gate length being 6,000 feet.
During last year the number of electric
railways increased from 033 to 469. tbo capi
tal stock :rom $155,0S7,lT3 to $205,870,000, and
tbe mileage from 3,916 to 5,1(6 miles.
It is reported tbat there is a coal famine
In South Dakota, and the farmers of that
State have "been compelled to resort to
primitive fuel in tbe shape or twisted hay.
A hay saver, consisting bf a three-sided
device which enables tbo horse to Insert bis
head into the manger, but does not permit
any lateral movement of It, is a late inven
tion. The stewards of St. Nicholas Society,
New York, have an annual "testing dinner"
prior to each regular annual dinner in order
to decide upon the catererwriom the society
shall patronize.
Four thousand new postoffices were
established during the past year, and 537,6(6
unmaflablo lettors poured in the bonces, 32,
612 of them wholly without any outside sign,
symbol or address.
Our boldest bridge jumpers were out
done by a Sam Patch of tbe middle ages, tho
Austrian Knight Harms, wlto survived a
leap from tbe top of a cliff to the valley of
the Zohoppan river, a vertil-al distance of
(00 feet. x
In England, Prance, Germany and Bel
gium tbe nnmber of births per thousand of
population is steadily lalling. The rate of
decrease is slower in some of these coun
tries, but is marked in all.
All the gold in the world not counting
that still in a virgin state) would not make
a block of more than 613 cubio yards. A
cubo of the above dimensions could be put
in a room 21 feet each way.
Dr. Bicbardson, an English physician,
who has investigated the matter, states
tbat the men who are employed in the Paris
sewers are as healthy as the average person,
and no other 800 men ia that city are so free
iroin zymotic diseases.
A new genus and species of blind cave
salamander is reported by Mr. LSteinger in
the "Proceedings of the United States No
tional Museum." The discovery of such an
animal in North America is regarded by the
writer as a most Important and interesting
event.
Tbe best lighted city in Europe is
Milan. American machinery only is em
ployed in its two central stations. A curious
feature of tho svstem of distribution is tbat
tbe wires, Instead of being carried on poles,
are suspended from the brackets nnder tha
eaves of the houses.
Tbe State of Oregon has 36 nurseries,
covering 1,576 acres and containing about
9,COO,C00 young trees, and orcbardists have
npward of 100,000 acr03 of growing trees.
One-half or this acreage is In prunes, one
fourth In apples, one-tntU in apples, and
tbo remainder in various kinds of fruits.
Tt is reported that tbe telephone has
been put to a new use at San Leandro, CaL
According to the authority, a man who is
afflicted with leprosy was placed in a cabin
away from the hospital. A friend of bis bad
a telephone put In tbe cabin and connected
with tbe hospital, thus enabling the patient
to converse with his friends and acquaint
ances. The popular idea that water is purified
by freezing baa been again disproved by re
cent careful experiments, which show that
tbe average amount or impurity retained
by the ice is 84. per cent ot organic matter
and 2L2 per cent of inorganic matter. As
organic matter is the more objectionable of
tbe two, the case is worse than was formerly
supposed.
The waters of the oceans and seas of
our globe bold not less than 60,000,000,000,000.
000 tons or salt in suspension. If these fig
ures are correct and the ocean should be en
tirely dried up. there would be a deposit of
salt 450 deep over every foot or tbe great
basin, irtakon out and spread upon what
is no w dry land it would give usa salt cover
ing nearly 1,500 feet thick.
Prof. Virchow has analyzed "hunger
brod," the bread eaten by tbe peasantry la
the famine-stricken districts of Russia, and
finds that it is much mare nutritious than
tbe rye bread mado in Germany. The latter,
according to an analysis of bread baked ia
Berlin, contains but 6.04 percent of albumen
and 0 43 per cent ot fat, while the "hunger
brod" contains 11.73 per cent of albumen and
3.79 of fat.
The severity of British justice was well
illustrated at Northampton the other day,
whore a trial for murder was in progress.
The Jury having been permitted to partake
of a lunch in their room, one of tbeir num
ber took this opportunity to step out aud
post a letter. The Jude. bearing or this,
promptly gave the offending Juror a strong
lecture and fined him SUO. He dismissed the
jury, and a now one was impanelled.
In Shakespeare's day there was no scen
ery used on tbe stage; the only decorations
were tapestries and curtains. In those days
the actors and actresses had to do more than
merely repeat their lineo: they had to supply
tba scenia effect what little there was as
w ell as the action of the performance. They
had no races with real horses and a moving
Eanorama, nor any saw mill, with a real
uzz saw and real logs, to fall back upon.
The professors in tbe colleges of Spain
are miserably underpaid, often, receiving no
mora tban $M3 per year. They endeavor to
make a small profit out of tbeir textbooks,
each requiring his own book to be used.
These books are frequently In manuscript,
or. If printed, aro sold at unusual prices.
The students, also poor, resort In conse
quence to second-band shoDS and the annual
lair, where a specialty Is made of collegia's
textbooks.
OKIGINAL AND JOCOSE.
nzRE'a to tot.
"With my glass filled up to thervcry brio.
With good old Tom and Jerry,
I drink and wish you every one.
X Christmas rich and merry.
A WASTE.
a charitably inclined woman.
(!She was
Her dally work consisted In going around to tbe
different merchant and families soliciting aid for
tbe poor. Tbe other day she cailea on a Grantstreel
coal dealer, and asked for Christmas coal for sweet
charity's sake.
"Madam," said the dealer. "lam very sorry,
but 1 think I have done my share for one year, at
least, though, to be sure, it did but little good.
This morning I sent a CO-busbel load to a poor fam
ily near the Point, and not a lump of It reached
tbem."
"Was it stolen?"
"No : It met with an accident. It xot away from
the yard all right, and started down Diamond
afiej. passed Smlthfleld street In good condition,
and a little while after turned Into Wood: went on
down past Fourth, Tnlrd, Second and First ave
nues, and ril be banged, if It didn't turn Into
Water and, ran in to tbe river."
BURPRXSETA
I kind of knew what presents I
Wonld get en Christmas morn.
I knew 'twould be some Jewelery,
My person to adorn.
T(t when received surprised was I
To,altImnst confess;
I found tbe price a hundred was.
Ana I expected less.
. ( . . . . ' .'.'. 'i sSSrr.
K
!