TIIE SCRANTON TRIBUNE SATURDAY MORNING, JUNE 1, 1895.
Silver's Fall and
General Prices.
Professor Laughlln Argues That There Is No
Connection Between Them Barker's Reply.
In a recent address before the Wau
bansee olub of Chicago, Professor J
Lawrence Laughlln, professor of polltl
cal economy In the University of
Chicago, presented strong arguments In
favor of a single gold standard, with
silver used, If at all, only In subsidiary
coinage. He said:
Professor Laughlln's Address,
' In a spirit of sincerity and truth I beg
to be allowed to state same facts relating
to prices, I have no theories to propose,
no abstractions to enforce. I have no
place hare for anything but .facts, and to
facts I shall mainly confine myself. First
of all, let ma clear away any obscurity as
to the meaning of price. The price of any
thing Is Its value expressed In the money
of account. The rice Is the quantity of
gold or sliver for which It will exchange.
Borne years ago a ton of steel rulls ex
changed for the number of grains In sixty
gold dollars: now for the number of grains
In twenty-five gold dollars, or thereabouts.
That Is, Its price was formerly $t0; now It
Is Jl!5. We see, then, that price Is a ratio;
a ratio between goods and money. If my
left hand represents the money term of the
ratio and my rlKht hand the goods term of
the ratio, like the numerator and denomin
ator of a fraction, you will see that the
value of the ratio (or fraction) may change
because of changes In the position of either
my left or my right hand. If my left hand
(representing money) rises or fulls, while
my right hand stays Immovable, the ratio
Is changed In value; If my right hand (rep
resenting goods) rises or fulls, while my
left hand stays Immovable, the ratio Is
also changed. That Is, the ratio, or prices,
can be chunged from either of four cuiises:
1. A scarcity or Increase in the value of
money. 2. An abundance, or full In value
of money. J. A scarcity or Increased cost
of goods In general. 4. An abundance, or
diminished cost of goods. It will be per
fectly clear from this that a fall of prices
Is not necessarily due to a scarcity of
money. The ton of steel, everyone knows,
fell In price from IW to 125 because of the
Introduction of Improvements lu the pro
cesses of manufacture.
Prices and Currency.
Here also let me speak of a theory that
prices vary exactly In proportion to the
quantity of money In circulation. I take
the liberty of saying that, so far as I know
the practical facts of business life, this
theory does not explain the facts. In my
years of business life I learned that men
cared more for the logic of facts than for
theory. Prices might possibly change ex
actly with the quantity of the circulating
medium if all goods were exchanged by
the use of money. But that Is not thecae.
About 82 to 96 of all transactions are per
formed by checks, bills and the clearing
house system, with the passage of almost
no metallic money. Transactions to the
amount of nearly fio.uou.ouo are annually
taken care of In the United States by this
system.' But I will not dwell on that; It Is
a common practice for Uuslness men to
watch the amount of clearings to see If
transactions and trade are Increasing or
diminishing. But these vast clearings are
exHOlly those which are performed with
out the use of money.
This quantity theory Is unsatisfactory
for the reason that It does not explain the
facts of prices In the United States. In
the chart before you you will see that
prices of 222 commodities In the United
States (taken from the Aldrlch senate re
port), rose from I860 to 1S65 with the depre
ciation of paper money, and have fallen
since 1SU3 until on the resumption of specie
payments In 1879 they were again on the
same level as In 1860; from 18X0 to 1884 they
were above that level, and at the present
time only 8 per cent, below the level of
1800. The circulation, however steadily
Increased, but prices did not correspond In
any way whatever. An Increase In the
quantity of money did not ralse prices
because tho money In modern times Is not
compared directly with all goods. It Is,
therefore, a delusion to suppose an In
crease of money will In fact necessarily
raise prices.
We are now at a point where we can In
telligently discuss a much mooted question.
It Is said that goods have fallen since
1873, and that silver has also fallen In the
same proportion; so that silver has tho
same purchasing power today as It had In
1873. Hence, It Is argued, silver Is the more
Just medium In which to pay debts, be
cause, It Is asserted, gold has become
scarce, and prices of all things, including
the gold price of silver, have fallen be
cause gold has appreciated. Let us appeal
again to the facts: My own dictum Is
worth nothing. Tou will see that I am us
ing only American prices (from the senate
report), and not the English prices of
Sauerbeck (which "Coin" uses), and that
the line of prices represents the move
ment of 232, Instead of only forty-five In
Sauerbeck's table, since the more articles
in the list the less chance of error. In
1860 prices stood at the point 100; they were
at 100 again In 1879; they were five to eight
points above from 1880 to 1884, and now are
about 92, as follows:
The Real Trend of Prices.
Price of 232 Ratio Of
American silver
articles, to gold.
1860 100.0 15.29 to 1
1861 100.6 15.50 to 1
18,-2 117.8 15.35 to 1
1863 1M.6 15.37 to 1
1864 190.5 15.37 to 1
1865 216.8 15.44 to 1
1866 191.0 15.43 to 1
1867 172.2 15.67 to 1
1868 160.S 15.59 to 1
1869 153.5 15.60 to 1
1870 142.3 15.57 to 1
1871 136.0 15.57 to 1
1872 138.8 15.63 to 1
1873 137.5 15.92 to 1
1874 133.0 16.17 to 1
1875 127.8 16.58 to 1
1876 118.2 17.87 to 1
1877 110.9 17.22 to 1
1878 101.3 17.94 to 1
1879 96.6 18.39 to 1
WO 106.9 18.04 to 1
IK1 106.7 18.24 to 1
1882 108.5 18.27 to 1
1883 1U6.0 18.65 to 1
184 99.4 18.63 to 1
1885 93.0 19.39 to 1
1886 91.9 20.78 to 1
'2 2.B 21.11 to 1
1888 94.2 21.99 to 1
Jgf 94.2 22.10 to 1
JWJ 92. 19.77 to 1
J8-'! 92.2 20.92 to 1
1 23.68 to 1
J3 26.70 to 1
lm 82.68 to 1
' Means of Settling Debts.
What I wish to call to your attention Is
the very clear and unmistakable fact that
the price of silver (Its ratio to gold) and
.the prices of goods (their ratio to gold)
did not In the slightest degree move to
gether. There Is not the slightest ground
for comparison, and consequently not the
shadow of a reason for supposing that the
fall In the two cases was due to one and
the same cause. Today, prices of goods
re 8 per cent, lower than In 1860, while
silver Is 60 per cent lower. Tou may rea
son and theorise and lecture until the
crack of doom and you cannot change that
fact. If so, what becomes of the claim
that to pay In silver Is the only just means
of settling debts? It is, on the contrary,
unjust In the proportion of GO to 92.
To make assurance doubly sure, let me
add the prices of two German authorities
to these:
Bauer- Boet
beck, beer, Krai,
45 ar- 114 ar- 265 ar
ticles, tides, tides.
1847-1850 100 100 100
1851-1860 , 116 116 114
1861-1870 124 123 110
1871-1876 128 133 122
1876-1880 110 123 112
1881-1883 103 122 109
1884 94 114 101
1885-1891 87 105
(From N. O. Pieraon, "Qoldmangel," i
(p. 13) In Zietschrlft fur Volksmlthshaft,
Soclalpolltlk und Verwaltung, Vol. IV,
Heft. I, 1895.)
Tlnnueitlonablv silver has fallen for rea
sons peculiar to Itself, Independently of
the reasons affecting commodities In gen
eral. In brief, sliver has fallon because of
the enormous gold production which has
enabled commercial nations to use gold In
their currency and discard sliver. Lota
modules have fallen because of Improved
processes of production, cheapened means
of transportation and the opening up of
new resources. The extraordinary gains
of invention in the last twenty-five years
are the marvels of the century, lowering
the cost of every article of general con
sumption. The cheapening has been far
beyond the slight 8 per oont. shown by the
figures. Why did not prices ot goous lau
more than 8 Der cent.? That requires ex
nlnnatton. The only Dosslble reason is
that gold also fell In cost, but goods fell 8
per cent more. In the race goous sugntiy
outstripped gold.
But what about wages? Has the laborer,
because of the scarcity, got less of It?
Quite the contrary. Wages have risen in
a marked and general way. Taking the
average of 543 distinct series of quotations
from the senate report on prices, before
quoted, and taking 100 as the starting
point from which to start in 1873, the wages
in 1891 would be Indlcuted by the number
108.3. Their wages rose 8 per cent, since
1873. while prices of the articles they con
sume have fallen since 1873 far more. What
ever It was which huppened In 1873 It hue
been a boon to the working classes.
Farmers and Their Products,
We hear It dinned Into our ears so much
that the furmer Is Impoverished by the
fall In the prices of his products due to the
shrinkage of metallic money since demon
etisation in 1873 that It Is astonishing no
one looks Into the facts. It Is the simple
truth that more sliver Is In circulation to
day than In 1873, and there Is more gold by
hundreds of millions In circulation than
ever before. But first take the furmer's
own products. The products which have
fallen In price cotton and wheat are arti
cles whose price is fixed by International
competition In the markets of the world.
Using 100 In 1873 as the basis for compar
ison, In ISM wheat had fullen to 49.1 and
cotton to 39.9, but the movement from 1873
to 1894 of wheat and cotton has been out of
all corrrespondence with silver.
But when we take the products like corn,
oats and mess pork, whose prices are not
affected by foreign competition (as are
wheat and cotton), we find not only that
they did not fall with silver, but are actu
ally as high or higher relatively to gold
In 1894 than they were In 1873. Taking 100
as the basis In 1873, the facts are as fol
lows: Mess Sll
Corn. Oats. pork. ver.
1873 100 100 100 1U0
1894 110.1 1U0.3 99.9 49.1
The farmer's corn, oats and pork will
today buy twice as much silver as In 1873.
But the articles bought by the farmer
have fallen so much that even the fall In
price of wheat enables him to buy his
hardware with a less number bushels of
wheat, and more truly, of course, with
corn and oats, because these latter have
risen. The following table will show this:
Prices agreed upon by Messrs. Ktngsland
& Douglass, sucessors of Klngsland, Fer
guson & Co., Simmons Hardware company,
and Mansur & Tibbetts Implement com
pany, all of St. Louis, Mo.:
m a 3 s 3
3a.T3??r?T
2 ?s'??b;?
2.2 S 3
mn
a O -
a " a a
I? 1333
3 a a E.o
5: ?Bo
5 n
n .to
35-
m a 2
O 16 Z Z.
w o Z, 2 o ifi
ssisl:
S: o : s
SS.: ?
'
!l .
us:
2 : 2 S
o . 6 o
t : a aa,
2.7
: : Ep p
: : 33
: ;tr
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::.::
I A . 1 M
1 2 M f
B : S:
: ?: c:
: : : : :
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o
o :
0wbHOOHWrbIK0H
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a s s p ?s s a g ! is 3 a a g ts
OresrKMAWi9a4400
MAOeMAwUi40it0MMtAtn
awMutnbtnibtn0ibNttt(n
Facts Regarding Gold Production,
I said a short time back that silver had
fallen because of the abundance of gold.
Perhaps that seems startling to you,
having constantly heard of tho scarcity of
gold In season and out of season. But let
me again briefly appeal to the facts of the
production of gold. Owing to Its durabil
ity, all the gold ever produced still remains
In existence, unless lost by abrasion or
accident, such as shipwreck. Hence the
annual supply Is small compared with the
total stock, and a change of the annual
supply has little Influence In changing the
total stock, except after the lapse of many
years. You add or subtract a barrel of
water to or from Lake Michigan and you
do not perceptibly raise or lower Its sur
face. So, In speaking about the value of
gold, and the supply of It, we are con
cerned with the total supply In existence,
and very little with the annual supply at
the moment. You will see how different
It Is as regards wheat, whose annual pro
duction means everything for Its value;
because the annual supply barring the
amount carried over from last year Is the
source of the total supply. For wheat the
total supply Is the recent product, for
gold the total supply Is the whole of It pro
duced since the world began. Therefore,
when we speak of the value of gold being
regulated by demand and supply we mean
the existing demand for It as compared
with the total amount of gold accumulated
In all past years. Now as to the supply
of gold:
Gold. Silver.
1493 to 1850 83,314,653.000 $7,378,460,000
1851 to 1893 5,484,473,750 8,381,017,700
Total 88,799,026,750 (10,759,477.700
Of the amount produced before 1860, It Is
a conservative estimate that 32,000,000,000
was In existence In 1860. With the produc
tion of the last forty-three years added to
that we have a supply of 87,500,000.000 to be
accounted for. But, at the best, in the
currencies of the world today, we can dis
cover only about 83.965,000,000. So that It Is
difficult to account for the remainder, 3,
500,000,000. The only explanation Is that It
has gone Into the arts, but that explana
tion probably does violence to the facts.
In short, the abundance of gold Is a reason
for driving out silver. Just as railways
drive out stage coaches, for the better in
strument of exchange supplants the poor
er when the better Is obtainable. It is not
natural, then, to find that, because of
this enormous production and cheapening
of gold, It should have fallen In value rel
atively to goods. Why it did not was be
cause goods felt more strongly than gold
the effects of cheapening processes. As
In my original exposition of prices, al
though my left hand (representing money)
fell, so also did my right hand (represent
ing goods) fall. Goods may fall In price,
but gold is not, therefore, scarce.
Wharton Parker's Reply.
In the American, Wharton Barker
makes so far as we know the only at'
attempt yet begun by the free silver men
to reply to Professor Laughlln's statis
tics as to prices. We give below Mr.
Barker's response:
It will be noticed that Professor Laugh
lln discredits the figures of Mr. Sauerbeck,
and by Inference those of the London
Economist. Why he should take the aver
age price of commodities for the year I860
as the Index number, Instead of a number
of. years as Mr. Sauerbeck did, we cannot
understand, unless he wished to support
his contention by as favorable a showing
as possible. Although misleading, this
assumption of an Index number Is par
donable, but there Is no possible excuse
for the statement that "today goods are
only 8 per cent, choaper than In 1860, while
silver Is 50 per cent, cheaper." Professor
Laughlln has no right to compare the
price of commodities In 1891, as given by
Mr. Falkner's (that Is, the senate) ta
bles, with the price of silver in 1894-95.
The facts are, as stated by Mr, Falkner's
tables, and compared with the low aver
age price of I860, that commodities had
fallen 8 per cent, by 1891 and silver 22 per
cent., and not 50 per cent., as Professor
Laughlln would have us believe.
Mr. Falkner's tables do not differ In any
Important particular from those of Mr.
Sauerbeck. Reducing the prices given by
Mr. Fulkner for the years 1866 to 1879 from
currency prices to specie prices, taking the
average price for the four years 1870 to 1875
(instead of I860) as the Index number 100,
and placing In a parallel column the aver
age price of sliver compared with 1873,
when the bullion In the silver dollar was
worth exactly Its face, we get the follow
ing Index numbers:
Average gold Average
Price of 232 Price of
Ameiicun Products. Bar Silver.
4 years 1866-69 .... 98.72 i 102.8
4 years 1870-73 ,...1U0
3 yeurs 1870-72 .
1873
4 years 1874-77 ,
4 years 1878-81 ,
4 years 1882-85 ,
4 years 1886-89 ,
2 years 1890-91 ,
1892
1893 ,
June 1, 1894
102.5
lO'l.
94.4
88.2
85.7
74.2
78.1
91.69
85.43
81.74
77.67
77.06
68. Average prlcel
67.3
u. or 45
60.1 commodities,
68.3
47.3
Mr. Fulkner's tables are only carried
down to 1891. We have calculated the In
dex numbers for 1892, 1893 and June 1, 1894.
What These Figures Show.
When properly interpreted. Mr. Falkner's
figures show that commodities had fallen
by 1890-91 from the average price of the
four years preceding the demonetization
of sliver, 1870-73, 22.94 per cent, (not 8 per
cent., as Professor Laughlln infers), and
silver 21.9 per cent, (not 50 per cent., as
Professor Laughlln states), and that by
June 1, 1894, commodities had fallen 39.9
per cent., and silver 62.7 per cent. These
figures do not differ materially from Mr.
Sauerbeck's, or from those of the I-ondou
Economist. Down to the closing of the In
dian mints and the repeal of the Sherman
act In 1893, prices of commodities kept step
with silver. Under these direct blows sli
ver tumbled faster than commodities, but
the price of commodities bids fair to soon
overtake It.
As shown by our Index numbers taken
from the llgures of Mr. Falkner, commod
ities had fallen 39.9 per cent, by June 1,
1894, and silver 62.3 per cent. But right
here let It be remarked that silver did not
depreciate In the silver countries even
after the closing of the Indian mints and
the repeal of the Sherman act. This Is
shown by the average price of eighteen
leading commodities at Shanghai, as com
piled by W. S. Wetmore, of the Eastern
Blmetullic league. Taking the average
price from Jan. 1 to June 21, 1893, prior to
the closing of the Indian mints, as the In
dex number, Mr. Wetmore shows that by
the end of 1894 (Sept. 16 to Dec. 81), after
the closing of the. Indian mints, the pur
chasing power had diminished by less than
3 per cent., and this was "without doubt
due to some accidental cause." Moreover,
the price of those commodities In gold
using countries, that come In competition
with the products of silver-using countries,
have fallen In the American and English
markets as rapidly as silver. Such com
modities as cotton, silk, hemp, Jute, wheat,
barley, oats, flour, rlco, sugar, tea and tin,
taken collectively, fell between January,
1893, and Jan. 4, 1895, 21 per cent., as shown
by the tables of the Economist. These
twelve commodities fell 21 per cent. In the
two years 1890-91, Bllver 25 per cent. The
exclusive products of gold countries are
not so sensitive to variations In the price
of silver, but they are rapidly falling to
the lower level.
Professor Laughlln says: "If silver and
goods have fallen corresDondinirlv. it
would show that there might be a common
cause, like the appreciation of gold, due to
us scarcity." It Is now In order for him
to disprove these figures or come out for
bimetallism.
THE ABDUCTION CLUB.
Its Members Tossed L'p to See Which One
Should Kidnap tho Fair Lady of Ills
Choice-How a Bold Maiden Turned the
Tables.
From the Chicago Herald.
Strange In its way was the Abduction
club, once formed In the south of Ire
land, the members of which bound
themselves by an oath to asslBt each
other In carrying off young girls. When
a! girl was thought worthy of being car
ried off the members drew lots or tossed
up for her. The members of the club
were mostly the youngi.-r eons or connec
tion! of respectable families, having lit
tle or no fortune and greatly desiring
wealth. They were called "squireens,"
and attired In red waistcoats, lined
with narrow lace or fur, tight leather
breeches and top boots.' They, distin
guished themselves Ih fairs and mar
kets, races and assizes. Their 'agree
able manners made young men of that
class popular with the peasantry, who
were always ready and delighted to as
sist them In their perilous enterprises.
The forcible abduction of a woman was
certainly an outrage, but an outrage so
agreeable to the spirit of the time, and
so congenial to the ardent and romantic
character of the people, that It was con
sidered an achievement creditable to
the man and a matter of exultation to
the woman.
Obdurate parents who Interposed
their authority to prevent the course of
true love running smooth found them
selves minus their daughter some dark
night, thanks to the vigilance and
promptitude of the Abduction club, for
not only heiresses were the objects of
Its attention, but all couples who want
ed to marry and wore hindered by
something or somebody. It was gen
erally the wildest and most devil-may-care
fellow who undertook to head the
enterprise, and such a man was always
found to have most attractions for a
young and romantic girl. A statute
was passed for punishing such as car
ried away maidens that be Inheritors,
but, this proving Ineffectual, forcible
abduction was made a capital crime.
The law proved Inoperative from a
belief which prevailed that the offend
er was not liable to punishment If the
woman abducted him, so that the girl
In most cases mounted the horse first
and assisted the young fellow to mount
behind her. She then galloped off with
her lover, stopping at the nearest
church to be married. Nearly always
the girl would manage to get word to
her sweetheart as to the most conven
ient time and place for forcibly abduct
ing her. Frequently, when a young
Hiiy was carried off really against her
consent, bylhe time the dashing ride
was over she was found to be com
pletely reconciled to her abductor, like
the Sabine women, so that prosecutions
bore a very small proportion to the
number of offenses.
A memorable case occurred in the
Edgeworth family a name Maria
Edgeworth has made of literary cele
brity. Captain Edgeworth, a widower
with one son, married a widow with one
daughter. They formed an attachment
for each other and entreated their re
spective parents to give their consent,
which both refused. The young girl was
an heiress, and the penalty for abduct
ing her was death, so the spirited Ibbs
procured the fleetest steed she could
find, seized the young fellow, dragged
him up behind her on the horse and
galloped off with him to the priest.
DRAMATIC NOTES.
Herbert Kelcey is to star.
W. S. Gilbert is writing a comedy for E.
S. Wlllard.
Mnrle Burroughs recently played Juliet
and Leah In Boston,
Minnie Sellgman talks of starring In a
new play next season.
Lillian Swain Is playing Ingenue roles In
Ada Kenan's company. "
Nell Burgess has written a new play and
will appear in it next season.
Seabrooke may do the "Isle of Cham
pugnu" In London next season.
The first two weeks of "Trilby" In New
York brought In its owners 822,000.
Mr. Salvlni will spend the summer at the
villa of the elder Salvlni, In Florence.
A free ride to and from the theatre Is
what the patrons of a Boston playhouse
get.
Jeannle Winston played the title role In
"Prince Methusalem" at Cleveland last
week.
Hughcy Dougherty Is now a member of
the "Birth of Venus" (comic opera) com
pany. E. M. and Joseph Holland have decided
not to star next season, as they cannot
And a suitable play.
C. E. Vcrner, an American actor, has
scored quite a success In Australia in
Irish comedy-drama.
Covent Garden theatre has Just had Its
orchestra sunk three feet and a half below
the level ot the seats.
Sara Beinharclt's Renaissance theatre
has closed Its doors, as Its actress-manager
Is touring In England.
The English critics aro almost unani
mous In the opinion that Henry Irvlng's
"Don Quixote" Is a failure.
Maggie Moore (Mrs. J. C. Williamson, of
Australia), is still thinking of paying this
country a visit next season.
Bobby Gnylor will be seen In a comedy
drama by Charles T. Vincent next season.
It will be called "In a Big City."
In a few years Fanny Davenport Intends
to retire from the stage and assume the
management of a first-class theater.
A pair of prize slippers, valued at 8M0,
Is to be given to the woman who shows
the Bhapllest feet at a "Trilby" matinee In
Boston.
Marie Walnwrlght promises that her re
vival of a standard old comedy next season
will eclipse any previous production she
has made.
It Is thought Plnero's latest successful
play, "The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith,"
will be In Olga Nethersole's repertoire
next season.
Cheevcr Goodwin and William Furst are
to furnish Delia Fox a comic opera. In
which she will begin her season at Pal
mer's theatre Sept. 2.
Fred Terry and Julia Nellson, the noted
London actor and actress, will be members
of John Hare's supporting company in
this country next season.
Manager Palmer states that he pays
Author Du Marnier between $900 and 31,000
per week for the privilege of producing
"Trilby" in dramatic form.
Rice's "Excelsior" company will be an
unusually strong one. Theresa Vaughn's
is the latest engagement for it. She will
play the part of a Swiss maid.
Mrs. John Drew recently presented a box
of stage Jewelry to Marie Knowlos. Tho
sleeves and side pieces were made for Mrs.
Drew thirty years ago, for Portlo.
"Der Evangellmann," the Gospel Man, Is
the curious title of a new opera that has
Just been performed with great success at
Berlin. Words and music are by WUhelm
Klenzl.
The Comedie-Francalse has cancelled M.
Glntry's engagement at his request with
out exneting the usual 34,000 forfeit he thus
Incurred. M. Glntry will accompanw Mad
ame Bernhardt to America.
Grattan Donnelly's burlesque on "Ham
let" will have a great cast. It Is to In
clude E. J. Henley, George Broderlck,
Jacques Kruger, Catherine Lewis, Kato
Davis and John II. Bunney.
Mrs. Potter stabbed Kyrle Bellcw in
"Charlotte Corday" last week. The wound
was painful, but not serious. A vampire
bat sucked Mrs. Brown Potter's blood
during her performance of Lady Macbeth
In Calcutta.
Duse has a new play, "The Sho Wolf,"
by Verga, which she will do In Italy and
bring here In the fall. Nothing can be
learned about It until after the Italian pro
duction, when the author will sell the right
to translate the play for this country to
the highest bidder.
It Is the intention of Canary & Lederer
to produce only comic operas, burlesque
and musical travesties In tho New York
Casino. "The Mlmio World" will hold the
boards until September, when "The Art
ist's Model" will be produced by George
Edwardes' entire company, Including Ma
lie Tempest, Lettle Lind, Hayden Collin
and others.
I
Mr. William Thornton, of 127 W. Market
Street, F.xplains How and
Why He Did It. , 'W
From the Elmlra Gazette.
Old age has many Infirmities, none of
which are more prevalent than kidney dis
orders. Have you ever noticed how the
old people complain of backache, lame
back, and generul Ustlessness7 And there
are many other symptoms of which they
do not speak, such as bloating of the limbs,
painful and infrequent urination or excess-
Iveness of the urinary discharge. Most
people think they are too old to find relief
and cure, but this is not so. No better ev
idence than the following, which comes
from an Elmlra citizen, who has been
cured of a very severe case at 77 years of
age. Mr. William Thornton, of 127 West
Market street, speaks of his case In this
way: "I am 77 years old. I have been
allllcted with that dreadful complaint
(kidney disease) for over ten years, mak
ing my old age a burden. I was so bad as
to be forced to carry a belt at all times,
and, when my suffering became beyond
endurance, I would put on the belt, draw
ing It tightly around me and buckle It,
thus brlnglqg an extreme pressure over
the kidneys; this, undoubtedly, forced the
urine out, a function which the kidneys
themselves had become too diseased to
perform. My condition I put down to a
strain I received. I began taking Doan's
Kidney Pills. I was much surprised, as
the ailment was so severe and so long
standing, while I had tried many remedies
without any relief whatever. The pain I
have experienced at times from straining
in my efforts to discharge the urine was
simply awful. I have done away with the
use of my leather belt, and the pain has
all gone, and I recommend Doan's Kidney
Pills to all amictea wltn kidney and
urinary disorders."
For sale by all dealers, or sent by mall
on receipt of price by Foster-Mllburn Co..
Buffalo, N. Y., sole agents for the U. B.
The Antithesis of
The Trolley Car.
Interesting innovations Planned In Rapid
Transit by Chicago's Elevated Electric Railroad
Chicago, May 81. The first perma
nent elevated railroad In the United
States, to be operated entirely by elec
trlcty, will be opened for passenger
traffic within a few days. The Metro
politan Elevated railroad of Chicago
will afford a means of rapid transit be
tween the buslneas center of that city,
and the Immense district lying between
the north and south branches of the
Chicago river, and known as the West
Side, where some 800,000 of Chicago's
population reside.
Those who were fortunate enough to
visit the beautiful transient city by
Lake Michigan during the exposition,
will remember the Intramural railway,
whose elevated structure wound In and
out between the buildings and whose
cars were propelled by electricity. The
West Bide electrical road will be op
erated on a similar system, and the
people who live In the houses contigu
ous to the track will be free from the
many disadvantages Inseparable from
traction by ateam. In fact, both for
passengers and dwellers along the line,
electricity will represent the perfection
of traction system.
Docs Not Disfigure the Streets.
The Metropolitan Elevated Electric
railway occupies a unique position
among elevated railroads. The track
Is carried upon an elevated structure of
eiteel, and Is built over land which the
company has purchased outright, with
the exception, of course, of the public
streets which It crosses. This has al
lowed It to construct the road in an ex
ceptionally substantial manner, and
frees the company from the dlsafrree
ablo necessity of contesting suits from
damages to property, which have
proved so embarrassing to elevated
roads built along the public streets.
The railway being built through the
alleys In the center of the blocks be
hind the houses, does not disfigure the
streets.
The road Is divided Into several di
visions, branching out Into the triangular-shaped
territory of the populous
West Side, and attaining a total length
of oibout eighteen miles. The main or
trunk lkne, which runs from Franklin
street to Paulina street, has four tracks
and is nearly two miles long, the
branch lines have only two tracks.
There will be fofty-three passenger sta
tions, all handsome 'brick structures
built directly beneath the tracks, and
having every convenience for waiting
passengers.
The Antithesis of the Trolley.
The electrical system employed Is
that known as the third rail system of
the General Electric company, by
which company the road was equipped.
This Is the antithesis of the overhead
trolley system, with which the electric
street railway has made us so familiar,
the current 'being taken from a third
rail running beside the track by means
of a flat metal contact shoe, which
hangs down from the car truck and is
kept In contact by a powerful spring.
The station where the power Is gener
ated has been built on Throop street,
near Van Buren. It contains already
an array of great engines and dynamos,
ready to furnish the current to drive
the cars as soon as the line Is open for
traffic.
Four Allls Corliss vertical compound
Inverted engines, two of 1,000 horse
power, and two of 2,000 horse-power
are In place. The smallor engines each
drive an 800 kilowatt dynamo, while
each large engine turns a 1,500 kilowatt
dynamo, the dynamo being placed with
the fly wheels between the high and
low pressure cylinders of the engines.
There is no belting In the station.
These great dynamos, the largest of
which are nearly sixteen feet high and
weigh ninety-three and one-half tons
each, are raited to furnish In the ag
gregate over 8,000 amperes of current
at a pressure of 650 volts, or about
6,000 horse power.
Precautions Against Accident.
Every precaution is taken to guard
against accident. There are no wires
In the winding ot the massive forty-one
ton armature revolving between
twelve field magnets. It Is built up of
iron laminations fastened to a "spider,"
as the wiheel-llke frame Is called, and
copper bars sunk In slots In the sur
face of armature. The insulation is of
mica. Lightning cannot reach the dyn
amo over the wires to destroy the gen
erator. It would first have to pass a
lightning arrester, but this switches it
off Its baleful errand and conducts It
underneath tihe ground to spend Itself
harmlessly. Short circuits, which are
a means given by accident to the cur
rent to hurry back to the dynamo,
without first performing Us proper
duty, and Injure it by overloading it,
are taken care of by an Ingenious de
vice which breaks the circuit auto
matically and frustrates Impending
damage as soon as the flow of current
exceeds a certain fixed amount.
Heavy cables of copper run under the
floor of the room to the swltchbonrd on
which are mounted the different Instru
ments which Bhow tihe performance of
the electrical machinery and the con
cumptlon ot current. It also carries
the protecting devices, ns well as the
heavy copper knife blade swWchcs
WBlrhjVleam red against the marble
fmnjrlrf, lind Which are used to conduct
the current to other cables which feed
It to the lateral or third rails elevated
a little above the ordinary rails. After
the current has done Its work In turn
ing the motors It continues along the
circuit back to the dynamo by the rails
of the regular track.
A Precursor of Great Things.
Tho oars will be operated In two and
four car trains. The first car of each
train will be a motor car drawing the
other cars which are known as "trail
ers." The motor cars will be equipped
with two motors of 100 horse-powor
each mounted upon the, forward truck.
These powerful motors are controlled
by a special controller, which turns the
electricity Into them and effects the
different necessary Bpeed combinations.
At flrnt fifty-five motor and 100 trailer
cas will be put into Borvlce, but this
number will be increased as the line Is
extended and the traffic becomes heavi
er. A small compartment built out
upon the platform Is provided for the
motorman at each end of the motor car.
A sliding door near the gate allows of
the Ingress and egress of passengers.
The motor car In each train wnlcn
takes the place of the locomotive is
fitted up as a smoking car.
The eauloment of the road by elec
tricity to the precursor of great things.
Since Its inception, the adoption or elec
tricity has been announced for certain
of the branch lines of the New York
Central, and Old Colony systems; and
trains In the Baltimore and Ohio tunnel
under Baltimore will shortly be hauled
entirely by electricity. The New York
and Brooklyn elevated roads will prob
ably follow the good example, and en
other great advance will have been
made in the solution of the great prob
lem of safe and comfortable travel.
TIIE HUMAN ENGINE.
It Needs Good Food us Fuel to Supply It
with Energy.
W. O. Atwater, Ph. D professor of
chemistry In Wesleyan university, in a
pamphlet issued under the auspices of the
United Hiatus department of agriculture,
says: "A quart of milk, three-quarters of
a pound of moderately fat beef, sirloin
Bteuk, for lnstanco, und Hvo ounces of
wheat Hour, all contuln about the same
amount ot nutritive material; Dut we
pay different prices for them and they
have different values for nutriment. The
milk comes nearest to being a perfect
food, it contulns all of the different kinds
of nutritive materials thut the body needs.
Bread made from the wheat flour will
support life. It contains all of the neces
sary Ingredients fur nourishment, but not
in the proportions best adupted for ordi
nary use. A man mlKht live on beef alone,
but It would be a very one-sided and Im
perfect diet. But meat and bread together
maxe tne essentluls or a healthrul diet.
Such are the facts of experience. The
advancing science of later years explains
them. This explanation takes Into ac
count nut simply quantities of meat and
bread and milk and other materials which
we eat, but also the nutritive Ingredients
or 'nutrients' which they contain."
Food's Chief L'scs.
The chief uses of food are two: To form
the material of the body and repair its
wustes; to yield heat to keep the body
warm and to provide musculur and other
power for the work It has to do. Dr. At
water has prepured two tables showing,
first, the conmositlon of food materials.
the most important of which are the nu
tritive ingredients and their fuel value;
second, the pecuniary economy of food.
In which the amount of nutrients is stated
In pounds. In the first table we find that
butter has the greatest fuel value, fat pork
coming second, ana tne balance or the
foods mentioned being valued as fuel In
the following order: Cheese, oat meal,
sugar, rice, beans, corn meal, wheat (lour,
wheat bread, leg of mutton and beef sir
loin, round of beef, mackerel, salmon.
Codfish, oysters, cow's milk and potatoes
stand very low as fuel foods.
Cornmcnl the Cheapest Food.
From tho second table we learn that the
greatest nutritive value of any kind of
food of a specified vulue (Dr. Atwater
takes 25 cents' worth of every kind of food
considered) Is found In cornmeal. In 10
pounds of cornmeal there are a trllle more
than 8 pounds of actual nutriment. In
H'i pounds of wheat flour there are over
64 pounds of nutriment; in S pounds of
white sugar there are 4Vi pounds of nutri
ment; In 5 pounds of beana there are 4
pounds of nutriment; In 20 pounds of pota
toes there are 3 pounds of nutriment; in
25 cents' worth of fat salt pork there are
34 pounds or nutriment; in the same value
of wheat bread there are 24 pounds; In
the neck of beef 1 pounds: in skim milk
cheese, 1 pounds; In whole milk cheese, a
trifle more than 1 pounds; In butter, 14
pounds; in smoaed num ana leg or mut
ton, about the same; In milk, a trifle over 1
pound; In round of beef, of a pound; in
salt codfish and beef sirloin, about H a
pound; in eggs at 25 cents a dozen, about
7 ounces; In fresh codfish, about 6 ounces;
and In oysters at 35 cents a quart, about
3 ounces.
(crorTflrwasmtEr.
UNEQUALLED AND UNRIVALLED PREPARATIONS
FOR THE HAIRAND SCALP.
Adlstlllntlon from tho South American palm
tree. Hv from mineral ot rhemtcnl com-
K?4,"Jf ...An '"f'dllhl" enre for Baldness,
JJr-Hn. Dandruff, Thin or Delicate
Hair, Besoms, Tetter, and all diseases of the
Hsir and Scalp. IVlm Crrtsti fmroo for
beautifying the Hnlr: a delightful, cool and
refreshing Shampoo J exquisite odor. All
purcHaHera or the Palm-Crristi Prsfara
tioss are entitled to free treatment or the
Scalp, Shampooing ana Hnlr-Drcsslng.atiny
of our Ualr-DressiDg Parlors.
niMRIK ONLY V TMC
PALM-CHRISTI CO.,
miLA. PAKLOItSi 0t CHESTNUT ST.
P. 8. Onr parlors ro In charge of special
itH on nflectlnn nf the Hair and Scalp. All
advice fiee. -Write for circular.
ml' - u. 4u..a.ih w.... uf having
our Hair Drensars call usoa them can mskt
appointments by addrsuiug
MATTHEWS BROS.,
Sole Agents for Scranton.
Tmewre t tm Haimr Mseieai Aenrasmn
asthma rvLTnnn
iHKALin will cure yon. A
wondarfal boon to auirtran
n-omColde, SoreTkraat,
laflnenaa. Rrenchltu,
Or II AY PKVKBt. AtmZ
immtUat4Ttlitf. AnenTclent
Mmllf. Mn.imU., t.i Ma
In peket,Tai!7 to on flrnt IndlcaUon of Gold,
rnntlnae I7e XOeeta Peraiaaent Oar.
SaUifaoUonnaranteedoraooRey refunded. lrlea.
CAeta, TrTal f ntA at Pnuglita. Registered mall,
ft) oonU. IB. CDSElUt kfr., Tare) linn, MioL, 0.1. 4,
OrraaXXaatJa.lv a
MENTHOL T,0w.,1!r, nmr tot
nun I nvh all tnduie, Kotuma. Itoh.Salt
Rhenmid BnreaMliirni, Ouu. woaaarfsl rem
dr for Pit. ICS). Prtee, 6 eU. at llmr D a I AS
Cfta or hy mall prepaid. Addrm aaboT. owUM
For sals by Matthews Bros, end Johe
H. Phelea.
Connexion Pressifstl
OR. HKBRA'Q i
VIOLA, CRBJ.1
Remotes frseldit, Simples.
iinr . MtttoTMhMds;
Sanborn and lea, and ro
store the skin to its origi
nal freshness, producing a
1 ..-U A flMalthw MM -
rations and .perfectly heroics At all
fugglslii,orttULild lorSOcts. Baud for ClrculAr,
mm a ainal soap u atapir
ana aurthlai auqaakA St Ua aAM. u4 WiWirt a
flaviaaaanZj. AbxUoMh. - aadtaUaaMlT at.
aataA, AtararUna, Prloe 25 Cvn.
O. C. BITTNCR&CO..Tolkoo,0.
. .For sale by Matthews Bras, and John
Phelps.
VIGOR 0F MEM
Easily, Quickly, Permanently Roatored.
Weakness, Nerrouaneae,
Debility, and ail the train
01 enis irom early errors or
later excesses, the results of
overwork, slckneis, worry.
etc. i uii strength, devel
opment ana toue given u
every organ and portion
orinoiMKiy. oimpie, nat
ural methods. Immedi
ate imnrovement seen.
Failure Impossible. 8,000 references. Book,
explanation and proofs mailed (sealed) free.
ERIE MEDICAL CO., Buffalo, N.Y.
S07AL EOYAL
UDIES'ONLy!.
pressed and painful menstrtuttoo,
and . c.ruinIVTATiyl for
all female 'irreguUritiea. Sold with
a Vrlttn 0uratH to Cart Send a 1c
stamp for particulars and "Guide for
Ladiei." Imiit on having Tat I071I
fitirroril Titleti (lad Crow Imd)
Aw VuarM-soVAi. iu co. T.
BlaiiMrt S'a'ar.u. Baa. saoo, i lata
For sale by JOHN H. PHELPS. Drug.
fist, 'Wyoming avs. and Spruce street.
am
rlWfrll
long
friend.
CURES
Rheumatism. Neuralgia.
Coughs, Colds, Lumbago,
Sore Throat, Inflammation,
Influenza, Frostbites,
Bronchitis, Headache,
Pneumonia, Toothache,
Asthma.
rsed Infernally as well as Exteramlly,
A half to a taaapoonfnl In half a tnmblar of water
nraa Stomach troublaa. Cold Cbilla, Malarial FataHb
Wind In tho llowels, and all Intaroal paina.
fifty Cent a Bottle. Sold by DrngiUU
BADWAY fc CO., New York.
RADWAY'S
PILLS.
Purely vegetable, mild and reliable.
Cause perfect digestion, complete assimila
tion and healthful regularity. Cure con
stipation and Its long list of unpleasant!
symptoms and rejuvenate the system. 2?
cents a box. All Druggists. '
BREWERY.
H anufectoren of toe Celebrates
PILSENER
LAGER BEER
CAPACITY a
f 00,000 Barrels per Annum
Moosic Powder Co,
Booms 1 and 2 Comnoieaitii BW &
SCRANTON, PA.
MINING and BLASTING
POWDER
MACE AT MOOSIC AND RU8H
DAU3 WORKS. '
tAfflln aV Rand Powder Co.
Orange Gun Powder
Electrio Batteries, Poses for explod
ing blasts, Safety Toae and
Repanno Chemical Co.'s HitfiEiplosiYtt
Atlantic Refining Go
Manufacturers and Dealers ts
OlfeS
Unseed Oil, Napthas and Oase
lines of all grades. Axle Grease.
Pinion Qroase and Colliery Com.
pound; also a large line of Fat
afilne Wax Candles. t
We also handle the Famous CROWN
ACHE) OIL, the only family safety
burning oil In the market.
Wm. Mason, Manager.
Office: Coal Exchagne, Wyoming Ave,
Works at Pine Brook. '1 vi i
ESTABLISHED 1070.1
GILHOOL'S CARRIAGE WORKS.
Carriages. Business Wsiwns, Renslrlnjt Bores
Hhonlnx. Painting and Upholstering. No Ua,
82i, W,m Seventh street, S eras ton. Pa.
riT. PLEASANT
COAL
AT RETAIL
Coal of the best quality for flora earls
tse, and of all suns, delivered la sal
part of the eity at lowest price.
Orders left at my Office
NO. 118 WYOMING AVENUE,
(tear room, flrat floor. Third National
Bank, er Bent by mall or telephone to the
i
M
nine, wut reoaive prompt aueniion.
Special contrasts will be made for the
Us asat delivery of Buckwheat CeeX
WM.T. SMITH.
' .-' : - . . .. . X ... -'