AT THE NORTH POLE. IF ANY MAN EVER REACHES IT HE WILL BE SURELY LOST. The Impossibility ot Getting Bearings- Dense Foga and Extreme Cold are Tlier# —For Six Months the Sun Hangs in the Sky Without Rising or Setting. If any one really got to the pole he would, in common parlance, foe utterly; "at sea," simply because at the pole there is no possibility of ascertaining one's whereabouts. A person arriving there would find an altogether differ ent world before him. Like a blind man he would grope about and vainly endeavor to get back whence he came. This by no means enviable situation is calculated to destroy the illusion's which he may have cherished when starting on his polar expedition. His completely changed situation would be accounted for by the fact that when stationed at the pole the direction of the north would be found to coincide with the line of the zenith—that is to say, the point exactly above us. The opposite point, viz., the nadir, would coincide with the direction to the south. The longtitudinal circles, and hence also the meridian of the local ity, would coincide with the circles of latitude; an equator would coincide with the horizon. Hence an astronomi cal determination of the locality, ac cording to latitude and longitude, is precluded. The same may be said as regards de terming one's bearings in any direc tion. The compass, too, will fail there, because its horizontal intensity is so slight as to preclude the possibility of its action. The only criterion for judging that one has arrived at the pole is that the observed latitude of the sun, after having been corrected to al titude above the true horizon, is found to coincide with the value of the dec lination of the sun for the day in Ques tion. Moreover, in those regions there is scarcely a day on which dense fogs do not prevail, and sixty or more degrees (C.) of cold, such as mostly exist there, will enhance the difficulties of observation to such an extent that it can only be a question,of approximate estimates. Such conditions are by no means enviable, and are scarcely cal culated to induce us to long for them with all our hearts. Hut these are not the only things which are likely to make a sojourn at the pole a never-ending torment. Worse than all the rest, one cannot count the passing hours there; in other words, there is no criterion for deter mining the time of day. During a period of six months the sun will neither rise nor set, but during the whole of the time will always remain either above or below the'horizon. As the earth revolves around its axis in twenty-four hours, the sun apparently describes, during the same interval, a circuit of 360 degrees around the sky, being visible at an altitude equal to the declination whenever declination is of the same name as the pole at which the observer is stationed. The numerous attempts hitherto made to reach the pole have, as a mat ter of course, been by water —that is to say, by ships and sledges. The idea that one might get there by an aerial passage has not gained ground until recently, but if we consider that bal loons are not navigable, and hence are liable to be carried away by air cur rents in any direction that may acci dentally prevail, and in the most un likely event only to the pole, no one possessed of but a moderate allowance of common sense will comprehend how success could have been expected from such an enterprise. Moreover, determi nations of locality cannot possibly be made from a balloon with any approx imate degree of accuracy. ImllttiiN iu WiNeouaiii. Wisconsin has at this late day about 9,000 Indians of various tribes, all of whom, with the exception of the Win nebagos, wear practically the ordinary clothing of the white man. The Win nebagos alone iling to the native mode of living, occupying their wigwams in even the coldest weather. One-half of the members of the other tribes, the Milwaukee Sentinel says, speak enough English for the purpose of ordinary conversation, and more than ''one-half read the English language. They are fast learning to recognize the legality of matrimonial relations. Eighty-five per cent, of them are engaged in pur suits of civilized life; ten,per cent, in hunting, fishing and root gathering and the like; only five per cent, live ex clusively on government rations. Of the 1,800 the 1,300 Menomi nees, and the 500 Stockbridges and Munsees, all live on labor in civilized pursuits. Many of the Oneidas com pare favorably in thrift, cleanliness and rational life enjoyment with the whites in their vicinity. • Sneaker Heeit'« Mule Joke. Recently Speaker Reed wished to see a man on some pending legislation, and telegraphed for him to come to Wash ington. Tfce man took the first train available, but a washout in the road made it impossible for the train to pro ceed. Going to a telegraph station he sent this dispatch to the Speaker: "Washout on the line. Can't come." Reed sent back this reply: "Buy a new shirt and come any way." A Cnrloua Inaert. A most curious insect is the tree vorticella. It does jot build a house, but instead, with its iellows, builds up a sort of tree with waving branches from which the inserts hang like flow ers, swaying back &nd forth in their gay colors of green wnd yellow. The people of Lincolnshire have de cided to erect a statue of Lord Tenny son in Lincoln. USE OF BICYCLES IN CHINA. JUach Vied by Foreigners In the Cit ies on the Coast. Consul General Goodnow at Shang hai reports that the trade in bicycles In China increased very rapidly during the past season and gives promise of even more rapid expansion during the season now opening. Prior to 1897 very few bicycles were in use on the Chinese coast, while now, in all ports where cycling is possible, the habit is becoming almost universal among for eigners. "Society here," says the consul gen eral, "is dominated by the English,who claim that no man or woman can hope to endure this climate unless they de vote considerable part of each and every day, rain or shine, to outdoor exercise and sports. Horseback riding has been universal among those who can afford that luxury; others take j long walks daily. The bicycle appeals to all—rich, middle class and poor— j and all classes are using it. The city j of Shanghai is perfectly flat, and some : of the roads in and immediately around ! the settlements are good. Each na tionality has generally bought wheels J made in their own home country, and at first the English wheel, with brake, mud guard and heavy tubing, predom inated. I believe that now the more graceful and lighter American wheels > have the larger sale. "No wheels are made in China, nor do I believe they can be made here. No ; wlreels are brought in on a less rate of duty than those from the United States. There are no native roads, as we understand that term. There are narrow paths for the pedestrian or the horseman, but generally not wide enough for vehicles; dusty in dry \ weather, muddy iu wet, and rough all the time, they are practically impossi ble for wheeling. "Few Chinese have as yet taken to j the wheel. Their clothing is not adap ted to exercise, and especially not to j the wheel. No man above the coolie class, in middle and northern China, j appears in public otherwise than in long clothes —i.e., an outer petticoat reaching to his ankles. The few young | Chinamen who ride here either leave off this outer garment temporarily or turn it up and fasten it at the waist. They also bring the long queue of hair over the shoulder and fasten it at the j waistband. Their trousers are as long and full and baggy as the average i woman's divided skirt in America, and | I have not yet seen a Chinaman ride | without a chain guard to keep the ; trousers from catching and tearing. ; No Chinese women ride. I have seen j it stated in American and English pa pers that it is now common in Shang hai for Chinese ladies to ride in the streets. Nothing can be farther from the truth. The Chinese women of the Ijetter class are kept in absolute seclu sion from men other than those of their family. This rule has not been broken in the slightest degree. Even in the missionary schools, where the daugh ters of the merchants and mandarins are educated, no man is allowed to see the girls. "The customs report of 1897 shows that in many important products the Imports from the United States have increased at the expense of imports from other nations. Wo are nearer to the market, freights are less according ly. and the feeling of the Chinese peo ple is more friendly to Americans than to the people of any other nation. Now Is the time to push our trade on this coast. Ido not believe that any other method will give better or more per manent results than an exposition of United States products at Shanghai." An Accidental Sih'opmh. Once upon a time, so runs the story, j there was a man iu London who had ventured upon various publishing schemes with but poor success, and was beginning to despair of ever mak ing a fortune when, by chance, he be thought himself of a huge scrapbook which his wife had compiled of var ious literary odds and ends that had enchaineS her fancy. She called her serapbook "Tit-Bits," and it occurred to hw htisimnd timt such odds and ends, published in periodical form, might interest other people as well as his wife. The result of tills medita tion on his part was the appearance of a little penny paper called "Tit- Bits," which proved so popular and gained such a wide circulation that its proprietor'felt encouraged to place other literary on the market, and It was noti long before he became known as the publisher of a number of extremely popular penny perlodi i eals. lie Is now a millionaire many times over and a baronet, while his ; wife, whose scrapbook proved the j cornerstone otf their prosperity, finds ; Inir, reward in the title of Lady I N'iwnes. / Some Yfjry Old Fifth. . Methuselah would seem a mere boy j to some lislu*, and there are a great ; many kinds .which would lobk upon ' human centenarians as infanta. < 'arp ore known to lire to be 200 years old. | /In the Washington Aquarium there are small gold' fish, placed there when "Queen Victoria was crowned, and iffgiimr f° r The natives of Kottlar are In the tiablt. of digging every year in the i •rammer dry banks of the Vergel river | Cor fish, which they dig out by hun dreds. Just as they would potatoes. The mud lumps broken open and o l>o Not CnuHUllie Much their Product. The sugar crop of tlie world amounts In a normal year to about 5,000.000 tons, of which the larger part. 4,500,0u0 tons, comes from beets, and I lie bal ance. 3,500,000 tons, from sugar cane. Of the latter the largest proportion 'comes from the West Indies, and a large amount from the Island of Java. Among the countries producing beet sugar, Germany coiues first, with about i one-third of the world's crop; then Austria, with about as much, and then France, Russia and Belgium and Hol land together, with substantially the same quantity. | In respect of the production of beet | sugar in the United States there has j been a vast increase since the estab : lishment of the McKinley turiff of 1890. j The year previous the American prod ; uct was 2.500 tons. Two years later it was 12,000 tons. Four years later it | was 20,000 tons. Last year it was 43,- ! 000 tons, and the product is on the in crease. The McKinley tariff establish ed. between July 1, 1891, and July 1, 1895, a bounty to lie paid by the United i States government to sugar producers, with a view of stimulating the industry and compensating those engaged in it for the changes made in the duty upon Imported sugar. Among scientists the opinion has been general that a moderate amount 1 of sugar, like a moderate amount of salt, should enter into the dietary of the people of each nation, but is only . when the figures of the consumption of sugar are examined that it is seen that j the quantity consumed varies radically and it is a curious fact that in those countries in which the maritime spirit —the spirit of navigation, commerce, j travel and colonization is strong, , ! there Is a very considerable eonsump ( tion of sugar per capita, whereas in those countries in which these quali -1 ties are not predominant among the '' inhabitants the consumption is smaller, ! In England, llrst among the maritime nations of the world, the consumption | of sugar is So pounds a year for each inhabitant. In Denmark it is 45, in Holland 31, in France 30. and in Nor way and Sweden 25. whereas in ltus sia it is only 10, in Italy 7, in Turkey 7, In Greece (i, and Servia 4. The con sumption of sugar seems to have very little connection with or relation to the production of sugar, for in Aus tria, the sugar product of which is large, the average consumption is only 19 pounds, while in Switzerland, in which there is no production'to Speak of, it is 44. And another curious phase of the matter is that there is a great disparity in the consumption of sugar lour rmTrniy. j To quit tobac co easily nnd forever, henuer j nolle. lull or life, in rvit and vik'or, tukfi No To l Uac, the wonder-worker, that makes weak men j strong. Alt drtij-'i-'ists, 50c or SI. Cure rnaran teed Booklet and sample free. Address j Sterling lieiriedy Co Chicago or New York. DM Yam Tako Scott's Emulsion through the winter? IF so, we are sure it quieted your cough, healed the rawness in your throat, increased your weight, gave you more color, and made you feel better in every way. ; But perhaps your cough has come hack again, or you are get ting a little thin and pale. Then, why not continue the same helpful remedy right through the summer? It will do ; you as much good as when the weather is cold. Its persistent use will certainly give you a better appetite and a stronger digestion. It will cure your weak throat and heal your inflamed lungs. 0 It will cure every case |||T] i of consumption, when q!j l\ a cure is possible. Don't be persuaded : to take something they say is just ! as good. All Druggists, 50C. and sl. SCOTT & IJOWNE, Chemists, N.Y. [ CATHARTIC jr CURE CONSTIPATION 25c 50c DRUGGISTS I „jt\T. Surrey HarneM. Pr10t,916.00. Wagone. S«nd for large, free No 001 Surrey. Pricr, with certauie, lamp*, eua- A» goovl as sells for %'i(i Catalogue of all our stylet, ehade, apron and feodere, fee. 4a goodaasells tar 999. I ELKHART €ABIUA«E AND UlßM£ii(l Mf 8. CO. 'tfi 11. PEATT, lu'y. CLKBAKT, XNO. Cure Consti pation and you cure it.* ccnssqaencei. These ara . .line ot" the constat. need of constipation : liiiiuusnes-;. 11 is■> ill' appetite, pimples, sour stomach, (i 'l're jsion, coated tongue, night mare, paipit Hon, o.ld 112 -<-1, del.iliiy, di:> xine: weal;a-• Inn kache, voi.iitii. jaundice, pile... p-Ulor, stitch, irritability, M I vou