r=R™i j SWORD OF HONOR. | Of all the presentation swords which the United States Government has given in times past to its heroes pf the army and navy, none equals in prtistic beauty and skillful design the pword of honor soon to be given Rear Admiral George Dewey. The cost of the sword will not be far from SIO,OOO, whioh was appropriated by Congress last May to defray the expense, also, of manufacturing a set of bronze medals for the officers and men of the Asiatio Squadron. With the exception of the steel blade and the body metal of the scab bard the sword will be made entirely pf pure gold, of twenty-two carats fine; the grip will be covered with fine fcharkskin bound with gold wire and inlaid with gold stars. Above the sharkskin the handle termiuates in a Richly carved and enameled gold dollar and knot. A narrow band of pak leaves unites the sharkskin to the collar. Then come the arms of the Admiral's native State, Vermont, with tho motto, "Freedom and Unity," REAR ADMIRAL DEWEY'S SWORD OF HONOR. (.Showing both Bides of the blade, together with the scabbard and belt.) tnd above this, and spreading toward the top, is the great 89«uof the United ptates, with the blue field of the Shield in enamel; the oluald in the »rms of Vermont is a 133 cnr.meled. The collar is surmounted with a closely woven wreath of oak leaves, the standard decoration for rank, and the intervening spaces between the deooration are studded with stars. On the pommel is carved the name of the cruiser Olympia, and the eodiacal sign for the month of De cember, when Dewey was born. The guard is composed of a conven tional eagle, terminating in a claw clasping the top, the outspread wings forming the guard proper. The ex pression of the eagle is one of cool de termination, and, vh'.le firm, still bearing a message of reace in the laurel wreath held in the beak. The wreath serves as E. protection, cover ing the point of ths beak, and at the same time preservss the proper out lines of the guard. . The scabbard will be of thin steel, damacened in gold, with sprays of rose marinue, signifying fidelity, con stancy and remembrance. The sprays are interlaced in the form of a series of cartouches, with a star in the cen tre of each, while dolphins fill the outer spaces. Sprays of oak leaves and acorns secure the rings and trap pings of the scabbord;above these, on the front of the scabbord, is a raised monogram in brilliants entwining the letters "G. D.," and immediately un der them are the letters "U. S. N.," surrounded by the sprays of rose marinus. The ferrule, or lower end of the scabbard, terminates in en twined gold dolphins. The sword blade is damascened with the inscription: : Tho Gift of the Nation to Bear : : Admiral Georgo Dowey, U. S. : : N., In Memory of tlio Victory : :at Manila Bay, May 1, 1898. : The letters are of an ornamental character, and sufficiently large to be dignified. The Phoenician galley, representing the first craft of the world's navies, supplies the rest of the ornament on this side of tha blade. On the other side of the blade is shown the flight of the eagles of victory, bearing festoons of laurel to the four quarters of the earth. Three women are members of the Board of Aldermen at Lincoln, Neb. FARM WAGON BY TROLLEY. A Special Track to Carry It When Ball! Are Reached. A great many different schemes hav< been proposed, and some of tliem have been tried, for lessening the work oj carting farm produce into town. Thi traction engine is used for that pur pose to a considerable extent in Eng land, although in America very littl* hauling is done therewith. Then again there 'has been a good dbal oi talk of laying broad, guttered rails on the common highway for the wheels of the ordinary wagon to run in. In some parts of the United Statef there are trolley lines reaching througb the rural regions and carrying nol only passengers, but also mail and ex press matter. A Toledo man, named Bonner, has devised a special truck which is de signed to run on a street railway and to carry a farm or express wagon. In asmuch as the ordinary vehicle would not fit the truck, Mr. Bonner thinks it better to have his own wagon as well as his railway truck. He has ob> tained a franchise from the city ol Toledo for running his wagons through the streets. After the city service is fairly started Mr. Bonner will endeavor to secure rural patronage. Of course, it will be necessary for such farmers as wish t( take advantage of his plan to have thf right sort of wagons and to haul then: by horse power near enough to town to reach the trolley tracks. But it Ohio there are numerous trolley roads extending from one town to anothei and attaining a length of ten, fifteen and even twenty-five miles. If a farmer only lives along one of these routes he will not need to haul his wagous more than a few rods. Indeed, if he has a switch and sidetrack and loads his wagons while they stand on the latter he will have an easy tash NOVEL TROLLEY WAGON'. before him. The rapid development of trolley lines through the rural dis tricts nowadays makes Mr. Bonner's idea an interesting one. There is nc telling how far it is likely to become serviceable to American farmers. What Dusty Hltotles Did. ' "At the first call he went to the front." Letter Carriers in In<Ua. Each letter carrier in India has o run of six miles, and at the end of il is relieved by another carrier, who al cnce begins his run. Thus the mail is conveyed over unpopulous sections in comparatively quick time. —Cleve- land Leader. racking au Alligator For Transportation. He was sent packed like this on the way from Panama to London. GOOD ROADS FOE CUBA. THE ISLAND IS A NATURAL PARADISE FOR WHEELMEN. The Ploturefique Beauty of the Scenery Is Sure to Attract the Attention of the American Cyclist—The Militant Apostle of Better Highways Is General Stone. It might seem a trifle premature to consider Cuba as a favorite resort for wheelmen. Tbe island is not now blessed with many roads available for anything more thau mule trains, but the militant apostle of good roads, General Roy Stone, has shown in Porto Bico what a little Yankee ener gy can do for the improvement of highways and, of course, the same can bo done in Cuba, and doubtless will be done now that the island has ceased to be a colony of Spain. For one thing, the picturesque beauty of; the island, enhanced by the charm of' its semi-tropical verdure, is sure to attract the attention of American, wheelmen, and when wheelmen get their eye on a country it is certain' that the coudition of its roads will speedily improve. In tbe case of Cuba, however, wheelmen will find, that their task will be not so much' the improvement as the creation of" roads, for practically no roads worthy) of the name exist, and even the streets of the cities and towns are in a wretched condition. Were the pa-' tient native mule endowed with speech like his kinsman of tbe Balaam story, be would undoubtedly cry out against; what passes for a street in a typical] Spanish town. It will sound a little! strange to read of century runs being! made in Cuba, but tbe thing may hap-' ; pen, and that, too, before many years. In the winter, with the improved sanitary conditions that will soon ob-, tain in the Cuban cities, the island; will become a favorite resort for a' multitude of Americans. The beau tiful Isle of Pines will probably be come one of the most popular places, in the West Indies. Even in the midst of their fierce fighting our sailer: and soldier boys were struck by the' charm of the country around Santia-| go. Scattered about in the sugar dis-| tricts of Cuba are splendid sugar plan-! tations owned by Cubans and Amer-i cans, whose owners, under a decent' and stable government, would soonj open up the country by good roads] aud other improvements. Then there ; is the centre of the island, as yet practically unemployed and unknown, but said to contain great forests of : valuable woods. It will not be long: before this terra incognita will be opened up under the stimulus of: American enterprise. Towns will: arise, railroads will bo constructed, and then about that time along will come the wheelmen, not long after which we shall hear of this, that and tbe other bicycle path or path run-, ning, it may be, through a grove of] palm trees, while the air is laden with' a tropical fragrance and the stillness of the forest is punctuated with the notes of strange birds. If the adven*. turous American wheelman fails to take advantage of this new and de-| liglittul experience, we have very much misjudged hiin. General Roy Stone has already spent sonic time in Cuba, but his duty there has been simply to advise in the building of temporary military roads for the use of the army. But it may well be that these temporary roads will become the nuclei of per manent roads, just as the points near Santiago at which engagements with Spanish troops have taken place may become interesting towns and villages with American names in the new Cuba which is to be. Indeed, it is inevita ble that this American invasion of the island is going to make many changes in its geography aud topography. While tbe more important places will, of course, retain their names, Anieri cuu industry and commerce will create, new centres of life and trade and de-; velop to their fullest extent the splen did opportunities for growth and progress that have beeu so shame-' fully neglected by Spain. But to re vert to our first thought, Cuba is n natural paradise for the wheelman, and when he finds it out he is going to see that good roads are built.— New York Tribune. Captain Sigabee's Lost Dinner. Somebody aboard the auxiliary cruiser St. Paul got a fine dinner that] wasn't intended for him, and Captain; Sigsbee was the loser, says the Phila delphia Record. While the St. Paul' was making the run from Montauk; Point to New York, the captain's 1 cook prepared for him a fine pair of mallard ducks, of which Captain Sigs-i bee is especially fond. Orders hadi been giveu to the cook to be par-j ticularly careful in the roasting of the! birds, and he brought them forth from tbe oven nicely browned. The cap-j tain, upon the, bridge, had had bis mouth set for them all morning, and' occasionally fancied he could smell tbeui cooking. Just a few minute.. 3efore dinner time, while the cook's back was turned, somebody whisked those two luscious birds out of the galley, and disappeared with them. The St. Paul is a big ship, and the thief had ample opportunity to hide himseif while he got on the outside of the roast duck. At any rate, he was never caught, nor was there any clew to identity. Captain Sigsbee was obliged to content himself with a can of sardines. False Report. "I was very sorry to hear that you had failed, Jones," said his next-door neighbor. "It was a slander, sir. I did not fail. It was my plans that failed, sir. Had they succeeded I could have paid every dollar I owe and had a hand some fortune left."—Detroit Free Press. I HAWAII'S DEVELOPMENT.! £ Our New Territory by Ma Means a $ Jfc Wlldernen Sheltering Savages. * People are beginning to ask prac tical questions about the nation's new domain in the Hawaiian Islands. There is a widespread inquiry as to opportunties presented in tbe islands for fortune-getting. Many of these inquiries betray tbe supposition that Hawaii is nearly an untrod wilderness, given over to half-naked savages in -A--"** v HAWAIIAN COUNTRY RESIDENCE. an aboriginal state of simplicity and heathenism. There is much pictur esque material in the native life and customs, whioh invites the descrip tive writer to turn aside and dwell upon it. It thus receives undue promiuence. As a matter of fact, the native element is a constantly dwind ling influence, not only by reason of the decrease in numbers of the race, but also of the increasing ratio of the foreign population and commercial and industrial improvements. With a total population in all the islands of much less than 100,000, it is easily seen that a small chauge in the absolute numbers may work vast changes in proportions. Thus, the introduction in tho last few years of •nly a few thousand Japanese laborers has awakened grave fears of anew pre hotolulUo C.HOLOM. dom i n ating ui»i CssX«au. influence i n «H o oJi£>ir * he affa l ira ° f / V the islands. """'"LANDS IX » llt tUe little —— brown men have thus far proved themselves as quiet, contented aud law-abiding as bad the Chinese, who comprised the largest part of the male population after the growth of the sugar industry > ad invited the use of their 'abor. But it is surprising how little effect all of these alien elements have in changing the prevailing Anglo-Saxon character of tbe little country's insti tutions. All matters, industrial, com mercial, social and political, centre in Honolulu. And Honolulu is a New England town transplanted into the tropics and embowered in palms in stead of elms. The selection of the site of Honolulu was not merely for tuitous. The deep bay, with the en trance locked by.a caral reef, opening away from the prevailing trade winds, makes it the one secure harbor in the group, as it did wbeu the New England whalers first made it their rendezvous for their annual expeditions. Even Pearl River Harbor itself, which is counted so valuable as a naval coaling station for the United States, offers its promise to the skilled eye of tbe en gineer rather thau to the heart of a mariner seeking refuge from imme diate storm. Honolulu alone boasts of finished wharves, to which seagoing craft can come and unload and load their cargoes. The so-called "esplan ade" in Honolulu presents a scene of bustle and activity at any time, with a fair showing of sailing vessels tied up to its wharves. The shipping and commission houses are the most power ful element in the business of the isl ands. The majority of them are Amer ican, but there are some strong British and German houses as well. Many of the plantations are owned and financed by such Honolulu houses, who may be also in the import business and own the bottoms in which they import dry goods, lumber and supplies of all kinds and export sugar. There are vessels thus owned whioh come out from Bos ton or from Liverpool and goon to China and India as traders. The PINEAPPLE PATCH IN HAWAII. young men of the islands consider themselves fortunate to secure busi ne' positions with these powerful Ix lulu bouses, and the young Amer- Englishmen and Germaus who have this connection make up an im portant element in the life of the town. One of the influential figures in the business life of tbe islands is Ah Fon*, the well-known Chinese merchant. Ah Fong's principal business connections are in China, and be does a large im port trade from tbere. Small groceries and bakesbops in Honolulu are largely in tbe bands of Chinamen, and their little provision stores are dotted all over tbe island. They are also the purveyors of fruits aud vegetables for the Honolulu house holders. The oountry about Honolulu is much taken up with their immacu lately kept gardens. A pocket hand kerchief would more than cover any neglected or unfruitful portion of these gardens. They labor in them minutely and assiduously, crowned with broad, pagoda-like hats, carrying huge cans of water on a yoke stick across tbeii shoulders down the furrows and sprink ling the vegetables on either aide. In marketing his produoe the Chinaman seeks no middleman, but jokes him self with his shoulder stick, with a basket on each end loaded with vege tables, and with a qnick, swinging trol goes from house to house and deliver* his produce to the cook-house. Fresh vegetables are cheap and always abun dant, and owiug to the equable cli mate one crop ripens after the other all the year around. The same is true of most of the fruits. It is no unusual sight to find fruit blossoms, ripe fruit and the intermediate stages all to gether on one tree. The Chinese are the household servants, almost with out exception, and are highly prized, and also highly priced. Living, on the whole, is rather deal ,in Honolulu, and there is large de pendence on canned goods, both for meats and for fruits aud vegetables, such as are not successfully produced in the islands. The Honolulu fish market is one of the sights of the A NATIVE HAWAIIAN WITCH DOCTOR. town. The dealers are mostly native fishermen, and one may see here nearly all the uncouth monsters of the sea—the dying splendors of the and the demoniac squid, which is a favorite article of diet with the natives. Fresh fish of choicent flavor can always be had from these native dealers, who form mullet ponds by building sea walls of stones, and have some skill in cultivating the fish, An ioo factory affords ample supply for refrigerating purposes and for oooling drinks, the need for whioh is by no means pressing, as the tempera ture is rarely oppressive and is tem pered during the larger part of the year by the northeast trade winds. The demands upon the time and ener gies of business men are not exoessive. Life flows easily and equably in the littln community. Many residents of Honolulu own oottages on the sea beach at Waikiki, only a few miles from Honolulu. The surf comes in over the reef and breaks on a shelving, .ndy beach. A noble grove of cocoa-nut palms fringes the heaoh and shades the cottages. Here the well-to-do residents of Honolulu rusti cate ; and there is no lovelier spot the world around. The combined area of the Philip pines, the Hawaiian Islands, Cuba and Porto Rico, is 247,743 aquare miles, or a little less thea tMt oJ Texas. Dnring the first seven months in 1898 the gold produoed in Victoria, Queensland and West Australia amounted to 1,567,401 ounces. SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS. The sea covers nearly three-fourths of the earth's surface. Air presses on*the body of every man with a weight of 30,000 pounds. The waters of the Grand Falls of Labrador have excavated a chasm thirty miles long. The molecule of ozone differs from that of oxygen in being composed of a triad of oxygen atoms instead of merely two. The natives of some tropical coun tries chew the fibres of green cocoa nuts as a remedy for fever. They contain much tannic acid, and are reputed as effective as quinine. It is well known that ants are fond of the sugary excretions of the aphids, or plant-lice, and that they watch over the herds of these insects, and, when the latter are in danger, carry them away to a place of safety. A German biologist has calculated that the humau brain contains 300,- cells, 5,000,000 of which die and are succeeded by new ones every day. At this rate we get an entirely new brain every sixty days. Strangi- Behavior of Snakno. A curious incident has happened in Milike village, which is at a distance of about four miles from Arrah, In dia. A boy named Umed Sahai, nephew of Ajadha Pande, was picking mango fruits in his garden when a monkey, which was sitting on the branch of a mango tree just over the boy's head, began to beat him by throwing mangoes at the boy, who looked round, but not finding any one began to cry. The monkey came down and placed two mango fruits at the boy's feet and bowed down his head. When people came around the monkey it ran away. In Burhvitta village in April last a son was born to one Sonaton. The mother one day left the room for a short time, and, on returning, saw three snakes there. One was holding its hood over the baby, while the other two were lying down, one oa each side of the baby. At her sight the snakes left the room. The father of the baby, however, struck one with a lathie, severing the tail off; yet, the same three made their appearance a little while after, and were seen as be fore. The spectacle is being repeated from day today for these three months. The snakes, however, leave the room at the approach of any hu man being. No harm has hitherto been done to the baby, which is splen did in appearance.—Amrita Bazar Patrika. How to Prevent a Cougli. A physician who is connected with an institution in which there are many childreu says: "There is nothing more irritable to a cough than cough ing. For Some I have been so fully assured of this that I determined for one minute at least to lessen the num ber of coughs heard in a certain ward in a hospital of the institution. By the promise of rewards and pun ishments I succeeded in inducing them uiiuply to hold their breath when tempted to cough,and in a little while I was myself surprised to see how some of the childreu entirely recovered from the disease. "Constant coughing is precisely like scratching a wound on the outside of the body; so long as it is done the wound will not heal. Let a person when tempted to cough draw a long breath and hold it until it warms and soothes every air cell, and some benefit will soon be received from this proc ess. The nitfogen which is thus re fined acts as an anodyneto the mucous membrane, allaying the desire to cough and giving the throat and lungs a chance to heal. At the same time a suitable medicine will aid nature in her efforts to recuperate."—New York Examiner. "White Men in the Tropica. White men do not colonize well in the tropics, and those who do become in the second generation like unto the natives in easy-going ways, and the third generation is as indolent as one could expect. In Jamaica, which has been an English colony for centuries, there are, all told, officials and sol diers and colonists, only 14,600 Euro peans. The total population is 633,000. In British Guiana, where the pojmla tion is 280,000, there are but 2533 Europeans. In Tonquin and Cochin China, annexed by France, there are fully ten million people, and outside of the French civil and military officers and troops not over forty French planters! The hot regions continue to be the home of the brown and black races, and one famous stu dent of ethnology, an Englishman, predicts that these races will some day dominate in the world' .flairs. In British India the » ..te people are but a minute fra -t/ * of the popula tion, and we do not believe that there will ever be a largrf American popula tion, that is, of white Americans, in Cuba or Porto Rico should those is lands come under the stars and stripes. Mexican Herald. Hi* Substitute for a Bathtub. "Anyway," said a man who is not always where all the conveniences for bathing are to be found, "as between washing my face and combing my hair I should comb my h&ir. I don't know why this is.but I know that the straightening out of the hair and the incidental scratching of the seal]) with the teeth of the comb wake me up and straighten me out more than washing does, and so, one might . say, I carry a bathtub with me in the shape of a pocketcomb."—New York Sun. /ood in the Ladrone Inlands. The chief food products of the Lad rones are bread fruit and cocoanuts, which grow spontaneously in every part of the islands. One cocoanut treo will feed a man.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers