France has decided to follow Ger many's example in establishing a na val attache at Washington. This is gratifying evidence of tho world rep utation the United States navy has acquire.!. A Fenver (Col.) man gave a dinner" to four thousand children on his wed ding day. At the end of twenty years, if he is able to give a dinner to his own children, he cau be said to have made a success of life. The Catholic churches of Cincin nati have been forbidden to allow the singing of certaiu masses because they tio closely resemble operatic anisic, or, to use the words of one of the leading priests of -the city, are "too stagey." Hereafter, the com mittee on church music of the diocese will pass upon each piece before it is illowed t > be sung. Tho hatred of France to England, liowever inconvenient, is natural. Lord Salisbury's sagacious and mas sive mind now apparently accepts with reluctance the truth, long since rec ognize 1 by the majority of his fellow- J subjects, that the conditions for an j sndirring friendship with tho Latin races do not exist. Hence the im aienso efforts made by the premier to bring the English speaking peoples into sympathy with each other. The vegetarians may be expected to rleuv the recent statement of an Amer ican physician in Porto Kico.wlio says that the Porto Bicans have become physically degenerate because they eat vegetables and not meat. The vegetarians can bring up the authori- I ty of the Bible, for it relates of Daniel ; lliat after eating nothing but pulse ! and water for ten days his couute- j nance "appeared fairer aud fatter in j flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat." "Early to bed and early to rise" is ,i Philadelphia proverb. Ever since the days of Benjamin Franklin that city has enjoyed repute as a place of staid virtues and moderate habits. People were not supposed togo there at the pace that kills. But it seems that Philadelphia has lately been los ing its beauty sleep, and a movement is oil foot among its social leaders tc restore the good old days of Pool Richard, so that young men and rpai dens may have a better chance* to grow wealthy and wise. Tho Omaha exposition was a re- i mark able demonstration of the indus trial prosperity of that section of the j West which contributed to its array of axhibits. It was another indication of the rapidly increasing industrial importance of a part of our country which tlie Eastern mind is accustomed to regard in a somewhat confused and nebulous light—as a vast stretch of farm-lands, most of them heavily mortgaged, and none of them re moved very many steps from a state Df uncomfortable poverty. The expo sition at Omaha tended to prove, along with the unceasing argument of the Western press, that the West in real ity enjoys a high degree of prosperity, and, furthermore, that its activities are not confined to agriculture, but that they are fast stretching ont into directions which the East is inclined to consider as lying within the limits of its own special field of usefulness. The fair at Omaha made an especial eiFort to show that the West io fast as suming importance as a manufactur ing and commercial territory. The report of the secretary of the interior contains some interesting in formation bearing upon the expansion policy. He shows that of a total of 1,356,323,972 acres of public domain, 087,339,422 acres have been appropri at d and are now occupied; 139,516,- 276 acres have been reserved for vari ous purposes, including 40,719,474 acres as permanent forest reserves: 579,308,274 acres still remain unoccu pied, of which 262,651,971 acres are unsurveyed. Ninety-four per cent, of the uuoccnpied areais classed as desert lands, and only about 71,000,000 acres are capable of cultivation either by ir rigation or under the natural rainfall. This indicates how near the agricul tural land belonging to the govern ment is exhausted. During the last year 11,328,037 acres were disposed of to private settlers, and 1,932,534 acres to railways. The forest reser vations which are permanently with drawn from settlement for the pur pose of preserving the timbers and protecting the sources of the streams, are situated iu the following states and territories: Arizona, 1,861,760 acres; California, 8,511,794; Colora do, 3,103,360; Idaho ; Montana aud Washington, 16,818,720; New Mexico, 431,040; Oregon, 4,653,440; South Dakota, 967,680; Utah, 875,520; Wy oming, 3,195,160. Extensive educational reforms ar« projected by the Madrid ministry. The war demonstrated the need oi teaching the Spanish young idea hov to shoot. Since July last 990 bicycles have been stolen in Chicago, and the po lice of that city give out the opinion gravely that some bike burglar is try ing for a ten-century record. The shade of Christopher Columbus, in the Elysian Fields, must smile with amusement to see his countrymen of today carrying his brother's dust to and fro upon the earth under the pious fiction that it is his, while his own rests undisturbed by the side of the rusting fetters he once wore. One of the first nets of General Wood at Santiago de Cuba was to re form and vastly improve the school system. General Kitchener's first act concerning Khartoum since his con quest of the place is to raise $500,000 for the establishment of a college there. That is what Anglo-Saxon Oonquest means today—the building not of fortresses to enslave people,but of schools to educate and elevate them. The Massachusetts Socialists a v e highly elated by the showing which they made at the recent election in Massachusetts, having a total of 10,- 000 against 0301 a year ago. This will entitle the party next year to a place upon the official ballot as a regular political party, and they are greatly encouraged by the success in Haver hill of James F. Carey and Louis M. Scates, who were elected totho Legis lature on the Socialist-Labor ticket, and will be the first Socialists to hold a seat in any legislative body in the United States, it is said. The advantages of ancestry and family are worth little in themselves to a young man save in our oldest communities. In the newer parts of the country the day laborer, provided nature has gifted him with brains and energy, may cherish any ambition. Lincoln was a day laborer. General Miles was a clerk in a dry goods store. Blaine taught a country school. Gar held drove mules ou the towpath. McKinley practised law in the insig nificant little town .of Canton, Ohio. Many of our millionaires began as workman. Other men who are drudg ing for wages today will be the mil lionaires of twenty-live years hence. Birmingham, England, is frequently referred to as the best governed city in the world. Whether or not that is true, Birmingham certainly has made greater progress in municipal social ism than auy other city. Almost everything is municipalized. It was a pioneer in municipal tenement houses, markets, slaughterhouses, mu seums, art galleries, libraries, indus trial schools, public laundries and baths, street-car lines, gas plants, elec tric lighting, and draws most of its revenues from business blocks erected by the city upon the ground which was formerly covered with the slums, and was purchased in order to eradi cate them. Municipal sanitation is probably carried to greater perfection in Birmingham than in any other city in the world, and the common council is now spending $2,000,000 in the purchase of a farm upon which the sewage of the city may be utilized as I fertilizer. One of the greatest drawbacks tc arming in this country, and espe cially in the New England states, is the difficulty of keeping the boys upon the farm. Fifty girls have takeu up the study of scientific farming in the Minneapolis college of agriculture. The progress of these young women will attract general attention, and if the results are practical the innovation will naturally spread to other states, and thus in the end work a reform in farming matters that will not only give a new impetus to the industry, but also rehabilitate many of the now abandoned New England farms, and furnish profitable, healthy and even congenial employment to the super abundant female population of those states. With scientific methods, in conjunction with 4 the labor-saving ma chines now in vogue, farming is not accompanied by the drudgery that necessarily attended the work in the years gone by. There is nothing in the whole routine of farm labor that cannot be accomplished by the aver age woman, and in no instance need she unsex herself in its performance. It is to be hoped the movement start ed by the Minnesota women will re sult in a reformation in farm matters that will not only increase the quanti ty and quality of the product, but also render the home of the farmer attract ive to the young mon of the family. A WEATHER SONG OF HOPE. The rain in m tne valley, the mist is on the What though the skin* are solemn, and t hill, sinking-birds have flown V But the soul is in the sunshine,and the heart Love knows a sweeter music than the birds is happy still; have ever known ; For love is ever springtime, and knows not For love is ever springtime, and the roses wintry chill, are his own, And the world will be brighter In the And the world will be brighter in the morning! morning! The river has no music as it ripples to the Oh, love it is that lends us from the sorrow sea, of the night But the soul is in the sunshine,and as happy To the beauty of the morning—to the splen as can be; dor of the light ; For love is ever springtime, with the bios- And every garden blossoms, and overy sky soms blowing free, is bright. And the world will be brighter in the And the world will be brighter in tho morning! morning! I" A FIREPROOF MAN. ] J BY ADDISON P. HUNROE. K f|r-y Tyi y y WW D» V jyt y ry My horse hud cast a shoe, anil I stopped for repairs at a blacksmith's shop in Lime liock, a quaint little hnmlet iu the northern part of one of our New England states. The village, a couple of miles distaut from the nearest railroad, consists of the post- ! office, smithy and a baker's dozen of rural dwellings; a pretty and peaceful place with rustic views that a man ac customed to the bustle of city life can fully appreciate. While waiting for my horse to be «hod, I learned that a few rods further on, over tho crest of the hill,were the famous lime kilns. I had heard of tho kilns at Lime Hock since my boyhood, but I had never chanced to come that way before, so, telling the loquacious blacksmith that I would return for my horse soon, 1 strolled over the hill to investigate. 1 was met by the kiln-tender, a strong, robust man about 50 years of age, who welcomed me cordially and volunteered to show me the modus operandi of tho a flair, which he did thoroughly. I can remember that when he flung tho big iron door of his furnace open with the words, "This fire burns night and day and never goes out," although I was ten feet away from the door, I was glad to screen my face with my hands from j the terrible heat; and yet, as if the j fire were not hot enough, he com menced to throw on great sticks of cord wood, which blazed up instantly. Having finished the inspection of the place, I was about to thank him and wishdraw, when I chauced to make tho remark that in this quiet little village of Lime Rock one could forget all the cares of life, all ita ex citements and tragedies. "Young man,"he said, "for 15 years 1 have burnt lime iu this place, and although my previous years were spent in far more exciting places, yet the nearest approach to a terrible trag edy happened to me in this same quiet, peaceful village." Scenting an interesting narrative, I hastened to assure him that I should feel honored if he would favor me with the particulars of his adventure. Offering me a stool and filling and lighting his pipe, he told me the fol lowing tale: "It will bo ten years ago the 15th of next December that the exciting incident in which I figured occurred. As [ have already explained to you, we have a gang of men here through the day,but only one man through the uight, his duties being to tend the tiro and draw the lime, which latter is done three times in each 24 hours. I was then the night man and was on duty an the 15th of December of which 1 speak. "It was a cold, clear moonlight aight about 10 o'clock. I was nlone, the last lounger having gone home, aud I had just replenished the great fire, when tho latch was lifted, aud a stranger walked in. lie was a tall, muscular,well-built man, I should say about 40 years of age, clad in a large overcoat and wearing a silk hat; he had a fine,intellectual face, with flow ing side whiskers and sharp black eyes; eyes that seemed to have the faculty of looking beneath the surface; in fact, they attracted my attention almost before I observed his other featu res. "Xow I like company in the long winter nights,and as I pushed forward a stool 1 bade him a cordial 'good evening.' " 'Good evening, 'he returned pleas intly, and throwing off his overcoat he seated himself opposite to me. " 'I do not often have callers at uight,' I said, 'but they are always welcome.' " 'Well,' he replied, 'the fact is I am walking down to the station to take the miduight train into P . As I had plenty of time aud saw the re flection of your fire I thought I would drop in, get warm and have a chat with you before finishing my walk.' "Well, he was a good talker, and time passed pleasantly, and after we had conversed some 20 minutes I had learned that he was a professor of chemistry in B university in P and that he was an enthusiast in his profession. "Suddenly he asked me if I would let him see my fire. I stepped around and threw open the big furnace door; the heat was intense, but although he stood within three feet of the open door, unlike most visitors, he neither moved away nor seemed to pay any attention to it,but drew nearer,if any thing, with his sharp, black eyes fixed inteutly on the flames. "Shutting the door I said; *' 'You are different from most peo ple, professor; everyone cannot stand the heat as yoe. did.' " 'I should be able to stand it,' he replied, 'it lias been the study of my life.' "He paced back and forth excitedly, his fingers working convulsively, and his eyes still fixed on the furnace door. The sight of that fir* hid had ■ strange effect on him. "The study of your life? What do you mean?" " '1 will tell you,' he replied, calm ing himself with an effort and resum ing his seat. 'As I have said, I have mado chemistry my life study, but I have studied it with a fixed purpose, and that purpose is to invent a com pound that will render the body of any living animal impervious to tire. Think of the renown that awaits the man that can render the human body fireproof! Think of the sufferings and deaths caused by tiro that he could vanquish! I have labored hard for 20 long years, and at last, at last,' lie al most shouted, 'I be'ieve 1 have per fected it!' "With trembling hands he drew from his pocket a bottle tilled with a thick, black fluid and a small syringe with a needle point, such as physi cians use for hypodermic injections. " 'Man,' he exclaimed,'a thimbleful of this elixir, injected into a man's veins, five minutes after injection will render him so impervious to fire that he could crawl into your furnace and go to sleep there without a particle of in jury; could inhale the flames without injury to throat or lungs! Why,'he shouted,stepping in front of me, 'it is the invention of the century! Doyou wonder that (ho heat from your lire had no eilect upon me? I am fire proof! I have taken the injection,and all the fires of Hades could make no impression on my flesh!' "I began to be alarmed at this en thusiast, he was getting so nervous and excited,but I inquired: " 'How do you kuow it will work to the extent you claim, professor?' " 'I made my last experiment last night,' he replied, 'and it was a glo rious success. I took a large dog,ad ministered a powerful opiate, so that ho would not resist, injected the proper amount of the elixir and placed him in my large furnace aud shut the door. When I get home tonight I shall let hitn out,' " 'And you expect to find him alive?' I burst out incredulously. " 'I most certainly do, and he will be none the worse for his experience, except that he will be pretty hungry; two hours after I left him my assistant told me lie was sleeping peacefully. Now oulvone more trial is necessary to convince the world that it can be done— nay, that it is done —and that is to ex periment on a human being! After this last experiment I shall introduce legis lation making inoculation compulsory, so that death by fire will forever be a thing of tho past, and my name will be handed down to future generations as the greatest benefactor of the bu rn,'u race. And now,having taken the injocdou, and with that magnificent, glorious tire of yours at hand, I pro pose to test it on myself, with your permission.' "I started to my feet. My eves were opened at last; I was talking to a lunatic, a determined madman. I looked at him with horror aud made up my mind that he should not thus commit suicide; I would knock him down with a stick of cord-wood first. "Meanwhile he had drawn a small bottle from his pocket, removed the cork and saturated a handkerchief with its contents; I smelt the fumes of ether. In a second, before I could think further, he sprang upon me. In stantly it flashed upon me that he in tended to experiment upon me, not himself. With the cunning of a mad man he had thrown me off my gna>-d and intended to etherize me and then to inject some of his compound into my body. "Now, as you see, I am a pretty rugged mau, and I was still more so ten years ago. Without a weapon of any kind, it was to be a struggle iu which strength and strength alone would count, and to my dying day I shall never forget the desperation of that combat. I fully realized that if he succeeded iu placing that handker chief against my nostrils all would ba ended; so, shouting loudly for help, I put forth my strength in my fight for life. In less than a minute I realized that I had found my match. "I had succeeded in grasping liis wrists, and I dared not release them for fear of the ether. Back and forth we pushed, round and round we cir cled; we tripped, fell,broke apart and ro3e again both at the same instant. "He rushed at me again with wild, unearthly cries; he bore me backward. I struck against a barrel of lime, and over I went with him on top; some thing pressed down hard on my mouth and nose; I struck out blindly, then a great blackness came over me, and I knew no more. "When I came to myself I was lying on a pile of old bags, right where you are sitting now, with a mau working over me; near the door was my pro fessor, securely manacled between two other men in uniform. The pro fessor was bewailing his ill fortune and pouring out curses upon his cap tors for interrupting him. " 'Well, neighbor,' said the man i who was attending me. 'that was a pretty close call; wait until your head gets a little clearer and 1 will explain.' "In a short while they told mo that the 'professor' was an inmate of a lu natic asylum in P , where they were employed as keepers. He had succeeded in escaping that morning 112 and they had tracked him with great difficulty, as lie was wonderfully cun ning. When in the neighborhood of our kSn they had heard his wild shouts as he made his last attack on me aud rushing thither had arrived just as I fell, overpowered. After a desperate struggle they had secured him. , " 'He is sound enough except on this subject of fire,' said the keeper. '"*nly last night he poisoned one of i> pet dogs with some chemical mix ta e, treated the body with his elixir and then put it in the furnace. The only way we conld quiet his frenzy was to toll him the dog" was sleeping quietly. And now, as we must get him back to the institution, is there anything we can do for you?' "I requested him togo to a certain farmhouse and call one of my helpers to take my place, as I did not feel able to finish out the night. This he did; and then taking the madman,who had relapsed into a sullen fit, into their carriage, tho men bade me good night and drove away, and I never set eyes on the 'professor' again. Yes, you may rest assured I never forget the 15th of December." Thanking him for his story I bade the iime-burner good-by and left him piling the wood on his great fire, which threw a lurid glow on the interior of his shed.—Waverley Magazine. AN OBITUARY GUILT. Quorr Donation by tho "Women of a !>laino I'iirisli to Their Pastor's Wife. "Many queer gifts come to the minister of a New England country church at the annual donation visit of his parishioners, but the oddest and creepiest thing of the kind that I ever knew of I encountered once in north ern Maine," said A.E. Stetson,a mem ber of a New York publishing firm. "I was a book canvasser then, selling religious woiks, and I stayed one night at the house of a Baptist preacher in the town of Monson, since become somewhat prominent through the development of its slate quarries. The preacher was a man of deep eru dition, known far and wide for his uuworldliness and apostolic piety,and his wife was a notable housekeeper. There was a good supper, aud at 9 o'clock in the evening prayers. These over 1 went to bed in the best room and, after the day's hustling, slept soundly. "Waking in the bright morning sunlight my attention was attracted by the odd pattern of the quilt which served as counterpane on my bed. It was a patchwork quilt, made in larga squares, and on every square was > lettering worked in black worsted. In the squute immediately before my eyes I spelled out the words: 'Sacred to the memory of Solomon Tubbs. Died Oct. 8, 18(37.' In the next square was inscribed: 'ln memory of Martha Phillips. Born June 11, 183;}. Died •Tan. 14, 18(54.' On every square was an obituary notice couched iu Ja style similar to the first one that I read, uud they covered a time running from 1851 to 18(57. The quilt, which I learned afterward, was presented to the pastor's wife by the women of her husband's congregation, combined the utilities of a counterpane with the record of deaths in the parish for a term of sixteen years. That it was spread in the best chamber showed that it was reserved for guests as » mark of high consideration. "At first sight the memento mori character of the inscriptions was a trifle appalling to a man just awakened. But being a guest at the same house for some subsequent nights I got used to the obituary quilt una even derived a certain enjoyment from studying out the inscriptions of mornings before I got up from bed. So familiar did they become to me that 1 could have re peated them all iu order by the time I quitted my canvassing field iu Maine to take up my present business in the metropolis."—New York Herald. QUAINT AND CURIOUS. Cloth is now being successfully made from wood. Both Mary l 4 hieen of Scots and George 111 were buried at midnight. The Scotch thistle is growing iu Greece, although there it is called the artichoke. Iu the eighteenth century Polish ladies obliged their daughters to wear little bells in order to proclaim whert they were all the time. In Siberia, if a man is dissatisfied with the most trifling acts of his wife, he tears a cap or veil from her face, au'i that constitutes a divorce. An eminent man of science has re cently declared that red-haired people are far less apt to grow bald thau (hose who are possessed of other colored hair. There are parts of Spain where the hat is unknown except in pictures. The men, when they need a covering, tie up their heads, aud the women use flowern. In Abyssinia the murderer is de livered into the bauds of the relatives of his victim, who kill him iu the same manner in which he committed the murder. Some of the petrified wood found in Arizona it is said, is so hard that steel tools will not work it, the petri fications being only three degrees loss iu hardness than the diamond. In the island of New Britain a man must not speak to his mother-in-law. Not only is speech forbidden to his relative, but she must be avoided; and if by chance the lady is met, the son in-law mast hide himself or cover hit fan* HINTS FOR HOUSEWIVES. Poster Pillow for the Divati. To make a poster pillow choose a poster that is of the realistic school— one that shows not more than three colors. Trace the figures 011 the stuff selected and then buttonhole them with a coarse silk onto the pillow cover. Velvet or satin may be used, ar two shades of linen, or even un bleached muslin. Ladies' Home Journal. A Uftcful Invention. There is an invention of the Eng lish which means so much comfort to the householder that it should be ini borteil. It consists of a couple of pulleys and ropes for the opening and shutting of heavy windows. The pul leys are high up in the framework of the window, and there is some little arrangement in the sash which fastens the cords. Two haudles at the ends of the two pieces of rope fall where they can be conveniently reached. One is dark, the other is light. The dark one is for "down," so that when the window is to be opened one has only to pull the dark handle, and down conies the window. When the window is to be closed the light han dle is pulled, and the window-sash is lilted.—Harper's Bazar. A S«fp it 11«I Effective Fire Kitxllcr. Kindling with kerosene, though al most universal when it comes to start ing the kitchen tire on a winter's morning, is a dangerous operation as generally done. No farmer or his son, of course the wife or daughter never has this cold and disagreeable task to perform, can be blamed for wishing to abridge this uncomfortable duty. If lie will try the following plan he will find it a success. He neither spills oil on stove and floor, carries oil in the dishes to season the breakfast later 011, and last but not least, does not bl.»w up the stove or set the house on fire. Take a t : u call, one with a cover so that the oil will not evaporate, an ! till about two-thirds full of oil, and set in some handy place out of the way. At night put two or thres cobs in the can and leave to soak. When the lire is to be started, take the cobs and put on the grate of the stove, piling the kindling and fuel over them. Then touch a match to theui and your fire is going full blast. Always have some cobs in the can. If for any reason it is desirable to have a tire 011 short no tice, your kindling is always redely.— J. L. Irwin, in Xew England Home stead. Now l r ne Tor the Drum. Into American households at last has the war come. The drum—that instrument of martial sound—has been transformed into one of the most necessary articles of the home—the scrap basket. Workboxes and work baskets, too, are wi.h a little ingenui ty made out of the same implements as the baud of the march. But little labor is required to fit these drums to their new vocation. If possible—for sentiment's sake, if nothing else —drums that have actual ly seen service are preferable, but if an old drum cannot be procured, a fresh new, miniature one, direct from a shop, glistening in all its gorgeous liess of bright paint, will do. Any size is allowable, and the adornment thereafter is limited only by the taste and skill of the fair war enthusiast. The first step is to cut out one end —not knock it out, mind you, as that would loosen the strings and break up the drum's entire structure. This ex cision should be done carefully, and with judgment. Then the interior should be lined with silk, sateen or cretonne. Bands of ribbons should be tied around the outside, in the same fashion as ribbon is tied around any basket, and the metamorphosis should be finished off with huge bows, tied in the most artistic manner. What are known as "baby drums" are made in the same fashion, into very tiny scrap baskets to stand on the feminine writing table, and yet another use for the transformed drum is as a "hair receiver," to be placed o'i my lady's dressing table. "Baby drums," too, must be used for these. -New York Herald. Peach 801l —Use stewed,evaporated peaches, well mashed and sweetened. Make a good bakiug powder biscuit dough, roll half an inch. Spread but ter over, then the peaches. It may be boiled, baked or steamed. Thin cream, sweetened and flavored, makes a very acceptable sauce. Stewed Salsify—After scraping, boil tender and cut in pieces; there should be three pints; putin a saucepan with a teacup each of vinegar and water, one tablespoouful of butter and one of sugar. Season with one teaspoon ful of salt. Just before serving- mix in half a teacup of cream and a beat en egg. Rico Balls—Miuce a little cold jhicken very fine, add a bit of minced onion, salt, 'pepper and sprig of pars ley, if at hand and liked. Shape cold boiled rice into balls two inches or so in diameter, hollow out and fill with the chicken mixture, cover over, roll in flour, then in beateu eggs and then oracker crumbs. Fry iu butter a nice brown. Serve hot and with "cream sauce," a tablespoouful each of butter and flour braided and cup of hot milk. Potato Pone —Add to the potatoes instead of flour, sifted corfi meal, melt the lard and wet up with boiling water. Leave the dough very stiff, then break into it, one at a time, two fresh eggs. Work them well through the mass. Take it up by small handfuls, toss them from one to the other, and flatten them lightly around the sides of a hot baking pan, very well greased. Bake quickly until a crisp brown crust forma on top and bottom.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers