SHAVING IN n ORTO RICO, j No Use. for American Razors or the Otis- | tomary Soap. The natives of our new territory, Porto Ilico, lmve no need to buy soap, for tlie wooded country abounds in plants whose leaves ami bulbs supply most fully the place of that indispens able article. Among the best of these is the soaptree, so called,though il is more a bush than a tree. Its bulb ivhen rubbed on wet clothes makes a : snow-white lather, which has an odor like brown Windsor soap. The Porto Kicans, who are itll. from the highest to the lowest, great dandies in their way, make soap out of cocoanut oil and homemade lye—and a fine soap it is, smooth and fragrant. This cocoa nut oil soap is used for shaving. When a man wishes to have a shave iu the morning lie starts out with his cocoanut shell cup. and his donkey tail brush and bottle. It is never any trouble to And an einpty bottle iu Porto itico, Cuba Jamaica, or almost any of the larger West India islands, even in remote spots in the mountains. At least twenty generations of thirsty people have lived there and llit'own away bottles. The man carries no mirror; lie is too poor to own such a luxury .Not one house in twenty in Porto Rico has even the very cheapest looking glass. Hut generously rich nature provides the mirror, as well as the soap. The man goes to some convenient pool in the mountain stream where the water is quite still —there is iiis mirror, lie breaks his bottle on a stone, and deftly picks out a sharp piece of suitable size. Then he lathers his face profusely, and begins to scrape away with his piece of glass, which in his hands works as well as the best: steel razor. A cut, or even a slight scratch, is extremely rare as a result of this al fresco form of shaving. Itetrayed b.v a Pontage Stamp. Some folks always stamp their letters upside down for luck, said a postoffice inspector in a reminiscent mood, "and others put the stamp on tlie back, which makes the cancellation clerk forget his religion. 1 remember we caught a fellow once through the peculiar way he stamped a letter. He was wanted for frivollug with the laws of Uncle Sam. but had skipped out anil couldn't be located. In looking over some of his correspondence 1 had noticed that he always put the stamp crosswise, so as to leave a small tri angle of tile envelope at the upper right hand corner. Why lie iliil it 1 don't know, but the stamp was always in that one particular spot, and gum med down with mathematical accura cy,. One day 1 was in a certain Georgia town, and while loafing near the cancellation table tit the postothce noticed several letters stamped as 1 have described. Just on chance 1 took ;i memoranda of the address and post mark. which was Chattanooga, and happening to be in that place on the following week I collared my man as he was inquiring for his mail. Tlie letters I noticed turned out to have been addressed to his wife. When I told him how 1 got my pointer he was mail as blazes, and I guess he stamps his letters straight now—if he is out yet. Safety Taper. A new kind of safety paper for banks etc., is announced, though the inventor's name does not appear, it is a foreign idea, one feature of the in vention consisting in printing or other wise impressing on the paper employed a plurality of sets of lines or marks, one or more of which sets are indel ible and the remaining sets dclible; these lines or marks are made so tine and so closely alternating or relative ly disposed that, iu ordinary observa tion with tlie naked eye. no single line or mark is distinguishable. Again, the indelible lines or marks are made of a color differing from though com plementary to that of the delible lines or marks, so that, owing to their close juxtaposition, they will convey the impresiou of a color differing from those of either of the sets of lines or marks. Thus, any chemical action or erasure* on such paper would, it is claimed, beat once discernible, anil the shade made by the two color combina tions would be hard to duplicate. Queer Bread. The Swedes, as the people of Sweden are called, bake their rye bread only two or three times a year; and what a nuking it is, to be sure! It lasts for a week or more, and how busy every one is! They do not bake this bread in loaves, but they make it in flat cakes about the size of a dinner-plate with it large hole in the middle. Artificial Wine. About ".">O.OOO gallons of artificial wine are being made from barley every year in a large factory in Ham burg. The medical profession in tier many thinks very highly of the wine, and recommends it in the hospitals of that country. Clay ripen. The British museum contains a very full collection of clay pipes, dating back as far us the sixteenth century. The custom of waxing the pipe to prevent it sticking to the lips was in troduced by the Dutch about the year 1700. The Beit Soldiers. A foreign medical officer, speaking of soldiers, states that physical matur ity does not occur till between the ages of twenty-three and twenty-live. Hoys under twenty are almost sure to break down. The best armies are those with twenty-two years as the minimum. Gunpowder Test The tost required of gunpowder of any anil all classes is to give the pro jectile a muzzle velocity of 2.000 feet per second, with a pressure not greater than fifteen tons to the square Inch In the powder chamber. Klepliant Teetli Elephants have only eight teeth two above and two below on each side. All elephants' "baby teeth" fall out when the animal is about fourteen years old. and a new set grows. The Atlantic Cable. About three seconds are occupied In transmitting a message from one end of the Atlantic-cable to the other. This is about seven hundred miles a second. GROWING GOLD. Experiment*. It is generally supposed that the nug gets which are found In lb» rive; j gravels of Klondike and other aurifer ous regions have been brought down by the rivers direct from the reefs in which tlie gold origiuall.v lay. Many practical miners and scientific men. however, have long been of the opinion that this cannot be the case, for no masses of gold of so large a size are ever found in the reefs themselves. They believe, on the other hand that the nuggets have grown where they are now found, just as a crystal of salt will grow is strong brine; but with so insoluble a' substance as gold It Is j difficult to understand how such growth could take place. Experiments carried out in Australia have shown that decaying vegetable matter will cause the deposition of gold from solutions of gold salts, but these salts are not known to occur in reefs. The mystery is now solved. A Slav onic chemist named Zzigniody has just shown that gold itself can exist in a soluble form. Hy acting ou a slightly alkaline solution of a gold salt with formaldehyde and submitting the pro duet to dialysis he has succeeded iu ob taining gold in a collodical condition, in which state it is soluble in water and may lie precipitated by the addi tion of common salt. It is washed out by the rain, carried away in solution by the rivers, anil deposited in the river gravels whereever there is any thing containing salt to cause Its pre cipitation. In the course of ages a large nugget may be formed in this way. Courageous Animals, In North America one of the largest of the weasel family is the "fisher," a very large, long-furred polecat, living mainly by the waterside, and, like many' others of tlie tribe very partial to fish. It weighs about sixteen pounds, and its long, richly colored fur is exported in great quantities to dif ferent parts of Europe, though not often used in this country. A trapped "fisher" will attack apyone who comes in reach of the trap chain, and when free will beat off any dog of twice its size. But perhaps the most striking example of the courage of the smaller species yet recorded is that known as the fishing cat, which, though no rela tion, to the Canadian "fisher." is quite as courageous. Oue of these, which was kept in a menagerie, broke through into the next cage, and there attacked and killed a leopard which was three times its own size. The Indian mongoose possesses all the courage of the polecat, together with amiability anil a "regulated" mind. It turns its pluck and prowess to good ends, and we imagine it to stand at tin- head of tlie lis! of tlie smaller animals if quality as well as j quantity is demanded as a mark of j intrepidity. There is no doubt that the i mongoose realizes the deadly nature of the cobra's bite. Its intense excite ment is strong evidence of this. But a mongoose has been known to tight just as bravely against other foes. One was seen to attack and drive off a large greyhound which it fancied was hostile to it. lie Said Grace. The old United Presbyterian kirk at Savocli. in Scotland, had a minister some sixty years ago named David Caw, a very diminutive man, standing only about five l'ect two inches, He married a strapping, handsome lass, some five or six inches taller than lie. and her name was Grace Wilson. The Sunday after the wedding ho got a neighboring minister to preach for him. so that he could sit with his bride on the first Sunday. The minister was a good deal of a wag. so Mr. Caw made him promise faithfully that he would not allude in the sermon to him, his bride or the fact of the marriage, but Mr. Caw nearly sank through the floor when the text was given out, Kpheslans iii. "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this Grace given." Writing ou (ilnts. A patent lias been granted in Ger many for a new method of writing on glass, using au aluminum point. The glass which is to lie written on is first moistened with vinegar and the writing or drawing made with the point. Fine particles of aluminum adhere to the glass, which when dry shows the marking In silverly lines that, cannot be readily removed by friction. Wlieu Franre'n President Travel*. The French President travels free on the railways during his official tour of France, but when tlie return journ ey is concluded, his secretary calcu lates what it would have cost If paid for at the regular rates, and this sum is handed over to be distributed among the poorest paid of the railway men. Capitals of thejl'iilteil States. Lancaster was the capital of the United States from Sept. -'7. 1777, to Sepi. :>O, 1777. The capital was also located for a time at Baltimore, York, Princeton, Annapolis and New York. In 1800 the seat of the Government was transferred permanently from Philadelphia to Washington. Vase Candlestick*. The woman who is fond of novel ties for her table will rejoice to learn that candlesticks ore now made with vase pedestals. The holder for the wax taper rises from a little bowl in which flowers or ferns may be held. Tlie Visible Stars. The number of stars visible to the naked eye is less than six thousand. The number of stars visible through the largest telescope is probably not less than one hundred millions. An Undrritronnd City A subterranean city exists in Gallcia, Austrian I'oland, which contains a population of over 1,000 men, women and children, many of whom have never seen the light of day. Paris Ha* Popular Prices. The theatres' o> Paris have populai representations on certain days, whe' the seats cost only a quarter, or hal the usual price. English Travelers. It is calculated that in moving about from one place to another the people of England upend about $750,000 a day. BIRDS SHY OF WINDSTORMS Tactlcf Tliey Pnraue to Kwape Impending l)anis«r. The power of the winds is dreaded by almost all ordinary birds, and an instinctive knowledge seems to bo pos sessed by tiiem ilui« if they once sur render to Ihe forci' of the winds un known dangers will have 10 be faced. Consequently, when a high storm pre vails, all birds seek shelter of some kind. The strong-winged sea birds are me last to take fright at the approach ing hurricane, but even they will final ly try to escape its fury beneath the shelter of some cliff or sand dune. During tremendous windstorms birds may sometimes be seen flying overhead at "a great altitude. When lids phe nomenon is observed it may be taken for granted that the upper atmosphere is comparilively quiet and that the dis turbance is confined chiefly to the lower regions. .Many sea birds seek the upper air of common quietness dur ing tropical hurricanes. AVlien a heavy wind or gale springs up the gulls, terns and petrels will fly back and forth over the water's surface, rising and falling, and utter ing their peculiar cries of warning. If the storm extends too high up tliey will drift gradually with the wind or fly away to the edge of the hurricane. Very often I hey gel caught unexpect edly in the gales of wind and they tind themselves in a dangerous position. Then they struggle with tniglit and main against the powers of the air currents. Knowing that danger and death face them if they once come under the dominion of the wind, they use all the strength and tactics they are capable of to combat the elements. A young herring gull, it petrel or a tern thus surprised will beat up against the wind witli powerful flight. It will rise high in the air. facing the gale and making a little progress forward as well as upward. Then it will suddenly descend with rapid flight toward one side of the storm swept path, but fall ing oft' at the time in the direction of the blowing wind. Once more it will sweep around and face the storm, as cending heavenward and striking des perately out toward the direction of the storm. Non-Freeglng W »l»r I'lpea. The (tcrmnus. who are so far ahead of many nations in a certain class of technical skill, have Incorporated into their plumbing practice a non-freezing water pipe, which will save an incal culable amount of annoyance ami pro fanity in a single winter. The purpose of the invention Is not only to prevent the water from being frozen, but to provide an opportunity for its expan sion by cold. Into the iron pipe, as far 11s it is above the ground, there is in serted a second narrower pipe of thin elastic substance, such, for instance, I as rubber. This insertion remains un affected by the ordinary pressure; but if the water shoulu be frozen by ex treme cold the elastic insertion is com pressed by so much as tile volume of water Is increased l>.v the freezing. With the coming of the thaw the in sertion expands again to its original circumference. The object of the tin or lead around the insertion is to pre vent an unpleasant taste or odor being imparted to the water, ii is said that water pipes provided with such an in sertion have withstood a cold test of 4(i degrees centigrade, while others that were no so provided invarubly burst at that temperature. Lift* ou » Torpedo lUmt. So Injurious is life ou a torpedo boat that a year's continuous service will mentally ami physically incapacitate a man. This assertion is made on the authority of Lord Charles Heresford, but that the strain on any one serving 011 these crafts is very great Is shown by the fact that to one months service the British naval regulations allow one week oil'. Austria is endeavoring to mitigate the hardship of service on these boats, and life on one built for the Austrian navy, and tried on the Thames recently, was demonstrated to be plcasauter than on those of tin" Kug lish navy. ft lit* t l,ik« Oilier People, Though the tierman emperor has an annual income of about three-quarters of a million sterling, the empress, who dresses "like a good-class woman," is most economical. The children's clothes are repaired in the workroom, where her own wardrobe is mended. When the clothes are outgrown they are cut up for tL« smaller members of the family, which can very well be done, seeing that six out of the seven | children are boys. All Muscle. The elephant has more muscles in its trunk man any other creature pos sesses in its whole body, the number being, according to t'uvier. not fewer than 40,000; while in the whole of his body man can only boast of 527. This is why the elephant's trunk is so ex ceedingly strong, and at the same time so extremely delicate In Its move ments. Activity of Iluby Crocodiles. The moment a young crocodile breaks its shell it is to all Intents and purposes as active as It Is at any time during its life. It will make straight for the water, even if it be out of sight and a good distance off. and it will pursue its prey with eagerness and agility during the first hour of its I free existence. Cuttlnc of Itiiiumnds. Diamonds are cut in three differ ent forms—the rose, the brilliant, und the table, of which the second is the prettiest. It is a double pyraiyid or [ cone, of which the top is cut off to 1 form a large plane, and at the bottom directly opposite to a small plane. Prlnatrrrlnit, Letters of marque and reprisal, which really meant the commission ing of privately on ned vessels as war ships—the old privateer, in fact—were ! first granted In IThey are not I permitted now. A <» rafted Ki*r. An enterprising veterinarian of j Bristol. I 'a.. has successfully grafted an artificial ear on a horse. It exact ly matches the ear on the other side of the animal's head and is equally tinder control. Ctilnw Tea. China exported X'i.ooo,ooo pounds of tea the past season. TESTS FOR INSANITY. Bute of Thumb MMlioila Which Vary | Frequently Fait. Most people imagine, said a nerve specialist, that doctors have some in- ; fallible test by which they cau de tect insanity immediately. Of course, that's all nonsense. There are many odd methods of diagnosing such eases, however. In locomotor ataxia the patient cannot walk with his eyes shut. In Incipient paresis there is difficulty in articulating particular letters, and one famous scientist used to make his patients say 'national intelligencer. A man with an incipient case of the dis ease can't pronounce these words dis tincily to save his soul.* Another very eminent practitioner employed "truly rural' for the same purpose. If you have paresis I would advise you not to try 10 say 'truly rural" at least not in company. "The "knee-jerk" lesl is well known to physicians. To apply ii the legs are crossed and a sharp blow struck just below the knee of the limb that is swinging loose, if the subject is all right there will be a prompt reflex action; in other words, ids foot will fly up In spile of all efforts lo keep it quiet. If not, there is something wrong, and that reminds me of a tragic incidetii which occtired in a southern court not many y ears ago. A man was being examine for insanity, and one of flic lawyers ma>'n the experts the butt of a great deal of ridicule, lie scoffed particularity :;i the knee-jerk t< stand asked to have it applied to himself. 1 here was no reflex action, and the fail had powerful effect on the Jury, especially as the lawyer hap pened 10 l<e a man of brilliant attain ments. After the trial was over he got to thinking about the matter, und in spite of Ins skepticism concluded to submit to a thorough private examina tion. 11 was made and discovered un deniable *|>>us of locomotor ataxia, dooming him to a certain and lingering death. Oncer Heller* Omul Sev«i«. So numerous are the queer beliefs concerning the number seven that a narration of them all would till a vol ume. Inn we may mention a few of them. From iho very earliest ages the seven great planets were known and ruled this world and the dwellers in it, and their number entered Into every conceivable matter that concerned man. There are seven days in the week, "seven holes in the head for the master stars are seven." seven ages both for man and the world ill which lie lives. There were seven material heavens, and In the underworld de scribed by Dante the great pagan dead who were not good enough for heaven or bad enough for hell reposed in a seven-walled and seven-gated city, 'jhere are seven colors in the spectrum and seven notes In the diatonic octave, and the "leading" note of Ihe scale is the seventh. Be it uoted that the sev enth son I-. not always gifted with beneficent powers. In Portugal he is believed to be Miliject to the powers of darkness and to be compelled every Saturday evening to assume the like ness of an Tldl.ltl iu l*orto ICIco. "The oysters you get In I'orlo Ttico arc smali and have the coppery taste that the bivalves they furnish iu Kurope have." remarked K. M. Mercer of New York. "The fish, however, are very line, and the fruits of the island are delicious. In fact, it is a country where hitman life is easily supported with very little labor. The expense of living to the natives is very light. The boys of the common class go naked till they are alMiiit ten years old. I think that the reports of native Im morality have been greatly exaggerat ed. My own observation was that the people behaved with quite as much propriety as they do In our own coun try. where certainly the opportunities for u correct inode id" life are superior, seeing that we enjoy a much higher standard of civilization. For an op pressed and tax ridden people the Porto Rlcans do well, and there Is little about 1 hem that calls for severe critic ism." small Fame for Spanish Actors. Theatres iu Spain have no pro grammes. A bill in the lobby some times gives me ifist. but most of the actors remain unknown by name. The curtain Is oevoted to advertise ments. and In Madrid theatres adver tising cards are affixed with the num bers on the back of each scat. Worklngnien of Calcutta. The hours of work in the Calcutta jute mills are from 4:MO a. tu. to 9 p. 111.. or If,i.j hours per day. Saturdays included, and all repairs and cleaning of machinery have to be made on Sundays. fr'Mfttft of tflllnA. In fasting feats the sect of Jains, In India, is far ahead of its rivals. Fasts of from thirty to forty days are very common, and once a year they are said to abstain from food for seventy-five days. I'IMIIIIK a Warnlilp The rate at which modern warships take in coal is simply marvelous. The Magnificent, a lirst-elass British battle ship in the Mediterranean, recently averaged over Ido tons per hour—a rate of nearly three tons a minute. Flowers in Tuscany. Flowers are never used in Tuscany, but at Christmas and Easter all the walls of the cathedrals are decked with wonderful damask of almost priceless value. Child \Vlr»«. The latest t iovcrnment census In India showed d,(ilii,Tsii girls between five and nine years of age. who were already married, of whom 170,tHKi had become widows. Drafting of SpHiilnrd*. Any Spaniard over the age of nine teen is liable to l»c called into mili tary service for three years. By the payment of 1,500 pesetas f|3ool he can escape military duty. I>e»ftteftA. At least one-third of all people In middle life have one ear affected by deafness. I breweries. Of 51,tW0 breweries in the world, 28,- <XH> are in Uermany. Jaamlnc Pine Mtwma. In Turkey, the jasmine if extensively | grown for the cf pipe stoma. For this pui pose the stems of the growing plant are trained with the greatest (.ire • toil they h >ve attained the proper length and size. The bark is protected by a wrapping of varnish ed linen or calico. Two or three times a year this will he taken off and the bark treated to a citron juice bath. This is eaid to give it the light color so much sought after. Some of these pipe stems are from ten to eighteen feet in length ar.d bring as much as tinn each. There is a powerful bretu ot tlogs along Smith's sound that does not. hes itate to attack the most ferocious wild animals. These dogs hunt in pairs and a big bear is a Joke to them. One dog can bring down a reindeer and kill it in a few minutes. Their i'hick coat Is tawny in hue and in winter a thick fleece of wool covers them. They look so much like wolves It is hard to tell what they are at a little distance. Kleetrlenl Current*. A scientist lias discovered that elec trical currents in the form of waves rapidly succeeding one another can produce insensibility to pain and cold in the flesh, acting as an anesthetic like ether. When the currents were applied to the linger and thumb by wires, the finger could be.pricked with a pin with out pain. The most uneotuprt mising critics are j usually found in on- own families. -- - SMItVAtfMVAiYMVIkii irtit nVVoVVo i/sj. | CTYLISM Mil.IABI.I; ? l! 1 ARTISTIC, 2 Recommended by Leading 5: > Dressmakers. £ Jfe j They Alsiyi Pliisc ■% MS a BAZARI fiWTERHSXg# 2 «»«iy tuj «nJ u~n in tl.r ".'ned irnn 5; 5» tf jroui 'lfilei doff* not h-'q th-m lend m* 2 direct to u> One :«nt %-amp. received g •2 Aidrest you* netiett point * . | THE McCAI.I. COMPANY. sj | 138to 146 V* Mill Street. YorS: J". 1 189 Filth Ave . Lhiva/o, 2: 5 1051 Market St., bun • ruiul»co. •; MSCAU;S^k) MAGAZIKEW *Tu.... -, .. ...r * 5 Brightest I'uLiij'K-i . [*: 2 Con'.a in* i. « .:»rM I" •; js including *F it f'*K I'-tti-m 5 Address THE McCALL CO.. £ S 138 to 146 vv 14th St. New V«rk WWWWMMMMAM/WWA»AMMW«>' WMfS fP# CATHARTIC CURE CONSTIPATION *SC SOC DRUGGISTS New York Weekly Tribune. Sgflßs NATIONAL °FANHLY Tnßgßg. NEWSPAPER fj and Villagers, and|your favorite homo newapapar \ The News Item, BOTH One Year for $1.25. Send all orders to the News Item, Laporte. THE N. Y. TRIBUNE ALMANAC. ;i4O papee. A National Book of refer ence for Governmental and political in formation. Contains the Constitution ®t tlie United States, tlis Dingley Taritt Bill, with a comparison of old and new rates. President McKinley's Cabinet and appointees, ambassacors, consuls, etc. The standard American almanac. Price. 25 cents. Address, The News Item. Try The News Item Job Office Once. Kine Printing FACILITIES. We Print To Please. THE REPUBLICAN NEWS ITEM. IS THE PAPER FOR THE FAMILY. v-y Republican in Principle ! i <lndependent in Thought * * Indomitable in Action. Cure Consti pation ud you cure its consequences. These are | some of the consequences of constipation: i Biliousness, loss of appetite, pimples, sour i stomach, depression, coated tongue, night- I mare, palpitation, cold feet, debility, diz : ziness, weakness, backache, vomiting, : jaundice, piles, pallor, stitch, irritability, ! nervousness, headache, torpid liver, heart- I burn, foul breath, sleeplessness, drowsi ! ness, hot skin, cramps, throbbing head. Ayer's U if for Oonmtlpmtlon Dr. J. C. Ayer's Pills are a specific for ; all diseases of the liver, stomach, and ! bowels. M I suffered from constipation which as | gamed such an obstinate form that I feared I it would cause a stoppage of the bowels. After vainly trying various remedies, 1 be gan to take Ayer's Pills. Two boxes effected • complete cure." D. BURKE, Saco, Me. ! ' "For eight years I was afflicted with constipation, which became so bad that the doctors could do no more for me. Then I began to take Ayer's Pills, and soon tha bowels recovered their natural action." WM. H. DELAUCETT, Dorset, Ont THE PILL THAT WILL. sores. "Running sores appeared on my leg and spread over the entire lower portion of the limb. I got no help from medicine till I tried I yours. 1 was cured by one bottle of q Ayer's darsaparffla." ISAAC ACKER, Cowans, Va. :||VL JJj % L J|J|: ! i Caveats, and Tradc-Marlcs obtained and all Pat-|, 1 fent business conducted for MODERATE Fees. <' SOUR OFFICE 1A OPPOSITE U. S. PATENTOFFICC; [ }and we can secure patent in less time lna& UW« , < [remote from Washington. ... . 11 S Send model, drawing or photo., with detcnp»i [ <>tion. We advise, if patentable or not, free ofj, * [charge. Our fee not due till patent is secured. , i J[ £ PAMPHLET. 44 How to Obtain Patents," with< | scost of same in the U. S>. and foreign countries], ssent5 sent free. Address, <» ic.A.SNOW&CO. OPP. PATENT OFFICE. WAaniNOTON. D. C. C
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers