CECIL RHODES,'SOUTH AFRICA'S "UNCROWNED KING."
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§ The Diamond Mines §
§ of Kimberley. |
0 Cecil Rhodes Controls tt\e Richest §
g Prize ir\ fl.ll Soutti Africa $
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N this country and
Mi * u C' rea '' Britain at
tention has been
'wSlßiil'')k strongly attracted
x?' r \A' K of late to the city
of Kimberley, and *'me
*' me ' u ter-
Z9»S es ' 1 189 been mar
tial; for Kimberley
is the home of Ce-
Rhodes, the
•»' Grand Young Man
of Africa. The
Bo e rs, according
to some accounts, at the beginning of
hostilities were anxious no less for the
blood of Rhodes than for the rich
booty of the mines.
Cecil Rhodes is often described as
"the man -who made South Africa."
Mr. Rhodes was formerly Premier of
Cape Colony, and is certainly the most
prominent and powerful man in South
Africa. He has achieved that place
in twenty-six years. In 1873 he left
Oxford because of a serious lung
trouble, and went to the Cape in
search of health. He is the youngest
son of an English clergyman, and was
born at Bishop Stortford, on July 5,
1853. He did not goto South Africa
to seek diamonds, but because his
physician had ordered a change. He
continued his studies while living in
Natal, and returned to Oxford each
SOUTH AFRICA'S OBBAT DIAMOND CAHP.
year until he took his degree at Oriel
College.
It is hardly too much to say that
Mr. Bhodes has made his fortune in
diamonds. Diamonds had been dis
covered in South Africa a few years
before he got there. Finally he, too,
caught the fever, and it was not long
before he had staked all he had in a
few claims. These he shared with his
brother, Herbert, who later relin
quished his share and went to the
north, where he met his death while
hunting elephants. Cecil plodded
away in the diamond fields, where he
euperintended his gang of Kaffirs. He
was successful in his ventures, and it
was not long before he found himself
the possessor of some §5,000,000.
He was elected to the Capo Parlia
ment, and by his political adroitness
was made Prime Minister in 1890. He
sought and won riches, but it is un
fair to assume that he has done so
solely for his own aggrandizement.
With the advancement of his personal
fortune he has also striven to realize
an early dream of bringing Africa un
der British dominion.
"That's my dream—all English,"
he said, many years ago, moving his
hand over a map of Africa up to the
Zambesi. Coupled with the acquisi
tion of wealth, he has labored toward
that end.
Cue of the results was the Mata'oele
war and the defeat and death of King
| Lobengula. The Jameson raid across
the Transvaal border was probably
due to the influence of Cecil Rhodes,
for he has never denied complicity
with it, and as its result he resigned
in 1896 as Prime Minister of Cape
Colony.
Kimberley is the diamond region of
the world, far surpassing those of
Brazil in richness. Kimberly is not
a city in the modern use of the word.
It is a great camp in which men's pas
sions rise and fall as the treasures of
the earth are uncovered or not found.
The camp is in what is called the Vaal
Basin, the wash ground of the river
which divides the Transvaal from the
Orange Free State. The first diamond
discoveries there were made about
1870, but it was ten yearn later when
Englishmen and others realized that
the spot was the most valuable of its
kind in the world.
By 1881 the mines which had been
opened had yielded gems to the value
of $20,000,000. By 1887 seven tons of
diamonds had been taken out valued
at §250,000,000. This record placed
the Brazil diamond mines in the
shade and made Kimberly world
wide in its fame. Tlie Cecil Rhodes
syndicate, known as the De Beers,
came into control of all the mines after
much negotiation. This syndicate is
capitalized for $75,000,000 and pays
interest at the rate of 54 per cent, per
annum und an annual dividend of 20
per cent. Siuce Cecil Rhodes came
into control of the mines they have
given out 2,500,000 karats of diamonds.
To get at these it has been necessary
to wash 2,700,000 loads of the blue
earth in which they are found.
In the working of these diamond
mines there are employed about 1500
white men and COOO natives. The
greater proportion of these men are em
ployed in theDe Beers and Kimberley
mines, the two biggest holes which
greedy man lias ever dug into the
eart 1 ;. The De Beers mine has an
area at the surface of thirteen acres
and a depth of 450 feet. The mines
are worked from shafts sunk some
distance from the original holes and
KAFFIR POLICE AT THE DIAMOND MINES.
penetrating to the blue ground by
transverse drivings at depths varying
from 500 to 1200 feet. The blue
Krouud. Tvhen ;x':rp.eisi. is carried in
small iron trucks to the levels. Upon
these levels the blnegrouud is worked
until the gems within are extracted.
The process of extracting takes from
three to six months. Tiia stones
found vary in size from a pin-head to
the largest ever found—42Bs karats.
This largest stone when cut weighed
228i karats. It is one of the ex
periences of the mine owners that
they lose from ten to fifteen per cent,
of their product eaoh year through
the thefts of employes, who, although
closely watched, still manage to get
away with their loot. The punish
ment foi stealing a diamond is fifteen
years' imprisonment. All diamonds
except those which pass through
illicit channels, are sent to England,
the weekly shipments averaging from
40,000 to 50,000 karats. The great
est outlet for stolen diamonds is
through the Transvaal to Natal,
where they are shipped by respectable
merchants.
It is said of the Rhodes interests in
the mines that they take good care of
their workmen. They have built a
model village called Kenilworth with
in the precincts of the mines. In this
village are cottages for the white
workmen. A clubhouse has been
built for their use and there is a pub
lic library. The equipment of the
mines is something remarkable. Eaoh
mine has ten circuits of electric lights.
They consist of fifty-two arc lamps of
1000 candle power each and 691 glow
lamps of sixteen and sixty-four candle
power each, or a total illuminating
power of abont 64,000 candles. Thirty
telephones are located in each mine
and over 100 electric bells to each for
signaling. The lives of the workmen
are insured and every precaution is
taken to make their condition tolerable.
TYPE OF THE NATIVE DIAMOND MINERS.
The rate of wages runs from §2 to 08
per day unskilled labor receiving the
lower price. What effeot the closing
of the mines by war have on the world
at large is hard to say. Diamonds
have already risen in price, but there
is a large stock ou hand in English
and French bauds.
The Great Corn State*.
"The great corn States, according
to the statistics of last year," writes
.Tohu Giltner Speed, in Aiuslee's, "are
in the order named, lowa, Illinois,
Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Indiana,
Texas anil Ohio. Each of these States
grew in excess of 100,000,000 bushels,
while the total of lowa was 254,999,-
850 bushels. This year we are prom
ised trom Kansas alone in excess of
350,000,000 bushels. Montana, among
the now States, grew the smallest
amount of corn last year, and Rhode
Islaud atnbug the old States. Ia
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts, Conueoticut, North
Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Wash
ington all of the corn grown was con
sumed at home, practically none of it
being transported beyoild the county
in which it was produced. The other
States, according to the amount grown,
shipped corn to other parts of the
couutry and abroad. In price the
corn on the farms realized all the way
from sixty-six cents a bushel in Mon
tana to twenty-three cents in lowa,
the general average throughout the
country being 28 7-10 cents per bushel.
Iu 1897 this general average was 26 3-10
cents; in 1896 it was 21 5-10 cents; in
1895 it was 25 3-10 cents, aud in 1891
it was 45 7-10 cents. In the latter
[year (1894) the production was short,
being somewhat more than twenty per
cent, less than last year.
It is a singular fact that Washingtoi.
and Oregon have yet no iron or steel
corks within their borders.
OLD£ST PICTURES OF MANKIND,
Eai'llent Known drawings of the Human
Profile DiMovered In Egypt.
Long centuries ago, in the "early
dnsk and dawn of time," at a period
which was ancient in the days of the
Pharaohs, some primeval artist in the
/ i
I 1
OUR RACE'S FIRBT PHOTOGIRAPK.
land which is now Egypt scratched
upon a potsherd the picture of a mau
and a woman.
Pleased was his tribe with that Image
came in their hundreds to scan—
Handled It, saielt it and grunted; "Verily,
this is a man."
A few months ago, when excavations
were being made in a little unexplored
part of Egypt, one of the relic hunters
came upon this potsherd. Little was
thought of the find at tho time, but
the finder, an arohreologist of Berlin,
was showing it the other day, along
with his other Egyptian relics, to a
German savaut, who at once became
interested in it. The savant begged
to be allowed to take the potsherd home
and study it more clo3ely. His request
being granted, he did so, and now he
has given his opinion that the draw
ings on the potsherd are the oldest
representations of mankind in exist
ence. He believes that they are at
least 300 years older than anything of
the kind discovered before. The
Egyptologist who owns this relic calls
the pictures "The First Man and
Woman."
A reproduction of the pictures is
given here. It will be noticed that
the man wears a "goatee" and that the
woman in the case has a prominent
nose. They were evidently people of
standing in their day and generation,
leaders of society, or king and queen,
perhaps, when they sat for their por
traits to the Egyptian Ung.
Stored Energy.
"You didn't act with your usual
fire and enthusiasm," said the ac
quaintance.
"No," answered Mr. Stormington
Ilarnes, "an actor sometimes finds it
necessary to husband his powers for a
supreme effort. I was saving myself
for the argument with the manager
when the box office receipts are
counted."
The lta<l Fenny,
Again the Bad Penny turned up.
"I'll make you look like thirty
cents!" cried the other, losing all
patience.
"Wouldn't that be counterfeiting?"
insinuated the Bad Penny, with a
malignant leer.
Of course the end did not justify the
means, particularly in the federal
courts. —Puck.
For the Fair Automobtlint.
Paris may properly be called tho
home of the automobile. There can
be no doubt that it has won its way
into the heart of the Parisienne, who
misses no opportunity to take long
rides around Paris and into the coun
try. Even stormy weather will not
deter her from venturing out, and in
order to have protection against the
rain the smart tailors of the French
A PARISIENNE'S MOTOR CAR COSTUME.
capital have designed a very service
able costume. A fair idea of it cau
be had from the illustration. The
costume has a military appearance. It
is made of dark gray waterproofed
covert coating with stitched leather
strappings.
The most costly leather in the world
is knovrn to thetrp.r!? ?.«■ rinno lestbsr.
*
I CHILDREN'S COLUMN, j
A Health Alphabet.
I—s soon as you are up, shake blanket and
sheet;
•3—etter bo without shoes than sit with wet
feet;
o—hlldren, if healthy, are active, not still;
o—amp beds and damp clothes will both
make you ill;
E—at slowly, and always chew your food
well;
F—reshen the air in the houso where you
dwell;
3—anneots must never be made too tlffht;
If— omes should be healthy, airy and light;
[—f you wish to be well, as you do, I've no
doubt,
r-ust open the windows bhfore you go out;
K—eep your rooms always tidy and clean;
[.—et dust on the furniture never be seen;
51 —ucli illness Is euused by the want of pure
air;
N—ow open the windows be ever your care;
o—lil runs and old rubbish should never be
kept;
P—eople should see that their floors are
well aw- pt;
Q—ulek movements in children nre healthy
and ri^ht;
R—emeinber the young cannot thrive with
out litfht;
S—ee tiia-. the cistern is clean to the brim;
T —ake care that your dress is all tidy and
trim;
U—se your nose to see if there bo a bad
drain;
V—ery sad are the fevers that come from its
trttin;
W—alk as mueh as you can without feeling
fatigue;
X—erxes the king walked many a league;
Y—our health is your weulth, which your
wisdom must keep;
Z— eal helps a nood cause and the good you
will reap.
—Troy Free Tress.
How to I>reftH a Doll.
There arc many simple ways of
dressing dolls whose clothes are not
made to be taken off and on, and
when dolls are to be giveu to quite
young children such clothiug will be
quite as much liked as that of a more
elaborate kind.
A very easy way of dressing dolls
for the littlo ones is by using wadding
as the material in chief. Take a
straight piece of wadding of suitable
size, and buttonhole it along the bot
tom edge with red or blue worsted or
Berlin wool. The former is the more
pleasing color, though a pale blue
will look well if there is sufficient
depth of tint in the blue. Join the
ends neatly and sew the skirt as it
now is on the doll.
To form the bodice, take a smaller
straight piece of wadding and orna
ment it with buttonhole stilch as be
fore. Make holes for the arms to be
put through, and stitch the bodice
neatly on the doll.
For sleeves, take two very small,
straight pieces of waddinsr, form into
cylinder shape, after buttonholing at
the wrist end, and join these neatly
to the armhole portion of the bodice.
The simplest way of providing out
door garments to match this dress is
to shape a piece of wadding to form
hood and cloak all in one. Buttonhole
this round the edge to matcn tho dress,
and tie it on by a bow of baby ribbon
round the doll's neck.
A pretty mull" will complete this
somewhat wintry looking costume and
will be innde in a similar manner to
the sleeves, with a large' piece of
wadding. This way of dressing a doll
is inel'ul, economical and effective,
while there is little finery to spoil or
pet ofr of placj.—Trenton (X. J.)
American.
Son*filling About <«innt*.
Old chroniclers tell wonderful
stories of the giants that used to walk
ihe earth, even as we read in the Bible
jf Goliath, who was slain by the
,*outh David. In later days perhaps
.he most interesting book on giants
.vas written by a French scholar named
Heurion in 171 This book asserted
:liut Adam, tho first man, was 123 feet
■} inches tall, and that Eve was only
live feet shorter. After Adam man
oegau to lose height rapidly. Noah,
says M. Heurion, was about 27 feet
tali, and Abraham measured not more
than 20. Moses reached only the
poor height of 13 feet, and finally man
had to bo contented with feeble little
frames from four to six feet in height.
Many huge human skeletons ha\e
been found, according to report. It
is said that the skull of Chevalier
Pviucon, whose remains were discovered
in 1509 at Boueu, held a bushel of
wheat. The shinbone was four feet
long, and otheis in proportion. Many
other similar skeletons were found,
one iu Sicily that measured 300 feet
iu length. In the present century,
however, it has been shown that these
skeletons were not of humans, but of
prehistoric beasts.
One of the world's famous giants
! was Patrick Cptter O'Brien, who was
born at Kinsalo, in Ireland, iu 17(il.
He was eight feet three inches tall,
and was the greatest giant of his day.
He died iu 1801. In the museum of
> Trinity college, Dublin, is the skele
i ton of a giant named Magrath, who
! was seven feat eight inches high.
It is an interesting fact that giants
as a rule are both weak of body and
J of tuind, while awarfs are usually
■ keen-witted and health}'. A story is
I told that the Empress of Austria iu
j the seventeenth century had all the
giants and dwarfs of the Germanic
• empire assembled at Vienna. They
j wore quartered together, and fear was
! expressed that the giants would ter
| rify the dwarfs. The contrary proved
| to be the case. Tho dwarfs tormented
! and robbed the giants to the extent
| that with tears in their eyes the giants
] begged to be protected from them.
The usual circus and museum giants
I of today are rarely over seven feet in
| height, but they wear high-heeled
I boots and high hats that add a foot or
I more in height to their appearance.—
j Chicago Record.
The Southern <
A halo of romance, says Miss Mary
, Proctor, iu St. Nicholas, has woven
! itself about the stars of the Southern
Cross—one of the most picturesqiu
objects iu the southern skies. At one
time these stars formed part of th«?
constellation named the "Centair,"
which was once included under that
called "Argo," tlio Great Ship, but
towards the end of the eighteenth cen
tury the Southern Cross became a
constellation 011 its own account.
Nevertheless,its resemblance to a cross
must have been observed long before
this time, since an Arabian globe hae
been found on which an outline of a
cross is marked about this group of
stars.
The longer bar of the cross poiute
nearly to the south pole, the situation
of which in the heavens is not marked
by any brilliant star, but which is
about four aud a half cross length*
from the foot of the cross. For thi?
reason Alpha ana Gamma are some
times called the "poiutors." In fact,
the Southern Cross may be looked up
on as the hour-hand of the great
clock, which goes around once in
twenty-four hours, moving in the
same direction as the hands of a clock,
unlike our Great 15ear or Dipper in
the northern heavens, which appears
togo round the northern pole in a
direction contrary to the bands of a
clock. This is because the observer's
face, when looking at the noriliern
pole, is turned iu a direction contrary
to the face of an observer in the
southern hemisphere turned towards
the southern po'e.
Near the Southern Cross is an al
most vacant patch of sky, which is
' named the "Coal-sack" by early navi
gators. In the Coal-sack only one
very small star can be seen with the
unaided eye, but the telescope reveals
many stars iu that seemingly deserted
region, proving that the strikiug
] blackness is due simply to the effect
j of contrast with the brilliant ground
surrounding it 011 all sides. On the
! northern edge of the Coal-sack is a
| star of ruddy hue, known as Kappa,
! but too small to be seen with the un
aided eye. Even a small telescope
: fails to make one realize the splendor
of the star; but when Sir John Herschel
: turned his twenty-foot reHector in its
I direction, he was surprised to liad
I Kappa the centre of a cluster of over
one hundred stars of all the colors of
: the rainbow, contrasting wonderfully
| with one another. He compared it to
a suj-eb piece o" fancy jewelry, while
j Flammarion describes it as "a casket
of glittering gems."
KitbbilH a* ivtu.
When about to keep rabbits yon
must not think that any old box will
|do for a hutch, for boxes that are
' badly put together, or made of thiu
I boards, will not do at all. First as to
! size. Buy a nice sound box not less
i than two feet square, audit might be
! even larger with advantage—in fact.
I it must he larger if required for
: breeding purpo.-e».
The drainage of the box must be at
! tended to. Place it on a stage,slightly
slo| iug from the front; aud at the back
j of jhe box make a number of small
j holes. Each hutch should have two
; compartments,one of which should be
i open at the front with wire, and there
should be two wile doors. Let
hutches be at loast a foot from the
g-onnd, and do not place one above
another. Let them also be where
sunshine can reach them. Give an
; abundance of clean, dry bedding.
As it is neetssary ti keep your pets
! w arm and dry, you son Id have a
; good thick covering to put over the
'■ vi e front of the hutch iu winter and
; wet weather, but be careful not to ex
clude the air entirely.
Regularity in feeding is very im
portant, both as to hours and to the
quantity of food given. You must
have a fixed feeding-time; then yon
! will be less likely to forget the lielp-
I less creatures dependent 011 you. The
I morning meal should never be given
later ihan 8 o'c'ock; never feed them
at noon as that is the time for rest
and sleep; the second meal should be
: given about sunset, and this is the
principal meal, as rabbits eat with the
greatest appetite during the night.
1 iou may give them turnips and other
I root vegetables oats, j eas, beiins,
poliard, meat, bran and acorns. Then
in green food they will eat almost
anything, but the best to give are cab
; bage, lettuce, spinach, clover, milk
thistle and dandelion leaves. Apples
aud pears, or the peel of these, they
' are very fond of. Fresh green grass
| is very good for them, also carrot aud
turnip tops aud potato parings. Do
I not give wet green food, after heavy
■ rain the green vegetables should be
! well shaken or dried; they must never
;be fed entirely on bran or corn. As
a rule, rabbits do not require as much
| drink as many animals, but watet
should be kept within their reach,
especially when there is a scarcity of
green food.
You should often give your rabbits
the pleasure of a scamper. Exercise
is very beneficial to them, and also a
great delight, keeping them iu a
healthy ami happy condition. If they
: are allowed to run 011 ail open piece
: of grass they must be watched, lost
1 they should stray; but «thcy seldom
; run oil', and are easily caught agniu if
gently approached. Do not let them
run ou grass that is wot with dew o»
lain; the main point is to give thorn
exercise; therefore, a ynrd, or any eu
| closed space, will answer the piupose,
and an hour's run twice in the week
will <io them a world of good.
Jll lifting your labbits to aud from
the hutch, grasp loth cars firmly with
1 one hand, and with the other support
, the hindquarters.
I'ut His Foot 111 11.
Miss Nice —What do yon think ol
the net. woiuau, Mr. Fair?
I Mr. Fair—l detest the bold, shriek
i ing creature. How ninch moro love
able is the old woman, like you!
j Miss Nice—Sir!
He tried despovdtely to explain, hut
she would not hear.