I THE ISLAND OF TUTUILA. 1 J| OUR SHARE OF THE SAMOAN GROUP. g BY HUGH H. LUSIC § Under the new Samoan treaty the United States becomes the possessor of a small island in the South Pacific Ocean, situated about 930 miles south of the equator. For some fifteen years past we have had a more or less Bentimental regard for this island, be cause it was here that our Govern ment had acquired from a native chief a lease ot part ot the shore of a harbor on which to establish a coaling station. The harbor was the only one in the Samoan group in which vessels could lie safely daring a hurricane, such as occasionally visits the group, and its only drawback was that it was almost inaccessible on the landward side. Now and then, but at long k intervals, an American man-of-war has called at this harbor, but it may bo doubted whether any of the crews ever attempted to climb the almost precipitous hills that wall in the placid sheet of landlocked water which the natives call Pago-Pago. The isl and of Tutuila is by far the least known of the three main islands that form the group of Samoa. It lies about thirty miles south of the other two, on which alone Europeans or Americans bave settled, either as planters or traders, and excepting the harbor of Pago-Pago on the southeast, and a small bay known as Leone, near the northwest corner, it possesses no place of anchorage or shelter even for the smallest trading vessels. The general appearance of Tutuila, tike that of all the volcanic islands of the South Pacific, is very beautiful. As we entered the passsage, from twenty to thirty-five miles broad, be tween the islauds, every eye scanned the shores, under the impression that the schooner would be found lying at some point under the lee of the land. There was, however, no sign of a sail. On either side the land rose high and oroken, clothed from shore to sum mit in the luxuriant vegetation of the tropical islands, and as we proceeded it half-speed through the passage it oecame more and more evident that for some reason our tender bad not arrived. We had reached the eastern snd and cleared both islands before any solution of the difficulty presented ttseif, but then a very small cutter was discovered lying close inshore, at 1 point where a native village could ce seen among the palm trees that !ormed a background to the silver white coral beach. The cutter turned ont to be a trader «ngagedin collecting a cargo of copra (sun-dried cocoauut) to be taken to Apia to the German companv's stores. We were told we could stay on board ",f we liked, but'the cutler must goto Leone Bay, at the western end of the island, before it would return to Apia. The prospect of staying on board was INTERIOR OF A TUTUILA CHIEF'S HOUSE. 60 disagreeable that several of the party determined to try the alterna tive plan of walking overland to Leone and there awaiting the arrival of the cutter. Leaving all our luggage on board, we were landed on the beach within a hundred yards of the village, which now showed among the tree? like a group of overgrown beehives ol the old straw material and conical shape. The natives were most friendly. They invited us into the largest hut, on the floor of whioh we were accoin modated with mats of woven grass, — 2 =^* K - £3fc " ja PAOO-PA.GO, TCTUILA, SHOWING THE HILLS RISING FROM THE SHOKE. ■while two girls prepared a bowl of kava juice for our special entertain ment. Personally, I bad heard enough about this famous liquor of the islands to deoline ' it, and though my com panions tasted it, they if ere wise enough to leave it to our hosts to paralyze tliemseves with the strange narcotic. In the meantime we had contrived to make it understood that we wanted a guide to show us the native path over the hills to Leone Bay, where the missionary lived, and the offer of a dollar readily secured a guide, in the person of a young man of magnificent build and appearance. The bargain once made, we lost no time in starting. Oar guide, who was dressed in full native costume, which consisted of a very large and finely powdered head of hair, and a very / SAVA ' UPOLU OFOO*%>4^ T J* y , V r V O ., A oo MANUA ii T u Tul LA THE BAMOAN ISLANDS. small cinctnro of some kind of native cloth round Lis loins, led us along the beach for a short distance, and then faced the hill which rose abrupt and very steep behind the little village. The climb was so steep that but for the profusion of saplings, shrubs, and climbing plants that hedged in the narrow path we should hardly have managed it. When at last we reached the top we found ourselves at a height of perhaps eight or nine hundred feet above the sea, on the top of a long TILE BELLE OF TUTUILA. ridge that seemod to run the whole length of the island. The land slopes downward from the central ridge on the northern side in a succession of spurs, with deep glens and watercourses between; but on the southern coast, especially near the eastern end of the island, the slopes end abruptly in cliffs and precipitous banks that descend to the ocenu. It is here that Pago-Pago lies, and lrom the top of the ridge it can be seen like a nearly circular basin of perfectly smooth water, shadowed by the sur rounding mountains, and with only one narrow entranceway, which winds between two lofty wooded bluffs. The island is not more than eighteen miles long, and nowhere, I should judge, much more than live miles broad. From what I saw of the natives of Tutuila, I should suppose them to be well disposed to Europeans so long as they are not much interfered with. There have been repeated and some what sanguinary wars among thom during the last twenty years. Tbere is certainly no wealth tc ba extracted from Tutuila. Even the primitive agriculture of the island could hardly be much extended, us there is scarcely an acre of level land to be found there. Cocoanuts, indeed, grow along the shore everywhere, aud even to some extent inland; orange trees grow to the dimensions of forest trees; there are nutmeg-trees in the forest that clothes the slopes; and ar rowroot, ginger and pineapples abound everywhere. All these things goto make America's South Sea island a delightful fairy spot, but they are, and must always be, on too minute a scale to hold out any temptation to the planter and the trader. Perhaps, for the sake of the natives at least, it is well. The Navy Department has decided to assign Commander B. F. Tilley, of the collier Abarenda, as the command ant of the Pago-Pago coaling station, which will place him in charge of the administrative affairs of the Samoan territory of the United States. Com mander Tilley is now at Pago-Pago. The naval officers who have been o» the Island of Tutnila recently in eon- j nection with the work of building the wharf and establishing a coaling Kta- j tion in the harbor of Tago-Pago state i that there are at present about 1500 | people on the Island of Tutuila, ow- i ing allegiance to about three ohiefs. The principal chief is nauied Man- | guin. The people are different from ; the inhabitants of the other Samoau 1 Islands, being particularly peaceful in ! disposition. The population is unique in the fact j that every soul is reputed to be a de- ' vout Christian. They are so orthodox that not one person could be indnced to come aboard one of the American ships on Sunday, while all of them go to church. This condition is ascrib able largely to the influence of French missionaiies. Nothing has been positively settled ; as yet as to the government of the isl ands beyond the fact that the princi pal official will be a naval officer. The general purpose is to have him inter fere as little as possible with the na tives so loug as they continue in their present peaceful mauuer to govern ■ themselves without friction. Steyn'n Cyrano Courtdlilj>. President Steyn, of the Orange Free State, took for a wife Miss Fra ser, who was the belle of Bloemfon teiu. This was many years ago, when the great Africander was a poor, struggling law student and clerk. Miss Fraser's parents were very proud and well-to-do and did not favor the match. Steyn made love aud wrote lovo letters by prosy, choosing a prominent youug farmer as the go between. Every day, sometimes i twice a day, Miss Fraser and the ; farmer would take long walks and I rides together. Bloemfonteiu made up its mind that Steyn had been cut out, when the law student returned from Europe, where ho had taken his degree. Gossip rose to fover heat when the news came that Steyn had called upon the farmer. Everybody was certaiu that a duel was about to come off. A short time passed in which everyone was on the qui vive. Disappointment was nothing to the feeling which was created when, in stead of a duel, there was the wed ding of Steyn aud Miss Fraser, with the farmer as the tirst groomsman.— ' Philadelphia Post. Bridget Wat an IrUlt TVomni, A lady had in her employ an excel lent girl who had one fault. Her face was always in a smudge. Her mistress tried without offending to tell her to wash her face, and at last resorted to strategy. "Do you know, Bridget," she re marked in a confidential manner, "it is said that if you wash the face every day in hot soapy water it will make you beautiful?" "Will it?" said Bridget. "Sure, it's a wonder ye uiver tried it, ma'am."— Our Dumb Animals. Effective Kntrencluner t*. With regard to the Boer entrench ments, it may be noted that, according to the reports of Boer prisoners, tin comparatively small effect produced by the English artillery tire is largely owing to the trenches being made iu the form of the letter S instead of iu the straight lines adopted by European armies. This pattern, which has been borrowed by the Boers from old Basuto methods, affords, it is said, both freer movement and greater protection. Many of our present ideas with re gard to entrenchments have been learnt from the Turks.—London Mail. Good Co flee in lloerdom. The coffee is always good in the Transvaal, but usually over-sweetened. When any guest is in a Dutch house wife's good books she shows her ap preciation of him by loading his cup of coffee with sugar, which he must drink, unless he desires to upset her eoeily-arous«d susceptibilities. THE DEATH CUP. The Yearly Victims of ilie Polaonom Mushroom Are Man v. It is probable that not many people ever heard of phallin, not only one of the mont remarkable substances in tbe world,but one of the most terrible pois ons. And it is so very common that it can be found in almost every field and swamp in the country, for phal lin is the poisonon? element in the deadly mushroom, the "death cup," as it has been most appropriately called. Not only that when phallin was first discovered it was found that it wan almost identical with the poison of the rattlesnake, so that death from mushroom poisoning is very similar to death from a serpent bite. But still more wonderfnl. It is known that various bacteria produce nearly the same poison—the bacteria, fcr in stance, of diphtheria and typhoid fever. It seems odd enough that death from the poisonous mushroom, from a rattlesnake bite and from diphtheria should result from practically the same cause. It is said that twenty-five people are killed every year in the United States by eating the death cup, mistaking it for the edible mushroom. It requires only a bit of the death cup to kill—a piece the size of a pea will do it. Ore oase is cited in which a boy ate only a third of a small uncooked oup of the deadly mushroom, but it was enough to cause his death. Indeed so bane ful is the phallin poison that even the handling of the death cup and the breathing of the spore 3 may produce Berious illness. The "death cup" is only one of a number of poisonous plants in America, although there are not many in this country or in Europe. The common est of all is the fauiilinr poison ivy of our fields and roadsides. Contrary to almost general bolief, poison ivy is injurious unless actually touched. Its irritating power is due to a non-vola tile oil contained in the leaves, the ef fects of which, while distressing, are not deadly. A very good representa tion of the poison ivy leaves and fruit is shown in the picture. Once familiar with it, one needs never mistake it for anything else. Poison ivy is much more common in the East than in tbe West; one of its favorite growing spots is along old stone fences and at the edges of swamps. The poison oak, so-called, because its leaf resembles that of a Western oak, is first cousin to the poison ivy; it is found only iu the far Western States. ThouMKiulrt of DolUMnkfln, Over in Germany there are 5000 children iu one district alone who are employed to dress dolls and help in the manufacture of various kiuds of toys. All the children who do this work are under twelve years of age. They are taught the art of dressing a doll at the tender age of four. At the same time, according to the compul sory education law, they are obliged to goto kindergarten school for at least one year, and that term is devoted to such things as making dolls and dress ing them, doing everything, in fact, except molding the heads, which is done by men expert at the business. After that the German children have three or four years of study, when they are allowed togo into the doll or toy factories to add to the daily income of the family to tho ex tent of a few cents a day. The chil dren who goto the kindergarten have lots of fun making clothes for the dollies, and so fond do they get of the little waxen-faced creatures that tliey are often sore at heart when the ma tron comes around to collect them all to be sent abroad. An InterefttlriK Tree. The old tree shown in the illustra tion stands in front of the house of William Bremmer, of Flowertown, li ' HEKIQV KEFFLY Q ■y lO* |>77. ro«V j-'l Pcnn. Upon its trunk is an iror tablet, which reads as follows: Henry KPU;, : Coward, : Was Iluug Irom this tree Junuiirv 19, 1777, ; ; For DIBEKTION. The accepted belief is that Kent was a soldier in the Continental Army, and some even believe that the tree it haunted by his ghost. SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL. Various devices Lave been used ia Europe for the ventilation of tunnels. In some cases oil burning or electric locomotives Lave been substituted for the trip through the tunnel, and in other cases artificial ventilation has been use.l. Plants have been rendered artifi cially Alpine by M. Gaston Bonnier by keeping in an icebox at night and fully exposed to the sun by day. The leaves grow smaller and thicker, fre quently with a reddish coloration, and the flowers become relatively larger and more highly colored. A geological party recently discov ered in a glacier of the Bocky moun tains in Montana, a largo quantity of grasshoppers buried in the ice. It is supposed that when the prairie grass hoppers go north and cross this glac ier, many of them succumb to the cold and are entombed in the ice. The glacier has been named fJI the grass hoppers. A method of rendering corks very impermeable without affecting their elasticity has been patented in Ger many by Herr F. H. Wuudrum. Caout chouc is dissolved in 19 times its weight of benzine, and the corks are placed in this solution and submitted to a pressure of 10 or 12 athospheres by means of a force pump. They are then dried in a strong current of air. The artificial coal of Montague is claimed to cost only half as much as the best Silesian or Scotch coal, while having three times the heating power. Peat inoss and a special clay, with several residual substaucea, are under stood to be constituents. Most of these materials exist in the soil in the suburbs of Mannheim, Germauy, and it is at this spot that a new coal factory is projected. The modem child wants a modern toy. Five years ago steam engines, printing presses, singing tops and other juvenile devices Hooded the mar ket. Today the cheap phonograph and electric mators, telephones and telegraph outfits are sold by hundreds of thousands. It is remarkable to real ize how rapidly electric toys sprang into existence so as to constitute a lefinite and permanent branch of the toy industry. An acetylene gas plant has been erected at Assam, which shows that the case with which this gas can be generated from calcium carbide should gain for it wide favor in parts of the world where it would be impossible to have a pa* or electric light plant. The lack of a good illumiuaut is often felt severely by colonists aud others in far-away parts of the world, and icetylene is a welcome relief from kerosene oil aud candles. Yankee Invention to Win. It is a happy fact that Yankees are so quick to invent and so skillful to aso machinery of all kinds. Within the next few years thero will be tre mendous opportunities for civil, me chanical and electrical engineers in Asia. When the Chinese cast the first railway from Shanghai to Woosnng into the river they were only prepar ing themselves for a network of rail ways all over China. When the Co reaus in Seoul destroyed the new elec tric line and burned up the cars, they exhausted the forces of conservatism, and before long concluded that the electric railway was the best scheme for saving extra exertion in walking that had ever been devised. Large portions of South America and South Africa may be undeveloped, and pos sessed of great matorial resources, but nowhere does such a combination of human and natural conditions tempt industrial activity as in Chiua. Nowhere else are so many hard working and temperate men and women, waiting only to be taught, such wealth of coal and other min erals, such fertile soil, such splendid rivers and harbor?. Were the field small it would not bo so temptiug. But China is in area larger than the United States, and has a population frnr or live times as large. For the last quarter of a century prospectors have been studying the provinces of tlio interior, and yet our knowledge still seems to be most limited.—Ains lee's Magazine. New I'Mimnte of Geologic Time. An ingenious theory for the estima tion of tht. time of the various geolog ical periods has 1 een produced by au i ongiueer whose work on western rail roads takes him into primitive coun try. lie snys thai in one great de pression in Wyoming the trees have been recording the rate of erosion of the slopes for about iJOO years so ac curately that the data to be obtained by a careful study of them will be o factor of extreme importance in en abling scientists to convert geological time into years. While he lias not yet had time to collect these data properly, he makes the rough deduction that, according to their records, the Pliocene and Pleistocene periods would repre sent about one and one half millions of years, and that, on this basis, the Ceuizoic time would be about four millions of years. This would mean that all geological time from the be ginning of the Cambrian epoch would be sixty-four millions of years. Mmlumn Pntti'g l'arrots. Among the possessions of Mine. Patti are two parrots, one of which talks all day long and imitates his mistress' trills, v\hile the other is dumb, though he has only been so since his purchase by Mine. Patti. Before that he was the moat wonder ful talking parrot in captivity, and was valned at S2OO, the prica wliick she paid for him in New Y«rk- FOR THE HOUSEWIVES. Bra«« Ornament*. M'ith the Ductb oak furniture so much used now for libraries, brass candlesticks and writing accessories are effective and appropriate. Im mense candlesticks with wide, high rimmed 1 asins and low sockets of ham mered brass are sold for §1.50 and #2. A great ring or a curious twist of metal serves as a haud!e.> An old brass ink-well is a boar's head, the top of which can be thrown back, dis closing the glass well within. Kpinovini; VHSl'linn Stninn. Few stains are more obstinate tban those made by vaseline. How to re move tliem was told recoutly by a do mes, ic science teacher. "Wave ready," she said, "a moderately hot iron and four pieces of blotting-paper. Put two thicknesses of tho paper on a board and wet the spot thoroughly with ben iue. Lay on the stained cloth, cover with two other pieces of blotliug-paper, and press quickly with the iron. An old stain may need two or even three applications to remove the stain. The caution is repeated that benziue being very inflammable it must be u»ed with great care." Dnlnty Cloth*** Tf author*. Gowns wear so much better when hung away properly that every woman should make it a point to do so. And s.Uiie such dainty hangers have come into general use the custom can prove but a joy. A successful aud charm ing hauler can be made from a quar ter of a:i old barrel hoop, cleaned thoroughly. Cotton batting,sprinkled with sachet powder, is fastened to the I frame, which is then covered with two widths of ribbon, tun together and uiousquetaired. Ribbon sufficient for a long loop (for hanging) and a bow is then fastened to the centre, and this dainty addition to a woman's wardrobe is complete. An Original Chopping; Knife. Of course every housekeeper has a chopping bowl aud a chopping knife, an i presumably they are always bandy. Happening to be in the coun try one day, the w< iter saw a young and progressive woman using a con trivance which she declared to be far superior for chopping potatoes for warming over. It was nothing les.-» than a baking powder tin (the half pouud size), minus the cover aud with , nail holes punched in the other end. The sharp, round edge made a splen did knife audit was easily handled. The potatoes were put iu tho pan right on the stove aud chopped while they were warming. It seemed to save time if it had JO other advantages. I'or the Wo 11-Appoint<Ml Table. Tablecloths to which up-to date women aci ord tho highest homage nre of plain French damask, heinstiched and worked with magniticeut sprays of ti 1 led-i ii embroidery. These sprays are varied in shape. Some tablecloths have two, starting at opposite corners and swinging their way along the ends and up to the opposite side for a short distance; others have bands across the ends, while still others have great, buuchy efforts. The important thing about thes ' Api ays is, of course, that they must not interfere with the plae ijg of plates. When the tilled-in embroidery cov ers the sides of the tablecloth pretty thoroughly no monogram? are used, lint ordinarily a tablecloth is embro d ered with four, one at each corner, "24 inches from tho end, aud 12 inches on each side of the centre. This arrange ment places them so that they remain uncovered dnring the entire meal. For mo: e ordinary use tablecloths are still of French damask, with wide hemstitch. The patterns vary; some ate large,others small, and generally a woman chooses them to suit her fancy. Yet there seems to be a tendency to select the small, plain patterns, rather those more elaborate. For iustanee, a popular design is merely striped damask, with a fancy square woven in the centre. Fringed table linen rare ly now is used. Kecipe*. Steamed Corn Bread—Three cups of sweet milk aid one of sour, three cups of Indian meal aud one of flour, one-half cup of molasses, one tea spoonful of saleratus, salt to taste. Steam three hours. Mock Oysters—Three grated pars nips, three eggs, one teaspooufnl salt, one teacupful sweet cream, butter half the si/.e of an egg, three table spoonfuls flour. Fry as pancakes, falsify iu place of parsnips is equally as good. Cheesa Sandwiches Cut white bread quite thin, and spread with grated cheese mixed with thick, sweet cream. Iho cream should be thick. Lay a lettuce leaf between if you want something extra dainty, and if you like onion, to rub a cut onion over the lettuce gives the slightest possible flavor, hardly discernible, yet heightening the piquancy. Egg Balls for Soup—ltub the yolks of three or four hard-boiled eggs to a smooth paste with a little melted but ter, pepper and salt; to these add twe raw ones,beat iti light, and add enough Hour to keep the paste together; make into balls with floured bauds, and so; away in a cool place until just before the soup comes off, when you put tliem iu carefully and boil one min ute. Broiled Tripe Wipe honeycomb tripe as dry as possible and cut in pieces for serving. Din in tine crack er dust seasoned with salt and pep per. Brush over with olive oil and again dip iu the cracker duat. Place in a greased broiler and broil over a clear fire for live minutes. Place on a platter honeycomb side up, sprinkle with salt and pepper aud spread witli butter.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers