Complaint in made In New England Hint the Rollout system in nuder the domination f the professional ami literary classes. A writer in tlio Fortnightly Rovtcw tliiiikn ttmt fid, 000 farmers, each with 100-ncre farm In Canada, could Blip ply all the w hent England n ceils. llhodo Island is said to he the only tate which has a college where studouts, In nihlition to regular branched, are taught the art of rond building. Only 117,000 of the 82.000,000 of Prussia possess wealth representing an ineoiiie of 87000 a year, anil only 14,000 own property to the viilue of 1125,000. If the Salvation Army people suc ceed in making their wholesale farm ing scheme net them five per cent, upon their capital, some of onr hard working, life-long farmers will want to get Commander Hootli-Tiieker'n recipe for the operation, predicts the New England Homestead. Dr. Cnmley, a Chicago dentist, has been made the subject of iuqniry by the grand jury, because he locked his door on the mother of a hoy who wouldn't hare his tooth pulled, al though the dentist and the mother did their best - to persuade him. The woman refused to pay a dollar for the dentist's wasted time. The Rev. Dr. II. W. Thomas of the People's church in Chicago is anxious for the formation of a vigilance com mittee to put down the highwagmen in that city, and says that he would liko to be permitted to carry n liotgnu in the streets. This minister of peaco declares that the only way to stop the "hold-np" men is to kill a few of them. It has always been n favorite and generally successful scheme of Euro pean rulers, when they find them selves in straits as to homo mutters, to awaken the loyalty of their people or to divert their attention from their grievances by real or imaginary foreign complications. This would seem to the New York Commercial Advertiser to be the present attitude of the Em peror of Germany, and the near future will record his success or his failure. "The South is emulative in gallant ry," notes the New York Commercial Advertiser. "One Htnteuftor another is honoring its pretty young women, and the women like it, even if their new honors are subversive of that re - tiring delicacy so boasted of before the war. Georgia has a female colonel of militia, bo has Tennessee and South Carolina, and recently the governoi of Arkansas made Miss Emma Whit tington of Hot Springs honorary colonel of the reserve militia. The rank of colonel is the lowest, it ap pears, that the Southern girls will ac cept." That statistics can be made to prove Anything has been often said. Just what the honest statistics do prove, however, as to the relationship be tween crime and ignorance on the one hand, and between virtue and educa tion on the other, is much disputed. A New York paper has opened its columns to the discussion of this question, with the result that some of its correspondents assert that crime nd education are increasing together, while others insist that the more highly educated people become the fewer crimes are committed. And ' both parties to the argument make a plentiful use of statistics. Once again England nervously is discussing the possible exhaustion of her coal supply, which forms the backbone of her commercial supre macy. Leonard Courtney, as presi dent of the Statistical society, mora than confirms Professoi Jevons's view that the supply will ba in peril within an ordinary lifetime. The output for 1896 actually was thirty per cent, less than it would have been if tha rate of . progress in Jevons'a time bad been maintained. While tha British output has increased less than 2 1-2 times since 1860 the Ameri can 'output has inoreased ton-fold, and while the American cost of ontput hat greatly declined the British has greatly increased. This strengthens the Spec tator's belief that America soon will occupy a position of unchallenged supremacy in tha industrial world. England mast adjust herself to a amaller outpnt of coal and iron and a readjustment of vocations.- "If," adds the Spectator, "English suprem acy ba destroyed, it, will not ba through tha failure of coal, but through incapacity to keep pace with the aleetrio ' development in America csi Germany," A FIELD FLOWER'S COMPLAINT. If I hail bona a snowdrop, the first one of the year, Would you have thought me benutlful.belng ttm first, my dosr? It I hnil been a royal rose grown higher thsn your heart, Would you nave bent your face to mine and drawn my leaves nnnrt, Until they dropped about you feet, and all my lionrt lay barer k broken heart, n itoldnn heart, for you to ieava or war- Jack wanted to, but Lady Mary didn't, and that's the war it all came about. Jack snore she was thn very daintiest, sweetest, loveliest girl on earth, added a great deal more of love s hyperbole, nud entre tious even soared into poetry occasionally, when he read to Christopher Colum bus, her pet bull terrier. But as Christopher wrinkled his nose decidedly and his tuil did Hot show the least intimation of a wag, Jack tore it up- the poetry, I mean. The trouble was Jack wanted to pro pose and couldn't. For never did he bring up the eventful subject but Lady Mary would go oil' at a tangent, possi bly because Jack was using round about wuys. An Jack confided to his chum (who shall be nameless for vnrious reasons): "Do you know, II., if I speak of sun sets, she will immediately have a wild desire to discuss ethnology or irreg ular Greek verbs, and if I should ever mention love not that I ever have, you know -but if I ever should, hang me if 1 don't believe she'd ask me how my liver was." By which it can rcndily be seen that Lady Mary and Jack were on the best of terms, and the very intimacy seemed to preclude the possibility of anything more. One afternoon I wns lying on the river bank industriously fishing, while Jack sprawled upon the grnss alter nately reading and scribbling. Then he looked up and observed compla cently: "Now, I flatter myself that's rather good. Listen, II. : "The weary sun lias sunk to rest. And with him fudestlie dying day. Come night, come hour I love the "best, Fit time love's winning words to s ly. "I retty good, oh?" "Good? Oh, Lord! You want to change those, lust two lines. You should say: "Alan ! still lives a luva-slruck erau'i, Who can't nay what be wants to xuy. "Besidos, 'best' isn't good gram mar, if you're compariug day with night." "Hang it all, II., Tennyson himself con Id not please you." Then along silence which he at lint broke with: "Say, do you think she would have me?" "Oh, take a run around the block! How do I know? There she comes now, and I give you fair warning if you two stay here and scare all my tish away I'll tell about the poetry." Diviuoly tall and most divinely fair was Lady Mary. She came trip ping sedately over the tender grass, the mountain wiuds kissing a delicate ppach blossom iuto her chocks. Jack, with his customary facility.rose to his feet and the occasion to play the gal lant. Neither of 'em paid the slight est attention to me. I was supposed to be dead. "Jack," she said, sweetly, "I want yon to row me up to the store. Will you?" Of course Jack acquiesced, and the two of them got into the boat aud started. Jack is a finished oarsman, at least he generally finishes it in about ten minutes. I knew it was to be inter esting, so I gave up the fishing aud watched them. (Mem. later: They have drifted down the river, botu behind Lady Mary's parasol. ) Now, Jack being one of those fel lows who believe in never losing an opportunity calmly rowed the boat out in the middle of the river and then, as I predicted, shipped the oars and opened the conversation. "How well we get along together in a boat," he remarked, gazing senti mentally at the cliffs. "Yea," abstractedly, "but I wish you'd row up to the store. I don't want to waste the whole afternoon drifting like this." "No, of course not," waking up auddenly. Two strokes. Then, "I wish we could always " "There are a lot of new people com ing tonight," she broke in. "Mr. Eg gleston told me so." "Did he? H'ml" Then with a brilliant idea, "Are you ever inter ested in other people?" lie asked in his most beguiling tone. "Oh, yes now, there's Christopher Columbus. I'm interested in him. I wish I had him here this very minute. I'd kiss his dear little nose.'r "If I were only Christopher Colum bus," insinuated Jack. "I wish you were sometimes," she cried, wickedly. "Then I could shut you up occasionally, couldn't I?" Now, what could anybody do with a girl like this? The end of it was that Lady Mary took the oars and rowed to the store herself. Jack came to me disconsolately. "I wish I was dead," be said. I told him how annoying it would be to me to have him lying around dead. Ha said I talked like a fool. "Jack, my dear boy," I said, patron izingly (I am two months ' older than he), "the next time you try to pop tha question be like a bottle of ginger ale. Oo off with a bang and let all tha fizzle oome afterward." "I never thought of that," ha an wared thoughtfully. "I wonder how i The Business Way. Jf Would you havs Bath" red la your hand such fallen rosy leaf, And snbl a gentle word for life so beautiful mid brief? But I that fain would us a rose and wear her royal red, A field llower among field flowors, I lift my loveless bead i Among the tail dead nettles, white campion who will bend V White campion shrinking faintly mtd dock and sllvorweed ? Nora Hopper, In Mack and White. it would work? Bv ( leorge, If . .you're a trump. I'll try it." lliat evening they were both down by the spring, mid I hid behind n tree. I didn't hear the first part of it, but got there just in time to hear lack say: "Lady Mary, I love yon. Will you bo my wife?" "With pleasure," she answered, gayly. "You silly boy, why didn't you say so before?'' "Just what I told him," said loom ing from behind the tree. "Did yon? You dear boy, you may kiss me for that. Keep stiil,'.faek." Aud I did. SENATOR MILLS' STORY. Abraham l.lnrnlii's Sweeping I'srilnu fa .totin 1.. Senator Stills has a new story about Lincoln. It wan told to him by a son of John L. Helm of Kentucky, who lives in Corsicaun: "Old John L. Helm," said the sen ator, "was a famous character in Ken tucky. He was, if I remember right ly, a governor of the state, but at any rate his posit iofi was a most prominent one. When the civil war came ou Helm was n rahid secessionist. He could not praise the South too highly und con Id not heap enough abuse upon the North. He was too old to go into the war with his sons and re mained at home, doing all he could to help the confederate cause aud harass the Yunltees who invaded the state. Finally hebecame so obstreperous that the federal general who was in com mand near Helm's home put him in prison. The old man's age, the high position which ho occupied in the state, his wide connect inn and espe cially his inability to do any ham, were ull pleaded in his extenuation, and he w as released. Instead of profit ing by the warning, the old man be came more persistent than ever iu his course. Oiic-n more he was clapped iuto juil. This happened two or three timus, nud finully, while ho was still locked up, tlio mutter wns brought to the atteution of the federal authori ties. Even President Lincoln was ap pealed to and asked to commit the nr deut southerner to an indetiuite con finement iu order that he might be curbed. "Lincoln listened to the statemout of the case w ith more than usual in terest. Thou he lenned back and be gan to speak with a smile upon his face. 'You are talking about old man John Holm? Well, did you know that I used to live when I was n boy iu Helm's town. He wan kind to me. He seemed to like me as a boy, and he never lost an opportunity to help me. He seemed to think,' said Lin coln, with another of his almost pa thetio smiles, 'that I would probably make something of a man. Why, when I went out to Illinois, poor and un known, that man gave me the money to pay my way and keep me until I got a start. John Helm? O, yes, I know him, and I know what I owe to hiin. I think I cuu fix his case.' "And then," said Senator Mills, "Linooln went to his desk and wrote a few words. The bit of writing is treasured in the Helm household to thin day. This is what the president wrote: " 'I hereby pardon John L. Helm of Kentucky for all that he has ever done agaiust the United States and all that be ever will do. " 'Abraham Lincoln. " Washington Post, Candle FUh-Food, Medlilna and Light In Alaska. With the discovery of the Klondike, with all its winter privations, comes also the practical discovery of a fish found along the Alaskan shores which it is said will furnish food, light, heat and medicine to the prospectors who have gone iuto the new El Dorado, This fish is of the smelt variety, but larger and fatter. They are caught in nets easily, aud on being caught, are found to be of a rich green color on the back variegated with blue, aud with goldeu reflections on the belly. Ou being caught these fish are dried and stored. When the Alaskan is snowed iu and without a light.he sim ply inserts the tail of one of these fish in a crack in the table and touches a match to ifs nose. ' It gives out a clear three-candle power light. The back bone is largely formed of phosphorus, whioh not only causes it to ignite easily, but also accounts for the strength of the flame and heat devel oped. The substance of the fish, largely fat, retards the rapid burning as the tallow acts in an ordinary candle. The fish is also valuable as food. Still another use to whioh it may be put is as a substitute for cod-liver oil, which,' aiding the natural heat of the body, serves to protect against the severe cold. It is to be hoped that scientists will discover a way by whioh the skin of this fish may be made iuto clothing, and its backbone sharpened iuto min er's picks, Mountain climbers frequently flud butterflies frozeu on the suow, and so brittle that thej break unless care fully handled. When thawed tha butterflies rsoover aud fly away. ELECTRIC LIGHT AND EYESIGHT, ftray and Mine Kym Are Most Soeeeptl ble to Injurious f:nct. One effect of the advent of theX ray has been to direct rloser attention to the influence of the electric light ou the eyesight. It has recently been stated, says the Pittsburg Dispatch, that sailors suffer lunch in their eye night from thn brilliant electric lights used on shipboard. Gray and blue yes are the most subject to injury, not being heavily charged with pig ments. Thn men who work the search lights already wear dark blue glasses, but it is found that these only miti gate the intensity of the light, and do not absorb the source of the trouble, the nltra-vlolet rays. These rays, however, ran be intercepted by gog gles or screens of uranium or jellow glass, and with these, it is understood, the sailors of the French navy are soon to be provided. Another interesting ease bearing on this subject is reported from a British warship, it seems that two stokers on thn ship, having a little spare time, became engrossed in the operation of an electric drill, which was burning out boles in a hardened steel plate. Both men declared they only watched the nro for about three minutes, and at the time felt noillefl'ects,exceptthatall objects appeared to be of a deep gold color. At night, however, both men were aroused by intense pnin aud par tial blindness for the time being, but both recovered quickly after treatment. The electric drill acts by fusing a hole through the steel, aud the iutensity of the light in greatly increased by the rays of light thrown off by the molten metal. The fact, too, that the work in carried on chiefly in the daylight in apt to deceive the casual onlooker as to the degree of brilliancy of the light, and it is not until the after effects be gin to assert themselves that he is aware of auything out of the common. Dark glasses are now nsed by all the men on the electric drilling shifts. A singular feature of this affection is that it is analogous to snow or desert blind ness, and, as in them, the pernicious effects of the electric light are proba bly due to the ultra violet rays of the spectrum. QUAINT AND CURIOUS. Tt is calculated that the yearly amount of food, water, and air which a man re ceives in the aggregate, comes to about a ton aud a half. The lightest known solid is said to be thn pith of the sunflower, with a specific gravity of .028, or about one eighth thut of cork. The forests of the United States cover one- pun ter of the entire conn try, and over $1,000,000 worth of tim ber is cut every year. Durham Bull is the name of a farmer in Greenwood county, Mo., whose mother's name was Aun Durham and his father's Jonathan Bull. Fifty of every 100 school children in Munich have their homes elsewhere in Bavaria. The cost to the city is $27 for each pupil per year. Birmingham, England, turns out every week 800,000,000 buttons, 4000 miles of wire of different sizes, five tons of hairpins, 500 tons of nuts and 20,000 pairs of spectacles. The Vienna Medical society has awarded the Goldberger prize of lotlO gulden (about $100) to Dr. Ruhemanu of Berlin for bis pamphlet on the question, "Is Catuhiug Cold a Cause of Disease? In the state of Nnevo Leon, Mexico, the government has ordered that the pupils in all the official schools shall be taught to write and perform all manual tasks as well with the left hand as with the right. Of the 250 stamps which have been issued the values have ranged from one cent to $5000. Five dollars is the highest value among postage stamps, but newspaper stamps reach the $100 mark, while a revenue stamp may represent $5000. A refugee hut on the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany (10,000 feet), near Garmisch, in the centre of the Bavarian highlands, has been opened. It stands ou the Grat, be tween the east and west peaks, affords accommodations for twenty-two guests. and has been erected at a cost of $10,000. Chimneys are very fickle. You can build one all right iu theory, but when it comes down to practice that is an other matter. Build two chimneys side by side in precisely tha same manner. Employ the best skilled labor and construct them exaotly on the same principles. One may draw all right, while the other smokes like a pipe. The great wall of China was re cently measured by Mr. Unthauk, an Americau engineer. His measurement gave the height at eighteen feet. Every few hundred yards there is a tower twenty-rive feet high. For 1200 miles the wall goes over plains and mountains, every foot of the founds tion being of solid granite and the rest of the structure solid masonry. Tha Sword of tha Shah. A Sheffield firm has beeu by special firman appointed goldsmiths and sil versmiths to his imperial majesty and to the court of Persia. They are exe cuting for the shah an imperial sword, designs of which have been approved. The blade is double-eged, of the finest steel, inlaid with gold. The weapon has a broad flute down the centre and is of soimitor shape, terminating in a fine point or clif. The scabbard is of royal scarlet Persian leather, with mountings iu gold filigree, while the hilt is of ivory, iuluid with gold ara besques aud inscriptions in Persian text. Th cross-bar and bead of tha hilt is studded with diamonds, rubiea and other precious stones. Paris Mes Sanger. Shirts and Mere. Sleeves seem to have settled down to their limit in size, for the season at least, and the comfortable fulness at the top still remains, but the skirt is gradually diminishing iu width, two and a half yards around being the size of the latest model. Fad In Kyi-brows. There in a perfectly new fnd and it emanates from Loudon. Beautifully arched eyebrows have always been considered n mark of beauty, but it is the latest fad to have the eyebrows trained in a pointed arch, even exag gerating the Japanese style. It is called the "Curzou eyebrow," named for a famous beauty of Great Britain. first Women Kng-rnvcrs. It is claimed that the first class in this country in wood engraving was formed by Mrs. Peter, wife of the then British consul in Philadelphia, in 18)0. Her class consisted of 25 pupils, whom she tnught the simple elements of the work, and tnnny of them became practical engravers. As to women engravers at that time, Mrs. Peter says that the only one of any note was Mary Ann Williams, who belongod to a family of skilled Eng lish engravers. She is said to have done work which was little inferior to that of her brothers. Exchange. Colorado's Itlrhnnnt In Woman's Clubs. The annual directory of the Color orado Federation of Women's Clubs, just issued, shows that 82 of the towns aud cities of the state have their women's clubs, where Inst year there were only 21. The membership iu the aggregate this year is 40:1!), where last year it was only 2002. Denver lends with the largest number of clubs, having 21; last year it had 15. Before the biennial meeting of the general federation iu this city next summer, every village in the state promises to be represented iu the state federation. Denver Republican, Popnlarlty of Ilia Velvet flown. Every woman who cnu afford it is investing in a velvet gown for evening wear this winter. Age is a matter of entire indifference in the wearing of this style of toilet, and the debutante of 20 wears it indiscriminately with the dowager of 00. Of course, the material is a specially favored one with those very youthful married women who desire to look"motronly." This is a desire, by the way, that does not last long, for the bride of 20 who will insist upon wearing stiff silks, thick velvets and dark colors, is more tbuu likely, ten years later, to break out into the tulles and muslins, the pale blues aud the spotless whites of extreme girlhood. The color that seems to be particularly popular at present for velvets is that warm reddish-violet hue that shades into such exquisite tints when the light strikes it. This color velvet, trimmed nar rowly about the square deoolletage and around the edge of a long train with chinchilla, is perfectly exquisite, New York Mail and Express. Making Jokes for a Living. One by one the traditions handed down by the descendants of Adam are being disproved by the "up-to-date" granddaughter of Eve. One of the last to disappear relates to woman's lack of humor. But even that, it seems, has been shattered ef fectually by a mere Blip of a girl. She is Miss Annie Partlun of New York, and her success as a joke writer is almost beyond belief. There is scarcely a studio of any prominence in New York that does not count Miss Partlan among its frequent visitors. Her name is woll known to all the editors of the comic weeklies, and she bravely holds her own with competi tors of the opposite sex, although some have beeu iu the business for years. Miss Partlan came to New York city from Kingston some five years ago, aud has since fought bravely to achieve the success she now has. She is of Irish extraction and the proverbial wit of her native land has certainly not slighted her. Her jokes are full of origiuality, and those touch ing society aud social questions are particularly piquant. In appearance she is extremely modest, with a charm ing friendliness of manner, and is not in the least the "new woman, "as each gesture and accent is distinctly femi nine. When asked how she thought of adoptiug so unusual a calling, she said: "It came quite naturally to me. I have written since I was a child. Of oourse I never thought of selling my stuff to the artists until about a year ago. The first joke was suggested by my seeing a little hoy brushing flies off a horse in a blacksmith shop, I gave it to the editor of a Kingston paper, who published it aud several others which I wrote afterward. "When I finally decided to become a professional joke writer, the first thing I had to learn was that puna were no longer in vogue, a fact which caused ma to fill a waste basket. I gat from $1 to $3 for each joke, and front one to two cents a word for my oowio sketches and fillers. "I map out iiiv dnv. using certai hours for my joke writing and other1 f.r fhe sale of flier. No, it doe im' seem tlillieult to me, as I think an woman who would keep her eyesoper ami rennet ou wlint she sees eoul write iokcs. j see them iu everv thing, and seldom meet a person, who, nrst or last does not suggest one. Chicago Itecord. A floral Maid of Honor. It is a great distinction to be rhosei ns one of Queen victoria's tnnids of honor, but it entails obligations. Th position is strictly one of birth, fo the ninid must be either the daughte or granddaughter of a peer. When appointed the maids receive the titl of honorable, which they retain through life. Each maid of honor has three months of waiting everv vear. am often her young friends are apt to re gard her as being very fortnnate in receiving $500 a month for her actual time of wuiting. But it is quite a mis take to suppose that the duties are trifling or that the post is in any sense a sinecure. Nothing save severe ill ness can nllow a maid of honor alter ing or postponing her term of wait ing. She hns to be literally at the beck aud call of her royal mistress, and though no objection is made to each young lady bringing with her a pet at the present moment the Hon. Miss Cudogan possesses one nf the moHt valuable dogs in the world even the permission to receive a call from a friend or relation mnst be asked and obtained before a maid of honor can be "at home" to any of her acquaint ances. Only two maids of honor are . in waiting at a time. They each have a pretty suite of rooms, including a sitting room, and it is there that they are expected to spend most of their time when not actually with their royal mistress. The maids' working day may be snid to begin at 11, for, as soon as her majesty has dismissed her private secretary, she sends for one of her maids of honor to read to her selections from the morning papers. Then comes a drive, during which thn queen is generally accompanied by the other maid. Luncheon is gener ally taken with the household, al though occasionally one of the two young ladies will be asked to join the royal party. Unless she actually knows that her majesty is out driving or, as occasionally happens when the court is at Bnlmoral, away for a long expedition likely to occupy many hours, tha maid of honor must on no account absent herself from the oaatle, for fear her presence should be re quired. The most fatiguing point about a maid of honor's work is that she neves sits down except when spe cially asked to do so by her royal mis tress. Till csmparatively lately each maid of honor received at her marriage a wedding gift of $5000 from her royal mistress, but this, oddly enough, end- J i i i j .i t-i i 1 eu ny causing cousiiiernoie inconven ience to the qneeu. She found that no sooner was a maid of honor ap pointed than she immediately an nounced her engagement, and, ac cordingly, the rule was made that this much-coveted dowry should not be given unless the prospective bride lias held her appointment for a certaiu number of years. Chicago News. Fashion Notes. Draped dressing tables are seen in all np-to-date bedrooms. Hyacinths and maidenhair fern make lovely table decorations. 1 A charming theatre wrap has a yoke of ermine, with cape effect in white thibet. Script letters on stationery have be come even more popular than the tiny mouogram. The Eton jacket of fur is no longer worn by smart women. In velvet, however, it is quite correct. There is no perceptible differonoe in the shape of sleeves. They fit the arm closely from wrist to shoulder, and have puffs, ruffles, caps, epaulettes aud what not, according to fancy. Plush spotand velvet spot effects are being produced for early spring wear in both worsted and cotton dress goods. The spots are several inches apart and the fabrio is made on Hit welt pile principle. Plain velvet makes np into stylish garments that give excellent wear. Puffed velvets in red aud green toues and checked and plaid velvets are popular aud pretty and make stylish blouses and bodices. There are many waists with little basque Bkirts. These are scalloped, cut iu battlement points or left open at the seams and bound. It would ap- Eear that .every style of finish bad een employed upon these little frills. A handsome picture hat recently seeu was made of white satin, with what is known as a Russian crown. Around the crown green rep ribbon was arranged in pretty wavelike loops. The trimming decreased at the lets side, but the right showed an immense bunch of ribbon loops aud ends, heron feathers and white lace and a pink chrysanthemum. T..V
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers