Report from Dawson City say there I fooil enough on hnml io lnt nil winter. Such being the cane, tbe loicle diet, so poimlnr Inst winter, will probably dill into disfavor. Illiteracy in Great Britain lift do creased from forty to seven jior cent, during Victoria's reign. During tlio same period In Hpnin lllitcrnoy tins roti t itmoil ovor CO per cenj. Ediien tion and national life, growth nnd auceess go linmt in hnml. An interesting departure in our ex port trade promises to ho the sain of nutomohilo vehicles. The announce ment la made that a company bn been formed in 1'nria expressly for (lie Kale of these carriage of American manufacture, and that huge orders hav'o been place 1 in several American cities. So matter how novel the arti cle nmy he, American skill and inge nuity nre ready to supply it to any applicant and to any market chenper and better than it can be produced auywheie else in the world. Who shall say to what extent the exposures nnd the comments of the newspapers have prevented abuses and deterred wrongdoers? Call it newspaper scolding if you will, yet who van maintain that it does uo good? Thousands of people would never follow the straight and narrow path were it not for fear of the pub licity of the newspapers, says the Milwaukee Journal. Besides, the newspaper serves to hold np before the young and those active in life some sort of a standard of right doing. Trade relations with the United States will compel the people of Porto Rico to learn the English tongue, uo matter what their preference for the Spanish langunge. Most of the trade of this island will be with this conn try, and if the people aro to do bust ness successfully, they must learn the tongue that is spolceu here. For this reason thore is likely to bo little ob jectiou to teaching English in the Porto Kicnn public schools. It is the unrest way of flttiug the coming geu eration of that island for iudustriul aud commercial usefulness. The wonderful growth of the tele graph business ran best be shown by quoting some figures. Thirty years ago thore were only 3000 telegraph offices and little more than 75,000 miles of wire strung throughout the length nnd breadth of the land. At the present time there are nbont 2(1,- 000 offices and over 1,000,000 miles of wire. The annual number of mes sages handled thirty years ngo was 8,879,282; today it is 80,000,000. The average cost to the sender thirty years ago was SI 04.7; the average cost today is 30.9 cents. At the start the cost to the company was more than twice what it is today to the sender. Four thousand mills in the world produce annually 7,900, 000, 000 quires of paper. England uses the bulk of this. The United Btates comes next in the amount consumed, followed by Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Mexico, Russia and Spain, in the or tier named. Six hundred million quires are required by the newspa pers. As consumer of this sort of paper the United States stands first. Truly this is a big advance upon the the times when letters or public doou' tnents were necessarily written on jiapyrus,sheepskin or wax tablets, or even on that age when Ribles were priced so high, that only the wealthy could possess copies of their own. One of the latent examples of the ability of the United States to sue oessfully display its practical inde pendence of the rest of the world ia furnished by the course of prices in the iron and steel industry, say Brads tree t's. In moBt European coiiU' tries the tendency of the iron aud teel market has been upward for borne years past, active demand fur nishing satisfactory reasous for this price development. - In this country, however, the contrary has been the , case, and the tendency has been toward the lowering of the price of both tb crude and manufactured product. At tention has been called to this featur by some .foreign iron-trade papers, which contrast the upward movement in prices which has ooenrred abroad with the even more pronounced down ward movement occurring in iron aud teel products in the United States. In the case of Germany advances have been particularly marked in pig iron but it is to be remarked ulso that the price of iron and steel in other countries, not exoepting Great Britain, ' have all been toward a higher plane. In this country the contrary has bee the ease, and on a total volume of business, unprecedented in size, values have shown little improvement over . one or two rears ago. A. j iraiiam Lincoln. ( 1 MOIl-Vclii'iinvy 1 3-1 Nll.) When o'er the land, from strand to strand, the drum boat near nnd far. When from the shop, the field, the crop, men crowded to the war. When In the Kotith, from the ennnou's mouth, shell rained on rlumter's wall, The summons then for loyal men wont forth the battle call Jtml war's alarms to arms, to arms, our hind and tin? to snve lly olio proud stroke to break the yoke to manumit the slave. Then stalwart men from vale and glen to arms came promptly forth. And faithful sons with swords and guns thronged proudly from tlio NortU. The Rlowlnir West, her bravest, best, hoard the wild war trump sound. And formed In Hun, with hope divine, to light on freedom's Krotind; I'roiul, patriot men from thn hind of I'enn. from valley, hill nnd crag, For e'pial laws, for freedom's cause nil circled rouud the Hag, To freedom true, the Jersey blue, the Knickerbocker bravo, And innny a band from Maryland, eamn forth our bind to snve, From Maine's Krenn pines, Missouri's mines, nnd from the laud of Clay Kentucky sent, on victory bent, her sons to Join the fray The brave and free from Tennessee, nnd all the sunny Houtli Hunt men to fall at thnlr country's call, at the grim cannon's mouth. For freedom's land, with heart and hand, New England's faithful host I, Ike Hpnrtans enmn to breast the fninn or fall nt duty's post. From mine nnd mill, from knMI nnd hill, came forth the mountaineer, From thn prnlrlo sod, with shoulders brond, thn Kiillnnt volunteer. The enmpflre'n bins shonn throiiRh thn hare by rivulet and rill, And freedom's lamp shone o'er the camp where sipindrons thronged to del 11. And who thn wan, ungainly man, who marshaled all thn free, I, Ike marble stood while war and blood oppressed by land nnd sea; Mis one llrm word, the people stirred: "Union!" for evermorej One land, one sky, to live or die, nnn flair from shorn to shoro. No arms, no fates can part'the mates, no cause the Union sever- Preserve tbls soli for men who toll forever aud foreverl This soul that Ood picked from thn sod to stand In freedom's van, The laud to stive, to free thn slave nnd fight tor tra.npled mac; To ehentt the pride to stay thn tide of fell despotic power, Hn hnld the rein he broke thn ohnla In freedom's trial hour, Thn Hpnrtnu hordn that drew the sword to him Rave up thn brand, And Lincoln died In freedom's pride tbe savior of our luifdl Cbnrlos J. Doattln, ooooooooooooooooooooooooc OF THE GREAT WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO The following article, giviug some aneodotes of the early life of Abraham Lincoln, is taken from Success: 'I meant to take good care of your book, Mr. Crawford, I did. indeed," said the boy, in great trepidation; "but I've damaged it a good deal with out intoudiug to, and now I want to make it right with you if I cau. What shall I do to make good the damage?" "Why, what s happened to it, Abe?" asked the rich farmer, as he took the copy of Woems's "Life of Washing ton," which he bad lent young Lin coln, and looked at the stained leaves and warped binding. "It looks as if it had been out all through last night's storm. Uow came you to forget, aud leave it out to soak?" '"Twas this way. Mr. Crawford," replied Abe, shifting uneasily to the other foot; "1 sat up late to read it: and, when I went to bed, I pnt it away , carefully in my bookoase, as 1 call it, i;tl. n 1 1 ii ii . I.nmnnn 4 ... I . ... I the wall of our cabin. I dreamed about General Washington all night. When I woke np I took it out to read a page or two before I did the chores, and yon can't imagine how I felt when I found it in this shape. It seems I that the mud-daubing had got out of the weather side of that craok, and the rain must have dripped on it three or four hours before I took it out. I'm real sorry, Mr. Crawford, and want to ns-it np with you somehow, if you can tell me any way, for I ain't got the money to pay for it with." "Well," said Mr. Crawford, "being as it'a you, Abe, I won't be bard on you. Come over and ahnek corn three days, and the book's yours." ilaa nir. Urawforu told young Abra ham Lincoln that he had fallen heir to a fortune, the boy could hardly have felt more elated. Shuck corn only rBESDNT CONDITION OF LINCOLN'S BIRTH PLACE, NEAB HODQBN8VILI.lt, KEN TUCKY. three days, and earn the book that told all about his greatest hero! "I don't intend to delve, grub, shuck corn, split rails and the like al ways," he told Mrs. Crawford, after he had read the volume. "I'm going to fit myself for a profession". ... "Why, what do you want to be now?" asked Mrs. Crawford, in sur prise. "Ob, I'll be President," aaid Abe, with a smile. "You'd make a pretty President, with all your tricks and jokes, now , wouldn't you?" said the farmer's wife. "Ob, I'll study and get ready," re plied the boy, "and then maybe the cbanoe will come." , "Perhaps people a hundred yeurs beuoe," writes Jesse W. Weik, one of Linooln's latest biographers, "will hesitate to believe that the spcoch ut Gettysburg-battlefield and the inaug ural address delivered from the por tioo of the Capitol at' Washington, Marob 4, 18C5, were written by a wau Whose aobool days, all told, 'did not amount to one year,' and who was 'never in a college or academy as a student, and never inside a college or if --m mm academy building, till after ho had be come a practicing lawyer, iu his twen ty-eighth year." Mr. Weik says that Lincoln found "pieces to speak" in "The Kentucky i'receptor, containing a number of useful lessons iu reading, compiled for the use of schools lv n teacher. "We are iudobted to his stepmother for the information that his mathe matical instruction came from Pike's arithmetic; but be was unable to buy the book, and was therefore obligod to borrow the copy which belonged to YOUNG ABE LINCOLN IN TRAINING FOR THE PRESIDENCY. 'Ohl I'll study and get ready .and then maybe the chance will come." a neighbor presumably Josiah Craw ford. "In order to possess tbe essential parts of the book, be resolved to copy them. Having procured certain sheets of unruled paper, nine inches wide and fourteen long, he sewed them to gether at one edge with string, so that they would open like a book. Then, with a qnill pen, he patiently copied the essential parts of the entire arith metic. Along the edges and in the unused corners of many pages are found snatches of schoolboy doggerel." "Not only were books iu some cases out of his reach, but paper and like supplies were not always to be had,' so that tbe practice of writing was not at all times an easy matter. Oftentimes when at work plowing in the fields, the boys would when the old, flea bitten gray mare stopped to rest at the end of a long furrow draw from his pocket a piece of smoothly planed wood and caver the impromptu slate with words and figures, written with the penoil be bad made of soapstone or clay. His stepmother tells ns he would oover the smooth aide of every log and board about the cabiu with his rude essays and arithmetiobl calcula tions. The door was a study in hier oglyphics. " "As I was once riding to mill with my father," said Captain John Lamar, 4 'I saw, an we drove along, a boy Bit ting on the topmost rail of an old fashioned stake-and-rider worm fenoe, reading so intently that be did not notioe our approach. My father turned to me and said: 'Johu, look at that boy youder, and mark my words, he will make a smart mau out of himself. I may not see it, but you'll see if my words don't come true.' That boy was Abraham Linooln." On of Lincoln's Kind Acts. One summer morning, shortly be fore the close of the Civil War, the not unusual sight in Washington of an old veteran hobbling along could have been seen on a shady path that led from the Executive Mansion to the War Office. The old man was In pain, and the pale, sunken cheeks and vague far-away stare in his eyes betokened a short-lived existence, lie halted moment, and then slowly approached a tall gentleman who was walking thoughtfully along, "flood morning, sir, I'm an old soldier, aud would like to ask yonr advice." The gentleman turned, and, smiling kindly, invited the poor old veteran to a seat under a atindy tree. There he listened to the man's story of How he had fought for the Union, and was severely wounded, incapacitating bim for other work In life, nnd begged di rections bow to Apply for back pay due bim aud a pension, offering his papers for examination. . The gentleman looked over thn papers, and then, took out a card and wrote directions on it, also a few words to thn Pension Bureau, desiring that speedy attention be given to the appli cant, and handed it to him. The old soldier looked nt it, and, with tears tit his eyes, thanked the tall gentleman, who, with a and look, bade him good luck and hurried up the walk. Slowly the soldier rend the card again, aud then turned it over to read the name of the owner. More tears welled in his eyes when he knew whom hn had addressed himself to, and his lips muttered: "I am glad I fought for him aud the country, for he never forgets. God bless Abraham Lincoln!" Tames I'nrtnn's Prediction. Tn 1802, James Par ton, the cele brated biographical writer, made the following prediction in regard to Abraham Lincolu: History will say of Mr. Lincoln that no man of a more genial tempera uieut, a more kindly nature ever tenanted the White House; that he gave all his time, his thoughts, his energies to the discharge of duties of unprecedented magnitude and nrg ency; that, hating uo man, he stead fastly eudcnvoi'od .to win the con tideuoe aud love of all the loyal and patriotic, and that, in spite of four chequered years of such responsibility and anxiety as has seldom fallen to the lot of mau, he bore away from the Capitol the sunny temper and blithe fraukneas of his boyhood, returning to mingle with his old neighbors as one with them in heart and manner, in retirement as in power a happy specimen of the men whom Liberty aud democracy train in the log cabin and by the rudest hearth to guide the counsels of the Republio and influence the destinies of the people. Bow Stanton DeUstl Linooln. The application of a man who wanted to be ohaplain in the army during Mr. Linooln'a administration was recently found, says the Indianapolis Journal. Attaohed to it are a number of in dorsements which are not only inter esting in themselves, but nid in dis closing the characters of the two men whose innuenoe largely molded the policy of government iu those turbu lent times. The indorsements read as follows: Dear Htanton: AnDOlntthls mnn ehan. lain In the army. A. Lixcolk. Dear Mr. Lincoln, He Is not a preacher E. M. Staxton. The following indorsements are dated a few mouths later, but come just below: Dear Stanton: He Is now. A. Limcoln. Dear Mr. Linooln: But there Is no va cancy. E. M. Staktox. Dear Mr. Stanton: Appoint Mm ohap-lain-ut-lnrge. A. Liscolm. Dear Mr. Lincoln: There Is no warrant of law for tbut, . M. Btamton, Dear Mr. Btanton: Appoint bim any how. A. LlKCOLX. Dear Mr. Linooln: I will not. E. M. Staxtox. The appointment waa not made, but the papers were filed in the War De partment, where they remain as evi dence of Linooln's friendship and Stan ton's obstinate nerve. Lincoln' Last Pardon. The last official aot performed by Abraham Linooln as President of the United States was the signing of the pardou of George S. E. Vaugban, un der sentence of death, charged with being a Confederate spy. Mr, Taughau, now an old aud broken man, lives iu Maryville, Mo, The story 6f his arrest, seutenoe to death ana final pardou au hour before Lan coin was shot by J, Wilkes Booth is one of the most interesting of the un published chapters of the Civil War i. mi until i iiUinmn. i . The Meals I'lllnw. What! Iledtlmn come again fur me? Well, what care 1 for thai It nmy be I'm not wenry yot Of all my play nnd clinti It may be 1 would like to stay Horn at niv riaddv'a knee. Vet. slice 'tis bedtime, I'll depart as nuppy as can no. And lot mn whisper Iu your ear ny i in prepared to go Most hoys am never ready when Their bedtime oomes, you kuoW- Hut ns for mn, ns long as I vo My pillow 'iienth mr head You'll never find mn sitting up vt imu i should he in ui. For when I whack It with my fist, lo make It sort of sort. And lie fane downwnrd, then I see Morn stars that glow nlolt: Arid every star that lies therein Holds lots of wondrous tilings, Like bl parades, nnd elrcusus, And animals, and kings. And somn sro filled with brownies bold Who lirnnk with niiiln nnd might; Anollier'slllled with peek-a-boo. Who penk-n-boo nil night. Ho why should 1 prefer to sit I'ownsimra, a slm'py-lieml. When enn see these wondrous things Whene'er I go to bed' John Kendriuk Hangs, In Woman's Home Companion. Thn California l.nkes. Of all the treasure' nnd surprises California holds, none so enchant the traveler's eye ns tlieglncier lakes. Set in the canons and mountains of the Sierra, thev seem like rare gems sparkling iu the golden rays of the sun. One of the most striking and inter esting is the beautiful Shadow lake, which lies eight miles from the lose mite Valley, 7M50 feet above the sea, It is very small, being about half a mile long, and one-fourth of a mile wide, nnd 118 foet deep. It is sur rouudod by towering cliffs, which are reproduced on the glassy surfuce of the lake. The rugged sonth wall is feathered along the top with silver firs, and the passes which lead to the shore are dotted with picturesque junipers. Another beautiful spot is Ornngo lake, which lios a mile and a half to the northwest of Shadow lake. It is even smaller than the first-named, but iu its wild beauty, it seems like a fairy rendezvous. It is bordered by trees aud shrubs of various kinds, back of which the bare grim granite rises, making a suitable framing for the pictnre. Its feeding streams are very shnl low, nnd flowing noiselessly along the cutis, fall into the lake below. One which must be mentioned is the Lake Starr King, which, instead of being encircled by the narrowing of trees like Orange lake, lies buried in a dense forest. Strange to say, fishes are not fonnd in nny of these lakes, but d wu in their still blue depths are the Inrvie of numberless insects nnd beetles, while the nir above is thick with hum ming wings. Detroit Free Press. llnw Minis' tvt IlirTer. Widely differing in shape are the feet of birds. They serve the birds much the snuie as bands serve human beings. liirds of prey, such as kill other birds and nniinala for food, have strong, sharp claws. An owl swal lows a mouse whole, nnd next day the bones nnd fur are thrown up in the form of a small gray pellet. The amazing number of bones to be found in these pellets goes far ti prove the value of owls as rat aud mouse de stroyers. Those birds which seem to be links between the water aud the laud fowl that is, those which ran swim short distauces have a membrane on each aide of their toes, although most of their lives is spent in threading their way through the sedgy grasses which grow on the margin of lakes and pools. A ptarmigan is a specimen of a bird well protected against the effects of cold by having its feet thickly furred to the very claws. Its plumage is pure white in winter,so as not to be readily seen upon the snowy ground, bnt iu summer the feathers change to gray aud brown, colors which make the bird inconspicuous among gray rocks and I ither. Grain eating birds, such as turkeys, owls, phoasauts and a large number of other spucios are provided with very strong feet, armed with horny toe nails to enable them to scratch up the earth to find their food. The foot of a common chicken affords an example of this class of birds. . There are more than 10,000 species of birds, inhabiting every variety of situation and fitted to every climate, so one may form some idea of the need of adaptation in their structure. Til Meld of the Cloth of Gold. Roberta B. XoUon gives a very good idea of the maguiticent display of Henry VIII of Kugland and Philip I of France when they met in good-fellowship on the plain of Guisnes, 380 years ago. The king's retinue had been selected from the noblest of the kingdom. Wolsey, with his three huudred fol lowers, beaded the escort, aud was followed by dukes, earls, barons, bish ops, and kuights, with their retainers. The escort numbered four thousand horsemen, not Including the queen's escort, numbering nearly two thou sand persons aud eight hundred horses. The French kiug had an equally splen did retinue. Kiug Heury aud his great cavalcade were taken, on arrival at Guisues, to the tuaguirlceut pulnco provided by Wolsey. There was au old palace there, and Wolsey bad es tablished himself iu that, and erected oue for his kiug. The palace was the moat beautiful place imaginable; it bad so many 'glazed wiudows that it looked as though built of crystal, and much of the Woodwork, both inside and out, was covered with gold. All the way from the gate to the door were rows of silver statues. Inside the walls of the chambers and halls were hung '.with magnificent tapestry embroidered in gold, and the ceiling were draped with white silk. Hut Henry was not to spend nil of his time in his fine palace, for tents hnd been erected on the plain, and in these the two kings and their smtes weroto lodgo. The tents of the French king were pitched just outside the walls of the town of Ardres, and ex tended almost to the tents of King Henry. The tents in which the two qneens were lodged were covered with cloth of gold, as were also the tents of thn ladies in nttendanco npon them, and of all members of the royal families. The effect was dazzling. Beautiful pavilions, hung with cloth of gold, ilottod the plain; banners Moated everywhere; fountains of win? spouted in the bright .Tune sunshine; horses, decorated with fluttering ribbons. prnnccd about gaily. So gorgeous had the dreary plain been made that it has become known in history as the "Field of the Cloth of Gold. "St. Nicholas, The New risr. Klslc, Chester, Valentine and Annie had made up an ovet land tfnin iu the diningroom, and were taking a trip ncross tho United States. They bad the straight-backed chairs for cars and the big rocker for tbe engine. Chester was engineer and fireman. Vnleutiue wns conductor, brakeinsn and porter. Elsio and Annie were the passengers. Mamma was lying on n couch in the next room. She had the headache, nnd wanted to sleep. But, if she dropped into a doze, Valentine wa sure to rouse her by bawling, "Din ner is now ready in the dining car!" Mnmmn conld not bear to stop their fun. But she kept hoping thnt dinner would be over. At last the appetites of the passengers seemed to have been satisfied, and thon she heard them planning to havo a wreck. "That is more than I can stand," thought iiiammn. "Children!'! she called. Elsie came to the door. "Would you like to try a new play?" said mamma. "I will give five cent to the one who will sit still the long est." Klsie wanted to try it. She told the rent. Chester said he would just as soon play that ns to play "wreck." "And we can have the wreck after word, " said Valentine. "Let's sit in the cars," said Elsie. "We'll give Annie the engine," saiiV Chester, "she's the littlest." Annie laughed and clambered into the big rocker. The others took their places, nnd the play began. Elsie felt like laughing at first, bnt she looked away out of the window and soon grew serions. Chester gazed steadily at the ca p it. Annie looked straight ahead of ncr. Her eyes were dull, nnd now and then the nils dropped. Valentine fixed bis eyes on the clock. Five minutes were slowly ticked away. "It seems like a whole forenoon," thought Valentine. He wondered how long the others could keep still. "Not so long ns I can," he said to himself. "Elsie will laugh; she's al ways giggling. And Chester will say something; he's such a talker. And of course Annie's too little to keep still long." So Valentine reasoned, and reso lutely held his tongne, waiting for the rest. He made up his mind they could not bold out longer than half an hour. "Annie will soon begin to jabber,', he kept thinking. "And then Elsie will lungh, aud Chester will speak ont; and then I'll say, 'I've won the nickel!'" Valentine watched the clock. "I know they cau't keepstili more'tt half an bonr," be said to himself over and over again. At last the half-hour was almost gone. There were only two miuntes more. He conld hardly wait. Then there was only one minute. He grew excited. The time was up. He for got himself altogether. He jumped from bis chair. "I've won the nickel!" he shouted. Elsie and Chester burst ont laugh ing. Then they all looked at one an other in dismay. "Did Annie laugh, too?" cried Elsie. "And is the game spoiled?" She peeped around the back of tbe rocking chair. "Why, thedarling!" she said softly. "She's asleep!" "Th9 nickel belongs to her," said Chester. "Well, never mind. She's the littlest." "I'll go tell mamma," said Elsie. "Mamma! Why, she's asleep.tool" "Don't let's walte her," said Ches ter. "You know she said her head ached." "We'll play outdoors till diuuer time," said Elsie. "And we cau have the wrouk this afternoon," suid Valentine. Chris tian Register. In Wanltlng-ton. "Why. those men are fightingl" "Oh, dou't mind them." "But one of them has the other by the hair!" "That's nothing." ' "And the othr has his opponent' ear between his teeth!" "Oh, come along. " "But wait. It may be a murder!" "Will you come ulong?" Tell me first w hat they are fighting ab int." "They are not fighting." "Not fighting? What are they do- "Arguing over the constitution." Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers