WALLS OF CORN. Smiling irnil beautiful heaven' dome Bends softly over our prairie home. But the wide, wide tands that stretched away Before my eyes in the dnys of May; The rolling prairie's billowy swell, Breezy upland and timbered dell; Btstely mansion and hut forlorn All are hidden hy walla of com. !A1I the wido world is narrowed down To walls of corn now sere and brown. What do tbey hold theKC walls of corn, Whose banners toss in the breeze of morn? He who mirations mav soon he told A great Stnte's wealth these walls enfold. No sentinels guard these walls of eorn, Kever is Bounded the warden's horn; Yet the pillars are hung with gleaming Bold. Left all unharrcd, though thieves arc bold. Clothes and fond for the toiling poor; Wealth to heap at the rich man's door; West for the healthy and balm for him Who moans and tosses in chamber dim; Fhoes for the barefooted: pearls to twine In the scented tresses of Indies fine; Things for use for the lowly cot Where (Bless the corn!)wnnt comcth not; Luxuries rare for the mansions grand. Booty for thieves that rob the land 'All fhese thintrs, and so many more It would till a book but to name them o'er, lAre hi'' and held in (he walls of corn. Whose banners toss in the breere of morn! Open fh" alios, conned hv rule, In the olden days of the district school. Point to this rich and bounteous land That yields such fruits to the toiler's hand. "Tree!es desert" they called it then, Eaunted by beasts and forsook by men. Little they knew what wealth untold lay hid whete the desolate prairies rolled. Who would have dared, with brush or pen, As this land is now, to paint it then? !And how would the wise ones have laughed in scorn Tad prophet foretold these walls of corn, Whose benners toss in the breeze of morn! -E"n V. Allerton, in Topeka (Kan.) State Capital. TIEMANN TRIES TABASCO. I Water Front Joke That MIsstd Fire. From ih Vaw VrV irA Di v Jim O'Connor, the Battery boat man, looked In at several towboat offices in Coeitles Slip, and on his way back to the Battery Basin passed the time of day with Old Pete Mur phy, who keeps a curb-line oyster ettnd profusely decorated with ffnerlcan flags and gastro-patrlotlc legends, all in colors on glaring white canvas, not far from Whitehall street. It was obvious that MuT(rt)y had something on his mind, as be opened the bivalves for Ikey Sabbath, the marine clothing runner, absently dis cussing South street affairs with the boatman. And finally, following the Itysterman's eyes, those of O'Connor tested upon an innocent little bottle containing a red fluid. "Hump," he said, "It's a small dose of ketchup yer handln' out in these times of finn-anclal distress." "Ketchup," snorted Murphy; that ain't ketchup. It's tabasco." "Yes? I've heard of It. Is it good to eat?" O'Connor shook out a dash on his thumb, and placed It to his tongue. "Holee mack'rl! What Is It, vitril?" "Naw, tabasco I told ye," replied Murphy angrily. "Well, the next time I eat oysters here ye can provide me with seven r eight red hot coals to wash 'em flown with." And O'Connor went on bis way, caressing the tip of his tongue with horny fingers By the time he had passed the Barge Office, however, the pain had subsided suffi ciently to allow the turning of his mind from himself and his woes to objective things. The flrBt thought that presented Itself was the possi bilities that lay within the presence of the first bottle of tabasco that had appeared on South street since that Old thoroughfare was laid out. From thoughts condlmental his mind, through logical sequence, turned to consideration of "Big Joe" .Tlemann, the dean of the Battery landing shanty, whose fondness for oysters, or, rather, for tomato cat up flavored with oysters, was a popular topic among his many friends. A happy smile pervaded O'Connor's weather beaten counten ance, and he hastened to the landing, maturing plans of campaign as he went. He found his quarry deeply Immersed In a game of poker for matches with Bill Qulgley, the boat man, "Sailor Dan" McGinnlty and "Bolivar Hose" Darragh. "I Just bore down to Murphy's stand," said O'Connor, as Qulgley hauled In a match safe full of win nings, and Tlemann began to shuffle the cards. "They's a new lot of oys ters In th' finest sa'ay, Pete Mur phy's got the best line in the city right now." O'Connor concluded his eulogy with a comprehensive wink, Including everyone but Tlemann. whose back was turned. "I ate two dozen." "TJmmm," Tlemann sighed. "How mtich carts do yon said you vill haf, Bailor Tan?" i Thus the game proceeded. ' "And," resumed O'Connor, "Mur phy's got a new sauce that comes in a big bottle. It's tomato ketchup boiled right down nothing but the reel tomatoes stlckln' right out and, sa'ay, yo put It on an oyster and and O, Lor! Cleck, deck, clack." the boatman snapped hi tongue la furtatory reminiscence. "No," and Tlemann settled back with a vacant expression in his eyes. "No; I vill stand pad." The game went or "Good sauce, eh?" said Qulgley tentatively. O'Connor abandoned himself to an expression of -espalr, as though hav ing tasted that sauce, life hold noth ing more for him. - Tlemann. after five minutes of si lence, broken only by the rattle of Darragh's pipe, suddenly laid his cards on the table. "I vill blny no more. I haf an engagement at Corlear's Hook, for vlch I am now Into." Thus saying he put on his hat and overcoat and went outdoors. O'Connor, htigglnt himself with glee, Imparted the cause of his Joy to those In the room, with the result that there was a hasty adjournment to the seawall, whence they followed snfely in the rear of the unsuspect ing Tlemann. On their way they picked up a dozen friends, a number which was augmented by others in the course of tho Journey until fully a score occupied positions of vantage behind ship chandlers merchandise, In doorways, or behind trucks, when Tlemann stopped in front of Mur phy's stand. "Goot mornln', Bete, you may open me halluf a tozen oyster. Ah, a new getchnp! Sure enough. Malg dot a tozen." Murphy, overjoyed at what prom ised to develop Into a Battery run on his stand, pried. apart a large gray fellow, and handed It over to the ex pectant customer, who, as usual, flooded It with scarlet condiment, and swallowed it voraciously. There was a quiver of excitement among those who were watching. That he would either fall to the sidewalk or kick over the stand was unquestioned. But. he did neither. A beatific smile slowly overspread his face. He turned to the oysterman. "Malg dot 4hree tozen, Bete," he said. Ten minutes later O'Connor, Qnlg- ley and the rest were seated in grim silence in the Battery shanty. "Any news to-day," said the cub ship news man, peering Into the sombre room. "Shet yer head," said O'Connor. HUNTER'S TIN CAN LURE A SUCCESS. ?oaee Fays He Learne ' of It in India. Where K Is Used to Catch Fierce Tigers. If a fine old buck hadn't been so anxious to read the labels on several tin cans he would still be propelling his antlers through the forests of Sul livan County, in New York, instead of lying in state at the home of Farmer John Quick. Daniel Space, of New York City, arrived at the Quick homestead a few days ago with a trunkful of bullets and a brand new scheme for putting venison on the table. Quick and Space started out to as- certain If the latter's plan for trap ping deer was practicable. The plan consisted of stringing about twenty tomato cans on a rope and stretching the rope across the runway. While one of the hunters stood near the cans the other was to go back Into the woods and drive the deer toward the opening. The scheme worked satisfactorily the first time it was tried. Quick succeeded In locating a deer and driving it toward the runway, where Space lay in wait. When the deer was within 200 yards Space gave the rope a yank, and the cans set up an awful Jangling. The deer was sus picious at first. He hesitated for a moment, and- then his curiosity got the better of him. Pulling his ant lers down and tying them beneath his chin he sneaked op to the cans and began to inspect them. While thus engaged Space took careful aim and brought the animal to the ground with his seventh shot. "That's a trick I learned in India, said Space. "They use the tin can trap out there to catch tigers. I could have killed him with the first shot, but I gave him an opportunity to finish his inspection of the cans.." The buck was a fine specimen and weighed 265 pounds. , The Riot Act. What Is commonly known as "read ing the rtot act" is better known than the origin of the phrase. The his torical Riot act was passed by the British' Parliament- in the reign of George I. in 1714. It enacts that felony is committed when twelve or more persons unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assemble together, to the disturbance of the public peace, so to continue together for an hour after being commanded to disperse by the Sheriff or Under Sheriff or a Justice or the Mayor of the borough. In the "reading" of the British Riot act, which is a necessary pre liminary to its being put into opera tion, it is not customary to recite the whole of the statute, which is rather a long one, but only 'the following proclamation which It contains: "Our sovereign lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons being assembled immediately to dis perse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the act made in the first year of King George for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God save the King!" Chicago Journal. Between January 1 and November 1, 1907, the fire loss of the United States was I1S0, 785,300, compared with 1424,460.100 in the tame ten months of 1106. WOMEN BALK AT ELIOT'S IDEA OF THEIR EDUCATION ts Main Object, Says Harvard Head, Should Be Henceforth to Prepare Them For Their "Normal Occupation " President Eliot's declaration to the Collegiate Alumnai Association at Cambridge that woman's education should no longer "be a mere Imita tion of that of the man," but should have for Its purpose to prepare her for motherhood, has provoked al ready a discussion of which Har vard's president will not hear tho last for many a day. A diversity of opinion was expressed by representa tive New York women, and some of them did not hesitate to take flat is Bue with the noted educator whose Ideas clash with probably a majority of the 600,000 women In America who are engaged In some profession besides raising babies. Speaking on The Future of the Educational Movement for Women," Dr. Eliot said' Woman's Normal Occupation. "Higher education In the future should recognize the fact that the majority of women take up the occu pation of training children, the mar ried ones as mothers and many of the unmarried ones In the Interest of the mothers. "Training of children Is the nor mal occupation of woman, and its importance in 'education has proba bly not been recognized because it has hitherto been regarded as an un intellectual pursuit. Yet it Is the most Intellectual occupation in the world, In no matter what walk of life. It calls always for great moral and carefully trained mental powers. "What a great power a reading mother has to train the minds of her children? This normal occupation of woman should be the main object henceforth In the education of wom an, and no longer should her educa tion be a mere imitation of that of man. On such a basis I believe higher education will truly perfect the home life and household Joy. "It Is certainly not the chief end of woman's life to enter man's occupa tions, as was intended when higher education was advocated for her. It is high time that th-.t Idea of an edu cation for her was abandoned, and that the aim should be to develop in woman the capacity and the powers that fit her to make life fuller of intellectual enjoyment and happi ness, more productive physically, mentally and spiritually." "I question whether the education of man Is yet sufficiently far ad vanced," said Mrs. John Sherwln Crosby, President of the Women's Democratic Club, "to qualify him to decide upon the education that wom an should have. There is, of course, a broad fundamental education that is Just as necessary to develop the powers of a woman as of a man. There Is also little In regard to the training of children that the man as well as the woman ought not to learn. "If womankind -vere restricted to rearing and teaching children she would be deprived of many of the best opportunities for learning how to do that very work. The greatest idea in education, as in other things, is freedom, and restriction placed upon the education of woman would tend to render her less efficient in any special service to which she may be by nature adapted better than man." Man's Duty, Too. Mrs. Harriete M. Johnston Wood, law partner of her nusband, William H. Wood, didn't have much patience to spare for Dr. Eliot's views. "True, the training of children al ways has been woman's occupation," said Mrs. Wood, "and to the exclu sion of other things until her horizon has narrowed and her mind has been warped. Let the training of children be her duty,' but let It also be the man's to do his share. Each should assist if the proper balance is to be given to the development of the child. Any occupation exclusively for men or for women is lmperf.-ct. Mascu line and feminine must co-operate eternally; each supplies the comple ment to the other. "I should like to know," inter jected the woman counsellor with the fire of a lawyer daiving home, a clinching argument , "by what divine authority certain occupations were set aside for men and certain ones for women? Every occupation in the world is for woman if she can do It well. Her physical and mental limi tations, not the mandate of man, are to determine these things. "A woman's sphere is not her dooryard, but the wide world. It is not her duty alone to care for the children she has borne, but to have at heart the Interests of the children of the world. If she had taken her place in government and in public affairs, there wouldn't be the problem of race suicide which some men pre sume to command her to solve by bringing more children into the world Instead of doing a woman's work in improving the condition of those already born. "And if women shirk this part of the work which legitimately belongs to them, let the men insist that they shoulder their share of the respons ibility. Good government Is only good housekeeping; you might as well expect to find a house perfectly managed without women as to look for school boards and city govern ments perfectly administered without their aid. Beaents Dictation of Men. If the education of women were to be restricted we would simply go back to primitive conditions. What ever tends to develop woman Intel lectually or spiritually or morally prepares her to become a better mother. Preparation for the duties of parentage should be an aim in the education of both sexes, but that Is not all. And It will not be all," con cluded Mrs. Wood with a determined setting of her Jaw. "Women have been forced into occupations which men used to think were theirs ex clusively, and men have encroached upon' domains formerly labelled 'wo man's work' until the world recog nizes that necessity Is more potent than tradition. I object to any man telling me what I uhnll learn or whac I shall do or not do, and those who set themselves up to dictate to us should remember that the blood of our Revolutionary ancestors runs in women's veins as vell as In men's. We will not tolerate a step back ward." Cannot All Be Mothers. Mrs. Frederick Nathan said she could ngrea with Dr. Eliot in the main, that women should be trained to be good mothers, but no, more than that men should be educated to become good husbands and fathers. "What Is a boy ' to be trained for for himself?". she asked. "Should he not hand down to suc ceeding generations the benefits of his education?" Mrs. Nathan did not agree that womnn's education had been an imi tation pf man's, rather, woman had come at last into the rights of educa tion formerly claimed exclusively by the other sex. In cases where women must support themselrej she con. I see no reason for limiting their field of activities and compelling them to marry the first man who comes along. Attempts to circumscribe a wom an's possibilities by limiting her edu cation would smother ambition and stunt her mental growth. "Woman as well as man," said Mrs. Nathan, "Is entitled to the chance to develop, each in her or his own way. Wqmen cannot all be mothers, nor teachers, but each has possibilities to develop which reJounds to the benefit of the whole race. I think every girl and every boy should receive some indus trial training, but where the lines should be drawn in education of women I do not think It is for the men to say." From the New York World. S THE PARABLE : OF THE TALENTS. 2 A man traveling into a far country called his servants and delivered unto them the goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two and to another one; to every man accord ing to his several ability, and straight way took his Journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same in the Street, and made them other five talents on paper. And likewise he that had received two talents; be also gained other two on paper. But he that had received one tal ent went and hid It in a safety deposit vault. After a time the lord of these ser vants cometh and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought his ten paper talents, saying, "Master, I put my five talents into United Copper and Inter-Met., which straightway be came all to the pazzaz, and I am wiped out." His lord said unto him, "Thou hast been well done, thou sim ple, foolish servant." He also that had received two tal ents came and said, "Master, here are four talents on paper, the which are like unto last year's bird's nest. Be hold, I Invested In Amalgamated and American Ice." And his' lord said unto him, "Thou, too, hast been well done, thou foolish servant." Then he which had received the one talent came and said, "Master, I was afraid, and went and htd thy tal ent in a safety deposit vault: lo, here thou bast that is thine." His lord answered and said unto him, "Thou art a wise little guy, and I will take thee into the firm." For in these days unto every one that hath shall be given, and a talent In the bank Is worth ten on the curb. From Puck. Elder Dock Cultivated. In Iceland, on certain islands, near Ryckavlk, the elder duck is raised in a systematic manner. It is really more of a small goose than a duck, being so independent of fish and ani mal food as to be able to support It self by grazing on the seaweed at the bottom of the sea, at a considerable depth. It is a splendid diver, being as much at. home under the water as on the surface. The great value of the elder duck's down is well known, and, owing to the bird's tendency to pull out such large quantities for lin ing Its nest that it leaves its lower breast almost bare when it Is setting, there is no difficulty in getting a good supply of these feathers without de stroying the birds. In Iceland It is strictly guarded against intrusion. The inhabitants consider it a worse crime than stealing deer in Scotland for any person to Bhoot an elder duck. Back to the Ranks! At West Point the cadets begin at the bottom of the ladder by learn ing the mannal of arms and drilling like private soldiers. Under the new military law cadets admitted to the French military school must serve one rear as simple privates. MONEY CHANGERS KNOW A LOT. Indeed They Have to, to Keep Track of European Coins and Counterfeits. "I never renllzed until to'-day," said a man who had Just returned from Europe, "what an undertaking Is to be a money changer." "I came back with about $20 in foreign money, principally French and Italian. This I took to a money chnngor's to cash In. "Ho looked over the coins rapidly. throwing them Into little piles and putting down notes on a Blip of paper. Whon he had cleared up the lot he said I hud $10.25 coming to me. "At first I thought he was doing me. But he was not. He showed me a dozen or so Italian coins that had been demonetized and were worth about forty cents on the dol lar. There was a nice little pile of counterfeits that were not worth a cent, and altogether only about a third of the coins that I brought home were worth their full value. "The onlv consolation I hnd was that I Annfced my stars I am In the Insurance business and not In the exchange business, for my poor little brain could not carry half the things that those fellows have to remem ber." The man with the coins did not exaggerate. There are thousands of different coins floating about that a money changer has to know. He has to keep In mind every demone tized coin made within the last hun dred years. In addition to that there are counterfeits. The Immigrants bring over heaps of bad coins. Many of them buy up counterfeits cheap with the hope of exchanging them at Ellis Island. Then there are the coins of the South American countries. They are worse than those of the European countries. Brazil, for Instance, has a good scheme all its own. Certain notes are good for ten years, after that time for every year they lose ten per cent, of their face value until the whole value Is used up and they are worth only the paper they are printed on. As one man expressed it yon have to know the history of the world to be a money changer. A peculiar part of the business 1b the reshlpment of coins back to the countries whence they came. Often during the rush season one firm sends back a million coins, while It is estimated that in the course of a year $10,000,000 in foreign money Is reshlpped to Eu rope and a million to the rest of the world. Money changing is a business Just like any other. They do not exchange money. They buy it. When yon go there with foreign coins they buy them from you at a stated price. When you go there to get foreign coins you buy them from them at a certain price Just as you buy eggs and cigars. New York Sun. He Talked Too Much. In a certain village of New Hamp shire there Is a quaint old character known as Boss Mellln keenly alive to the truth of the old saying, "Silence is golden." Mellln's gift in this re spect approaches genius, though he was fully aware of what he deemed his shortcomings therein. Mellln used to make mattresses for a living. One day a native of the place entered his shop and asked, "Boss, what's the best kind of a mat tress?" "Husks," was the laconic reply of Boss. Twenty years later, so runs the tra dition, the same man again entered tho shop and again asked, what, in the opinion of Mellln, was the best kind of a mattress. "Straw," said Boss. "Straw? You told me husks was the best!" Boss Mellln emitted a sigh. "I've always ruined myself by talkln'," said he. Harper's Weekly. Croquet. Eben M. Byers, Pittsburg's famous golfer, was talking at a dinner about dawdling players. "Nothing Is more vexatious," Mr. Byers said, "than to follow one of these dawdlers over a course. They should all be served as a bow-legged chap was the other day. "He was playing at Englewood. His play was as slow as It was poor. Setting his warped legs wide apart, he would miss the easiest ball three or four times bandrunnlng. He was retarding half a dozen good, brisk players, but this he didn't seem to mind at all. . "Finally one man, having drawn very near, lost patience, and with a neat shot sent his ball flying directly between the slow player's bow legs. "The slow player Jumped back in great fright. Then he yelled angrily: 'Say, do you call that golf?' " 'No said the other, 'but I call It pretty good croquet.' " Washington Star. Gum and Thought. One thing is certain you cannot chew gum and think at the same time with any degree of success. You may chew gum and work mechanical ly, you may read with gum In your mouth and perhaps not miss anything In the author, but when It comes right down to good hard mental effort you cannot concentrate and achieve the best results of which you are cap able while your Jaws work unceasing ly. That champing Is Just so much wasted energy and as such dissipates your force and keeps your thinking powers reduced to the lowest point. Just put it down in your note book as a fact that no man can think deep, logical or well balanced thoughts while his Jaws are working overtime. Chicago Tribune. Tar on Roads. As a direct result of successful ex periments with oil for roads In Cali fornia and in Oran, Africa, and sev- ' eral towns of Algiers where aloe and massot oil were UBed road builders took up the question of employing tar, cither alone or In connection with oil for road surfacing. In France a mixture of tar and oil was tried in 1900, and by 1901 such good effects were obtained with various tar mix tures, that many miles of roads were surfaced with them. The French engineers pursued the subject' with Intelligent perserverance, and they secured some Ideal roads for travel ing. The tar is applied hot at about 210 degrees, and only In dry weather. After tho tar Is applied, a sprinkling of snnd Is made over the surface to harden the mixture and to prevent slipping of horses and vehicles. By the addition of heavy oils, the tar Is hardened more quickly, and the road thrown open to general traffic. All dust and mud are eliminated by the tnrrlng process, and the roadbei It self is kept from injury by heavy traffic. The waterproof character of the tar surface keeps the water from entering the roadbed, and thus elim inates one of the most destructive agencies of highways. In England tar is also used quite extensively for the maintenance of the surface of the roads, and In this country It Is also a well-recognized practice. One of the first applica tions of tar to the surface was made at Jackson, Tenn. The surface lasted about seven or eight months. In Montclalr, N. J., a mixture of tar and screenings was tried In 1904 on a steep grade, and for a year prac tically no wear or tear was notice able on the road. Since then a num ber of other roads in that town have been similarly treated at a cost of about seventeen cents per square foot Including the cracked stone and screenings. The tarring Itself cost only about five to six cents per square foot. In several other New Jersey towns and on Long Island, roads are now being treated with tarred sur face for eliminating dust and mud and for the protection of the road itself. . The difference between the method of tarring the surface of roads in France and this country is In the use of sand or screenings. In France they merely sprinkle sand on the tar after it has cooled a day or two, but in this country cracked stones or screen ings are either mixed with the tar or sprinkled upon the surface, with the purpose of Incorporating them as much as possible with the tar. The French roads are excellent and form a dry, dustless surface, but they do not last as long as the American roads of equal excellence. The tar and screenings, when properly mixed together, form a sort of cushion, which greatly reduces abrasion. The use of tar In territories where there are ample rainfalls Is far tupe rlor to oil, for the latter then forms an emulsion with the water, which does great damage to vehicles and clothes. It makes the surface mushy, and resprlnkllng is necessary at in tervals. But in dry, hot, arid regions the oil In superior to tar, afnd accom plishes the object of laying the dust and forming a smooth compact sur face better. It Is consequently a question of climate and topographical conditions which must determine the use of materials and methods In any part of the country. Scientific American. France's Roads Best In World. Among the reasons which make) the highways of France the best in the world is the requirement that all preliminary road-making operations shall be thoroughly performed, says Leslie's Weekly. When embank ments are made, tbe earthwork is built up only a few Inches at a time and, in the neighborhood of masonry, rammed. Every ditch is carefully, cut at a proper angle, rammed, and. If necessary, paved with stones. Dangerous turns are protected by stone parapets; at each cross road there are sign posts, Always in order, and the Touring Club of France has established indicators to remind the tourist of dangerous curves, rapid descents, etc. Every railroal cross ing is protected by a gate, which has a watchman In charge day and night. Protection of Roads. The subject before the Massachu setts Highway Association at its last quarterly meeting was the prot-:t: a of macadam roads from the excessive wear of automobile travel and the sup pression of dust. Experts of large experience gave their views, the con sensus of opinion being that some very bad smelling preparation In which coal oii is a main ingredient is the best found so far. It is lament able that the bad smell should be an essential element of surface-preserving material for use on our roads. The park commissioners preserved our parkways and toulevards in this section last summer at the cost of all enjoyment for those who rode over them. Boston Post. Progress in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has now under con struction 268 miles of highways, under rules prescribed by State High ways Commissioner Hunter. Fif teen counties of that State are doInak no road making under State-aid lawp Good Roads Magazine. Seven hundred British subject ai born at sea every year. '