THE STAR
BEYN0LD9V1LLE - PENNA.
EAL MEANING OF "MYSTIC"
ne of the Most Frequently Misused
of Words Its Probable Origin
Explained.
I A Jeweler In ' a small handicraft
phop held out a heavy silver ring with
fqueerly engraved seal, Baying: "I
an't explain the device to you. It lej
made for a sea captain. He's a friend1
jof mine, and the emblem is just mys-'
(tlo to him." The very fact that a
word becomes so warped and common
means, at least, that a great many
people are becoming aware of a new
matter. Something has swum Into
their ken, and the word that stands
(or the experience is bandied wildly
about the world. When one pauses to
Reflect upon the meaning of the word
"mystic," it Is odd to note the base
uses to which It has come. All the
minor poets write of "mystic gleams"
and "mystic glamours," "mystic
sheens" and "mystic clamors;" Its
use in the sense of magic Is very
widespread. But there are also small
railroad stations In out-of-the-way
spots that rejoice In the new word as
A designation. As a matter of historic
fact, the noisy, ubiquitous word de
rives from a Greek word which means
shut. A mystic was one who was be-
5ng Initiated into certain esoteric re
Iglous doctrines about which he must
"keep his mouth shut. Some conjec
ture that the word referred rather to
Hhe keeping of the eyes shut to all
tfense Impressions In order that the
spiritual vision might be seen. Or it
might have referred to the fact that
until a man was admitted to the mys
teries, his eyes were shut to spiritual
truth. But in all probability the first
explanation Is the true one, and the
word simply refers to the fact that
(the profoundest experiences cannot be
Imparted. They dwell In the great
lealm of silence, and are truest when
they are stillest. Harper's Weekly.
A Grafter Sentenced.
Judge (severely) You have been
found guilty of stealing the people's
money, and you are sentenced to ten
years in the penitentiary, and to pay
a fine of $5,000.
Great Grafter Yes, y'r honor.
Judge lint as you will never be
able to pay the fine, the fine is re
mitted. Great Grafter Thank you, Judge.
Judge And if you conduct yourself
properly, the law will allow time for
good behavior, and you can get out In
about a year and a half.
Grafter Thanks, judge.
Judge And, by the way, If you hap
pen to feel 111 In a week or two, the
court will Issue an order allowing you
to go home to die.
Grafter Thanks, judge; but suppose
( don't die?
Judge Don't mention it Call the
next case.
The Cocoa Tree.
The cultivation of cocoa Is at pres
ent an Inviting agricultural pursuit in
Trinidad and parts Of Venezuela: The
cocoa tree cannot withstand strong
Bunshlne, and the young plants have
to be shaded by banana or plalntain
trees, and later when they attain their
growth, by tall trees known as "lm
portals" or the "mother of the cocoa."
These make a kind of canopy over the
entire plantation. The fruit of the
cocoa tree is a pod resembling a cu
cumber, and growing on the trunk or
large branches, where It looks as
though It were artificially attached.
The seeds are like large, thick lima
beans embedded In pulp. These form
the cocoa beans of commerce. The
processes of ' curing and drying re
quire much attention.
The Ink Plant.
Ink of everyday life may be perhaps
described as of mixed animal, vegetable
and mineral origin. Sometimes, how
ever, the Juice of a plant can be used
directly for writing. This Is the case
with the ink plant, which occurs In
South America and New Zealand.
The Juice of the plant la red, but It
becomes rapidly black on exposure
by oxidization. It gives a permanent
itain on paper and can be used aa Ink
wtlhout further preparation. . All the
early documents in Spanish America
were written with the Juice of the Ink
plant Knowledge.
Cut Her Hair and Saved Her Sight.
Unusual presence of mind, followed
Jby prompt actloa by Miss Inez, daugh
ter of George Emerson, a farmer liv
ing west of here, saved her sight and
her face from a bad burning the oth
er morning when her long and beauti
ful hair caught fire from an explosion
cf coal gas in the kitchen stove.
When the flames flashed out she
seized a pair of scissors and cut off
her burning tresses. Eyelashes and
eyebrows were burned off and her
neck and arms badly burned. Gree
ley Correspondence Denver Republican.
While You Walt
"Block your hat while you wait,"
was the original while you wait sign
dating back to before the war, and
for a long time it was the only one,
while now of such signs there are
many.. You can have jour shoes re
paired or your teeth fixed or your
clothes pressed, your umbrella mend
ed or your eyglasses put in order.
There is scarcely anything that yon
may not now have done while you wait
if jou want It, as witness this sign
reading: "Jewelry cleaned and dla
mauds set while you wait"
' Laundering Our Paper Hmty
HE treasury department
at Washington has Just
completed a series of
novel experiments and
as a result of the out
come thereof Is about to
enter on a new activity
which is to prove one of
the most interesting as
well as one of the .most
effective economies introduced during
the present era of retrenchment In
Uncle Sam's administrative affairs
The Innovation is nothing short of a
scheme for laundering our currency.
All the processes of washing, starch
ing and Ironing will be carried out
Just as though the articles to be
cleansed were linen garments Instead
of linen paper. The effect of this
scheme for freshening the currency,
when once the government's plant Is
in full operation, will he to more than
double the normal life of our paper
circulating medium and to save 'the
government considerably more than
$1,000,000 per year.
That paper money can be washed
successfully Is not, of course, an en
tirely new discovery. From time to
time In years gone by Individuals on
their own initiative have sought to
cleanse dirty bank notes with soap
and water. The Importance of the ex
periments lately carried on by the gov
ernment, however, lies In the fact that
proof has been gained that paper mon
ey can be washed, not as an occasion
al bank note, receiving Individual at
tention, but on a wholesale scale
Equally Important Is the finding that
this rejuvenation can be accomplished
cheaply, and finally there Is a third
triumph for present-day experiment In
demonstration that laundered curren
cy can be given the "body" and "sur
face" that Is responsible for the crisp,
crackly qualifications that endear
"new money" to many people
The treasury ofllclals hope soon to
have In full operation a laundry plant
located at the United States bureau
of engraving and printing at Washing
tonwhich will be capable of giving
a new lease of life to soiled and
wrinkled currency at the rate of 100,
000 bills per day. Present estimates
m fa . jf-J) vf " . I
& 3
W J3V-;, Kfx 7J
IkX&k -tead of send-
ISk V' 5jf Inn it to Washington for redemp-
JV VV, 7 tlon. as I, the present plan It Is
nTST 14? V y W calculated that a n.rmey laundry of
J&&Sfi$?fa modest .apaclty can be Installed
u-iwA w'savv i 1
are thaX this premier money laundry of the world
can be operated at an expense not exceeding (20
per day that is with an outlay of one-flftleth of
a cent for each bill laundered. Even in the pre
liminary experiments the cost has not exceeded
ene-tenth of a cent per note laundered, and Inas
much aa It costs 1 1-3 cents to print each new
note produced at the bureau it can readily be
appreciated that the saving will be tremendous.
At the outset only the bills of small denomina
tionthat is, the fl,' $2 and $5 notes and certifi
cates, will be cleansed. These, being the bills that
are subjected to the greatest wear and tear in
circulation, are the Bhortest-lived.
The question will naturally present Itself to
the reader as to what proportion of the whole
volume of our circulating medium can be laun
dered. The officials answer that about four-fifths
of all the money sent back to the treasury for
redemption Is fit to go out for further circulation
If properly cleaned. Supposedly worn-out money
pours Into the treasury to be exchanged for new
currency at a rate of more than 220,000,000 bills
per year. The investigations which have been
made by a special committee appointed by the
secretary of the treasury disclose that fully 80
per cent of this is not torn or tattered, or In
reality shows any sign of wear, but has been
turned back by the banks simply because it is
wrinkled or limp and dirty. All of this 80 per
cent, of the currency could be laundered and the
experiments seem to indicate that there is no
reason why each bill should not be laundered
repeatedly. The present normal life of a one
dollar bill Is one year and three months and this
will be doubled if it is not tripled, resulting, of
course, in a proportionate saving in the expen
diture for labor and material In printing new
money.
The experiments which the treasury experts
have been carrying on has been to determine the
best and most economical method of laundering
money rather than to try out different chemical
formulas for the cleansing. As a matter of fact
this latter part of the undertaking has followed
the simplest lines. Plain soap and water, the
former a good grade of potash soap, are the stand
bys of the government laundrymen who have un
dertaken the currency washing task. It may be
that ultimately the cleansing compound will be
combined with a preparation designed to ster
ilize the money while it is being washed, thus
setting at rest the fears of those persons who
are nervous about the germs on paper money, but
the officials have not yet definitely decided that
they will purify the currency as well as restofe
its pristine freshness. After the money has been
washed it is rinsed and 1b then dried by artificial
heat. '
From this point that is, all the finishing pro
cesses are identical with those followed in the
case of newly printed currency, but special ma
chinery has had to be provided because the unit
to be handled in every instance la a single bill
'.nctoail of a sheet of four bills, at In the case -
of the new money.
From the drying
room the washed bills
go to the "sizing"
room, where what
might be termed the
"starching" process
takes place. This con
sists In passing each
bill, by machinery,
through a bath of
alum and glue which
restores the "body"
which has been lost
during the washing.
Next the bills are
packed between
and It Is ficured that banks In
many cities would save this In a
few months. Of course the gov
ernment redeems without charge
all the worn-out currency sent In
by the batiks, but the banks must
pay the express charges both ways
on the currency, and it Is figured
that the express charges for many such institu
tions far exceed the outlay that would be required
for the operation of a money laundry. One Chl
cntfo bank that sends a cart load of currency to
the treasury every few .days pays thousands of
dollars a vear in transportation charges. With
a view to further aiding the banks that decide to
launder their own currency the treasury depart
ment Is planning to make public all its laundry
recelpes and formulas when It has been deter
mined by the present tests Just what are the best
ingredients for cleansing, bleaching and steriliz
ing the money. The bleaching, it may be added
is one process that requires the exercise of care
lest the money In the wash be Injured.
sheets of cardboard and are then subjected to the
"Ironing." This consists of pressure between the
rollers of a powerful press just as the flat pieces
in the ordinary Bteam laundry are run through
a mangle. The operation not only renders the
laundered money perfectly flat but Imparts to It
the distinctive surface or finish of new money.
Already the treasury officials have planned that
If the laundry at the headquarters at Washington
proves as successful and economical as It promises
to do, similar laundries will be installed at all the
BubtreasurleB throughout the country. Moreover,
Uncle Sam is going to encourage banks, or asso
ciations of bankers in the more remote cities of
the country to establish ttteir own laundries for
ALLIGATOR SHOOTS CHUTES.
The very last creature that the average man
would select as a trick animal Is the huge, slug
gish alligator, yet even that deliberate brute can
sometimes hit a swift pace. It has even been
trained to shoot the chutes with easy grace.
The feat is performed regularly at on alligator
farm In California, the big saurian waddling up
the Incline at the other side and sliding down
At this novel farm there are BOO or more speci
mens, ranging In size from the huge bull to the
newly hatched, lizard-like youngsters. They are
raised for their hides, although the sale of the
little fellows for "pets" and the admission to the
grounds help swell the profits of this unusual
business. Scientific American.
KENTUCKY CHIVALRY
For once in his life a Kentucky colonel found
himself Jn a queer predicament because of his
courtly politeness extended previously to a young
woman at the reception tendered by the Knights
Templar of his Btate. Post Commander Shackel
ford of Kentucky was the man who Buffered
the unhappy quarter hour.
Answering a telephone call at the Congress
hotel he heard a sweet voice saying:
"Oh, Colonel Shackelford, I am going away
this afternoon. You are going to say good-by to
me, aren't you?" ;
"I certainly am," replied Colonel Shackelford,
"though 1 am most sorry to hear that you are
going away. (Who In thunder can she be?)"
"You remember me, don't you?"
"Indeed, it would be quite Impossible to for
get you. (Ye gods! Who is she? Help, help!)"
"You know you said that I was the most
charming girl you had met in Chicago."
"And I never retract anything I say. I was
sure of it when I said It I am surer of It now.
(Say, this is awfuL)"
"Well, I expect to meet some friends In the
parlor in half an hour, and I shall hope to see you.
Now don't forget. Good-by."
"Good-by. I shall be there. Good-by."
First he Importuned some other Kentucklans,
after pledging them to secrecy, but they could not
help him and one Bald: '
"Why, Shackelford, you said the same thing
to about a dozen women at the reception."
So at the appointed time Colonel Shackelford
went forth to the parlor, and when he returned
his face was wreathed In smiles.
"How about It?" was the anxious query.
"Gentlemen, as a member of the Masonio fra
ternity and aa a southern gentleman let ns talk
about the weather." Then he smiled some more.
WHITE RAINtBOW A RARITY.
What Is known as a white rainbow 1b an ex
tremely rare phenomenon. It was observed at
the Montourls observatory at Paris by M. Louis
Besson. It was an almost colorless bow and was
seen at 2:10 p. m., dying out and then reappear
ing at 3:15, reaching a maximum brightness at
8:25, then disappearing five minutes later. The
bow had about three degrees width and was not
a pure white, but somewhat tinged with rose
color at the outer edge and violet at the Inner.
The angular height of the summit was 40 degrees
8 minutes on the average. There have been often
observed in the mountains of the polar regions
white bows upon fogs or clouds composed of
liquid drops.
The explanation of this phenomenon, known
aa the "Ulloa circle," was given by Mascart It la
only a special case of the general theory of the
rainbow as given by Airy, which allows of sup
posing a mixture of the colors so aa to approach
white, at the same time as a widening of the aro
and a diminution of the radius, when the diam
eter of the drops becomes smaller and comes
near to 41 u. Scientific American.
BALKS EFFORTS OF INVENTORS.
Machinery plays little part in the glasa trade.
Visitors to glassworks have time and again re
marked upon the apparent awkwardness and an
tiquity of the processes employed. Inventors
have for a long time exercised their wits to de
vise machinery calculated to supersede the glass
blower's lungs, but to no avail
1WUUK
ADVISED
OPERATION
CuredbyLydiaE.Pinkham's
Vegetable Compound
Galena, Kans. "A year ago last
March I fell, and a few days after
there was soreness in my right side.
In a short time a bunch came and it
bothered me bo much at night I could
not steep, it kept
growing larger and
by fall It was as
large as a hen's egg.
I could not go to
bed without a hot.
water bottle applied
to that side. Ihad
one of the best doc
tors in Kansas and
he told my husband
that I would have to
be operated on as It
was something lik
a tumor caused by a rupture, l wrote '
to you for advice and you told me not
to get discouraped but to take Lydia.
E. l'inkhara's Vegetable Compound.
I did take It and soon the lump In my
side broke and passed away." Mrs.
K. K. IIuey, 713 Mineral Aye., Galena,
Kans.
Lydia E. rinkham's Vegetable Com
pound, made from roots and herbs,
lias proved to be the most successful
remedy for curing the worst forms of
female Ills, including displacements,
inflammation, fibroid tumors, irregu
larities, periodic pains, backache, bearing-down
feeling, flatulency, indiges
tion, and nervous prostration. It costs
but a trifle to try it, and the result
has been worth millions to many
Buffering women.
If yon want spwlal advice write
forittoMrs.Pinkliam, Lynn, Mass.
It is free and always helpful.
headache
"My father ha9 been a sufferer from sick
headache for the last twenty-five years and
never found any relief until he began
taking your Cascarets. Since he has
begun taking Cascarets he has never had
the headache. They have entirely cured
him. Cascarets do what you recommend
them to do. I will give yon the privilege
of using hia name." E. M. Dickson,
H20 Resiner St., W. Indianapolis, IncL
Pleasant, Palatable, Potent. Taste Good.
Io (Jood. Never Slcken.Weaktn or Gripe.
10c, 25c. 50c. Never sold In bulk. The gen
uine tablet stamped C C C. Guaranteed to
cure or your money back. 825
xnjAxn's piiii,a
( KLKIIItATtl) ENUMSII KKMKDS for
HOlT ANK KIIKUMAT1SM. NA FK AS1
KKLIAHLK. AT YOt'U URVUUUT.
ENGAGEMENT NOW OUT.,
Ethel Weren't you surprised when
you heard about my horse running
way with me?
Ernest Not very. I'd do the same
thing myself if I got the chance.
New Version.
"Now, Harry," said the Sunday
school teacher to the brightest boy In
the class, "can you tell me how Elijah
died?"
"He didn't die at all," replied the
youngster. "He was translated from
the original Hebrew."
A friend in need la
usually try to dodge.
a 'friend we
"The Smack"
Of the
"Snack"
Post
Toasties
and Cream
A 'wholesome, .ready
cooked food which
youngsters, and older
folks thoroughly enjoy.
Let them have all they
want It is rich in nour
ishment and has a win
ning flavour
"The Memory Lingers"
POSTUM CEREAL CO., LTD.,
Battle Creek, Itlch.