FREELAND TTIIRUNE. rVBLIBBID KVEHT MONDAY AND THURSDAY. "TIIOS. A. BUCKLEY, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. OFFICE: MAIN STREET ABOVE CEWTR*. SUBSCRIPTION BATES. One Year fl go BLx Months 7i Four Months 60 Two Months 25 Subscribers are requested to observe the date following the name on the labels of their papers. By referring to this they can tell at a glance how they stand on the books In this office. For Instance: (irover Cleveland 28June95 means that Grover Is paid up to June 28, 18G& Keep the figures in advance of the present data, ltcport promptly to this office when your paper is not received. All arrearages must be paid when paper is discontinued, or collection will be made In the m aft nor provided by law. Who makes money out of the drama of to-day?—Pittsburg Press. Itead your answer in the "stars." Mrs. W. Iv. Yanderbilt did not nsk that her maiden name be restored to her. She was a Smith. Again the Pennsylvania miners are dissatisfied with their vocation, though they have a chance to take their pick. "They say 'seeing is believing,'" says the Manayunk Philosopher, "but J here are some men whom I see every day, but I don't believe them once a j*ear. M —Philadelphia Record. According to tho Journal Official tho population of France, which in the preceding three years had decreased by 70,000, was increased in 1893 by 7,110 souls. The Turks massacred 50,000 Greeks in Scio in 1822; 10,000 Armenians at Mosul in 1850; 11,000 Syrian Chris tians on Lebanon in 1860 ; 10,000 Bul garians in 1876; and 12,000 since. Professor Atwater of Wesleyan has said: "I believe that it is one of the most Christian movements of the age that is beginning to make cooking a part of the education of our girls." The city of Glasgow, Scotland, manages its own gas, water and mar kets, and makes an annual proiit out of them of about §350,000. It owes no debt, and has a surplus of over 612,000,000. A syndicate has been formed in England to build a battlo ship of at least 8,000 tons, and to cost more than §2,000,000, according to the plans of Sir Edward Reed, who has been criticising the Admiralty ships. The Chicago Herald relates that one of the spicy incidents of the re cent election in Philadelphia was the challenging of the vote of John Wana maker. The ex-postmaster general was highly amused, particularly when he learned that his challenger had been in this country but four months. The telephone may work some un expected changes in court procedure. A witness has been permitted to testi fy by telephono in a Michigan court. If evidence may be taken in this man ner, why should not jury services bo porformed by telephone, asks the Chi cago Herald. There would be a great advantage in it, since juries would be enabled thus to escape listening to speeches, and could reach determina tion of a cause on the evidence alone. The St. Louis Star-Sayings main tains that business iu New England this year has really been more prom ising thananywhere else in the United States. There aro thirty per cent of tho workmen of the country out of em ployment today, but only twenty-five per cent aro out in New England. Wages in general have fullon off forty four per cent, but iu the happy dis trict the per ceutage is only thirty, and the wage-rate has fallen off only ten dollars in two years. Steam and bud men are likely to de velop into deadly enemies iu tho fu ture, predicts tho New York Dispatch. Concerning the application of to tho defense of robber-attacking trains, it is a wonder that tho utilization of so much energy such as has been bot tled up in tho boiler of the locomo tive has not been thought of before. Under tho new defense scheme,steam pipes are run along the locomotive, one on either side, from the cabin for ward. The ends of tho pipos aro pro vided with small nozzles, and the steam will put a loan in a perspira tion nt a distance of a hundred feet or more, and knock him over at sixty feet. Similar pipes run down each side of the train, and at intervals noz zles are placed, so that in tho case of emergency tho whole train could be enveloped in a mass of hissing vapor. This scheme will probably bo extended to the protection of bank vuults against thieves. BEFORE THE WAR. WHERE THE COTTON AND THE SWEET POTATOES GROW. Scenes Among the Slaves of tlie South ern Plantations— I.ife Had Its Bright Side for the Cure-Free Negro—Odd Characters Developed, Ilefo' De Wa'. I.AVERY in Amer lea is so complete an ensy mnttt ' r for the younger people I) l/l CjWi/jjh to Imagine the state ■iilVjSfel things that pre vailed in our South raSirvJji tlie war." The sub jwF ujggjfejia jeet is beclouded J'm by the writings of i /r) B'LLMI A CER,NL " °' ASS °F I J I AiyiSS story-tellers an d __(\\ (i \ \ST\ would -be chroui clers of our annals, \\ \ \ who take the bold ground that all masters were heartless; that tlie slaves on a planta tion worechains;andthat the whipping post and branding irons were to be found in every neighborhood. There were, no doubt, heartless masters aud cruel overseers; there were, no doubt, chains and whipping posts; but it is probably not true that these were so common as many persons suppose, for as a general thing the slaves were treated with some degree of considera tion, and in not a few cases tlie kindest possible relations existed between them and their owners. On tlie large plnntn- THE CHOI' IX THANSIT. tious, particularly In the cotton and rice districts, where hundreds, and, in some cases, thousands of slaves were owned by the same man, much less re gard was had for them than when they were employed as house servants. In the former case, tlie slaves sawlittleof their master or the members of his family; the overseer represented the master's authority, and often abused the master's power; and, deprived of all intercourse with their superiors, these classes of plantation slaves by no means equaled in intelligence those who served in the households. Comrades in Itnyhood Days. Few persons have any idea of the pleasantness of the relations existing in many households In tho South at that period. For boys, botli white and black, there was almost equality. Childhood is democratic, and so far as the sports of the country were con cerned they were followed alike by the young slaves ami the sons of the master. To each of the latter a negro boy was generally assigned, who was understood to be his, and between the two there was commonly an ardent friendship, with on one side a conceded superiority, and on the other a gra cious condescension. The little whites and the little darkies played together, hunted together, together went in swimming and took fever and ague, and together received their thrashings for robbing orchards anil melon patches. There are many known in stances of friendship thus contracted in boyhood which lasted during life, and not a few cases are recorded of singular fidelity and devotion on the part of the slaves toward their masters when the war cloud darkened their land. Among the girls it was differ ent, for they were not permitted to share to the same extent in the amuse ments of the slave children, but even the daughters of tho planters generally entertained a warm affection for the old black "mammy" who cared for them during infancy and early child hood, and who commonly felt for them as much affection as she entertained for her own offspring. Good Old "Mummy." The "mammy" was a peculiar char acter, who was as much trusted as a nurse possibly could be. She was al ways a house servant, and in her girl hood had been given to her young mis tress, of about the same age, as a maid When the mistress married and left tho old home she took iter servant with iter, and when her children were born the greater part of their care and at tention was turned over to the maid Tho two grew old together, and when grandchildren came the old mammy took care of them, too, as she laid done of the children, anil when site liersell was too old to work site was cared foi PLANTATION III'. 1V1; It A Nil OI.I) "MAMMY.' by the family, for everyone "thought tho world and all" of old mammy. The next highest degree of respect was felt for the old driver. lie, too was a character, for lie bad been in the family as long as mammy, and, like tlio latter, had made himself equally useful and highly esteemed. lie wat intrusted with the care of the family carriage. He generally had an assist aut, the young driver, who, under hit supcrintdcnce, did most of the worl and looked forward to the time when the old man should give up the post of honor and resign the reins Into his will ing hands. In his province he was ab solute. He drove as he pleased, and no word of remonstrance could make him hasten the pace of his horses unless he saw fit to do so. Furthermore, at the foot of every hill everybody had to get out and walk up in order to spare the horses, and many a long, tiresome walk was taken at his command by the mem bers of the family, for the old driver, very often known as "Daddy," but more frequently as "Uncle," was admit ted to know what was best In the matter of driving, and Ills authority was, halt laughingly, half respectfully, acknowl edged. On the large plantations the word "driver" had a different signifi cance, for there the name was applied to a colored functionary of no little im portance who was next in authority to the overseer. Serving Dinner, The numerousness of the small col ored fry about the home of a wealthy planter gave rise to many scenes that to the eyes of one not necumtomed to witness them were extremely carious. The little darkles were early trained to make themselves useful by waiting on the table, and at a dining every guest had one, arrayed in a white apron that reached to his heels, stationed be hind the chair, to attend to every want. Bringing in the dinner on such occa sions was a sight never to be forgot ten. The cooking was done, as it Is even to this day in the South, In a small house some distance from the mansion, and when the repast was prepared and dished up tlie leading part was taken by the cook, who raised to her head the huge dish containing the turkey and bore it aloft, while behind Iter came a procession of small boys, each carry ing In his hands a dlsli which he had been cautioned to treat with especial care under penalty of having every bono in his "wuthless karltldge" broken on the spot as a penalty for negligence. A Wedding in the "Quartern." The monopoly of life on the large plantations was broken when there was a wedding among the slaves. This frequently happened, as marriage was encouraged by the masters, aud in some cases, where the servanls were highly esteemed, the ceremony took place in the parlor, with the family and a few neighbors as witnesses. A party dress, low-necked and short-sleeved, was presented to the bride by one of the ladles, the groom being arrayed with equal gorgeousness in the cast-off sporting clothes of Ids master. A bridal procession from the "quarters" to the house was a solemn affair, and both bride and groom enjoyed the momen tary prominence given them by the oc casion. In families where the slaves were well treated, a wedding feast was provided, abundant though homely, and the assembled guests of color re veled in as much bacon and greens, 'possum nnd sweet potatoes, hominy, corn-pone and pumpkin pie as they could stow away, while the pickanin les had corn meal and pot liquor, with an occasional spoonful of molasses. The pot liquor was an Indlspensnbllity 011 the plantation, for to raise little dar kies without it was regarded as an im possibility. It was the water In which hams or other meats had been boiled, and that contained a considerable nmxoiNG IN -run DINNER. quantity of nourishment. Thickened with corn meal and thoroughly rebell ed, it was served out to the youngsters by the mammy who had charge of them, with the result that their little ribs were always well covered with fat. Followed the Officer's Advice. A newly appointed special policeman walked up to a crowd of young hood lums who were lounging nhout the doorway of a San Francisco saloon one night last week, lie sized the situation up as a good opportunity to display his authority and let the toughs on the beat know that he was not a man who could ho trifled with. "What you lmngln' around here for?" he demanded. "Lookln' for work," responded one of the gang. "All we want is a chance to make an honest dollar." "Move on, you bums. Get out o' here," ordered the officer. "Go make some of these," and he shook a handful of S2O pieces at the retreating crowd. The special was walking down the dark side of the street a few moments later when something landed on the back of his head. When he recovered consciousness half an hour later he found his pockets turned wrong side out. The gang had acted on his sug gestion. New Way to Fell Trees. Trees are now felled by electricity in the great forests of Gnlicia. For cut ting comparatively soft woods, the tool is In the form of an augur, which is mounted on a carriage, and Is moved to and fro and revolved at the same time by a small electric motor. As the cut deepens, wedges are Inserted to pre vent the rift from closing, and when the tree Is nearly cut through an ax or band-saw Is used to finish the work. In this way trees are felled very rap'd j ly, and with very little labor. ! lIOW TO KEEP PIGEONS. HINTS ABOUT THE MANAGEMENT OF FAST-FLYING BIRDS. Antwerp Carriers, Kantalls, Pouters anrt Other Varieties—Suggestions as to a Pigeon "Loft. POYS nre famous lovers of out cloot pets. Among these pigeons havo not usually been counted until recently, owing to their cost. Now, however, a boy can buy a good pair of homing pigeons for sixty cents, nail a soup box upon a shed in the yard in the rear of his house and consider himself a pigeon fancier. There aro ninny kinds of pigeons, among the best known being Antwerp carriers, fan tails, jacobins and pigmy pouters. Those who spond their entire time in flying pigeons nud havo extensivo lofts in Belgium, in England and in America,'have a list of varieties nearly a yard long, but those named above nre all that a be ginner would care to start with in a modest way. Undoubtedly the pigeon that would be of greatest use to a be ginner is the Antwerp. The English homing pigeon was formerly popular, and it was considered wonderful in England not many years ago when birds that were taken fifty or sixty miles away from their lofts returned at the rate of a mile a minute. This is indeed a speed that has not been surpassed, but it hns been found that Antwerp carriers can bo taken 500, 000 and even 700 miles from their lofts and still be certain when released of taking a straight course toward home. Among the first performances of homing pigeons was a race that was flown in 1886 in England, the distance being 444 miles and the speed 3036 feet a minute. The pigeon that per formed the feat was known as "Old 86," and it lived to be fourteen years old. Pigeons arc taken from their lofts in wicker baskets, with one compart ment for each pigeon, closed by a sep arate cover. When the pigeon is to bo tossed into the air to make its home ward journey, the message is fastened either to one or two of the under tail feathers or to one of its legs. The message is written on u piece of very light tissue paper, foldod into a very small space and then fastened to the feathers or the leg with a small elastic baud. Just why the birds are able to fly such extreme distances those who have most to do with pigeons are not able to decide. Some declare that the birds find their way home by instinct, as a collie dog does when his master tries to lose him. Others say that the pigeon has eyes like a microscope, as their power of vision is remarkably keen. It is a custom of pigeon keep ers to take their birds first a short dis tance from homo on releasing them, and at every following trial to increase the distance. The pigeon, it is sup posed, learns in this way the land marks of the country, and recognizes them when it mounts high in the air, as it always does when it is released for a homeward journey. Antwerp pigeons are a very good kind to buy, because there is no dan ger that they will be trapped or that they will wander away and not return home. They are used in military ser vice in Germany to carry dispatches, and also of late years by newspapers in carrying news. Iu the last yacht races for the America's cup tho news of the various aspects of the race was taken to New York newspapers every fifteen minutes by homing pigeons. The news was received in this way even before it could bo put upon the telegraph wire. A small loft of about twenty birds is usually erected on the roof of a newspaper office, and when required the pigeons are placed in a basket carried by a boy. Some novel U6es are made of homing pig eons. A certain pliysiciaD, with a large practice, is accustomed to put into his carriago a basket of pigeons and, as ho makes a considerable round of visits each day he duds several patients who need urgent assistance. Tho doctor writes his prescription, fastens it to one of tho bird's legs and on the bird's ar rival homo the doctor's assistant at once dispenses the medicine called for and sends it by a messenger to the patient's house, thus saving delay. The Antwerps cost formerly S3 to S5 a pair, but as they breed rapidly they can now bo purchased for sixty conts a pair from fanciers. A pair will bring forth in one season from ten to twelve young. The pigeon feed their young, and of all the varieties tho Antwerp can best bo depended upon to do this. Other kinds are apt to neglect their young. Care should be taken in selecting homing pigeons to get tboso with broad shoulders, deep chests and tapering tails. To identify the young pigeons beforo they are flown a metal band which can be had at bird stores is placed about one of tho legs, the owner's private mark, or initials, or figures indicating the num ber of tho bird iu tho loft, having been stamped with a die. Beans, corn and peas uro usually tho food for pigeons, but the kernels should bo small. Little or no green food should bo fed to the birds. There should al ways bo plenty of clean water in tho loft, pigeons neediug more water even than chickens. Fantail pigeons aro very popular, and they are not costly. JThey are kept for beauty, not for use, and tlioy arc indeed beautiful in every movement. Jacobins arc pretty pigeons, with a collar or rufl* that gives them an ap pourance of dignity. Pigmy pouters make great pets. They aro tiny crea tures aud bear tho same relation to ordinary pigeons, as regards size, that bantams bear to barnyard chicken.'-. Like most of toy pigeons they aro rather high in price, and difficult to roar. A suggestion as to the place for a pigeon loft. As WHS said at tho out set, a boy can start with a soap box for a pair. It should be divided by a partition and a hole made in each side where the pigeons may creep into the box. Outside of the holes a little wooden ledge should be nailed for the pigeons to alight on. The loft should be nailed up six or seven feet from the ground so as to be out of the way of cats. A more extensive loft enn be mndo for from $3 to $lO on the roof of a house. This loft can be six or seven feet high, eight feet long and fivo feet wide. By building the framo of wall strips and getting boards called seconds, from a lumber denier, a boy can put up a loft himself with the aid of a saw, a hammer and somo nails. Boxes should bo put up for the birds, and it would bo well to have swinging doors to the openings of the boxes, so arranged that, if the owner pleases, the bird can enter but cannot go out. For information abont pigeons a boy can learn all he wants to know in two books, one by Tegotmaier, the other by Fulton. Silk weavers keep pigeons that they may study the combinations of colors, tbo brilliant and delicate shadings of their feathers. —Brooklyn Eagle. A Mnskrat Farm. On Otsego Lako, New York, says a writer in the Buffalo Times, is per haps tho only muskrat farm in tho United Statos, owned by Zekiel Van Etteu. It has much low swampland intersected by running brooks, and was long a favorite haunt of muskrats before Van Etten thought of "raising" them. Ho was both a farmer and a trapper, liko his father bo'oro him, but had allowed anyone to trap the muskrats until ho accidentally found out that from this swamp a neighbor was sending s'2oo worth of skins to New York. Then ho fenced it in, put barbed wire along tho brook, put up trespass signs, and tho next fall, with a trap that would hold and not hurt, obtained over two hundrod choice skins (tho females and little ones being released) which brought in Now York eighty conts apiece, boing usod for mink, which were very scarco. Tho next season ho trapped six hundred rats which nettod over S3OO. This was about fifteen years ago, and Mr. Van Etten now looks on his swamp as a bank that never fails. Prices go up and down, but ho has never sold a skin for less than thirty-flvo cents. Sometimos tho prioe drops to fiftoen cents. Thon ho doesn't trap, but waits till the next year, when the price is apt to go up t.ad return him one hundred per cont. on tho pelts not sold in the cheap year. The pasl sea son tho pelts nettod him S4OO. Mr. Van Etteu is a groat-grandson of Uriah Van Etteu, said to have been tho orig inal of Coopor's "Deerslaycr." The father knew Coopor very well and was so told by him. All four generations havo beou farmers by occupation, aud hunters nud trappers by choice. What is a Domestic Animal J The more the question about what is or what is not a domestic animal gets decided, the more complicated it seems to become. No sooner has a French tribunal decided that a wild bull is a domestic animal, than an American tribunal decides that a do mestic oat is a wild one. The alleged domesticity of the cat was in Mary land. There it lived with the man who believed he owned it. It wore a blue ribbon round its neck, and an swered to its name when he called it. Besides, ho had bought it. But it was hard to see; a neighbor cast en vious eyes upon that cat, and, in the result, an annexing hand. The can sequence was open, palpable. There was a summons, and the summons was dismissed at once. The magistrate said that a cat, though it might wear a neck ribbon, and even answer to a name, was not of the slightest use to man, and, therefore, not entitled to be considered a domestic animal at all. It was, therefore, this utilitarian Daniel concluded, a wild animal, within the meaning of the act, and no one could legally claim exclusive pro prietary rights over it. The highest authority in the State is said to have continued this disturbing view.—Bali Mail Gazette. Various Orders. The order of tho Templars woe founded in 1111). Mexico has an order designated tho Mexican Eagle. Hesse Gassell has an order cutitled the Iron Helmet. In 1352 the Order of tho Kaofc was founded in Naples. The Order of Concord is of Prussian origin, founded in 1669. The Order of tho Lamb of God is Swedish, founded in 1501. There are said to be nearly 6909 orders of nobility in Europe. Hungary has several orders, the leading one beiug that of tho Dragon, founded in 1139. There are two Orders of the Swan, one in Flauders, the other, a female order, in Prussia. The only Persian distinction of note is that of tho Sun and Liou. It was founded in 1893. The Order of the Knights of St. Patrick was establish * I iu 1783 as an Trisli title of nobility.—New York Advertiser. Auro->larblc->ilver. A Paris goldsmith lias patented a metal composition which ho calls auro-marble-silver. It is veinod an I splashed like some of tho raro mar bles. Tho base is silver, with which are incorporated while in fusion but not amalgamated parts of hue gold, red and green gold and platinum. How they are thrown into the cruciblo and stirred to scatter them about the mass is the secret of the process. Tho ingot is suddenly cooled, and tho metal, whether polished, or frosted, or oxidized, takes on varied and striking effects.- Chicago Times- Herald. SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL An instrument Una been invented to moasure thought. In all tropical countries the vulturo is the natural scavenger. Red phosphorus combines with chlorate of potash to make an explo sive of great violence. Thomas A. Edison intends to in vestigate the properties of argon, the element recently discovered in the air. A ton of cottonseed meal, when fed to cattle, just about replaces tho fer tility which is sold in 5000 quarts of milk. Work has been commenced by tho Pennsylvania Railroad on a new typo of eight-wheel, compound, consoli dated passenger engine, which, it is thought, will bo faster and of greater traction than any engine yet built. Owing to its unfavorable situation for observations, the Carlsruho Ob servatory is to be transferred to tho summit of the Oeisberg, half an hour's distance from Heidelberg, and will thereafter be known as tho Heidelberg Observatory. M. Fremont has proved by experi ment that water kept for twenty min utes at 170 degrees Fahronheit loses all the deloterious gorms it may have contained without being deprived of its gases or precipitating the salts con tained in it, and that tho flavor is not modified by tho process. Professor John Michols writes in tho Scientific Amerioan of a parasito called "tarcosperidium," the eggs or germs of which ofton exist by mill ions in the flesh of It is sup posed to be harmloss, but it is never safe to eat pork or any other meat un til it has been thoroughly cooked. The baoillus of diphtheria is one twenty-flve-thousandtk of an inch long, and when fixed iu the humuu throat it grows into a network with other bacilli produced from -it, all operating together to produce a viru lent poison whioh when taken into tho blood causes the fatal cousequencos so apt to follow from tho diseaso. Professor Gore believes that tho sun of our solar system is a member of a group of stars "possibly distributed in the form of a ring," and that at a much greater distanco from us thau the stars of this riug is another cluster of suns at suoh an immense distanco that thoir light is visible only in tho Milky Way gleam of our midnight skies. Tlie higher tip the animal ssalo wo travel the larger amount of nitrogen that caters iuto the structure of the organism in proportion to weight or volume. In any given animal, the higher the function of any tissue that enters into its structure, the larger the amount of nitrogen. The hones have the least, anil tho nerve struotnro the most, while the brain has fur more than any other part. A llousc ot Tube. A German inventor has built a bouse of hollow tubes, whose advan tages are, he says, a constant temper ature and incidentally strength, duri bility, comfort nud beauty. He lirst put up a frame of water tubing, al lowing continuous circulation to a stream of water. Around this frame he put up his house in the ordinary way. The peculiarity is that all floors and ceilings are erosseil and recrossed by the water pipes. The water, after passing through horizontal tubes un der tho floors and ceilings passes through the vertical tubes uutil all have been gone through. In summer fresh, cool water circulates under prossure through tho network of tubes, cools off the walls, and, after having run its course, flows off con siderably warmer than win# it en tered. In its course it has absorbed muoh heat, which it carries away. During the long and severe winter the water entering through the basement is first heated to nearly 100 dogroee and then forced through the tubing. Of oourse, much of the host is left all over the house, and at the outlet the temperature of the water is about forty degrees. The speed of the circulation of water can be regulated so as to al low tho firing of a certain tempera ture which is equal throughout the building.—New York Sun. Washington Sens n Miming'. Wanhington saw a parhelion at £ o'clock the other day. This phenome non in usual parlance is called a sun dog, and is pecnlinr to more north erly latitudes than thnt of Washing ton. The parhelion in question was exceedingly brilliant and was observed by thousands of people. The sky was hazed and presented a dull, milky ap pearance. The outer, circles had a radius of about thirty degrees, the sun occupying the oentcr of tho circle. The inner edge of the circle was red and well defined, but the outer edge was not so well defined. Tho sky within the halo was much darker than it was for a distance of several de grees without the halo. The light, us is always tho case in parhelia, was polarized in thodircctiou of a tangent to the circumference, proving that tho light had suffered refraction. This' halo was formed by the refractiou of the light of the sun through the crys tals of ice floating in tho atmosphere. —Chicago Times-HcraUl. Blomliii's (ircntest Fen'. Blondin, tho tight-ropo walker, now over soventy years of ago, when he is interrogated as to tho most difficult feat he has ever performed, always refers to his walking ou a rope from the mainmast to tho mizzen on board the Peninsula and Oriental Company's steumer Poonali on his way out to Australia, there boing suoh a heavy sea on at tho time that he was forced to sit down ou the rope five times as Ihe largest waves approached the ves sel.—New York Dispatch. SELECT SITTINGS. There is silk enough in a single co coon to extend a distance of 535 miles. Tho coins of Siain are made of porcelain. Those of Japan nro made principally of iron. Although Alsace was under French control for nearly two centuries, tho people continue to speak German. A couplo at Providence, R. 1., met for the first time, fell in love, beoamo betrothed and wero married inside of an hour. The practice of inoculation as a means of preventing disease was de- ) soribed by a modern Greek writer, Ti mone, in 1713. "The Sword of Bunker Hill" came from the pen of William Ross Wal lace, a Kentuckian. The music was the work of Bernard Covert. A California farmer trapped an eagl#- that had been carrying oil his lumbr. It weighed twouty pounds and meas ured seven feet from tip to tip. Workmen found after a landslide near Fort Washington, New York City, tho other day, a thirty two pound aannon ball imbo.ldod several feet in the ground. Emperor William has forbidden tho officers and men in tho Berlin ga'risen to smoke on the principal streets of the city becauso of irregularities in the salute offered royal personages. Caycayo, a Wost Indian Islaud, is inhabitated exclusively by tin ties, A eome of which grow to an enormouj size. Attempts to establish human habitations on the island have always failed. The Arctic fox shows the greatest chango in the color of its coat through out the year. It summer its coat is dark blue, and gradually lightens un til snow begins to fall, when it is puru white. George W. Hall, of Marion County, Kentucky, is seventy-eight yenrs old and the father of twelve children, ten of whom aro living, lie lias ninety one graudohildren nnd fifty great grandchildren. ''Hail to the Chie!" is a song in the second canto of Scott's "Lady of the Lake." It is a boat song, designed to imitate those of the Scottish boatmen. The melody was written by Sir Henry Rowley Bishop. There is good reason to believe that the kychonophane, for such is tho nearest approximate to tho Japanese name of tho chrysanthemum obtain able in our spelling, lias been culti vated in Japan for coutiirios, and its use as a decoration for servioos ren dered to the State is, in Japan at least, Venerable in its antiquity. Ostrich Farms. Ostrich farmers who rushed into the business a few years ago when it was first boomed bavo found ,tlmt it is not all tbeir fancy jiainted. Instead of be coming multi-millionaires in a few years, many of thorn bavo not paid ex penses; others have made a little money, but loss than the same amount of capital and labor would have brought them in almost auy other business. The great mistake was tho failure to realize that tho ostrich, being still wild, could not successfully he sub jected to the same treatment and con- V ditions under whioh domestioated ani mals and birds will thrive. Iu cou finoment they multiply but slowly and produce feathers of an inferior grade, while their vioious instincts arc still so strong that it is often im possible to remove the feathers with out killing the bird. To mnko tbo business the success expected it is necessary to gain moro experience iu the proper management of the os triches, and by a careful courso of breeding to eradicate or tame down tho wild nature so that they may bo approached and handled in compara tive safety. Ostrich farms will doubt less eventually provo a success, not only in Califoruia, but in Florida and Texas, but they cannot be made so iu n yenr or two. Time, patienco aud skill are even moro requisito in this thau in other branches of farming.—Now York World. How a Fish Comes to the Surface. A curious physiological discovery has been made iu the past year by Professor Bohr, of Copenhagen, iu regnrd to tho mode of storage by which a fish accumulates so much oxygon in tho air that distends the swimming or air bladder. Tho air contained therein has a per centage of oxygen that may rise to as muoh as eighty-five, au amount much in exeess of the percentage in atmo spheric oir. Professor Bohr tapped the air bladders of codfish and drew off the gas by means of a trocar and air tight syringe. The gas had fifty two per cent, of oxygeu. In a few hours the air bladder was refilled, ap parently by a process of seoretiou of gas from the blood iu capillaries ou tbe wall of the bladder. Iu oue ex periment the gas thus secreted had eighty per ceut. of oxygen. When the nerves connectod with tho organ wero severed, the secretion ceased and the organ was not refilled. It thus appears thut when a fish de scends to a great depth, and his body is reduced in size by iucreasod pres sure of tbe water about him, he is able to nttain bis former size by se creting the ga3 he needs, and not by absorbing it from tbe water. Sup port is thus given to tho theory that the gaseous exohanges that oocur iu the lungs of animals are not purely physioal.—Baltimore Suu. An English Society Sole. His Serene Highness Priuoe Edward of Saxe-Weimar is to be the Gold Stick in Waiting at tho drawing room to-morrow, and Sir Simon Maodonald- Lookhart will be ou duty iu tho 'Throne Room as Silver Stick.—West minster Gazette.
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