fREELMD TRIBUNE. ESTAHLISIIKI) 1888. PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY, IIY THE TRIBUNE PRINTING COMPANY, Limited! OF TICK; MAIN STREET ABOVE CENTRE. | LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE. SUBSCRIPTION RATES FREELAND.-The TRIBUNE is delivered by j carriers to subscribers in Freoland uttiio rate of l-!Uj cents per mouth, payable every two j months, or $lGOa year, payable in advance. I The TRIBUNE may be ordered direct form the , carriers or from the office. Complaints of Irregular or tardy delivery service will re- i ceive prompt attention. BY MAIL—The TRIBUNE is sent to out-of- J town subscribers for $1,511 a year, payable in advance; prorata terms for shorter periods. The date when the subscription expires is on the address label of each paper. Prompt ro uewnls must be made at the expiration, other wise thu subscription will be discontinued. Entered at the Postofllee at Freeland. Pa., as becond-Clase Matter. Make all money orders, checks, etc. ,p:y able (o the Tribune J'rinting Company, Limited. GRADE CROSSINGS, flecreaso In the Number of Accidents From This Cause. Since 1398 the number of railroad accidents at crossings at grade has fallen off 25 per cent., though the vol ume of railroad travel In the United States has largely increased and the number of trains Is much greater. This decrease is due largely to the legislation, in which New York was the pioneer, for the abolition of all grade crossings, says the New York Sun. The Anti-Grade Crossing law of New York, adopted In 1897, provided that steam surface roads thereafter built must be constructed to avoid all crossings at grade. New streets, av enues or highways, when carried across the tracks of existing steam roads, must be either above or below grade, and the extra cost of such con struction is to be paid half by the municipality and half by the road crossed. Where existing crossings are changed upon the application of the municipal authorities or of a railroad company the expense of such change is to be paid as follows: One-half by the railroad company, one-quarter by the ttate and one-quarter by the municipal authorities. All street surface rail roads hereafter constructed in <roatn-makcr. Come, Mr. Dream-maker, sell me to night The loveliest dream in your shop: My dear little lassie is weary of light, Her lids are beginning to drop. She's good when she's gay, but she's tired of play, And the tear-drops will naughtily creep. So, Mr. Dream-maker, hasten, 1 pray: My little girl's going to sleep. —S M. Peek, in The Christian Register. A Novel Spider Collection. A Belgian teacher of natural history gives an account of an experiment made by him to test the abilities of children as collectors. The result was simply astounding. The teacher asked a boy to collect all the different kinds of spiders that he might see during his vacation rambles. The lad, who, evidently, did not share the absurd fear which most persons have of these harmless and useful creatures, accepted the task with alacrity, and for weeks he scoured the country round about his home for spiders, going about three miles in every direction. He brought back to school more than a hundred species, of which no less than ten had never been sup posed to exist in Belgium, despite the careful explorations of Prof. Becker of Brussels, who is famous as a collect or of spiders. The little collection that he made in so remarkable a manner is a highly prized addition to the cabinet of the echool. Wliy Work in Diirkiim*. Bees go out all day gathering honey and work all night in the hive, build ing their combs as perfectly as if an electric light shone there all the time. Why do they prefer to work in the dark? is often asked. Every one knows that honey is a liquid with no solid sugar in it. After standing it gradually assumes a crystalline ap pearance, or granulates, and ultimate ly becomes a solid mass. Honey has been experimentally in closed in well-corked flasks, some of which were kept in perfect darkness, while the others were exposed to the light. The result was that the portion exposed to the light soon crystalized, while that kept in the dark remained unchanged. Hence, we see why the bees arc so careful to obscure the glass windows which are placed in their hives. The existence of the young depends on the liquidity of the saccharine food presented to them, and if light were allowed access to this, it would, in all probability, prove fatal to the inmates of the hive. How riiiiiAHe IHK kn Swim to Mnrkot. Chinese farmers do not take their ducks to market in crates, but drive them into the waters of the grand canal and compel them to furnish their own motive power. Usually the duck "crop" of a whole district is brought together and started to market in charge of m<*n in boats, and the sight of several thousand birds swimming in a compact mass along China's great water road is a novel one indeed. Julian Ralph, the traveler, met such n procession one day. The mass of ducks was several acres in extent, and went along at a pace much faster than could be expected, being kept in for mation by long bamboo poles with palm leaves at the end. Suddenly sev eral boats came up in the opposite di rection—a big, "chopboat" and two or three smaller vessels. They were sail ing swiftly before the fresh breeze di rectly upon the Held of ducks, and there seemed to be no way of prevent ing a terrible slaughter. The big "chopboat." like a house blown before a gale, sped toward the advancing feathered host, and at last the birds that were in the way were almost un der her bows. Then there was a flut tering of wings and a bobbing of heads, the immense flock broke apart, a crack opened before the "chopboat" and widened until there was a canal broad enough for the vessel to pass through. Not a single duck was run over. A Dojj'n Scmo. A young girl was crossing the Pub lic garden the other morning upon the nmin path which crossed the bridge. She was accompanied by a magnificent mastiff, who strode along beside her in the most companionable sort of way, looking up into her face occa sionally as if to remark casually that it was a very fine morning, or to ask if there was anything he could do for her. The two crossed the bridge to gether, and finally came to the Charles street gate. Here the young girl, evidently not wishing to have the care of the dog in the busy streets, that is far enough now, Marco. You need not go with me any farther, hut turn about and go back home." Sire did not take her hands out of her muff to point the way, and she spoke as she would to a small brother, In a pleasantly conversational voice. Marco looked at her with his large eyes, then looked across the Common, wagging his tail siowly as though he wvre thinking how very pleasant It would be to go the rest of the way. tonally he turned back to her again and with a movement of his head and eyes asked as plainly ?.s though the words had come from his mouth: "Please let me go a little further, It is such a fine morning?" "No, dear, I'm going shopping, you know," answered the girl, explaining the difficulty, as if Marco were hu man, "there'll be crowds of people, and 1 shall not know what to do with you. But go along now, there's a good fel low, and I'll be back soon." Without another word Marco turned and walked back across the gardens, lie did not slink away, as some dogs do when sent back, but marched leisurely along with his head in the air, stopped a moment on the bridgo to watch the children skating below, then trotted on toward Commonwealth avenue. The Athenian watched him until he had disappeared beyond the gates, then resumed his way. wonder ing whether Darwin loved dogs or not —Boston Record. Ttiose First tittle Trousers. And the next morning nurse put on Roggie's new little trousers and Reggie's new little trousers; and, oh, but they did look funny—you can see how funny they looked, —these tiny boys in their tiny trousers! And you should have heard little nui-se laugh. "Ha! Ha!" she laughed. "Oh. you funny little black spiders! Ha! Ha!" And Roggie did not like to have nurse laugh. And Reggie did not like to have nurso laugh. And as soon as they had eaten their bread and milk, as soon as they had oaten their breakfast, they ran out on the veranda where papa was reading his paper. And what do you think their papa did when he saw them? Why. he threw his paper high up in the air and he laughed. "Ha! ha! what little men are these? Come here and I'll put you both in my pocket!" And he caught Roggie up in his arms and pretended ho was going to put him in his pocket. And Roggie did not like to see his father laugh, and Reggie did not like to have*his father laugh; and they wriggled and screamed and ran away down the path to the garden where mamma was watering her roses. And what do you think mamma did when she saw them? Mamma didn't laugh. Oh. no. She put her little lace handkerchief up to her eyes; and she cried: "Oh. oh, where are my babies! Oh, oh, will they never come back again!" And Roggie did not like to see his mother cry, and Reggie did not like to see his mother cry. So they took hoid of hands ami toddled on down the path to the big silver poplar tree where dear Arabella and dear Aramin ta stood singing and swinging, both in a swing together. And Arabella laughed, "Ha! ha! he! he!" as she swung high up in tho branches. And Araminta laughed. "Ha! ha' he! he!" as she swung high up in the branches. And Roggie did not like to have Arabella laugh, and Reggie did not like to have Arminta laugh. And so they ran down the path as fast as they could go. On and on and on they ran till they came on the little brook in the little meadow. And Roggie sat down on the bank by the brock and cried. "I want my dress on." lie cried. "I don't want these trousers." And Reggie sat down on the hank by the brook and cried. "I want my dross on," he cried. "I don't want these trousers." And Roggie cried: "i ll throw them away, [ will! I'll throw these trousers away!" And Regige cried: "I'll throw them away, I will! I'll throw these trousers away!" ' And those little rogues, they did! They pulled off their new little trou sers, and they threw them into the brook! And mamma came running down the meadow path to find them. And, oh, how she laughed when she saw them! "Ha! ha!" she laughed. "Oh, you dear little things! Have you thrown your trousers away':' But she cuddled them close in her arms and kissed them. "There, don't cry!" she said. "Mamma is glad you threw them away. Yes, I am glad you threw them away." And Roggie smiles through his tears. "Nanny is looking," he said. "See, Eee! Old Manny is looking! " And Reggie smiled through his tears. "See! Old Nanny-goat is looking!" Yes. There on the other side of the brook old Nanny stood, with a look of surprise in her wise eyes, watching those little trousers as they floated away down the stream! —Gertrude Smith, in I.ittle Folks. A ltrick-tlenrted Elm. In New Brunswick, N. J., is an elm tree that literally has a heart of stone, if flintlikc bricks and mortar may be so classified. A long time ago the <\n was one of three large trees planted around the grave of a famous Indian chief, but with the growth of tho town two of the trees were cut down to give place to a street. The remain ing elm at once began to die at the heart, and in a few years the trunk was honeycombed by insects. Then nt a Fourth of July celebration the punk-like heart caught fire and burned out. Supported by a thin shell of a trunk, the tree threatened to fall in any high wind. Then it occurred to its owner, Mrs. Elmendorf, to have tho inside filled with brick and mortar. This was done, and far years the big tree has rested on its stony support, getting its nourishment through the bark and shading the home of its benefactor. There is but one ten thousand dollar greenback in circulation. TOYS AS EDUCATORS. Tho American Hoy of Today Ila* a !>li tinrt Advutttag '• In his training for life tho American boy of today has one distinct advan tage which his father lacked. The me chanical toys of the time.cannot route into a boy's possession without giving him a certain acquisition of mechani cal ideas which may be of value to him in his future career. The present de velopment in electricity has been made by men who knew pra t.ically nothing of electrical appliances in hoy hood. With the muntiplication of electrical toys, the work of the next generation will be taken up by men to whom many of the devices of today have been familiar since early youth. The 20th century boy of 10 years is in a fair way to know more about tho possibilities of electricity than the pro fessor of natural philosophy under stood E0 years ago. The principles on which the modern toys operate are practically the same as those used in complicated machin ery. The toy electric railway is now equipped down to the slightest detail- The power may be supplied from a battery or from a generator driving a small turbine connected with a run ning water faucet. Steel rails are laid about the room from which the motor in the toy engine receives its supply of power. There are passenger and freight cars, signal towers and sidetracks from which the boy may learn about the operation of railroads. He is taught the use of positive and negative currents; how to connect electric light; how to manage a dyna mo. In fact, if he knew how much he was learning he would probably rebel at the thought. There are other devices besides toy railroads to instill knowledge into youthful minds under the Hulse of play. Battleships and torpedo boats supplied with a wet-cell battery for motive power will cut through the waves of an ordinary pond with decks awash. Then there are automobiles operated by electricity and manifold games of similar sort. Tho steam en gine has been in tho toy department for years. Its principles have become familiar to children v.ho have played with it In their homes. The possession of such a toy is a stimulus to the boy's inventive capacity. He is Con stantly tempted to build something for the engine to run. No intelligent young American owns a machine that "goes" without trying to find out the principles on which it is built. His curiosity is stimulated and must be satisfied. Here is where his elders may find their opportunity. They may not care to bother with his questions, in which case they may be able to stifle his curiosity with evasive answers. Or they may encourage an intelligent study of the principles involved. There are plenty of good books on mechanics nnd electricity which hoys can understand with a little explana tion. Those may be referred to in connection with the toys. Then, when the boy has become somewhat famil iar with the habits of electricity, lie may be encouraged to make various simple devices such as are described in any elementary book on the sub ject. In this way Christmas toys may prove a valuable factor in educating the rising generation in the field in which the 20th century is expected to show marvelous development—Kan sas City Star. How tho IStirglar Wan Caught. A rather curious method of bur glar catching was resorted to by an ingenious maid servant recently in New York. As the Electrical Review tells the story, while in pursuit of her household duties the maid noticed a man's foot inside the clothes closet. She did not scream, neither did she jump at the door, nor shut it with a hang; instead she took a broom and began to sweep that corner of the room near the closet. Her approach was gradual, and the sweeping was done so naturally that it would not have aroused the most suspicious bur glar. At last the broom brushed the door gently but hard enough to close it to the fraction of an inch. With five or six more gentle sweeps that closet door was shut and almost latched, which she at length succeed ed in doing by gently pressing her arm. against It. As the telephone in her house was so near tho closet that the burglar would be able to hear her if she called for assistance, she bethought herself of another plan. In tho hack yard some telephone linemen were at the tinie making repairs on a wire that runs to another house in the block. She went out and spoke to them. They promptly tapped a wire, attached an instrument and called up i one of the downtown exchanges, which, in turn, got the house owner, who. in his turn, called up police headquarters. From there the call was sent to the police station nearest the house and two policemen were sent around and got the man. Edge or tlie World. An old sea captain who had navigat ed his ship many times round the world persisted in maintaining that our globe is not a globe at all, but a flat surface. No arguments, derisive or painstakingly educational, could al ter his opinion one jot. Some one said to him once: "But if the earth Is as you say, cap tain, there must be an edge to it. How is it that no one has ever tumbled over the edge?" "Why, of course, they have," he an swered, triumphantly. "That's where the ships go that are reported mis sing."—Tit-Bits.