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Entered at the PostoClce at Freeland. I'a.,
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Make all money orders, c'lerks. etc. ,p iy iblt j
in the. Tribune l'r.nting Company, Limited. {
. I
Common fairness demands that those
States "which propose to tax bachelors
In order to promote matrimony should
nlso provide a penalty for the maiden
who says no.
It is claimed that the son of a Kan
sas farmer is the rightful heir to the
throne of Servia. If the young man
will go on farming and behaving prop
erly he may, however, be able to live
It down.
According to an apparently authentic
article in a French periodical not less
than 110,000 aristocrats are at present
confined in the prisons of Europe. Rus
sia stands first with 12,000 blue-blood
ed law-breakers.
If the operations iu South Africa
shall prove, before they have ended,
to have cost a billion dollars, to what
fiscal expedients must the United
Kingdom resort when she enters upon
a coutcst with such a power as Russia
in Central Asia?
Duels illustrate as well as anything
else the difference between the Slav '
and the Gaul. The Slav, if the duel
ing pistol goes wide, betakes himself |
to the rapier and a finish. The Gaul
betakes himself to a coffee house and
drinks to his opponent's dreadful valor.
The manufacture of illustrated postal
cards iu Germany is a productive iu- |
dustry. It is said that the Govern- i
meut derived a daily income of $10,545 j
from this source alone last year. This j
country ought to bo able to get up a |
much more attractive set and make |
more money out of the issue.
The French Government is to have
nn official residence erected in Wash
ington on a two-acre tract located on
u high knoll commanding a line view
of the National Capitol. The famous
French architect, Carre, will design
the building, which, it is expected, will
be the tinest specimen of French archi
tecture in the Western Hemisphere.
Who hut Uncle Sam would have
thought of supplying dentists for ins
soldiers? Who hut Uncle Sam's sol
diers would have created a demand for
such a supply? It brings hack Spanish
war memories when the toothbrush in
the hat of every American private
created more of a sensation among the
foreign attaches than many of the mil
itary manoeuvres and tactics.
An article in the Cosmopolitan calls
attention to the advantage of a "no
fence law," and presents the startling
figures that Indiana alone has fences
whose computed value is §200,000,000,
and which if placed in a single line
would fourteen times encircle the
globe. These figures suggest the enor
mous amount of capital invested ! .n
fences throughout the United States.
Do Fein Itrccd in the Ken?
The '■ cdi'ig of i els Is a mystery. No
body e ,'er saw any of their eggs. The
auric H:s us dto have a notion that eels
were developed from liorse-halrs, An
otic : theory was that they were the
j i-ic.r a kind of bert'r. it i.s now
known that they must spawn in tlie
ocean. Eels put In land-locked ponds
do n • breed; they must go to the sea in
order to propagate their species.
Ho \V s iio :dy.
A fruitful and humorous explanation
of sue - ss i.s given iti this little dialogue
from I'r.ck:
I- ac stein—Vol!, you vosn't oud von
Fortune !■ nocked at your uoor.
(' nhei'stciu—Meiti friendt, site didn't
h:if to knock at all. i vos hoiditt' tier
door open vaitln for her
V.ontlftti rains have fallen In South
Xlttssia and a splendid harvest is as
su red.
The Sultan Ihraliam, of the prov
ince of Wadai, in the Soudan, has been
assassinated.
ite I.e.viand steamer Assyrian, front
Antwerp for Montreal, with 2,000 toils
id cargo, went ashore off Cape liace.
IF I KNEW,
If I "knew the box where the smiles aro
kept,
NO mutter how large the key
Or strong the bolt, L would try so hard—
-I'would open, I know, for me.
Then over the land and sea broadcast
I'd scatter the untiles to play,
That tlie'childron's faces might hold them
fast
For many and many a day.
| TROUBLE WITH A PYTHON. |
MS - Mg
By William T. Hornaday, Directorof the New York Zoological Park jjj?
M.xx.xx.\xrS.xi.xx.xi.xx.xxxx;\x.sxSi.xx.Xx.xi.vx.xC^.xC.x\.XC.xt;vx.xCxT.xx = xx2S
THE superb reptile-house of the
New York Zoological Park
xvas rapidly Hearing comple
(, tioii. Its great main hall was
swarming xvith workmen, xvho were
concreting the alligator pool, finishing
the big wall cases, dividing the eeu-
J tral "installation" for turtles, and do-
I ing a hundred other things. The
' opening day was relentlessly drawing
j nearer and nearer, and we were anxi
ously assembling live beasts, birds
and reptiles with which to till the
various installations that would be
opened to the jiublie on that occasion.
Down at Battel's place we anxiously
examined his stock of live serpents,
and made many purchases. The most
Important acquisition was a black
tailed python, between fourteen und
Bfteen feet long, fresh from some East
Indian jungle; chosen because its size,
its perfect condition and ravenous ap
petite combined to make it a genuine
prize. Ja a collection a snake which
feeds freely is worth about twice as
much as one which docs not, for it
will live twice as long as one which
requires to have its food forced down
Its throat with a ramrod.
Pending the completion of our rep
tile-house, bird-house, small mammals'
house, hear dens and a dozen other
things, we quartered all our live stock
In a closed yard at the rear of the
storehouse. A cleared space iu the for
est about one hundred feet square
had been enclosed by a tight board
j fence, and in this were dozens of tem
porary cages and pens of all sizes, filled
with wild eraatures, impatiently
awaiting the opening day—and better
quarters. In one corner of this yard
we had hurriedly erected a cook house,
which in appearance was similar to a
Western claim shanty. It stood low
! upon the ground, and the most con
spicuous object within it was a live-
I ly, great nut-eater, whose wire house
extended quite across one end of the
room.
In that portion of the yard where sov
eral dozen gla OS-fronted snake-boxes
were arranged under a shed one of
our carpenters built for the python,
under -Mr. Ditmars's direction, a large
box cage, with a front of wire netting
j and glass. Compared xvlth the other
I inake-hoxes it was a very pretentious
; affair, ns befitted the "star boarder."
The python was expected by express
j on a certain day, but when I left the
[ park at nearly seven o'clock, ft had
not arrived, and seemed very unlikely
to do so tl/fct nignt.
| I reached the park the following
j morning at half past seven o'clock,
and was just opening my desk, when
In came my ofiice hoy, red in the lace
) and breathless from running.
I "Good morning, sir! Mr. Dltmars
would like to have me help hunt for
die snake. May I go uow'f"
j "Hunt for what !"
"The big snake. It escaped last
| night!"
! "What! That big python?"
"Yes, sir."
| "Horrors!" said I; and we turned
] and rau.
I Words could not do the situation
lustice. The stupid carpenter who
built the python's cage had left a big
hole, four Inches square, carefully con
cealed behind a rafter in an upper
corner of the box. The serpent had
arrived late the previous evening, and
during the night had found this open
ing and joyously glided through to
; freedom.
; To think of that big serpent at lib
! orty in tiie Zoological Park! I had no
; great fear that it would harm any one,
hut the publicity! The busy place
was humming xvith gossipy workmen
from idl parts of the city; the report
| ers would surely learn of the python's
escape; before my mental vision rose
columns upon columns of newspaper
articles beaded: "Terror in the Bronx!"
"Monster Serpent Loose!" "Panic in
the New Zoo!" and the thought of all
tliis was more appalling to me than
the countenance ol' any wild boast I
had ever met. Great would be the
surprise and chagrin of tiie Zoological
Society, and the humiliation would be
almost unbearable. Truly, tliis was a
i pretty way to start a new Zoological
Park!
At the auimnl yard I found a dozen
! men and hoys at work very quietly,
like sensible fellows, trying l find
the vanished python. My first act was
j to send for several more men and
start them searching systematically,
but without any noise or l'uss, through
I every square yard of the law hushes
! outside. Their orders were to search
j In over widening circles, discover the
snake if possible, and in the event of
doing so, silently to mark the spot and
bring word to me. Leaving tliis part
of tiie hunt in full progress, X returned
to the yard.
It seemed probable that the python
had crawled under some one of the
many cages, platforms or buildings,
"tuder several of which it could easily
have found refuge. If it had gone un
der anything else than the big, sprcad-
I ing storehouse budding, which was
thirty-five feet wide by one hundred
1 and thirty feet long, xve might find it
I before it could escape into the forest.
If I knew a tax that was Targe enough
To hold all tiie frowns I meet,
I would try to gather them, every one,
From nursery, school and street.
Then, folding and holding, I'd pack them
in
And turn the monster key;
I'd hire a giant to drop the* box
To the depth of the deep, deep sea.
—Dora Sexton, in the Book World.
3 If, however, it had hidden under that
- extensive building, we were in a
- quandary.
• The men continued to look under
* various things, likely aud unlikely;
: and presently they discovered a broad
mark which seemed to be the trail of
■ the serpent, leading under the cook
house. A close examination confirmed
this theory, and then It was also re
ported that no similar trail could he
found leading out. A carpenter was
hurriedly scut for to remote the
boards from the floor.
Now mauy courageous men have
such an inborn aversion to snakes that
tiie touch of a serpent's body seems to
create in them an entire now system
of nerves, and I wondered how my
men thould act if we should really
encounter that creature with the beady
brown eyes, forked tongue, and teeth
••ill pointing inward—the wrong way
for an assailant. Up to that point
the search had gone on as quietly as
if we had been seeking a lost piece of
rope.
Fortunately the floor boards of the
cook liousp were nine inches wide, and
in a short time one of them was re
moved. Down went four heads, and
all four came up again, very hastily;
"There he is!"
Close beside the opening in the floor
lay about a bushel of big brown and
yellow coils, and above the pile hov
ered the massive head of the python,
threatening to strike the first living
thing that came within reach. The
noise and jar of the carpenter's efforts
in removing the board had greatly ir
ritated the reptile.
Mr. Ditmar \ our curator of reptiles,
had provided himself with a large bug
of heavy cloth, hoping to be able to
throw it moutht downward over the
coils of the serpent—the usual way of
capturing snakes at large. liut there
was not sufficient space between the
floor and tiie serpent to carry this plan
into effect; aud moreover, tiie serpent's
head was altogether too threatening.
Pending further efforts, we procured
boards and endeavored to cut off the
python's escape, front and rear.
The python waited until we had
placed the boards to tbo best possible
advantage, then uncoiled himself,
shoved the hoards out of position as
if they hud been so many straws put
there for his amusement, and quickly
disappeared under the ant-eater's cage.
The carpenter l'eil to work again to
remove several other boards of the
floor, while the messenger hoys were
stationed outside the building to see
that our quarry did uot get out and es
cape to the forest.
In a short time the python'o head
again appeared at one of the long,
narrow openings made by the carpen
ter, but as Mr. Ditmars took a favor
able position for grabbing ilio crea
ture by tiie neck, close up to the jaws,
it struck at him most viciously.
"Look out!" cried some oue, em
phatically.
Clearly, it would not do for an™ of
our men to bo seized by that savage
creature; for although the python was
of course not poisonous, and although
we might even prevent it from wrap
ping itself around any one of us, the
laceration of a man's hand by that big,
muscular mouth, filled with four rows
of hook-lilte, backward-pointing teeth,
w*iuld, have been a serious matter.
Presently the snake left its place un
der the nut-entir's cage, gliding along
the side of the building farthest from
the door, alert, aggressive, aud so
ready to strike any one who came near
its head that I forbade the men to
take risks.
As its five yards of length scmieir
cled around the cook-stove, part of its
body passed under one of the floor
openings. This was our opportunity,
and in an instant two of us seized it
aud triumphantly hauled up about six
feet of the serpent's body and tail.
How big and muscular it was! Its
skin was as smooth and glossy as sat
in and gleamed with rainbow irides
cence. It writhed aiul worked in our
grasp, and pulled downward with such
power that it required all the strength
of the chief forester and myself 10
retain any portion of it within our
grasp. We braced ourselves, heaved
hard, an,i by main strength tried to
pull the python out backward; but not
one inch could we gain. On the con
trary, inches were drawn away from
us iti spite of all we could do. I be
lieve that ten men could not have
pulled that python out backward, al
though they "light possibly have torn
it in two.
All this time Mr. Ultmars kept trying
to seize the python by the nock, hilt it
was constantly alert, anxious to seize
him, and gave film no opportunity
whatever. It was evident that with
our unaided hands we never could
master that savage creature without
an accident to some one.
Bidding a keeper take my place at
the "tail hold" and bang on with all
his strength, 1 ran to the storeroom,
and with two yards of mason's line,
a long, thin haininer-haiiule of hickory
and a staple Hurriedly driven into the
end of it for the line to pass through, i
I quickly made a very serviceable
noose Back I ran to the cook-house.
Mr. Merkel and Mr. Munzie, red in
the face and perspiring ' profusely,
were clinging desperately to the last
two feet ol' the python's tail; and the
python was in a perfect rage. It dart
ed to and fro under the half-demol
ished floor, striking out viciously
whenever it seemed possible to reach
a man, and manifesting great willing
ness to tight any otte. At the same
time, however, it most cunningly kept
its head under cover.
I readjusted the loop of my line at
the end of my stick and put it close
to the python's head, expecting the
snake to mako a strike through the
noose. He refused. I waited pateiut
ly. Inch by inch the tail was going
under the floor.
"We eau't hold oh here much long
er!" exclaimed the forester, desperate
ly-
At last tiie python started to move
straight toward my face. As I shifted
my noose into line, he ran his head
through it, the noose flew taut behind
his Jaws, and he was caught.
The instant I jerked the line taut
the python drew back and endeavored
to retreat, pulling with the strength
of a man. I gave him about a yard
of my line and then held him by main
strength.
"That small line will out his head
off!" cried Mr. Ditmars, in real alarm
for the safety of our prize snake.
"Better let me cut it!"_ He whipped out
his knife and poised the open blade
over my precious bit of line.
"No, no! Don't cut it. We've got
to control ids head this way or we'll
never master him without getting
hurt. Let go the tail and grab up the
body through that next opening."
This new move again brouglit up the
original six feet of body and tail
which that reptile had, by sheer
strength, pulled out of the grasp of
two strong young men. The snake
now moved forward once more and as
lie came I pulled in my line through
the staple until presently I coaxed and
pulled the head into an opening, hold
ing it quite safely at the end of my
stick. Instantly Mr. Ditmars seized
the neck with both hands, and the
snake was our.
Dropping my line and stick I, too,
took hold close behind the head and
we began to walk away with our cap
tive. As that magnificent and wonder
fully, powerful body emerged from un
der the floor, the oilier men laid hold
of it at intervals and here it along.
"Keep it out straight, boys, and don't j
give him a chance to get a coil around I
any of tis!"
Truly, it must have been an odd
looking procession that wo made as !
wo marched across the yard with that ;
big snake and dumped it into its cage. I
Tiie hunt had lasted nearly an hour.
No one had been bitten and the snake
was quite unhurt.
"Now, boys," said I, "let's say noth- |
iug about this iittfe incident for the j
present."
They did keep quiet and the unex
pected happened. Not one of the
newspapers of New York heard a word j
of the affair until fully three months
had elapsed, and then the story was !
so old that as a sensation it was as |
dead as Barneses, and the zoo did not
suffer a hit from reference to it.
To-day that python occupies the sec
ond cage from the alligator pool, and
Is the handsomest, although uot the
largest, of our mauy constrictors.—
Youth's Companion.
AH They C hose.
Wiiilo waiting for tho train the bride
and bridegroom walked slowly up and
down the platform.
"I dou't know what this joking and
guying may linve been to you," lie re
marked, "but it's death to me. I never
experienced such an ordeal."
"It's perfectly dreadful," she an- I
swered. "I shall he so glad when wo
get away from everybody we know." I
"They're actually impertinent," he j
went on. "Why, tiie very natives " |
At tills nnpropitiods moment the |
wheezy old stationmaster walked up i
to them.
"Be you goin' to tpke this train?" he i
asked. ,
"It's none of your business," retorted j
the bridegroom, indignantly, as he
guided the bride up the platform,
where they condoled witli each other
over the impertinence of the natives.
Onward came the train, Its vapor
curling from afar. It was'the last to
their destination that day; an express
—nearer, it canto at full speed, then in
a moment it whizzed past and was
gone.
"Why in thunder didn't that train
stop!" yelled the bridegroom.
" 'Cos you sed 'twarn't none of my
bizness. I has to signal if that train's
to stop."
And as the old stationmaster softly
stroke'd his heard there was a wicked
twinkle in his eye.—London Spare Mo
ments.
A Cemetery Pol- Pets.
London and Paris have long had
cemeteries for dogs and eats, but New
York lias been without one until lately.
Now, however, a burlnl-ground of
three of four acres lias been opened at
Hartsdale, in Westchester County, and
is being immediately taken advantage
of by the bereaved owners of pets,
nearly seventy burials having already
taken place there. The woman with
the pet cat was foremost. "Toby," a
splendid Angora, rests In peace in the
new cemetery, in n plush-lined mahog
any casket (costing some SSO), and un
der a marble headstone commemorat
ing his pedigree and ids virtues. An
other pedigreed pet, a French poodle,
was buried witli liis silver collar and
loader beside him, an embroidered
blanket about ills aristocratic form,
aud a silver bracelet upon his leg, as in
life. Two or three carriages not infre
quently accompany the dead canine
or feline to the grave,—Harpsr's Bazar.
HOUSEHOLD
|
ART IN THE HOUSEHOLD.
Decorations That Arc Novel, Modish and
Beautiful.
j In lino with tlie present fad for brass
bouse decorative pieces one clover
housewife* lias chosen a huge brass
pot to stand on the hearth of her living
room fireplace, that holds wood in
i winter and a pot with a growing plant
| in summer. It is unusual aud effective
| in the extreme.
| APPKOPIIIATE FOR THE DINING-ROOM.
| Conventional treatment is almost al-
I ways best for a dining room mantel,
and a pair of candelabra especially ap
j proprlate as decoration. By the way,
these candelabra when used as decora
| tion never have shades on the caudles.
! HOW TO HANG TnE TROrHIES,
I There is an unwritten law In house-
I furnishing ethics against tlie means
by which the groups of trophies, arms,
I swords, knives, etc., so popular for
j usual decoration these days, are liung
! showing. Hooks and strings are not
j permissible, but nails should be used
I so disposed as to lie invisible. A piece
j of drapery behind tliese groupings is
j much liked by many artistic decora
tors as enhancing the effect.
THE VOGUE OF GREEN.
! Green is such a very fashionable
j wall covering just now that it is apt to
be used indiserminatcly regardless of
I other considerations, light in particu-
I lar. One in a position to speak author
j itatively states it absorbs at least
i twenty-five per cent, of light, so bouse
j wives should be careful about choos
ing it for a room unless it has a great
deal of light.
PAPERING TnE CEILING,
j Another suggestion for the rejttvon
: ntion of wall covering is to paper the
ceiling of a very low-ceilinged room in
| white or pale ivory, and run it down a
i foot or so on tlie side walls to a white
| or cream picture moulding, as the case
| may lav This adds very much to the
I effect of height. The plain white ceil
ing thus loses itself above you and
never accentuates its own limitations.
WINDOW DRESSING.
Half sash curtains are entirely passe.
The most approved window dressing |
at present consists of lace or thin stuff
curtains, window sill length, hanging |
straight down against the glass. In- j
side ones of soft silk hang over these, I
pushed close to each side, but with a j
balance in the centre across the top to I
form a continuous line. Green and yel- j
low are tlie preferred shades, but un
less much care is shown to get a de- '
cided gray green it is apt to throw a j
rather ghastly light, while a soft, pale
yellow is always uieliow.
A REVIVAL.
Old-fashioned ball frlngs is redivious !
for adorning bed hangings. Dimity |
spreads are very fashionable just now,
too, as are Anatolians.—Philadelphia I
Record.
SPHHs
'.HOUSEHOLD RELCIPELS
Crumb Tie—Soak a pint of bread
crumbs in milk. Beat three eggs; add
half a cup of sugar. Line two pic
plates with crust and sttew over j
enough raisius to cover bottom. Add j
the bread crumbs to egg and milk, sift- I
ing in a bit of cinnamon, pour over the j
raisins and bake about thirty minutes. '
Frozen Apricots—Boil two cups of i
sugar and four cups of water ten min
utes. When cold add one can of apri- !
cots cut iu small pieces. Freeze as j
usual, and when nearly stiff stir iu two j
cups of-wlilpped cream, measured af- I
ter whipping. It is delicious without I
the cream, but, of course, is not so j
rich.
Plecotta—This Is the national soup
of Italy. Cook a half cup of rice in a
pint of stock and rub through a sieve.
Thicken a quart of boiling milk with
a tablespoon of butter and two of
Hour; add a cup of grated cheese and
the rice stock, a teaspoon of salt. Serve
quite hot with bits of toasted brown
bread.
Kiee Cakes Two coiteecupfuls of
sour milk or buttermilk, one teaspoon
fill soda dissolved in a little hot water
and beat in Hour enough to pour; add
two well-beateu eggs, one cupful of
boiled rice and cue teaspoonful salt.
These require a little longer time for
frying than the plain ones do, but are
very nice.
Alabama r.catcn Biscuit—One quart
of Hour, oue tablcspoonful lard and
butter mixed, teaspoouful salt. Mix
into a stiff dough with water. Pound
until the dough is soft or blisters. Boil
out until three-quarters of an inch
thick; cut out with a small biscuit cut
ter; mark with fork holes. Bake in
moderate oven until pale brown.
Puree of Fruit and Onions—Use any
dried fruit, peaches or prunes. Take
one cup of chopped onions, one cup of
the preferred fruit, cooked soft, and
one of era el; lings, one-half cup of pearl
barley, oue teaspoonful each of salt,
grated lemon peel and cardamom
seeds and three pints of weak stock.
Cook until It can lie sifted; reheat and
serve with croutons.
| CUARDiNC THE
( Locomotive Sentinels Which Precede and
Follow tlio Train.
When the President travels the per
centage of possibility of accident is
reduced to a minimum in the selection
of cars for the train. New coaches,
which have just left the shops, are
preferred. Axles, wheels, springs,
journals, brakes, couplings—in fact,
all of the important factors in the
make-up of a train—are carefully ex
amined and tested before being al
lowed to depart with their precious
human freight. The engine selected
i is the best in the service and is ruu by
1 the most reliable engineer in each di-
I vision of the road, the man upon
j whom the company can rely for the
| exercise of caution and of the best
1 judgment In time of emergency. In
no ease, however, is lie allowed to bear
i aione the responsibilities of bis import
' ant position. On the opposite side of
! the cab sits a man less grimy, per
haps, and without overalls. He is the
i road foreman of the division. Neither
i tlie engineer nor the road foreman
' speaks to the other as the train rolls
| swiftly along. Their eyes are on the
i loug line of steel mils that stretches
1 away into the distance, but tbey are
j thinking of the smooth-faced, dnrk
| eyed man who is in the rear ear, siuil
j iug and conversing with ills friends,
i and in whom all the greatness of the
republic is personified. They feel
, their heavy responsibility, and tbey
[ give a sigh of relief when the end of
their division is reached.
* ♦ •
1 As the train glides besides fivers,
[ through valleys and over mountains,
j new faces appear. Quiet men, who
i seem to know no one except the con
ductors and other railway employes,
| slip into some vacant scat in a sleep
-1 ing car, or sit and smoke in the com
| binatiou car just behind the engine.
■ They chat with each other, occasion
ally glancing at their watches, and
| are always alert. They are the di
' vision superintendents, masters of
transportation or men holding other
responsible positions,
j "Suppose," I remarked to one of
j these officials, when we were together
| on a President's train, says Henry
I Litchfield West, "that some evil-dis
| [iosed person should displace a rail
lor tlie purpose of killing the Presi
dents"
J "Any attempt to wreck this train,
i with design upon the life of the Presi
| dent," was the emphatic reply,
: "would have to be carried into execu
tion in less than five minutes. Just
before we left the last statiou, an en
gine, with two men in Hie cab, slipped
[ out upon tlie main trnek, and is now
' just ahead of the President's train. If
| anybody lias displaced a rail, or set
| lire to a bridge, or opened a switch,
| the engine ahead will feel the blow.
it is our'picket line. Between tlie
j passing of that engine over the track
j and the coming of the President's train
j there 1s not time enough for any oue
j to displace a rail."
"The track is clear, of course?"
"The track is not only clear at the
present time, but it lias been for the
] past twelve hours. Not a wheel of a
j freight train has turned all day."
The pilot engine ahead is on tho
j lookout for danger. Three miles be
hind the President's train is another
j engine, following steadily so as to be
| available in ease of any mishap.
J "And yet," I remark, during a lull
j iu the conversation, "something may
happen that you cannot foresee?" The
! answer comes from the strong-visaged ■
I man over in the corner. lie is tho
master of transportation of tho road.
| "Oh, yes," he says, witli composure,
j "something may happen, but after we
have reduced tlie chances of that
'something' to a minimum, we can only
trust iu Providence."—Philadelphia
Saturday Evening Post.
Cliapel of the Pyx.
The ancient Chapel of tlie Pyx at
Westminster is to be thrown open to
tho public. Tills is oue of the oldest
and most interesting parts of the Ab
bey, the greater part of the fabric
belonging to the reign of Edward the
Confessor. It was used in early Nor
man times as a royal treasury, nud a
robbery from the chapel iu the reign
of Edward I. of treasure valued at
£IOO,OOO, created a great deal of stir.
Later it was used as a record cham
ber for the treasury, and more re
cently as a receptacle for tlie appara
tus necessary for the trial of the Pyx
—the standardizing of tho coin of the
realm. The' documents formerly de
posited in the Pyx chapel have been
removed and henceforth tlie public
will have tlie privilege of penetrating
the recesses of this mysterious cham
ber.—Newcastle (Eng.) Chronicle.
Tlie Largest Ship in tho World.
The Celtic weighs 30,700 tons, the
Park Row building only go, 000 tons.
She measures 700 feet, only uiuc
feet longer Hum the Great Eastern,
but will draw eleven feet more water.
She will carry 3712 passengers and
crew, and 12,000 tons of cargo.
She will draw too much water to
come into New York harbor when
loaded to the mark.
She lias twelve decks, and tlie cap
tain's bridge is 100 feet above the keel.
. She is one-fourth larger than the
Oceanic, hitherto tlie biggest ship.—
New York Journal.
French Subject! or Great lirltain.
At a recent sitting of the Cour Itoy
nle of me Isle of Alderney, the oath
of allegiance to his majesty tlie king
was administered to tlie judge, jurats,
king's procurator and other officials
with due and fitting ceremony, says a
London newspaper. As each present
took the oath the whole court, rising,
exclaimed "Dieu Satire le Itoi."
Estimated national wealth at the be
ginning of the twentieth century
n00.000.000.000.