An Old, Old, Old Story An Inference
News For Papa—A Factor—Extremes
—The Waving O't— Facts Jn the Case—
A Kindly Warning, Etc., Etc.
A little boy, a little match,
A little hesitation,
A little smile, a little scratch.
And childish consternation.
A little scream, a little gleam,
And then the sparks and crashes;
The end of some one's happy dream— i
A little pile of ashes.
—Chicago Record-Herald.
An Inference.
Mrs. Wltherby—'"l had to wait four
Cable cars before oue would stop."
Wltherby—'"And then was there a
blockade?"— Harper's Bazar.
News For Papa.
Miss Innocence—"Papa, how do the
weather observers find out what sort
of weather we are going to have?"
Papa—"l was not aware they did."—
Baltimore World.
A Factor.
The Father—"How many detectives
do you think will be enough to guard
the wedding presents?"
Chief—"About how mnuy guests will
there be?" —Harper's Bazar.
Extremes.
Teacher—"Edmund, define the words
refuse and refusal."
Edmund—"llefusal Is what a fellow
finds In a summer girl, and refuse is
what he finds In the streets of Chi
cago."—Chicago News.
The Waving O't.
"Every few minutes she would say,
'Oh! go 'loug!'"
"Well?"
"Then, when I would start towards
the door, she would say, 'Oh! sit
down! You areu't in any hurry.' "
Puck.
Facts in the Case.
Wife—"John, I wish you would have
a new clothes wringer scut up to-day."
Husbnud (a butcher) "My dear,
that isn't exactly iii my line."
Wife—"Then whose line is it in?"
Husband—"ln the clothesline proba
bly."—Chicago News.
A Kindly Warning.
"I never can love you, Mr. Simpson
—I never cau love you; I never can
"Well, please don't dwell on the sub
ject so, Miss Perkins; I am one of
those dangerous, excitable beiugs tc
whom opposition is encouragement."
Watch Was Safe.
Fond Mother—"John, do look at tliat
child; be lias your watch in bis mouth
and will swallow It!"
John (who Is a bachelor brother-ir
law and very fond of babies)—" Oil,
don't be the least bit alarmed; I have
got hold of the chain. It can't go far."
-Tit-Bits.
In Coloniul Day*.
"Whatever happens," said the young
man, dutifully, "I shall bear myself as
becomes a scion of a worthy stock."
"Do so, my son," said the sturdy old
settler. "Act the man always; for,
mark ye, there Is no telling which of
us may one day figure in an historical
novel."—Puck.
Perilously Attractive.
Rng Doll—"I'm stuffed with cotton;
what are you stuffed with?"
China Doll "Sawdust, I think;
maybe it's bran."
Bag Doll—"Bran? Goodness—if you
see a mouse come out of that hole
you'd better run like the mischief."—
Chicago Record-Herald.
Blunders us lteuellt*.
"Mister Gubbs, you'd ort t' raise my
pay."
"Raise your pay? You make more
mistakes than auy other clerk In the
office."
"Well, but I've heard you say that
lots of my mistakes bad saved you big
money."—Chicago Record-Herald.
Warning.
"I Bhall tender my resignation nnd
make a test ease of this matter," ex
claimed tbe politician hotly.
"All right," answered the friend.
"But you wunt to be careful bow you
go about If. This tiling of resigning
has been occasionally know to cost an
officeholder bis place." Washington
Star.
Like Our Little Gcorgte.
Papa (severely)—" Did you ask mam
ma If you could have that apple?"
Five-Year-Old—"Yes, papa."
Papa—"Be careful, now. I'll ask
mamma, nnd If she says you didn't
ask her I'll whip you for telling a
story. Did you ask mamma?"
Flve-Year-Old—"Papa, I asked her.
(A pause.) She said I couldn't have
It."—Tlt-Blts.
What Hurt Illm.
"I shall sue him for libel," said the
man who is making large sums of
money out of tlie credulity of tbe
masses.
"For what?"
"He called me a common swindler.
It's pretty hard for a man who has
worked as bard as I have to be orig
inal to be referred to as 'common.' "
Washington Star.
The New Styles.
"Henry Is a brute," said Mrs. Just
wed to her mother, to whom she bad
gone for sympathy.
"Why, what has he done, my poor
child?"
"Why, he—lie says that my new bon
net—the one that Is trimmed with
those lovely cherries, and things—
boo-hoo—he says—he says It looks like
g belled dinner."—Baltimore American.
TRAITS OF MEXICAN INDIANS.
About the Only One* In That Country f
Pare Blood.
It Is a wonderful blend of races that
Is to make the Mexican population of
the future; one sees Maya men of ed
ucation with wives of the old blonde
Gothtc-Spanlsli type. Tarascans mar
ried with Spaniards, and all degrees
of Aztec admixture, while in Oaxaca
one notes the Zapotecan strain. There
Is great hope for the Indian peoples of
Mexico; they are, for the most part,
e.ean of blood, with a nervous force
which makes them, on being educated,
go far. Many eminent men here are
of mixed blood, and It Is worthy of
note that the Indian blood gives grav
ity, mental poise and great will power.
The Indian Is loyal, a good friend, a
tremendous enemy, and sometimes
none too enamored of the ideas of the
white race. Down deep In his heart
Is something aboriginal, Intense and
sound. I have heard educated In
dians, talking In all confidence, ex
press the hope that an Indian Mexico
may some day take the place of the
Spanish Mexico.
We have lost something in the Uni
ted States by holding the Indian at
arms' length socially. Indian blood Is
good blood, and renovates the white
race. You get good brains In the In
dian, because they are not vitiated,
and are not too far removed from that
strong old life that nature prefers, and
In which she eliminates weaklings.
Had the German philosopher Nletselie
visited Mexico he would have found
some types of his "over-man," his
naturally superior being among the
Indians. Nature Is a rough nurse, but
she makes men and women who de
light In living, and who live long. Our
urban civilization and daintiness and
comforts destroy real manhood and
womanhood, and so do flourish dent
ists, doctors, faddists and milk-and
water reformers.
Nothing but the sun and air. the
free life of nature, produces the best
In physique and in character. The
Indians grow up sans coddling, and
their strength of body is equaled by
.their vigor of mentality. It Is a grent
thing not to be nervous, to breathe
deep, to have plenty of quick-moving
blood.
One Is amazed at the power of ap
plication of Indians of culture; they
get fatigued only after Intense work.
They have stamina. It is a goodly
sight to see coming down into warm
country valleys from the Sierras, the
Indian woman, straight, clear-eyed,
uncorseted. Maidens with fine and
eloquent eyes, walking ns the Greek
goddesses did; their every motion
graceful, and. If gowned in civilized
manner, fit to adorn a drawing room.
Some of the tribes have many hand
some women; you look at them, and
all accepted civilized standards fall
away. You do not think of what we
call their poverty; they are simply
gowned, and their manner suggests
no notion of subserviency; they bring
to one thoughts of the antique world
when life was lived broadly, fashions
endured nnd the age of fuss had not
begun. Contrast the erect and serene
Indian maidens on the country roads
of Mexico with the parlor darlings of
civilization, under the care of special
ists, teeth yellow with gold, with a
hundred arts of the toilet, and nerves
easily tired and Jangled. One gives
over thinking of wealth when one sees
the riches of simple health these
young women possess.
Their eyes are wonderfully clear,
and their type of beauty Is Greek, In
that there Is no ovcrfatness, no wad
dling and never emaciation. A physi
cian would delight In such young
women, fit models for a sculptor. Ouly
the primitive nations, much in the
open air, the sun modeling their per
fect forms, retain their sanity, in
our big cities of white men the people
are spoiled, we get into grooves of em
ployment, are twisted Intellectually
and physically, lose nerve poise and
repose, nnd are packed full of preju
dices which we mistake for culture.
I have sat with Indians in the mar
ket places of little towns and enjoyed
their placidity of thought, their direct
seeing of things nnd tbeir Inability
even to envy us. We must resemble
In their minds strange, demoniacally
possessed creatures. They simply can
not comprehend our restlessness and
our Inability to be still an hour at a
time. Sometimes un Indian will tell
you that the day will come when the
land will be their once more, and then
note the light, as of some Interior sun,
that blazes In bis eyes!— Boston Her
ald.
John Cli 1 tiuiunn'i Ensy Ilalinont.
Those who understand the subject
have to admit that when it comes to
the question of rational dress the Chi
naman has very much the best of It,
Who Is there of us, arrived ut a cer
tain rotundity of figure, who can com
fortably pick up u nickel from the
sidewalk without risking the Integ
rity of many vital points of his rai
ment? American clothes are not made
for the performance of much stooping
or domestic gymnastics, but the Chi
naman, In his loose, easy fitting
clothes, is ns free to stoop. Jump, run
or turn handsprings as a small boy in
bathing. In a Chinese suit of clothes
you can lie down nnd sleep with the
same amount of comfort that you can
stand up and walk.—Brooklyn Kagle.
Great Advance In Animal Surgery.
The animal world has to-day a sur
gical science quite its own, says a
London newspaper. These are dogs
with artificial teeth, pigeons and cows
with wooden legs, dogs with glass
eyes, and other animals with false
hair, false tails and false limbs of all
kinds. There is, indeed, hardly a limit
tv the possibilities of animal surgery.
Man*. Love and Woman*e.
A man's love can be beckoned, but
not commanded; a woman's love ran
be commanded, but not beckoned.—
New York Press.
?WortJmpw)i£>jf
The heaviest man in America, if not
In the world, Is Lee Trickey, of Glen
wood, Wis., who tips the beam at 500
pounds.
In Algeria, a river of ink is formed
by the conjunction of two streams, one
of which is impregnated with iron
and the other, which drains a peat bog,
with gallic acid. The mixture of the
Iron and acid results in ink.
It is the custom on tho birth of a
Japanese baby to plant a tree. This
Is carefully tended until the party is
about to be married, when it is cut
down and made into nn article of
furniture for the new home.
Nortliwlch, the centre of the salt in
dustry in Grent Britain, is one of the
queerest towns In the world. The
whole underlying country is simply
one mass of salt. The mining of the
salt constitutes the staple industry of
the districts, and from Nortliwlch
alone 1,200,000 tons of salt are shipped
annually.
In Brazil has now been found the
most curious frog in the entire world.
It is known ns "Ilyla fnber," and the
difference between it and other ba
tranchinus lies in the fact that the fe
mnles of this species regularly build
nests in which they lay their eggs,
their object being to preserve their lit
tle ones from tho enemies that con
stantly threaten them.
There is a curious combination tree
In West Stockbrldge, Mass. It is prim
arily a maple which measures, a foot
from the ground, twelve feet three
inches in circumference. Fifteen feet
from the ground there are one or two
birch limbs growing, and higher up
are currant and raspberry bushes
which bear fruit each year. Tho tree
is very old, and bids fair to stand for
many years longer.
On a sand Island in Dublin Bay a
new kind of mouse has been found. It
resembles the ordinary mouse in all
except its color, which is that of the
sand, and the naturalists attribute
that peculiarity to an interposition of
nature for Its protection from the owls
and hawks on the Island. It Is sup
posed that they are the descendants of
castaway mice, and that the protec
tive coloration Is a gradually acquired
result of their surroundings.
Tho Country Kdltor.
It lias been frequently stated that
the editor of a country newspaper
works harder for less pay than any
man of similar ability in his commu
nity. There is no doubt some truth
In this, but it is far from being a fair
statement of the case.
A similar statement might be made
to apply to the country doctor or law
yer, and with quite ns much truth.
There are poor editors, poor lawyers,
poor farmers, poor merchants and so
i on along the line, but ns a rule we do
not have to look far to discover the
whys and wherefores.
Just a man's ability to get a few
hundred dollars together for printing
machinery docs not make him an edi
tor, any more than the purchase of a
few bottles of pills and boxes of pow
ders makes a man a doctor. There
must be something more than mere
name.
No doubt the country editor does
work hard, and in very many in
stances he works in the dark. If he
gets out a poor newspaper he must
expect to be ill paid, and generally it
is the editor of a poor newspaper that
does the hardest work.
Fortunately there are very many
editors of country newspapers who
do not come under this head, and in
every instnnce it will be found that
they are live, hustling men who run
their papers on business principles,
and are not satisfied with putting
"any old thing" in type just so long
as It will fill the required space.
Backed up by brains there are hard
er roads to. travel than publishing a
country newspaper, but without at
least a normal supply of "gray mat
ter" It Is tortuous and full of snares
and pitfalls.—Fourth Estate.
Labor Saving Device.
Tommy was much interested in hear
lug for the first time in his language
lesson the other day about a pair of
little dots that the teacher said meant
"ditto." How his soul—a curious mix
ture of laziness and thrift—thrilled at
learning that if he were to write "a
cat," or "five boys," or "$10" on one
line and wanted to repeat the same
words or figures on the next line all
he had to do, instead of writing the
words In full, was to put the ditto
marks, aud everybody would know
It was "a cat," or "five boys" or
"$10" (as the case might be) that was
meant. Borne time after this Tommy,
while away on a visit had occasion to
write home. He simplified the hated
task by turning his latest knowledge
to account.
The letter looked like a literary
polka-dot.
"Dear father," It began:
"I hope you are well.
" " mother Is "
" " sister " "
" " Dick " "
" " grandma "
" wish you were here.
" " mother was "
" " sister " "
" " Dick " "
" " grandma" "
" " you would send me some
money.
"Your affectionate son, TOM."
—New York S'.m.
MINES OF CRUDE WAX.'
Vfectl About Oiocerltc, a Mineral Foiral
In Gallcla—lt. Usee.
United States Consul F. W. Hoss
fcld, at Trieste. Austria, sends to the
Stnte Department. Washington, a long
report on ozocerite, or mineral wax. a
resinous substance resembling bees
wax, which is found in Russia, Ru
mania, Egypt, Algeria, Canada, and
Mexico, ns well as in Austrin-Hun
gary, but which is found in quantities
sufficient to pay for mining only in the
district of P.oryslav, Galacia, and to
2 limited extent on the west coast of
the Caspian Sea. Concerning the min
ing of ozocerite. Consul Hossfeld says:
Mining operations are commenced by
sinking a shaft and connecting it by
galleries with the beds, or "nests,"
containing the wax. Sometimes it hap
pens, when a nest is being opened,
that the enormous pressure of gases
shut up in the same causes the soft
mnss of wax to be forced out with
great vehemence. Such occurrences
greatly imperil the lives of the min
ers, who are compelled to flee to some
higher part of the shaft for safety. In
some cases the pressure is so powerful
that even the deepest shafts are filled
with wax up to the surface. Previous
to 1884 the average yearly deaths from
such accidents were nine per 1000. In
recent years, however, measures have
been taken by the Government to pro
tect the miners' lives.
An official Investigation made In
IS9B showed that during the previous
year the ozocerite beds of Gnlicla cov
ered an area of 050,885 square metres,
and that there were forty-two differ
ent mining concerns, employing 5413
operatives. The output in that year
was 7T.580 quintals, equal to 17,067,-
020 pounds.
Mineral wax is never found In a pure
state, and such of the crude material
ns is Intended for export Is usually
freed from foreign matter near the
mines. It Is for this purpose put Into
tnnks, which are heated either by a
direct fire or by steam.
The greater part of the ozocerite
consumed in Austria, the Consul says,
is manufactured into cercsin. Some
is also used in the manufacture of
shoemakers' wax and pnrnfln. Ceresin
and beeswax are used in the manu
facture of wax candles. Ceresin is
also used for phonographic cylinders,
and in galvano-plastlc printing and
other arts. In 1899 the exports of
ozocerite from Austria reached 11,-
970,800 pounds, valued at $872,494. The
shipments to this country, however,
are Insignificant. i
A Taper Chief's Asset.
A newspaper is primarily a business
enterprise, says the Fresno (Cal.) Re
publican. Its function is to gather
and print news, and also sell it to
whomsover will buy. Yet a newspaper
Is universally regarded as having a
responsibility in the community that
belongs to no other business. When
other business men are non-commit
tul on public questions, for fear it will
hurt their business to take sides, the
newspaper—whose business is more
responsive to the fluctuations of pop
ularity than any other enterprise—
must nevertheless take the first and
largest responsibility of utterance
upon itself. If other businesses do
not keep their goods clean, they lose
custom, but do not particularly harm
anybody but themselves. If the news
paper does not keep its news clean, it
gains business, but corrupts the com
munity, and is held responsible there
for. Whether the public takes its
newspapers seriously or lightly, It al
ways regards them ns more than a
business, ns a forum whose opportu
nity for publicity may be used for
good or evil.
So it comes that the chief capital of
a newspaper is not presses or type,
but character. It is an established
institution, with traditions and poli
tics and public standing, which sur
vive many changes of workers, and
give to the newspaper a character
whicli Is more than the character of
those who make and manage it, and
yet is not independent of that charac
ter.
And so it comes, also that the best
asset any community can have is the
habit of demanding that its news
papers deal honestly by It, and of get
ting that demand satisfied.
Waiter Helped the OrchcHtra.
One of the waiters at the Ivaltenborn
concert the other night unwittingly
helped out the orchestra quite appro
priately. They were playing a Lizst
rhapsody and the fireworks were at
their best when he got an order. He
walked over to get his tray, which
was leaning against a post, and acci
dentally kicked It hard. The tray fell
over with a bang, but, as it happened,
the noise of the kick and the noise of
the fall were in enact accord with the
orchestra, and came in just the place
where the scare might have called for
cymbals.
Herr Bernstein, the veteran kettle
drummer man, looked up in surprise,
for he knew the notes were not In the
score, tut lie had to smile when ho
saw what had happened.—New York
Mall and Express.
Tho I'll st Year of Baby's Life.
The newly-born child has, during
the first month of its life, the senses
of taste and smell, while sight and
hearing begin to develop.
During the second month the child
becomes sensitive to sound, and ob
servation is born.
When the sixth month is reached
feeling has developed, and grief and
pleasurable emotions are exhibited.
In the eighth month displeasure
may be manifested, and In the ninth
the power of imitation. When ten
months are reached a child shows
memory, and at eleven, intelligible
words are uttered, while at twelve
months the habit of obedience and
other qualities show signs of greater
mental activity, which at birth practi
cally does not exist—American Queen.
I'enalty For Neglected Highway*.
THE Postofflce Department is
trying to use the rural free
delivery experiment ns an
argument in favor of good
roads, and where the experiment has
failed to Improve the bad roads along
the routes the service will have to be
abandoned.
The department has gone over tho
records to see how many routes were
interrupted by the condition of the
roads last spring, and has sent out
notices that unless the roads are im
proved to prevent similar Interruption
this spring these routes will have to
be abandoned. The records show that
a great many routes were Interrupted
from one to seven days last spring.
There were forty of these routes in
lowa, twelve in Illinois, ten In Wis
consin and a less number in other
Western and Southern States. The
record against lowa Is not so bad as
it seems because that State has a
grent many more rural free delivery
routes than any other State, and, like
Illinois, the State suffers at times
from bad roads which cannot be im
proved.
The department admits that It will
have to give some consideration to the
difficulty in building roads in lowa and
Illinois, where the depth of the soil
makes It almost Impossible to con
struct ronds that will be passable at
all seasons of the year. It Is admitted
that there are routes In Illinois and
lowa where everything possible lias
been done to mnke good roads for the
greater part of the year, but during
the spring freshets these may bo im
passable for a few days.
The order is meant to apply to thoso
routes where the people are indifferent
to the condition of the roads and have
allowed them to become impassable
through neglect. The inspectors will
report on the routes that are inter
rupted this spring, aud where the in
terruption is due to neglect of tho
roads they will be abandoned. Where
the Interruption is due to conditions
which cannot be overcome the depart
ment will make allowances and con
tinue the service. .v-wo-'t-"
But the department regards rural
free delivery as an argument and an
inducement to build good roads, and
wherever the people are indifferent to
the advantages of the service the de
partmnt holds that the experiment is
a failure. The demand for rural free
delivery is greater than the depart
ment can meet with the appropriation
by Congress, and it will favor those
communities which show most appre
ciation by building roads over which
the Government can send mails with
the least possible interruption.
Prepared For Summer.
In the late spring after the ground
has settled, the roads should bo pre
pared for summer travel by beiug
shaped up with the "road machine" or
"road grader." When this work is
done, the ground is comparatively dry,
and consequently the heavier road
scraper is required aud can be handled
on the roads. It is somewhat unfor
tunate that tills tool is ordinarily
called a road grader, since the name
has possibly led to n misconception
ns to an important use of the machine.
As an instrument of road construction,
this machine is used to give a crown
to the road; but ns nn Instrument of
maintenance, it should be used only to
smooth the surface aud restore the or
iginal crown. Apparently some opera
tors assume that the machine is not to
be used except to increase the crown
of the road. Employed in this way
the crown is made too great, and a big
ridge of loose earth is left In the mid
dle of the road which only slowly con
solidates and which is likely to be
washed into the side ditches to make
trouble there. Since the Introduction
of the road machine there has devel
oped a strong tendency to Increase the
crown of the road unduly. Doubtless
the object Is to secure better drainage
of the road bed, but piling up the earth
Is nn inadequate substitute for the
drainage. Side slopes steeper than
just enough to turn the water into the
side ditches are a detriment. Other
things being equal, the best road to
travel on or to haul a load over is a
perfectly fiat one.
flood Road* Necessity.
With many expression of apprecia
tion for the warm hospitality extend
ed by tho business men of Philadel
phia, the convention of the Southern
Industrial Association adjourned to
meet next year in Memphis, Tenn.
Before adjourning the following reso
tion was adopted:
Whereas, The territory of many of
tho Southern States is entirely or
largely remote from water navigation,
and,
Wherens, The more prosperous coun
tries of Europe have realized from tho
earliest periods the vital importance
of good roads, and that much of their
prosperity depends upon a system of
fine roads, and.
Whereas, We of the South realize
the great disadvantage under which
we are marketing our valuable pro
ducts; therefore, be it
Resolved, That we, the Southern In
dustrial Association in convention as
sembled, do hereby earnestly urge
upon the attention of all good citizens
of the South the importance of the
Improvement of the roads, and do
hereby memorialize the Legislatures
of the various Southern States to take
up this important matter and to enact
such laws ns will tend toward the bet
terment of the roads of their respect
ive States.
TRAINING YOUNG BIRDS.
Vow the Old Bird* Instruct Their Off
spring.
All who have watched birds care
fully have seen them teach the young
to find food, to bathe, to follow, to
ling, to ffiar danger, and other things.
Birds brought up from the nest by
people never learn some of these les
sons. For example, birds so reared
are not afraid of the human race. I
could give many authenticated in
stances of this. Then they do not
know their native tongue or under
stand the <;alls of their own mother,
and do not sing their father's song.
A chewlnk or towhec bunting reared
In a house sang the song of an ortolan
confined In the next cage, and refused
to learn the song of his family when
placed next a singing chewlnk. A
captive young robin learned the song
of a mocking bird, and a young blue-
Jay did the same.
Not only has the fact of the train
ing of the young been brought to light,
but It has been proved that birds are
creatures of habits and live regular
lives. In Alaska last summer, on the
Harrlman expedition, Dr. Fisher was
interested to observe that although
the sun did not set till 11 o'clock at
night, the birds paid no attention to
the vagaries of that luminary, hut
went to bed according to custom at 8
o'clpck, in broad daylight, of course.
If they were disturbed In their slum
bers, they appeared half awake and
bewildered, as they do In the dark.
One may sometimes see a case of
discipline, like a droll one seen among
the domestic inmates of a yard in
Michigan last summer. With the regu
lar poultry was placed a small party
of ducks and a little pond for tlietr
use. The head of this family was a
personage of dignity, who loved quiet,
and the usual emotional announce
ment of a fresh egg was exceedingly
offensive to his sensitive ear. When
an indiscreet hen became too gushing
he flew at her, caught her by the neck,
dragged her—protesting nt the top of
her lungs—lnto the pond and ducked
hew well.
One of the delights of late June is
to make the acquaintance of restlings
at home, when the mother is absent,
speaking to them quietly, moving
slowly, and If touching them at all,
only with the gentlest touch of a fin
ger. The young usually show no fear,
and will often answer one's quiet talk,
f "have held conversation in this way
with humming birds in the nest, strok
ing them with my finger, and have
talked with, or to, clear-eyed mourn
ing dove babies, fluffy little bluejays,
and others. Soon after they leave the
nest they are taught not to permit
such familiarities.
It is most interesting to see the pro
cesses of training that are obvious to
us, such as to fly eompnctly In a flock,
j The wing exercise, for example, of
| sandpipers, who fly as one bird, as
1 dwellers on the seashoto know, show
ing one moment all silvery breasts
flashing in the sun, and the next in
stant gray backs that blend with the
ocean color and make them almost
invisible. This wing practice may lie
seen over the solitary marshes or low
lands of which they are fond, and one
realizes that perfection of -flight is a
matter of much practice, and not of
instinct. Strange stories are told of
young trained by birds of another
species to adopt the habits of the fos
ter mother, as a bird of vegetarian
proclivities reared by a captive bird
of prey being taught to eat meat, sore
ly against his inclination and aga'r.st
nil the traditions of his race.—Chicago
Tribune.
Value of Chess an a Game.
The mental breakdown of three of
the world's greatest chess players
suggests queries us to the value of
chess as a game, and especially as to
the evil of exhibitions and mntcb
games. There is something highly
abnormal in the powers demanded in
Championship gomes. Clearly the
game of chess Is not worth the candle
of sanity and life. The military, me
dieval and royal types of life upon
which the imitation battle is founded,
are, moreover, no longer desired in
modern civilization. Evolution has
gone beyond all that, and the commer
cial, scientific and democratic ideas of
civilization are so different that tho
mental exercises that mimic and stim
ulate the old and outworn phases of
human activity are precisely those
that do not conduce to progress and
success. Peasants are no longer
pawns, castles are In ruins, and if a
king is checkmated, why, there are
thousands of better men fitted to rule
under the title of president, governor,
etc. Physiologic or biologic problem
solving is not helped by the peculiar
mnemonics and Ingenuities of the
chess-nut solver. —American Medicine,
Heard in an Open Car.
Teople talk in open cars with a won
derful appearance of security. Nobody
seems to think anybody can hear in
the seat in front, or the seat behind,
especially in the evening, nnd if elec
tric light were not as good a conductor
of private conversation as daylight.
Two women were running do\\Ti a mu
tual acquaintance volubly in au open
car the other night, when one of them
summed up the case In those final
words:
"He is a seifish, cynical pig."
A cynical pig would have been eag
erly advertised by Baruum, if he had
had such an animal in the greatest
show that used to be on earth.—New
York Mail and Express.
The World's Longest Mile.
The Swedish mile Is the longest mile
in the world. A traveler in Sweden
when told that he is only about a
mile from a desired point would bet
ter hire u horse, for the distance he
will have to walk if he chose In his
Ignorance to adopt that mode of travel
U exactly 11,700 yards.