TO WEAR IN THE SPRINC.
Sew Styles to Bo Introduced by the Ar
biters of Fashion.
Spring fabrics of every weight and
kind are displayed In the store win
dows, and In the "ready to wear" ar
ticles of clothing. Sheer fabrics, such
as etamlues, batiste, Bilk warp, sub
limes, grenadines, etc., are to be seen,
and the light wool and worsted mate
rials are among those sought for the
first spring days. Materials known as
the basket weaves, In light colors and
black, are among the novel effects
much In demand.
For separate waists, striped silks
_ with white grounds nnd finished with
J Persian designs or spirals are used.
| In some of these waists the Oriental
jjeffect Is carried still further by a finish
ffof Persian Insertion, brightened here
and there by a tiny piece of glass, held
In place with fancy stitching, nnd hav
ing much the same effect as the bits
(of bright glass that glint In Oriental
curtalus of cosey corners. Printed
Liberties nnd summer foulards are
( being made up with flounces of lace,
and the promise is that the spring girl
II will be even more elaborately gotten
mp than the summer girl of the past
This Is declared by dressmakers to be
the reflex Influence of the historical
novel and Its dramatization. Silk
jnltts are to complete many costumes,
and It Is hinted that hair nets are
among the possibilities for summer
wear.
In neckwear larger effects will be
tnuch worn. Some of these are made
of a deep, round yoke of all over lace,
-finished at the edge with pufllngs of
and having a full ruffle of
vjwide, lino lace arranged in a slight
waterrnll at the front. The collar is
made of lace, to match the ruffle. On
eome yokes velvet ribbons are ar
ranged vertlally on the all over lace.
The fastening Is nt the back, to har
monize with "button In the back"
waists. ' •
Another style, Intended more for
bouse wear, fastens at the front It Is
made of wide Insertion and chiffon,
land has something of a surplice finish.
The insertion which forms the top Is
bordered with a wide ruffle of chiffon,
which, in turn, has a narrow pompa
dour edge, and the long front ends are
formed of waterfalls of this ruffling.
Many of these are so made as to take
the place of a fancy vest for an Eton
jacket
In veilings a new color has been ln-
Atroduced, that Is, It partakes of the
hades of royal blue and purple, nnd
Is made of heavy chiffon, with a tucked
border. Velvet of the same color is
used for any spots that may adorn it
Ready to wear hats for spring wear
differ little in shape from those of this
winter. Medium to large shapes pre
vail, and loosely puffed materials
draped on, and finished with a quill or
wing, are popular.
With the advent of ankle tics will
eome a great number of designs In
fancy stockings. Many of these have
the appearance of high shoes, for
where the ankle tie ends, over the In
step, a design is embroidered to resem
ble tiny knots nnd lacings. For even
ing wear with slippers, a light ground
Is formed over the Instep, on which Is
•embroidered a fancy design. One of
these represents a small Cupid rest
ing on flowers, and another has sprays
of roses finished with a lovers' knot |
v W Spring raglans are of black taffeta,;
f w* with the hell shaped sleeve. An es
pecially elaborate one has the collar,
vevcrs, cuffs nnd facings of white
moire, nnd over this a border of Per
sian trimming. The variety of other
dress goods offered will not crowd out
the thin muslin which was so popular
last year. Those who know state em
phatically that this will be a "muslin
summer," nnd many new designs to
tempt the fancy are to be found in the
filmy texture that lends Itself so read
ily to effective summer styles.—New
York Tribune.
Novel Form of Entertainment.
A geographical party was the
form which one of the holi
day entertainments assumed. Ev
erybody was asked to come rep
resenting by costume or decoration
"some place on the map." When all
were assembled, time was called, and
■ T -every member of the company provld-
K ™ od with a piece of paper, hearing num
bers 1 to 48, the number assembled,
each paper In addition being desig-
K noted by one of the numbers as the
identity of Its owner. One hour wns
' allowed for guesses, each guess to be
set against the list number correspond
ing to the number of the person whose
Insignia was thought to be deciphered.
A strict enforcement of the rule of "no
assistance" was made, that the contest
might be perfectly fair. At the end of
the hour papers were signed, and all
were collected, a committee of two
taking the count. Prizes were awarded
to the man and woman making the
greatest number of correct guesses,
and consolation prizes for the least
t number. A part of the fun was to se
lect emblems that were misleading.
One young man carried around a box
of soil with a large capital F partly
imbedded In It. "F—ln—land," Fin
land, was what he Intended to repre
sent, but a number of guesses read' It
"F—earth," Firth. Af 'ender glass bot
tle, half full of water in which floated
a holly berry, was correctly guessed
Waterbury by some, hut by others
was read Clearwater and Sprlngwater.
A large capital C cut out of white
paper was Instantly guessed at * first
glance, and was down on every paper
as White Sea; Its correct reading was,
however, "Bearing C," Bering Sea A
card on which was printed twenty
four letters of the alphabet meant "R
B gone," Oregon. A yellowish A cut
from cardboard and pinned half way
down a lady's skirt was "Buff—A—
low," Buffalo. Another young woman
confused the guessers with three .skele
ton letters D E L, worn as a tiara
around her hair. Everybody promptly
put It down as Indicating "Del—l
Wear," Delaware. Instead. It read
Delhi. The contest made much merri
ment, and Is particularly suited to a
company of young and old, as children
fresh from geography lessons are quite
as apt as the elders, If not more so, at
correct guessing.
Beautiful Odd Bodices.
A "blouse" of oyster-tinted Loulslne
has the two fronts cut away from the
neck and down either side In scallops,
bnttonholed over at the edges with
gold thread, to reveal an under chemi
sette and front of white chiffon, finely
tucked to the waist, each tuck band
sewn with gold thread. The Loulslne
bodice part nnd the sleeves were hand
embroidered all over with dainty bou
quets of roses and violets In their nat
ural colors, pouching at the waist over
a deep belt of white silk elastic, em
broidered In gold, and fastened with
an art nouveau buckle of roses and vio
lets quite eight Inches deep. These
deep waist buckles are a feature on
most of the belts of to-day.
An old bodice of black chine silk shot
with a rich brocaded pattern of flow
ers In all shades was quite plainly
made, with gaugings of narrow black
gauze ribbon running from neck to
waist back and front nnd down the
sleeves, at Intervals of about three
Inches apart, with very good effect,
the collar being one of the new V
shaped ones sharply pointed In front,
of gauged black gauze.
A bodice of tambour lace, with down
ward stripes of black velvet to meet a
broad piece of Venetian guipure run
ning round the centre of the bodice, has
a knot of black tulle placed to the
right side, the elbow sleeves being
finished with lace frills.
A blouse of pale gray tnftetas, worked
with roses. Is slashed down either side
of the front and down the sleeves, to
show creamy lace underneath, Inced
across with black velvet, and bordered
with minute pearl buttons. The lace
yoke Is outlined with black velvet
lines to match the top of the sleeves.
A pink flannel shirtwaist Is pat
terned with flowers In a faint check,
the top of the corsage and down the
front outlined by a strapping of pink
taffetas, dotted with flat gold buttons.
The yoke nnd cuffs are of stitched taf
fetas, with black satin cravat, tucked
In at the top and reappearing below
the belt with fringed ends.—New York
Commercial Advertiser.
The Impatient Woman.
The greater part of the disappoint
ments of life can be attributed to Im
patience. An Impatient woman should
never be the mistress of a home of her
own. for Impatience robs a woman of
that loveableness which makes the at
mosphere of home sweet. The wife
who easily sacrifices her serenity and
composure will soon find her hus
band's love on the wane. A disturbed,
fretful look will mar the fairest face,
and a quick, unkind retort, take the
charm out of the sweetest mouth. It
Is impossible to do any good for our
selves or others without patience. The
lack of it either proves that our hearts
are not spiritually beautiful, or that
the medical theory Is right in regard
to an unlovely temperament The dls
agreeablencss derived from connections
with Impatient, high-strung disposi
tions Is one of the many unhappy con
sequences of the sin of Impatience.—
Detroit Free Press.
PRCTTYSJi
'TO
Pearl cabaehous as hat ornaments
are much newer and better style than
rhlneßtones.
Smart-looking belt buckles in silver
are designed in characters of the Chi
nese alphnbet
Hats of foliage, trimmed with grapes
or cherries, are among the smartest
and most exclusive effects of tk
spring.
A gown of black nnd white striped
silk, gored nnd corded, and so arranged
thnt the stripes form zig-zags, is a
spring model.
Sterling silver belts, richly pierced
nnd chased, made with jointed sections
to render them flexible, are worn with
evening gowns.
Pearls are very popular for embroid
ery decorations on satin and lace even
ing gowns. Gray nnd blnck pearls are
l>oth combined with the white most ef
fectively.
All sorts of things In old rose, verg
ing on the oxblood shades, are going to
be worn by little girls this year. There
are many pretty things made up foi
them In wash and other materials.
A big white hat which sets off the
face Is trimmed with a big knot oi
pale blue satin ribbon and a feathery
spray of white flowers, while there It
a knot or rosette of the ribbon over
the face.
Some ingenious mortal has intro
duced an effective novelty this season,
namely, black velvet roses, about the
size of the palm of one's hand, ready
to applique onto silk, lace or chiffon,
There is an open circle in the middle,
through which the material can be
drawn. These roses make the uiosl
effective sort of decoration.
THE SUBURBAN OISEASE.
Victims of the Commutation Period In
Our National Life.
The city doctors do not know and
ennnot be made to understand that
there is a large and well-defined group
of diseases peculiar to the suburbs, and
tbat these diseases cannot be treated
by the application of old methods.
Hence, it is suspected, the suburbans
doctors propose to talk the matter over
among themselves, behind closed doors,
and in what Is to be practically an
oath-bound secret society.
It is unnecessary to say that the
vast majority of these diseases are of
the nervous order, and are superin
duced by various causes. Fear seems
to be at the bottom of most of them—
fear of missing the 8.10 train; fear of
leaving one's ticket In the pocket of
one's other vest; fear of missing the
train that has the smoker that one's
whist party rides in; fear of forgetting
one's bundle, umbrella, overcoat, or
baby.
But this is not oIL There Is the fear
of having indigestion if one has to hur
ry at breakfast time; fear of one's din
ner spoiling if one is deluyed in the
evening; fear that the new conductor
will recognize one's wife's sister's hus
band's monthly ticket, and demand full
fare; fear tbat Johnny will not meet
one at the station, when it is raining
pitchforks, with one's gum shoes and
mackintosh; fear that, if Johnny does
meet one, Johnny will catch his death
of cold; fear that the man in the next
seat who is fumbling in his pocket
will ask one to please have one's ticket
punched for him, and so on.
The nervnus diseases arising from
these fears are Innumerable, and are
even more serious than those resulting
from the bundle habit, the don't-forget
thc-lettuce-and-tho-radlshes habit, the
sprinting-for-the-traln habit, and the
suburbanite habit of looking at things
from one side only, as a result of rid
ing in and out on the shady side of the
car.
The suburban doctors are probably
wise in forming an organization for
the discussion of these problems. The
average suburbanite docs not know
what alls him when he is acting
strangely in the presence of his friends.
He does not know what alls him when
he sends for the doctor. He is simply
a victim of the commutation period
In our national existence, and only sci
ence, as it is understood by the subur
ban doctors, can devise means for over
coming his illusions and hallucinations.
—Chicago Inter Ocean.
One on the Officer.
Officer Martin McNally, of the Sev
enth Police District, is n most efficient
patrolman, and his memory for faces
1b wondrous. It being claimed by his
brother officers that he rarely, if ever,
forgets a "phiz," no mntter if he has
not seen it for years.
The other day Officer McNally hap
pened to met a little boy in skirts near
Peebles Corner crying bitterly. The
big police officer loomed up over the
Infant, who gazed up and In a tcarfu)
voice said:
"I'm lost"
"Where do yon live, little man?"
asked McNally, kindly, for he has chil
dren of his own.
"800, hoo!" walled the diminutive
boy, gripping a whip ho held in his
hand tightly. "I don't know. 800,
hoo!"
"Come wld me," said McNally.
"Plat can th' fa-ather av yc be t'ink
in' av' t' let a little wan av your
soize Bthrny away?"
And up the street went McNally,
resolved to find the parents of the lit
tle one, and to administer a fitting re
buke when he fonnd them. After he
a half square McNally
met Officer "Pickles" O'Hearn coming
down the street with all sails set
"Where y' goin'?" asked "Pickles."
"Olm thryin' to folnd this little wan's
parents," answered McNally.
"Come off!" said O'Hearn. "Don't
you know your own children?"
McNally stopped, astounded, and
took liis first good look at the little
one. Then, without a word he picked
up little Master McNally and went
down the street to his home near by.
It is not known whether or not Officer
McNally administered the threatened
rebuke to the parents.—Cincinnati En
quirer.
Never Touched Him.
"Pat" was assistant cook on one of
the dining cars on the Great Western
Itoad running into St. Paul. He was
obstinate nnd ill-tempered. The chef
was equally so, and os a result, con
stant warfare waged between them.
One day last summer Pat was mak
ing Ice cream, nnd in spite of the chef's
warnings, insisted upon sitting in the
doorway of the pantry while he turned
the freezer.
The train, going up grade, made n
sudden lurch, and Pat and Ills can of
ice cream fell out the door, as bis su
perior officer had predicted.
Frantic with fright the chef in bis
white cap and apron tore through the
train looking for the conductor.
"Mod Dieu, Monsieur Conductnlre!"
he cried, wringing his hands, when he
found that person, "zc ice cream freez
aire, he fall off, and Pat go wiz heem;
stop ze tram-way or we will haf pas
dessert pour le diner. Trouble, trouble
always wiz zat Irish man."
The conductor pulled the bell and
stopped the train, but It had already
gone two miles past the spot where Pal
had rolled out.
They backed the train, fully expect
ing to find Pat's mangled body beside
the track. Instead, they saw him com
ing over the ties on a run, carrying on
his back the ice cream freezer.
He climbed on the train, looking fool
ish, but all he ever said of his miracu
lous escape was, "Be gbsh, it Jarred
me some, it did thoti" Lippincott's
Magazine.
INDUSTRIAL STANDARDS
PRODUCTS OF ALL FACTORIES MADE
ON SIMILAR SPECIFICATIONS.
Standardization l r or Engine*, Dynamo*
Box-Cars and Steam-Pipe Flanges-
Dong Straggle Ft Uniformity of Hall
way Gauge.
The principle of standardization, the
adoption of uniform systems of meas
urements and units, is being extended
to more and more branches of engi
neering and the mechanic arts. The
recent reports of committees appointed
by various technical societies to adopt
standards in lines that had hitherto
been without them show plainly how
strong the general tendency is in this
direction. Especially has this been
true In this country, and even British
authorities have testified to the Impor
tance of this fact in giving to Ameri
can manufactures the prominence
which they enjoy.
One of the most recent systems of
standards adopted is the standardiza
tion of engines and dynamos, drawn up
by a committee of the American So
ciety of Civil Engineers, and the Amer
ican Institute of Electrical Engineers,
which made its final report In Decem
ber. Dynamos and electrical genera
tors and the steam engines that drive
them are made usually by different
companies and have to be connected
and fitted together when in place. The
committee's report recommends stand
ard dimensions for the armature bore,
the engine shaft that is to fit It, the
space occupied on the shaft, and the
keys and holding-down bolts. These
are worked out in the table for genera
tors of seven different capacities from
twenty-five to 200 kilowatts.
Another report on a standard of
much Interest to railroad men is that
of the committee of the Master Car-
Builders' Association, recommending
dimensions for a standard box-car,
twelve feet six and three-quarter
Inches high at the eaves, and with Its
floor four feet from the top of the rail.
As the last number of the Engineering
News has pointed out, the detailed di
mensions recommended conform to the
general requirements as to inside meas
urement and capacity, adopted in Octo
ber by the American Hallway Associa
tion.
Still a third system of standards
adopted in the past year is for the ex
tra heavy flanges on steam-pipes. This
was drawn up by a committee appoint
ed by representatives of about ten lead
ing manufacturers of steam-pipes. The
schedules, which apply to all sizes of
pipe from two to twenty-four inches,
went into effect on January 1. Twen
ty-six firms, including the National
Tube Company, adopted them, and
three others gave notice that they
would supply them if desired by cus
tomers.
Standard steel rails have been rolled
by all the mills for years past, but
there is now a demand for revision of
the standards in certain particulars.
This Is being considered by the Ameri
can Society of Civil Engineers, and
will come up again before its Execu
tive Board at the February meeting.
Of more significance than the mere
adoption of standards is the general
favor shown them by manufacturers.
The report of the Committee on Stand
ardization of Engines and Dynamos re
ported:
"We are glnd to be able to repeat
what we have said in previous reports,
that the comments which have been
received are almost without exception
commendatory, and show not only a
willingness to adopt the committee's
recommendations, but nn appreciation
of the work which has been done."
Likewise, the report of the Commit
tee on Pipe Flanges said:
"The committee's labors were very
much lightened liy the hearty co-opera
tion of all the firms with whom they
held communication, and the list of
firms mentioned, embracing the largest
manufacturers of valves nnd fittings
in the East and West, shows the inter
est taken in the subject."
In departments more familiar to the
general public the same tendency has
been manifested in almost countless
ways. The uniform sizes in shoes,
gloves and hats of all makes, uniform
calibres in all makes of rifles, shotguns
with interchangeable parts, and the
American watch, which does not (like
the Swiss) have to have every part
that is replaced specially made and
fitted by hand, are a few examples.
It is not generally realized that com
plete uniformity of gauge on all the
American railroads was only secured
within the last fifteen years. Prior to
that time there were differences of a
half-Inch or more between some of the
roads. With the growth of electrical,
and especially intc-r-urban traffic, in the
last few years, street railway systems
are more and more adopting the stand
ard gauge which enables them to do
switching, if necessary, on steam rail
way tracks, nnd gives them a more sta
ble base for machinery than the old
narrow gauge. The distance between
rails which is standard here was intro
duced from England at the time when
all our rolling stock was imported from
that country.
The standards of screws and bolts In
use throughout the country were
drawn up in the sixties by the Frank
lin Institute of Philadelphia.
Kentucky Put* Up Price of Matrimony.
Matrimonially inclined couples who
In the future contemplate eloping to
Kentucky to get married, will do well
to put on extra half dollar In their
pockets, because the license has been
raised fifty cents. The former price
was $2 a license, but County Clerk
Yates of Covington received a notice
from the State Auditor that an extra
fifty cents will be charged in future
for the seal on the document.—Cincin
nati Commercial Tribune,
''ff^RlOVSTvk
FACTS
To make canned fruits, the West
Indians first cut the fruit into cubes.
They leave the cubes several days in
sea wnter, and then immerse them
in hot syrup.
Mr. Edison's "toy," the phonograph,
is said to be growing in use as a
substitute for stenographers in the dic
tation of correspondence. It was used
recently as a witness in a coroner's
inquest.
Among the fishing population of Lan
cashire coast there exists a strong
prejudice against learning to swim,
the belief being that swimming only
serves to prolong the agony of death
by drowning.
Certain months in the year, the
Town Council at Yarmouth, England,
employs a band to play twice daily
in the Wellington Gardens. An admis
sion of a penny a head is charged.
Last season the receipts were $13,500.
Professional shoppers are employed
by a large London firm of drapers
to test the ability of shop assistants.
This Ann owns over thirty large shops,
and employs nearly 1000 assistants. To
find out whether every customer Is
politely served, a number of women
customers are employed to call at
the various shops. They are told to
grve as much trouble as possible, and
sometimes to leave without making a
purchase, after looking at nearly every
thing In the shop.
The resistance of cedar wood to de
cay has long been famous, and cedar
fence posts often last for generations.
A remarkable Instance of the Inde
structibility of cedar has been noted In
the State of Washington, where a for
est of hemlocks, near Acme, has grown
cedars. The trunks of cedar, although
lying in the moist soil, have been al
most perfectly preserved for at least
150 years, the length of time that the
rings of growth show the hemlocks to
have been growing above their fallen
predecessors.
Among the birds that are living a
higher life. It Is the female bird who
carries the hod during building time.
The husband sits about on twigs and
tells her how to do It. A woodpecker
should be a very pariah among decent
birds. The moment a woodpecker's
mate gets through nesting, he tells her
"to take her clothes and go"—then he
establishes himself In the house she
has built—and she goes and builds an
other for winter. She is fool enough
to take another woodpecker to boss
the job, If she can find one willing,
but as a general thing all the male
woodpeckers at that time are as com
fortably provided for as her legitimate
spouse, so she has to work without
getting kicked for It.
For Overstaying Her Leave.
"It's an old story that the United
States Treasurer, occasionally pays
warrants for the sum of one cent to
creditors of the Government," said an
old department clerk the other day,
"but It's not so well known, but equal
ly true, nevertheless, that Government
clerks are sometimes docked for over-
Btaying their annual leave a minute
or a fraction thereof. In the Treasury
Department In particular the rule Is
Inflexible that a clerk who exceeds the
regulation leave even for a minute In
n year shall forfeit a proportionate
amount of his pay. The taxation of de
linquents requires eternal vigilance,
and careful calculation, but Is regarded
as essential to the best interests of the
service. No fractions of a minute are
considered, and there Is no penalty less
than a cent. The salary per minute is
determined by dividing the annual sal
ary by all the working days, which ex
clude Sundays and lioliduys, and allow
ing seven hours for each day. On that
basis It Is computed that the salaries
of Government clerks average about a
cent a minute. Of course some get
more and others less, but that covers
the most of them. It does not seem
much to deduct ten cents from the
51200 salnry of a clerk who has ex
ceeded bis sixty days' leave by ten
minutes, but he Invariably treats such
action as an outrage on his rights as
an American citizen. The other day a
woman in the Treasury upset the en
tire office in which she Is employed for
almost a whole day In her persistent
efforts to get back thirteen cents which
had been deducted from her salary for
overstaying her leave about a quarter
of an hour. She nearly went into hys
terics, but the authorities were firm,
and she had to submit."—Washington
Star.
Coal 1h tlio Chief Problem lit JnilnHtry.
A hindrance to industrial growth,
second in Importance to that ot the
demand of the war-chests, is the lacl:
of coal. All the coal used on the rail
roads and in the factories is shipped
from other countries, and Italy's trade
balance is reduced each year by the
full amount of her fuel bill. This not
only has a most unfavorable effect
on her balance of trade, but it means
that the cost of fuel in Italy is very
much higher tlinn is the cost in any
of the countries with which she must
compete Industrially. At Italian sea
ports tlit price of coal ranges from $7
to $lO a ton. In Milan manufacturers
pay sl2 a ton for coal for which Ger
man manufacturers pay SO, which the
English manufacturer can get for $4,
and which is laid down at many fac
tories in the United States at $2.50
a ton.—Frank A. Vanderlip, in Scrlb
aer'a.
•SURRA" ATTACKS ARMY MULES.
Dreaded Fatal Indian Parasitic Dlaeaaa
Mistaken For Glanders.
The fatal and much dreaded "surra"
at Indian Burmah has Invaded tbo
Philippines and Is destroying horses
and mules with amazing rapidity. The
disease was nt first mistaken for glan
ders but failed to yield to treatment
and puzzled for months the best vct
jrlnarlans. A pathological Investigation
has now Identified it as a parasitic dis
ease Identical with "surra" of India,
where It caused the death of thousands
of English cavalry horses. It affects
horses, mules, camels, dogs, and mon
keys, and is almost always fatal.
In Manila alone the Quartermaster's
Department lost 300 horses within four
months. General Chaffee has issued
an order to the officers In the Island
urging the isolation of all affected ani
mals, and giving the results of bacter
iological Investigations of the disease
made by the Manila Board of Health.
It Is declared that the mortality of the
epidemic has been about seventy-five
per cent, for American horses and
mules and 100 per cent for native
ponies. The official report says:
"This disease Is caused by the pres
ence In the blood of a flagellated ani
mal parasite. In length three or four
times the diameter of a red blood cell,
and In width one-fourth the diameter
of a red cell. It resembles a whiplike
worm, one end, probably the head, be
ing represented by a slender fiagellum.
This parasite exists In the blood in im
mense numbers, and produces so great
a blood destruction that the animals
almost Invariably die.
"The mode of infection Is not yet
known, but there Is a strong proba
bility that the parasite Is Introduced
through the bite of some suctorial In
sect, probably either a fly or a mos
quito.
"The pathological change caused by
this parasite is a rapid destruction
of the red blood cells, causing an acute
anaemia. The change occurs in the
blood coincident with the Invasion of
the parasite. In one horse, which had
been 111 seven days, the red blood cells
numbered 3,500,000, the white 14,500.
In another, ill six weeks, the red blood
cells were 3,200,000 and the white were
13,900. The blood of a healthy horse,
taken as a comparison, gave red blood
cells 0,900,000, white, 9800. There Is
also a slight diminution In the amount
of haemoglobin—about eighty-five per
cent."
The Army surgeons who have stud
led "surra" admit that a remedy Is yet
to be found and until this is done Iso
lation Is the only method to be pursued
In stamping out the disease.
An Easy Messenger Job.
The position of messenger at the Brit
lsh Embassy Is a place much sought,
and Is now, for the first time, held by
a colored man. It is usually given to
retired soldiers who have proved their
loyalty to the Crown. This qualifica
tion Is deemed essential because of the
responsibility of the position. All State
papers, secret reports and private docu
ments are given to the messenger nnd
he Is held responsible for their safe
delivery upon a British vessel eithei
at New York or at some Canadian
port. Richard Donaldson, now de
ceased, was the last messenger. lie
served twenty years with the British
Army in India, and was appointed mes
senger In recognition of faithful ser
vice in the field, and his unquestionable
loyalty to the British Government.
The messenger's job can be termed
a sinecure. Once a week, or, perhaps,
twice or three times a week, he goes
to New York, carrying the outgoing
mall nnd returning with that brought
over on the English vessel. This Is
the extent of his labors. He is, how
ever, held strictly accountable for the
safe delivery of the papers. When an
English vessel is scheduled to arrive
ho must be on hand with his mall
nnd turn It over to the purser of the
vessel, obtaining a receipt therefor.
Then he Is given the mall for the
Ambassador and Secretaries, for which
lie receipts. This mall must not leave
Ills possession until It Is placed in the
hands of the Ambassador or the First
Secretary of the Embassy.—Washing
ton Post.
Abandoned Cars.
What becomes of old tram cars? The
Increasing favor of electric tramways
all over the country, and the conse
quent sale of large numbers of by no
means worn-out "stage carriages" ol
the horse traction type, gives point to
the inquiry. The London United Tram
ways Company, for instance—at pres
ent the only electric undertaking In
London—has just sold Its old cars at
a "nominal price," and it appenrs that
the uses to which they can be and are
put are very numerous indeed. A tram
car that Is only technically old can be
turned Into a tiny bugalow, or a sum
mer harbor, or a woi'ltingman's cot
tage—in the fashion of a dilapidated
railway carriage—or, best of all, II
will, when fitted upon a small barge,
make a capital, if modest, houseboat.
In the ordinary way, the houseboat is
a luxury of price, but, on the barge
and tram-car basis, it might be brought
"within the reach of all."—London
Chronicle.
llesifttinjc Inevitable Change*.
How little we realize the changes
that are going on and how stubbornly
we resist them! We hate the rnotoi
car as our grandfathers hated the rail
way. Think of the police in rural dis
tricts being drawn off all their ordi
nary duties in order to time motor cars,
ns if safety depended on speed, uud
not on the capacity of the driver to
I guide, stop, nnd control his vehicle.
We work on the false analogy of the
horse, and probably shall continue to
do so for a generation; but the con
sequence, of course, is that the auto
mobile trade goes to France and
America.—Westminster Gazette.