Blocks Cupids Plans French Law Places All Power in the Hand* of the Parents. -iHEN a Frenchman proposes for the girl he thinks he might love, the first question is: "Are there things against him?" It is understood that sowing wild oats never makes part of the category, except in the case of a possible dis turbance at the church door. To furnish one's certificate of birth seems a most innocent requirement of French marriages; yet young men on the eve of wedding have shot them selves in dread of a discovery its scru tiny must lead to. "Acknowledged child" burns upon its surface—the French law will never let bygones be bygones. Then, as the birth certifi cate gives a direct clue to the father's secret dossier, the errors of two gen erations are at the disposal of those I who can show a right to know them. The girl's parents have such aright. The young man cannot, dare not, re *• fuse investigation. In the social and administrative arms of the French government, the details of one's errors are writ out with such minuteness that in a recent cause celebre a wit ness of importance was confronted with proofs that when he was 18 he pawned his books; that he dodged a cab fare when he was 23; that he owed money for his morning coffee at the age of 25. and that at 20 he gambled in a trlpot (purely gam bling club). Now you must know that the French father's inquisitiveness grows out of a duty to his daughter absolutely un known to the fathers —and the daugh ters —of America. In France the aver age marriageable girl says to her father: "I have always been obedient; I , have effaced myself; I am entitled to I a husband. Find one for me!" J*- These extraordinary details of French marriage law ought to be known to the girls of other countries when young Frenchmen court them. (a) Up to the age of 25 years fin- Good Taste Demands That He Should Not Show Himself Conscious That He Is Being Studied, ished, i. e., until he has reached his ?6th year, no young Frenchman ean jf become a husband without furnishing ' to the civil functionary, who alone can marry him. the written act of consent of his father and mother. In case of dispute, the father's consent is sufficient; but not so the mother's, whose sole consent Is good, however, when she is a widow. When both parents are deceased, the man must have the consent of his grandfather or grandmother in the same way, lack ing whom the duty of consenting falls upon the family council composed of his nearest relatives. It is a subtle law. Three times, at intervals of a month, a whole machin ery of stamped paper and its legal service must be set in motion. This gives parents four months more time. If they choose to dodge the service, as the widow of a millionaire distil ler did for eighteen months on board her yacht not long ago, the balked \ r young folks have nothing to do but • patiently pursue their rights through \ "the swamp of procedure." as they say in the Salle des Pas Perdus—"the Hall of Lost Footsteps" of the Palace of Justice. When a young Frenchman, there fore, sees a girl well suited to him, he does not go to her and lay: "I love you." (a) It would be dishonorable. (b) It would make her faint; and (c) He would not get the chance to try it. Instead, he goes and tells his mother. His mother tells his father. His father goes to see his brother, or his business partner, or a friend. Then both of them, wearing their The Opera Comlque Has Been Used Long for This Purpose, best frock coats, call on some friend of the family of the girl in question. The proposed match is talked over and a rendezvous is made to hear this friend's report on how the family of the girl receive the proposition. r it is at some dance or dinner or re ception that the young folks are at last confronted with each other. Fail ing such facilities the Opera Comlque has been immemorially for this pur pose by Parisian families of the middle classes. Like most Eu ropeaa playhouses, aH its parquet circle and Its galleries are cut up Into UtUe boxes. Each of tfeem has been the scene of many a "decisive meet ing." The mother has her daughter sit ting by her in the box which -she has taken. Between the first and second acts the young man is brought to them by the common friend, osten sibly to pay an offhand visit and in quire about their health. They stay five minutes, speaking of the play, the weather, and the Parisian season, and then retire. When they have gone the mother ought to make some tentative remark to the girl on the young man's looks, position, fortune, manners and so on, endeavoring to fathom the impression he has made. It is admitted that mothers ought not to instruct their daughters pre viously for thi3 encounter. For if The Young Folks Are at Last Con fronted with East Other. the girl has been catechised before hand she will be so filled with appre hension as to risk losing grace and naturalness. So she may not have sufficient self-possession to observe if the young man be pleasing to her or the. contrary. She ought not to know the object of his coming to the box, because, if she fails to please, it is distressing to be told so. She would be humili ated and lose confidence the next time. The common friends meet again, In their frock coats, to let each other know what the effects have been. If, as happens very rarely, the girl has failed to please on close Inspection, nothing will be said. The two friends simply talk about the weather. But if it ue the youth who has been found lacking, the truth is declared, and his friend breaks it to him later. Some times, and there are those who de clare it should be always practiced, a girl favorably enough Impressed de mands nevertheless to see more ol the youth before she gives her word Then it will be arranged that she shall meet him often, but not intl mately. On his side, good taste demands that he should not show himself con scious of the fact that he Is being studied. He goes through his paces, social, Intellectual and physical, as if he did not dream of her inspection. The next step is the proposal. The father of the aspirant, his brother or his uncle does it for him. His Father Takes a Bath, then Goes to See a Friend of the Girl's Family. The girl's father or her other legal guardian should give him an imme diate response. At this interview questions of fortune and the like are discussed in more detail; and notes of them are made to form the basis of the marriage contract. Immediately he has been accepted, the young Frenchman must get Into his dress suit and call on his future moter-in-law. He ought to thank hes warmly, but without exaggeration. Then he may ask to see the girl. Art Relics to Order. In Rome and Naples there are fac tories in which "ancient" art relics are made to order. Statuettes of Aphrodite In bronze are manufac tured there by the gross, and re cently several worthless objects wers palmed off on unsuspecting tourists as being priceless relics which wers unearthed in Macedonia. One fac tory even succeeded in selling aD unusually curious relic to the mu seum at Athens. Unfortunately foi the unscrupulous manufacturers, when the experts examined it thej at once discovered that it was bogus and notified the Italian authorities. Method of Inducing Sleep. Dr. Stelner observed in Java a method employed to induce sleep. II consists in compressing the carotid arteries. The operator sits on the ground behind the patient, whose neck he seizes with both hands. The index and middle fingers are then pushed forward into the carotids, which are zompressed toward the spine. The method is absolutely harmless, anaesthesia is rapidly ob tained, and the patient wakes prompt ly, with no symptoms of nausea or malaise. HINTS ABOUT HOUSEKEEPING' For Clam Soup. Chop fine a cupful of clums and add to them their own liquor, strained. Put in one cupful of water, one slice of onion, a blade of mace and simmer for thirty minutes. Thicken two cupfuls of milk with two tnblespoonfuls of flour and two tnblespoonfuls of but ter. Strain the liquor from the clams and stir it slowly with milk. Season with salt and a dnsh of paprika. Just before the soup is sent to the table, and as it is removed from the fire, stir in the well beaten yolks of two eggs. The pending of China. Time and patience are both quite necessary factors in the successful mending of broken china, crockery or glass. Any such article that has sus tained a sort of compound fracture must be mended one piece at a time. For this reason those who make such repairing a matter of business require l long time in the work, letting one piece harden in place before another is added. For mending broken crockery there is nothing better than white lead. It Is one of the few cements that re sist both water and beat. Smear it thinly on the edges of the article, press them together and set it aside to dry. A waterproof glue for repairing mar ble or porcelain may be made by mix ing plain white glue and milk. Into two quarts of skimmed milk put half a pound of the best white glue. Put the basin containing this Into another basin of hot water. Cook until the milk has evaporated to such an extent that the mixture is like ordinary glue or even thicker. When dry, this cement Is one of the hardest, with the clear ness of ivory.—Boston Post. To JEteuiore Stains From Old Lace. The indications are that the wintei will see garments trimmed with pret ty appliques, insertions and ruffles of lace in greater numbers than hereto fore. Sometimes a piece of old lace carefully treasured is disfigured with yellow stains and mildew. If care fully treated these may be made to dis appear without having recourse to the cleaner. The way to remove yellow stains from lace Is to place the stain on a hot iron covered with linen, and moisten it with diluted oxalic acid. The lace must then be put in lukewarm water, and when any gummy substance Is thus removed fine white soup must be used. No hot water must be em ployed, and it must be rinsed very carefully afterward In tepid water. You must never wring lace, but press out the moisture with the hand through a clean towel. You must straighten it out well when it is damp—the best way is to pin it out on a cushion—and any ironing must be done from the back. Mildew may be removed by moisten ing a piece of blotting paper with rnrl flcd spirits of wine and placing the stain between three folds of paper. So treated, it is pretty sure to disappear. Renovate mass chandeliers which have become dirty and discolored by washing them with water in which onions have been boiled. If a chimney catches fire throw a handful of sulphur into the grate. As the sulphurous fumes ascend the tire In the chimney will die out. To set the color of print dresses soak them In very hot brine, let them remain until the water is cold and then wring out and wash in the usual manner. Before attempting to turn out a jelly place the mold for n few seconds in hot water. You will then be able to turn out the jelly without the fear of breaking It. When cleaning wall paper use a dough made of flour mixed with water containing a little washing soda. The soda will not injure the paper and the work will be done more quickly. White spots on furniture may be readily removed by rubbing quickly and evenly with n rag dipped in spirits of camphor. Afterward rub over the spot thoroughly with furniture oil. Rusty fire irons should be rubbed well with sweet oil, left wet for two or three days, and then rubbed with un slaked lime. This will remove the rust and then the Irons may be polished as usual. Towels should be dried thoroughly before being put away. If consigned to the linen closet after being ironed before they are thoroughly aired a mould called oldium forms on them, giving rise to a parasite which is liable to produce skin diseases. Art ticking in pink finished with a narrow border of white denim decor ated with floral pattern in delicate rose coloring makes a lovely cushion cover and possesses the advantage of being able to stand laundering. Light blue ticking can be effectively utilized in the same way. The under dog doesn't always de serve our sympathy. BULLET IN THE BRAIN. 110 Presence There Not Always Attended by Fatal Keult. The idea that the human brain is an organ BO extremely delicate in structure that it cannot bear the slight est physical hurt sometimes appears to receive a contradiction in the ex perience of people who have met with peculiar injuries to the head. The history of brain surgery presents some remarkable facts in regard to the ex tent to which the thinking organ will sometimes resist the effects of exter nal Injury. It has been shown that in some cases quantities of its sub stance may be removed without ap preciably diminishing the normal in telligence of the patient; while some have been known to carry the most fixtraordinary foreign substances im bedded in their skulls for years. Finds of the most singular kind have been made in the interior sub stance of the living human brain. The strangest things have been known to find entry there through accident or design. In one case it was the blade of a pen-knife that was carried about in the brain for half a lifetime without the patient being in the least aware of it; in another it was a penholder that had somehow found its way there and remained in its living hiding place without apparently interfering with the thinking power of the organ; while only a week or so ago a piece of slate pencil was recovered from a boy's brain after it had been hidden there for several years. It is. therefore, perhaps none the more surprising that many a bullet which has found its billet in a human brain has proved no more than a tem porary inconvenience. A French soldier who received a bullet in his head during the Franco- Germian war of 1870 carried it there ior 27 years, and was said to have felt no ill-effects till 1897, when it one day worked Its way downward Into the mouth and so rid him of its presence. In the case of a German soldier who was shot in the head during the Son derbund war, he lived to carry the leaden souvenir in his brain for 43 years, and it was not extracted till after his death. These two remarkable cases, how ever, seem to be beaten by another that has quite recently been brought to light, the case being that of an old soldier still living at , who for over half a century has carried in his head- the bullet received during the Austrian rebellion in 1848. Would-be suicides have occasionally put bullets into their brain to no pur pose; and perhaps one of the most as tounding cases of recent years was that dealt with at the Richmond hos pital only a year or so ago. The patient had in vain tried to take his life by shooting himself in the head, and after thus placing two bullet 3 In his brain he was immediate ly conveyed in a cab to the hospital. But he was so little affected at the time by the presence of the bullets in his head that he actually alighted from the vehicle, walked along the garden path and- up the steps of the hospital, and was then able to give an intelli gent account of what had taken place. In a similar case of self-inflicted in jury that came before the doctors at Guy's hospital a few months later the would-be suicide, after firing a revol ver bullet into his headj was discov ered smoking his pipe as if nothing very serious had happenw, and though the bullet had penetrated the skull to the depth of three and a half Inch es he was able to walk part of the way to the hospital and there undress himself without assistance previous to undergoing examination. The effects of removing bullets from the brain are sometimes as remark able as any of the foregoing, and per haps in this connection mention may be made of a case of a military cadet operated on by a doctor of Vienna just recently. On removing the bullet a small quan tity of brain had also to be taken away, the peculiar result being that, though unaltered in any other respect, the patient irretrievably lost all his good manners for which he was noted. The eminent surgeon therefore sug gests that the portion of the brain removed with the bullet corresponds to what he describes as the "bump of good manners."—London Tit-Bits. Th English Kiit-rif. The old English rat-pit is the latest Parisian craze, writes a correspondent of the London Sketch. It is not hid den away in the cellar of a disreputa ble mastroquet, but flourishes in all Its pride at the Chalet du Cycle, one of the most fashionable rendezvous in the Bols de Boulogne. The results of the day's sport are duly recorded, and there is heavy betting at the present moment over two dogs who killed 35 in identical time and who are to be matched early in August. For years there has been a cock-fighting club near the Odeon, and the membership is as aristocratic as that of the Jockey or the Escrime. Speaking of rats although it may be argued that it is not the liveliest subject to harp upon—a barbarous custom prevails at the Halles. At the cpenir.g of the wine shop the patron goes to the cel lars and brings up the trap with its victims in it. Following the tradi tional rite, he opens it out and sets fire to them. It is a ghastly sight, but I am sorry to say that I have seen men and women in evening dress who have supped late at Barratt's looking on applauding. Many Smoke Clouds. For every time he fills a pipe of medium size a smoker blows 700 smoke clouds. If he smokes four pipes a day for 20 years, he biows 20,- 440.000 smoke clouds. Got Soldiers' Guns Clever Trick Played on British Troops by Heroine of the Revolution, "Gurdie" has not been quite fairly dealt with by history. The name is sel dom heard nowadays, but it belonged to an energetic, brave woman who, in revolutionary times, had the applause of her country for cleverly outwitting a part of the British army. "Gurdie lived at Union, N. J., in those days a place aspiring to be the capital of the state. One finds it to day fast asleep, away from railroads, and even trolley cars. Her husband was known either as the man with the stovepipe hat, a mark of aristoc racy then out of the ordinary, or as the man with the stumbling tongue. His most salient characteristic was his admiration for Gurdie. When the British came up the little elevation known as "the hill" at Union and entered the precincts of the sa cred First Presbyterian church, taking the hymn books and Bibles from the pews and ruthlessly tearing them to use as wadding for their guns, it was Gurdie who boldly spoke up and asked "Is that the way you're going to give us Watts and the Bible?" The fight which followed was stiff and long; the power of the young American cannon, placed nearly oppo site the church, was taxed to its ut most. To-day any one passing the spot can see this cannon preserved as a relic where it then stood, looking the very baby it is in the face of modern warfare. The enemy proved over-strong; but winning men must eat, and of the rich farms then lying about Union, none were more likely to repay ransacking than that of Gurdie and her spouse. One of this stalwart woman's strong points was her excellent housekeep ing. Near her great brick oven stood al Cocoanuts as Fuel They Are Likely to Prove of Great Value in Naval Warfare of the Future/ Copra consists of dried cocoanuts. In view of the enormous tracts of land throughout the tropic zone that have lately been planted with cocoanuts, it is remarkable that copra has main tained its price. From both coasts of Africa and from the West Indies the export has been steadily increasing, and yet, though the world seems to be easily sated with every other kind of tropical prod uct of copra It never seems to have enough. Handicapped by a sea carriage of 12,000 miles, the South Sea island co pra has always commanded a local price of from S4O to $55 a ton, and now that a soap and candle factory has been established in Australia, it is more likely to rise than fall. Ten years ago most of the copra went direct to Iturtfpe on German sail ing ships, which came out to Austra lia with a general cargo, and loaded copra in the islands. In the long home ward voyage of from four to six months the rats and the little bronze copra beetles tunnel through the car go. destroying large quantities. On arrival at the oil mills it is crushed by rollers, and the refuse, A "Wildcat" Mine Dynamite Used to Dislodge Ferocious Felines from Their Stronghold. Several mining men who had chanced to meet in a hotel lobby in this city were discussing the various mines in a certain district, when one of them spoke of a "wildcat" mine. A logger who was sitting near pricked up his ears at this and chip ped into the conversation. He said that there was the most productive wildcat mine he ever heard of near the logging camp where he had been working on the lower Columbia. One of the mining men remarked that his idea of a wildcat mine was one that yielded nothing but assessments and asked what this wildcat mine pro duced. "Why, wildcats, of course," replied the logger. He then proceeded to ex plain that many years ago someone had run a tunnel into the side of a bill in search of coal and had run a number of short branches and had gophered about generally in the bow els of the hill, but finding no coal had finally abandoned the workings. There were wildcats in that sec tion and the parties who had been prospecting for coal left several cats at their cabin. The wildcats and the Not Easily Produced. John H. Converse, president of the great Baldwin Locomotive works, not long ago submitted himself to some prosy interviewing by one of those would-be philosophers who are fond of talking of abstract matters. Along In the course of the conversation, the Interviewer inquired; "Now, Mr. Converse, tell me—what is it you find most difficult to get out of your men?" "A day's work!" grimly and promptly replied Mr. Converse. Fertile Fields of Africa. Proof of the great grain-producing capabilities of the Zoutpansberg Is afforded by the fact that 40,000 bags ways a huge pot of indigo ready to dye the wool from the shorn sheep*. Clean, smooth and In order, the loom also awaited her pleasure at weaving. Her water from "the north side of tho well" was cooler than could be had elsewhere; her cream invariably turned to butter; Gurdle could smooth out most folks' wrinkles. When the muddy, swaggering feet of the British despoiled her polished floors she made it understood that they should rest in the cellar, where home-made wine was In casks, until she had prepared their meal. Leading to this place was a narrow flight of steps and an old-fashioned trap-door. It was, however, light and spacious, and the men cracked many a joke over their entertainment. At last Gurdle called to them that their supper was ready. "Leave your guns stacked in the cellar," she said; "there's no room for them above." This they did and came tumbling up the stairs. Gurdie then closed the trap door with a spring, which only she knew. The men, suspecting nothing, fell eagerly to eating. To her stuttering husband, outside the window, she quickly passed the word; and thus a short while later a goodly number of unarmed men were carried oft aa prisoners by the American boys. The signal which her husband gave about the town as he passed from man to man, and which has coma down to us through history, was sim ply the record of his clever wife's deed: "G-Gur-Gur-Gurdie's g-ggot th-th-the gu-gu-guns." It sometimes costs a man sis months of rheumatism to catch one little six-inch fish. after every drop of oil has been squeezed out of it, is pressed into oil cake for fattening cattle. The oil is then resolved into glycerin and steal* ine, from which more than half the candles and soap used in the world are made. At first sight it would seem more economical to press the oil on the spot and so save the freight upon the waste material, but the explanation is that oil must be shipped in tanks or in casks. Ships fitted with tanks would have to make the outward voyage empty, and casks, if shipped in "shooks," require expert coopers, and when soaked in oil become a prey to borers. It is possible that a new use may be found for copra as fuel for wap ships. It burns with a fierce heat. It Is very easily stored and handled, and it is only one-third more bulky than coal, its disadvantage in this respect being more than compensated by lta superior heating qualities and its free dom from ash. It is expensive, but in naval warfare where quick steam is everything, the dearest fuel may often be the cheap est. —Savage Island. tame cats had affiliated and had taken up their abode in the tunnel and had increased in numbers. Finally a celebrated bear hunter of that region discovered the half-closed entrance to the tunnel, and, thinking that perhaps some wild animals might be occupying the place, sent his dogs in to investivate. In a few minutes the dogs came rushing out, literally covered with wildcats and howling like lost spirits. While the fight was going on the old hunter took a hand to help his dogs and killed twenty seven wildcats. Dynamite was put in the tunnel at night when the cats were out seeking food and next day the fuse was light ed. As it burned some cats came out and were shot down. The shooting of the dead cats terrified, those in the rear and they held back till the tun nel was fairly choked with a gurgling squalling, spitting army of cats, and then the giant powder exploded and several tons of cats were shot out of the hole. —Portland Oregonian. The coal miner kicks because he is kept down in the world. of mealies have been sent since October last to the military authori ties in Pretoria and Johannesburg. The Impossible. "This young man," said the city editor, "won't do, I'm afraid." "Why not?" asked the desk man. "He brought a good report of that convention in to-day." "Yes, but in one place I see he writes, 'Silence reigned for ten min utes.' " "Well, what's wrong?" "Great Scott, man! It was a wo man's convention." No, Maud, dear, you can't fill a poker hand with an ash tray.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers