THE JAPANESE WOMAN.
6he la Not a Slave, Hot the Autocrat and
' "No race can rise higher than its
mothers." Japanese women are essen
tially a race of mothers, and the care
and rearing of their children occupies
so much of their time and thought that
they are unable to have that extensive
social life their Western sisters enjoy,
even were It not for the etiquette
Which makes it actually fashionable
for them to find their pleasure in their
homes.
Many have imputed to Japanese
women in consequence a lack of
knowledge and undue meekness, re
garding them as little more than serv
ants of their families and husbands.
Such criticism is purely superficial and
# V from being accurate; indeed, it is
Very inaccurate.
The position of a Japanese woman
■ls a high one. She is addressed as
•Tkusama," tlie honorable lady of the
/fibuse, and she is treated with the
greatest consideration and respect by
her husband and her family. Far
from being a meek, slavish creature
of the household, slie is more tlie men
tor. tile autocrat and Idol of tlie home.
In domestic affairs she lias full con
trol. Her duties are onerous, but
never repugnant to her. They consist
of managing tlie household, practicing
economy, making her home pleasant
both in appearance and by her cheer
fulness of disposition, and tlie educa
tion and instruction of her children,
for even after tlie children have en
tered school they are still under her
tutelage.
As her home is therefore her world,
It is only natural that it has become
the inherent instinct of the Japanese
women to lavish the greatest love and
-tenderness upon tlieir homes, and to
tgrpend much time and thought in en
deavoring to make them as attractive
and as pleasant as possible.
Her bouse is the acme of purity. To
ft Western eye the aspect of the inte
rior of a Japanese bouse may at first
teem bare and barren. In truth, the
Japanese abhor decoration of any kind
and consider it not only inartistic, but
extremely "vulgar. I was once shown
n so-called "Japanese room" In 1 lie
house of a Chicago millionaire, and I
am quite sure that the average Japan
ese housewife would have thought
herself hi the room of some Insane per
son, or else In some curiosity shop.
Such a profusion of articles scattered
broadcast about the room! Such a
frightful display of mlxed-up orna
ments hanging to the wall! Onoto
Watanna, In Home and Flowers.
Ttntes For All Visitors.
pn not stay too long. It is much to
break into the life any family, even
for a few days. Pay no attention to
urgings to stay longer, however sin
cere they seem. Set a time to go whrn
you arrive, and stick to it. Conform
absolutely to the household nrrange
ments, especially as to times of vising,
going to meals and retiring. Be ready
In ample time for all drives or other
excursions.
Carry with you all needed toilet*sup
plies, that you may not be obliged to
mortify your host by pointing out pos
sible deficiencies iu the guest room,
such ns a clothes brush—tlie article
most commonly lacking.
Enter heartily into all their plans
for entertaining you, but make it plain
that you do not care to be entertained
all the time, or to have every minute
filled with amusement.
Be ready to suggest little plans for
pj&fisiire when you see your host at a
loiw to entertain you. Try how well
you can entertain liim for a change.
Turn about is fair play in visiting, as
Well as in everything else.
Be pleased with all things.
If you ever were brisk and sprightly
be so now.
Your high spirits and evident enjoy
ment are the only thanks your host
wants.
Take some work with you, so that
wlieu your host bus to work you may
keep him in countenance ly working
also. More good times are to be bad
over work than over play, anyway.
Do not argue, or discuss, debatable
matters. Few things leave a worse
taste in the mouth.
Offer to pay the little Incidental ex
penses that will lie caused now and
then by your visit, but merely offer
do not insist upon it, which would be
very rude.—Woman's Life.
a' Nature's Colorings Copied.
Wo borrow our ideas from all sources
as far as dress Is concerned, but the
last notion Is to try and adapt to wom
an's clothes the hue of the butterflies'
wings. It is quite true we cannot im
prove on Dame Nature, but it is diffi
cult to interpret her, and when you
compare the colors we produce with
those you see in nature the process Is
very certainly dishenrteniug. A blu
ish black which figures In some of the
butterflies' wings we mny utilize, but
we can hardly hope to vie with nature
in some of the hues which combine
seventy tints in one—viz.. brown shot
with gold and blue, with reds and pea
cocks' blues. The fawn color in the
butterfly's wing and the lichen greens
we have never touched even. When
yqf come to examine tlie beautiful but
terLiles in tlie tropics, which appear to
change In every light, you test the Im
possibility of it. There is a green and
gold butterfly in Jamaica Intermixed
with plum color which would make a
fortune to anybody who could repro
duce it, or the olive green and deep
yellow of a Chinese moth. There is no
lace so lovely as some of the butterfly
patterns, and a light salmon colored
butterfly in West Africa would Indeed
five a delightful scheme of color to
many dross subjects, only it would be
a degradation to the butcrfly.—Wash
ington Star.
Handiwork of lionc Aco.
Quilting, the handiwork and the
fancy work of our great-grandmam
mas and great-grandiumts, is once
more being shown on the costumes of
fashionably attired maids and ma
trons.
But it is to be doubted if the beau
ties of to-day are following iu the foot
steps of their feminine ancestors and
creating the exquisite needlework that
Is appearing on their smart coats and
gowns.
Satin petticoats that peep out from
underneath handsome gowns nre pro
fusely decorated with this work of
long ago, and so are sleeves and many
of the long cloaks have thickly quilted
linings.
Quilting once having been brought
to the front as a style means that we
shall soon be having counterpanes and
bedspreads with the bewitching work
upon them of our forefathers. Quilt
ing does not mean a mere running in
and out of a needle and thread. No,
indeed, it is of much more complicated
affair, nnd in the olden times it meant
hunches nnd garlands of (lowers and
animals and birds being worked upon
bed covering.
A Fur ami an Imitation.
Any woman consumed with a de
sire to shine in tlie most picturesque
of picture hats will never find anything
more strikingly beautiful than (bis
large flaring cbapeau covered all over
nnd faced with cream white silk plush
woven to Imitate krimmer. Imitations
of furs are, ns a rule, very inferior
effects, which would never deceive the
most unpraeticed eye. Even this silk
plush does not look so much like
krimmer, but in this ease that is a re
deeming quality, for it is much more
lovely than krimmer, which in not al
ways pretty. Indeed, the plush is
richness itself. Oddly enough, the sole
trimming of this splendid affair is a
real Siberian sable. The beautiful ani
mal, or rather its coat, is sprawled
across the top of the hat. Its tail nnd
one leg being drawu under the flaring
left brim quite ns if It were a plume.
It sounds barbaric, but in reality it's
tlie most admirable of the more stun
ning hats.
Crow's Feet#
In old-fashioned boolcs of a quarter
century ago you used to hear 11 great
deal about "crow's feet" appearing on
tlie face as a sign of advancing age.
For some reason or other tliey are not
seen often nowadays, and wrinkled
men and women arc comparatively
rare, at least in tills section of the
country. The only crow's feet you
see are the pretty specimens of black
silk embroidery which arc executed at
the corners of outside patch pockets
on a tailored waist or at the overlap
pings of seams here and there on the
dress. The "crow's feet" make a
handsome finish nnd give firmness and
stability to the garment.
Saddlers' Slllt.
Coarse twist or saddlers' silk is used
this season to make French knots
down sides of tlie bodice front nnd the
panels of the skirt, or the tiDy bands
of an evening bolero, or to form lattice
work or brier stitching on yokes and
undersleeves.
A Now Fad*
A young woman appeared on Broad
way the other morning with the letter
"M" sewed to the left sleeve of lier
jacket. The letter was cut out of black
velvet, and It may possibly be a varia
tion of tlie popular mourning band.—
New York Post.
Little girls, from six to twelve, are
wearing Russian smocks.
Hats made entirely of feathers are
on view, hut are too bizarre to be pop
ular.
Peculiarly smart nnd pretty is a flue
black furry felt lint trimmed with tlie
whitest of gardenias.
A flat effect over the shoulders and
long stole ends in front are very prom
inent features of the latest furs.
Masses of flowerß, generally in con
junction with lace, are among the new
est trimmings for evening bodices.
Birds are being worn and promise to
gain In favor as the season advances.
Paradise plumes are also greatly In
evidence.
Alternate strips of Russian lace 01
embroidery and ribbon or velvet are
used in the construction of a new sep
arate blouse.
The vogue of the bertha has brought
the old-fashioned round, low neck into
favor as the popular shape for the
neck of a low-cut gown.
The furriers' ingenuity is shown in
the fact that they are discreetly add
ing waistbands of embroidery or silk
to short, tight-fitting coats.
Lace collars coming well over the
shoulders nre favorite for fancy bod-
Ices, obtaining their touch of newness
from strapped designs of cloth or vel
vet.
One of the cleverest snake chains
shows the best with head and tail
curled together for a pendant. Three
emeralds are in the head, two little ru
bies serving for eyes.
Neckwear grows more and more
elaborate and the all-over collars,
stocks, boas and shoulder capes nre all
intricate creations, bewildering to the
general shopper. Safe to say, these
dainty dress accessories are not at all
Inexpensive.
All men make mistakes, but what the
typewriter girl does is write.
WHAT IS STEEL?
4 Question Which Seems to lie DifHcntl
to Answer.
What is steel? Apparently this Is
about as difficult a question as "What
Is electricity?" The exact behavior
and methods of producing both are
well known, but when it comes to
defining cither, even the export is non
plussed.. Recently a suit was brought
in Sheffield by the Cutler's Company,
against a manufacturer of forks be
cause be stamped certain malleable
east iron forks with the name steel.
The defendant obtained a decision in
bis favor, and as a result the entire
metallurgical profession of Sheffield,
tlie centre and home of the steel in
dustry in England, is up in arms. It
is now proposed to establish a commis
sion of experts, under tli. auspices of
the Sheffield Society of Engineers and
Metallurgists, to agree upon a classifi
cation of what is and what Is not steel,
and to get the recommendations of the
commission embodied in an act of Par
liament. There are four methods of
determining the nature of iron pro
ducts, viz.: Chemicnl, mechanical,
physical and microscopical, and yet no
one of them is absolutely capable of
absolutely determining true si"# from
its fraudulent imitations. Chemical
annylsis up to a certain point is relia
ble, but the chemical composition of
steel and malleable cast iron overlap.
Mechanical tests also fail, as the ten
sile strength of certain steels and some
varieties of malleable cast iron are
exactaly similar. Physical classifica
tion is also impossible, as certain vari
eties of malleable cast iron "harden,
temper and let down" just like steel.
Neither is microscopic classification in
fallible, as certain malleable castings
are identical in appearance with cer
tain steels.
Apparently the only satisfactory defi
nition of steel must be based on the
process observed in the manufacture,
and it is suggested that the use of the
word "steel" be confined to such mate
rial as was cast in a fluid condition
into an ingot, and such ingot after
wards forged or rolled into slabs, bars,
plates, sheets or blooms or other fin
ished sections. Probably no more in
teresting technical point in the Sheffield
trade has arisen in the last sixty years
than the apparently simple question of
"What is steel?"
Tips on rnljltclty.
Simplicity, properly garbed, is a
tower of strength in advertising.
Now is the time to begin getting busy
on the execution of next year's adver
tising plans,
Seek to make every advertisement
sell certain goods or pave the way l'or
others to do so.
If you do not understand type dis
play—and do not employ advertising
counsel—choose a progressive printer
to do your work arid trust to him.
Large display lines may he toned
down by an artist so that tbey will be
neither revolting nor shockingly bold—
and still be very conspicuous. Use
them, by all means, at every oppor
tunity.
Never use programmes for general
publicity—except for such things as
appeal strongly to theatrical folk and
wealthy theatre-goers. For the aver
age advertiser they are not worth the
cost of the white paper occupied by
the advertisement.
The good advertiser Is merely the
author of a series of chapters in a con
tinued story. If the general plot is
good, the Incidents interesting, the Il
lustrations catchy, the style entertain
ing and the binding attractive this
story Is a successful ouc and will be
largely read.
There Is ullogotber too much of this
talk about advertising paying. Let It
be understood that a business must
first be put In shape to win its way
before advertising can make it pay.
Advertising Is simply one of the main
spokes iu the wheel—not tlie whole
wheel.
Every advertiser of experience comes
around—at one time or another—to the
belief that there is more speculation
than anything else about advertising—
uutil after the advertising lias ap
peared lii print. No man can tell just
what an advertisement will do until
after it has been tried.
Six words—expressive, explanatory
and convincing in tone and nature
may form a better argument tbau a
hundred others which are either ne
glected because of their number or are
weak because of tlieir nature. A few
well chosen words, properly displayed,
may bo made to say a great deal.
Many a good advertising opportunity
or plan is spoiled by the refusal of tlie
advertiser to take a ebance on inviting
the public to make an unsafe invest
ment—or by refusing to exaggerate
about the goods offered for sale. Iu
the end tlie truthful advertiser Is
bound to profit from the conservatism
—while on the other hand be takes a
chance by operating 011 tlie other plan.
—The Advisor.
I'llnl|fmpliy In Berlin.
A number of photographers who
wished to exercise their vocation at a
function in Berlin were stopped by
tlie police on the ground that "they
would spoil the artistic effect of the
beautiful surroundings." Ono seems
here to have some bint of the reason
why photographers are wont to put
their heads under a decent and nondia
plinnous cloth. Otherwise they might
"spoil tlie beauty of tlie surroundings."
—London Globe.
A Hint From .Japan.
Here is a good instance of Japanese
ingenuity: Cholera was epidemic at
Fukuoka, and a well was suspected of
spreading infection. A little boiler was
constructed, the necessary tubes sunk,
and all the water drawn for drinking
purposes Is now being boiled, thus
checking the further spread of the dis
ease.—London Express.
■I HOUSEHOLD * ♦ * !
3 9 9 9 9 MATTERS ■:
y.v.v.v.vAV.v.v.v.v.wi
Soups For tlie Winter.
"Every age has its pleasures, its
style of wit and its own ways," and
it might be added, "Every season lias
its soups." Here are a few recipes for
some good, substantial soups for cold
weather:
...
Black Bean Soup—This soup Is con
sidered to rank next to mock turtle,
the beans being known as "turtle
beans.' Soak one pint of these beans
over night. In the morning put over
the fire in three quarts of water,
which as it boils away must be added
to so as to preserve the original quan
tity. Add four ounces of salt pork,
half pound of lean beef cut in bits,
one carrot and two onions cut fine, one
tablespoonful of salt, one saltspoonful
of cayenne, three cloves and a little
mace. Cover close and boil four
hours. Bub through a sieve and pour
in the tureen on three hard boiled
eggs, sliced, one lemon cut in thin
slices.
...
Oxtail Soup—One oxtail, two pounds
of loan beef, four carrots, three onions,
thyme and parsley, pepper and salt to
taste and four quarts of cold water.
Cut the tail into joints and fry brown
In good dripping. Slice onions and
two carrots and fry In the same when
you have taken out the pieces of tail.
When done, tie them, the thyme and
parsley in a bag and drop into the
soup pot. Put in the tail, then the
beef, cut Into strips. Grate over them
two whole carrots, pour over all the
water and boil slowly four hours.
Strain and season. Thicken with
brown flour wet with cold water. Boil
fifteen minutes longer and serve.
Totato Soup—Boil six good-sized po
tatoes for fifteen minutes, drain, re
turn to the pot, add one quart of
water, two onions, sliced; a small
bunch of celery cut In small pieces.
Boil all slowly about two hours or un
til the potatoes are very soft. Mash
through a sieve; add a cup of hot,
thick cream or mllli, a tahlespooful of
butter, salt and pepper to taste and a
little chopped parsley. This soup
must he about tho consistency of thick
cream.—Washington Star.
How to Cook Vegetables*
A egetables should always he boiled
In plenty of water—nil, that is, except
peas. By tin's means any unpleasant
ness of flavor is carried off.
Where vegetables are known to be
loss digestible than others it is a good
plan to parboil them; then, having
poured away the first water, boil them
again in a fresh supply.
The time for boiling vegetables de
pends, of course, upon their fresh
ness and size.
All greens, such as cabbages, etc.,
are much improved by being boiled
with a little carbonate of soda.
Soda should not, however, be used
In the case of broccoli or cauliflower,
which, by the way, requires very care
ful boiling, or its appearance gets
spoiled.
Tomatoes are specially good for
dyspepsia, and lentils are not only
most nourishing, but most easily
cooked and digested.
Totatoes should always be boiled in
a saucepan specially kept for them.
If the pan Is used for any other veget
ables, they will become discolored.
They are best when boiled In their
skins. When peeled, they loose their
flavor and the salt, which pass out
Into the water. They should'be all of
a size, whether large or small.
Cold turnips, greens or spinach ean
be heated by putting them in a basin
and placing them in a saucepan of
boiling water over tho fire. Tut on
the lid and steam till warmed through.
Another method of heating cold
broccoli, etc.. Is to mince the greens
or spinach very finely, let them' get
very hot In the oven, then place them
on rashers of fried bacon with poached
eggs on the top. This makes a very
appetizing dish.
Serve vegetables directly they are
done. They should not be allowed to
remain in the water for a moment
after they have once been boiled.
rvspwiA
Laees or delicate materials which are
Soaked in borax water do not require
rubbing.
A little charcoal mixed with clear
water thrown Into a sink will disinfect
and deodorize it.
The whites of eggs beaten up with
an ounce of soda and used with a soft
brush will freshen gilt frames.
Forest colors—that Is, dark brown or
a rich leaf green, are the craze of the
hour in house decorative schemes.
Gasoline applied with a woolen elotli
is a most effective agent for cleaning
porcelain bathtubs or marble wash
bowls.
To prevent irons from sticking mix
a little turpentine in the hot starch.
A little borax mixed with tlie starch
will have the sante effect.
Mashed vegetables, like potatoes, tur
nips or parsnips, can be made into cro
quettes or with less labor into little
halls to he browned in the oveu.
A studied carelessness in the arrange
ment of a number of small floor rugs
Is most effective. Have them of varied
sizes, character and color. Let them
lap here and there.
To prevent the corrosion of metallic
pens throw into the inkstand a few
nails or small pieces of iron not rusted,
and the action of the acid In the Ink
will be expended on the iron.
HEAT IN THE OVEN.
Dow tho ISakerfi Determine It by the
Mere Touch of t!u> Hand.
"Bakers have a curious way of tell
ing just what the temperature of the
oven is," said a down town baker who
has been in the business for more than
a quarter of a century, "and they can
tell, too, with almost marvelous ac
curacy. You take a man who is an
expert in the business, and he ean
tell what the temperature of the oven
is by simply touching the handle of the
oven door. In nine cases out of ten he
will not miss it a fraction of a de
gree. Bakers have other ways, of
course, of testing the heat of the oven.
For instance, when baking bread, they
sometimes throw a piece of white paper
Into the oven, and if it turns brown, the
oven is at the proper temperature; or,
when baking other things they will
throw a little comment or flour into
the oven in order to test the heat
But the baker's fingers are the best
gauge, and when you come to think
of the different temperatures required
In baking different things, it is no small
achievement to even approximate the
heat of tlie oven by touching the handle
of the oven door.
"Bakers figure that during the ris
ing time of a loaf of bread, after it
has been j)laced in the oven, it ought
to be in a temperature of seventy-five
degrees Fahrenheit. During the bak
ing process, in order to cook the starch,
expand the carbonic acid gas, air and
steam, and drive off the alcohol, the
inside of the loaf must register at least
220 degrees. In baking rolls, buns,
scones, tea biscuits, drop cakes, fancy
cakes, New Year cakes, muffins, puff
cakes, and things of that sort, the oven
must show a heat of 4.10 degrees or
higher. When the oven is at 400 de
grees it is fit for cream puffs, sugar
cake, queen cakes, rock cakes, jum
bles, lady fingers, rough and ready and
Jolly rolls. At 350 degrees wine cakes,
cup cakes, ginger nuts and snaps, pics,
ginger bread, spice cakes, such as
raisin, currant, citron, pound, bride
and so one, may be baked/ It requires
a still lower temperature to bake
wedding cakes, kisses, anise drops and
things in this class. But whatever
temperature the old baker wants, he
can tell when he lias it by simply
touching the handle of the oven door."
—New Orleans Times-Democrat-
Tho Azctocs Not a Dead lEaca.
To the mind of the general reader ;
the term Aztec conveys the idea of a j
more or less misty, extinct greatness; ;
the idea of a great body of aboriginal j
Americans of mysterious origin, who
at the time of the advent of the Span
ish had reached the acme of power and
native civilization, and then unexplain
edly very rapidly end completely van
ished.
These problems—namely, the origin
or derivation, the physical type and
physical destiny of the Aztecs, to clear
which history alone proves insufficient
—have been and remain prominently
the subjects of anthropological inves
tigation; and through these investiga
tions, in which the anthropological de-'
partmeut of tho American Museum of
Natural History, New York, Is taking
an important part, enough has already
been achieved to warrant the hope that
In not a very far future but a little con
cerning the Aztecs will be left in ob
scurity. One result of these investiga
tions is tho knowledge that the Aztecs
of the time of the conquest are still
represented by numerous xmrc-blocd
survivors.
Tliey are scattered, but still clearly
recognizable by a student of the people
In the suburbs of the city and in prac
tically all the smaller towns In the Val
ley of Mexico. From tlie valley they
can be traced southward; tliey are nu
merous in the districts of Amccameca,
and they occupy, though probably
largely mixed with the Nahuan branch
of Tlahuitecs, entire villages near and
ill the mountainous country between
Cuautla and Cuernavaca, in the State
of Morelos. In this last-named region
there are in particular two large vil
lages, Tetelcingo and Cuautepce, in
which the Aztec-Nnhuan descendants
not only speak the pure Aztec language
and know hut little Spanish, but they
also preserve their aneieut dress and
ancient way of building their dwell
ings. In both of these villages the na
tives are almost free from mixture
with whites.
To estimate the number of pure-blood
Aztec-Nahuan descendants still in ex
istence is very difficult. The Aztec
language is still used by at least a mill
ion, probably more, of the natives of
Mexico.—Harper's for Christmas. -
A Flabbergasted Cabby.
It Is not easy to surprise a London
cabman, but one of the brotherhood
had a moment of rapt, astonishment
yesterday afternoon. lie pulled up his
hansom at the door of the hotel where
tlie Boer generals have been staying,
and out leaped a thick-set, firm-faced,
beared gentleman, who wore the frock
coat and. silk hat of our high civiliza
tion. The "fare" quickly got a coin
from his pocket, passed it up to cabby
with all the certainty of one who
knows the London radius, and jerked
Into the hotel. As ho disappeared
somebody on the pavement cried to the
cabman: "Know who that was?" He
shook Ids head. "De Wet; why, that's
De Wet," came the information like a
sword thrust. "You've had De Wet for
a fare." The cabman, being a London
cabman, should, no doubt, liavo said
something clever, but lie did not. He
simply looked looked apparently to
see if Ills horse was still there.—Lon
don Dally Chronicle.
KlyallT of Two Cities.
Tlie old rivalry between Chicago and
St. Louis lias been revived in their re
spective displays at the forthcoming
Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Chi
cago lias secured the reservation of
4,432,362 square feet for her buildings,
while St. Louis' group will cover an
area of 5,047,007 square feet.
It appears, from recent exhaustive
experiments by Professor Backhaus, of
Konigsberg University, that although
the flavor of cow's milk is influenced,
as everyone knows, by various articles
of food, the taste of the milk also de
pends, and in a still more important de
greo, on the animal's own peculiarities.
Some cows persist in giv-ng milk with
a flavor strong or disagreeable, no mat*
ter what they are fed, and such milk is
often the cause of disorders of tha
digestive system.
Some surgeons now claim that it is
possible to open the heart and divide
certain valvular obstructions that
threaten life. Dr. ltobsou, of Leeds,
England, says that the old notion that
any wound of the heart must inev
itably be fatal has been found er
roneous. In thirty-eight cases de
scribed by him wounds of the heart
were stitched up. About one-half of
the patients recovered from the opera
tion, and thirteen of them were fully
restored to health.
Inasmuch as the domestic animals
are not subject to typhoid fever, it has
been supposed that the disease could
not be contracted by eating their flesh,
but two German investigators have
recently found the typhoid bacillus ia
the splenic abscesses of a slaughtered
cow, and they conclude that, although
the domestic animals do not show the
lesions of the disease, they may convey
it to man. This, they think, may be
held to account Tor the occasional ob
servation of epidemics of supposed
meat poisoning pursuing a course not
distinguishable from that of typhoid
fever.
Most people have at least queried
whether the abnormal coolness of the
past season might not be connected in
some way with the West India vol
canic disturbances. Scientific men
have generally refused to entertain the
idea for a moment, and have laughed
the case out of court, but at least one
writer, M. Paul Combes, treats the
matter seriously. In an article in
Cosmos, he maintains that there is a
reasonable probability that the West
India eruptions have altered the course
and volume of the Gulf Stream by
raising the sea bottom; and. as he holds
to the old theory of the influence of the
Gulf Stream on European climatic con
ditions, the conclusion of an altered
climate follows easily, at least for his
own continent. He docs not consider
the case of America. Most meteorolo
gists regard the influence of the Gulf
Stream on Europe as an exploded
myth, but M. Combes denies this.
Two or three points of general inter
est developed at the recent sessions of
the British Association for the Ad
vancement of Science at Belfast. Dr.
Isaac Roberts, in a paper on the evo
lution of the stellar systems, advanced
the theory that the universe, as astro
nomical research lias thus far revealed.
Is ouly one unit in the universe. His
infereuee was that all over the sky
vast areas without any stars were scat
tered, and we were not warranted in
assuming that the absence of stars
was due to the inadequacy of our op
tical and photographic powers to reveal
them, but there w r as actually an impen
etrable abyss void of stars existing
beyond the faintest stars that our most
powerful modern equipments enable
us to see. We could not prove incon
trovertibly tbe truth of this deduction,
but the author bad 110 hesilatiou in
stating that the solution of the ques
tion would not long he delayed, for
trustworthy data were being rapidly
accumulated by which a complete dem
onstration would he effected.
iVhjllclnni' Fees.
A Western contemporary advocates
a general agreement on the part of
physicians to raise their fees in ac
cordance with the enchanced prices of
the necessaries of life which have ob
tained In recent years. With some
conditions and limitations we heartily
vole aye to this resolution. The first
condition would be that tbe foes of tbe
physician are those that should be
raised—the physician, we mean, as
distinguished from the surgeon and
the specialist. The internists, the gen
eral or family physicians, constitute
the most important hut the most ne
glected class of the profession. We
have conspired with the thoughtless
and melodrama-loving public to give
all the honor and all the profits also
to the surgeons and specialists. If
the profession is to make any common
stand for better wages it must be for
the sake of the general physician.
His work is worth just as much as
that of the operator, but ho docs not
receive one-tenth, and in many cases
uot one-hundredth as much. We do
not say that the specialist and surgeon
receive too much; we urge only that
it is the duty of the specialist and
surgeon to help raise the standard of
foes for his colleague, in the second
placo, the movement to increase (lie
fee should at first chiefly consider the
country physician, as distinguished
from the city man. Either because
the number of cases is greater or other
means of livelihood are Obtainable the
city physician docs not suffer from
low and uncollectible fees, as docs bis
country brother. The newiy aroused
professional consciousness must show
conscientiousness and the love of just
ice, or It will uot endure.—American
Medicine.
Flyinu Much hie Inhibition-
The Aeronautical Institute, of Lon
don, will hold an exhibition of uiodel
balloons and flying machines and ex
perimental apparatus in the early part
of the now year.