TOPICS OF
THE TIMES.
If the truth ! mighty and will pre
vail It should chow nure signs of be
coming prevalent.
Whet) you meet a worthless man It's
duoghnuts to fudge he can tell you a
ure cure for corns.
We are now exporting 'bath tubs to
Europe. Has Europe been going down
to the crick all these years?
Peary thinks of trying again to reach
the north pole. Isn't there anything
that people can take for this?
We regard the Insinuation that Uncle
Itussell Sage will economize by wear
ing his valet's castoff clothes as almost
slanderous.
In tlM old-fashioned dancea may be
after all the moat auecesful social
rulera of the' world to-day.
"Single blessedness" Is a bouquet a
bachelor throws at himself when he
wants to get married, but can't find a
girl foolls': C&OUfh to accept him.
When the wireless telephone comes
long the belated husband will have a
fine time dodging. He will be forced
to dig a hole In the ground or quit the
earth.
The meut question shows that when
the consumer has once been started In
the way of paying high prices It Is hard
for him to get others to let him break
himself of the habit.
EUbbl Hlrsch knows of no reason
"why men who give themselves up
wholly to money grubbing should not
be called cranks. Isn't this an Indict
ment of the human race?
Judging from the growing fashion of
turning one's back, particularly if It
be a fashionable back, upon winter,
there is an Increasing distaste for the
chill season, and It would be quite in
order to change slightly the old adage
and say that as the days begin to
lengthen not only does the cold begin
to strengthen, but the determination to
escape this cold grows equally severe.
The two pictures that confront a pro
spective traveler are those of a meager
coal pile at home and an ever-abounding
blooming rosebush and ever-bearing
orchard tree abroad, and It Is not to
be wondered at that he decides in favor
of the roses and oranges. Time was
when literary men constituted them
selves defenders of the seasons and
wrote "a good word for winter," or "a
plea for summer" In a way to win un
loyal hearts. But where Is the modern
poet of winter who would have the
hardihood to write as Lowell tells ua
did the ancient poet of winter, lying
In bed with his hand through a hole in
the blanket? Lowell also reminds us
that one of the first rules of whist la
winter, and he declares that for "a good
solid read" there is nothing like the
sense of safety that a winter tempest
brings. Some deep observers of society
go so far as to declare that the grow
ing habit of escaping from winter ar
gues the fact that people are becoming
more enervated, but it Is to be doubted
whether the habit Is sufficiently univer
sal to Justify these forelwdings. Yet
It remains to be proven whether the In
dividual who takes the weeather as he
does lite, "Just as It comes," does not,
after all, have the best of It.
When the King of Saxony declares
that the elopement scaudnl does not
"add to the prestige of the royal house"
he Is to be congratulated on having
discerned an important and Indisput
able fact.
A Missouri boy stole and pawned his
mother's wedding ring In order to buy a
marriage license for himself. Heally a
boy like that deserves to have descend
ants who will keep his name ringing
through tlie corridors of Time.
.. .
It now develops that General Chaffee
Inched up against Count von Walder
ee In much the same way thnt Ad
miral Dewey crowded Admiral Dlede
rich. History cannot be properly
Judged until a long time after it Is
made.
A United States Judge in St. Louis
has sentenced a man to Imprisonment
at hard labor for life and twenty years
in, addition. The question now arises
whet,hef fne entlre'sentenoe cftn be set
aside for lack of Jurisdiction In the
country where the convict mny be dur
ing tho additional twenty years.
If agriculture is without opportunity
to pile up wealth It has Its compen
sations for the loss. The life of the
fanner may be one of toll, of patient
endurance, of comparative Isolation
from his fellow man, but It Is one of
the greatest Independence. The man
between the plow handles Is the freest
man on earth.
The whole tendency of civilization
Is not toward war, but away from It.
This has been freshly and Impressive
ly Illustrated In the case of Venezuela,
nml while It would be foolish to assert
that a great Internal ional war cannot
again happen, ll may be said Hint every
year Its occurrence becomes more un
likely. The national rivalries of the
fill ure seem destined to assume the
form of commercial competition,
There is no sort of doubt that the
pulpit and college have both become
DAOre notably servile to very rich men
than they were fifty yeurs ago, and
Professor Baseoni has done his day
and generation a service In sharply re
buking it. Men of learning and the
Institutions they represented used to
respect themselves as entirely superior
to great riches. The "poor scholar"
felt rich In his own tight of high In
telligence, but the college to-day, It is
frequently the case, cringes, cap in
band, to 111 gotten wealth.
The doings of Hie leaders In the so
cial life of the cities are faithfully
chronicled, but who, outside the coun
try dlstrlctii realizes the Joys of the
"social events" that take place there?
What lady going In a luxurious carriage
to a metropolitan ball Is us happy as
a schoolma'nin riding in a pung be
side the young farmer who Is taking
tier to the dance at the town hall? What
music can the centers of fashion pro
duce that falls so sweetly on the hear
er's ears as the strains of the local or
chestra, which, with two violins and a
church orgnn, dispenses Joyous har
mony to the happy crowd from Just
after chore-time till the morning be
Kins to light the eastern sky? What
though some village belles wear gowns
cut over to their manifest disadvantage,
or some thoughtless youth endangers
the toes of the dancers with his tal
lowed boots, there Is real Joy In the
country gatherings. And when the
young men take their favorite girls to
the midnight supper and eat of chlck
uis and beans and homemade cake they
lire as gods In the social circles of their
Community and as happy, perhaps far
happier, than the men who take fash
Ion's leaders in city mansions to feasts
a hundred times more expensive. So
cial happiness is dependent upon the
heartl Of those (hat seek It. And those
who listen to the tuneful voice of some
gifted farmer as he culls the changes
In "our concern about what shall be
done with the dusky tribes that came
under our flag as a result of the war
with Spain we have almost forgotten
the red-skinned wards who for four
centuries fiercely resisted the encroach
ments of the white man and stubborn
ly resented the paternalistic efforts of
the government to civilize them. It
will be Interesting news to many Amer
icans to learn that the Identity of the
Indian In his tribal relation will soon
be forever lost. It Is believed that an
other year will see his final disappear
ance from among the segregated com
munities of the world. .The tangible
remnant of the aborigines of North
America now consists of the five prin
cipal civilized tribes Cherokees,
Creeks, Choctaws, Chlckasaws and
Semlnoles, numbering, In round num
bers, about 85,U00. Some of the nomad
ic Apaches, Comanches and Arapahoes
still exist as melancholy relics of a bar
baric age In Oklahoma, New Mexico
and Arizona, but they long since lost
all semblance of tribal autonomy.
Seventy years ago the five tribes were
moved to the territory west of the Mis
sissippi, and foT thirty years they have
been living under tribal governments
under constitutions copied closely after
those used by the States. In the course
of years thousands of white settlers
have eutered the terltory and "squat
ted" on any vacant lands they liked.
The racial situation has been further
complicated by the return of the negro
slaves held by the Indians, but liber
ated dining the civil war. The three
races have Intermarried until travelers
In the territory assert that the Indians
are divided into two general classes
"white men and negroes." There are,
however, some twelve or fifteen thou
sand full-bloods in the territory. Hun
dreds of these Indians have been grad
uated from the best colleges In the
United Slates while thousands have
received an excellent education In the
schools maintained by the tribal gov
enimeiils. Their degree of literacy is
much higher thnn that of the whites
who have Invaded the territory. Hut
the Indian Is now standing on the
threshold of United States citizenship.
Ills tribal governments must be merged
Into the Union. Since IS'.Kl the Dawes
commission has been engaged In the
work of allotting 80,000,000 acres of
valuable land among some 80,000 legit
Imate heirs out of '.100,000 claimants.
The stupendous diameter of this task
and the difficulties in the way of equal
ly dividing the land are pointed out In
an article In the Forum by Thomas V.
Millard. In the opinion of Mr. Millard
this 'equalization," which Is costing
the government hundreds of thousands
of dollars. Is in reality a farce. The
Indians desired to divide the land by
the very simple plan of giving each
man his and his family's share of the
land he was living on and partitioning
unoccupied land among those who had
no regular place of abode. Mr. Mil
lard believes this plan should have
been followed.
B00D III Ll) FOR AMERICAN CAPITAL
By J tows Hmst Late V- V Consul bcoeral at Suayaqutt.
Ecuador is reasonably healthy, espe
cially In the country, the prevailing dis
eases being malarlul feverB. One soon
gets acclimatized. In Guayaquil und
along the coast the climate during the
wet season (from January to May) Is
very unhealthy.
The chief industry of Ecuador Is cacao
growing, which Is extremely profitable.
The world's supply of cacao amounts
to some 90,000 tons, and of this Ecuador
produces 27,000 tons, or about one-third
Thomas nabt. of the total. Land can be ontainea at
about si per acre. It requires about five years to bring a
cacao estate Into bearing, nt a cost of 15 to 20 cents per
tree. The trees yield on an average one pound each. For
a plantation of 100,000 trees It costs to bring Into bearing,
say. $17,500. At the end of five years It is worth $50,000;
at seven years, $75,000, etc. The production of 100,000 trees
would be 100,000 pounds, worth 111,000 at present. The
cost of putting this quantity on the market. Including labor,
etc., would be $4,000. leaving n net profit of $7,000.
Estates are easily sold ut the above figures, and If a cap
italist can wait for results for five years he Is sure of a
good Income. In the mentlme, "catch crops," such as rice
or corn, con be grown on the same ground, which is so
fertile that for the growing of rice, etc., it is never neces
sary to plow; a hole Is simply made with a machete) and
the seeds put In, and good returns are obtained.
The planting and growing of rubber trees is considered
one of the best investments; hut very few have been
planted, on account of the large supply of wild rubber and
the fear that some artificial matter might be discovered to
take its plnce. There nre plenty of good opportunities in
Ecuador for the investment of money.
It is for this that we have schools and churches. It la for
this that we have tariffs. It Is for this that we have law.
And It Is for this that the republic must live or bear no
life.
LABOR'S RIGHT TO COMBINE.
By Senator Hoar, of Massachusetts.
I cannot see why If capital may com
bine In corporations, labor may not com
bine in labor unions. Every corporation
and every partnership is nn aggregate
of individuals. So when a single work
man desires employment he has to make
his bargain not with one employer, but
with many employers acting as one.
He Is also at another disadvantage. The
thing he has to sell Is his day's work. If
he goes down In the morning to make
his engagement, the thing he Is to sell
senator hoar. i8 perishing with every hour of delay In
making his contract. These associations of capital fre
quently extend through the whole country and control under
one head and with one will every establishment In the coun
try In which a skilled workman might hope to find em
ployment. So I can see no reason why the workman should
not combine to make his bargain as to the rate of wages,
as to the hours of labor and as to the comfort and safety
of bis occupation.
But, on the other hand, he has no right to Interfere by
violence with the freedom of any workman who does not
choose to belong to his union. Of course where men act
in masses and are under excitement there will be occa
sional and sporadic Instances etyn of unlawful and violent
action. These will always oectlr whle human nature re
mains unchanged and are not to be considered too seriously
or too harshly. But a republic cannot live If any body of
men undertake to Impose their own will upon the lawful
freedom of others.
Subject to this condition I believe tho sympathy of all
true Americans Is on the side of labor and Its attempt to
better Its condition. Unless the American workman shall
have good wages and leisure and comfort, shall have books
In his home, shall send his children to school, can provide
comfortably for his old age. the republic itself will be no
longer worth living In. Capital and wealth will in the end
take care of themselves, but to the elevation of labor,
which Is but another name for the elevation of citizenship,
the whole force and power of the republic should he bent.
PRAISE AND BLAME BOTH 0E VALUE.
By James F. O'Brien.
The two greatest factors In securing the best
work from employes are praise and blame. I am
sure that neither alone will answer the purpose.
The man who must be scolded and found fault
with continually Is of little value In any position.
He is in disfavor with his superiors In offlco be
cause they cannot trust him to perform his duties
faithfully. As for the man himself, his many
delinquencies cause him to lose confidence In his
own ability; he becomes careless and forgetful, and finally
loses 1.1s place altogether. A too frequent use of praise in
the management of employes is productive of undesirable
results of a different character. The man who Is continu
olly praised after a while becomes imbued with the idea
that he Is "IT." He has an exaggerated idea of his own
importance and is liable to assume a patronizing nlr toward
his associates and customers that Is not at all desirable
in fact Is decidedly harmful. Such a man is almost certain
in the end to become so Intolerable thot he Is at last noti
fied that his services are no longer required.
Too much praise or too much blame Is therefore equally
harmful, though in a different way. A Judicious use of
both Is highly desirable. When a salesman makes a good
sale, It pleases him to receive a word of commendation
from the manager and it spurs him to do better. On the
other hand, if he is impolite to a customer or does some
thing he ought not to do, he should be reproved gently but
firmly. This will make him more careful in the future,
and in the end he will be more valuable to himself and the
firm.
Much depends upon the manager himself. If he pos
sesses good common sense, has a fair knowledge of human
nature, and has personal magnetism, he will have no
trouble with his employes. If, on the other hand, he is
unjust, hard, and unsympathetic, he will be unable to keep
good salesmen or saleswomen In his employ for any length
of time. No one of spirit will submit to being cursed and
reproved before his shopmates by the man from whom he
receives his orders. Dissatisfaction is certain to show it
self among the other employes, and the entire force soon
becomes demoralized.
UNIQUE MAN8ION IN NEW YORK.
Three-Btory Dwelling: Reproduced In
Miniature a an Advertisement.
The amallest of buildings on Broad- .
way, N. Y., is a anbstantlal three-story
frame structure, exactly 27 inches Id
height It stands on the northeast
corner of Broadway and 81st streets.
The site occupied b7 this diminutive
structure Is In the center of the fash
ionable west side district and Is Im
mensely valuable. It commands an
unusually fine view of Broadway and
of the Hudson Kiver.
"jThe little house Is complete In every
detail, as far as may be Judged from
the outside at lea'Jt. The first floor is
almost surrounded with spacious
porches, an unusual architectural fea
ture for this section of New York. The
house is well lighted by many win-
CHOOSING AN OCCUPATION.
By Hamilton D. Maxwell
Many a young man falls to make his mark In
the world because he does not make a choice of
occupation. This is a very commonplace remark,
and so also Is the Inquiry why is a choice not
made?
The painful, fact Is that the young men who
think and consult about the future, and come to
some well-defined plan of life, are in the minority;
J while the men who take things as they come, care
little for the future, and plan less for it, are in the ma
jority. But there are a large number of men who ore in
perplexity about the future. They almost wish some over
whelming circumstances would force them Into an occupa
tion or a profession. I j
Man is endowed with the power of choice, and we must
decide for ourselves. True, a man's choice will be modi
fled by circumstances not In his immediate control, but,
after all, one must act for himself.
The power of choice does not, of course, prevent the ask
ing for that wisdom from above which will be liberally
given to those who devoutly seek It.
The first inquiry is: What can I do? I may be able to
do several things, and do them reasonably well, but there
must be a selection, and hence tho second inquiry; What
can I do best? Then follows the question of opportunity.
Where and how can one find not only opportunity, but
the largest opportunity to do what one can do best? The
man who finds "the largest opportunity to do what he can
do best" has chosen his work, the method and the field.
How It Was.
There are many poor correspondents
who would doubtless like to ninke the
excuse given by a lioy who was spend
ing his first yenr at a boarding-school.
The first letter, anxiously awaited by
his parents, was not received for more
than a week, and then it was short
and to the point
"Dear people" (wrote the boy), "1
don't lielleve I shall be able to send
you many letters while I'm here. You
see, when things are happeulug 1
haven't time, and when they arn't hap
pening 1 haven't anything to write.
You'll understand how It Is, won't you,
father? And, mother, you Just ask
father to explain to you how It Is. So
now I will say good-by. with love to
all. In haste. George."
SHE CLAIMS $40,000,000.
The Sum Left by the Mnn Shu Married
on 111m Death Pad.
In all probability Mrs. William U.
Bradley, of Tomahawk, Wis., will
come into possession of the $40,000,000
left by her husband, William 11. Brad
ley, a pioneer lumberman and the rich
est mail in Wisconsin. Three days be
fore ills death he married Miss Marie
Hannemagar, who tor twenty years
was his private secretury and who
knows more thnn any other person
about his vast estate.
Bradley was as eccentric as he was
wealthy. He was a native of ltangor.
Me., where his father, as the son
MANY UNDERTAKINGS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERN
MENT IN THE FARMERS' INTEREST.
T
W. 11. BKA1U.EY.
Mils. W. U. 11KADI.KY.
Khaki in limit.
Khaki uniforms are now worn by all
the foreign troope In China except the
Rutalant,
It Is not bra vary to call a man a liar
once; most liien don't get Iliad until
the second time
proved to be, was a successful lumber
man. In the early 00s he went to
Wisconsin und entered the lumber
business In n small way. Then lie got
in with some Milwaukee capitalists
and began operating near Muskegon,
Mich. This venture was very profit
able, and made him wealthy. He
moved to Milwaukee, but the Inactivi
ty of city life palled on him and he
decided to found a city In tho primeval
forest.
lie traveled up the Wisconsin valley
till he reached the place where Toma
hawk now stands. There he built a
saw mill and a large hotel, with ap
pointments equal to those found in
largo cities. He started a newspaper,
built and stocked a general store, aud
then waited for the population which
he was sure would follow him. As
the timber about his mill was cut
down and shipped to market he built
railroads, adding miles and miles as
HE National Geographic Magazine asserts that no other government
in the world does so much ns the United Suites to promote the agri
cultural interests of tliccountry.
Through its efforts tea is now being successfully grown In South
Carolina.
Through lis encouragement Connecticut will soon be raising nil the Su
matra tobacco consumed in the 1'nlted Slates (6,000,000 worth annually.
A new variety of long-staple cotton, having nearly double the value of the
old, has been crcaled; new wheats and new rices, nnd even a frost-resisting
orange has been evolved. And these nre only samples of what has been
done. '
Tho American farmers have an Invested capital of $20,000,000,000. This
Is a great agricultural nation, and I' tide Sam doesn't forget it. Glnnce nt
some of the things he does to help and protect the fanner:
The bureau of animal Industry made last year nearly 00.000,000 ante
mortem inspections of meat animals and about 89,000,000 post-mortem in
spections. The meat Inspection stamp was affixed to over 23,000,000 pack
ages of meat. And this is only part of the bureau's work.
The land grant agricultural colleges have an attendance of 42,000.
The export trade In fruit and vegetables Is assisted by the Introduction
of Improved methods of handling. Imported food products nre examined
for injurious substances. Important Investigations have been mnde in the
sugar laboratory with a view to Improving the quality and quantity of table
syrups. Weather bureau warnings are of the greatest assistance to agri
culture. The Department of Agriculture is n worker for forestry, the bureau
of forestry being a part of It. The bureau of soils employs over 175 persons.
The department published last year 757 different publications, with a total
circulation of 10.58tl,5S0. Although the cost of publications amounts to
1800,000 a year. It Is inadequate to supply the demand.
SMALLEST HOUSE ON BROADWAY.
dows on all four sides. The roof Is
covered with tin. The whole struc
ture Is freshly painted at regular in
tervals and repairs are quickly made
as soon as they are needed.
At present the smallest Broadway
structure stands about nine feet above
the sidewalk level on the top of a
board fence. Until recently, however.
It stood some distance back from the
street, at the same corner, nnd appro
priately surrounded with a well-kept
garden. A narrow walk about four
Inches wide, neatly bordered with
grass, extended from the front gate
to the steps leading to the porch. Two
small flower gardens flanked the walk
Immediately In front of the porch. It
was probably the last house garden to
disappear from Broadway.
The little mansion has no tenants.
The windows are even carefully closed
with tiny window sashes to prevent
the birds from taking possession. T he
house has been built at considerable
expense by a carpenter In the neigh
borhood, and is Intended to Illustrate
how neatly he can build a house and,,
what is as Important, how neatly he
can keep It in repair. There are few
buildings on Broadway more carefully-tended.
FOR SOLDIERS ON THE MARCH.
For many years mljltary authorities
have been trying to Improve the con
dition of foot soldiers and one result is
that the burdens which soldiers have
to carry, while marching have been
A SHOE THAT 8 EASY.
he needed them. Everything he touch- I spectablllty and looked like a man of
ed seemed to turn to gold, aud Invest- good Intelligence. He was well dress-
meuts which to others seemed the ed and his whole aspect betokened pros-
height of folly Drougnt mm xoriunes. . perity.
While Tomahawk was still in its in- ..He found out that I hnlll rm
fancy Mr. Bradley established another
town at Spirit Falls, and In this, too,
he was successful. He became fabu
lously rich, and the fortune left his
widow Is estimated at $40,000,000.
Utlca Globe.
Hia Notion of the West.
"This surely Is a great country, since
we have arrived at the point that
geograhplcal terms no longer convey
any adequate Idea of location." remark
ed W. S. Crouch of Tacoma, Wash., at
the Halelgh.
"The other night, shortly after ar
riving here, I got Into an accidental
talk with a gentleman who chanced to
be my vis-a-vis at dinner. He was a
stranger, and as I was in the same cat
egory it was pleasant to have someone
to chat with. Moreover, he was evi
dently a gentleman ot' standing and re-
West and the Information pleased him.
T like Western people Immensely,' he
said. 'They are not so ceremonious and
so hard to get acquainted with as those
who live In the East. I am a Western
er myaelf and am tickled mightily to
meet you. Come here, waiter, and take
the gentleman's order.' Aa I was say
ing, being from the West myself, It Is
a real comfort to run across you.
" 'And may I ask where your home
is?'
" 'My home, sir, is Pittsburg, Pa.,
I am proud to live in such a great and
enterprising city,' Later on, when I
told him that I hailed from the town of
Tacoma. he asked me If I was In
ashlngton Territory, and seemed sur
prised when I told him Washington had
been a State for the last thirteen years
Washington Poet
reduced to a minimum. Now a new
invention has been mnde which will
enable them to march with still great
er ease. This invention Is a shoe
which, instead of the customary hard
and stiff sole, has a sole to which
springs are fitted. Under the heel is
nn ordinary spring and under the ball
of the foot Is one which is shaped like
a hoof. When the foot Is at rest the
spring in the back is pressed down nnd
the one in front Is slightly raised. Sim
ilarly the two springs adapt them
selves to every motion of the foot
when it Is In action. Another advant
age which this shoe possesses is that.
when a shoe Is worn out a new one
can very quickly be substituted for It.
A Brotherly Greeting.
Pretty speeches are not so character
istic of the Briton as of some of his
southern neighbors. During the siege
of Ladysmith a certain young English
man, the heir to a dukedom, was
among the victorious soldiers who en
tered the dty. His brother had been
confined there and as soon as possible
the young men got together. An ob
server says they shook hands heartily,
looked into one another's eyes, then
turned their heads aside and resolute
ly gulped down something. "I say!"
began the future duke with a mighty
effort, "old Tom, the gardener, Is
dead." "Oh, I say!" replied the other.
Then they walked away together.
Each knew that the other was glad to
see him, but, being a Briton, was too
manly to be more effusive.
Liquid Air Power.
The result of tests of a liquid air
plant made at Cornell University, re
ported at the Pittsburg meeting of the
American Association for the Advance
ment of Science, indicates that the ex
penditure of one horse power continu
ously for one hour results In the pro
duction of Just enough liquid air to
produce, if utilized In Its turn as a
source of power. In a perfect machine,
one horse power for one minute. The
experimenter adds that the most ef
ficient method of obtaining liquid air
ns yet discovered would increase the
time to only five minutes.
When money is tight the pawnbroker
la apt to take the pledge.