The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, June 10, 1900, Page 9, Image 9

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    THE SUNDAY. OEEGONIAN, PORTLAND, JUJM5 10, iww
CLOSE VIEW OP QOM PAUL
BOW POTJLTXEY BIGELOW XET
HIM IX 1IIS CAPITAL.
BcaldeHce Had Military Protection
ia Time of PeaceService in tke
Little Pretoria Cliurck.
The manner of my setting access to
President Kruger was of Itself an epitome
of Krugerlsm. writes Poultney Blgelow.
In that year, 1S36, the Transvaal spent
about 3W,0X in secret service, and part
of it went to pay the man who stole my
dbspatch-case. I had come from Cape
Town armed with the strongest possible
letters of Introduction to the political
leaders In Pretoria, and had no other ob
ject than recording truthfully my Impres
sions. At Bloemfonteln this dispatch-case
was stolen from me under circumstances
which left no doubt in the minds of the
Chiefs of Police 'In the Free State and
Natal that the theft had been made for
strictly political reasons. It was rather
awkward for roe, because in the same bag
were all my manuscript, my letters of in
troduction, and my letter of credit. Ad
vertising In every paper of South Africa
did no good. After my visit to Pretoria,
and while I was living at Plctermarltz
burg, as guest of Colonel Dartnell, the
Chief of the Mounted Police, this Identical
dispatch-case was one night deposited at
police headquarters by a messenger who
could give no account of himself and did
not even wait for a reward. I looked
carefully through my treasures; not a
thing was missing. And yet there are
people who Insist that the Boers are cor
rupt! "When I reached Pretoria, therefore, I
was without letters, and I should have
ben without money had not a good friend
kindly lent me some. I had written ahead,
however, to Dr. Icyds, detailing my pur
pose in visiting the Transvaal, and invok
ing his assistance. With this letter I en
closed one of introduction.
But the State Secretary was evidently
eusplclous. On the morning after my ar
rival In Pretoria there came to my hotel a
young Hollander, whose card was decor
ated with a coronet, and who told me that
ho was a secretary of Dr. Leyds, come
to express that gentleman's regrets that
ho would not be able to receive me that
he was not In good health that he was
too busy there were lots of other good
reasons, but I have forgotten them.
So I was Inclined to be discouraged for
rot only was I there minus my precious
dispatch-case, but. apparently, the State
Secretary had determined that I should
not see President Kruger. nor anything
else worth mentioning at the Boer capital
I began to feel as I did on a certain day
In St. Petersburg when the police In
formed me that It would not be well for
my health If I undertook a canoe cruise
through the Czar's Empire.
But just then along came a splendid
Boer friend, Mr. Joostc, of the Volks
raad. "We had been fellow-passengers to
the Cape, for he Is one of the Transvaalerj
who have traveled and studied politics at
first hand. He took me without further
ceremony to the house of President Kru
ger. By the way, I notice that most of the
learned editors Insist upon placing two
dots over the "u" in Kruger. That Is not
right at least. If the President Is an au
thority on the subject. He wrote his name
for me with some difficulty. I admit and
It had no dots over the "u." This signa
ture I subsequently compared with sev
eral at the Government House at Natal,
and there were no dots over the "u" there.
Sir Walter Hely Hutchinson, the Govern
or, was distinctly of opinion that Kruger
did not use the dots.. Consequently, it is
correct to pronounce the "u" as in "true."
When we reached Ms residence I was
struck by the evidences of military pro
tection at hand. He had a trooper pacing
a his gate, and across the road, in a va
cant lot, was an encampment for the re
lief of this guard There was nothing of
this sort at Bloemfonteln, and many Pre
toria Boers disapproved of this feature,
eaylng thai It was only a dodge of Dr.
Ixsyds to make the country Boer believe
that Oorn Paul's life was In danger from
the Johamesturs conspirators.
Mr. Jooste had fought under Cronje
against Jameson at Krugersdorp. He was
a broad-minded burgher, who sympa
thized, to some extent, with the attitude
of the Johannesburg burghers in their de
sire for more liberal government, and per
sonally did his share in the popular as
sembly to bring about a better state of
things. He was not a blind partisan of
Kruger. though, of course, he resented
hotly the presumption of those who
thought Afrikanders should be governed
from London Only.
Knocked at Krager Mansion.
After passing the sentry we knocked at
ft the front door of the Kruger mansion
which mansion, "by the way, was about
the size and appearance of a farm out
building. No answer! We knocked a sec
ond time, and louder. There was no an
swer! My friend pushed the door open,
and we stood In a hall which traversed
the whole house, and led to a big yard
beyond. We knocked again. No answer!
We went out Into the yard and shouted
no answer! A negro g!rl poked her head
out of a sldebulldlng. hut withdrew It
suddenly on seeing us. Evidently Mrs.
Kruger disliked bells and parlor maids.
Then I said to Jooste that I presumed
the family were not at home: but Joosto
Fcoutcd the Idea. Just men I heard. In
one of the neighboring apartments, a
Found which suggested the lions' cage at
the menageriei abouVthe time when food
Is expected. "ThoreMras' a heavy growling,
as of surf beating up into the caves on the
seashore. We approached the door and
knocked we might as well have knocked
at a pilot-house in the teeth of a hurri
cane. The rumbling within rbse and fell,
hut obviously our presence was not noted;
bo Mr, Jooste pushed open that door, as
he had the previous one. and we entered
into a cloud of smoke so thick that It re
minded me of an engine-room when the
steam had 'been leaking. For a while I
saw nothing, though the quality of the
vapor assured me that I was in the midst
of a club of smokers there was no doubt
ibout that. Jooste took me by the hand,
and steered me around the corners of the
apartment, until we stopped by the side
of an armchair. In which there sat. with a
pipe between his teeth, a grand old
bearded farmer sort of apostolic cowboy
that was Paul Kruger. He sat In state
as the master of this roomful of long
haired burghers, belching forth guttural
phrases which sounded blasphemous to
my ears but to those of the others It was
simply everyday Low Dutch. I was re
minded of that famous Potsdam Tobacco
Club, In which the Corrorol King" of
Prussia made life odious to Frederick the
Great. I had seen scenes roughly
analogous amongst the red-shlrted miners
of California, and to -a certain extent
among the priests in Russian monasteries.
But nothing In my fancy exceeded the
reality of this scene the primitive sim
plicity, the early Christian earnestness
of It, the rude Yet venerable aspect of
this cattle-herding congregation. The
grand o'd Boer seemed Uko some latter
day Moses Just down from the mountain
with the law In his hands, and In a mood
to smash the Ten Commandments over
the head of any one who failed to agree
with him. It was worth 10.000 miles of
travel to have lived these moments in the
company of Paul Kruger and his hirsute
crew.
When Paul Kruger caught sight of us.
and Jooste whispered something in his
ear, he looked at me with bovine stolid
ity, while the 50 apostles did the same.
Then he grunted, and the 50 echoes made
one more grunt. I learned afterwards
that these 50 "burghers were not here as an
official council of state: on the con
trary, these were Oom Paul's friends, who
had merely dropped In for a chat ov.r a
pipe and a bowl of coffee.
Made PoaUaey On comfortable.
It Is but far to Mr. Kruger to admit
that lie succeeded in making me feel thor
oughly uncomfortable. HI, fixed, stolid.
Inscrutable and ambiguously benevolent
Size rested upon mo with suffocating
force. His 60 -apostles backed -their gast
with equally Impassive eyes, all turned
upon the Intruder from ar away; who
tried meanwhile to make believe that this
sort of reception was quite customary Is
his part of the world. There was, how
ever, nothing In the least malevolent In
these 51 stares; It was morbid fancy only
which made it seem that blank staring
fell short of the real thing in courtesy.
I was treated quite as well as the customs
of the place demarraed. I was at the Boer
court, and was experiencing etiquette a
la Kruger.
Yet, now I recall that ordeal with
something of a shudder. I have met a
great many Kings In my day black Kings,
white Kings and yellow ones. Monarchs
of many kinds have I bowed to million
aires, political bosses, war lords and other
mighty mortals. But I confess cheerfully
that no King. Kaiser or Congressman
ever made me feel so completely the noth
ingness of my worthless self as did old
Paul Kruger over his pipe and bowl,
amidst his 50 cowboy cronies. He com
manded my dread and admiration; he al
most made me respect the cause he rep
resented. The venerable cattle-king gazed at me
for so long that the silence became pain
ful. I heard nothing but the sucking of
the plpesteros, and th: occasional thud ot
a heavy moist globule on the floor. When
the President perceived that I had en
tered the room with the determination not
to say tho first word, he opened conver
sation by a grunt as of a bull in distress,
and a few words that might have been
intended to place me at my ease, or might
hae been meant as a curse. The badln-
QUITE NATURAL
"What consarndlah Idiot I am! Musht rot
th" bars first time ever la Jail la m' life!"
age of the forecastle is not that of the
6alon, and I have seen men in the far
West embrace in the most affectionate
manner while poisoning the air with blas
phemous expletives. The point of view
has much to do with the relative force of
greetings. Thus Paul Kruger can over
Whelm a visitor with what we should re
gard as rudeness, yet on the day following
show by his actions that in his heart was
only good will. Perhaps It was my ex
perience with men before the mast and on
cattle ranches that made me feel my way
into the Inner lining of Paul Kruger's feel
ings, where many an average traveler
would have been repelled by the rough
outer skin. The rudeness of the Presi
dent I parried with an equally clum
joke, which raised a laugh amongst the
50 patriarchs, and from that time on I
found my position In Pretoria one of com.
parativo social delight.
When Dr. Leyds learnt that I had seen
the President, he promptly recovered from
his severe illness, and for the rest of my
visit showed me civility. He told me many
an Interesting anecdote about Kruger, and
Kruger, In turn, spun many a yarn about
his early days.
We are apt to think pious people neces
sarily hypocrites, and I found many Eng
lish at the Cape speak contemptuously of
Oom Paul as a theological humbug. He
did not make that impression on me at
all. On the contrary, I believe that his
great influence amongst those who know
him lies not merely in that he belongs to
a particular branch of the Protestant
Church, but that he lsthoroughly honest
in his practices. Of course, rumors are
rife that he is corrupt, that he has put
away vast sums, that his religion is
merely a cloak for wickedness. That may
all be true: but I, for one, have no evi
dence to support this view, and I find
that such stories emanate usually from a
class of people whose trade It is to rely
mainly upon money for their influence. J
do not believe Kruger is corrupt I do not
believe that all American Congressmen
are corrupt I prefer to be an optimist.
On Sunday morning I saw the President,
quite alone, walking toward a very shab
by church near his home. He wore a black
cylinder on his head. It was that kind of
hat which appears with us mainly on the
negro minstrel stage. His frock coat haf
the hinder buttons near the middle of his
back, and the bottoms of his trousers were
considerably above his ankles. The whole
outfit suggested a caricature of the "stage
farmer paying his first visit to the me
tropolls. In 'iCrngrer's Church.
But that, after all. was a mere detail.
Lincoln also was an ungainly, If not
ugly, man, whom we love dearly for his
very eccentricities of dress and feature.
The Transvaal President, on th's occasion,
carried a hymn-book of portentous size
In one hand, and In the other a red ban
dana handkerchief. The little Pretoria
church could not have held more than
100 or eo, yet I counted but 24 in the con
gregation, and of these the majority were
mothers with babes in their arms. The
President took his seat In an armchair
which had been spsclally provided for
him beneath the pulp-'t this was the only
distinction he enjoyed over the rest of his
fellow-worshipers. To be fcure, It was a
greater distinction than uny President of
the United States would have been per
mitted; but then, no American President,
not even Washington, has played so pe
culiar a part as Kruger.
The service was very simple about the
sort of thing I should have found in most
Methodist or Congregational meeting
houses In an American village. There
was a long prayer, a long sermon, a
h mn or two. a chapter from the Bock of
Books and a benediction. The babies
did what babies are apt to do when they
tire of one position, or think It Is meal
time; but baby voices ruffled neither Paul
Kruger, the parson nor any one else.
There appeared nothing unnatural in
babes receiving nourishment in. church as
well as anywhere else. The President
sang the good old hymns In a voice like
distant thunder, and paid clcsc attention
to the sermon. The surroundings of this
poor little church were pathetically mea
ger or tawdry, yet I can 'recall no more
Impressive service in Westminster Abbey
or St. Paul's.
The President told me a rtory to Illus
trate his wickedness as a youngster. Of
course, we know that bis childhood and
i youth were spent mainly In cattle wagons
( OP Wuw Ml 1
'and that be did not get tn opportunity
, for being baptized until he was 16. But,
. In spite of all these educational handicaps,
. the Boera who led this gipsy life for so
j many years managed to hold fast to the
Bible, and give the youngsters a whole
' some dose of good, old-fashioned Calvlnls-
tic doctrine. But Kruger was rated as a
ivery bad lad in his day, measured, of
I course, by the standards of the "Dopper
i Church," He told me that he was not
1 merely the best wrestler, th best rider.
(and the best shot of his time, but was
also noted for playing all sorts of pranks
calculated to shock the good people of his
communllv. I sunoose he was a. bCt of a
J "Tom Sawyer" In his way.
The first church for the new town was
about ready. I forget the name perhaps
It was Bustenburg. At any rate, young
Kruger, along with the rest of the peo
ple of that community, had worked upon
the sacred edifice, and the time came
for somo solemn function connected with
Its dedication. On that particular day,
when all the people, in solemn garb and
jnien, had assembled to do honor to the
occasion, there was a psychological mo
ment when all gazed up to the roof and
saw a youngster standing on his head,
? clacking his heels together. That young-
Ister was Paul Kruger.
What happened after that has not yet
. become accessible to the historian. I heard
' that Influences were subsequently brought
j to bear upon him wMch produced a
j change of heart, to say nothing of a new
skin. His father appealed to him In varj
I ous ways first at one end, then at the
other. Which prevailed I know not.
CONCLUSION.
very drunk wake up and And myself behind
I Some years after this young Kruger
' became subject to melancholia, and retired
J to the wilderness without letting any one,
not even his wife, know of his where
abouts. He was several days absent,
and then his neighbors went In search.
They were guided to him by hearing the
chanting of hymns In the distance and
from my experience with that voice they
must have heard him a day's Journey off.
Poor Kruger had been fasting, and was so
emaciated that he had to be held on horse
back as they brought him home.
That was In 1S57, when 32 years of age.
From that time on Kruger was a changed
man a devout Christian according to his
lights.
NATIONAL COMMITTEES.
Tke System by "Which. Onr Presidents
Are Made.
L. A. Coolldge In Alnslee's.
The National committee is the creature
of the National convention. At every con
vention each state delegation meets and
selects the man who is to represent the
party in the state and National organiza
tion, and the committee they created
ceases to exUt when the n x. National
convention is cawed to order, rhls is
true both of the Republican and of the
Democratic parties. But there is a differ
ence between the active working organi
zation of the two great political bodies.
The executive officers of the Democratic
committee are selected from the commit
tee Itself. A different system has grown
up among the Republicans. It has hap
pened In the last two campaigns that the
man at the head of the Republican or
ganization was not een a member of the
National commltteoj as originally consti
tuted. This has grown out of the fact
that the candidate for President Is allowed
to select the chairman of the executive
committee, which Is Intrusted with the ac
tive work of the campaign. In 1S92 Will
iam J. Campbell, of Illinois, a member
of the National committee, was selected
as chairman. Objection was made to him
on account of certain business associa
tions which. It was feared,, would not bo
politically advantageous, and, although he
remained as chairman of the National
committee. President Harrison selected
Thomas H. Carter, of Montana, as chair
man of the executive committee, although
Carter was not a member of the Na
tional committee at nil. It was Carter who
conducted the campaign.
In 1S06 Mark Hanna, of Ohio, who had
managed the canvass for McKlnley's nom
ination, was selected -by the candidate to
be chairman of tho executive committee.
The member of the National committee
from Ohio was Charles L. Kurtz. In fact,
the actual management of the Republican
campaign In 1SD5 wis in the hands of an
executive committee which was really an
excrescence upon the larger body. At least
four members of the executive committee
in that year, including the chairman, Mr.
Hanna; the secretary. General Osborns;
the treasurer, Cornelius N. Bliss, and
Charles G. Dawes, of Illinois, were not
members of the National committee. When
General Osborne resigned a secretary to
become American Consul at London, his
place was taken by Charles Dick, of
Ohio, now a Representative In Congress,
who had no official connection with the
larger body. Besides an executive com
mittee made up of National committee
members living as a rule, near head
quarters, the Democrats In 1S9G had a
Campaign Committee, consisting partly of
members of the National Committee, and
partly of outsiders. This body correspond
ed to the Executive Committee on the Re
publican side. Daniel J. Caropau. of Michi
gan, was at Its head. Other members were
W. A. Clark, of Montana; Clark Howell,
of Georgia; James Kerr, of Pennsylvania;
John R. McLean, of Ohio, and Thomas
Gabon, of Illinois
REDUCED RATES
Via
Great Northern Rallrray.
If you are going East, take advantage
ol these rates: Philadelphia and return
JSS DO; St. Paul and return, JC0. For
dates of sale and full Information, call or
address A. B. C Dcnnlston, city ticket
agent, KS Morrison street
THE REAL JEAN VALJEAN
THE COJTYICT "WHOSE RECORD IN
SPIRED "LES MISERABLES."
Memoir of the Chief 'Inspector el
Prisons of the Second French
Empire.
M. Moreau-Chrlstophe, the Inspector of
Prisons under the Second Empire, Jinew
the man who served as the prototype of
Jean Valjean. and whose story haunted
the brain, of Victor Hugo and Inspired his
famous Mlserables." says the Paris Fig
aro. M. Moreau-Chrlstophe had a pas
sion for reforming convicts. He gathered
many confessions, and knew many strange
secrets. The following story of the con
vict Urbaln Lemelle Is taken from hi3
notes:
"Urbaln Lemelle. like Jean VaUean. was
the abandoned child of a drunken father. j
When he was only S years old he went
from farm to farm, to offer for a piece o"
bread the work that his little hands could
do. He was first taken In hand by a kind
hearted peasant named Brlsset. who kept
him minding cows for throe years. Then
he Was employed by two neighboring
farmers, who sent him to tend sheep for
three years more. Urbaln tired of the
life ot a shepherd and determined to be
come a sailor when he reached the age
of 14. He began as cabin boy in a river
boat from Angers, whose captain gener
ally spoke to him with the end of a rope.
Three years passed in this way, during
which Urbaln's only consolation was in
his friendship for the son of the captain,
a young man named Gervals, who was no
less badly treated than himself. This
friendship was unfortunate for Urbaln.
One Winter's day, when the waters of
the Loire were frozen and navigation was
suspended, Gervals proposed to Urbain
to take away the money that was in the
safe of the boat for the pay of the hands.
"Then," said he, "we will go -to Nantet
where we will become real sailors.
"But that Is robbery you propose to
me! said Urbain.
"Robbery, nonsense!" replied Gervals.
"Doesn't my father owe you SO francs!
Well, ycu can pay yourself the 80 franca
out of the sack, and then you will be
square."
An hour afterward the money was no
longer on board the boat. Gervais had
taken it away, and Uroaln had hid it In
the trunk of a willow tree. Next day the
Imprint of his feet upon the snow led to
the tree, where the treasure was found.
Urbaln was arrested, sd, the lock of tho
safe having been broken, he was con
demned to seven years' penal servitude.
He was then only 17.
During his seven years' imprisonment
Urbaln was resigned. Industrious, religious
and exemplary In his conduct. When he
left the penitentiary, wheie he had lost
seven years, he thought he had nothing to
do but to return to Angers purified com
pletely. It was at Angers that he commit
ted his crime, and he wanted to prove that
ho was reformed. This hope was dissi
pated. The fact that ho was an ex-convict
closed all doors and all hearts to him. He
found It extremely difficult to get work;
and when, by chance, he did procure some
arduous employment, the other workmen
refused to associate with him. He was
condemned to idleness, beggary and theft.
One Sunday, while roaming through the
country he btopped, fatigued, to rest him
self in a field where there were somo
horses at liberty. He thought of the 2ea
that was only 30 leagues from him, and of
America, that new world where he ex
pected to live as an honest worklngman.
The Idea turned his; head. He jumped
like a mad man upor on-i of the hors3
and started the animal along the road,
without a saddle or bridle. He set out in
the evening and arrived at the break of
day at Ingrandes; Nearlng that place on
the edge of the road there was a prairie.
There he ftirned loose the horae and en
tered tho toWn. An unknown person turn
ing a horse loose was suipected. He was
followed, arrested and brought before the
Mayor. He gave his name without hesi
tation, biit w hlle they were discussing his
case he managed to escape. He reached
Nantes and tried to ship with some cap
tain on a long voyage. But to embark It
was necessary to have papers, and Urbaln
didn't have them.
For some time he wandered along the
quays almost on the verge of suicide, when
a. big hand touched his shoulder, the hand
of a boatman of Angers, who recognized
him. The boatman wanted help, so Ur
bain went with him to Angers. He had
hardly arrived before he was arrested and
put In prison on the complaint of stealing
'a horse. Now, it happened that the honest
peasant, Brlsset, was the owner of
the horse in question. He testified before
the court that his horse came back to
him and that Urbam was too honest a
fellow to want to steal It. But he pleaded
for him In vain. The 'unfortunate joung
man was convicted a. second time- by the
Assizes Court of Malne-et-Lo.re to 1
years' penal servitude.
At Brest he served his time Just as he
did formerly at Toulon. In- prfcwn his
conduct was irreproachable, but after four
years of tortures Inflicted upon him In
mat, areaaiut place, he escaped. Where
was he to got Paris was the only place
that could hide him from the police. He
went there without encountering any diffi
culties, and the very next day after his
arrival he was on tho Place de Greve
among the laboring men. There he was
taken by a building contractor, with whom
he remained for three years, whose regrets
followed him to the establishment of M.
Masse, a dry goods manufacturer, where
he received better wages. For four years
M. Masse kept him and entrusted to his
handfl large sums of money, which Ur
bain always handled with zeal and Intelli
gence and perfect honesty. He com
menced to proeper and married an honest
working girl. Happy In the thought that
at last he was loved and respected, he
lived with her for seven years.
One Sunday while he was walking 'n
the suburbs with his wife he met a police
man who was a former convict, who knew
him at Brest. This policeman destroyed his
entire happiness. He arrested him. Ur
bain was brought to Blcetre, and from
there taken to Brest to finish the eight
years of penal servitude that he had still
to serve. In addition to the supplementary
years for the crime ot escaping.
It was during tho few months of his de
tention at BIcelre in 1S33. that Moreau
Chrlstophe knew Urtnln and learned his
story. M. Moreau-Chriritophe obtained
for him the favor of exemption from the
first chain gang, on leaving Blcetre for
Brent: and a few months later he man
aged to send him back to Paris. In oth
er words, he brought the case to the at
tention of the King, who pardoned the
man upon the snot.
"Crbam Lemelle lived to a great old age.
Ho was the best of husbands, and wished
to bo the bfK of fathers, but that jov
was denied blm. He consoled hlrrnelf.
nevertheless, by maklnc pets of all tho
children In th plac where he lived, and
he amued them oftn by telllnc them
stories of brlsrareV. Heaven only know
fl-at quer stories h muet havp. learned
durlnc hfc 10 venm In the B"gne!
Caune of IneUn's Famine.
Review of Reviews.
India, is a country not quite half a
large as the United States, with Tour
times Its population. These 300.000.000 peo
ple must be fed from their own crop, as
there Is. relatively, no manufacturing re
source to buy foofi with. There are parts
of India with a. population of 1000 people
to the Equare mile; and thre are millions
upon millions of farm laborers, vagrants,
gypsies and nondescript classes, whose
means of living, even In times of plenty,
are Inscrutable. In a normal year the
country, as a whole, produces a little
more food than Is actually necessary to
support Its people. But the crops are
dependent on momons-the southwest
moonsoon in the beginning of Summer,
and the northeast monsoon In the Win
ter. If these periodic rains are late, or
are Insufficient In quantity, trouble comes,
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with latest machinery and skilled mechanics.
FREDT. MERRILL CYCLE
and the Spring and Winter' crops of
wheat, barley and pulses In the north,
and of rice and millets In the south,
begin to suffer. When the monsoons fail
absolutely, there Is destitution in the af
fected d'etrlct, and when a pers'stent
succession of failures and partial failures
occurs, there comes a great and terrible
famine, like that the country is now
groaning under. Since the first great fam
ine of which there are records devastated
the land In 1770, when 10.000.003 perished
In Bengal alone, India has scarcely passed
a decade free from scarcity of grain In
one district or another. The British Gov
ernment expects a drought about twice
In every nine years, a famine once In
every 11 or 12 iears, and a great famine
like the preserit about twice in a cen-
tury.
EDISON ON PATENT LAWS.
One Class of Labor That Has Inade
quate Protection.
Chicago rimes-Herald.
Tho action of Thomas A. Edison, the
famous Inventor, in allowing seven of his
patents upon electric devices to expire
without making any attempt to secure re
newals Is a matter of considerable Interest
to the mechanical and scientific world,
and suggests that the action of the Popu
lists in demanding the abolition of all pat
ents may after all have been pervaded by
moro sanity than appeared on the sur
face. Millions of dollars were made out of
these patents by the corporations that
have operated upon the Edison systems
while they were under the protection of
letters patent Issued by the Government.
These inventions now become public prop
erty, and anyone who chooses to embifrk
In the enterprise may derive a proflt from
the Inventive genius and labor of the
wizard of Menlo Park.
The reasons assigned by Mr. Edison for
his disinclination to apply for further Gov
ernmental protection from Infringement?
must attract the serious attention of In
ventors and legislators. It Is well known
that Mr. Edison, from long and costly ex
perience, does not place a high value upon
the Government's guaranty against in
fringement as embodied In letters patent.
He has expended thousands of dollars In
defending the products of his Inventive
skill and laborious experimentation only
to find In many1 Instances that the In
fringers succeeded In enriching them
selves from his Invention while he was
waiting upon the slow and tedious pro
ccras of the courts
Mr. Edison fought In the courts of this
country for fourteen years and Spent one
million dollars trying to establish his
claims to the little Incandescent lamp,
although his claims had been "protected"
by letters patent from the patent offlre.
At tbe expiration of the 14 years there
were but three years "?eft for the patent
to live. Speaking of the Impotency of our
patent system Mr. Edison said:
"An inventor has no show these days.
The moment he Invents something that is
an epoch mark in the world of commerce
or acienco there are pirates, who "spr.ng
up on all sides to contest his rights to his
Ideas. The"e pirates can readily get mil
lions at their back. They go to the courts
and enjoin the inventor from using h's
own creation. The Inventor always gets
the worst of It In the courts, even though
he may hold In his hard the patent from
the United States Government."
The inventor is entitled to full protec
tion of his Ideas and devices against in
fringement, and if the present laws are
Inadequate they shoud bo strengthened.
It may be necessary to make suit for In
fringement a criminal instead of a civil
action. It Is not easy to differentiate be
tween the theft of a man's Invention and
the theft of his money. The people aro
not prepared to assent to the Populist
idea that patents create monopolies and
therefore should be abolished.
French Manners.
Atlantic
I have just been studying a Petit Guide
de Savior Tlvre. published In Paris In
1SSS. According to the Petit Guide, when
monsieur meets a lady he must not only
"raise- his hat above hi? head with ara
3ftr--t'urc N V Distance
JtkJ Tk and run
J Mm M K I
KF ll AH H
PORTLAND, SPOKANE, SEATTLE, TACOMA
half extended without stiffness, awkward
ness, or affectation." but he must even
have his calculating wits about him to
"make the gesture more or less deliberate
according to the quality of the lady.'"
I wonder what happens when Madams
Moyenne counts the seconds of the
cbnpeau's elevation and of Its periphery,
to find them to lack some seconds of the
coup Just bestowed upon Madame Mieux.
May I not guess that, as great oaks from
little acorns grow, much ot the. bubble
and squeak of ever-seotqing Paris may be
traced to feminine Jealousies and the coups
of French chapeaux? Says the Petit
Guide: "At present the fashion of the
3hake-hand is the subject of much study,
particularly for ladles. This ceremony
comprises three movements, although exe
cuted In one time: (L) Separate the right
elbow entirely from the body. (2.) Bend
the forearm sufficiently to raise the hand
to the level of the elbow. (3) At the
moment that the hands touch slightly ele
vate the right shoulder, accompanying the
movement by a delicate undulation of the
body, tho least hint of a shadow of a sus
picion of a reverence." This "reverence."
so delicately suggested. Is a work of art
In itself. It also has three movements In
one time: "(1.) Put the left foot a step
behind the right, bending the kneee and
sightly stooping. (2.) Draw the right
foot In line with the oth,er and slightly in
cline the body. (3.) Straighten one's self
gracefully from the backward position."
.
Japan's Antl-Smoklnsr "CaTr.
In Japan, a new law Just put into opera
tion forbids smoking by persons under 20
years old. and also for&ds the selling of
tobacco or other smoking material to
youths ot this age. Fines are provided fcr
the smoker and for whoever cells to him
the stuff. The law provides also for fining
the parents of such youthful smokers be
cause they did not teach their offspring
better habits.
That's, Different.
"Who Is that man who xs eternally talk
ing to you about the brevity of human
life? Is it the minister?"
"Ministry! That's an insurance agent."
Cleveland Plain Dealer.
.
No words of ours can foretell the benefit
you would derHe from Hood's Sarsapa
rllla. TRUTHS EASILY DIGESTED.
Coacerains a MetUod of Cut-Ins; Dyi
pepsin and Stomach Trouble.
Dyspepsia and Indigestion nre cons'dered
Incurable by many people who do not real
Ire the advance made in modern medical
science, and because b,y the old methods
and remedies a cure was rarely, if ever,
obtained.
Dyspepsia is now cured as readily as any
other disease.
What the dyspeptic wants Is abundant
nutrition, whlcho means plenty of good,
wholesome, well-cooked food and some
thing to assist the weak stomach to di
gest It. This is exactly the purpose for
which Stuart's Dyspepsia Tablets are
nrfantnl fTirt this Is the mpthod bv "Which
they cure the- worst caes of Dyspepsia; In J
other words, the patient eats plenty or
wholesome food, and Stuart's Dyspepsia
Tablets digest it for him. Ia this way tho
system Is nourished and the overworked
stomach rested, because the tablets will
digest the food whether the stomach
works or not. One of these tablets will
digest 3000 grains ol meat or eggs.
Tour druggist will tell you that Stuart's
Dyspepsia tablets is a rtmedy sold on its
merits, and is the purest, safest and
cheapest remedy sold for stomach
troubles, and every trial makes one more
friend for this excellent preparation.
THIS BADGE
Is an "emblem of
consideration" and
signifies the wear
er s Intention to
heip the Retail
Clerks and mer
chants to shorter
hour by making all
purchases before 6
P. Si
I
fe ? '
Both
Favorites
AND
a!I competitors
easy at that
1900 SHELBY IDEALS
$20,S25,$30
COMPANY
of the Dental Chair
TETST1I EXTRACrrED AND FILLED AEJO-.
"Ci"CTEI.Y "WITHOUT PAIN, by our lata scien-.
tlflc method applied to tho gums. No slesp
producing menta or cocaine.
Tbesa aro th only dental parlors in Iort
land havlnc PATENTED APPLIANCES and,
Inrredlents to. extract, fill and apply cold
crowns and porcelain crowns undetectable
from, natural teeth, and warranted tor 19
yetra. WITHOUT THE LEAST PAIN. Full
it of teoth. $5, a perfect flt guaranteed or no
pay. Gold crowns, S3. Gold filllnxs, SI. SUv-r
fllUnse. Wc. All work done by GRADUATE
DENTISTS of frcn 12 to 20 years experience.,
and tach department in charge of a specialist..
Glva us a call, and you Trill find us to do cx
actly as wo advertise. We will tell you la ad-
vance exactly w-,at your work will cost by
FREE EXAMINATION.
SET TEETH ?5.M
GOLD CROWNS $5.0O
GOLD KILLINGS ?7..0ft
SILVER FILLIAGS SO
NO PLATES
New York Denta! Parlorsj
Fourth and Morrison St., Portland t
HOUP.S. 8 TO 8: SUNDAYS. 10 TO 4.
Branch OfSce. 723 Market at.. San Francliru
The American Bicycle Company will fit
the Dunlop Tire to all the forty different
makes of bicycles manu-
Vto'uSSSJ factured by them. This
is a remarKaoie endorse
ment of the merits of the
Dunlop Tires. All tho
better class of wheels
will be fitted with Dun
lop Tires. They aro
hand made and cost
more to make, and em
body the results ol twelv
THAD2 SAJUC
years' experience in tire making.
Boddet af any dealer er of ux.
The American Dunlop Tire Co.!
Bcfievlllo, N. J. Chicago. III.
Dumap Tires are made for Automobile,
Carriages and Bicycles.
Distributors for Portland:
MITCHELL. LEWIS & STAYER CO.
GRATEFUL COMrOrUINO
Distinguished Everywhere
For
Delicacy of Flavor.
Superiority In Quality.
Grateful and Comforting
to the Nervous or Dyspeptic.
Nutritive Qualities Unrivalled.
Your Grocer and Storekeeper Sell It
Is iUlf-PoanJ Tins only.
Ffcjwrtd by JAKES EPPS i CO., Iti
eiwcof athic Cbeslsts. 1334)3,
Enjlafli ".
BREAKFAST SUPPElt
1 PiciSc Cgi Acctls. SberwtJ i Staml
Mrm SL&m JP
USE O'JNLQF TIRES.