THE SUNDAY OBEGONIAN, POE1JLAND, JUNE U, JL900.
COMIC ART, PAST AND PRESENT
Fun-Makers and Satirists of Pen and Brush,' from Egyptian
Times Down to tje Days of Du M'aurfcr and
Charles Dana Gibson.
YcJi is the older of human emotions?
Did man first weep or laugh? 'The pes
simist, would .answer that hev wept lor
sorrow at being created; the cynic would
oay that he laughed at the absurdity of It
alL
However, so far as the nations have er- ,
jjrtsea inuxnsct.ca m an, murine- um
toars seem to bo about equally ancient.
Tfte Egyptians, Greeks and Romans may
not have had a Punch, Life, Puck, Flle
gende blatter, or Journal Pour Hire, but
their frescoes and statues show they had
a keen sense of the ridiculous, at times
healthy, at other degenerate.
It has been the. same through all ajes.
"With modern nations as with the ancients,
comic art has. In certain epochs, become
ribald. There I5 another curious slmllar-i
Ity between the comic ant of all as In
the subjects, mado Jest of. The mother-in-law
figures In the most ancient frescoes,
and in. the, latest number of "Puck which
I have now before me, bays Gustav Kobbe
In tbe Chautauquan. Then, as now, it
was also the province of the comic artist
to ridicule public men. politics, the foi
bles of women. Egyptian comic art, es
pecially, directed Its shaft at the last.
Gavarol the discoverer of Lea Four
bourlcs de Femmesl Evolution In comic
art? Has there really been an evolution?
An Egyptian Caricature.
5T6s. but In manner and workmanship
rather than In matter.
The ancient draughtsman was mare
direct, broader and coarser than the comic
artist of today. But by today I do not
mean the modern era or even this cen
tury as a whole, but a more limited period.
For in its highest -expression, comic art
now Is refined and beautiful It being the
scene, the situation, or the .subject which J
amuses; not the grotesqueness of the fig
ures or the coarseness of the suggestion.
Antiquity may have had Hogarths, or
even Nasts and Kepplera; but It required
the 19th century to produce a Du Maurler
or a Gibson.
Anlmnls as Men.
The most ancient expressions of comic
art represent animals performing oCiees
usualy assigned to human beings. Draw
ings of this kind have been found In an
cient Egyptian remains and In Pompeii.
To a certainextent this fashion in comic
art exists to this day. A certain Ameri
can political party is still symbolized by
its opponents by means of the picture, of
a donkey, and It Is still a common cari
caturist's trick to put heads of well
known politicians upon animal bodies.
An early Egyptian drawing shows a
Won seated on a throno receiving from a
fox, which Is Impennatsing- a high
priest, an offering of a gocse and a fan.
Egyptian scholars have suggested that
tWs probably Is a burlesque upon some
weCi-known coremonial picture of the day.
An ass and a Hon s-nging, whHe accom
panying themselves upon a phorminx and
a harp. Is another Egyptian caricature.
Can It be a hit at ancient representations
of opera, or a possible shot at the encore
nuisance?
During tho excavations at Pompeii the
buildings supposed to have been the bar
racks of the Roman garrison were found
covered with caricatures. But very few
Greek caricatures have come down to us.
IC SiELL 'W' M f Tti j A
5 ssfid - y(j
mw
iJ&Ttt im "& .4 2HEA w
Rex Lndortcns. Lndovicns Rex.
Caricature of Louis XIV. By Thackeray.
In the middle ages most of the comic
art scorns to have been put, curiously
enough, into church ornamentation; and
it is remarkable to find In the most ven-
orations. In one of the great cathedrals
or Jiuropo tncsti so transcended the bounds
of decency, as now defined, thac in spite
of their value as art rtiHcs they have been
destroyed by the church authorities.
EnKlinhmnn' Idea of an Iriahnmii.
On soma English parohments dat-ng
from six or soven centuries ago a number
of caricatures, evidently drawn by tho
record clerks for -their amusement, have
boon discovered. One of these Is the Eng
lishman's idea of an Irishraan.and dates
The Brains of ihc Tammany ICins
By N'aat, in Harper's "WceUly, JS7L J
- .
from 12K. The caricaituros of the. period i
of the Rformat.on were mostly reiigious '
and are aimed at Luther, tho Pope, acd J
other- leaders on both sides. Tho Puritan
period, too. has it distinct caricatures.
jnosuy or a rengrous order There are.
ire. '
Lih"
lap-
however, several of another kind, thou
they are applicable to the troublous hap
penlngs of the times.
The attempt of Charles II to enlist the
al of tho Soots and ro placo himself,
through them, upon the throne of Eng
land, .is amusingly satirized in a carica
ttfi"? ?? the TCar & to" which the Kms
Is representod -with his xvose to a grind
stone whioh a Bcotcaaied Jockey !s turn
ing: "I. Jockcr, turns the stone of all your plots.
For non -ttura faster than tbe turno-cout
Scots."
Uorarth bni trivrri ifc nwn namft io his
period. tne Hojrarthlaa. But to do full
justice to tne arust wouki require a dckjz-
John Law's South Sea Bubble was one
of the first objects of his satire, and in
the long series of pictures which he drew,
almost cvory social and political folblo
and vice of tbe day is ruibjeswij held up
to scorn.
During the French Revolution many
caricatures were produced by French
artists
Earliest American Example.
The early examples of comic art in this
country are rare. One does not usually
associate Benjamin Fran kiln's name with
art, yet ho was the first American car
icaturist or comic artist. In 1754 he de
vised the picture of a snake severed into
eight pieces, representing as many colo
nies. Out of the serpent's mouth issued
a scroll calling upon the polonies to unite,
fight and conquer. The tftle of the draw
ing was "John or Die." In ln6 this de
vice became a common heading for news
papers and handbills.
We inclined to believe that lack of re
spect for public men is something mod
ern, and most of us no doubt believe that
George "Washington lived, hedged in by
an air of sanctity in the eyes of his fel
low citizen.. Yet le did not escape severe-
political attacks, and even charges
of corrupt motives; and the lampoonist's,
pencil war. often sharpened to be used
against him. "When he came to New York
to be inaugurated as first President of
the United State a caricature appeared
entitled "The Entry." It represented
"Washington riding upon an as?, and held
In the arms of his valet, while Colonel Da
vid Humphreys, his aid and secretary,
led the ass, staging meanwhile:
The glorious time has come to pass
When Da-, id thall conduct an ass.
The appearance In politics of a man
of such robust personality as Andrew
Jackson was a signal for such activity
as the cartoonists of this country had
never known before. Like most of tho
American caricatures mentioned, those of
the Jacksonlan period were in sheets to
be nailed upon walls or handed around.
They bear distinct evidence In their
workmanship of having been inspired by
the originators of the political cartoon
in England, James Gillray and John,
Doyle. GUlray had occasionally given tHo
correct likeness of the person aimed at
la the cartoon. Doyle made this his In-
variable practice and he was followed
by his American imitators. Thus aside
from whatever clement of humor they
may possess tho American political car
toons are valuable as portraiture.
Uncle Sam.
Several of the best Jackson cartoons
arc said to be the work of an English
artist, B. W. Clay. One of the earliest
cartoons la which Uncle Sam appears In
a shape somewhat resembling the pres
ent popular conception of his looks Is
entitled "The Mustang Team." Fre
mont's sorry nag, xistride which are
three of the great editors of the day,
Greeley. Bennett and Raymond, is ap
proaching the Union tollgate. There
stands Uncle Sam very much as he Is
now. but minus his beard. This was one
of the cartoons relating to the campaign
of 13G.
In all these American cartoons loops
Issuing from the lips of the person satlr-'
Ized represent him as saying character
istic things, and this, .although most of
t tho cartoons are graphic enough to tell
their own story. But it was found that
without loops they did not take so well
with the public. The fashion went out
In England long before It did here. So
did the issue of cartoons in separato
sheets as posters or handbills.
The death-knell of the separate poster
was struck in England with the founding
of Punch in 1S4L Since that time the
best products of English comic art. both
political and social, as represented by the
younger Doyle, Leech. Tenniei and Du
Maurler. have appeared in the pages of
that periodical, which, surprising- as the
statement may seem, is to me, though
an American, the best comic publication
I know of. Its humor, its satire, goes
to the very root of social and political
sham; and if it is not as direct and im
mediate as tho wit of our American comic
periodicals, this lies in the fact that it
is deeper,. Beautiful as are the drawings
of Charles Dana Gibson and in his line
he has no peer the subjects of the Punch
drawings usually strike far stronger
blows at some social foible which needs
reforming.
Why Don't Yon Take Itf
The separate cartoon did not go out
of existence in this country until con
siderably later than in England. Its pop
ularity began to decrease when, espe
cially in the beginning of the Civil "War.
cartoons were Introduced Into the illus
trated weeklies.
Yet one of the most popular cartoons
of the early days of the Civil War was
Frank Beard's sheet. "Why Don't You
Take It?" The bulldog is guarding a cut
of prire beef labeled "Washington"
(meaning the city), bags of money, bar
rels of flour, corn and mess heef, and a
cannon represents General Scott. But the
picture explains Itself.
Harper's Weekly took; the lead in the
introduction of political cartoons In illus
trated newspapers. Whether it was the
very firs, illustrated newspaper la Amer
ica, to print these is neither here nor there.
Its commanding position as the founder
of -a new feature In-illustrated journalism
is due to the fame achieved by the car
toons of Its chief contributor, Thomas
Na::. There is a certain rough vigor
about Nast's work which made it. es
pecially effective, particularly when, after
the Civil War, be directed his powers as
a cartoonist "against the Tweed ring. The
cartoons drawn by him at this time are
masterpieces of pictorial invective.
About tho time when comic art in
America seemed to have settled down
into a well-worn rut, a wholly new note
was "'given it hy Joseph Keppler an artist-actor
from Vienna, the founder of
Puck. la 1S7S he began to draw on-stone
and t,o tin; hi? cartoons, and front this
a
smaij beginning he devoloped the skill
In producing political, social and religious
satires In color, which lookt-d over even
today, when they have lost the element of
timeliness, are still striking tor their point
and vigor. Puck developed a small army
of comic artists, and may also be said
to have developed Judge.
Charles Sana Glliaon.
Still another new note was struck in
American comic art with the founding of
Life, wbleh comes nearer Punch than
any other American periodical. It is,
however, unjust to compare Life with any
thing. It is sal generis. "When it was
first issued one of the other comic publi
cations qulzzingly asked: "Is Life worth
living?" The paper has answered that
question for itself.
If it had done nothing more than
produce Charles Dana Gibson, who is not
only tbe originator of a new style of
drawing in comic art, but who through
his drawing has actually originated a
new and healthier type, of American girl
and man, tbe- public would still owe it
a debt of gratitude.
Du Maurler and Gibson are- tho greatest
comic artists that have ever, lived. Their
Do we see so much of
drawings while pointing a satire, are val
uable In themselves for their extreme
boauty. Moreover, they are morally Ir
reproachable. This, then. Is the point to which the evo
lution of comic art has brought us. From
tho often-ribald expression of the ancients,
which continued with some modification
through succeeding ages to the present,
wo have reached in the two artists Just
named the highest expression of comic art
wit without racrific of beauty. It la
difficult to imagine the future having bet
ter In store for us. There may be imi
tations, but hardly Improvements.
MAY ASTONISH YOU.
Bnt aiillc and Water May Be Made to
Change Glasnea.
A pretty bit of scientific recreation
which comes In handily after dinner U
sometimes called by the high-sounding
title of "The Revenge of the Danladcs."
in allusion to the daughters of Danaus.
who, as a punishment for their crimes,
were condemned to forever draw water
with leaky vessels. In giving directions
for performing the operation, the Phila
delphia Inquirer says:
"Fill completely two glasses of exactly
the same else and shape, one with water,
the other with milk. Stretch over tho
mouth of the glass containing the water
a circular covering of tulle, or other thin
goods, previously moistened. Now smooth
the lapping over tulle as closely to the
glass as possible, and holding the palm
of the right hand "squarely on the .mouth
of this glass, seize the stem with the left
and turn it quickly upside down, avoid
ing the entrance of air.
"Next, slide the right hand softly away
from underneath, and, much to your as
tonishment, the tulle will remain stick
ing to the glass, while not a drop of water
will fall out, through that exceedingly
leaky tissue. Place your full, but not
dripping, glass of water turned upside
down, over the full glass of milk, and you
will soon see little jets of white Hqu d
penetrating tho tulle In every direction.
It Is the milk, progressively mounting the
superior glass, which in the same pro
portion, yields water to the lower glass in
the opposite direction.
"At the end of about a quarter of an
hour the exchange will be complete, and
you will see the water glass filled with
pure, transparent water, while the upper
one will be full of white milk."
Would Snve Time.
"Tom" HIggins. says the Lewiston Jour
nal, used to have a place up at the head
of Lisbon street, where the tiger lashed
his talL The sounds therein were the
mellow rustle of the cards, the voice of
the dealer saying: "How many will you
have, gentlemen?" and the forcible ejac
ulations of the party who failed to "fill. '
One night all the tables were occupied.
There was a rap at the door. HIggins,
with his quiet Indifference to things that
did not interest him, paid no attention to
tho rapping. But the man outside was
Impatient. He kept knocking.
At last HIggins went to the door, and,
without unlocking it, he cried:
"Who are you and what do you wantr
"I am Sorand-So, and I want to get
In and play."
The man was a notorious loser. "Tom"
A Splendid Spread. By
looked around at the group In the room.
Then he turned to the door and raid to
the man outside:
"Shove 3our money under the door and
go away. Ahat will saye ycu time and
trouble."
Never before in the history of the United
States has there been such a geat de
mand for watches of all kinds.
nm tMHf imi
IMAY MINE IK SIBERIA I
BUT MATY, RESTRICTIONS ARE UC-i
POSED BT GOVERNMENT.
Ilovr Concession May Be Obtained is
Work Beyond BeUrinjr Sea Serae,
of the Requirement.
"WASHINGTON, June IS. The gold dis
covery at Cape Nome and the subsequent
r developments of that vast field have led
I to many inquiries as to how concessions
can be secured for mining on the opposite
Greener, at Vladivostock, has sent to the J
(State Department, under recent cate, a
report in which he gives some valuable ln
1 formation en thi3 timely topic,, saying, in
I part:
I "Either the announcement of the oon-
cessions to -Messrs. Emery and Clarkroa
"IN SOCIETY" BY C. D. GIBSON.
old ago and jouth because the mlddle-ared men
or the stories emanating from travelers In
Siberia have caused many Inquiries to
be sent to this agency, as to the chances
for mining In this locality. These Inquiries
eomft from flanp JCame. the Klondike and
J the Pacific Coast generally, and in most
cases could be answered only at St. Peters
' burg. It Is true the Imperial Govern
' ment Invites all foreign capital to enter
t-lts territory for mining or manufactur
( lng purposes; but restrictions are severe.
. To land on the soil of the maritime, prov
f Ince and proceed on one's own account
might subject the prospector to murder
or robbery on the part of wandering con
victs or hostile natives. The Government
also exercises strict espionage in matters
of passports, permits, etc., and there Is
a high tax on melting and conveyance
1 from the mine to the Government ofilce.
"The following paragraph has appeared
In American newspapers:
f "From Tort Arthur this roramfr (1S39) sev
eral Americana hae cone Into Manchuria to
prospect for sold, and, ay the Russian Govern
ment advances money to bona fide miners, and
bujs the entire output of the sold mine?, there
is somedcsrec of stability In the venture.
"Nothing could be more misleading
than such statements. The Russian Gov
ernment docs not yet profess to own
MfisPa ." ;mpi
Things One Would Rather Have Ex
pressed Otiierivlse.
Family Doctor (to--the 'Squire) Thanks for
your cheque. 'Squire! But. my dear sir. It's
for too much far in excess of what I should
haic charted! I can only hope I shall ha-e
an opportunity of working1 it off! Du Maurler,
In Punch. 1S9I.
Manchuria. It advances no money to
miners or manufacturers of any kind,
except to those coming within the scope
of its administrative poller. It docs
assist immigrants after they have ar
rived, but does not pay their way. It
buys the output of all mines, on broad
grounds or governmental policy, as it
controls mining business of whatever
character. But this fact would afford lit
tle 'stability to the venture of any
American who came to Manchuria or the
Maritime Province to engage in mining
without a special permit, or a Russian
partner, or a good supply of capital and
abundant machinery.
"In this connection it should te hon
Crulkahank, 1850.
estly said, without any disparagement to
the future of Siberia, that it is no special
place for Americans. Those who came
here 23 or 20 years ago did well, but all
had either Russian partners or married
Russians and identified themselves with
the country. Of those who have come
within a decade, only one is an independ
ent business man, and his success came
from a Russian partnership. The others
7 9vp'BT ZJ8s: il Mt-Mlsr
' 3 Vjr . '-ai
are in subordinate positions, earning sal
aries about" On a par with what they
would earn in the United States. Siberia
Is no more "a field for Americans than
it is for Germans, Dan-s or Swedes; In
deed, not so much. Most of the young
foreigners have a speaking knowledge of
one or more languages besides their own.
The .best chance for Americans here Is in
tho Jlnc of mechanical work. A well
equipped machine shop, with competent
American artisans and specialists in cer
tain Industries, would do well In Siberia;
but "no American without capital or spe
cial skill in his own trade has any busi
ness here.
"VUcrc Mlnlnp la Permitted.
'-Throughout all Siberia; private indi
viduals may engage in, working aurifer
ous gravels on all lands, irrespective of
their ownership, whether belonging to
tho domain of -the empire or even to the
cabinet of His Imperial Majesty. The
mining districts of the Altals and of
Nertchinsk are exceptions to this rule. A
list of places where private Individuals
may work placers even in these districts
may be found in paragraph 417, mining
code. Besides the places there mentioned.
have something better to do?
tho basins of the rivers Kadrin, Choul,
Argont and Kafoun were thrown open to
private gold-mining industry in 1834. In
this province, the seaboard or maritime,
the regulations may be modified In cases
where modifications may be deemed in
dispensable on account of special local
conditions. This holds good also of the
Amur Province. Two special permits have
already been granted, one to Mr. Enoch
Emery, doing business for years in the
Amur, and one to Mr. David M. Clark
son, ot tho Maritime Province, both
Americans.
"These special privileges are unique,
and not likely to be obtained easily. Their
greatest value, indeed. Is the removal of
certain restrictions which have hitherto
prevented a foreigner from enjoying
equal privileges with Russians in these
two provinces
"Private persons may prospect and
work gold reefs In all places where placer
"Riggings are permitted, except In the dis
tricts of the Altais and ot Nertchinsk,
which are the private property of His
Imperial Majesty. If veins are discovered
In the "pochva" (bedrock) of placer al
ready being worked, owners are permitted
to mine them within the legal boundaries
of their concessions.
"Temporary permits are granted to pri
vate persons to conduct mining operations
on the domain of the cabinet of the Czar
until the workings are exhausted
"Holders of placer conceslsons may work
veins discovered on their claims without
special permit or the payment of a spe
cial tax, provided notice be given to the
proper authorities.
"Persons of any condition or nationality
(Russian or foreign) who are in the en
joyment of full civil rights may work
auriferous deposits.
Froipectlna: In Siberia.
"To acquire the right to prospect for
fii-her alluvial or quartz gold, all persons
or companies must procure a special per
mit on stamped paper Iseued by the De
partment of Mines. Permits contain no
time limitations and are not transferable.
A declaration In writing must be made
to the Police Department of the Iocal'ty
where operations are proposed. The local
ity must be designated, as well as names
of men belonglr-g to the prospecting p-irty,
the date the expedition is to set out, and
the place of departure. The passport and
papers of each person must be accurately
set forth. The cost of advertising the
permit in the local press must be paid.
In free territory, prospectors are entitled,
so far as "placer mining Is concerned, to
occupy an area ot five versts (3.3 miles) in
length, and In breadth the width of the
valley In which operations are conducted;
in quartz mining, to an area within a radi
us of one verst (0.6C3 mile) from a post
bearing the date when prospecting began,
and the name of the Individual company.
After the post Is set up, the right to pros
pect connue3 as long as the party stay3
on the tract so marked out. Should the
ground be found sufficiently rich to be
worthy of 'a request for a location,' at
least two shafts must be sunk, demon
strating the presence of gold, and 'loca
tion posts' In place of the 'prospectinff
posts' must be set up.
"When a deposit is ascertained to bo
capable of being worked, a declaration of
the fact must be made at the office of the
ohief of police In tho disrrict where the
discovery Is made. One copy of the dec
laration must be sent by the applicant for
the location, within three months, without
fail, to the chief office of mines, for pub
lication In the local press; another copy
goca to the District Engineer, to be re
corded In the register of applications for
concessions. The copy sent to the chief
office must be accompanied by a sum suffi
cient to pay expense of publication in the
local press.
How to Procure a Concession.
"Tho District Engineer takes note erf the
copies of the declaration sent to him.
He passes upon these meeting the require
ments of the law and grants locutions ac
cording to the requests of the claimants.
"There allotments of land (otvcdi) take
place in the Spring. Summer and Autumn
and must be made jfery a special comm's
sicmer of locations (otvodchik) within a
period of two years from the 2ate of tho
District Engineer's grant. In Eastern,
as well as Western, Siberia, the total
length of a placer allotment must not ex
ceed fivo versts (3.3 miles) in length, cal
culated from the 'indicator's posts;' in
breadth, it may comprise the whole val
ley to the extent of 230 sagesat. (Note.
Springs and rivulets flawing Into the river
from either side must not be annexed to
the concession, even if they have not been
already allotted to previous conces3lon
rles. beyond a distance of 2S0 sagecs
172) feet f rem their point of junction with,
the river.) An allotment granted for a
gold-bearing vein may be of any dimen
sions, provided" its area does not exceed
one cquare verht and the breadth Is at
least a third of its length.
"Tfae same- individual and company can-
rot receive two. adjacent conceeeions;
after onet allotment has been obtslncd, a
second cannot be granted except 'at a
distance of at least five vers (3.3 miles)
from Ae first. Holders of adjacent lots,
however, are permitted to associate tnera
selves into companies after the conces-aior-s
have been granted. By arrangement
with the local authorities. operat,ors can,
in addition, obtain a concession of lard in
the vicinity en which to erect their plant,
subject to payment of a special rent. As
soon as the location has been staked out
and surveyed by the special comrrtssioner,
In t3ie manner prescribed by ths regu'a
Uono, his notes, together vrlth tne pjang
and a statement of the area of thj lot, aic
sept to the District Engineer, who for
wards them to the chief mlnirg office.
The papers are here verified Mid con-
rtin 2ZL r' lhc war against foreigners that now
the concessionary revives from the mln- 6ecfts to have b ... the 3,,.
L?e SJJS Kthi.?nt; Ac- To the Chinese mind, the Idea of a
with the notes of tho otvodchik. certified raUvfay u abhorrent, for it suggests inno-
oMwKSrl?,!L :UW tlon, revolution, disturbance of old
? JSSSfh t V-!?8 "nt1 Ideas customs, and the entrance ot
2.89 acres) is parable upon delivery of the j outsJde Dbar!an3 that i0Telsncre,
piacs FThe rest of the world had enjoyed rail-
Locatien of Ktninic Imk. by Public , ways for two generations and mora before
Anctlon. j-Chinese conservatism would allow, a spade
"Where there Is failure to comply with f of sacred soil to be turned for an ex-
the regulations for prospecting and mak-
ing declarations, applicants forfeit their
right to the concession, and the domain
or the cabinet of His Imperial Majesty
again resumes possess of tho land. In Uko
manner, should a concessionary decline to
utilize the allotment granted, or should
ho fall to acknowledge within two years
the receipt thereof, the lot Is restored to
the domain. This is also true If taxes and
fees are not paid.
"Each year, between February 1-14 and
15-2S. lots reverting to She domains aro
put up at auction at the office of mines.
The auotion ia by sealed tender. Where
two or more bids are equal, lots are drawn
to determine ownership. Concnor.s not
sold are put up for auction ag-iin-the fol
lowing year.
"After the request for location has been
granted, the land may be cleared, the pre
liminary work undertaken, a more mi
nute examination may be made, and actu
al w ork begun as soon as the documen
tary concession is In hand. Methods aro ;
left wholly to the operator. Work must
be carried on without danger to the health ' Charles II r.nd the Scotch Prc-ibj -or
life of the workmen Residues which 1 terinnv 1GT.1.
still contain gold (efell) must not be
mixed with tho waste earth or 'torf 1
.or Pat)- I has been given to enterprises contemplat-
After the mine Is exhausted, the op- ' mg thousands of miles of railway m va-
eraior muse return tno uceds ot the con- ri0Us parts of the kingdom. But now tho
cession to the district engineer. Buildings j railway seems to be the center of at
must be removed within a period of six ' tack, and the first outbreak 6f mob vio
mpnths. In Siberia. Umber required for , ience Is seen in the destruction ot part of
use in me wordings may De taxen irom
thc Imperial lands free of charge, except
when special or local prohibitions have
been made by Governor-General or local
councils. (Paragraphs 512-532 regulate the
use of water in the mines.)
Land Taxes and Does on the Output.
"The Russian mining code has two kinds
of tax: Land due3, calculated pro rata
on the superficial area of the lot, payable
from the date when the deeds granting
the concession were received; due for the
current year on December 31, and subject
In case of non-payment to the addition
of a fine of 10 per cent. Taxes In kind,
based upon the amount of pure metal
(gold or sOver) extracted and deducted In
the laboratories.
"In addition to the land dues and tax
por pood (36.112 pounds), there Is charged
for tho transportation of gold to St.
Petersburg: From Ikrutsk. 46 rubles
($23 9) per pood; from Tomsk. 33 rubles
($16 99). The conveyance of gold In sealed
sacks frcm the mines to the district office
of the mmlng police and thence to the
i Department of Mines is at the expense of
tne rolneowner. in tnts province (Marl
time), the charge Is 1E0 rubles ($7T 25) per
pood.
"Tho operator must boar the cost of
molting down the gold. Tho fee, by tho
new regulation of February 3, 1S97, ia uni
form 42.315 rubles ($21 79) per pood of
pure gold.
"Such a tax per pood, at "best, when it
exceeds a certain rate (say, 3 to 5 per
cent). Is without doubt detrimental to
tho development of the gold-qnining in
dustry, at least by outsiders; for it obliges
tho operator to confine hlmseJ-f to deposits
sufficiently rich to enable hm to pay
this- duty before meeting his own ex
penses. "It Is possible this tax. which has no
equivalent ia mining laws of other great
gold-producing countries, may be abolish
ed or lessened in the reforms In the mln-
"Why Don't Yon Tafce
Ing code which are about to be introduced
by tho Imperial Government."
She Fonnd It.
Leslie's Weekly.
A little girl of 3 or 6 years, with big blue
eyes that were full of tears. ca,me to
Bellevue Hospital, New York, the other
day. She carried a cat In her arms. The
cat had been wounded by a street-car, and
one leg was badly mangled.
At the gate the girl told Tom, the big
policeman, that the cat was hurt.
"I want a doctor to help it," she said.
Tom took her to the receiving ward,
where there was a doctor who had noth
ing else to do.
"Kf re's a case, doc." said the policeman.
"I ain't a" the doctor began. Then ho '
saw the girl's eyes. "Let me see," he con
tinued. "Pretty bad." was the doctor's comment.
Then he got some knives, a little bottle of
Found on the "Wall of the Garrison
Quartern, Pompeii.
chloroform, and some bandages. "You must
help me," he said to the girL
She aided bravely, though it made her
very pale to see tho sharp knives ampu
tating the les. In a few minutes It vols
all over and the cat was partly recovering
from the anaesthetic
"Now you can take your kitty home
with you," tho doctor said.
"It ain't mine," the grl saldi "I des
found it. Now 00 take care of it. Dood-
bye," The policeman and the doctor made j
the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty t
to Animals,
Jf F" hum Ft"
- ualU
w D
THE CHINESE RAILWAYS
TROUBLES NOW OX ARE A SERIOUS
SET-BACK TO Til EM.
The Mllcnfce in Operation and tie
Nationality of the Controlling
Iuflaesce- Extensions.
It is to be feared that railway enter-
I prises as well as commercial undertak
Ings. from our own and other countries
pcrlmental road; but the locomotive at
last gained entrance, and an era of rail
way building seemed to have begun. With
in the past few years foreign capital has
been permitted to build several hundred
ml!e3 of steam road In North China, in
cluding a line connecting the Najlona
capital with the seacoast, and sanction
the rallw ay leading to Pekin.
The railway system of China at present
Is represented by the following-named
lines In operation:
Imperial Chinese Railway
English: Miles.
From the Port of Tien Tsln north to
Tekin 80
Tien Tsin easterly to Chenchou 2S7
Branch, Klao Chou to coast 10
Branch, Nuerrho to coal mlne3 10
Total 407
Lu Han Rah way
Belgian: From Fengtai. on the Tien Tsln line,
five miles from Pekin, to Pao Ting:
Fu 7S
Branch to Choukoutien 10
Grand total 4D5
The line from Tien Tsln east Is beinff
extended to Hsinmintum, 106 miles beyond
Chenchou, or 473 miles from Pekin, with
a branch under construction from Kao
pantze to Ylngkow, 95 miles. The main
line, it Is thought probable, will event
ually be extended 50 miles to Moukden,
where It will connect with the Manchurlarc
Railway, which Russia has built to bring
Its great Siberian Railway to Chinese
waters, but the present outbreak will
probably defer such connection unless It
may be forced upon China and uaed by a
hostile power.
The line between Tien Tsln and Pekin,
has already suffered mob violence, a con
siderable portion of Its track having been
I torn up. In order to protect their citizens
in the capital by sending troops, the six
nations England. France, Germany. Rus-
fsia. Japan and the United States have
undertaken to restore the railway, and it
Is probably agalrf in operation for military
purposes. Under present conditions, how
ever, the pioneer road Is not likely to be
a profitable property. It was built at a
cost of about 530,000 a mile. Including th
ItT" By FranJc Beard.
equipment, and the traffic thus far had
been productive.
American enterprise has undertaken tho
construction of a great railway intended
eventually to extend from Pekin south
to Hankau, "the Chicago of China," a
distance of nearly 800 miles, and thence
to Canton, making a line nearly 1600 milea
long, through the heart of China. Grad
ing has been nearly completed from Han
kau for GO miles and construction engines
have been received, but the prospects ot
the enterprise at present are not encour
aging. American manufacturers hivo
been entering the "open door" of China
with great energy, and with promising
results- The progress or suppression of
the anti-foreign movement In North Chi
na Is. of course, a question of vas,t im
portance to all trade Interests, and the
progress of events will be watched with
special concern by Americans.
How Dare She Faint f
"You are late, madam." -
"You said 1L"
"Yes, madam; but yesterday."
"My! how stupid! Did it matter?"
"It always matters with me, madam."
"I am sorry- I beg your pardon."
"It Is granted, madam. Slip this off,
please."
"The waist first?"
"Oh, certainly. There. Erect, please."
"How te that?"
"Better. Emlle, the pins."
"I'm sorry, now, you didn't let mo
have the other material. This looks"
"Tut, madam. This will be perfect when
It is completed."
"But"
"You must allow me to bo the judge,
madam. Your elbow, please."
"The sleeve seems- awkward."
"You do not know. Wait."
"Can I stand that so tight around my
neck?" v
"Certainly, madam. It Is necessary."
"I am afraid that color"
"Madam, you do not know. I am tne
judge."
"I think I am about to faint."
"How dare you, madam? Don't you a
that I am In a hurry?" Smart Set.
Fntal Oversight.
"Hum." remarkea St. Peter cautiously,
to the new arrival, "what claim have you
to admittance?"
"I I have here," began the applicant,
nervously feeling In his pocket, "some
Blamed It I didn't forget to bring those
pew rent receipts aloes-" Philadelphia
Inquirer.