EUGENE CITY GUARD. la 1 VAHFJIKLIj. . lrprleUr, EUGENE CITY. OREGON. 4frii-.MII I'uliM Oil. An interesting rt'K)i-l conn from the governor of tlm irold coust on the palm oil industry of the went coast of Africa, says The Kew Bulletin. In cultivating the palm ripe nuts fare scattered over tho ground, well ruked, and are then lightly covered with earth. The plunting take place in the ruioy settsoii. When Hie young shoots have prown ahout a foot they are carefully removed in the cvoving and transplanted nt least fifteen feet apurt The tree grow luxuriantly and hours most abundantly ut a height of from ten to twelve feci in damp, semi marshy soil. Tlio supply of uuts fit for use in biennial, und tlio most abundant lupply of commercial oil it obtained from the nuts during the rainy season. Tho bunches of nuts are cut down and pluccd in a heap in tho air, where they remain for a week or ten days. Tho joints of the nuts are thus weakened by dcconixsitioii and they can be detached by nimply beat ing them against any suWaiice. When the mil urn collected those with a hard, unyielding pulp are pluccd in u hole about four feet deep, which is lined with plantain leaves and with pulm leaven and earth. They are allowed to remain for periods vury ing between three weeks and three months, until a certain decomposition has taken place, so that when removed the pulp is soft, and appears as if it Jiud been boiled. Hie nuts are now ut in a trough mailo by digging a nlnin the crouiid and paving it with rouirh stones. Hero they are pounded with wooden pestles until the pulp is quite removed from the surfuco of the hard nut. Tho whole is then removed from the trough, put in a heap, and the stones taken out, leaving Die oily fibrous pulp, which is nut into a pot with a small quantity of water, under good (ire, and well stirred until the oil begins to melt out. Tho pulp is then put into a rough net, opened at both ends, to which are utuichcd two or three short sticks, by turning which in opposite directions tho oil is squeez ed out. The longer tho nuts are under ground the thicker tho oil and the worso the quality. This alouo accounts for the dilfcrnnt qualities of oil ex ported from different places along the coast. Other methods are employed to produce tho oil for homo consump tion, but that hero described is the mode usual in tho production of the palm oil of commerce. A Iloyal llunapart. In an interesting paper on Friuco Jerome, in Tho Westminster Review, Frank T. Luwrcnco directs attention to a curious point, which, if ever the question of a Bonupurtist restoration should be seriously entertained which, to be sure, does not seem very probable would not Ihi without sig nificance it is this: If tho princo, or even his descendants, should ever at tain power, Boiinpurtism would ap pear in un entirely new guiso, for through his mother ho belongs to the royal caste, a distinction which neither the Hint Napoleon nor Napoleon III could claim, llu it as "wellborn" (us those who take delight in this kind of dynuKlic law are wont to express) us auy sovereign in Europe, and there is Erobubly no reigning family to which e Is not related. As his great grandmother was a lister of Uoorgolll, lie is second cousin once removed to tjuccn Victoria, and shares all her ancestry save that through Queen Charlotte and tho duchess of Kent. Ho has, says Mr. Lawrence, "as much of tho blood of Plantagcuet, Tudor and Stuurt in his viens as tho queen has in hers," and in respect of tho lust heiscxcclled by his children, who, through their mother, are uesccnueu ironi i.nurica 1, through his daughter Henrietta, duch ess of Orleans, whilo our reigning house can claim descent only through a daughter or James 1. 1 mice Napo leon is descended from George 1 in three distinct lines, one of them being through Georgo 11 and Frederic, Prince of Wak. Ntw Fm fur th Phonograph. An interesting physiological experi ment was uinilo at the Edison house, the headquarters of tho Edison Phono graph company in Europe, last week. i)r. L. White, of Hurley street, bus a patient who has a defect in his speech of a most singular character. Tho pa tiont, a lud of 10, and English by birth, is unable to scak his tiulivo language but a jargon which cannot be under stood: many doctors liavo examiuod him, but could not exactly diugnoso the causo of tho phenomenon, und it was questionable whether tho lud poke thesnmo thing twice in tho same way, and tho only way to discover whether ho did so or not was to get him to speak to tho phonograph. '1 lie lad, in the presence of several gentlemen, was asked tostieuk tho Lord's prayer and the alphabet. Several cylinders wore made iu this way, and when a comparison was instituted between tho various phonograms, it was found thut there was no variation in tho spo keu words and that it was quito possi ble for tho lungungo which tho boy speaks to be understood by simply learning tho various sounds. Tho pho nograms will bo exhibited before vari ous societies in this country, and it is Just possible a now disease bus been liscovercd. Pull Mull Gazette. John Chinaman' Comfortable Attlra. "A Cliinuman is not pretty to look at, and his clothes do not lit him like the traditional paper on tho wall, but I think his attiro tlio most comfortable in tlio world," savs a dross reformer. "To begin with,1' ho resumed, "tho Chinamuu wears a soft, low crowned folt hat, with a wide brim to protect his eyes. Ho wears but a single- baud round the neck, or two at the most. Have you ever counted up what we wearf No I Well, tlgure it now. The undershirt bund one, a possible chost protector is two, a shirt bund is three, a collar is four, a necktie is five, a vest collar is six. acont collar is seven, an overcoat collar is eight and a neck scarf sometimes makes the total nine nine bands around the neck. What a. chance for perspiration I Yrs, the Chinaman's rig is more comfortable." Th "Hnulin boost a." Tht "KreuUer Sonata" wm Introduced to tht general publio by ToUtoi'i little I book of that Dame. Joseph Maiuart, who baa been professor of the rloliu in the Paris conservatory sine 1W3, waa a pupil of KreuUer, who conipoaed the touata. Afaaaart died a abort time ago. Ills moat distinguished pnpU perhaps was Wienl awakt 1 FRACTIONAL CURRENCY. Million That llt Never liimn lUdeemed. taut About Counterfeit, "Say, uro these any good?" inquired a timid looking young man of Voor keeper Braly ut tho sub-treasury the other day, as he exposed to view a half dozen pieces of rugged, dirty paper. A clow inspection revealed that they were fractional paper currency or "shin plasters," such us played so im portant a partus a circulating medium before the resumption of specio pay ment Tho young man was directed to the smull change room, where It. U. Half took the soiled and crumpled bits iu his hands, smoothed them out with tho hasty touch of an expert, singled out one of tho pieces and turned oround to a bit of wood that looked like a small butcher's block, and struck on it the selected piece of paper a whack with a steel instrument. Then turning to tho young inun, ho replied: "Theso five are good, but that one is counterfeit." As ho sjwke ho handed back tho spurious noU) paiier, and across the face was the word "counterfeit," cut clean and cleur. The steel instrument with which ho hud struck the paper was a sharp stencil die thut cut the tell talu word so clearly that it could never bo effaced, uud tho veriest fool could see that it was worthless. "Do you want theso redeemed?" con tinued Mr. Half, us he pointed to the live grinfy slips on tho marble coun ter. "Yes, sir, if you please," stammered the youth, as he eyed with surprise and fear tho mutilated piece returned to him. Mr. Half put twobriglit sil ver dollars und a silver quarter on tho counter, which tho boy picked up in a hurry us though he was afraid they would be taken back ugaiu. "Do you get much of that old frac tional currency now?" was asked of Mr. Half us the boy went out. "No," ho replied, "wo get very lit tle now, not more than $2,500 a year. Tho amount coming in for redemption is growing less and less every year. It used to come in hero by the bushel busketful. But for many years now it has only coiuo in in driblets. We seldom get as much ut a timo as that young man just brought in." "Then it lias most ull been redeem ed, has it?" "No, indeed, and what is more, a very lurgo amount will never bo re deemed. There is now outstanding of tho old fractional pupcr currcucy something like $15,000,000. And of this it is estimated thut not more than $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 will ever come iu now." "But where is the rest and why will it not come iu for redemption?" "A great deal of it has been worn out by the wear and tcur of twonty odd years of usago. Any quantity of it has been burned up in tho many Ores that have occurred sinco tho timo it was issued, und in numerous other ways it has been lost and destroyed. Then there are some other people who hold ull they can get to use in sending smull amounts by mail, (hiding it very handy for that purpose. Then, too, tho old currency w now so scare that peoplo keep tho occasional pieces thut como to hand as curiosities or pocket pieces. A greut inuny coin collectors liavo crisp, unworn specimens of it in their collections. Ouo wealthy gen tlcuuin iu this city I know curries in his pocketbook, wrapped up with tho greatest euro, four cleur. bright speci mens, a lifty, a twenty five, a ten and a live cent piece Ho says it was tho llrst money he over earned. . It wus mi ill to him in theso identicul nieces. brand now from tho press, and ho bus preserved them ever sinco for luck. I iln not lielinra roil could buv them from him for $1,000 each. Ho calls them his reserve capital, und if ho ever loses tho million or more ho is now reputed to bo worth ho will havo his mnoty conu reserve to tall pack on." A good deal of tho fractional cur rency that comes into tho sub treasury for redemption turns out to bo counter feit, aud tho moment it comes into the bunds of tho money changers of that institution, no mutter who hands it in. it is hurried to tho block uud branded with tho stencil cutting die. T hoy ask no permission, but just go aud doit Tho sumo rulo is followed, too, in the rotunda where tho bills of larger de nominations como in. Sometimes men got very nngry when their hud bills dro bunded buck to them mutilated in such a mnnncr thut they cunuot bo used. A fow dnys ago the South Ferry company sent up to the sub-treasury a bundle of tho fructionul currency, re- Jircsouling about $100. It had been liseovored buck of a partition in the old ferry house, where it had either been stowed awuv or misplaced and was found when tlio old building was torn down to muko room for tho new structure Mr. Hull shuttled through tho pile, and not only pronouncedit ull counterfeit but discovered that soma of it had been brought to tho sub-treusury at least twenty years ago, us the marks of the old stamps used us long ago as that to mark counterfeit paper money wus still plainly visible on them. Each piece was subjected to tho cutting process, and will probably not bo presented uguiu for redemption. All tho fractional piqr currency that is redeemed ut tho sub-treasury is sent to tho treasury ut Washington, where it is placed in tho crenmtory and burned up, uud ull that is left is u sediment of slug, a single. jMiund of which may represent $100,000; tho balunee lloats olf us smoko and gas. Now York Commercial Advertiser. An Aulmatetl flutter. One of tho most enthusiastic collect ors of rare books 1 ever knew was a young until now dead who was for a good ninny years employed us a clerk in one of the local railroad of Hoes. Ho was a frequent visitor at my store, and would spend hours ut u time rummaging around iu odd cor ners iu the hope of (hiding some liter ary curiosity hid away, and whenever he chanced upon some volume of more than ordinary interest his enthusiasm knew no bounds. His salary was small, and would not permit of his in dulging his tastes to uny great extent, but 1 wus always glad to see him come ill. it iiiuuu no uiucrviice iu me whether he made a purchase or not for he was of great benetit to me in a very peculiar way. You see, books especially old ones, will get covered . I, ...... I.. . .1 . II . ... .... ' wnn uust, ana nceu moving urouuu to prevent the accumulated dust from i injuring them seriously. The const 1 quence was that so long as he fre- ; queuted my store he helped, by hand-' ling the books and moving them about, to keep them clean. This may seem a little strange at llrst thought but you can readily see the logic of it Iuterriew in St Louis Globe Demo-! erst MULES FIND A MINI FRACTIOUS QUADRUPEDS KICK A TOWN INTO EXISTENCE. The Strange History and Situation et Creede, Colorado's New Mining Camp. A Place on Which the Inn Shine Only at Noon. ICoiiyrlg-ut, 1KB, by American Prow Aaaorla. Won.) MONO the moat vivid recollections of (hose who have roughed It on the frontier are those connected with tnules. Patient, sagacious, crotch ety, they some times assert their characteristics In a startling man ner, but It Is aufe In ear that none of these animals ever deserved to be re membered more than tbe two which, kick ing up their heels on a Colorado hillside not very long ago, suddenly displaced a uumber of small bowlders and revealed a tnuHs of mineral wealth that Is already a marvel la discovery. For years prospectors had delved with tilflr find ahnvid. hollKvlnir that to the rug- ged mountains of the region nature had concealed some or ber rlcnest treasures. Among them were two old miners, named X. C. Creede and O. L. Smith. The mules In question having performed their day's work bud been turned out to browse, but when morning came, with exasperating obstlnncr, they refused to return to camp. Coaxing being of no avail, the owners began to pelt them with rocks, and the mules re taliated In kind, oneof the bowlders kicked up by them accidentally striking Creeds on tbe bead. His first and natural exclama tion waa a word whose synonym Is sheol, but his companion at tbe same Instant wildly ejaculated, "Holy Moaesl" Ills ex tw.rli.nr.,! fvn hiiil rernirnlzed the character of the precious ammunition which tbe mules were hurling uses', it was want both men had been hungrily searching for years. As the story Is told, Creede forgot his pain in the exquisite enjoyment of the discovery. "Whatshall It bef'criod Smith, "Sheol or Holy Mosesf "Holy Moses!" responded Creede enthusiastically. "There Is no sheol about this." And there tbe fa mous mine was christened and the equally famous camp of Creede received Its name. This Incident occurred In May, IKK). A shaft was sunk, a fine vein of ore assay ing about eighty dollars to the ton was uncovered, a company or capitalists organ- 'Hi A MININO CAMP 8ALOOX. ised the "Holy Moses" company and as th news spread men rushed in from all parts. Mine after mine bus developed tu the nelghl)orhood since that time, aud the es timated product for IW Is upward of $3,0U0,0U0. A railroad now opens Into tha canyon and tho camp Is lighted by elec tricity. Uuriug the winter the mercury frequently fulls from 30 to 40 degs. below sero, and until high noon a ray of sunlight never enters the gulch, which is 1,'AK) feet deep, the towering walls being scant sixty feet apart. Under such conditions build ings nro crowded together In the wildest possible fashion. They hang on the moun tain sides and are dumped anywhere that may suit the whim of the speculator or squntter. Of course in such a community the Indi vidual is a law unto himself, nud the only title to whut be may own is that of posses sion. There is a population of 10,000 fever ish people, sixty-five saloons do business night and day, every man is a walking arsenal and ready to "shoot at the drop of a bat" and reckless adventurers, regard less of human life, await tha opportunity to better themselves. Ouly a few Sundays ago a missionary, Rev. Mr. Gaston, of Ouray, Colo., hoping to Influence tbe spiritual life of the settlers, dropped into one of the principal saloons of Creede aud asked permission to talk to the crowd for fifteen minutes. It waa the largest barroom In tbe place and always crowded, but the faro dealers promptly va cated their chairs and the preacher niount- lu'l, ofmck or tub noi.r uosks mink. ed an Improvised platform. Turning th leaves of the Uible, he took for his text, "If a man dies, (hall he live agalnr" Th 300 men within the sound of his vole promptly answered, "Not in Creede." Th incident is homely, but It Illustrates fron tier life. A description of one pf these mining ramp saloons answers for all. It is about fifty feet lung and say twenty feet wide, on story high, built of rough plank aud run by two or three men, either one of ; whom la ready with Winchester or revolver . to preserve p"ace, Uy day It Is utilized for j gambling purposes; by night, If there are ' enough woiri-n in the camp who ran sing aud dance, they are corralled and the place , Is turned into a show. The improvised stage will arcommodnte six or eight per-1 formers, the curtain is of cambric, the foot lights are kenuwne lamps, and the orches-1 tra cousins of any convenient instrument, ' from a couple of violins and banjos to an accordion and cornet. The "boxes" on each sldrof tbe singe arethe resting places of the female performers between the acta. where they dnuk with whoever chooses to "treat" The audience oonxista of men, nearly every one of whom wears a belt that bold a gun. ftirre or four years ago the writer vis ited a new mining camp with a number of Knglish tourists, who attracted general attention. After awhile a rough looking man approached and remarked: "Stran grrs, I reck'o you'd better git; 'taint no place for a tenderfoot. I'll go to th keers with you, and you must stay tharl" And rifle In hand, with characteristic frontier courtesy, be accompanied ns to our quar ters for the night. Later, w learned that a movement waa on foot to pick a quarrel with th party and to "clean as out." Census taking la the new localities r auin serve wba EaertAwta wm lit ml L .:: ii it. 'jjr ifUl tle mora tnau a oihm of teuia, mud buts and plauk sbantles, an officlul entered a gambling booth occupied by perhaps fifty miners. The flrt to whom he applied met blin with an oath and jun-ping to bis feet, revolver In band, refused to answer and ordered bitn from the place. The official, a nervy young western man, as quickly bad bis own weapon ready, and as be stood breast to breast with the red shlrted out law, covering blm with bis pistol, quickly said, "I know you One Eyed Dick, but I've got th drop; sit down and don't be a fool; It's my business to get answers from every man In this tent, and I'm going to do It." Dick looked at him, dropped his revolver, and seizing the census taker by the hand, exclaimed, "Well, you're a good on. I 'A.'PS ''V'i-' ill!-' te 7. i 1.- ' 1 S" .'1 il"-. mm A CLlMPSK OF CHKEDE CANYOS. cave; git on with your writin." From that moment the two men were fast friends and Dick proved cue of tha most efficient agents of the government. When In January, 1H4", James W. Marshall found a few grains of gold in the sluiceway of a mill near Captain Sutter's fort In California, be was practically the first person to set In motion the mlglrty forces that have since made slates snd changed the face of America from the Hocky mountains to the Pacific slope. Tbe discoveries of other gold mid silver deposits have been equally arcldetitul, mid they bave been followed by similar results. Tbe mine has given place to the camp, then the railroad, then the town and furnu The pioueer now takes with him the loco motive, telegraph, electric light, steam press and all tbe swift appliances of civil ization. In a little while a city stamps the country, luws are made, public opinion is created, social usages established and the character of the locality is substantially determined. This Is what Is going on In the new Colorado camp. After the wonderful tale from Sutter's mill was made public, thousands of per sons were delving on tbe river banks and among tbe hollows and caverns of tho val ley of the Sacramento. Tbe sails of all nntionswere spread toward the coasts of California. lawyers, clergymen, physi cians, merchants, mechanics, clerks and farmers left their occupations and hurried with basket and spade to the land tbat glittered. Whole towns of tents sprung up as if by magic, and the modern Kl Do rado was every night Illumined by the flames of thousands of fresh bivouacs. Ships were deserted In the harbor of San Francisco, the soldiers in the garrison of Monterey abandoned their muskets for the pickax and shovel and the necessaries of life commanded famine prices. Meh of all nations, from half naked Indians to sharp visaged Yankees, worked side by side; some In water, knee or waist deep, washing the soil in tin pans or the common cradle rocker and others grubbing under banks and among the roots of trees. Outrages were perpetrated, blood was shed, anil until tho vigilantes laid the founda tions of order anarchy prevailed. Tho whole story of the early settlement of California will never be told, but more or less in detail, it Is that of every mining camp. Vet, out of this struggle has grown a great state, great in Its agricultural, In dustrial and commercial resources and great as an example of what has been achieved by tbe bardy pioneer. F. G. pk Fontaine. Journalist, Reporter, Editor, At the recent annual dinner of the Pittsburg Press club, Georgo S. Wei Ebons (St. Geo.), one of the best known and wittiest newspaper men of tho Btato, got olf tho following in response to the toast "Tho Reporter:" "There nre three grand divisions," Mr. eislions said, 111 newspa)er wori journalists, reporters and edi tors, bjieaking more ueurately, there are three stages of development A journalist is a culf reporter, llo is a reporter in the miuiuturo tadpole stage, when his bead is so big that it takes all the rest of his person to shove it around. If lie is lucky, by nud by he becomes a reporter. A f ter a report er's legs wear out they muko an editor out of linn. Tlio Until staeof a frog, you know theextremo removal from tho Uul polo is the bullfrog, toostitT to jump, too old and tough to eat who just sits on tho bank und bellows. That is an editor. "In tho old days the editor called a man a chicken thief; nowadays the re porter 11 nds the feathers in his back yard. The weapon of the old time edi tor was the epithet; that of the modern reporter is tho evidence. What the editor used to assert the reporter now proves. , . "If the pooplo who complain of what tho reporter writes about them would only consider whut he does not writo about them, they would shrino him in the friendliest comer of their hearts. Tho waste baskets in a daily newspaper olllce of any town do more to keep its citizens in good repute than any other ajreuey, excepting the fear of tho law and tho hereafter. Not all that tho reporter writes is truth, llo is not infallible himself, and those who are the sources of his information are much loss so. There are very many men who cannot toll a straight story. There are others who do not try to. The man who tells tho story to the reporter is usually an interested party. llo has a purpose to servo in metamorphosing this or suppressing that Tho reporter bus no desire ex cept to get tlio truth accurately and completely, and to writo it quickly and eutertainingly. "All men do not love the reporter, and 1 am glad of it Tho fear and ha tred of bad men is ns a chaplet above his brow. It is tho assurance of his honesty to his badge of honor us a ser vunt of truth. If tho timo ever comes when all men love the reporter, it will be time to bury him. llo will have forgotten his mission, betrnved his trust and shamed tho noble fellowship of men who have mndo the white cross of the Pittsburg reporter the decoration 01 a legion of honor. Exchange. No ball catcher, no matter how export has been able to catch a ball thrown from the Washington monument. The monu mrnt is V5 feet In height, and a ball drop ped from Its summit acquires a velocity of S00 feet second just before It reaches the ground. The most enjoyable feature of th parrct Is Iu grotesque mimicry, utterly incapable of being explained. A fine pat rol will go on Imitating to the end of Its days. Id a few years It will be able to repeat so arton Miiug amount of chaff. . tallest tree tn the world are said to "i- 1 ue funi trees of Victoria. Anstralia. In iine districts they average 300 feet hL'h. Tbe longest prostrated one men ured 470 feet and eighty feat la girth near lb root. mm MltlTARY SUICIDES. ItatUtlM Keganllug tlie Snleldal Munle lilflrivnt Arniiea. One of the most unique of the mauy branches of the government service is the compilation of mortality statistics for the wur department llumun life, which the poet are wont to character ize as a brief "span of woe, or a "dreum of dicopiiointmeiit," or by aomo other term which gives it a char acter of intangible sadness, is taken as a cold fact; u basis of mathematical calculation. People nre born and dieuc cording to fixed numericul luws which can be determined by calculation. It Isn't a particularly ugreeable thought, but it is true, nevertheless, that wheu statisticians have perfected their calcu lations iu this line, und there is reason to expect that they will be perfected, a man will bo obliged to die by rule. Even if he commits suicide, bis de mise is UibuluUid among other cuses which show under whut circumstuncea self destruction is most likely to occur, and whut conditions are most condu cive to the suicidul epidemic that so frequently sweeps the country. During the fiscal year which ended in Juno, 1SS8, there were nineteen suicides in tho army, twelve in the in fantry service, six in tho cavalry and ouo 111 the artillery. This (fives a ra tio of only 72 lOOths in 1,000. Only one case wus that of un ollicer a lieu tenant of the infantry. The suicide ratio for various armies whoso reports were accessible wus as follows: Austria, 1.4'J; Prussia and Wurtemberg, .79; Great Britain, .43; Italv, 43; t rance, .31; Belgium, .38. This illustrates the fact often com mented on, that tho phlegmatic Ger man, with his ponderous philosophic intellect, is remarkubly prone to end his own existence. On the other hand tho mercurial Frenchman bears up un der the ills wo havo, and presents next to the best record iu tho lot Of the cases referred to iu tho United Slates army, one man selected drown ing us his mode of exit two preferred poison, one cut his throat, one severed the radial arteries, and fourteen shot themselves. Morbid desx)iulency was the cause in two cases, suicidul mania in one, jealousy iu two, losses by gam bling in two, excessive drinking in ten, und 110 cause could bo unsigned in two. Tho statistician does not stop hero. IIo goes on to show that tho nges were 25 yours in one case, 27 in two, 2$ in one, 30 in one, 31 in three, 35 111 two, 38 iu two, 40 in two, 41 in one, 41 in one, and hi three cases the uges were not stated. Tho month showing tho greatest number of suicides (six) was Novem ber. Three occurred in February, two each in January, March, April, Au gust and September, and none 111 the remaining months of the year. In addition to the foregoing there were two attempted suicides without fatal results. From theso facts the suicidal ton dencv is strongest during tho winter. On tfio other band homicides nro most frequent during warm weather, the cuses being far more numerous during summer than ut uny other timo of tho year. The record referred to ubove is but for ono year, of courso, selected at ran dom, but tho vuriiition from year to yeur is not especially marked. It has been a pet idea of American lovers of statistical research to tabulate tho facts relating to mortality for the whole United States, but tho scheme presents mauy obstacles owing to the difficulty in getting accurate information. It bus been demonstrated that the highest death rate is for children under 10 years of ago. Tho causes of death vary from year to year. The great difficulty in making cor reel calculations of this kind arises from the inaccuracy, unavoidable to a great extent in taking tho census. In stead of there being a natural sequence of conditions from year to year, there are enormous jumps iu figures. The census, for instance, will show thut there are 7,000 people alive at 19 years of nge, 12,000 at 20 and then drops to 8,000 ut 21, when in the natural course of things there should bo a gradual in crease. This, it is said, results from tho carelessness of people iu giving their uges. Tho tendency in this country is to count the nge by decades only. Peo ple often ignorant of their exact ages will, when asked, now old they are, reply indilTercntly in round numbers. If a man has passed 30 years he will give his ago ut 30 without troubling himself to remember the odd years. Forty-live years will be tho next stop ping place. Of courso these facts hold rood nminlr anion? neonloof limited education, out there are enough of these to very seriously disturb the cal culations of mortality experts. A life tiblo is a hereulunean mathe matical elfort, und its practical valuo after it has been prepared is limited, except with insurance companies. Statisticians are desirous of preparing a table of this kind for the city of Washington. It would be an inter esting study, but probably of little practical nso, except to show just when children are most likely to die, and therefore require the greatest caro. Sufficient duta could bo obtained from the health office for a complete work of this kind. Washington Post A Famous Collection. In Professor Edward S. Morse's fa mous collection of Jannneso pottery, which has been shipped from Salem to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, there are more than 4,000 different specimcus, embracing many of rare beauty, aud the collection comprises the largest and flnest ceramic art 111 Ja panas far as it can be shown in fai ence und hard pottery believed to ex ist in tho world. Tho accumulation is the result of years of patient search, and fifty-two provinces in Japan are represented in the various departments of the collection. In many cases the development in the manufacture of pottery in each trovince is shown chronologically. This grand collec tion is a monument to that indefaUga bio industry of Professor Morse with which hundreds of his friends in Maine i so well acquainted. Lewiston Journal. Th Locomotive or the Future. The fast, run of a train on the New York Central railroad between Xew York and Buffalo, when tbe distance of 400 miles wo made In X minutes, has excited much attention, and practical men have given time to speculations as to how much this would be exceeded In the near future. Mr. A. N. Forney, after an examination of the j problem, does not think that with steam power 100 miles an hour will ever he muin-1 tained for any great distance. Theodore ' V Lly, on the other hand, takes a mora I hopeful view, and believes tbat by com-1 pounding the use of steam such an end may scm tlm be reached. It is likely, however, that with tbe roadbeds of the ' present onr locomotive of today go quit a fart a it I aaf for them to do. 1 It It fctui ""n' M,",t, ArliMlly MMI. On a bright morning in May, 1887, I left Angers for Nantes, the metpo lis of Brittuny, writes Louis Frechette in "yhe Arena. As I wus ubout to lake the train, u friend, who had come to Kto mo oir. said with a parting hand shake; "By the by, before you get to Ancenis there is a station culled Chumptoco. As tho cars pull up look to the right and you will sco theruiusof an old chuteau. Take them in well they are the reiniiius of Bluebeard's castle." "Bluebeard's castlef What Blue beurd do you mean f" Surelv there is onlv one Per reault's Bluebeard, Offenbach's Blue beard." "Did he ever live?" "Certainly, in flesh and bones, as you and I, with this difference thut he was a hard cose to begin with, and a murshul of Franco, into the bur gain." "Rcully? Whut was his name?" "Gilles de Rett, a descendant of one of the oldest families in Europe. Ilia enreer was most extraordinary." The name was not unknown to me. I hud read of it in the chronicles iu which is bunded down to us the mar vclous story of tho Maid of Orleans. But what could be the connection bo tween it and the bloodthirsty hero of Perreault's celebrated tule? Tlits question suggested itself to my mind us the train loire meat full speed over the waving hills that border the Loire, and from one thought to an other 1 found mvself unconsciously rehearsing the different scenes, phases and catastrophes of the childish drama which grandmothers tako such do light in presenting to their little gap ing and shuddering audiences. I could see tho youthful bride, led on by curiosity, creep tremblingly, clutching tho little gold key, to the fa tal door, open it noiselessly, utter a cry of horror, and drop fainting at the sight of the bloody bodies hung in a row. Then the sudden return of the an gry husband to the castle, his fury on seeing the little gold key soiled with blood, his brandishing of the deadly sword, with the infuriated cries of "Prepare to die, madame!" I could hear the pitiful tones of the poor victim, during the short respite granted her. as she called to her sister perched on the tower: "Ann, sister Ann, seest thou 110 one come?" And tbe la mentable reply. "No, I sco nothing but the shining sun on the dusty road I And at last came the sigh of relief of yore, as I fancied I could hear from afar off the sounding upproach of the galloping rescuers. Tho vision haunted me till we reached Champtoce, where, sure enough, I saw on tho right, as my friend directed, about a quurter of a mile off, the jagged form of a lofty mediieval tower which roso about a heap of ruins and a clump of stunted oaks, casting against the heavens its vast and somber outline. This was Gilesde Ketz's castle, Blue beard's home. Or rather it was one of his castles, for he had many, the wholo surrounding country which bears his name (Pays do lictz) having once been his. Modern Hub) ion. It is usual for travelers to dwell on the utter desolation of Babylon, and to paint its site as u strip of dosert espe cially woebegone and unfertile. But the eloquent gentlemen who dwell upon this aspect of the place could not have seen it in early spring. The date groves and gardens along the Euphrates are then things of beauty in their fresh spring verdure, and the iiluin itself is laid down with crops, rrigatiou canals cross it here and there, and give trouble to the horse men. No grass grows upon the mounds, and there uro patches of tho level white with the niter which is to be found here us in other parts of Mesopotamia; but the surface of the soil is on the whole green and pleasant to the eye. The glad waters of the river flow in the bright morning sun shine with palm and mulberry hang ing over its banks, drinking in sap and lifo. Tbe great city which counted its population by millions and tilled the world with a renown not yet forgot ten, has disappeared under the dust of twenty centuries; but nature is as fresh and loctind as when Babylon was still unbuilt Birds sing overhead in the pleasant spring air; butterflies flutter about in search, of flowers; balmy odors regale the sense. It is therefore difficult to feel as one per haps ought for the great capital which once cumbered this ground. Nature does not mourn for it, and it is hard to be sad at the bidding of sentiment when bright spring hides its graves. Noah's Su inlay Times. Underground Voyage Near lloaton. Many parties have voyaged in the tunnel, underground, from Newton to the reservoir at Chestnut Hill, a dis tance of four miles, and the journey is an exciting and novel one. The water is about two feet deep, and the current runs about two miles an hour. Twenty millions of gallons in twenty-four hours is the usual supply. Manholes are placed nt intervals along the main and a descent into one of them was mado by the writer. A ladder leads down to a temporary landing of boards placed across the tunnel, through which the water glides noiselessly. The place was like a dungeon, and the light which the manhole admitted from above was speedily lost in the pitchy darkness which pervades the conduit The boats which are used in the rum mer time to convey parties of explor ers from point to point are provided with torches fixed in the stern and bow of the bout to light the way. The cur rent carries the boat along, and poles are used to guide the progresst There is also a remarkable echo here, and a stamp of the foot upon the boards evokes thunderousexplosionsof sound that boom and boom like distant can non, as the sound rebounds from the manhole along the main. One of the party sang a few notes and the sound was multiplied into a choir of mysteri ous voices, the effect being indescrib ably weird. Albany Express. River Lights. There are some 750 lik'hta on the coast of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, 130 on the Pacific coast and some 280 00 onr! treat lakes. The 1,600 inexpensive ligbuj on our western rivers have revolutionized steamboat navigation, making it as aafe to ' ran by night as by day. These river light consist simply of a lantern fixed to a post, and costing about ten dollars each, whihv ' It coats on the average not more tbao tlM a year each to maintain them. Harper's Young Popl. I Bom Georg Moor, In Engll,, D Br, Hon a Uet of Mi, Ponad,, Muny are the stories still tj , commercial travelers about Geor Moore, the celebrated EuglUI, mer's determination to get order, p would not be denied, sayi Rum,.f Smiles. If refused at first, ne to all sorts of expedients until he Z teeded. uo On one occasion he sold his cloth. nS his back to get an order. A ten cious draper iu a Lnncuahire town r! fused to deal with him. Tliedranw was quite satisfied with tho Brm. tC supplied him, aud he would make no change. Thisbcoumo known anions the commercial travelers ut the hotel and ono of them mude a bet of flv pounds with George Moore that h would not obtain an order. Georgo set out aguin. The dranr saw him entering the shop and erLi out, "All full I ull full, fir. Moor I told you so before I" "Never mind," said Georgo, "you won't object to a crack." "Oh, nol" said the draper. Thcv cracked about munv things, and then Georgo Moore, culling tlij draper's uttention to a new coat which ho wore, asked whut he thought of it "It's a capital coat," said the draper, "Yes, first rate; mude iu the besj style by a llrst rate London tailor." The draper looked at it aguin, and again udmired it "Why," said Georgo, "you are ex. actly my size; it's quito new; I'll Ki it you." "What's the price?" "Twenty-live shillings." "Whut? That's very cheap." "Yes, it's a greut bargain." "Then I'll buy it," said tho draper. Georgo went back to his hotel, donned another suit and sent the "greut bargain" to tho drajier. Georga calling uguin, the draper offered to par him. "No, no," said George, "I'll book it; you've opened an account" ' Mr. Moore had sold the coat at a loss, but he was recouped by the live pound bet which he won, and ho obtained an order beside. The draper afterwardi became ono of his best customers. On another occasion a draper at Newcastle-upon-Tyne was called upon mauy tunes without any result. U wus ulwuys "full." In fact, he had no intention of opening an uccount with the new firm. Mr. Moore got to know that he was fond of a particular kind of snuff Rappee, with a touch of Beg gar's Brown in it lie provided himself with a box in Loudon, aud had it filled with the snuff. When at Newcastle ho called upon tho draper, but was met as usual with tho remark: "Quito full; quite full, sir." "Well," said Mr. Moore, "I scarcely expected an order, but I called upon you for a reference:" "Oh, by all means." In the courso of conversation Georw pulled out his snuff box, took a pinch, and returned it to his pocket After a short interval ho took it out again, took another pinch, and said, "I sup pose rou are not guilty of this bad habit?" "Sometimes." said the draper. Georgo handed him the box. He took a pinch with zest aud said, through tho snuff, "Well, that's very finel" George had him now. Ho said, "Let me present you with the box; 1 have plenty more." The draper accepted tho box. No order was asked; but the ucxt time George called upon him he got his first oi-dor. aud the draper long con tinued to be one of his customers. Yankee Blado. Lucky and Unlucky Duyi. It was deemed highly important among the old Anglo-baxous that s child should bo born on a lucky day, upon which his wbolonfterlifowas sup posed to denond, for, iu their opinion, each day had its peculiar influence upon the destiny of tho youngster. Thus tho first day of tho new moon was preferred to all others for the ar rival of the little stranger. A child born when tbe moon b new Will surely live past eighty-two, they would chant to themselves, and be happy with tho thought Tho sec ond day was not so lucky as tho first The child born on that day would grow fast, but not live long. If bom on the fourth day of tho moon, it would be a great politician; if on tli tenth, a great traveler; if on the twenty-first, the chances were that it would boa thief or a highwayman. But of all tho days of the week or mouth tha most lucky by far was Sunday, and should such day happen to be a new moon day, tho child's prosperity was destined to be unbounded. Iriday was a most unlucky birthday, notoiily because it was tho day of the cruci fixion of Christ, but because, accord ing to old time calculations, it was be lieved by the Anglo-Saxons to have been the day upon which Adam ate the forbidden fruit Iu this connec tion it may be interesting to mention that the Khurds and the Armenians be lieve that Adam was expelled from Paradise on Friday, and that the be ginning of the flood was tho same day. St Louis Republic. Th Electrle Candle Care. A subscriber at Bryan, 0., sends the following dialogue that ho overheard in the street: "Howdy do, howdy do?" "Oh, fairtomiddlin'; folks ali well, but I have got a touch of rheumatii. "Oh. you can get rid of thut; I had it so bad I couldn't raise my hand to tike a chaw terbaccer, but it's gone now." "Whut did you take for it?" "Waal, when thcv put up them 'lectric lights, 1 got one of their cau dles they had dropped aud carry it w my pocket You know 'lectricity j good for medicine. Waal, there 'iiourU 'lectricity left in tho candle wheu they put them out will soak inter you, and that knocks it out every time. Jest try it" "I will; where can I get onej" "I've got a couple; takeone," "Much obliged: I'll cive 1 chance." Electrical World. As Elegoiit Opportunity. Th late Dra. Gage and Burton, of Hart ford, were both genial and fun loving clergy men, and when the two met there wai wavi a delightful paasaK of wit, as the 1 lowing anecdote illustrates: One of Gage lecture had proved to be less attrac tive than tbe other, and on it mnii?ey tition Ithad become a "chestnut" vA not "draw;" many left. When Dr. Gag V relating to Dr. Burton his experience "lt burglar be aaid: "Whv, doctor. 1 bad a own flat on his back-1 held him &er, , touldnt moT.au inch r "What a Ple opportunity," retorted Dr. Burton, was Oag, to hare delivered to htm T0" lecture oa Palectta." BosSe Journal.