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About Lincoln County leader. (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1900)
LINCOLN COUNTY LEADER CHA8. F. St ADA K. SOCLE, Pubs TOLEDO OREGON Others are bad enough, but a coffin trust is like working the idea to death. It is not the woman with the most gold In her teeth who lias the dearest smile. The boy who causes the most trouble doesn't always grow up to be the great est man. Considering what it lias got various folks into, that Chinese open door has eome of the qualities of a trap door. Mosquitoes, it is said, will not bite a lerson who takes sulphur into his sys tem. Making the air sulphurous in the vicinity where they work does no good. The New York woman who began the study of the Greek testament on her 100th birthday must have read of Cato and the enterprise of his eightieth year. These Chinese towns have perfectly ridiculously names. , Why can't they call themselves something sensible, tike Showhogau, for instance, or Punx sutawncy, or Caucomgamoe, or Kala mazoo? Inside of eighteen months every ele vated railway engine In New York will have been displaced by electric motors. How long will It be before the same thing will be true of every steam loco motive In the country? It Is reported that Joel Chandler Har ris has resigned his editorial position on the Atlanta Constitution because he wants more time to piny with his grandchildren, if the report is true, we ,4-ongratulate the grandchildren. What little reform gets Into Turkey usually slips In by the back door. Re port has It that the only dynamo now In Constantinople passed the custom house as a washing machine; and thus the feeling of the authorities were spared. The Delaware & Harltau Canal Com pany Is said to be mustering Its mules out of service, and harnessing up the automobile to do their work on the tow-path. If this sort of thing Is al lowed to go on till the beasts of burden and of draft nre let off from their pres ent tasks, the Society for the Preven tion of Cruelty to Animals will be tempted to relax Its vigilance. A short time ago Prof. Harry Thurs ton Peck made the statement that wo men had never taken part lu any gi gantic enterprise such as the construc tion of steamships, railroads, etc. Kvldeutly he had not heard of the na tive women of India, who make up a large proportion of the laborers In the department of public works. Em ployed all over India are women and girls, said to be quite as efficient as men, digging canals, making reser voirs, working on roadways and build ing railroads. Poison recently ended the life of a 20 year-old Connecticut woman who was not only remarkable lu herself, but also In the peculiar quality of hus band she possessed. It was while she was Indulging In her eighth consecu tive elopement with other men and the tcventh case of forgiveness on the part f her better half that the latest and finishing phase of her fate overtook her. There Is nothing lu the occur rence, however, to affect Connecticut's historic claim to being the Land of Steady Habits, for anything more titeady than her elopement practice and bis lu the way of pardoning Is rather bard to realize. lu the six ltocky Mouutaiu States of Colorado, Idaho, .Montana, Nebraska, I'tah and Wyoming, agriculture is largely dependent on Irrigation. The distribution of the water supply ts reg Hat til by law, and costs about one dol lar per acre. Nebraska and Wyoming have water commissioners, who re ceive all applications and determine all controversies. In I lie other four States there Is much litigation. Hut when the ranchman's water rights are once established, he thinks himself far more sure of regular crops than the farmer lu "the humid States." where there Is always liability of drouth or excessive rainfall, while he has the exact amount of moisture he needs Just when he wants It. and at no other time--unit always on tap. A couple of years ago x it old gcnth 11111 n who has great common sense re marked: "Don't wake up the Chinese. They can live on nothing; they can work for nothing; there are millions of them. If they once learn our system of manufacturing we cannot compete. Don't wake up the Chinese." It begins to look as If this statement were true with regard to military matters. The problem which the foreign powers have to solve Is an Intricate one. The Chinese lave been laylug In great stores of am munition, guns, etc. If their soldiers Art drilled lu modern tattles It would seem an Impossible task for the foreign powers to subdue them. ,.If China re mains a united empire the task will be Impossible. If it is split into several kingdoms, each independent of the oth er, there may be some chance for for eign powers to establish governments on a modern civilized basis.. The con sequences of "waking up" 350,000,000 people may be serious. Despite repeated and unquestionable proof of its poisonous nature, the sale of the cigarette is increasing. If it ia not to become a prolific cause of phys ical and moral degeneration, especially among the young, more efficient and more general means must be exerted against Its use. It is known to pro duce In children disorders of the nerv ous system ending in hopeless im becility. The insane asylums have had to open' a new column of statistics for Its victims. Its deleterious effects are not transitory, but easily and ineradic lly .become constitutional.. Many cor porations, especially those dealing with human life, tolerate among their ser vants no one who drinks Intoxicating liquor while on duty. The effects of the cigarette upon the brain are worse than the effects of alcohol. One great Chicago corporation has announced that it will carry on Its pay rolls no one who uses the cigarette. General opposition of this practical nature may check the sale of the poison. Moral and scientific protests have proven In effectual. That the remarkable growth of out door sports In the last twenty years Is the salvation of those who are unfor tunate enough to be handicapped by wealth and fettered by leisure Is ap parent to even the most casual ob server. A man does not need to be an athlete or a tenuis player or a wheel man to note the marked effect of these outdoor pastimes upon those whom stern necessity has not condemned to ordinary physical employments. Nei ther does one need a vivid Imagination to picture the condition of these classes If they were denied participation in outdoor sports. "Twenty years ago," says Casper Whitney, in the Indepen-. (lent, "the popular set at the various clubs consisted of those young men who sat In the windows with their feet on the railings and glasses by their sides. Now the glasses hae been ban ished and the young men of Influence are active in yachting, hunting, polo, foot ball." base-ball, rowing, golf, and so forth." This marked change for the better is not confined to the club world, however. It extends through out the whole 1'nlted States, and the result la seen lu the glorious physical development of the young men and women whom we meet everywhere. The wonderful physical hardihood of our soldiers, many of whom came from offices urn! stores, which excited so much comment during the war with Spain, Is attributed by Mr. Whitney to the growth among us or those outdoor sports which, strange as it may seem, have been fostered by the wealthy ami fashionable classes. It Is Mr. Whit ney's belief that the rise of outdoor sports is not a craze that will present ly subside and "leave us cooped up In doors again with our flannels and our grog and doctor's prescriptions." We are outdoors to stay. Our Anglo-Saxon instincts draw us toward tills stimula ting, muscle-building play. The ap parent subsidence of Interest In cer tain outdoor sports Is really the Indica tion of ii more rational enjoyment of It. One might get the Impression from looking about the streets that bicycling had declined. If you go Into the coun try, however, you will Mini that this Is not the case. The bicyclists have found that riding a wheel In the city Is nerve-racking, hazardous and un satisfactory, ami now they ride In the country. One of the good tilings that golf has done, says Mr. Whitney, lias been to provide outdoor amusement for people of middle age. Previous-to the advent of golf there was no outdoor game for them that could be properly characterized as sport. The craze fea ture has now gone out of golf and it has settled down as a "systenilzed con stitutional." Along with growth of sports among us there has also been a growth of the true sportsman feeling sport for sport's sake, ami not merely to win over a competitor. The grow ing tendency of Americans "to play the game for the sake of the game" is the most hopeful sign In the Held of outdoor sports In this country. Ilncterln as Purl tier. At the last meeting of the Society of American Bacteriologists Prof. Kinnl cut gave an account of the change of opiuloti now occurring lu England In favor of the purification of the sewage of cities by means of bacterial growth, disseminated through It, rather than by chemical treatment, as heretofore em ployed. The bacterial system, lie thought, offered the cheapest and most effective method of purifying the sew age so that It may be discharged Into rivers without polluting them. Spain to Have a Hotter Navy. The Queen ltegent of Spain has sign ed a decree ordering the sale of a large number of obsolete men-of-war and providing for the reorganization nnc' modernization of the other vessels. Speak but little and let that little bo the truth. 8AURIAMS ARE HUGE. AUSTRALIAN CROCODILES GROW TO IMMENSE SIZE. Possesses Enormous Strength and Are Things of 'terror to Fish and Animals Large Bullock Stands No Chance in Fighting One of Them. The crocodile of the Nile differs very little from that of the northern rivers of Australia, which is generally termed alligator," though in reality a true crocodile. The head of a true alligator is broader and shorter than that of the crocodile. There is also considerable difference in the teeth and their dispo sition in the jaws. The teeth of the alligator are unequal, and the larger of the lower canines enters a cavity in the upper jaw, while that of a crocodile simply tits Into a groove on the outside of the upper jaw, leaving the tooth clearly visible when the mouth of the monster is closed. There are also dif ferences in the webbing of the toes and the form of the legs, though to the gen eral observer there is little or no differ ence. Crocodiles seem equally at home In salt or fresh water, while alligators do hot appear to relish, and rarely visit, salt water. Crocodiles no doubt feed largely upon fish, but as they grow old er and stronger and require great quan tities of food, they will, when hungry, Attack uujluiiig from a sheep or a kan garoo to a bullock, a big crocodile mak ing short work of a bullock weighing over half a ton. Some crocodiles measure as much as twenty-seven feet in length and possess immense strength, besides wonderful cunning and patience. They will lie in watit at a watering place frequented by animals, hardly distinguishable from a log of wood, so still aud passive have they become. The unwary victim coming down to drink Is suddenly seized in the crocodile's huge jaws and drawn Into the water and drowned. At other times the tail is used to sweep the prey into deep water, where, even though it be a heavy bullock. It has little or no chance against Its enemy, which Is specially provided by nature with an arrangement that prevents the water rushing down its huge throat, even though the Jaws are fully distend ed through holding Its prey. Thus, after a few brief seconds the uuequal struggle Is over and the saurian takes the carcass in tow to some favored lo cality, where he can enjoy It at his leisure. Crocodiles at night time low and bel low Just like cattle, especially like bulls, and I have spent some nights In an open boat lu Cambridge Gulf, north western Australia, where the whole place seeuied to be alive with them, and what with their splashes and cries, the weirdness of the whole scene, and their close proximity as they at times rocked the boat, sleep was impossible, for there are several instances on record where crocodiles have taken or have at tempted to take men from out of camps and boats. A poor fellow named Keed, the mate or second mate of the Guluau, had gone in his vessel to some river in Carpentaria Gulf. The vessel was at anchor near the mouth of the river. The mate, Heed, had been dispatched In charge of a watering party, aud was some distance up the river in a large open boat. Water had been obtained, aud they were all ready for a return to the ship. All being made snug, the tired fellows turned In, having made their camp in the boat. The night was a very fine one, the moon shining brightly, when toward midnight the sleeping camp was aroused by some terrific shrieks. These were the cries of poor Heed, who, enveloped in his bsddlug and mosquito Curtains, was being borue off by a crocodile. It Is said by those who kuew hi m well a. id accompanied him on this and other pre vious trips that he had a habit of sleep ing with his foot on the gunwale of the boat, and no doubt this afforded the crocodile au easier opportunity of seiz ing him. The crocodile has a remarkable eye. It can arrange the pupil to a vertical or horizontal position at will to suit its requirements by day or ulght. It.has a special natural protection to the eye. and through a "duct" escapes the fluid when the "monster weeps. In fact, he Is a peculiar brute altogether, with many special gifts besides his huge Jaws that help to make of him. the terror that he Is. The crocodile lays a large number of egg's, which are re markably small for so large a reptile, being Just a shade larger than those of the domestic duck. Its nest Is a huge mound of long grass, leaves, reeds, flags and a kind of broad-lcafod grass, built to the height of four or five feet, with a circumference of from thirty to forty feet, and" always near water. The northern crocodile lays its eggs in Jan uary or February. Neither parent does any sitting. The eggs are deposited to the number of forty or fifty near the top 'of the mound, which looks just like an ordinary haycock. The rain and It rains at this time of the year every day and the hot sun create a great heat In the mound, which hatches the eggs. Sydney Mall. Carious Facts Atxnit Children. Am interesting paper by Dr. Macdon ald, of the Washington bureau of edu cation, discloses sjvae novel facts con cerning children that will cause general surprise. Children with long heads are not as bright as those with broad ones. Very long heads Indicate dullness, des pite the ancient saw, Bright'boys have, the advantage of dull boys in height and weight. White boys of American parents show more nervousness than their colored and foreign-born associ ates. White boys of non-laboring par ents have the poorest eyesight. Colored children have the best. Girls who at tend private schools are not as strong as girls of the public schools. G.irls as a general thing, however, can endure more pain than boys, but the boys are not as sensitive to petty annoyances. POOR PICKINGS OF AUTHORS. Cash Comes in Most Cases After Pub lisher Gets It in Hand. Iu a brief chat with one of our lead' lng booksellers the other day it was very curious to hear him speak in a purely commercial way of books which we have all read aud enjoyed, discuss ing the sales of this or that volume in the same way that a wholesale grocer or commission merchant would d'.scuss barrels of flour or bags of potatoes. Every now and then a rumor becomes current that some writer has received vast sums for his work. As a matter of fact, there is a certain regular per centage which is all that ever readies even the most successful. When any one who is not entirely unknown, and mny even, perhaps, a!i-adj lme some literary reputation, brings his man uscript to a publisher, the writer usual ly is given an advance ranging from $1,000 to $10,otK), the largest in recent years having been given to an English author within the past three months. When the novel Is finally published the writer will receive 15 per cent, of the actual selling price of each copy, in cluding the advance money, which on a book selling at $1.50 would amount to '22 cents for each copy sold. Let us suppose flu the author had received $10,000 it would be necessary for the publisher to sell about 22,000 copies be fore he got his money back, because It costs him about $1.05 to put the book on the market. Then for the next 22, 000 Issued he would make about 45 cents on each book, until the author's total royalties had equaled the advance copyright, at which point the publisher would again be obliged to pay the writer the 22 cents for each of- the books sold. It will be readily seen from the above figures that even the greatest selling books do not make their authors and publishers millionaires at one Jump. Of course, only a very few and fortunate of the many writers ever receive any advance on their copyrights, as no pub lishers are going to take the risk ef paying out money without feeling very certain that they will eventually get It back. Occasionally some well-written story remains imprinted' for a long time, but all publishing houses are eng. erly keeping watch for novelties and the possibility of discovering new au thors Is ever lu their thoughts; there fore when one hears young -writers complaining that they cannot get a hearing it Is safe to surmise that their wares are not of any value. Philadel phia North American. WHAT THE CHINESE EAT. Rice Is Not the Principal Diet of tnt Common People. It Is the popular belief iu this coun try that rice Is the chief diet of the lower classes of China. This is erro neous, for rice is a luxury from their point of view, because too costly foi every -day consumption. They eat much pork, which costs little for hogs of razor-back breed are plentiful every where, and the pig Is the domestic ani mal par excellence. She sleeps In the living room, recognizes her name aud displays iu her Intelligence the Inherit ed results of centuries of training. Sh Utters twice a year, aud of her offspring the inivles are fatteued while the fe males are sold or kept for breeding. The household porker Is a pet; she Is fed at every meal of the family, foraging for herself at other times In the streets aud fields. And It should be remem bered that the pig Is decidedly a clean animal when properly kept. Hew Dr. Williams, lu his "Middle Kingdom." says that the Chinese In the vicinity of Canton, from whom are re cruited nearly all of the pig-tailed Im migrants to this country, have a re markable appetite for cats. One fre quently sees pussies hanging, nicely dressed, In the butchers windows, the meat looking so white aud clean as to be almost appetizing. They are kept alive In the shops, too, lu cages ready for killing. Hecause they are so pro lific and find so much of their own food, they can be raised profitably. Cats' eyes are considered a great delicacy by the rich, those of black cats being re garded as choicest and commanding the highest price. Hats and mice are sel dom eaten, except In ease of famine; they are too hard to catch to be cheap. But among the Chinese there Is an old Joke about an Imaginary dih called "honey and squeak." made by Inclosing a live mouse In a piece of honeycomb. Giving a girl a musical education ofteu means only that she has an addi tional place to loaf-a music store where she "tries" new pieces. WHAT THE CHINESE WORSHIP. ' Their Religion Is a Mere Form, Their Deities Are Indefinite. The ouly religious worship the aver age Chinaman performs, aside from an cestral rites, is a prostration and an offering "to heaven and earth" on the first and fifteenth of each moon, or la some cases on the beginning of each uew year. No prayer is uttered, and after a time the offering is removed, and, as in other cases, eaten. What is it that at such times the Chi nese people worship? Sometimes they affirm that the object of worship is "heaven and earth." Sometimes they say that it is "heaven," aud again they call it "the Old Man of the Sky," (lato ti'icu yen). The latter term has led to an inference that the Chinese do have ft real perception of a personal deity. But when it is ascertained that this supposed "person" is frequently match ed by another called "Grandmother Earth" (ti mu nal nai) the correctness of the inference Is open to serious ques tion. The word "heaven" is, it is true, often used in the Chinese classics iu such a way as to convey the idea of personality and will. But It is like wise employed In a manner which sug gests very little of either. "Heaven is a principle" the vagueness of the term Is obvious. To this ambiguity in clas sical use corresponds the looseness of nuanlng given to It in every-day life. The Chinaman who has been worship ing hen yen upon being pressed to kuiv what he means by "heaven" will fre quently reply that It Is the blue ex panse above. Ills worship Is, there fore, in harmony with nature, either In dividually or collectively. His creed may be described inEruersouian phra ics as "one with the blowing clover and the falling rain." Iu other words, he is i pantheist. HIS FIRST FIRE ASSIGNMENT. Excuse of a New Reporter for Neglect ing Duty. "fay, hustle down to the stock yards right away," said the city editor to the new reporter. "There's a fire down i here. It may turn iuto something big, hut even if It doesn't we want a good little story on It anyhow." The new reporter shot out of the door, with perspiration starting at every pore. The fire did not turn out to be a great conflagration, so no more reporters were sent down to the yards to take crfre of it. The city editor de pended upon his new man for the story. But for some unaccountable reason the reporter failed to return to the office and the paper had to go to press with out the account of the fire. The next day about noon the new man strolled leisurely Into the office entirely unprepared for the thunder storm that broke over his head as soon s the city editor caught sight of him. "Say, what the dickens Is the matter with you anyhow?" said the editor. "Why didn't you write up that fire that 1 told you to?" "Why," gasped the youth, "there wasu't any use to write It up, every body was there and saw it." Chicago. Chronicle. Primitive Methods la Corea. Individual missionaries and mechan ics have trained Corea n carpenters in the use of American tools, but as a rule they prefer their old-style planes, which they draw toward them In plan lug, and like best to use their own saws, which necessitate the employ ment of two men sitting opposite each other on the ground aud operating the saw ou the stick or timber, which Is held lu place by the feet of the opera tors, lu spite of these apparently clumsy methods the Corean carpeuters do very fair work. Long-Kange Pliot ogra phy. Captain Geutilll, an Italian oflicei who has been experimenting iu long distance photography, has discovered s means of taking photographs at a dis tance of many miles. By this means it has been possible to photograph for tresses from a distance of eleven miles and masses of troops at a dlstauce of eighteen miles. Captain Gentilli's In vention is likely to become of consider able Importance from the military point of view. An Klement Instead of a Virtue. Sincerity is no single virtue to be classed with others and ranked above ami below them. It Is rather an ele ment running through character and life, as the sap runs through the tree, giving life and vigor to every branch and a tender beauty to every leaf and blossom. Let us cherish It as the deep, est principle of our hearts and the most vital element of our lives. Coinage of Gold Pieces. The 1'nlted States never coined gold pieces of a higher denomination than f'.'O. Some years ago a Jeweler at San Fra-iclsco struck gold pieces of the value of $50, but that was on private iccount. lteinarkably J,khI. "I saw the bishop sprinting for a car to-dny with a bag of golf clubs on his arm. Does he play a good game?" 'Oujul? Yon bet It's good! goody, good. Why, 'Pshaw: Is about his limits-Puck. With the waning of the honevmnnn ' the Ulisculdcd mnn Aa,.n,.r. ' ----- - u.vvt-ao IU kUW coming woman has arrived.
