' V
N r v
LINCOLN mm LEADER
RE COLLINS, Cdllor
r N HAYDEN. Manager
TOLEDO ....OREGON
Wonder who discovered the equator?
Too many a summer elopement
winds up In an autumn divorce court.
Why take doga on a polar dash,
when Wienerwursts occupy less space?
When marriage Is a failure, civiliza
tion may as well go Into bankruptcy.
Edward VII. has been king for seven
years, and he can't think of any job
he would rather have.
Incredulous persons, however, will
Insist that Dr. Cook exhibit a splinter
or some other souvenir.
Eighty-four per cent of the people
of the United States drink coffee. At
least they think they do.
The average woman seldom feels
Borry for herself If she can find some
man to feel sorry for her.
One nice thing about Minister Wu
was the fact that It was almost Im
possible to misspell his name. '
We are dreaming now of Halley, As
tronomer Hal ley, and the mocking
birds nr slnln of his comet.
Professor Starr says the average
man looks upon marriage as a joke.
But that Is before he's married.
The Cuban government will get a
. large return from the lottery, and en
courage one of the worst of human
Instincts.
Annie Besant says she lived 12,000
years ago. We assume, therefore, that
Annie makes no pretensions to being
"a sweet young thing."
When you have an hour to spare,
try to imagine the effect of booking
Cook and Peary to lecture in the same
town on the same evening.
The news should be groken as gen
tly aa possible to the naked eye that
It will not be able to see Mr. Halley's
celebrated comet for Beveral months
yet.
Complaint Is made that the Lincoln
cents are too thick to go into the slot
machines. But you can slip them into
the savings banks, which Is a great
deal better.
What couldn't Sir John Franklin
have done in the matter of flndlmr
poles and things If he had been equip
ped with the ships and devices of mod'
em civilization?
Not the least of the achievements of
the year 1909 must be reckoned the
evolving of an exposition that asked
no donation from the government, was
finished on time, has had no official
or other scandals, and has made
money.
A woman who Is serving a term In a
Western penitentiary for poisoning
people has applied for a pardon on the
ground that she Is homesick. It Is
strange that no other convict ever
thought of that as an excuse for try
lng to get out from behind prison bars.
An English medical scientist of the
theorist order, who believes that this
gives him the right to repeal any of
the Ten Commandments, states that
profanity is a valuable escape valve
and relieves a strain that1 Is harmful
to health. Yet statistics show that
women, who, as a rule, refrain from
blasphemy, are longer lived than men
The doctor will have to guess again
-
When the directed of other lands
are .minded to continue here their dis
affection and to rail and agitate and
conspire against republicanism, just
as they had done against monarchlsm
says the New York Tribune, we must
regard their coming as an Impertinent
and offensive Intrusion, which Is per
mitted, If at all, not because of any le
gal or moral right of . theirs, but
through a carelessness or a self-conn-
dence on our- part which may be more
'.omplacent than prudent or patriotic,
Israel Is coming Into its holy of ho
lies, from which it has been barred for
many long and bitter centuries. As one
result of the new regime In Turkey
all religions are officially recognized
on an equal basis, and at last the Jews
are allowed to enter the site of the!
ancient temple at Jerusalem and there
worship according to their creed. Since
the destruction of the second temple
by the Romans under Titus, in 70
D., no Jew has been permitted on the
pot. For a dozen centuries Moslem
soldiers, stationed at the gates, have
slain or turned away all who sought
to enter; and the devout Jews nave
liad no other privilege than to weep
a,nd pray outside the walls. Within
the past generation vlsttlpg Christian
have been allowed, under guard and
for payment of a fee, to enter the '
beautiful Mosque of Omaha, which
stands where the great Temple of Sol- j
omon stood, and where Christ taught i
in Its successor, which was erected
after the return from the, captivity.
Beneath Its lofty dome Is the wonder
ful rock of numberless traditions,' re
vered alike by Jews, Christians and
Mohammedans. Late In July the Jews
were allowed to enter and worship for
the first time. So 1909 Is a notable
year In Jewish history, and the prom-,
lse of the olden prophecy has come to
pass. -
"No" man," said the late E. H. Harrl-
man, "Is absolutely necessary or even
very Important ' If I did quit nothing
would happen. This world is full of
men ready to take the place of any
one. The fellow who takes hold where
I leave off will go right ahead. Trains
will run just the same, dividends will
be earned as before; so it is with ev
ery man." The views thus expressed
were not startlingly original, but com
ing from Harriman they showed that
his head was not turned by his extra
ordinary success. He belonged to the
common-sense school as opposed to the
miracle-worker school, some of whose
adherents would have ranked him as
the greatest miracle-worker of his
time. And the soundness of his judg
ment is proved by what has occurred
since his death. Following the an
nouncement of that event, the stock
market was noticeably strong. In the
oiaiiittiy course Uiere will La short
lived sensations and changes In the
prices paid for stocks. But it Is plain
that Mr. Harriman, with all his ability
and all his power, was not the whole
thing. In a discussion of the estimates
of his wealth It is pointed out that
while he held controlling interests In
the larger corporations with which his
name Is Identified he did not actually
own them. His authority was by no
means that of an absolute monarch,
but was conditioned on his retaining
the confidence of other capitalists.
Standard Oil, Kuhn, Loeb & Co. and
the National City Bank come to the
fore again. However large the Harri
man estate may be, a combination of
Interests more or less closely woven
together is to determine the future of
the so-called 'Harriman system. There
must, of course, be an active manager
at the head of the system, and he may
acquire as much power and prestige
as Mr. Harriman himself enjoyed. He
will certainly be unfit for his job un
less he possesses a strong will and ex
ceptional ability and Intelligence. But
we may be sure that the miracle-work
er school will be ready to acclaim him
on slight provocation. For it must
have its indispensable man. It will
turn lightly from one to another and
repudiate Mr. Harrlman's declaration
that no man is absolutely necessary.
As for the sentiment that no man is
even very Important, it will look up
on this as the worst kind ot heresy.
SCHOOL DAYS.
FIND THE AGE OF YOUR
FEIEND BY THE MAGIC FAN.
EXTRACT FROM TEACHER'S OPENING ADDRESS.
"Children, I can't tell you how much, it pleases me to see so many
bright and happy faces here this morning, all radiating ambition and
energy for the coming year's work.V
If you wish to know the age of a
friend always 'supposing the friend
not to be older than 31 years just
show him this picture of the "Magic
fan" and ask him to tell you on which
of the blades his age appears. Then
the only thing you have to do is to
add the numbers at the top of the
blades indicated and you will know
the correct answer. For instance, sup
pose your friend is 19. years old. The
number 19 will be found only on the
blades under 16, 2 and 1, the sum of
which is 19. '
- No Harm Done.
Old Gentleman "You idiot, you
thickheaded numskull! This isn't the
tree I told you to cut down. It was
that one.
The New Man "Oh! That one
Golly, boss! 'Yo' diden' come roun' on
mlnnlt too soon." Life.
SuKKentlve,
Yeast "He got that black eye and
that scratch on the cheek while he was
in Philadelphia."
Crimsonbeak "Is that bo? I didn'l
know" his wife went over there with
him." Yonker8 Statesman.
A year ago the announcement was
made of the discovery of petroleum
on the shore of the Red Sea. Since
then a well has been sunk to a depth
of 1,400 feet, the estimated daily yield
of which la 300 barrels. The petrolif
erous strata are found at Jemseh, on
the African shore of the sea, about 150
miles south of Suez.
Very little is yet known in Europe
and America of the many varieties of
mushrooms that grow in Japan. The
most famous of these is the shil-take,
which is the name of the evergreen
oak on the wood of which It Is princi
pally grown. Trees about six inches
in diameter are felled and cut up In
to lengths of six feet. The logs are
scarred on the back, and laid on the
ground for about three years. Then
they are stacked in rows In a shady
place, and soon' become coveted with
the mushrooms. Two crops are gath
ered in a year. After yielding one crop
the logs are soaked in water, beaten
with a wooden mallet, and again set
up. In a few days new mushrooms be
gin to sprout upon them. The shii
take Is a great favorite in Japan, being
used in many dishes, but more fre
quently in soups. It Is also largely ex
ported. ,
The opening of a railroad from a
point near Luxor, in to the Libyan des
ert has rendered easy the approach to
the oasis of Khargeh, which is regard
ed as a typical example of these Iso
lated centers of life. For three years
lust oast H. J. L. Beadnell has resided
in this oasis, studying the phenomena
of springs, moving sands, wells, and so
forth. The Libyan oases are deep de
nresslons in a lofty plateau, which has
a maximum elevation of nearly 2,000
feet, but the bottoms of the oases are
only from 100 to 300 feet above sea
level. They are underlain by beds of
sandstone which are the' sources of the
water-supply. Artesian wells 400 feet
deen form practically Inexhaustible
means of irrigation, and such deep
wells have been used from ancient
times. The depressions were once the
beds of lakes, and the water in the
sandstone probably has its sources in
the Abyssinian highlands.
Although the objects are often only
such as would be called "sentimental,
there are no stronger supporters of
movements for the protection of re
markable natural phenomena than sci
entific societies and individuals de
voted to scientific work. Prof.
John M. Clarke calls attention to
tue lead that Germany has taken
in this matter. There a hundred
motives Induce' Interference for the
protection of "natural monuments,'"
In the forests of Luneburg an
old gnarled fir tree Is guarded "for
Its very age and fascinating ugliness."
Near Hamburg a patch of dwarf birch
Is protected as a rare survivor of the
postglacial flora. Schleswlg has set
aside a low knoll crowned with a huge
glacial boulder. Brandenburg cher
ishes a swamp wherein rare botanic
specimens are found, and Marlenwer-
A n 1 It fin InlfA In T Vl Q Ml C(l d XXT Vl d TQ
I rare water-birds nest. Professor Clarke
i . .,
remarKS upon tne ricnuesa oi our coun
try in such monuments, and the con
stant danger of their extinction.
up into tiny Ileitis. During the sea
son of the year In which we made our
journey one of these fields Is filled
with sprouting barley, light green In
color; another field perhaps the next
with vetch, a lavender-colored, clov
er-like fodder; a neighboring field
with a dark green grass, from the
seed of which a lamp oil is manufac
tured; another with the pale yellow
flowers of the mustard, and scattered
here and there fields filled with what
looked like a variety of lily some
white, some red, some yellow, but all
equally brilliant.
Then, to get the complete picture,
you must Imagine patches of flower
ing azaleas dotting the roadside; tow
ering, round-topped camellia trees
breaking the skyline with frequent
splashes of bright green; usually In
the shade of these trees houses with
white plastered walls and red tiled
roofs; about the more pretentious of
these houses were white plastered
walls, above which appeared a profu
sion of palms, roses and strange na
tive flowers; and In the doorways of
the garden walls kimono-clad Japanese
girls, the kimonos as many and as
gayly colored as the ' garden that
framed them. Outing.
OLD RAILROAD STRINGERS.
noadtied laed Before the Tim Ok
Iron Rails and Croaatlea.
The warehouse of G. S. Mercier in
this village has some curious and his
toric timber in it. a Point of Rocks
correspondent of the Baltimore Sun
writes. Tne joists are made from the
"stringers" which were used on the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad when the
cars were drawn by7 horses, before the
days of the locomotive. These "strin
gers" were oak timbers, about 6 Inches
square, laid longitudinally on the track
Just as the T rails are now laid. Upon
these timbers" Iron straps about two
Inches wide and a half inch thick were
spiked, and upon these straps the
wheels ran. To fit upon these thin
straps the flanges of the wheels must
have been very slight. Now and then
the end of a strap would get loose, the
wheels would get under it and the iron
would penetrate the floor, and some
times passengers were severely wound
ed by them. They were known as
"snake heads." To several of the
stringers now uesd as joists in Mr.
Mercier's warehouse the straps are still
attached, and It Is doubtful whether
anywhere'ln the world there is anoth
er specimen intact of this kind of
"rail" used In the. infancy of railroad
construction. The warehouse was built
about sixty years or more ago, at the
time the primitive rails were supplant
ed by crosstles and iron rails.
For a year or two, beginning in 1832,
Point of Rocks was the western termi
nal of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad,
pending the litigation and the settle
ment by the Legislature of the right of
way between the river and the moun
tain at this place.. Large quantities of
goods and produce were brought here,
and the old warehouse In which they
were stored Is still standing and In
good repair. It is now used as a hotel.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY
Occasionally a man breaks his word
while telling the truth if ha stammers.
Loyalty la sometimes but another
nuns for stupidity.
Odd Little Farma In Japan.
Land Is so scarce In Japan and the
people are so numerous that a farm
rarely consists ot more than an acre
or two. These little farms are divided
Beginning; ot Hontllltlea.
Mr. Perkly Oh, if you could only
learn to cook as my first wife did!
Mrs. Perkly If you were as smart
as my dear first husband was you'd be
rich enough to hire the best cook in
the land. Brooklyn Citizen.
Needed Higher Wagea.
"There, Fanny! You have broken
another vase. Your breakage this
month amounts to more than your
wages. What shall I do?"
"Give me a raise." Fllegende Blast-ter.
Mercury freezes at minus forty de
grees Fahrenheit.
The first biblical illustrative art
consisted in the symbolic frescoes of
the Catacombs.
Cheap labor has been the principal
handicap in introducing modern ma
chinery in India.
The first printed Green Testaments
were those of Erasmus, published at
Basel by Frohen in 1516.
Berlin has about a hundred fac
tories for. linen goods forty more
than the kingdom of Saxony.
Seventy thousand Americans will
settle this year on 20,000 to 25,000
farms in the Canadian Northwest and
take with them a wealth of $70,000,
000. The Bug Bible is so called because
of its rendering of Psalm xci, 5:
"Afraid of bugs by night." Our pres
ent version (A. D. 1551) reads: "Ter
ror by night."
There are 251 postal savings banks
in operation in the Philippines with
8,408 depositors and $717,000 on de
posit Filipino depositors number
4,591 and Americans 3,375.
The German government has on
Lake Constance a nineteen-knot, 350
horse power boat for raising kites in
weather observations. The results are
dally telegraphed to the chief forecast
ing offices.
Ex-President Castro's decree cancel
ing ' the contracts of the "National
Match Manufactory" and the "Vene
zuelan Salt Monopoly, Limited," ha
been annulled by the federal and cas
sation court of Venezuela.
To celebrate the advance of the
printers' art, particularly its increase
in speed, . a Caxton memorial Bible
was wholly printed and bound in
twelve hours In 1877. Only one hun
dred copies were struck off.
In the annual report of the Russo
Chlnese Bank it Is stated that the clos
ing of the free port in Vladivostok
has led to a commercial crisis in the
Far East Before the closure toolt
place goods were Imported In suoh,
large quantities that for a long time
new Import sales will be difficult.
Labor distress in New Zealand is
sending many skilled and unskilled
workers to Australia. Public works
expenditure is reduced from $12,000,
000 to $7,000,000 a year. One-seventh.
(130,000) of the people depend upon
the state for their living, and all de
partments are retrenching. That Is.
one of the chief dangers of public own
ership of public utilities and produc
ing works. '
English vegetarians are awfully sore
on the Japs for proving traitors to.
their old vegetarian mode of living
and are predicting endless calamity,
even ruin, saying: "When rice-eating
peoples take up meat the result is al
ways disastrous to their health." Japs
know what to eat and are too wise to
listen to any British advice Intended
to weaken them as warriors. New
York Press.
The Germans are developing their
high school at Kiao-chau, China, with
their usual thoroughness. .Its scope is
even larger than the proposed Hong
Kong University. Except a grant ot
$10,000 from the Chinese Government,
the whole cost is paid by the Germaa
Government German text-books and
other works are translated into Chi
nese in a department of the school,
says -the London Times..
The industrial census of Germany
tor 1907 (Just published by the Ger
man Imperial bureau of statistic 1
gives 4,025,591 industrial concerns,
employing 14,348,389 persons, of whom
3,5io,4bu were women. The increase
in twelve years is 4,079,120 a ratio
about four times as great as that of
the employing concerns. These figures
do not Include railroad, postal, tele
graph and telephone employes.
"Adventurer" Is a word, once hip-hiv
respectable, that has degenerated with
the lapse of time. It was once a com
pliment to call a gentleman an adven
turer, and the Merchant Venturers of
Bristol, England, are still respected.
The Hudson's Bay Company date
back from May 2, 1670. In the royal
charter it was described as the "Gov
ernor and Company of Adventurers of
England Trading in Hudson's Bay."
What is perhaps the most curious
book in the world is possessed by the
Prince de Llgne. This work is neither
printed nor a manuscript, the text be
ing formed of letters cut In vellum
and pasted on blue paper. Notwith
standing this extraordinary method of
presenting tne text, the book is as
easy of perusal as If printed In the
boldest type. All the characters shown
are cut with marvelous dexterity and
precision. This unique volume bears
the title, "The Book of All Passions of
Our Lord Jesus Christ, with Charac
ters Not Composed of Any Materials."
It is said that Rudolph II. offered no
less than 11,000 ducats for this won
derful product of the bookmaker's art,
but the offer was refused. London
Olobt. '