II glDBIBN
fn1
flSSUVIUS again active; sub
terranean rumblings and
earthquakes have occurred ;
fresh devastating outbursts
of lava may be expected any
moment." So ran the telegraphic ru
mors In the Roman and the foreign
press shortly after my arrival In
Naples, says a writer in the London
Chronicle.
From the window of my room, with
Its superb view of Vesuvius, at the
Hotel de Geneve the same room that
I was wont to find each night thick
strewn with volcanic ash during the
terrific eruption of April, 1906 noth
ing out of the normal was to be seen.
Vesuvius was simply Indulging In
those light, leisurely whiffs of light
smoke that have become a habit of
Tiers In her calmest, laziest moments.
However, on a volcano fifteen miles In
girth a good deal may be taking place
Invisible from the Naples side. I
would, therefore, go to see for myself,
and hear, too, what account the men
of science in yonder observatory on
the heights had got to give of the be
havior of the fiery mount whereon
they keep perpetual vigil.
Fine View of the Crater.
Since the 1906 eruption the crater
bottom which Matteuccl then estimat
ed at from 2,033 feet to 2,275 feet deep,
has been rising fast. Never was it
visible to such great advantage as
on the day of my latest visit Just
after X last left, on March 12, 1911, a
mass of the cone 130 feet high crashed
Into the crater over an area of 700
yards, forming a declivity that rose
to within two-thirds the height of Its
Inner walls.
Then, on January 21, 1912, came a
trong earthquake with loud rum
blings. For a space of twenty minutes
the crater throat was sucking down
thousands of tons of rock and cinders
till the big central Assure was de
stroyed. Descending to the observatory, I
found absorbed In his mathematical
tabulations the venerable Prof. Oiu
teppe Mercalll, the world-famed vul
tanologlst and expert in seismic sci
ence. He is a priest of the Roman
Catholic church whom the Vatican
has let alone In his new government
poet, and he says mass In a tiny ora-
period lb about' ended; but nothing
mementous has happened yet"
Prof. Alessandra Malladra, to whom
his illustrious master Introduced me
was far more explicit He Is a much
younger man, full of reet and enthusl
asm In his work. Before Mercalll
brought him here as vice-director, Mai
ladra had acquired fame at the geo
physical observatory of Demodossola
as the greatest living authority on the
geology and seismology of the slm
plon. In his present position he has
become famous for his daring descent
last May deep down, nearly one thou
sand feet, into the crater of Vesuvius.
"What a risky time you must have
had," I remarked, encouraging the pro
fessor to talk on his experiences.
"Well, it was nerve trying work,"
was his modest reply, "for constant
landslips are occurring on the Inner
walls and slopes of the crater, and
there are steep preclpces to scale.
Then I had a good deal to carry, what
with my mensuration and temperature
taking Instruments, and my photo
graphic apparatus. Once on the cra
ter floor I found myself In spots where
I could with comfort have pitched a
tent and remained Indefinitely while
there were other tracts, even close at
hand across which I had to haste la
imminent danger of asphyxiation.
"I proved the highest point of the
crater to be 3,851 feet above sea level.
Before the 1906 eruption it stood 4,275
feet. I found the .center of the crater
floor 861 feet deep. The lowest parts
reach down to 987 feet. In other
words, I found that on the crater floor,
which to the casual gazer from above
appears almost perfectly level, I had
to negotiate hillocks 126 feet high. Be
sides, what seem from the verge of the
crater to be scattered lumps of stone,
I found to be monoliths measuring
from 18 to 10 cubic meters. As re
gards temperature, a notable discovery
I made was that since Doctor Chap
pello descended by 167 degrees centi
grade. The most intense heat is con
centrated at the great yellow sulphur
flsBure."
"Do you think, professor, that Ve
suvius has entered upon her death
agony?" I queried.
"Oh, far from It! True, there are
visible symptoms of creeping paraly-
9 ft M tr r.-A
.11
tory on the volcano. As director of
the Royal Vesuvlan observatory he
las succeeded to the late Professor
Matteuccl, whose heroic devotion to
luty throughout the last fearful out
break sent his name ringing through
very civilized land.
MW11, the fact is," began Professor
Hercalll, as he showed me a well filled
Krapbook of recent foreign press out
ings about Vesuvius, "most of these
porta are Inventive or exaggerated.
The tourist season here has for one
eason or another considerably slack
in ed off In late years; but since these
timors have gone abroad the moun
aln has become unusually alive with
rUltors. The smoke funnels In the
naln crater have been active all along.
Itlll, their activity Is evidently In
ireaelng, and there are not wanting
ilgci that Vesuvius Is stirring from
ter long slumber. Yes, her repose
A3 SLtN.TROrl Ponpui
sis, since Monte Somma over yonder
was once the true center of Vesuvlan
energy, and Is now, however, practical
ly extinct The vapors arising there
at the present time are due to the fact
that, owing to the ordinary outlets
of the volcano being temporarily
smothered with accumulated debris,
the Immensely high pressure beneath
Is finding vent by Its more ancient
apertures. But though Vesuvius is
suffering severely from this restric
tion I give her still from 1,000 to 1,500
years of fairly vigorous activity. The
old age of a volcano Is a very Indefi
nite period."
"One more question, professor. Do
you apprehend some momentous de
velopment In the near future?"
"Alas, I do. Never before, so far
back as data aid us, has Vesuvius
slept so long and sound a slumber as
that from which she is now stirring.
Something critical Is going to happen."
HOW SOME WORDS ORIGINATE
Construction of Language as Much a
Piece of Carpentry as Building
of Ordinary House.
Word building Is as much a piece of
carpentry as Is house building. Only It
takes longer. Sometimes a century or
more. And by that time the word's
first meaning Is usually changed.
For example, the old word for
"neighbor" was "sib." One's good,
neighbor was known as one's "good
sib." This became shortened to "god
Bib," and later to "gossip." Then the
word's whole meaning changed and
gossip no longer meant good neighbor,
but applied to the sort of talk ex
changed betweep good neighbors.
Take the word "farmer," too. The
old word for "farmer" was "boor."
(And "boor" later was used for de
scribing farmerlike or rough persons.)
The farmer living nearest to one was
known as the "nlghboor." and this
phrase, In course of time, was twist
ed to "neighbor."
You've heard the proverb. "Little
pitchers have big ears." Well, it
doesn't refer to the utensil that holds
water or goes to the corner side door.
Pitcher" was a slang term with
some such meaning as our word
"chap" or "fellow." Thus. "Little fel
lows have big ears" is a more sensi
ble rendering o' the proverb.
RECORD OF "THIRTEEN" YEAR
Period of American History Thai
Brought Much Good to Nation
Europe Was at War.
In the year 1813 the thirteenth con
gress of the United States assembled.
That portentous conjunction did nol
bring evil to the nation in which we
are all most Interested. It Is true,
remarks the New York Sun, that the
republio was then in armed strife
with Great Britain, but the year wit
nessed a succession of American tri
umphs on shore and sea Commodore
Perry's victory was one of them, giv
ing us control of the" great lakes,
which prepared the way for the treaty
of Ghent In 1814 and the glorious
peace that has now endured for al
most a century between the two great
English-speaking peoples may It.
never be broken or sullied by fault of
ours!
James Madison was Inaugurated in
1813 for his second term.
Europe was at war. That year saw
the inception of the alliance and the
mighty operations which resulted in
the overthrow of Napoleon. The "bat
tle of the nations" at Leipsic foretold
Waterloo and a long period of peace
and prosperous development ,
In that year Argentina threw off the
yoke of Spain and established her In
dependence. The resources of the printer's art
were enriched by the process of ster
eotyping. There were born that year,
among millions of others who exer
cised more or less influence on the re
sultant line of human progress. Rich
ard Wagner, Henry Bessemer, David
Livingstone, Isaac Pitman, Stephen A.
Douglas, Admiral Porter and John C.
Fremont, the Pathfinder.
Such Is a part of the record of a
thirteen year that did not turn out
very badly on the whole for the world
we live in.
MOST ALL CHILDREN ARE FOND OF PONIES
!iPMniiiiwTOiBiiiiw:iiM
ls iA 3b5'i s - P'-Fmj if ' f "
t - YAK
At a child's pony the Shetland has no equal. Children and Shetland
ponies seem to have for each other a natural affinity This pony combines
with the highest order of equine Intelligence a disposition wonderfully free
from vice and trlcklness.'
CHINESE FIRST TO USE TEA
How the Custom Originated It Told
In Legend Dating 2,000 Yeart Be
fore Coming of Christ.
The Chinese claim to be the first
users of tea as a drink, and how It
originated Is told In a pretty little
legend that dates from 2,000 years be
fore the coming of Christ
A daughter of a then reigning sov
ereign fell In love with a young noble
man whose humble birth excluded
him from marrying her. They man
aged to exchange glances, and he oc
casionally gathered a few blossoms
and had them conveyed to her.
One day in the palace garden the
lovers met and the young man en
deavored to give her a few flowers;
but so keen was the watchfulness of
her attendants all she could grasp was
a little twig with green leaves.
On reaching her room she put the
twig In water,- and towards evening
she Irank the water In which the
twig bad been kept. So agreeable
was the taste that Bhe even ate the
leaves and stalks. Every day after
wards she had bunches of the tea
tree brought ber, which she treated
In the same way. '
Imitation being the slncerest form
of flattery, the ladies of the court tried
the experiment and with such pleas
ing results that the custom spread
throughout the kingdom and the
great Chinese tea Industry became a
fait accompli.
Steps.
"Mammy, dear," said little Matty,
"what Is a stepmother?"
"If I should die and your dad should
marry again, the lady would be a step
mother." "Oh, I see," remarked Matty; "you'd
step out and she'd step In."
Hit Experience.
"Tommy, what is the hardest wood
that grows?" asked the father.
"I don't know, pop," replied the boy;
"but I know I tried to split some of it
once-"
HOW TO MAKE RABBIT TRAP
Carefully Remove One End of Ordi
nary Soap Box and Cleat Along
Sides and Bottom.
This is how I make a rabbit trap:
I take a box, such as one can get at
the store a soap box is the right
size and carefully take out one end,
first nailing cleats along the sides and
the bottom, so that the box will not
fall apart when the end Is removed,
says a writer In the Farm, Stock and
Home. Then I build up the other
end as shown in the illustration, and
bore a small hole through It for the
bait-stick, and with my Jack-knife
make a notch still higher up, to hold
the brace stick In place. Then I clean
the top together, and nail the end to
it, and from the front end of the top
to the brace stick run a cord. I fast-
Rabbit Trap.
en the top to the box with a couple
of small hinges. If one has nothing
better, two strips of leather will do
first rate. Then bait the tran with a
piece of apple, setting It in a run
way, and go to It every morning and
evening.
Immune.
"Bobby," said the lady in the street
car, severely, "why don't you get up
and give your seat to your father?
Doesn't It pain you to see him reach
ing for the strap?"
"Not In a car." said Bobby. "It. does
at home." Ladles' Home Journal.
Raises the
DouahJJetter
.ALL GROCERS
In How Long?
' A number of men gathered in the
smoking car of a train from Little
Rock to another point in Arkansas
were talking of the food best calculat
ed to sustain health, says the House
keeper. One Arkansan, a stout, florid man
with short gray hair and a self satis
fied air, was holding forth in great
style.
"Look at me!" he exclaimed.
"Never had a day's sickness in my
life. All due to simple food. Why,
gents, from the time I was 20 to when
I reached 40 I lived a regular life.
None of these effeminate delicacies
for me. No late hours. Every day,
summer and winter, I went to bed at
9; got up at 5. Lived principally on
corned beef and cornbread. Worked
hard, gents worked hard from 8 to 1.
Then dinner: olain dinner: then an
hour's exercise, and then "
"Excuse me," interrupted the
atraneer. who had rpmninpH Rilnnt
"but what were you in for?"
Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets regu
late and invigorate stomach, liver and
bowels. Klltrnr-Cnn tvl tinv oronnloa
asy to take. Do not gripe.
Carelessness.
Old Lady (who has been lunching
with her son) "Here, William, you
left this quarter on the table by mis
take. It's luckv I Raw It hppfliisa tho
waiter had his eye on it." Life.
A New Yorker has invented a motor
truck with four rear wheels instead
Sf two. BO mounted nn chnrt nTlca that
the load is equally distributed among
in oi mem regardless ot the rough
ness of the road.
Owing to expansions of industries
and to general prosperity throughout
Norway, the circulation of bank notes
In 1912 was several millions greater
than in 1911, aiid exceeds 100,000,000
crowns ($26,800,000) for the first time.
SUFFERED
AWFUL PAINS
For Sixteen Yean. Restored
To Health by Lydia E. Pink-
Vegetable
Compound.
m
bams
Moretown. Vermont "I was trou
bled with pains and irregularities for
sixteen years, and
was thin, weak and
nervous. When I
would lie down it
would seem as if 1
was going right
down out of sight
into some dark hole,
and the window cur
tains had faces that
would peek out at
me, and when I was
out of doors it would
seem as if something was going to hap
pen. My blood was poor, my circula
tion was so bad I would be like a dead
person at times. I had female weak
ness badly, my abdomen was sore and I
had awful pains.
"I took Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegeta
ble Compound and used the Sanative
Wash and they certainly did wonders
for me. My troubles disappeared and I
am able to work hard every day." Mrs.
W. P. SAWYER,River View Farm, More
town, Vermont.
Another Case.
Gifford, Iowa.-"I was troubledwith
female weakness, also with displace
ment. I had very severe and steady
headache, also pain in back and was
very thin and tired all the time. I com
menced taking Lydia E. Pinkham's
Vegetable Compound and I am cured oi
these troubles. I cannot praise your
medicine too highly." Mrs. InaMoo
BLaglb, Gilford, Iowa.