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About Bandon recorder. (Bandon, Or.) 188?-1910 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1905)
BANDON RECORDER. FACTS IN FEW LINES Tiger meat is popular with Chinese of the straits. King Edward Is said to have worn shoes of hli own manufacture. Rifle bullets are now photographed In their course by means of the elec tric spark. The bessemer process of steel making was Invented In 1S30, and it was not until 1S7G that open hearth steel, which caused such a revolution In boiler mak ing, was introduced. At Grahamstown, South Africa, a pair of ostriches were sold recently for $5,000, which is a record price. The plucking from the chicks of this pair realized from $50 to $G2.50 a bird. To create butterflies of new and gor geous colors in a city flat is the hobby pursued by Dr. Otto Selfert of New lork city. He has butterflies by the thousands, and caterpillars are coming to him from friends In all parts of the world. . A census enumerator at Montpeller, Vt.. found a Spanish family with four children, all but one of whom were born outside of the United States. One was born in the City of Mexico, one In Montevideo, one In Madrid, Spain, and one In Montpeller. The motor boat has invaded the ro mantic canals of Venice. The city of Venice has just established a transpor tation system of its own and is operat ing flfty or more motor boats through the canals and lagoons. The fare is equivalent to 1 cent. Maine school statistics show that on , April 1 there were 207.44S persons in the state entitled to "draw school mon ey" against 20V.!74 in 1004. The state school .fund and mill tax nets the state . $TtS.347.47, or $2.74 per scholar. Last year each scholar drew $2.7S. Not one girl In ten thousand has a . dimple In her chin, says Professor Jen ' kins of New Orleans. He believes this kind of dimple to bev more common among men than among women and says It Is permanent, whereas dimples in the cheeks come and go as the ex pression of the face changes. The latest historical personage to be commemorated Is Archimedes, the Greek who only wanted a place to stand outside In order to move the world with his lever. Syracuse. In Sicily, has made him a monument, representing the geometrician and physicist with his inventions grouped around him. One of the big summer resorts In the Thousand islands has been employing Japanese waiters this summer, and re cently one of them suddenly went to the proprietor and said that he would not work there any more. It was learned that several of the guests had offered him tips, and he thought that this was Insulting to his honor. In l.cr; William Reynolds of Dcrry. X. II.. found a mud turtle in his meadow and after cutting the date in Its shell released it. A feu- years later he found the same turtle again and cut a second date. This time he notched ""the shell. The other day Mr. Reyn olds son found the same turtle in the same locality In which It was found forty years ago. In 11)04 British educatioual instuu tions received nearly $50,000 for farm studies, and social grants, aggregat ing several thousand dollars, were made to various agricultural and in dustrial societies. Dairying and sheep raising are receiving special attention. and some important results recently have been attained In curing or pre venting diseases peculiar to sheep. The clerk in a Bangor drug store saw a young sparrow fluttering on tin walk ami took It inside, placing it among some palms in a window. After ji thiii the mother entered the store ami located the voting one in the win dow. She made no effort to entice the little one away, but came regularly for three days with worms to feed it At the end of that time It was able to fly away alone. The Japanese nightingale, or Peking robin. Is becoming naturalized In the parks of London, where some were re leased recently. It is a charming little bird, beautifully colored, being olive green with orange bordered wings and tinted on the throat and breast with the most exquisite shading of prim rose yellow and orange. It has' a coral red beak. Furthermore. It has a fine song and Is an Industrious destroy pr of insects and an exnert liv catcher Tiie plan of maintaining the children of the poor or such as may be In the poorhoues or "unions" In cottages anil homes of that character Is finding a very general adoption in England, no less than 12S "unions" now maintain lug the children away from the pan perizing effects of poorhouse associa tions. The comity of London paid out 72 cents u head of Its population for the half year on poor account. Bavaria has done much to attain perfection in Its customs staff, for not only has this state for years past made the proof of having collegiate educa tions obligatory before accepting can didates for the customs service, but also to further their efficiency in ad ministering the new tariff the govern ment has established a chemical labor atory for the practical education of Its customs. oJSicer at an expense of $71, 400. The Inhabitants of Abouklr. near Alexandria. Egypt, were recently treat ed to a wonderful spectacle. It be came neessary to destroy some six teen tons of powerful dynamite, and the explosives, sufficient to blow up a town, were taken to sea and placed beneath the water. Something like a submarine earthquake followed the ex plosion, which was heard for miles around. A waterspout shot Into the air to a height of about 2,0K) feet und fell back in dazzling spray. Simulta neously the sea became a whirlpool of seething water, as If agitated by a hurricane. I'iivIiiic flic "Vnj-. "lias Harold asked your father to give his consent?' "He told father last night that he had made $5,000 in a real estate deal, so I suppose he's asking him on the Install ment plan." Milwaukee Journal. No man Is matriculated to the art of life till he has been well tempted. -George Eliot 1 POLLY UHl t I often wonder why it is, as we jour ney through life, that we give our words of appreciation and good cheer so grudgingly, when it is such a simple matter to make people happy by giv ing n few encouraging words. It is so easy to lagin the day with a kind word and a smile for everyone. You don' know how much this simple little ac of yours means to people who hav met with the ups and downs of life, or to those who are embittered by disaj pointments and failures that seem t mark their pathway through life Many times they are the plodders in other words, they work hard, early and late, and are so conscientious ii the discharge of their duties for fear they are not giving time and work for value received, that they simply ruin not only their health, but their tern pers as well. They know how hare they have worked to accomplish the task that has been set for them am how their companions or fellow work ers quietly jeered at them for working themselves to death for nothing, as they term it. They can tell how one they were just as enthusiastic and jus as eager to please, and were willing to work early and late, but they soon found that the men who took things a little easier, and did not hesitate take their day oil" occasionally, got along just as well, and probably a little better, for they had become hardenet ana niuiiterent to censure. iney could recall the time, however, when they looked forward to the smile given or the word of appreciation for the work well done, and how keen was their disapiointment when it was glanced at indill'eiently and they re ceived the identical treatment of thei fellow-workers who shirked and who did their work in a half-hearted way taking but little interest beyond the fact that on Saturday night their names would appear on the pay roll. Many men, women and children even, do their work through a sense o duty; they are content to drag on in the same rut, with never a thought o advancing. Possibly when theystarte in their hearts were boyant with hope. as they dreamed of a reward in ia crease of salary by attending strictly to business mid taking the same inter est in their work they would have done had the business been their own Year in and year out tound them in the same groove, and there they re mained until they had come to be looked upon as a part of the machinery Gradually their faces became careworn and they became listless, and performed their work in a mechanical sort of a way. It was doubtless well done, but it had become second nature to do it that way. If it were not up to the mark then the monotony of the every day life was varied by the censure that was sure to follow. One word of en couragement, one smile of apprecia lion would have lightened the day for them, and stirred up the dead embers of ambition that had died away under the toil of years until hardly a spark was left to be fanned into new life There is not one of us who is not better and happier to know that our work has given satisfaction and that our ef forts have been appreciated. It puts a new song into our hearts and smooths oil' the rough edges. The man who hits learned that his employes are not machines and who takes the time to personally show them that he appreciates their efforts to ad vance his business interests has learned a very important lesson. '1 wice the work will be accomplished in his bust nessthan there will be in a rival store or factory where the proprietors are in different. It is natural, I suppose for them to take things for granted and in the whirl of business forget that there are hearts craving for words of kind ness and appreciation that cost noth ing. It pays, too, to treat an employe with respect, and require that the other hands shall treat each other with the difference nie from one gentleman to another. I knew a young boy who gave up an excellent position recently, not because the work was too hard or that he did not like the business, but because the whole firm, from the man ager down, were a bullying lot of peo ple. The manager or proprietor did not believe in wasting words on a mere employe by deigning to acknowledge a cheerful, but respectful "Good mnrn- ng." But it was a part of their creed o be gruff' and wholly devoid of all the natural acts of kindness that show refinement by nature and mark the true gentleman. They allowed the men to order the younger employes around in so cruel and humiliating a way that it took all the sweetness out of life and embittered their young jearts to the extent that it soon told on them, making hitherto lovable and nippy natures cross and discontented md this ltoy's confidence in men was shaken like a reed in an unfriendly breeze just as he stood on the thresh hold of his business career. The boy was ordered around and addressed with such epithets as, "Here you dunce, hurry up!" "lie quick about it, you fool !" and one of the men highest in authority used to, in his pleasant and jovial (?) way and for the benefit of his co-workers' enjoyment start the loy on an errand with a kick. The lxiy stood this treatment for three months, and then his whole nature re volted at the injustice and coarseness of the men who called themselves gen tlemen and he resigned his position. One after another of the lxiys they got to take the little lad's; pia'ce went through the same experience and then linally dropped out of the business when their self-respect came to their aid and helped them to decide that the game was not worth the candle. Such people have much to answer for. They had the moulding of the Iniy's char acter in their hands ; they could make him a cringing, helpless man, embit tered and his heart tilled with hatred, or make him an honest, upright and honorable man, read to take his place in the progressive ranks and make him feel that life was worth the living, but they chose the former way. That Imy lost a good position when he had to leave this firm, but his self-respect would no longer allow him to suffer the humiliation that a bullying lot of men saw lit to indict upon him. Some one will have to answer for this even tually ; it may be in the nature of some of their own kin suffering the tortures of mind and ootly that they inflicted on this boy in their glee. It is all wrong and something should be done to correct this evil. S' BRIEF REVIEW. Greek .Rules of Construction. In constructing their stone edifices, the (J recks, who were reasoners and logicians, followed certain rules, and adopted for each edifice, a certain fixed proportion. What does this mean V It means that the proportions of the dif ferent parts of the edifice are simple proportions, which can be reduced to a common measure. Take as an example the temple of Paestum, with which we are now dealing. The module is the mean radiousof tiiecolumn. This mod ule measures three feet. The column is ten times the module, or say thirty feet. The distance between the axes of the columns is live times the module, say fifteen feet. The total height o the entablature is also fifteen feel, the width of the abacus is three modules. equal to nine feet. It is thus seen that all these numbers are multiples o three, which is the module. In this manmr the proportions of the differen members of an edifice have a constan relation to each other. It goes withou saying that the module varies for eacl edifice; there is no single and absolute rule. For instance, in the Doric order the length of the column varies from ten to twelve modules; in the Ionic or der from sixteen to twenty-one. Th entablature of the Doric order measures five modules, and that of the Ionic only four. How Old-Time Lawyer Got Acquittal "Old-time lawvers in our state stil recount with glee how a shrewd mem ber of the bar saved a client from the penitentiary," said M. V. Hastings, o Alabama. "This lawyer had been em ployed by a tough citizen to defem him on a charge of horse stealing. The state had a strong case, and it Iooket as though with such positive proof the accused was certain to go behind the bars. Xow at that period the law w:is such that a man could only be tried oi an original indictment; in other words if an indictment were lost or destroyed the result was the same as an acquittal Desperate conditions require desperate remedies, and what does this lawyer for the defense do after making a pre text of wishing to examine the doett nient but sit there in the court roon and deliberately chew up that indict ment and swallow the fragments. He did this just as truly as Kat 'Em l Jake' chewed and swallowed a sixth card in a poker game, which every port in the United States knows that he did. "And this was the cause of change in the statutes of Alabama, whereby a new or substitute indict ment can be got out and held as valid in case of the disappearance of the ori ginal." Developing Thy X Ray. Some:Lslonishing developments in X- ray photography ale reported by Pro fessor Heidor and Dr. Joseph Uosen- thal, of Munich. These two scientists have been collaborating in X-ray worl and declare that they have succeeded in obtaining in less than a second of time X-ray photographs of the human -hest, the patient ceasing to breathe meanwhile. Having succeeded thus far, they sought to take pictures of the human heart between its beats, 'as it was found that the beating of that or gan impaired the exactness of the pho tographs. Having fust of all accurat ely gauged the time elapsing between he beats, they, by the use of the most ensitive films procurable, and the strongest X-rays, obtained good photo graphs in one-tenth of a second. It uid not hitherto been thought possible to take such photographs. Growth of Human Hair. Authorities differ as to the rate of growth of the human hair, and it is aid to be very dissimilar in different individuals. The most usually ac cepted calculation gives six and one- lalf inches per annum. A man's hair, tllowed to grow to its extreme length, rarely exceeds 12 or 11 inches, while that of a woman will grow in rare in stances to 70 or 75 inches, though the average floes not exceed 25 to ::o inches. If you are the right kind of a boy be thankful that you are poor and have to rustle and make j'ourown way. This leads to success and useful happy mid dle age. The continuous sheet mill of the American Steel and Tin Plate company at South Sharon, Pa., built three years ago at a cost of $1,500,000 but never op erated, is to be placed in operation. Federal authorities in Chicago are preparingcoutempt proceedings agains interstate railways forgranting rebates. Between spells of work mix a little fun. LIFE ON A WARSHIP. Why the Men Arc Allowed to Infinite In At. let lis SiMirtH. To see a thirteen Inch gun loaded and tired Is a sight not to be forgotten. The projectile Is thirteen inches In diameter, about three feet In length and weighs 1,100 pounds. The powder charge for target practice Is 250 pounds. The cost for each shot is rtbout ?500. When all Is ready on the range the signal siren sounds, there Is a blinding flash, a roar like thunder and a jarring shock. Then you hear the whining screech of the shell, for all the world like a fast express round ing a sharp curve. The projectile is visible almost from the time It leaves the gun. You see It rip through the target and strike the -water beyond, throwing up a column of liquid many feet high. The shell skips, much like the flat stone "'skipper" of our boy hood, and again a column of water shoots up two miles or more farther out to be repeated time and again. The shell in Its flight can be watched without ho aid v of glasses for eight miles or more In clear weather. While the life of a sailor, from cap tain down to apprentice, is an almost continual round of work, some time Is found for athletic sports, such as boat racing, football and baseball. The object of this is to give the men rec reation and at the same time to foster the spirit of competition. Besides, it m iikcs ho men easier to manage. The shin with a strong football or basebal team or the fastest race boat almost Invariably has a happy and easily managed crew a crew that will swear that Its otllcers are the finest men In the world, and likewise the officers swear by such a crew. Some ships have training tables for their athletic teams, the expense usually being de Craved bv the otllcers. The team or boat crew, as the case may be, I petted by the otllcers and Idolized by the crew, and for some time before a hard contest the men are excused from various duties In order that they may give more time to training. Everv battleship and cruiser has Its race boat, purchased by contributions from olllcers and men. The prices pan for these boats Is, as a rule, contingent imon their winning certain speclfiei races. The builders are willing to take a chance, knowing that the crew will do Its best to win. For a winning boat the price Is often as much as ? 1.000. while for a boat that proves less speedy the builder will accept $500 or less. On the result of a licet boat race as much as :?0.000 has been known to changi iiMiuls and larce sums are also wagered on baseball and footbal games. This Is, of course, contrary tc the letter of the regulations; but the cnm-thiL' instinct Is as strong in the - I r navy as elsewhere and It Is not a I way possible to hold down the lid. Leslie' Weekly. STYLES IN COATS. Origin of the Cutaway l'riick, the Sack ami the lire Cnut. The modem cutaway sprang from the hotly fitting justaucorps of the French as known to the courtiers of Louis XIV. and Louis XV., and the gar ment was in turn probably evolved from the frock or tunic worn lu the fourteenth century. The first trace of a cutaway in any thing like Its present form, says the Sartorial Art Journal. Is seen in old prints of French military uniform.' early in the eighteenth century. For civilian use it was worn In F.ugland about 17S5 as a riding coat, the tails being very long. In lS'.Kl It was adopt ed in France for walking as well as for riding and was then In shape and cut much nearer the modern cutaway than any of Its predecessors, though it wa usually double breasted. Karly In the nineteenth century the cutaway had eight or nine buttons. only the fourth, fifth and sixth being used. This admitted of the wearer showing his neckcloth, fancy waist coat and frilled shirt to the best ad vantage. Not till 1S40 or thereabout did the cutaway become almost identi cal with the modern garment and since then fhe changes In Its shape havt been comparatively slight In 1S-11 the word "cutaway" became a fixture hi the language. The old colonial uniform worn by Washington, with Its flaps buttoned back; the coat worn by Nelson at the battles of St. Vincent, the Nile and Trafalgar, and the coat worn by Napo leon when on his way to St. Helena were all In a general way similar to the cutaway frock. The conventional dress coat of our time Is a refined younger brother, so to speak, of the cutaway frock, and for It we are indebted to the French, who on the other hand credit the Kng Hsh with originating the coat that has evolved Into our double breasted frock. The coat last named was Introduced into France by .Montesquieu In the year 1750. Incidentally, we may add. the pres ent black dress coat has by the Kng lish speaking nations been restricted to evening weaj little more than half a century. In some continental coun tries the dress coat Is "proper form" for wear at court or other Important formal assemblages held In the day time. The sack coat probably dates from the ".Macaronies," who Introduced It into Kuglaiid In 1772, though a gar ment somewhat similar was worn by the Roundheads of Cromwell's day. Ancient IlrldRe Superstition. A primitive notion existed among the Romans and other races that a bridge was an offense and Injury to the river god, as It saved people from being drowned while fording or swimming across and robbed the deity of a certain number of victims which were his due. For many centuries In Home propitia tory offerings of human victims were made every year to the Tiber. .Men and women were drowned by being bound and flung from the wooden Sub llclan bridge, which, till nearly the end of the republican period, was the one and only bridge across the Tiber In Home. Authorship nn n Profenlon. Nobody should write who Is not firm y possessed of the idea that he has a vocation for literature and Is not will- ng to endure the penalties 6f art for the sake of serving au art If a person who writes In that spirit makes a liv- ing he earns it If he makes a fortune he deserves It -New York Times. I FEATHERED GLUTTONS. Some Very Greedy IMrdu That Are Tremendous Feeder. Despite the fact that "the appetite of a bird" has become a common phrase for light eating, Investigations show 1.l,..ld iipu rTTinm1ii11l fceilerS. '1 llC diet of the average kestrel (a small Eu ropean hawk) is calculated at i.ooo mice a momu, to say uuuun& ui and worms. The barn owl Is as vora- clous as the kestrel. An investigator. after caging one of these birds, gave It snvon mice one after the other, lne first six Immediately disappeared, each with a gobble and a gulp, and the owl did its very best to treat the seventh in a like manner. Limitations of ab dominal capacity, however, prevented, and though the gobble came off the gulp did not, so that for twenty inln utes or so the tall of the seventh mouse dangled from the corner of the bird's beak. But In due course It swallowed the body, and three hours later the pangs of hunger reasserted themselves and the owl ate four more mice, Four pounds would be a heavy weight for a heron. Yet one of those birds, which was trapped in England, dis gorged two recently swallowed trout, one of which weighed two pounds and the other one and a half pounds. An other captured had contrived to put away three trout averaging threi-quar tcrs of a pound apiece, although It was onlv four months old, and another bad dined unon seven small trout, together with a mouse and a thrush. Among the greediest birds are wood nlceons. which will continue to gulp down food until their crons are almost at tl.o burstimr nolnt From one of - Miimw birds shot as It was returning fro,,, , r,.M m tho fiplds. no fewer than sno imifiiM of wheat were taken. An- ntl.or l.nd contrived to cram down no O ' fWor th.m i00 neas. A third was en- deavorlng to sustain nature with ISO beech nuts and a fourth with sixty ncorns. . A PERFUME THAT SMELLS. The Awfnl Odor That Come From I'nre Attnr of Ilonen. The perfumer took from his desk a small flask of copper. "In flasks like this attar of roses comes to u.i," he said. "Attar of roses Is worth from $10 to an ounce, ac cording to the market This flask Is empty now, but In it a little odor still lingers." The visitor smiled delightedly. He had never smelt pure attar of roses be fore. Now he unscrewed the snipper and, closing his eyes, with an ecstatic look he applied his nostrils to the flask. Hut only for an instant. Then he threw back his head, twisting his features into a grimace of disgust, and he exclaimed: "(larbage! Hone yards! Glue fac tories!" The perfumer laughed. "All essential oils ntnell like that." he said. "Yet no good perfume can be made without them." He took from a shelf a cut glasi jar til let 1 with a thick, yellowish oil that looked like petroleum partly refined. "In this Jar." he said, "there are forty ounces of pure attar of roes worth over S300. You know how the attar smells alone. Now watch me make rich perfume by adding things to It." He put a few drops of the attar Into t int Tin nih.ii tiw. x-ifii ..viii. sulfite i m v- a i i-mii ito I of musk, another of orris, then one of neroli. one of rose, of violet, of oramre. of vanilla, and. finally, the oil of cloves and bergamot. "There." he said, "smell that. Isn't it exquisite":" "Exquisite!" said the visitor "Well, without its foundation of the malodorous ami costly attar of roses it wouldn't smell any better than a platf of south"- New York Herald. THE DOCTOR KNOWS. He !. N"nt Deceived hj- the Story I'ntlent Iliiudr Htm. Ilia It was late, the doctor's patleuts had either hissed away or were mending, anil he was sitting with a number of his acquaintances In a corner of the club room. "It's a strenuous life we lead." droned the man of medicine, "with the grim side turned uppermost as a rule, but n w and then we get a laugh out of it a laugh with the lid on, of course: we can't afford to show we're amused. 1 often wonder," he went on genially, vl.y s.inn of you chaps ever send for a physician. You don't tell him the truth once In twenty times. You're lu a bad way and you're sorry. and to hear you talk I'd think your mouths were cold storage boxes for butter. You suspect that lobster or a rich sauce you ate day before yester day is at the bottom of the trouble. You know what's curled you up, and you're frightened out of a year's growth for fear I'll learn. "Accordingly, Instead of taking me into vour confidence, you tell me an Impossible story. And If I cross ex amine you closely and hedge you In you'll reluctantly admit that you've been somewhat Indiscreet. on smoked four cigars Thursday and took six drinks. Doesn't it ever occur to you that I know by your flutters that you smoked from breakfast to bed and took sixteen drinks and six more for .T.....1 1...... II. "If I were to believe you and dose you for your ailments as you describe them you'll never get well. Now and then I have to give you strychnine and nitroglycerin to restore the action of conclude that you'd had too much pink Ice at a children s party. "As I hinted, we doctors get some fun out of It, but what do you do It for? We were not always doctors, we haven't always taken the best care of ourselves,- and we're not fools."- Providence Journal. CrrntliiK the F(in1iIoum. Who sets me fashi.msV Sometime au original Idea emanates from a hum ble workwoman, and after fusion In the brain and Improvements and sug gestions given by the great autocrat it emerges, Minerva-like, In full panoply, complete and victorious. Numbers of diligent seekers, a horde of assistants. ,l , 7, ; wlic c i i pressed Into the service. Artists lend their willing services, while the sarto rial adent combines, exaggerates, al- lcrs 0itl modes, culling, like the bee, uow-ers of fancy here and there until t,e bright vision of beauty Is realized aml tj,u forthcoming styles are decided on. Loudon (Jrauhlc. ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF GOLD PENS The First Ones, Which were Made in England, Failed to i Fill Requirements. Tnen an American Discovered Iridium Could Be Used for Protecting the Points of Pens. To an American is due the credit for having made the fountain pen the useful article It has come to be, for without the gold pen point, which can not corrode, the fountain pen would be useless. The manufacture of gold pens was commenced in the United States In 1S3j by a watchmaker of Detroit Attempts had been made In England to make gold pens prior to that time, but they met with little success. Alloyed gold Is too soft to make a durable point and this circumstance made It necessary to protect the pen points with dla monds or rubles until John Isaac Haw kins, a citizen of the United States, .but residing In England while the expen- ments lu the manufacturing of gold pens were In progress there, accidental 0 discovered mat me native auoy oi I. . - ... - Iridium and osmium ore, one or the nartiest ami most reiruciorj oi uu iu- tabic alloys, eouiu ue used ror protect- . . . . t big the points to mucn oetter auvan tage and more cheaply Hawkins- rigius were purcnaseu uy u clergyman or ucirou. uu nmuccu un . A. 1 li -i watcmnaKer aoove menuoneu 10 maim facture gold pens, me urst pens mane hy him were poor substitutes for the QUiu men m use. iu itu ui piain. WaS UlKeU lO .U'W XOltv, Wilt-IB UJU business was enlarged Quite an Improvement was added to the plant by the machines for the mak ing and tempering of the pens, Invent ed bv John Rendell, one of the em ployees of the establishment. This es tabllshment soon produced a gold pen so perfect that It combined the elas ticity of the quill with the permanency of the metal. About 1SJK) it was (lis covered that by Imbedding the Iridium points In the gold instead of soldering them on the corrosive Influence of the Ink on the two metals, the solder and the gold, was avoided and a firmer hold In the pen was given to the points. The gold pen has been brought to Its present degree of perfection by the American manufacturer, and the In dustry from Its Inception has been characterized by the use of American methods. For the production of the gold pen a high degree of skill Is neces sary, and only experts are employed in tho different plants. The gold used In the making of the pens Is obtained from the United States assay ofllce. It Is then melted and -alloyed about sixteen carats fine and rolled Into a long, narrow ribbon, from which pen blanks or fiat plates In the shape of a pen, but considerably thicker than the finished pen, are cut by means of a lever press or die and punch. The blunt nib of the blank is notched or recessed at the end to re- I A I f " 4.1 . A L ceive uie lnuiuin mat lonns uie ex- . .1 1 . 1 1 1 I A. I. I . 1 f .-"KiJ point ivuitu an goou I)ens possess. The Iridium Is coated with a cream of borax ground In water and laid In the notch formed In the end of the blank. It Is then secured by a process of sweating, which Is nothing more or ,tlS3 than melting the gold of which the pen Is formed so that It unites solidly with tho Iridium. The blank Is then passed between rollers of peculiar form to give a gradually diminishing thickness from the point backward. The rolls have a small cavity In which the extreme end of the Iridium pointed nib Is placed to prevent Injury td'fhe Iridium. After rolling the nib of ever.v pen Is stiffened and rendered spong., by hammering. This la the most. Important process In the manufacture of the pen, as the elastlclt- of the pen depends entirely upon this operation. The pen Is then trimmed by a press similar to that which Is used for cutting out the blanks or by automatic machinery. When the blank has been trimmed the name of the manufacturer and tue number of the pen are stamped on It by means of a screw press. The pen Is given Its convex surface also bv means of a screw nress. tho blank being pressed letween a concave die beneath and a convex one above. Quite a little force Is necessary to bring the pen to the required convex ity, and when this operation Is com pleted two Jaws approach the blank and press It up on opposite edgei, thus giving the pen Its final shape. The next step Is to cut the Iridium Into two points by holding It on the edge of a thin copper disk which Is charged with fine emery and oil and revolves at a high speed. The nib Is then silt by n machine and the silt cleared by means of a line circular saw. After slitting, the nibs are brought together by hainmer'.n. ami the pen Is burnished on the Inside by a concave form and on the outside by a convex form. This Is necessary to give the pen a uniform surface and greater elasticity. These nlhs are then set by the lingers alone, after which operation the pen Is grouml by H ntho with a thin steel disk and a couner cylinder, both charg- 0(1 wth flnp emerv nnd 0I1. The silt . thpn hv fln0 disk, and the B,dcg of the nl,,s nml the ponts nre upon ti,e copper cylinder. After lho n.,.... lg llone the nen Is iMlshcd upon huff ,;.hoeIs wujcn completes the procesH of nianufacture. Before the pen Is placed upon the market, however. It Is given a thorough Inspection to see that It possesses the proper elasticity, fineness and weight. then pasfled to an Inspector who tests It and weighs It Chicago Chronicle. Ilia Past and nin Prenent. "What do you know about his past';" asked Mabel. "Just enough to make me a little suspicious about his present," said ' , ,, ... ,, , Maud, examining with a magnifying glass the diamond ring the young man had sent her. A dwarf sees farther than the giant when he has the giant's shoulder tc mount Coleridge. IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY. The Peeullnr Laincnaue and Odd Cni tomi of the People. Of the strange scenes and customs of Uie Basque country a traveler writes: "I was struck by the way the women walked and carried themselves. A fut old woman with a huge tray on her head walked along at a swinging pace, shouting her wares meanwhile at the top of her voice. I saw a woman car rying on her head first of all a large tray of fruit (Its size can be imagined when I tell you that it was afterward her stall). On the top of this were a basket of washing and .a big umbrella to be used to cover the stall. Then in her left hand she carried a supple mentary stall, and by the other she led a little child which could Just reach the mother's hand by holding Its own up as. high as it could stretch. "I was waiting once at a little way side nn iu tho village of Ascaln when 1 siw an old lady, followed by two great fat white pigs. They all three waddled over to the village pump, and then, procuring some water In a pall, the old lady proceeded to wash her charges. She cleaned them most as siduouslyeyes, ears, tail, back, hind quarters and feet. "There Is a dignity of carriage about all the women in this country. I fan cied It might be due to the fact that formerly, before the "Code Napoleon' came into operation, the law obliged the firstborn, whether boy or girl, to Inherit the patrimony and continue the head of the family, the husband taking the wife's name when the inheritor was a woman, thus giving the woman a perfect equality from her birth The matrons are not less beautiful than the younger women. "Quite unlike any other language la that of the Basques. Although when hearing the people talk a Spanish sound seems to be occasionally emitted, It Is not really at all like Spanish. I was amused to find that 'no' is ess' in Basque, and when I asked what "yes was I thought at first the answer was 'na,' which would have been very curi ous, but it turned out to be 4ba,' with the 'b' softly pronounced." BITS FROM THE WRITERS. " There Is nothing In life worth mak ing a secret of except one's income. Seton Merriman. Civilization means universal civility, and to be civil to everybody argues a great power of telling lies. Eden Phlll potts. How exquisite in life is the art of not seeing many things and of forgetting many that have been seen! James Lane Allen. Truisms, whether they He In the depths of thought or on the surface, are at any rate the pearls of experi ence. George Meredith. Have you never observed that if you conscientiously neglect to do your work It somehow manages to get done with out you? Henry Harland. Relations, as somebody said, are dis agreeable acquaintances Inflicted upon us byProvIdenee. But It is no use losing one's temper about what they say. It only pleases them. Richard Bairot SOURCES OF COLORS. . Blue black Is the charcoal of the vine stalk. Raw sienna Is the natural earth near Sienna. Italy. Ivory chips produce the ivory black and bone black. Turkey red Is the madder plant, which grows In Hindustan. Prussian blue is made with impura potassium carbonate. This most useful discovery was accidental. Cochineal Insects furnish many of our most gorgeous colors carmine, scarlet crimson and purple. India Ink Is made from burned cam phor. The Chinese are the only manu facturers of this and will not reveal its secret. Cuttlefish give us sepia, which is nothing more nor less than the Inky fluid which the fish discharges to ren der the water black when It Is at tacked. Joot "IV hut He Meant. An American In Loudon once attend ed a dinner where Henry Arthur Jonea tohl a story about Becrbohm Tree. "Mr. Tree." said the playwright, "met a friend of his one afternoon in Kegenl street. "The two stood and conversed a little while, and then Mr. Tree said: " 'Have you been down to see me act lately, 1113- boy?' " "No; too poor,' said the other. " Too poor,' Mr. Tree exclaimed. 'Why, you spend enough on wine and cigars' "But the other, nettled, interrupted. " T don't mean I'm too poor. I mean you're too poor,' he said." Am a Clincher. "I'm not so particular about speed, but I must have a gentle horse," re peated Mr. Green. "My wife wants to drive, you see. Will you warrant this horse to be safe?" "Certainly," said the dealer reassur ingly. "He's a regular lady's horse." "You are sure he's not afraid of any thing?" asked Mr. Green anxiously and for tho tenth time. The dealer assumed an air of reflec tion. "Well, there Is one thing that he has always appeared to be afraid of ever since I got him," he admitted con scientiously. "It seems 'as If he", scared to death for fear some one might say 'Whoa!' nnd he not hear It." Womnn'i Presence. What a consoler Is woman! No pres ence but hers can win a man from his sorrow. The soldier becomes a light some boy at her feet; the anxious statesman smiles himself back to the free hearted youth beside her. and the still and shaded countenance f care brightens beneath her influence,as the closed flower blooms in the sunshine. American Queen. Ilerole Sarsrerr. When the Medical and Chimrgical society of London was founded In 1805 the barber-surgeon was still more or ess tolerated. At one of Its early meet ngs one Dr. Wardrop advocated the 'excellent custom" of bleeding patients till they fainted, so that they might be the subject of surgical operation -while n an insensible condition.