Union gazette., March 02, 1900, Image 4

Mulr Glacier la In Alaska, about 100
miles north of Sitka, between Chllkat
and Dyea, and Mount Fair weather. It
terminates In Glacier Bay. It was dis
covered by John Mulr, the writer and
mountain climber of California, in 1878,
when he was making a canoe trip
among the Islands of Southeastern
Alaska. The glacier was named In bis
honor. -. ;
The "axle-light" system Is to be ap
plied on the trains of the Atchison, To
peka and Santa Fe Railroad on an ex
tensive scale. Each car will have its
own storage batteries supplied with
electricity generated by the axles of the
wheels, and the locomotive headlights
will derive their illumination from the
same source. It Is calculated that each
full train, exclusive of the locomotive,
will develop nearly 5,000 candle-power
of light
If the weather Is exceptionally clear,
and a strong glass is used, a large ves
sel can be sighted five or six miles away
at sea, either from the bridge or look
out station, fifty or sixty feet above
the water, and if the vessel sighted be
a steamship, her smoke can sometimes
be detected before her stacks or bull are
visible. Taking the height of the ob
server In feet, and extracting the
square root, the result approximately
expresses in miles the distance . at
which the sea's surface can be seen
from a ship.
A notable recent achievement In
archaeology Is the discovery in the
Roman Forum of a massive pavement
of black marble nine feet square, which
tsome believe to be the veritable "black
stone" which the Romans venerated as
marking the tomb of Romulus. Under
the marble, among other objects, was a
- broken stele, or sepulchral column, cov
ered with archaic Latin characters, and
this is considered to bear out the state
ment oi the later Roman Historians mat
In the early days the Romans spoke a
tongue which their descendants could
An enthusiastic wheelman In New
York State rewitlir mt rlrl of a tron-
0
blesome sprinkling of tacks In a novel
and effective manner. The trouble oc
curred on a cycle path which had been
made with cinders brought from ' the
yard of a shoe factory, and which were
ailed with iron tacks.- It was proposed
to build an entirely new path, but our
rider solved the problem more cheaply.
Constructing a framework carried on
rollers, like a carpet sweeper, he fur
nished It with six powerful magnets
ud swept the track repeatedly, stirring
up the cinders until every tack was re
moved. '
Between the northern point of Long
Island and Watch Hill lies a row of
little islands, two of which, Plum Isl
and and Goose Island, possess a pecu
liar form of mineral wealth. It consists
In heaps of richly-colored quartz peb
bles, showing red, yellow, purple and
other hues, which are locally called
agates. They are used In making
stained-glass windows, and there Is a
sufficient demand for them In New
York to keep the owners of one or two
sloops employed In gathering them
from the beaches, where the waves con
tinually roll and polish them, bringing
out the beauty of their colors.
With the Crossley.reflecting telescope
at the Lick Observatory photographs
have recently been obtained which
show a surprising structure in the cele
brated Ring Nebula In the constellation
Lyra. With an ordinary telescope this
nebula appears only as a delicate oval,
hanging like a little smoke-ring, with
faint stars sprinkled about It on the
dark sky. The photographs not only
reveal a star situated in the center of
the ring, but they show that the ring is
made up, to use Prof. Heeler's expres
sion, "of a number of narrower rings
Interlacing somewhat Irregularly." The
space within the ring, which is covered
with a faint nebulosity, is seen In the
photographs to be crossed by three dark
and two bright bands. Near the ring
Is a small independent nebula whose
photographic image appears In the
form of a 'left-handed, two-branched
splraL" '.
A MUUtk US I Alt.
The Splendid Seat of the late Million
aire of Westminster.
' The peculiar characteristics of the
late Duke of Westminster, the richest
man In England, were well shown on
his estate at Eaton Hall. This estate
Is beautifully situated partly In Wales
and partly in England, the River Dee
running through It.
One of the Duke of Westminster's
hobbles was good roads. He had one
of the best road engineers in the king
dom in his employ, who was continual
ly experimenting with material and
machinery for road-making: The hun
dred odd miles of driveway on the es
tate are by far the finest In Europe.
None in Great Britain or France equals
them. The cyclist can actually ride ten
miles at a time, without seeing a loose
stone the size of a hen's egg. Most of
them are built of a clay and cement
foundation, on the top of which is laid
a mixture of crushed stone about the
size of a walnut and more cement.
. This gives a surface so smooth that
after a rainstorm washes away what
little . dust there is the top Is like
asphalt, only more level and without
the undulations so often found In
asphalt roadway. Other parts of the
highways are composed of macadam
without cement but forced into place
by the weight of twenty-ton rollers
operated by steam. The system has
been an object lesson which highway
builders in her Majesty's domain and
on the continent have studied with
profit The road-making has given em
ployment to a force of 300 to 400 men
constantly. Just how much has been
spent on the roads at Eaton Hall can
not be exactly estimated, but It runs
up to over $1,000,000. However, his
grace utilized them but little, going
over his estate on his private railroad
line. When built about ten years ago,
this was one of the most extensive pri
vate lines In the world. It was laid out
with a gauge of three feet The rails
weighed twenty-five pounds to the
yard. The engines averaged about five
tons each, and under a full head of
steam carried the owner over his place
at the rate of eighteen miles an hour.
The road Is thirty-five miles long. The
main terminal station is a covered cor
ridor at the halL The Duke could step
from his library Into this corridor, get
aboard the train and come back to the
same place in three hours, after visit
ing the principal centers of interest
.Unless he wished to leave the car and
walk around at some of the stations,
he could take the trip bareheaded and
in evening dress, as the cars are heated
by steam in cold weather and lighted
by gas. Most of the rolling stock was
Haul hv ittn miofita anjl tliA vAiIrinan
about the place, as the Duke found
that he could transport the farmers,
gamekeepers, gardeners and others
here and there by steam and save time
and money by it When a man had
work to do at a point twenty miles or
so from where he had been employed,
the train could save half a day or so
In carrying him where he wanted to
go. Up to the time of the Duke's death
a regular schedule was In service.
Trains were run each way over the
road at least twice a day and extra
ones when neded. The owner had a
"special" consisting of a miniature
palace car. It was elegantly upholster
ed and had an office, a smoking com
partment and most .of the appoint
ments of the American private car
except a sleeping compartment
ORIGIN OF THE WIG.
First One Mentioned in History Worn
by Kins; Saul's Daughter.
The first wig mentioned In history
was made of goat's skin and worn by
the daughter of SauL King of Israel.
The first artistic wigs were made In
the south of Italy for the Gaplnlens,
who lived In Apulia and were known
for the luxuries of their toilet. These
people were, they say, the first who
painted their faces; this they did with
the Juice of strawberries.
The Persians wore wigs.' Xenophon
relates that little Cyrus, when he vis
ited Astyages, his grandfather, whose
eyes were framed in blue paint and
who wore an enormous wig, threw him
self on his knees and cried: "Oh, moth
er, what a beautiful grandfather I
have!" Aglals, a maid of honor, was
so struck by the appearance of the old
gentleman that she remained with
Astyages . as a slave.
The Phoenician women, who were
proud of their hair, having been order
ed by their priests to offer it up on the
altars dedicated to Venus after the
death of Adonis, obeyed, but with mur
muring. Soon after they were consoled
by a Greek merchant who told them
that he would give them the means of
hiding their bald pates under luxuriant
curls. In his chariot he had hundreds
of wigs of all colors.
Wigs were in vogue in Rome toward
the end of the republic, and so well
made that says Ovid, "No man could
know if his wife had any hair at all
before she had given him an opportu
nity of seizing her by the tresses.":
Teutonic peasants were the providers
of blonde hair for rich Roman prin
cesses, who loved the contrast of its
flaxen hue with their black eyes. They
even had morning wigs, small and
tightly curled, of any color, and they
kept the beautiful fair ones to receive
their admirers at night Messalina had
150 wigs to disguise herself. Cincin
nati Commercial-Tribune.
Their Remarkable Record.
It would be well If all families could
point to as creditable a history In point
of freedom from domestic broils as that
of Deacon Kendrlck, of Dashville.
The good deacon and his wife were
celebrating their fiftieth wedding anni
versary. A large concourse of rela
tives and friends had assembled at the
old homestead, a splendid dinner had
been served and eaten, and the speech
es, without which no anniversary, of
this kind is considered to be complete,
were in progress.
"In all these fifty years, my friends,"
said Neighbor Brown, In the course of
his remarks, "as I have been told a
hundred times and believe to be true,
our venerable friend and his wife have
never exchanged a cross word. Is it
not so, Deacon?"
"Yes, that's true," replied the deacon.
"Is it not so, sister?" asked Mr.
Brown, addressing Mrs. Kendrlck.
"Yes," she replied, with a twinkle In
her eye. "Abner may have given me
a cross word now and then, but I've
never answered back."
W hy Not Live Forever?
Old age results from the body becom
ing too heavy and clumsy for the mus
cles and sinews which are necessary to
healthful activity. In all the food we
eat there Is a certain proportion of lime.
So long as the muscles are actively em
ployed this lime Is wdrked out of the
system. If the body becomes inactive
It accumulates about the joints and
makes It more and more difficult to
move them. Some of It gets into the
muscles themselves, making them hard
and Inflexible. This is the reason why
heart disease proves so often fatal to
old people. When the muscular valves
of the heart cease to work freely there
Is danger at almost any time of fatal
results. If any man could exert enough
will power to make himself take a cer
tain amount of exercise every day, bar
ring accidents, he would live forever.
Of course, a man might accidentally
acquire a fatal illness, and In that case
he might die In spite of his dumb-bells.
Character In Red Ha r.
. Red-haired women are ardent and
vivacious, especially If with It they
have hazel eyes. In which case they
have a bright and quick intelligence.
They have a great deal of natural felic
ity for study, and good memories. Red
hair with blue eyes shows the same
warmth of character, but not so much
intelligence; bright golden hair, of a
rich, deep color and of a crisp and wav
ing texture, growing thickly on the
head and somewhat low on the brow,
shows an ardent, poetic and somewhat
artistic temperament. It is the signa
ture of Apollo, the sun. People with
red-brown hair which Is very thick, and
redder over the ears and at the temples
than on the head, are courageous and
energetic. This sort of hair gives sense
of color in painters, force of language
and eloquence in poets, and power In
musical composition. Woman's Home
Companion.
The Rubicon.
The great Caesar drew near to the
Rubicon falteringly, and, when he was
come at last to the banks of the noted
stream, he hesitated to cross.
"How different it would be If I were
a college graduate!" he exclaimed, with
emotion.
This Incident in the life of the famous
Roman admonishes us to take advan
tage of every opportunity to obtain a
liberal education. Detroit Journal.
Regarded as a Crime.
There Is one country In the world
where It is considered a crime . to
smoke. Abyssinia is the region, and
the law forbidding tobacco dates from
the year 1642. It was at first merely
Intended to prevent priests from smok
ing In the churches, but it was taken
too literally, and nowadays even for
eigners have to smoke sub rosa, as if
they were still schoolboys.
Gold in Kamciiatlca.
Kamchatka may soon become as pop
ular a resort as the Klondike, as gold
has been discovered there in promising
quantities.
Waves in New South Wales.
One dollar and seventy-five cents a
day has been adopted by the New
South Wales Government as a mini
mum wage to railway laborers.
Women, when cornered, cry, and thus
gain time In which to think up a new
excuse.
A woman with a cooing voice Is la
variably disliked, - - mz
M ustsr
WHEN the sun of August begins
to redden the green out of the
foliage the veterans of the civil
war In thirty-fifth national encampment
will assemble in the State where their
order had birth. Not in the city where
the original post of the Grand Army
of the Republic was Instituted, indeed,
but in the borders of the State where
the Idea was first promulgated and car
ried Into effect. Next August the vet
erans will meet in Chicago, but the
army, once an appreciable proportion
of the grand army which dropped the
sword for peaceful pursuits, is fading
away with the lapse of years.
Boys in years and animation when
the smoke of the big guns curled about
Fort Sumter, nothing 'but gray beards
remain, to-day. . Veterans then have
long since passed over the great divide.
Nine years ago the army was nearly
twice as strong as it is to-day. It is
fitting Indeed that as the day draws
near when there will be no Grand Army
left these who still cling to life should
return to the old homestead in reunion.
Born of the consciousness of a son of
Illinois, native to the Prairie State, It is
fitting that the Grand Army should
meet again In the State that gave birth
to the designer of the order.
Thirty-four years will have passed
away when the next meeting ie held
since the first national encampment
was held in Indianapolis. .Half a dozen
States were represented in that gather-
ing, with but 228 members In the as
sembly. Illinois had something over
twenty posts then and was. the' only
State organized into a department with
department officers.' Since then the
army has prospered until every State in
the Union almost has a department,
a large membership and large benefit
revenue. In 1890 the .comrades num
bered over 400,000; to-day, less than
ten years later, the army has been re
duced to but a trifle over two-thirds the
high-watermark.
Line of March Shortened.
Year after year the line of march In
all parades has been shortened, that the
faltering veterans may not be over
fatigued. Even when civic pride de
mands the old long lines the men with
the blue blouses and bronze buttons
pass the reviewing officer and then,
again dropping their military forma
tion, fall out of the line and mingle with
the people who assemble to see the pa
geant Stooped shoulders bent under
the burden of years have replaced the
erect body, and slow, halting steps have
replaced the Jaunty stride of the war
days. The old men clinging fondly to
the trinity of the order, charity, frater
nity and loyalty, turn out Indeed, but
the long marches of forty years ago are
beyond their strength.
Steadily each year the percentage of
loss by death Is rising until to-day it Is
almost as high as it was in the days
when muskets were borne over the
shoulders or leveled In fight. Nine
years ago the high fide of the army
was reached. Even then the losses by
reason of the falling out of stragglers
whose memories alone remain was
heavy, as heavy as the average loss by
death in any great battle. Last year
the decrease in membership and the In
crease in flower-decked mounds was
nearly as great as the total losses from
all causes in the stiff est fight any mem
ber ever participated In.
But a few years remain of earth to
the men who fought the good battle to
preserve the Union. None lives now
with here and there a notable excep
tion but those who were beardless
youths when they went to the front to
throttle the most serious rebellion the
world ever saw or ever will see. The
men who In 1861 wore beards and had
the tread of mature manhood have gone
before to blaze the way to the haven
of eternal rest for their juniors. Thirty
four annual encampments have been
held since the organization was born
in Springfield. A round dozen more as
semblies will see the closing of the
records, for the veterans will 'be, all
gone and posterity will have but the
recollection of what they did and how
In all the years. since the close of the
strife they have kept alive the loyalty
to the flag which sent them out to face
death In Its defense.
In Past Encampments,
But a few years ago it was no uncom
mon thing for 100,000 boys In blue to
assemble In the city chosen for the an
nual encampment of the Grand Army.
Not all. Indeed, held seats in the na
tional body, but where that body .met
the comrades have been wont to meet
and fight again the fights of the war.
To-day If half that number In spite of
the heavy membership In Chicago and
the State should assemble from all
over the broad land It would be a nota
ble gathering. Age, poverty few of
the members are wealthy and distance
from the scene will prevent many a
man from attending. Yet In every
breast will be the hope, for every vet
eran realizes that this may be his last
opportunity to meet with his comrades
this side of the grave.
Thirty-seven years ago, while at the
front fighting for the Union, the Idea of
an association of volunteers after their
military duties bad closed was born In
the mind of a son of Illinois. Dr. Ben
jamin Franklin Stephenson, surgeon of
the Fourteenth Illinois Infantry, and
a native of the State, was the man who
first thought out the scheme which has
worked so grandly. With him as tent
mate and intimate friend was Chaplain
W. J. Rutledge. In the quiet hours of
the night after "taps" had been sounded
these comrades often talked of the hope
of organizing the Grand Army. As
early as the spring of 18S2 Mr. Rut
ledge broached the topic and Dr. Ste
phenson elaborated It to include a na
tional order.
Looking far Into the future the Doc
tor saw that distress would come to the
men of arms as the. years passed by.
Wounds and disease would cripple
them prematurely. Hardships and ex
posure, bad food and not enough of that
In the field would shorten the term of
their active business life. Hope of aid
they would have none unless, banded
together as brothers, they should re
lieve each other. Seeking to keep alive
the fires of patriotism, seeking to pro
ride a relief association which should
lid by the highest type of charity a de
'
B. P. aTRPHENSOJT.
f tl veteran s
serving brother, seeking to perpetuate
the brotherly feeling engendered of com
mon hardships and perils, the Doctor
saw In his mind the long lines of veter
ans marching together, shoulder to
shoulder. In peace as in war.
An idea so born could not fall to ger
minate. The grand parade and review
of Grant's and Sherman's armies In
Washington following the declaration
of peace had scarcely passed away un
til Dr. Stephenson began the active
work of creating a grand armyof peace.
In March, 1866, Dr. Stephenson and Mr.
Rutledge renewed their discussions
with the purpose of putting their ideas
into execution. In the preceding month
Fred I. Dean was called In and the
topic talked over with blm. He pre
pared rough notes outlining the scope
and purposes of the organization and
a conference of the charter members of
the department of Illinois was held in
Springfield In March.
. At that conference the following men,
later prominent in the army, were pres
ent: Col. J. M. Snyder, Dr. James
Hamilton, Maj. R. M. Woods, Maj. Rob
ert Allen, Chaplain Rutledge, Col. Mar
tin Flood, Col. Daniel Grass, Col. Ed
ward Prince, Capt. J. S. Phelps, Capt.
J. A. Lightfoot, Capt B. F. Smith, Maj.
A. A. North, Capt. H. E. Howe, Lieut.
B. F. Hawkes and Dr. Stephenson. The
conference decided to present the mat
ter to Gov. Oglesby and the Governor
heartily approved the project. The
name was suggested by some literature
received concerning a similar organi
zation being discussed in Missouri un
der the title of the Grand Army of
Progress.
In order to maintain secrecy It was
decided to send the copy of the consti
tution and by-laws to Decatur for print
ing. I. N. Coltrin and Joseph Prior, of
the Tribune, were thus made aware of
the movement. Both were discharged
volunteers and both took a strong inter
est in the project Dr. J. W. Routh
and Capt M. F. Kanan, of Decatur,
having been Informed of the plans,
went to Springfield, where they dis
cussed it with Dr. Stephenson. They
returned and organized the first post
and then desired Dr. Stephenson, pro
visional department commander, to In
stitute the post ,
The First Post.
This was done on the evening of April
6, I860, with the following charter
members: M. F. Kanan, George K.
Steele, George H. Dunning, 1. C. Pugh,
J. H. Nale,, J. T. Bishop, C. Reibsame,
J. W. Routh, B. F. Sibley, I. N. Coltrin,
Joseph Prior and A. Toland. Comman
der Stephenson Issued his first general
order Instituting this post and the
Grand Army of the Republic was born.
Then district and post officers were
elected and new posts Instituted. " The
second was created In Springfield, but
other cities and towns claimed the hon
or, so that in a few weeks the depart
ment of Illinois had some twenty-eight
posts scattered about the State.
Commander Stephenson named Cap
tains Kanan and Dunning as a commit
tee to prepare ritual, constitution and
by-laws. The order was made April
18 and the committee lost no time,, for
the ritual was presented and accepted
on May 9 by the department The con
stitution was presented and adopted
on May 15. The rules and ritual thus
adopted remained those of the Grand
Army untlj notified by the national en
campment In May, 1809, when the rit
ual and rules that obtain to-day. with
such modifications as the lapse of time
have called for, were adopted.
With nearly thirty posts In working
order and regulations approved by all
adopted, the provisional organization
was deemed to have served its purpose,
so a representative gathering of the
army was called for July 13. It was
held In Springfield and the department
formally . organized. Gen. John M.
Palmer was elected department com
mander, with Gen. H. John Cook as
senior vice. The originator of the army
was not chosen as bead of the organiza
tion he had brought Into existence,
much to his disappointment Yet his
chagrin did not serve to abate his en
thusiasm, for no man ever In the ranks
worked more faithfully to make it suc
ceed than Dr. Stephenson.
The First Encampment.
The Idea of the founder of the army
was to Incorporate every State. In the
Union where a Federal veteran lived.
It was to be a grand army in fact as
well as In name. He did not rest with
the State organization, but went to
work vigorously to carry out his grand
scheme. Gen. Cook In the absence of
Gen. Palmer named the department
staff and made Dr. Stephenson his ad
jutant general. Then in September of
the year of founding a general order
was issued calling the first national en
campment Nov. 20 In Indianapolis. Sev
enty posts and 228 representatives com
posed the first national body of the
Grand Army.
Gallant Stephen A. Hurlburt, whose
shoulders had borne the double star in
the volunteer army, was chosen to wear
the badge of the army, whereon was
spread the shoulder strap of major gen
eral. He was elected to the office of
commander in chief of the Grand Army
of the Republic. The following officers
were elected: J. B. McKean of New
York, Senior Vice; Robert S. Foster, of
Indiana, Junior Vice; B. F. Stephenson,
MEMBEBS OF G COM
CHICAGO ENCAMPMENT.
Adjutant General; D. C. McNeil oi
Iowa, Quartermaster General; W.- A.
Pile of Missouri, Chaplain.
Gen. Hurlburt administered the af
fairs of the army for one term, then
giving away to another son of Illinois,
the one who had attained the highest
rank and greatest fame attained by a
volunteer officer, John A. Logan. Gen.
Logan became chief of the army in
1868. He signalized his administration
by promulgating an order setting apart
May 30 as memorial day. He Issued
his famous order No. 11 on May 5, call
ing on all survivors of the war to deck
the graves of an fallen comrades with
flowers on May 30. The ceremonials, to
be observed were left to the individual
posts, as up to that time no ritual had
been adopted for this purpose.
Its Struggles and Success. -
In the earty years, In common with all
fraternal organizations, the Grand
Army of the Republic struggled for
life. But with over 2,000,000 volunteers
to draw from it was merely a question
of time when no city in the land would
be large enough to handle all If all
should meet at any national encamp
ment When the high mark was
reached the army comprised about 50
per cent of all the survivors of the war
eligible to membership. Losses from
CHARTER MEMBERS OF FIRST 6. A. R.
" POST.
various causes kept pace with gains for
ten years. Then gains exceeded losses
until 1890. Then the old fellows com
menced to pass away with startling
speed. .
The Grand Army commenced to grow
rapidly early in the '70s. By the close
of the decade departments had sprung
up all over the land. The membership
was equal to any single army com
manded by any general but Grant dur
ing the war. In 1890 the muster rolls
showed 409,781 members. Last year
but 287,981 veterans admitted adher
ence to the regulations. The losses from
death are on the Increase. Losses by
honorable discbarge are not as heavy as
those by the final discharge.
Chicago must prepare - to entertain
1,000,000 guests during the last four
days of August For the first time In
a generation the national encampment
of the Grand Army of the Republic Is
to be held in the city by the lake, and
preparations are already under way to
make the occasion outshine any na
tional gathering ever held by that great
organization. ' .
"Approximately 750,000 veterans of
the war are still alive out of the 2,225,
000 recruits enlisted in that great strug
gle," said Secretary E. A. BIgelow, of
the Executive Committee, having the
management of the encampment in
charge. "Of that number it Is estimated
from the rosters of the various divis
ions of the G. A. R. that 500.000 reside
in the territory west of the Alleghanies,
north of the Qbio River and east of the
Missouri that Is, In the territory di
rectly tributary to Chicago. They will
come to this encampment men who
did not go to Philadelphia or Cincin
nati or a half dozen of others will
come to Chicago. And we will make
them welcome."
A Child's Vocabulary.
"The language which the child of six
employs is apt to be the basis of his
speech throughout life," is the theory
advanced by an observant physician
writing in the Woman's Home Com
panion. . "We cannot separate from
words the Ideas for which they stand;
thus what might at first appear to be
merely an educational matter Is also
a serious moral problem. The writer
retains a tolerably clear recollection of
his own boyhood, and he has enjoyed
the intimate acquaintance of many
young children. From this experience
he would express the opinion that a
very small minority of children at the
age of eight can be considered 'inno
cent' and that a very considerable
minority of boys of five can swear flu
ently, and use a shockingly copious
stock of objectionable words. By mak
ing a hermit of a child we can post
pone for a few years the inevitable
contact with the coarser manifesta
tions of human nature, but he will then
very likely be ashamed, by his very
lack of proficiency In evil. Into greater
assiduity In acquiring the fruit of the
tree of knowledge. We have built up
a special code of ethics for children
with a vocabulary to match."
His Character.
The old hiring fairs are still held In
some rural districts of England. There
Is a story of an old Gloucestershire
farmer, who, seeming a likely lad at
such a place, opened negotiations with
a view to engaging him.
"Hast got a character from thy last
place?" the farmer asked.
"No," replied the boy; "but my old
gaffer be about somewhere, and I can
get he to write one."
"Very well," was the reply, "Thee
get It and meet I here again at 4
o'clock."
The farmer and the boy met at the
appointed hour. .
"Hast got thy character?" was the
query; .
The answer was short and sharp:
"No, but I ha' got thine, and I bean' I
a-coming."
An Elm tic Currency.
"What we need is an elastic curren
cy," said Mr. Geezer, who was elucidat
ing the money question to his wife.
"Then, why doesn't the government
print banknotes on thin sheets of rub-,
ber?" demanded Mrs. Geezer, with the
air of one who has solved a mighty
problem. Harper's Bazar.
Water Hard to Heat.
Water is the hardest of all substance
to beat with the single exception of
hydrogen gas. The easiest two are
mercury and lead, which stand in this
respect on nearly the same footing.
A MINER'S LUCK
He Came Pretty Near to Making-
Big 8trike..
"It Is mostly all luck in the mining
business." said H. A. Frederick, a Klon
diker from Seattle, "and that gold Is
where you find It Is a surer proposition
than any specification of a mining ex
pert Let me give you a couple of in
stances. In the winter of "97 I was
working near Gold Hlu in the El Do
rado district and one Sunday I was at
the cabin of Dr. Carper of my town,
who was treating a lame shoulder I
had. After the professional part of the
call was over, the doctor and I, who
are old friends, were talking of mining,
he being In it himself more than doc
toring, and I told him we ought to go
over on the opposite hill, next to a
claim worked by a man named Lan
caster, and stake off a couple of claims.
But he would not have It my way at
all, and Insisted that if there was any
gold there, somebody would have claim
ed the territory 'which did not have a
stake on it except Lancaster's. I lis
tened to him and we didn't stake a
claim, but in June following the doctor
paid $10,000 for four claims, each 100
feet square, on the same site, and out
of thirty-two square feet of one of them
he took $22,000, and he is still working
them. That same year, at Christmas
he was feeling pretty good, and the day
before Christmas he told his brother
and a couple of men who were working
for him that he wanted to give them a
Christmas present, and they could go
Into the mine and get a panful of dirt
for whatever it might be worth. The
three took him up. and went hunting
for the richest dirt they could find. One
of them didn't want to act the bog. he
said, but he overcame his scruples and
got Into the richest ground, as the
others did, and when they had panned
their selections, one man got $32, one
got $113. and the brother hit It for $104.
Think of that for a panful, when a man
can get rich at it If it pays him a dollar
a pan regularly. The pay streak in this
mine Is seven feet thick and in places
the gold actually glitters In the gravel."
"But I am getting ahead of my story.
On the following Sunday I was with
the doctor again, and I called his at
tention to another unoccupied hillside
where he could stake claims, and again
the doctor turned, me down. He Insist
ed that I was throwing away my right
In the district to stake a claim In that
locality, and for a second time I listen
ed to him. On the same spot that sea
son a luckier man took $50,000 out of
his claim and afterward sold it for $60,
000. The claim, I finally got did not
lose me any money, but I didn't get any
big winnings, as I might have got if
my luck and my nerve had been with
me." Washington Star.
GIVES AWAY HIS INCOME.
A Reading Physician Whose Profits Go
to Church and Charity.
' Dr. Isaac Detweller. of Reading. Pa.,
Is probably the only physician In the
world who gives every dollar derived
from his practice of
m e d 1 c 1 n e to the
church and charity.
For over ten years
he has been doing
-this, although It
was not generally
known. Dr. Det
weller .celebrated
his seventieth blrth
d a y anniversary
DR. DETWEILER. (qIs week.
Dr. Detweller has lived In Reading
thirty-six years. When starting out In
life he made a vow that as he pros
pered in his profession or business he
would give a certain percentage to the
cause of religion and charity. He has
done so. . More than ten years ago be
made another vow that whatever In
come he might derive thereafter from
his practive of medicine would be given
in these good causes. The amount of
money he has given since then aggre
gates tens of thousands. Although to
day not considering himself an active
practitioner, his receipts from his pro
fession last year amounted to probably
$140 a month, all of which was or will
be donated to religious and charitable
purposes.
During the Spanish-American war. he
contributed $225 for the purchase of
Bibles and testaments for the soldiers,
and be paid for much other religious
literature that was sent to them. -
One Reason Why.
"I'm not surprised," remarked ' the
debonair dry goods drummer, "that
those people down in Kentucky don't
drink any more water than they do.. 1
have just heard from a customer of
mine in Eminence, a pleasant town not
far from Louisville, that a well-knowd
citizen there, who has been troubled
for a long time with a hacking cough,
had a severe spell of coughing the other
day and raised two square blocks of
some kind of hard substance. His son
sent them down to a Louisville chemist,
who reported that they were blocks of
limestone, caused by the limestone wa
ter the cougher had been drinking. I
may add that the cough doesn't trouble
him any more, but Just think of the lia
bility a man is subjected to down there
of having his bronchial tubes and his
alimentary canal macadamized from
Dan to Beersheeba. - I'd rather drink
moonshine than run such a risk as that
I shore would." .
A Wise Child.
Inspector Suppose I lent your father
100 in June and he promised to pay me
back 10 on the first of every month,
how much would he owe me at the end
of the year? Now, think well before
you answer.
Pupil 100, sir.
Inspector You're .a very Ignorant
little glrL You don't know the most
elementary rules of arithmetic!
Pupil Ah, sir, but you don't know
father! Punch.
Australian Opal Mines,
Opal mining Is one of the latest Aus
tralian mineral Industries. The prin
cipal opal mining center Is White
Cliffs, where the gerahas been found
in highly paying quantities and of the
richest quality, within a radius of ten
miles, and a population of ' 1,500 or
thereabouts Is settled there. .
Willie Now that sister Is going to
marry Mr. Jenks why is It called an
"engagement' pa? Mr. Underthum
Probably because the real battle comes
later, my son. Philadelphia Press.
When a man fusses, his wife doesn't
care so much that he Is displeased ag
she fears that the neighbors will heat
him.
After all, nearly everything is knock
ed down to the highest bidder.
A REMARKABLE FINANCIER.
A Chicago Man Whose Inabilities
Amount to Over 95,000,000. I
A Chicago man remarkable In the(
world of finance la Francis P. Owtngs.
He is remarkable not for his vast
wealth, but for the enormous debts be
amassed, his liabilities amounting to
exactly $5,564,917. The fact that he.
owes this huge sum makes the situation '
more notable than If he had accumu
lated the amount In the same period, a j
decade. While It is. to the majority, a
hard matter to become rich. It is grant-,
ed that it Is easier of accomplishment
than to get so deeply In debt as has
Owlngs.
The story of the man who deals In
debts so splendidly and who has failed
on the most magnificent scale yet
known is a part of Chicago's history.
Francis P. Owlngs Is the man who orig
inated the idea, of using the nlnety-nlne-year
lease as a basis for building opera
tions. He Invented the process and put
up at least thirty buildings in the busi
ness district of the city. For ten years
the theory which he originated con
trolled real estate values In the down
town district and led to the erection of
three-quarters of the skyscrapers in
Chicago. Owlngs started practically
without a dollar, but his dealings In the
business world brought him so prom
inently before the public as a success
ful promoter that he can, as soon as his
affairs In bankruptcy courts are set
tled, secure unlimited capital for a new
start
It was he who brought to the West
the Idea of building skyscrapers. Ar
chitects refused, owing to wind pres
sure and to the quicksand formation
upon which downtown buildings rested,
to be responsible for damages In case
the buildings were wrecked, but Ow
lngs accepted the responsibility and
they were successfully erected.
Owing to unfortunate circumstances,
Owlngs was obliged to fall and,, while
others have profited by his business sa
gacity and become rich, he Is to-day
acting as clerk in a broker's office. That
his career will end In bankruptcy court
Is not thought possible, as he has shown
himself to be a financier of the first
order and one of the most remarkable
men the West has ever known. ;.'
MAIL WAGONS OF ODD DESIGN.
Five Queer-Looking Vehicles Pur
chased by PoBtofHce Collectors.
Five mail collection wagons of a style
never before seen In Kansas City have
been bought by the mall collectors of
the Kansas City postoliice. These mall
carts are very small and queer-looking.
There is a high box In front for the let
ters and a low platform behind for the
driver. ' Box and platform are covered
ONE OF THE NKW MAIL WAGONS.
with a narrow cover. The collector
may sit on a stool behind the mall box.
When he jumps from a cart to open
a street box the stool, by the operation
of a spring, drops out of the way.
The men who collect the mail receive
the same salaries as letter-carriers,
with an additional $300 a year for buy
ing horses and wagons for collecting
mail. These new wagons cost $75 each.
Candy for the Soldiers.
Candy of good quality, consisting of
mixed chocolate creams, lemon drops,
cocoanut maroons and acidulated fruit
drops, has been added to the regular
ration of the American soldier. One
New York firm has shipped more than
fifty tons of confectionery during the
past year for the troops in the Philip
pines, Cuba and Porto Rico. The use
of candy as an army ration originated
In some experiments on the diet of the
troops conducted by the German gov
ernment ten years ago. They showed
that the addition of candy and choco
late to the regular ration greatly Im
proved the health and endurance of the
troops using It Since that time the
German .government has Issued cakes
of chocolate and a limited amount of
other confectionery. The Queen for
warded five hundred thousand pounds
of chocolate in half-pound packages as
a Christmas treat for the troops In thg
Transvaal. American jam manufactur
ers are considering a movement to add
jam to the army ration. It having been
found wholesome for the British army.
Opal and Bad Luck..
The superstition associating opals
with baleful Influence Is all the talk of
Hagerstown. Katberlne Relmsbue, a
young society woman, became engaged,
and her fiance presented her with an
opal ring. She was superstitious, but
finally accepted the ring. Her uneasi
ness grew into fear that the stone por
tended some calamity. Her lover of
ferd to exchange the ring for another,
but she declared the mischief was al
ready wrought Shortly after receiving
the ring she was sitting before an open
fire warming her hands. Suddenly the
stone burst Within a month after the
bursting of the opal her lover died sud
denly. Indianapolis special to Chicago
Tribune.
An Engineering Triumph.
One of the latest triumphs In the en
gineering world . consists In the con
struction, ' shipment by steamer, and
subsequent transfer to railway trans
portation of a steamer of 4,200 tons'
displacement which was finally put
afloat in Lake Baikal, Siberia, not less
than 5,000 miles from St. Petersburg.
Acetylene-Gas Signals.
From Corfe castle to Bournemouth
West Cliff English military men have
passed acetylene gas signals, a distance
of twelve miles the message being
clear to the naked eye.
The suitor Cor a girl's hand ought to
suit ber.
. FRANCIS P. O WINGS.
US.MAI'-
FREAK ROMANCES.
Last Tear's Crop Labeled Love Stories
for Convenience.
A woman in New York bad her fiance
arrested under a charge of theft and
then married him.
The New York papers told of a wife
in New Jersey who was divorced by her
husband and is now In the employ of
his second wife as cook. .
A woman In Cowley County, Kansas,
recently sued for divorce from the man
with whom she had lived for thirty
years because be did not love her quite
enough to give up the use of tobacco.
- An Atchison man Is suing his wife
for divorce because he found her ex
amining ' mourning styles. Another
man In this same county sued a woman
for breach of promise.
There Is a colony of men and women
near Mason City, Iowa, called the
Amana Society that Is bound to strict
rules of celibacy. Two members, how
ever, fell In love and were married.
A St Louis woman pretended that
she was her husband's sister that be
might secure a divorce and marry an
other. A man of Independence, Kan., made
his fifth trip to the altar with a woman
who was on her third.
Another New Jersey story Is that of
a mother who kidnaped her son on the
eve of his wedding and the two are still
recorded as missing. A man proposed
while In bathing in Atlantic City. The
two were married at once on the beach
in their bathing clothes.
- It was told In August of a titled Vien
na woman who learned of her sweet
heart's death while dressing for her
wedding. Three days later she married
another man.
' A bridal party entered a London
church while it was on fire and insisted
on the marriage being performed in
spite of the flames and streams ot
water.
A week or two ago the knot. was tied
for a Kansas man and a Missouri wom
an on the Atchison bridge, the preach
er's teeth chattering with cold as he
read the service. '.
An Englishman who had emigrated to
Australia sent.hls sweetheart money
for her passage. He met her husband
at the gangway. She bad married' a
passenger on the steamer.
A Newburg, N, Y., girl was faithful
while her fiance served a nine-year sen
tence. The two were married at his
Release. . '
For fifteen years a Polander In New
York paid court and was finally ac
cepted. The day before that set ' for
the wedding she married J?ls younger
brother.
An engagement that extended un
broken over a period of fifty years end
ed in marriage at Napoleon, Ohio, In
September. The man was 80, the wom
an 72.
One of the scandals of the year was
the case of William Sloan, who mar
ried Miss Rose L. Edwards, of Boston.
He was to be best man for his friend.
George H. Boeck, but stole the bride.
GOOD EFFECTS OF SINGING.
A Valuable Form of Exercise for Per
sons with Weak Lungs.
Many medical men are now recom
mending their patients to study sing
ing,, which Is a most salutary exercise,
both by virtue of Its Influence on the
emotions, on the respiratory move
ments, and on the development of the
lungs. Nothing better shows the bene
ficial influence of singing In developing
the chest and warding off lung diseases
than the freedom from pulmonary af
fections among professional singers.
Moreover, their general health Is ex
ceptionally good, and this Is probably
In a large measure attributable, not
only to their necessarily careful plan
of living, but also to the exercise of
their calling. Some physicians main
tain that for defective chest develop
ment, and in chronic heart trouble',
singing is an unequaled exercise. The
singer should be clad so as to allow ab
solute freedom of the chest movements;
there should be no constriction of the
neck or waist; the collar should be low
and ample, and if corsets are worn,
they should be roomy and loose. One
error Into which singers, and especially
amateurs, fall, is to practice too much.
The length of time to be given to the
exercise depends much upon the char
acter and condition of the voice. Speci
fic rules cannot be given. Melba, when
asked how many hours of practice a
day she would advise for a pupil, said:
"No hours for a beginner, but min
utes. . I, myself, never practice more
than one hour a day, and usually much
less." Dr. H. Holbrook Curtis consid
ers forty minutes or an hour of actual
voice practice dally Is quite sufficient
to develop most voices. This time
should be divided into periods of ten
or fifteen minutes each. Regularity,
and not long practice hours, which only
fatigue the voice and wear it out. Is the
greatest aid to advancement The voice
develops very gradually, and any at
tempt to force Its growth Is a fatal mis
take. St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Secret of an Ocean Iragedy.
A peculiarly strange mystery of th
sea has just been solved and the fats
of the two well-known schooners How
ard H. Hanscom and James B. Pace,,
which sailed from Philadelphia In No
vember, 1898, for New England ports
and were never afterward heard from
has been learned. Divers have located
both vessels sunk on the southern coast
of Massachusetts, apparently In colli
sion. In both skeletons of men were
found lashed to the rigging or to the
rail, and while there was nothing left of
the flesh it is thought they can be rec
ognized by the clothing.
The grewsome discovery was brought
about In a peculiar way. . '
Several days ago a heavily laden
steamship, while running along the
southern coast of Massachusetts, struck
a sunken obstruction at a point where
no obstruction should exist, according
to charts. The captain of the steam
ship reported the occurrence and a
wrecking party, with divers, started off
to make an investigation. Upon reach
ing the exact locality where the menace
was plotted on the chart by the steam
ship captain two divers were sent down
and within a short time came to the
surface and revealed the story of their
discovery. The news was telegraphed
the owners of the missing craft and by
them was transmitted to the families
of the sailors. It Is the opinion of prac
tical seafaring men that the Vessels
fouled each other while scudding be
fore the mighty force of the great No
vember storm. The men, as discovered
by the divers, were lashed to their posts
and had not the slightest chance to
escape death. Philadelphia Press.
- She learned for the Romantic
"Why did you leave your last place,
Mary?"
"Oh, I Just couldn't bear It. The man
and his wife lived very happily to
gether, and that made It so dull and un
interesting for me." Fllegende Blaet
ter. - .
Physicians are most - appreciated
when they find there Is nothing what
ever the matter with you.
It always makes a banker mad
nadtOj
walk behind bis counted .