fRANSFORMATION OF THE GREAT WEST.
Mv General
It was my good fortune to wit
ness tire transformation of the
mighty West I nave viewed
much of it on horseback and have
traversed the zones now occupied
by the Canadian, the Great North
ern, the Northern Pacific, the Rio
Grande and Oregon Short line,
the Union and Central Pacific, the
Santa Fe route and the Southern
Pacific I have seen the pioneer
and the home builder supplant the
savage and the lawless. In my
recent journeys across the conti
nent I was more than ever Im
pressed with the underlying wis
dom and tranquil virility of the
people. They do not want war;
they want peace. I have traveled
far In foreign lands and observed
the oeoDle st many countries. I
GENERAL MILES.
have had excellent opportunities to know tne peopie or my
own country and am gratified to say that a more intelli
gent, thoughtful, patriotic people cannot be found on the
face of the globe than the people of our Western States
and Territories. There you find the true American inde
pendence and enterprise. An American citizen with eighty
or 160 acres of land is loyaLto democratic government, and
he la a very independent sovereign. The rough'; wild,, tough
element has been replaced by the mine and mill owner, the
herdsman and the agriculturist.
While in thirty years the transformation of the great
West baa been marvelous, there Yis yet ample room for
millions who may be "seeking homes. 'There are nearly as
many people crowded Into the Philippine Islands, an area
not as large as one of our Western territories as the num
ber that are now living In nearly one-half of the western
portion of the United States, while the State of . Texas
alone, richly stored with the products that have made this"
country great and prosperous, could accommodate all the
people of the United States and ten millions more without
being so much crowded as some of the Eastern States are
now.
DISEASES OF THE STOMACH.
By Dr. B. C.
The Importance of a thorough knowl
edge of diseases of the stomach can
not be overestimated. Innumerable
aches and pains, formications, tingling
and numb sensations are caused by im
perfect gastric digestion. The theory
that the stomach is only a receptacle
for the gesta, and is not, strictly, speak
ing, a digestive organ, has not been sus
tained by clinical, and laboratory expe
rience; while clinical experience testi
fies and laboratory experiments and ob-
to-.
jjb. e. c. sweet, serration demonstrate that many di
gestive disturbances originate in the stomach and produce
symptoms which frequently have been attributed to de
rangements of the nervous system. Many cases of head
ache, impaired memory and inaptitude for thought and
work occurring in merchants and other business men, are
not due to overwork and brain exhaustion, as is frequent
ly supposed, but are caused by Imperfect digestion, result
ing from eating when the stomach Is tired. When one Is
engaged In hard physical or mental labor the blood flow
to the stomach is decreased, and a proper amount of gas
tric Juice is not elaborated, and the functions of motility
and absorption are diminished. Under such circumstances
TBgtion must be changed..': Such patients'may be benefited
by taking only soup, beef tea or milk for the noon meaL
Sometimes biscuit or bread and butter may be allowed in
JOHN ALEXANDER )0WIE
HAS A RIVAL IN INDIA
Mirza, Ghulam Ahmad, of Qudiah,
Punjab, India, Insists that John Alexan
der Dowle, of Zion, 111., U. S. A., Is not
up to date.
Allah Is good
and . Mahomet - is
prophet truly, - but
Mirza Ghulam Ah
mad is the Mes
siah! So claims
Mirza Ghulam that
each should pray
that the other per
ish, and Mlraah Is
lost in wonderment
that the overseer
of Zion has not
toed the scratch.
He expresses his
amazement in an
article just pub
lished , in the Re
view of Religions,
, AlIKZA AHMAD.
which is printed on occasions at Gur
daspur, India.
That the tempestuous Dr. 'Dowle
shall know that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Is no common man, is not a frail hu
man forsooth, the new Messiah writes:
"Dr. Dowie should further bearl in
mind that this challenge does not pro
ceed from an ordinary Mohammedan.
I am the very Messiah, the . promised
one, for whom he is so anxiously wait
ing. Between Dr. , Dowie' s - position
and mine the difference Is this, that
Dowie fixes the appearance of the Mes
siah within the next twenty-five years,
while I gave blm the glad tidings that
the Messiah has already appeared. I
am that Messiah, and Almighty God
has shown numerous signs from earth
as well as from heaven In my support
My following, which already claims a
hundred thousand souls, Is making a
rapid progress. The proof that Dr.
Dowie furnishes in support of his ex
travagant claims Is the very height of
(absurdity. He claims to have healed
hundreds of sick men..' But why did
his healing power fail In the case of
(his own beloved daughter, where it
should have been exercised In the high
test degree?" ,
ROMANCE OF THE PAPACY.
Secret of Vatican That Have Reached
L Public Knowledge.
As a rule the secrets of the Vatican
are well kept and most of the stories
that are told apropos of the new Pope
must be taken with a grain of salt
' Now and again, however, something of
the romance of the papacy really leaks
out though not through the Cardinals.
There was, for example, the strange
case of Pope Flux IX, pretty well
known a generation ago, but now al
most forgotten. In his younger days,
iwhen he was Count Mastal Ferrati and
a lawyman, ' he met and fell In love
with Miss Foster, daughter of the
Irish Protestant Bishop of Kllmore,
who was living in Italy with her sis
ter, Mme. De Sails. - Miss Foster fa
vored the young count but Mme. De
Sails drove the lover awaj. After-
avard she relented, the count returned
' "
f,: t, ...J
Nelmoa A. Miles.
addition. The large meal, or dinner,, should not be taken
until the day's work Is done. Thus severer forms of dis
ease, as functional dyspepsia and chronic gastritis, may
be prevented. ,
WHAT THE RICH MAN
By
i f ftp's
PBESiDEif t eliot. source in this world, is family life, the
joys of , father and mother and children and grandchildren
and grandfather and grandmother and grandchildren, they
last. In the natural course of life they last fifty, even six
ty, years, -and; they j grow as time passes by. They are
always Increasing; they are not diminishing satisfactions.
Does the rich man have any more of these true and high
satisfactions than the poor man? ' Not one whit more! He
cannot buy them. They are the result of. natural affection
and of disciplined character. They are absolutely unpur
chasable In this world. - -
THE ART OF MANAGING A MAN. 7 7 ' ; '
.? By Melon Old-field.
a foot There are not many things in the world outside
of matters of conscience, pure and simple, which 'are worth
contention upon a woman's part, '.against the 'man whom
she loves and who loves her; and for these few things
the reward, gained through martyrdom, .comes usually In
'the hereafter. Standing up for one's rights against one's
husband Is wearisome work; it is more comfortable to
relinquish them; still they may be had, except in rare
Instances, by asking for them as a favor to be granted for
love's sake. Deference to a husband Is the drop of oil
which keeps the wheels of the domestic machine running
smoothly. There is much in mental suggestion. Take It
for granted that a man will do a certain thing because it
is the proper course, and in nine times out of ten he does
it. , The tactful person drops suggestions and leaves them
to take root, just as the husbandman sows his seed upon
fertile ground.
"There is a time to keep silence and a time to speak,"
and even though "a soft answer turneth away wrath,"
there are seasons when no answer Is better, when the only
fitting coin of conversation la the gold of silence. To argue
with an angry man is worse than folly). When a man is
hungry and tired, perhaps worried, and so Inclined to be
cross, is not a favorable time for, any request however
reasonable. The wise woman who Is versed in the ways of
man will bide her time, will see that he has a well cooked
dinner, and good coffee, and when he has been soothed
into good humor with himself and air the world will broach
the subject upon, which she desires his approval. Smiles
are more effective than tears to open a man's heart; gentle
persuasion avails more than reproaches. It Is the sunshine
and dew which bring forth the foliage on the trees, the soft
south breeze which unlocks the Ice upon the streams.
Sweet, et Chicago.
HOW ANTI-ALCOHOL LECTURES ARE DELIVERED
TO PRISONERS IN A FRENCH PENITENTIARY
- A strange sight Is presented when the periodical antl-alcbhol lecture Is de
livered to the prisoners of the new French penitentiary at Fresnes, near
Paris. The lectures are given In an immense hall, on one'rside of u which,
reaching almost to the roof, are what look like steps, but on closer Inspec-
$ tion prove to be rows of boxes with openings, about four inches high, through '
which can be seen the heads of the audience. In this strange manner the pris
oners are enabled to see "the lecturer, but prevented from holding any com-:
munlcatlon with one another. Mutual recognition on release is thus also ren
dered Impossible. These lectures against drunkenness are believed to have
badsome influence on the' diminution of crime, which has lately been mark- :
. ed in France, and in future they are.to be given more frequently and in a
larger number of prisons. , ' 1 . ' ' ,;
and the wedding day was fixed. On
the appointed day the bride and her
friends were at the church, but no
bridegroom appeared, and Count Mas
tal Ferrati was never seen again. Years
afterward Miss Foster went "to see
Pope Piux IX and was astonished' to
recognize in the pontiff her old flame,
the count -. -
The most sensational novelist could
not have Invented a plot more fascinat
ing than the real story of Pope Leo's
predecessor. Mme. De Sails had made
an unhappy marriage with an Italian,
and her parents, fearing a similar fate
for the younger daughter, made her
promise to guard MlssFoster against
a union with a foreigner, hence her in
terference to separate the lovers; it
was only when her sister pined away
that Mme. De Sails relented. The dis
CANNOT BUY.
PreaUomt Bitot ot Harvard University.
We want more happiness, more real
satisfaction, more joy, more enjoyment.
It Is said that we Americans are always
trying to get more money more pay,
higher wages, higher : salaries, ' more
profit in our trade and there Is truth in
that description of the American aim.
Now, is that the ultimate end of life?
Is that the way to win greater happi
ness,' truer enjoyment, deeper satisfac
tions? ,fi ;
I think the first source, the greatest
A woman's privileges are more valuable than
her rights; R the best ( way In which to Increase
those privileges Is to take them with great show
of gratitude to the' man who 'confers them. "Van
ity, vanity, all Is vanity," and no man ever lived
who was not accessible to .flattery,, in some
form or other. , To conquer, a woman must
sometimes stoop. Gentle persuasion : goes a
mile often where aggressiveness cannot stir
appearance of the count has. quite a
flavor of Dumas about it-. Unknown to
his fiancee he was bound to the Jesu
its, and his superiors in the order per
emptorily sent him away on a mission
to prevent his marriage with an Eng
lish woman and a Protestant Letters
were intercepted" and he was led "to
believe that she had married another,
so he took orders and rapidly rose to
be Bishop, then Cardinal and eventual
ly Pope.- Then In the height of his
grandeur he was" brought for a mo
ment face to face with the woman he
had loved and , lost. Nothing more
dramatic has ever been staged. " -
r4','iTJ Duties . of Tolatoy. " I
Count Tolsoy is obliged to devote
half his time to answering letters and
receiving visitors.
GOOD
Sbof t Qtof ie$ I
! ! ! 1 'I1
James Cobb tells a curious story of
a lady, a sister of Owen Tudor, who,
like Henry VIII., was greatly given
to marrying, and did not die until she
had been led seven times to the altar.
When , she was following her fourth
husband to the grave, the gentleman
behind whom she rode on horseback
ventured to urge his suit "Unhap
pily," said the dame, "thou art too late,
seeing that I am plighted already; yet
do not lose heart, for, should It fall
out that I have again to perform this
melancholy office, I will bear thee in
mind."
' The story is told of a kindly Massa
chusetts man who chanced in a restau
rant in one of the frontier towns,
where he met a waiter armed with a
sorrowful towel tied about his waist
a dented tin tray, and a couple of guns.
The Easterner looked him over in a
gentle way, and asked him if he had
any breakfast food. "I guess yes,"
responded, the cowboy waiter; "we got
ham and eggs', fried sausage, chuck
steak, spare ribs, mutton chops, corned
beef" hash, hog and hominy, light
bread, heavy bread, toast bread, apple
butter, peach butter, cow butter, coffee,
tea, buttermilk, , and beer. Breakfast
food? Well, that's our winner. Name
your grub." i ,
Frederick III. of Prussia, who de
lighted in his reputation as the most
laconic man in Europe, once met a
Hungarian nobleman,- taking the wa
ters at Carlsbad, who had ; also ac
quired fame for abruptness of speech.
This tempted the Prussian monarch to
meet him and try him in the arts of
brevity, i The , magnate was pointed
out to Frederick as he stood in the
hall of his hotel. The king went up
to him, and the following conversation
was the result: Frederick Bathing?
Hungarian Drinking. . Frederick Of
ficer? Hungarian Magnate. Freder
ick So! Hungarian (taking the initia
tive) Detective? Frederick King!
Hungarian Congratulate!
Like many Frenchmen, especially
those hailing from the south of France,
President Loubet Is very fond of those
national dishes in which garlic forms
an important ingredient. Once, In his
lawyer days, when he was pleading In.
court after having partaken of some
such dish, his democratic tastes In
this respect placed him In a somewhat
embarrassing : position. The presiding
judge happened to be a man of aristo
cratic origin and breeding, to whom
the odor of garlic was absolutely Intol
erable. M. Loubet rose and began his
argument. He had not proceeded very
far when the judge was observed to
sniff rather uncomfortably and to take
out a perfumed handkerchief, re-enforcing
it a few moments later with a
smelling-bottle. These measures, how
ever, .proved.of .no avail as a protec
tion from the pungent and penetrating
effluvium which emanated from the
future president of the republic. At
last his olfactory sense rising in open
rebellion, the Indignant judge shouted:
"Usher,1 open the windows; open the
doors.: For heaven's sake let out this
abominable smell." Since then M. Lou
bet it is said, though he still preserves
his simplicity of life, , has eliminated
garlic from his articles of diet
KING PETER I.
Still - Simple and - Democratic Hia
Dailx Routine. "
The private life of Peter I. has hard
ly undergone any change since his ac
cession to the throne. The king lives
to-day as simple and democratic a life
as did ' the exiled Karageorgevitch ' at
Geneva, He observes court etiquette
so long as It does not conflict with his
democratic convictions.
He rises every morning at 5 o'clock,
and takes a drive round the neighbor
hood of Belgrade, accompanied only
by one aide-de-camp. At 7 he returns
and Is shaved; as 8 he begins his daily
work. First of all he receives his pri
vate secretary, who has to submit to
the king his letters and other mail mat
ter. Next the police prefect of Bel
grade makes his report to his majesty.
That official. has to Inform the king of
all occurrences of importance or inter
est within the .limits of the" city of Bel
grade. Next the first aide-de-camp,
who at present also acts as court mar
shal, and finally the chief of the royal
household, are received. ' The latter
has to submit a daily account of all" the
money expended on account, of the
civil list The king checks every item
most minutely. At his suggestion book
keeping by, double entry has been Intro
duced in the royal household."- '
At 10 o'clock the king is generally
visited by bis 'life-long friend, Colonel
the Marquis de Rose, with whom he
discusses private affairs. The marquis,
who is at present the king's guest was
his schoolmate and his comrade in war.
Since the -colonel retired from the
French .service six years ago he has
been almost constantly with Peter
Karageorgevitch. . .; ' .. - !':
, f After this visit the king receives his
ministers and other persons who have
requested an audience, or he reads the
newspapers nearjy all those published
in the Servian language and some Ger
man and French journals.
At 12:30 lunch Is served for- the king',
a meal 'in which, the Marquis de Rose
and two of the officers of the house
hold participate. This meal Is a most
simple affair, land consists mainly of
Servian and French dishes. . The king
drinks nothing but mineral water on
account of an old Internal malady,
which, however, is now gradually dis
appearing. At 1 o'clock the king re
tires to his private rooms, where he
remains until 3, when he. again re
ceives his private- secretary . and dis
poses of his correspondence.
Before dinner his majesty sometimes
takes another drive round ' the city.
Dinner is served at 7, and seldom occu
pies more than one hour. ' After that
the king is usually occupied with lit
erature. He reads mostly books on
military or financial subjects. - In in
dustrial matters, too, he shows a lively
Interest and does his best to induce
foreign Capitalists to invest money In
Servia. He has no particular leaning
toward any sport except shooting. In
which he Is quite an expert
Peter L is generally regarded as a
good-natured and energetic man ,6f
strong ruling capacity and admirable
tenacity. It will readily be seen that
he combines all the essential qualities
of a good monarch; but his people are
not what he could wish them to be, and
they will yet provide him with many a
difficult problem to solve. London
Leader.
A Young Commander.
The story of a boy of 12 years acting
as commander of a ship seems rather
wonderful, yet Farragut was but 12
years and 4 days old when he was put
in command of the Barclay, a prize
ship taken by Captain Porter.- In
consideration of his tender years, says
the author of "Twenty-six Historic
Ships," the former English master of
the vessel was sent in her for the pos
sible benefit the young prize-master
might find in his advice. Farragut
tells the story of the queer division of
authority in his journal as follows:
"I considered that the day of trial
had arrived, for I was a little afraid
of the old fellow, as every one else
was. But the time had come for me at
least to play the man; so I mustered
up courage and informed the captain
that I desired the maintopsall filled
away in order that we might close up
with the Essex Junior,. He replied
that he would shoot any man who
dared to touch a rope without his or
ders. He would go his own course,
and had no' idea of trusting himself
with a 'blasted nutshell,' and then he
went below for his pistols.
"I called my right-hand man of .the
crew and told him of my situation; I
also informed him that I wanted -the
maintopsall filled. He answered with
a clear 'Aye, aye, sir,' In a manner
that was not to be misunderstood, and
my confidence was perfectly restored.
"From that moment I became master
of the vessel, and immediately gave all
necessary orders for making sail, noti
fying the captain not to come on with
his pistols unless he wished to go over
board; for I really would have had
very little trouble in having such an
order obeyed."
Cheated the Youngsters.
In certain parts, of New Guinea
wallaby, a species of kangaroo, are
very plentiful, and the traveler in
search of sport finds the pursuit of
them an exciting occupation. Walla
by steak is a refreshing change from
canned meats, an4 the natives are
only too glad to have the remnants of
the carcass. A writer in the Badmin
ton tells an amusing incident connect
ed ; with the animal.
He had been ashore in one of the
sparsely populated regions of the
coast, and secured four wallaby, an
ample supply for the whole party, na
tive guides and servants included. But
he found that although wallaby is re
garded as such a delicacy that no
trouble is considered too great to ob
tain it none of the native boys in the
party would touch it
This was a -mystery ' until one of
them - explained that ' they- had been
trained in childhood in the belief that
if they ate wallaby before reaching a
certain age, 1 it would stop their
growth. '
These boys all belonged to the part
of the country where wallaby are few,
and one can imagine the crafty old
folks seated round the festive pot and
winking at one another as the young
people declined the succulent dainty.
' Those who see an unwarrantable
deception in the fostering of such a
belief on the part of the young people
must ask themselves if they have
never told a child that "two pieces of
pie will make little folks sick." s
I Every -Day Heroes.
When the cloudburst wiped the
town of Heppner, Ore.-, off the map,
man seemed powerless before nature.
Yet the news of the next day contained
two stories which show that brave
men did what they could.
The people of two neighboring
towns, Lexington and lone, escaped
without loss of life. They owe their
safety to the heroism of two men.
When the flood swept the town, Ker
nan, the station agent at Heppner,
stuck to his post long enough to tele
graph warning to Lexington. Then he
tried to escape with his wife and two
children and a friend. The friend suc
ceeded in reaching safety with the
children, but Kernan and his wife were
swept to death.
Another hero was Leslie Matlock,
who, like Paul Revere, jumped on his
horse and spread the alarm. He reach
ed Lexington in time to confirm Ker
nan's warning, and the people fled to
the hills.. Over a hundred people in
Lexington would have lost their lives
but for these two men.
Matlock continued down the valley,
carrying the alarm to every farm
house. His horse gave out soon after
he left Lexington, but he got another,
and galloped through the darkness and
the rain to lone. , Here he telegraphed
down the valley to the-'ranchers, who
passed the word on. His Jong journey
had been a race with the flood, which
poured after him almost at his horse's
heels.
. Geo.-Clay's Courage.
General Cassius M. Clay fought
many duels in his day, usually with
his long-bladed knife, meeting pistol
or rifle equally with that trusty weap
on. His physical strength' was glgan
tic. He was accustomed to the use
of weapons, and he was always cool
and never lost his judgment For ex
ample, hen an adversary shot him,
and he supposed he was done for, he
inflated his lungs to the full, conscious
that he would live as long as he could
hold his, breath. Then he . drew his
knife and did his bloody work. That
was when he killed Turner. Ater all,
speaking musingly, reviewing his life,
he confessed to a reporter, when he
was about 84, that he was opposed on
principle to the duel, thinking it a
savage way to settle a difficulty, "but
there are some cases for which it
seems to be the only remedy." New
York Tribune.
Improvement in Boilers. ! , .
i Such has been the improvement in
engine boilers and fire boxes that the
power derived from a pound of coal
to-day is nearly three times as great
as it was fifty years ago.
yllfventionli
In the electric furnace of H. Gold
schmidt. a ton of steel is made from
the ore by 4,000 horse-power hours of
energy, and from scrap Iron by 1,300
horse-power hours.
Anaemic persons and convalescents
seeking strength find great benefit in
the grape cure, which is an autumn at
traction at Wiesbaden. The effects are
explained by the sugar, which forms
25 to 50 per cent of the grapes.
The hot springs that contain living
bacteria are much below boiling point
in temperature, but J. Adams, of Dub
lin, reports having observed eggs of a
certain mite (Tyroglyphus histiostoma)
that survived boiling for five minutes,
Traction tests with electric automo
biles In London have shown a sur
prising increase of the starting pull
on oiled pavements. A pull of thirty-
nine pounds per ton was needed to
start on dry asphalts, forty-nine and a
half pounds on wood pavement and
104 pounds on dry macadam. On
greasy asphalt a pull of nearly sev
enty-nine pounds per ton was neces
sary.
The wireless system of telegraphy
has been' tested successfully in the
Coast Survey. Last summer, as an
experiment one of the surveying ves
sels, using short-distance apparatus.
transmitted the half-second beats of its
chronometer to a shore station more
than sixty miles away, where they
were automatically recorded on a mov
ing tape. It is anticipated that for
the determination of longitude the
wireless system will eventually take
the place of cable and telegraph lines.
Human life is possible under varied
conditions, and, if a recent report is
correct British New Guinea has a
tribe whose environment has made
them incanable of walking. These
people live in a swampy region, and.
as walking and canoeing are alike im
practicable, they remain constantly in
their dwellings, which are built in the
trees Just above the marshes. Disuse
has caused their limbs to shrink, while
their trunks have become bloated, giv
ing them an ape-like appearance and
gait
German experts say that wood which
has been floated in rafts, or otherwise.
gives a more trustworthy material for
joinery and building purposes than
does that which has beew carted, or
otherwise carried dry,' to the sawmill
and workshop. The reason is that
while the wood is lying in the water
its sap and albuminous and salty ma
terials are dissolved out If these sub
stances remain in the wood they read
ily absorb moisture from the atmos
phere, after coming out of the drying
rooms, and the wood swells. Artifi
cial processes of washing out the hy
groscopic substances from wood which
has not been floated are practiced in
Germany. .
In describing experiments made for
the Department of Agriculture on the
effects of lime and magnesia upon ani
mal production, D. - W. May of the
Kentucky Experiment Station remarks
that it is a well-known fact that the
greatest development in live stock has
been attained in limestone regions. He
adds that in the blue-grass region of
Kentucky, long noted for the beauty
and quality of its live stock, and espe
cially of its thoroughbred horses, the
soil has been formed largely by the
disintegration of a limestone very rich
in phosphates. But even in that fa
vored region experiments are under
way to determine whether the quality
of The animals may not be improved
by the addition of certain mineral ele-'
ments to the food.
INCIDENTAL EDUCATION.
Acquirements That Contributed To
ward Success of Louia Axaasiz.
It does not appear that Louis Agas
siz, the great naturalist, had as a child
any precocious predilection for study,
but his love of natural history showed
itself almost from infancy. In "Life
and Correspondence of Agassiz," by
Elizabeth Cary Agassiz, his childish
amusements are described. When a
very little fellow he had, besides his
collection of fishes, all sorts of pets:
birds, field-mice, hares, rabbits and
guinea pigs, whose families he reared
with the greatest care. Guided by his
knowledge of the haunts and habits of
fishes, he and his brother Auguste be
came the most adroit of young fisher
men, using processes all their own, and
quite independent of hook, line or net.
Their hunting grounds were the
holes and crevises beneath the stones
or in the water-washed walls of the
lake shore. No such shelter was safe
from their curious fingers, and they ac
quired such dexterity that when bath
ing they could seize the fish even in
the open water, attracting them by lit
tle arts to which the fish submitted as
to a kind of fascination.
Such amusements are no doubt the
delight of many a lad who lives in the
country, but they illustrate the unity
of Agassiz' intellectual development
from beginning to end: His pet ani
mals suggested questions, to answer
which was the task of his life; and his
intimate study of the fresh-water fishes
of Europe, later the subject of one of
his important works, began with his
first' collection from the Lake of Mo
rat. . ;
As a - boy he amused himself also
with all ' kinds of handicrafts on a
small scale. The carpenter, the cob
bler, the tailor were then as much de
veloped in him as the naturalist. In
Swiss villages it. was the habit in those
days for the tradespeople" to go from
house to house in their different vaca
tions. The shoemaker came two or
three times a year with all his mate
rials, and made shoes for the whole
family by the. day; the tailor came to
fit them for garments .which he made
in the house; the cooper arrived before
the vintage to repair old barrels and
hogsheads or to make new ones, and
to replace wern-out hoops; in short, to
fit up. the cellar for the coming sea-'
son. '".'-:'.:'-"'
Agassiz seems to have profited by
these lessons as much as by those he
learned from' his father; and when a
little fellow he cotfldcut and put to
gether a well-fltting pair of shoes for
his sisters' dolls, was no bad tailor,
and could make a miniature barrel that
was perfectly water-tight
He remembered these trivial facts as
a valuable part of his incidental edu
cation. He said he owed much of his
dexterity in manipulation to the train
ing of eye and hand gained in these
childish plays.
INCONSIDERATE FRIENDS.
They Did Not Do Things Bxactly to
Snit the Borrower.
Eben Rawles was the town borrower.
The position would seem to most per
sons to be one which would deprive
the Incumbent of the right to find
fault, but Eben took a. different view
of it
"It beats all how long it takes some
folks to read the newspapers," he said
discontentedly one day to an Idle list
ener. "Now there are the John Pot
ters; a well-meaning family as ever
lived, but they're downright thought
less. Why, again and again when I
step In for their paper first thing In
the morning, they won't know where
it is. Oftentimes I've waited as much
as half an hour while they hunted up
that paper, and then very likely there'd
be one page missing, and nobody'd
know just where it was.
"They haven't got any system, that's
the trouble with 'em. It's a large fam
ily of different ages, and I suspect they
portion off the paper In the evening,
'stead of keeping it all together and
reading it one at a time.
"I can manage better with their
weeklies, for I told Mis' Potter I'd go
right over Friday mornings soon as it
came, and read it out on the porch.
Then they could do what they were a
mind with it afterward.
"But I experience my greatest , trou
ble with the magazines," said Mr.
Rawles, sadly. "I pledge you my word
It's been ten days after a magazine
was out, time and again, before I've
got a sight at it. They keep it to read
aloud, the women folks , do. It's a
dreadful wasteful habit, but I can't
make any impression on 'em. And
when I get it," and Mr. Rawles as
sumed a stern expression, "It's ten to
one if that youngest child hasn't been
allowed to cut a picture out of it that
Just spoils some advertising article.
"To persons situated as I am all
printed mater Is valuable, and I hate
to see such tampering with it; but we
all have our trials, and I suppose dis
cipline is what we need."
EUROPE'S HIGHEST RAILWAY.
Roadbed and Track a Fantastic Plar
of Turns and Loops.
The Albula-Engadine line, opened for
traffic recently in Switzerland, is de
scribed by Emil Rueker, in Page's
magazine, as the highest in Europe.
The line traverses scenery of great
beauty. By turns and loops and by
the steepest gradient the track leads
now above and below the highway,
through the Bergunstein, famous for
its gullies and rocks, to Bergun, 4,500
feet.
Abruptly emerging from' rocky de
files, the train passes Bergun, sur
rounded by the giant Albula Dolo
mites, Piz Rugnux, Piz d'Aela and the
Albulahorn. During the last part of
the panorama the railway follows the
slopes of the mountains. Between
Muot and Naz parts of the railway
may be seen above, below and on each
side, with its chain of viaducts, gal
leries and bridges.
It is almost impossible to follow the ;
convolutions of the line as by three
fold turns and loops it passes through
tunnels suggestive of the St Gothard
and the Brenner Railways. After as
cending more than 1,300 feet the line
reaches the entrance to the main tun- ;
nel at Preda. The track is in its last
part a fantastic play of turns and.
loops, from which, by an easy ascent,,
one reaches the pass of the Weissen
berg and the Devil's valley, where the
steep basin of rocks is crowned by the
twin giants (Piz Giumells).
Here the Albula chain is pierced by
a tunnel more than three miles long, ;
6,175 feet above the sea and 3.900 feet
under the Piz Giumells, passing the
dividing ridge Detween xne waters oi.
the Rhine and the Danube the high
est standard railway track in Europe.
Modest Request.
The wit of the Irish is proverbial.
and instances are not wanting to show
that they have all their wits about .
them in time- of danger. An Irish
switchman . employed in the freight
yards of a Western city was unlucky
enough one day to get his left foot
fastened in that death-trap known as
a frog. A. Vigorous enon w nee
himself failed. A freight-train was
backing down upon him, not more than
forty feet away.
Quick as thought he whipped his
knife out of his-pocket, opened it cut
the folds of his shoestring with one
sweep of the blade, jerked his foot out
of the shoe, leaving the latter in the
frog, and jumped to one side. He es
caped death by a margin of less than a
second.
The freight superintendent, hearing
of his narrow escape, called him into
his office the next day.
"Larry," he said, "you showed won
derful presence of mind in an emer
gency yesterday. I should like to do.
something for you to show my appre
ciation of it. What shall it be?"
"Well, sor," responded Larry,
scratching his head, "the shoe is as.
good as iver. but the sthring's no good
at all now. Ye might give me an '
ordher for a new pair av shoesthrings, .
sor." ', -,
Moved by Inspiration. '
President Remsen, of John Hopkins.
University, who is one of the City Col
lege alumni, tells this story of himself .
and of James Godwin, who was for
manv vears a tutor at his Alma Mater.
Mr. Godwin asked young Remsen at
recitation a Question m matnemancs
which the latter was unable for the
moment to answer. . .
"Next," said the tutor, turning to
the student who was to follow. Just .
then, however, the answer came to-
Remsen, who began to give it
"You must be beside yourself," gen
ially remarked Mr. Godwin. ,
There axe a good many laughs in the-
personal column of the average news
paper.
: - ' ' ;