Corvallis gazette., December 18, 1903, Image 4

Mexico produced last year $9,000,000
In gold and $72,000,000 in silver.
A project is on foot in Geneva for
the establishment of aerial excursions
to view the summit of Mont Blanc.
The Pope is the head of over 250,
000,000 human beings, or nearly one
seventh of the population of the globe.
A new vocation for women is that of
X-ray nurses. Courses of lectures on
the subjects are now given in Berlin.
The new British blue book gives the
average weekly wages of fifteen skill
ed trades at $10;50 in London and
$18.75 In New York.
It is anticipated that for the deter
mination of longitude the wireless sys
tem will eventually take the place of
cable and telegraph lines.
American newspapers every year
pay in wages $80,000,000 and receive
$80,500,000 for subscriptions and $95,
000,000 for advertisements.
A memorial has been erected at a
cost of 130 In Toowoomba cemetery,
near Brisbane, Queensland, over the
grave of Peter Jackson, the pugilist
It is reported that in "view of the
looting of Boer Bibles that took place
during the late war the Bible Society
Is to make a free distribution of 5,000
Dutch Bibles bound in leather.
The British national pavilion at the
"World's Fair, St Louis, will be a re
production of the Orangery, or ban
quet ball, of the Kensington palace,
In Kensington gardens, London.
The atom of hydrogen is the small
est of the "ultimate atoms" of the
chemists, but it Is 1,780 times as large
as the corpuscles which have recently
been demonstrated as the elements of
the atoms. . . . '
M. Thopiteau, French Deputy, pro
poses to tax all games of hazard to the
extent of 8 per cent of the sums at
stake. M. Thopiteau estimates that
the tax would bring in an annual rev
enue of $2,000,000.
In a recent newspaper article a Phil
ippine student at Georgetown Univer
sity, Ramon Jose Lacson, quotes the
record to show that there were univer
sities In the Philippines before Institu
tions -of as high a grade were estab
lished In the United States.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics at
"Washington has put out a report which
shows that the average advance In the
prices of food has within the last five
years been 17 per cent and that the
average increase In wages has been
at about the same rate. The increase
in both is less than it has been sup
posed to be.
New Zealand has gone farther than
any other nation in realizing the Ideal
state of the Socialists, where the gov
ernment owns all the land, manages
all the industries, and Is the only capi
talist in the community. About one
man in every six throughout the isl
- ends Is In some form of government
employ, or is in receipt of a pension
from the government
The statistics of the petroleum out
put for last year, as shown by advance
sheets of a report of the Geographical
Survey, show a marked decrease in the
production of Russia, and an increase
In that of the United States, which
gives us the lead. Russia furnished
45.44 per cent of the world's output,
and the United States 45.64 per cent.
The Dutch East Indies furnished 3 per
cent
At the beginning of the last century
, the Royal College of Bavarian Physi
cians sought to forbid steam railway
travel because it would induce delir
ium among the passengers and drive
the spectators crazy, while an English
quarterly said that it would as soon
expect the people to suffer themselves
to be tied to one of Congreve's rockets
as to trust themselves to the mercy of
a locomotive going at .the prodigious
rate of twelve miles an hour.
A new material made of non-poisonous
red phosphorus and potassium
chlorate has been bought by the Ger
mnn government and is to be substi
tuted in its works for the deleterious
and oftentimes more dangerous white
phosphorus. Great gain attaches to
the fact that It does not Ignite easily,
hence removing or minimizing the dan
ger from fire. How important this is
appcoio nuiu uuc 19 lUUiUu UI MeS
caused by the ignition of white phos
phorus matches by the sun's rays. In
regard to danger to employes, the com
mission says explosions are practical
ly Impossible with the new material
IS HUMAN LIFE TOO LONG.
Physician Think Their Art Wards
Off Death Unnecessarily.
A new and rather startling Idea 4s
being promulgated by certain eminent
physicians. It is that modern medical
science and Its allied science of sani
tation is injuring the human race bv
preserving too many lives. It is the
"better dead" theory reduced to a
purely physiological basis and viewed
in the cold, white light of medical
science. A short time ago Dr. Chapin,'
superintendent of health of Provi
dence, R. I., read a paper before a
medical convention In Boston, in which
he called attention to the effect likely
to be produced upon future genera
tions by the saving by medical skill of
the lives of weaklings who Instead of
dying, as they would have done in the
natural course of events a few years
ago, now have their lives prolonged
until they have married and perpetuat
ed their own infirmities and weak vi
tality in their children. He seriously
" questioned whether medical skill was
not doing altogether too much for the
general good of the human race.
Now. Dr. Ernest W. White, president
of the London Medico-Psychological
Association, declares that one of the
principal causes of the alarming in
, crease of insanity in England is the
fact that "the old, rough law of the
Burvival of the fittest Is not so forcible
as formerly. Weaklings who would
have died in infancy in olden days are
now brought up to marry and perpet
uate the faulty stock." The course of
action for the medical"" practitioner
- which might logically be deduced from
v, such teachings ae these is one from
' which Doth Dr. Chapin and Dr. White
Svould undoubtedly shrink. When the
medical profession ceases to believe
that its first duty Is to save life, let
the consequences be what they may,
the medical profession will have ceas
ed to be of value to mankind. '
The idea of improving a race by the
elimination of Its weaklings is older
than civilization and was practiced be
fore Esculapius. It is to-day a cus
tom among many savage tribes, yet
neither in the past nor in the present
has it resulted in the production of
an ideal race. Sparta is become a
name, attached to a short-lived experi
ment and the race it produced has
vanished utterly away. A stringently
enforced law against the marriage of
those manifestly unfit to perpetuate
the race would, however, be of benefit
to humanity and Is probably as far as
the advocates of the "better dead"
theory would go In the practical appli
cation of their ideas. New York
Press.
COLD, COMFORTLESS MEALS.
"Delicatessen" Men of Mew York Do a
Large Business
The "delicatessen" men do" a large
business, says the New York Evening
Post This very evening, I, encour
aged by my friend's . observations,
paused before various open doors just
before 6 o'clock and watched what
was going on within. These places of
provision were literally thronged;
women of every age and every na
tionality were buying for the evening
meal.
Visions of other poor men's homes,
familiar to me in other times and oth
er places, came almost as a veil be
tween me and this motley company, j
Remembrances of open cottage doors,
through which one could see the fire
burning In the tidy stove, the steam-,
ing kettle with its cover clattering
pleasantly through the force of pres- i
sure within; the big brown loaf of
home-made bread, . with the wide
bladed knife beside it; the savory odor
of some wholesome stew, or of crisp
bacon, inviting the most sated appe
tite; a dish of mealy potatoes, ready
to fall into powdery whiteness at a
touch, and the bowl of baked apples
or pears for a dessert these things
came back in strange contrast to what
I saw now.
'A link or two of sausage; a slice of
this and two slices of that cold food,
laid in papers and added, one after
another, to the store in the basket un
derneath the almost invariable shawl.
A bottle of catsup; perhaps a head of
cabbage for a cold relish; a loaf of
baker's bread, and almost invariably a
pie. No thoughtful, house-wifely prep
aration of strengthening food for a
strong-armed man too tired to digest
easily; no warm, well-seasoned dish
to strengthen or refresh him;no care
ful use of his money for his best sus
tenance. Only the easiest possible
thing to procure that would prevent
hunger, with the profit of preparation
and cooking, going to him who buys
a low grade of food at the cheapest
price, and sells at a large profit In
the few minutes in which I stood here
and there, a looker-on at what was to
me a sad sight I counted twenty cold,
comfortless meals carried hastily out
to provide for the evening repast of
men hurrying home from a hard day's
work. Probably a third of the value
of the purchase went to the benefit of
the vender.
A Tip for the Waiter.
"Everything all right, sir?" asked the
waiter.
The patron nodded but still the wait
er hovered near.
"Steak cooked to suit you, sir?" he
asked again presently.
Again the patron nodded.
"Potatoes the way you like 'em,
sir?"
"Yes."
. Another period of silence.
"I hope the service is satisfactory,
sir."
"Well, sir, of course, we get tips
sometimes, and I've got to go to the
kitchen for another party, so "
"So you'd like a tip now, to be sure
of It? Well, I'll give you one."
"Yes, sir."
"Here is the tip: I have a large,
strident voice that I am capable of
using. If anything is wrong, I'll let out
a roar you can hear in the kitchen. If
you don't hear it, you can know I am
dining In peace and comfort, for it's
no fun to have to pass verbal judg
ment on every mouthful I eat"
"But the tip?"
"That's the tip, and a mighty good
one it is, too."
The Story of a 'Possum.
"You up dar, all right is you?" said
the old darky to the 'possum he had
"treed."
"En you shakin' yo' fat sides en
laughin' at me, Is you?"
"En you don't see dat fire what
gwine ter roas you brown does
you?
"N'er dem 'taters what'U des swim
In de gravy all 'round you n'er dem
But just then he heard the crack of
a rifle; the 'possum fell at his feet was
picked up by the man who owned the
land and carried off In triumph.
.The old man stood for some time In
silence looking after him; then he
muttered to himself:
"Hit's nuttin' in de 'roun worl' but
dese po' white trash dat keeps de race
problem stirrin' up de country!" At
lanta Constitution.
- A Question of Dignity.
"The trouble about Shakspeare,"
said the man who is first of all a prac
tical financier, "is that it isn't likely
to put an actor on his feet"
"That's true," answered Mr. Storm
ington Barnes. "Yet it has an ad
vantage over the modern drama in
not compelling him to stand on his
head." Washington Star.
Rapid Shoemaking.
A pair of women's shoes made In
Lynn, Mass., to establish a record for
rapid shoe-making, required fifty-seven
different operations and the use of forty-two
machines and 100 pieces. All
these parts were assembled and made
Into a graceful pair of shoes ready to
wear In thirteen minutes.
The question of precedence in this
country is merely a question of hustle.
Although macaroni is hollow it 1
said to be solid food.
4
str
Opinions of
Different Kinds of Fools.
HERE can be no doubt that
X
gglB,
for our enjoyment but we should show econ
omy In the enjoyment of fools." Folly is not
easy to analyze there are so many different
kinds. There are clever
perhaps the most "enjoyable" sort and silly
fools, whose folly Is more than half their own
fault and In whose composition there is often more than a
little of the knave. Then there are "fancy fools," so to
speak, who appear only In fiction. And finally there is the
man whom we sometimes call a fool for want of a better
word to express his entire innocence of the lower forms of
wisdom,
Clever fools are very much the fashion nowadays. Llt-
erary society keeps quite a number for its amusement. In
mental feature they favor their spiritual progenitors In
motley. They write a great deal and they talk a great deal,
taking themselves very seriously all the while,1 which Is
no doubt part of the game, and would do no harm if cer
: tain other people did not take them at their own valuation.
Their metier is to say silly things in a clever way, and the
chief secret of their philosophy is the deduction of rules
from exceptions.
There are, of course, other and far more respectable
types of clever fool. There is the fool who is apparently
Inspired now and then to say a really shrewd thing. He
is often described by his Intimates as "no fool." There Is a
link -missing In his reasoning apparatns. He cannot take
his hearer straight from one point to another; neither can
he follow an argument from end to end.
Very few "silly fools" afford any pleasure to the spec
tator. Yet out of two types of them some dangerous enter
tainment may be derived. The first of these two is a pretty
woman an inhabitant, perhaps, of the "fool-frequented
fair of "Vanity." But she may thrive anywhere In any
station. As a rule she is not such a fool as she looks, and
her mind is capable of some expansion, ait least In one direc
tion, the direction of self-interest London Spectator.
What the Farmers Will
CI ViUi JUJ.1J.1U11 UttB 1U1CU 111 1. U1J LUlTCe 111 ugn
I culture, while combination and the arbitrary
I fixing of high prices and rates has been preva
lent in tne otner industries. This has certain
ly placed agriculture at a disadvantage, and the
disadvantage Is something which has been felt,
and wiuca has found voice in such conferences as the one
recently held at Chicago. Selling under competitive condi
tions and buying under monopolistic conditions does not
constitute a favorable situation In which to place any In
dustry, and that is where the farming industry Is placed
to-day. It is needless to say that the mass of farmers will
not long remain content in such a position. They will
either effect a combination of their own or they will begin
to vote In favor of drastic measures for the suppression or
control of other combinations. But they can never, it
would seem, organize an effective combination among them
selves. We may therefore expect an early revolution of a
political nature among agriculturists, unless combination
in manufacturing and transportation is in some way robbed
of the powers it has in so many cases been freely exer
cising in the past few years. Assurances from railroad
presidents riding about the country in private cars, that the
farmers are getting more out of the present Industrial ar
rangement than any other class can never be made to pass
at their face value on the farms. Springfield Republican.
Ghost Dance and Wedding.
I woman r any woman, for
yf I lands her in the region of
ner to maicing a snow 01 nersen in public she
needs, of course, a kindly hand to lead her
home and to keep her there by such restraint
as may be necessary. One would be loath to think that
any woman laying claim to modesty or culture was to be
found among the thousands of the sex who fought and
struggled about the carriage of the bride at the Goelet
wedding in New York, and who afterward looted the
church of Its decorations. The mere fact that they were
mainly well dressed counts for nothing. If the female
wards of Bedlam were let out for a 'holiday In their good
KING OF ENGLAND'S CROWN.
It Contains Several Historic Jewels,
Kspeclallx a JLarg-e Ruby. .
The most important historic Jewels
In the present Imperial crown are the
large spinel ruby In the center of the
front cross-patee, the large pale sap
phire on the circlet of the crown In
front and the small but finely colored
sapphire in the center of the cross
patee above the mound at the top of
the crown.
The history of the so-called' ruby is
well known and is of great Interest.
In the fourteenth - century, says Cyril
Davenport in the Connoisseur, It be
longed to the king of Granada, and
Pedro the Cruel, king of Castile, re
ceived this king under the guise of
friendship In the Alcazar at Seville.
Here he was murdered for the sake of
his Jewels, among which was this
stone. Pedro afterward gave It to Ed
ward the Black Prince after the battle
of Navarette as a mark of gratitude
for his successful help, and it is also
supposed to have been worn In the
crown of Henry V. at Agincourt On
this occasion It may have helped to
save a king's life, as the Due d'Alen
con aimed a blow at Henry which was
turned by his crown, then worn over
his helmet
The stone Is a finely colored, deep
red spinel,' a mineral which is chefly
found in the river beds of Ceylon,
Burma, and Siam. Like most oriental
stones, this particular jewel has been
pierced; the top of the piercing is now
filled by a small ruby set In gold, and
the stone Is uncut but polished on Its
natural Irregular surface. It Is Irreg
ularly drop-shaped and about two Inch
es in length.
The second notable Jewel In the Im
perial crown Is the large pale sapphire
in the front of the circlet It was
worn in the crown by Charles IL and
ultimately became the property of Car
dinal York, who bequeathed It to the
prince regent afterward George IV.
The .prince gave it to the Princess
Charlotte, but on her death It was
returned, as it was properly considered
to be a crown Jewel. It Is partially
pierced, which may mean it was In
tended to be used as a bead, but nev
er finished; or it might perhaps have
been Intended to serve as a support for
an aigrette, In which case a half
piercing would be enough. It Is cut
encabochon, as most ancient and me
diaeval stones were, and as colored
stones should be, the edges being
trimmed into the form of a long, sym
metrical oval No doubt this Is an
oriental stone; It It about two Inches In
length.
Great Papers on Important Subjects.
God gave us fools
fools, for instance
Do.
amentally and In the
the matter of that
hysteria and sets
Edward the Confessor's emerald Is
much smaller and of a deep color; it
has been recut in brilliant form, prob
ably for Charles II., which was quite
unnecessary. It is said to have been
taken out of the confessor's ring,
which was buried with him and it has
the reputation of being an antidote to
cramp. A story told about it relates
that the confessor, in one of his walks
about Westminster, met a beggar who
asked for alms, and the saint being at
that moment short of money, gave him
his ring In charity in the name of St.
John. Some time afterward some En
glish pilgrims, traveling in the holy
land, got Into difficulties and consulted
an old man, a stranger, who happened
to be In their company. On hearing
that the travelers were English, he re
vealed himself to them as St John, the
special patron of Edward, king of En
gland, and he assisted them out of
their troubles, and gave them a ring
to take back to their monarch, with
the message that be would meet him
In paradise in six months' time. When
In due time Edward received the ring,
he at once recognized it as that he
had given to the Westminster beggar
and when he died, according to the
saint's prediction, It was buried with
him In his shrine at Westminster.
TICKETS-OF-LEAVE IN ENGLAND.
Ex-Convicts Who Can Afford Smart
Vehicles.
A . Stratford (England) magistrate
says he knows ticket-of -leave men who
drive up to the police station In car
riages to report themselves, leaving the
offices with smiling faces. The police,
who should know, say they would like
to see them.
"Most of the ex-convicts reporting
their whereabouts to us come to the
station wearing odd boots," said a city
police officer. "They scarcely have the
money to pay for a drink, much less
a cab, while a carriage is out . of the
question."
' While such cases may be uncommon,
however, the fact remains that there
are 'men who, leaving a penal estab
lishment return to enjoy Ill-gotten
wealth and to partake of the pleasures
of Idleness, says the London Mail.
Three years ago a business man who
had suffered Imprisonment for serious
charges of fraud drove up to a police
station to report himself, leaving In a
smart brougham outside his two well
dressed daughters, and wearing the
tall hat and frock coat of respectabili
ty. He asked for the superintendent in
the airiest of manners, saying he had
to see him on "a matter of private business.'-
Only the severe and gruff man
clothes they might make another such a mob. It was, In
fact a ghost dance of hysteria brought on by the worship
of riches and titles which has become a disease In many
vulgar minds.
We shame ourselves In the sight of the world by such
shocking exhibitions of regard for mere wealth. There is
no escape for us through the expedient of calling the emo
tion curiosity. When a huge mass of women cast aside
modesty and self-respect and struggle In the street for a
glimpse of a wealthy girl going to church to marry a duke
they place themselves on the same level with animals which
herd together for gross purposes. When wealth marries
title on American soil decency remembers that there are
better things than either the one or the other and goes
about Its business. Mobs of women in good clothes are a
curse In any community If they have nothing better to do
than run together In the streets to show their vulgarity.
Here is a subject for the cultured women of the land to
take up seriously and devise a remedy If they can. Such
displays as that in New York degrade the sex and shame
the nation. Chicago Dally News.
Throwing Stocks Overboard.
HEN a man ho.
mm mm VsVU DyiUC.llVUl UlB
Aj I business very often he puts It into stocks. If
y Y I at a later time he has to have the money In a
uurry ne sens tne stocks for wnat he can get
Wall street realizes that a lot of people besides
the gamblers are selling stocks these days.
That is what makes It so nervous. "Big fellows" have
had to go Into their safety deposit vaults and dig up bun
dles of stock certificates to sell for whatever they will
bring.
Too many red automobiles with cushioned seats have
been purchased within the last year or two. Gentlemen
with rosy imaginations all over the country have been
riding In those splendid chariots thinking of the large quan
tities of money they were about to make out of speculative
deals. The tidal wave of extravagance has risen steadily.
Money has been spent before It was made and even before
the government presses and the government mints had
turned It out The art of cornering things so as to make
them dear and bring in large profits has been carried for
ward persistently. "Failure" now is being written in
capital letters across the fronts of various imposing trusts.
Millions have been sunk in grandiose schemes for exploiting
industries which when carried on with caution and hard
work were highly profitable, but which have failed to pro
duce returns when made to move to the tune of the stock
ticker. Now the old story of riotous waste Is having its
old sequel.
The crops are good and business Is good. Because stocks
fall the public should feel relieved, since this proves that
the country is sobering up. It may have a headache after
its debauch, but It Is physically sound. What it particu
larly requires now Is serious reflection on the enormity of
its financial excesses and a firm determination to stop Its
foolishness and run Its business right Chicago News.
The Clearing-Off Man.
man whn nlwavs thlnlra it Is mlnir i oImt
1 A I off Is a blessing to any community. He takes a
B I cheerful view of the weather because he takes
a. tucriiui view ui every luiug. ne is wise
meteorologically because, as a matter of fact It
generally does clear off; and he Is wise temper-
worldly sense because continued cheer
fulness, a habitually hopeful view, is rewarded with the
world's affection and confidence two things which are
worth a great deal more than Its money.
There are far too many good people in the world who
make a kind of public' calamity of their goodness. We
doubt whether a good person who thus makes his goodness
a cheerless and critical thing comes off as well in the
eternal account as the man who, though he may have his
little human weaknesses, makes people smile instead of
frown makes them firmly believe that dark skies are going
to clear, and Instantly brightens Into sympathetic radiance
a rather weak and hazy quality of sunshine when It comes.
Since beauty is truth, the man who makes us believe in
the essential beautlf ulness of the world must be a good
and true man. In any case, with all his faults we love
him. New York Mall and Express.
ager of the station sergeant who rec
ognized him, brought him to realize
his position.
The man whom the Stratford magis
trate sent to jail for his failure to
report himself every month said that
he had been turned away from his
work and lodgings on two occasions
when it was discovered that he had
to call at the police station period
ically. He could scarcely have known
that with the Home Secretary's per
mission ex-convicts are allowed to re
port themselves by letter.
Falling from Aloft.
"One of the wonders of seafaring
life," writes Charles Protheroe in Life
in the Mercantile Marine," "is the sin
gularly small proportion of sailors who
meet with death or accident by falling
from aloft "Whether or no the cherub
who Is supposed to sit aloft and watch
over poor Jack Is responsible for it
I am not prepared to say, but the fact
remains. Having to tumble up aloft
at all hours and in all weathers to per
form acrobatic feats that would al
most puzzle a monkey, the saying
among sailors about 'hanging on by
the eyebrows' becomes almost a tru
ism. One would think the situation
was highly spiced enough by dan
ger without needlessly increasing it
Yet it Is not altogether an uncommon
thing to see a man, if he happens to
be barefooted, run out along the yard
in preference to using the footrope
placed under It for the purpose, to
reach what Is a post of honor, the
weather earring. In spite of all this,
although not knowing the actual per
centage, I make bold to say that not
more than one sailor man In hundreds
is killed or injured by falling from
aloft If I use my . own experience
as a base, the proportion would be
less, for in over twenty years of sea
life I was never caused the pain of
witnessing such a catastrophe."
Believed In Skilled Labor.
"The organist's wife told me this
morning," said Mrs. Thornton, "that
several of the pipes on the organ were
out of order."
"Well," replied Mrs. Hadley, "I hope
they'll get Mr. Jones, our old plumber,
to fix them, and not those new plumb
ers that have just set up on the cor
ner." . ,
Men never gossip. They simply men
tion a name to their female friends
and proceed to listen.
A compliment makes a woman feel
good, even when she knows it to only
flattery. ..
LINED WITH WASTE.
DITCH WHICH CAUSED A NEW
REPUBLIC'S CREATION.
Extravasrance in the History of the
Panama Canal, on Which a Vast Sum
Has Been Squandered Snbject of
Great Scandal Curious Features.
Events In the Isthmus of Panama,
and the somewhat delicate position as
sumed by our government, direct atten
tion anew to the extraordinary engi
neering work in which fortunes and
reputations have been sunk; where ex
travagance and waste have prevailed,
and which now assumes a new phase of
international Interest by becoming a
bone of contention between republics.
The Panama canal has been a subject
of scandal for years. So far as all prac
tical purposes are concerned, this ditch
and a strip of land on either side con
stitute the Isthmus of Panama, though
in a wider sense the term, Isthmus, em
braces the whole neck of land connect
ing the continents of North and South
America. 'As generally 'Understood,
however, the fifty-four miles of terri
tory along the proposed ship canal, be
tween the cities of Colon, or AspinwalL
as it is sometimes called, on the Carib
bean sea, and Panama, on the Pacific
ocean, are all there is to the isthmus.
The common impression, the one pre
valllng among those who have not
studied the topography of the country,
Is that comparatively flat land lies be
tween these two points. This is erro
neous, for between the two cities is a
range of mountains, a continuation of
the Andes. 'This Is the great natural
aifllculty in the way of the canal, and
a second one, scarcely less vexing, are
the floods on the Chagres river. Were
It not for these obstacles the vessels of
the nations would for years have been
VIEW OF THE PANAMA CANAL, IN THE CULEBRA CUT.
passing from the Atlantic to the Pa
cific and back again.
A Lons;-Ptanding- Proposition.
Proposals to pierce the Isthmus of
Panama are almost as old as its dis
covery. Cortez had a route surveyed
and from the days of the explorer
down to our time the idea has been
kept alive. The discovery of gold In
California caused a new demand for a
great waterway, but it resulted only In
the building of a railroad. The suc
cessful acocmplishment of - the Suez
canal construction in 1868 called atten
tion anew to the American project, and,
finally, in 1879, Count Ferdinand de
Lesseps made an appeal to the several
nations to send delegates to a congress
to meet , In Paris, to decide upon the
route and plan for" ' an Interoceanic
canaL Nearly all the nations of the
world were represented, and the deci
sion of the congress was that such a
canal as was projected could be built
by way of Limon bay to Panama. The
preference for this route over that at
Nicaragua lay In the fact that ships
could be towed through in ten or
twelve hours, while at Nicaragua forty
five hoors would be required. Fewer
locks would be necessary, and the prox-
THE DE LESSEPS HOUSE.
Imlty of the railroad made the deliv
ery of laborers, machinery, tools, sup
plies, etc., an easy matter. The United
States objected to the. building of the
canal except by an independent com
pany, and accordingly the Universal
Interoceanic Canal Company undertook
the enterprise, and de Lesseps was em
powered to proceed.
From the seeds sown In that con
vention, what a harvest of corruption
was there! For fifteen years the work
proceeded, the stockholders having ev
ery confidence In De Lesseps and his
contractors, and the latter enriching
themselves at the expense of that
trust When at -last there came, in
1892, the revelation of what had been
done, the world was amazed. Over
$260,000,000 had been sunk in the proj
ect but only a small part had been
actually expended In the work. Most
of It had been spent In France, to in
fluence public opinion. Charles De Les
seps, Ferdinand's son, was held to be
chiefly responsible, but the elder man
himself was. convicted of fraudulent
maneuvers and sent to prison for five
years. He died within a year of his
conviction in 189(5. Tne hands of the
De Lesseps were not the only unclean
ones. Statesmen were tainted; . con
tractors were fraudulently enriched,
and even common laborers had their
share of the money wrongfully ob
tained. Never before In all history was
there such a gigantic swindle so pal
pably carried out
Meanwhile visitors to the isthmus
saw. a distressing sight Tne work had
been abandoned. From the railroad
crossing the Isthmus the traveler
looked down and saw, m the ditch, the
rotting frames of x dredges half burled".
In mud. He could see thousands upon,
thousands of dollars' worth going to
decay. For miles the piles of rust
ing and abandoned rails stared him in
the face. There was machinery cov
ered with dirt and overgrown with
weeds. Every now and then he passed
a house fast going to decay, which was.
intended for a station on the canaL
His attention would be directed by
some native or by a well-informed fel
low traveler to the house built for De
Lesseps, looking no more pretentious
than many a cheap city dwelling or
country house In our country, but.
which represented an outlay of nearly
$100,000. A wocd-eating worm had
got into this, as It did into the sta
tions, and probably little is now left,
of the buildings. If he kept bis ears
open the traveler heard other strange
stories of recklessness, such, for in
stance, as that of a locomotive and
tender toppling into a ditch and being
left there because the contractor hadn't
the energy and common sense to pull
it out
Feature of the Work.
With the death of De Lesseps and
the collapse of his company the canal'
project dragged more slowly than ever
until; the United States took it up. The
questlon of a canal through Nicaragua,
instead of across the Panama isthmus,
was for some time discussed, but the
preference was finally given to the old
route The treaty with Colombia, how
ever, by which this country was to pay
$10,000,000 for the necessary conces
sion, was defeated this summer in the
Colombian Senate. The present attempt
on the part of the State of Panama to
secede from Colombia is the outcome
of this action. President Roosevelt's
desire to follow the Panama route
rather than that through Nicaragua la
due; to the fact that it will cost several
millions of dollars less to buy and com
plete the Panama route and that the
annual cost of maintenance will be
$100,000 less.'
' i 'J J
There are many curious features in
connection with the canaL At Pan
ama, where the range of the tide la
eighteen feet a tide-lock is required
and the channel has to be dug far out
from the shore to enable vessels to pass
from the ocean Into the canal at low
tide. On the Caribbean side, at Colon,
to reach the proper depth of water
dredging will be continued into the sea
to a point fcrty-six miles from this
port On the Atlantic side the canal
has a higher elevation than on the Pa
cific, where it runs near the base of the
towering mountain, Picacho, which .
looms up in back of the city of Panama
to a height of 7,200 feet The greatest
constructive obstacle In the shape of
excavation is the Culebra, or summit
cut which for a distance of half a
mile has an average Cutting of 330 feet
The depth of the canal Is about twenty
eight feet 1
COTTON WEDDING,
Manner in Which the First Marrlas
Anniversary Mar Be Celebrated.
The first wedding anniversary is an
important occasion to a young mar
ried couple. . Because they know so
little about It they think they have .
settled down Into the condition of "old
married people" and are entirely accus
tomed to their dual life. To show this
clearly they feel It desirable to have
some sort of .celebration of the fact
that they have actually been husband.',
and wife for a year. ,
But it is not enough to make the
celebration a mere gathering together ;
of their friends to spend an evening:
contemplating a spectacle of mutual
felicity. There must be something
done, to entertain them. And since' the
first anniversary Is, by common con
sent the cotton wedding, the party '
must be of an appropriate character.
A rather unusual method of bring
ing this about is a sheet and pillow, '
case party, which is 'also" a domino
party. This should not be of the old
fashioned kind,' in which the costumes
were awkward and' unbecoming, but'
one In which the accepted dress is ar
ranged In graceful fashion. For both
men and women the sheets may-be
put on lh the same way. The width)
is passed around the body Just below
the arm pits, the two corners brought .
to the back, crossed, then each drawn
up over the shoulder and secured in
front with a pin. The length of the
sheet falls straight all-around. If it
is too long, part of It may be folded
below the chest Bather large sheets
should be chosen, that there may be
plenty of fullness and-a certain degree
of grace. After the sheet Is on, the
women may use what they choose In
the way of flowers or ribbons for orna
mentation. The men poor creatures t
. must content themselves with sim
ply the plain dress. November Wom
an's Home Companion.
Seek: Something Appropriate. '
"Yes," said the old Inhabitant "we
thought we'd ought to do something
nice for Bill after his funeral. He
only bad one fault He couldn't tell
the truth."
"What did you do for him?"
"Carved a little . motto that his
friends would understand 'Let him
lie In peace.' "Washington Star. 1
Fools and Money. She A fool and
his money are soon parted. He True,
and a fool and her money are soon wed
deu Yonkers Statesman.