Topics of
the Times
t t
This year's yoets are complaining of
a lack of suitable rhymes for "Poca
hontas." Professor Zueblln says Americans are
.becoming bloodthirsty. That may come
from eating too' much breakfast food.
How many men do you Imagine there
are lu the country who blush when the
juestlon of who Is the greatest Ameri
can Is asked?
The French artist who has painted
President Roosevelt's portrait "lu a
restful pose" must have portrayed him
lu a sound sleep.
The Sultan of Morocco Is said to be
very chummy with his dentist; but
what could be more natural, since the
wun undoubtedly has a pull?
Dr. Osier says hope Is one of the best
medicines people can huve. A good
thing about such medicine Is that one
can hardly take an overdose of it
A farmer has a litter of seven pigs,
each with six feet. If nothing hap
pens to them, the outlook for the
pickled pigs' feet crop w'll'lbe promis
ing. The scientist who says the moon Is
green must be mistaken. The silvery
orb has looked down upon too many
spoony couples ' not know what's
whut.
Walter Wellmnn Is going to take
twenty-nine Siberian sledge dogs with
lilm on his trip to the north pole. As
for us, we would prefer a nice porter
house, medium.
"Mr. Roosevelt never overlooks an
opiHH-tunty to praise motherhood," says
a Baltimore paper. And why shouldn't
lie praise motherhood? Without It
whcrq would Mr. Koosevelt be to-day?
Nicola Tesln has publicly admitted
that he can invent anything ho pleases.
It he wants to make a hit, he bjouiU
Invent a few new excuses for the use
of men lu the habit of staying out late
at night.
A professor of something or other
declares that "we shall know some
thing about the spirit world In 200
years." It may be true, and then,
again, the professor may simply have
wanted to say something cheerful.
Hefore we use criminals for the pur
pose of producing autltoxlus perhaps
we would better make sure that In ad
ministering antitoxins derived from
criminals we will not transplant crime
germs Into the Bystems of honest peo
ple. If John I). Uockefeller and John D.
Rockefeller, Jr., were to die today,
John I). III. would control wholly or
lu substantial part approximately 475
great Industrial, commercial nnd finan
cial corporations. These corporations
have a capitalization of ?5,23i,0!is,802.
This Is the wealth of John D. Uocke
feller, the elder. In such of those cor
Ignitions as he would not own a ma
jority of the stock, his word would
nevertheless bo law, since opposition
to the Uockefeller wishes means a de
structive fight.
The ninlo spider is' smaller and more
clalwrately decorated than the female
as a rule. And It Is stated In the se
cret archives of spider lore collected
by men that "the courtship of spiders
Is frequently attended with grave peril
to the male. The female, If not In a
suitable temper, is peculiarly prone to
attack and devour her admirer." If
he happens to be lu such a cannibalis
tic frame of mind nothing can save
Itomeo but his agility. There la no
avoiding the conclusion that nature In
tended the female spider should "rule
the roost" and, by analogy, that wom
an should rule man.
Speaking of the birth of a son to Al
fonso and his wife, sometody observes
that the royal Infant will one day be
king of Spain "If he lives." The quali
fication Is well advised, but It Is not
complete. There Is another condition
squally Inqiortant The young prince
will be king if he lives and If the
Spanish people happen to want a king
wheu he submits his pretensions to the
throne. King Edward of England Is
credited with declaring his belief that
his successor will be chosen by a com
petitive civil service examination and
the Jest has sufficient truth to make It
somewhat grim. The king business Is
In none too flourishing a condition and
It grows less stable every year. The
future of the Spanish baby Is by no
means assured.
"Oh. I Just had a hunch.' That Is
the way the successful man often ex
plains a particularly wise and remun
erative move on his part to the friends
who want to know how he. dia It.
"Lucky dog,'' the less successful ones
remurk as they walk away. Was he
lucky? Or did he simply use a little
of the ordinary amount of brains with
which he was endowed? Where did he
get the hunch? His "lucky" lnspira
tion came from a habitual, intelligent
use of brains. The "lucky dog" simply
put two and two (together and believed
that they made four. lie combined
logic with confidence and won. The
man without the hunch Is what he is
for two reasons. Either he Is too In
dolent to put two and two together or
else after he had put them together he
was afraid that he had made a mis
take and that they made something
else besides four. A logical mind, ever
on the alert to benefit the owner, al
most without his conscious volition, Is
n product of careful training. If you
ure complaining that you never have
had any lucky hunches, Bet yourself
now to grasp the full meaning of every
minute incident that arises in connec
tion with each day's work. Do this
every day. Do not let each day be
complete In Itself. Relate each day
with Its complex activities to each
other day. Soon you will discover that
some Incident of to-day has a direct
bearing upon some Incident of some
other day. l'ou may be the only per
son who has made this discovery. If
you are energetic you will use It to
your own advantage. And there you
are. Your lucky "hunch" has come.
Try It Don't be envying other lucky
dogs. Make yourself an object for
envy.
It is to be expected that an honest
man, under oath in court or elsewhere,
will make an accurate statement of
what he has seen or heard? Most of
us would say yes without much hesi
tation. Professor Munsterberg, ' the
psychologist, of Harvard University,
has no hesitation in saying no, al-J
though In so saying he Impugns the
.nullity, not the disposition, of wit
nesses to state the truth. The profes
sor has made known, through the me
dium of a magazine article, some facts
that may be new to many readers. His
theme Is the fallibility of human senses
when it comes to stating facts accu
rately, and his object the adoption by
courts of Justice of tests to determine
the credibility of witnesses. The ex
amination of truth has made great ad
vancement In mauy directions. Physi
ology, chemistry and other sciences
may be called into court to determine
In the most practical way, and with a
certainty that precludes doubt, a long
list of questions which once had to go
unanswered. Blood tests and analyses
of viscera for traces of poison are Il
lustrations of this. What the courts
do not tnke into account, according to
Professor Munsterberg, Is the fact that
psychology has advanced as rapidly as
other sciences, and now affords a means
of testing the power of observation of
witnesses, and consequently their truth-
telling capacity, as definitely as other
sciences determine the material facts.
That Inability to relate things accurate
ly which Is here considered, Is, of
course, wholly apart from any moral
obliquity, any desire or Intent to de
ceive. It Is not a moral weakness, but
a sort of mental color-blindness. Chil
dren sometimes play a game lu which
a number of objects are covered with
a hat, then exposed a few s jonds, and
after being covered again, are describ
ed. This test of the powers of observa
tion of different individuals Is amusing.
Professor Munsterberg himself, al
though ho has a good memory and has
trained It carefully, not long ago de
tected himself In testifying Inaccurate
ly about a burglar' In his own house.
He thought he had observed everything
carefully, but subsequent examination
proved that his recollections were all
slightly but significantly Incorrect."
Lesaer of Two Evlla.
The burglar's wife was In the wit
ness box, and the prosecuting attorney
was conducting a vigorous cross-exam
ination.
"Madam, you are the wife of this
man?"
"Yes."
"You knew he was a burglar when
you married him?"
"Yea."
"How did you come to contract a
matrimonial alliance with such a
man?"
"Well," the witness said sarcastical
ly, "I was getting old and had to
chooRo between a lawyer and a bur
glar."
The cross-examination ended there.
Tatler.
Their Mecca.
"But, dear," said the caller, "I don't
see why you should care to change the
name of your charming little country
place, Idlewhlle Is so romantic. It
seems to signify dreamy Idleness."
"That's Just the trouble," replied the
housewife. "It was oo suggestive."
"In what way?"
"Why, it attracted all the tramps In
the county." Chicago News.
Very few things that hnnoen In this
world seem Intended for the relief of I
nervous people. ,
A DREAM IN MARBLE.
MOST EXQUISITE BUILDING EVER
ERECTED BY MAN.
Manaoleum of Taj Mahal In India
Monument of a Husband's Love
for Hla Wife In It Art Reached
Ita Perfection.
i
The most exquisite building ever
erected by the bands of man Is the
i sj -Mahal, which was constructed by
the great Mogul Emperor, Shah Ja
han, at Agra, .India. It marks a
great man's love for a woman Ar-
Jauund Banu Begum, his wife. Shah
Jaiau was a Mohammedan despot who
led a magnificent life, aud had other
wives ; but In his eyes the peer of her
sex was ArJamand. When she died he
declared he would rear to her memory
a mausoleum so perfect that it would
make men marvel for all time. And
th:s he accomplished. More poetrv and
p-ose have been written about the Taj,
with more allusions to It as a symbol
of love, than of any other creation
marking human affection and the
secret probably lies in the fact that all
me world loves a lover, savs a wrltr
in the Booklovers Magazine.
fihah Jahan ruled from 1G28 to ions
and had been on the throne only two
yMrs when death took from him his
adored ArJamand. Then came the ro
so.ve to erect to her memorv a monn.
ment that might measure his love and
grief. All the best architects, artists
anl skilled workmen of India, Persia
and Arabia were summoned to Shah
Jibnn's court and the resources of his
empire placed at their disposal. The
TtJ, consequently, was not the creation
of a single master mind, but the con
summation of a great art epoch. It
s-,vW.o.- , ' '.V X ,',' '-V "V V??
'QRki
r i imifakfa!Mfr. fo
THE "DItEAM IN MARBLE" : THE
construction was commenced four years
aiter Arjamand's demise.
In keeping with an old Tartar cus
tom, a garden was chosen as the site
of the tomb a garden planted with
flowers and fragrant shrubs, emblems
of life, and solemn cypresses, emblems
oC 4eath and eternity. In Mogul days
such a garden Vas maintained as i
pleasure ground during the owner's life
time, and used for bis Interment when
dad.
The laborers came from many parts
of the world the chief masons from
northern India and Bagdad, the dome
builders from Asiatic Turkey, and the
m.isalc artists from Persia. Every
section of India and Central Asia was
drawn uiou for materials. The tuarbb?,
spotless lu purity, was brought from
Jarporei 300 miles away, on the backs
of elephants and camels or by bullo.M
carts. The red sandstone was contri
buted by Fathpur SlkrlJ, one of the
Mogul capitals, the Jasper by the Tu l
Jab, the crystal and Jade by China.
The turquoises came from Tibet and
the Red Sea, the sapphires and lapis
lasull from Ceylon, coral and corne
lian from Arabia, onyx and amethysts
from Persia, and the diamonds from
Bundelkund.
It engaged the unceasing ' labor of
20,000 men for seventeen years to com
plete the Taj ; and like that other great
tOJib, the Cheops Pyramid In Egypt,
It was reared chiefly by forced labor,
unpaid and uncared for, and thereby
produced great suffering and mortal
ity. This Is the chief blemish on the
fair fame of the mausoleum overlook
ing the Jumna.
The Taj garden Is perhaps a hi'f
mile square, and is surrounded by a
strikingly beautiful wal' of masonry.
It Is an orderly wilderness of rUh
vegetations, to be found only In Asia,
an l the deep greens and rich browns
of the avenues of foliage unquestion
ably accentuate the whiteness of the
Tumple of Death. As the garden helps
the tomb, so the tomb gives expression
to the garden.
The great gateway of red sandstone,
whose roof Is adorned by Moorlsn
arches and pavilions. Is In Itself one
of India's most perfect buildings. Ftotj
Its summit a perfect view of the Taj
Is had, with the Jumna flowing slug
gishly beneath Its marble platform;
and from there the grounds are spread
before the visitor In a perfect 'pan
orama. The paved avenues, all lead-
In? to the magnificent pile, miles of
marble aqueducts filled' with orna
m.utal fish, playing fountains all
brsutho the superlative of art, every
fluttering leaf whispers oL the east
Not by Its size is Arjamand's tomb
comiranding, for Its dimensions are
very moderate. Imagine a plinth of
flawless marble." 313 feet souure and
rliing 18 feet from the ground thit
is the foundation of the wondrous
structure. The Tal Is 180 feet sauare.
with dome rising to an extreme height
of 220 feet At each corner of the
plinth stands a. tapering minaret rear
lng its crown 137 feet
No bulding carries the Idea of ner
so.iallty further than the Taj, a fem
inine personality, as It should be", for
It contains no suggestion of the rue
g.-d grandeur of a tomb for a grest
man. The Taj Is the antithesis of the
Parthenon, of Napoleon's resting place,
of Grants robust mausoleum on th
Hudson. A sepulcher fashioned after
ordinary architectural canons can on'y
bs conventional: the Taj Is different
from all other buildlues in the world:
It Is symbolical of womanly grace and
purity is the Jewel, the Ideal Itself.
A spectator marvels that so much beau
ty can come Trout so little apparent ef
fort. Yet nothing Is wantlne. there h
n'.-lhlng in excess; we cannot alter a
single stone and claim that the result
wu'd be better.
One enters reverently the burial nlnce
or isnah Jahau's Queen, whose cenotanh
Is of the whitest marble, placed In the
precise center of the building and sur
rounded by an octagonal screen of nln
baster, that Is pierced and interwoven
H'te lace. Every foot of the walls,
every column and panel, is elnhorntelv
embellished with flowers, leaves, scrolls
and sentences and these are lnlnlrl in
Jasper, bloodstone, Jade, onyx and
precious stones. ArJamand s tomb blos
soms with never falling Persian flowers
ni.e Arabic sentences extolling her
mum
TAJ MAHAL, AGRA, INDIA
cliaiTcter and Is as marvelous In work
mai thlp as If produced by Florentine
in rivers of the present day. It Is
said that eight years were consumed
by tue artists intrusted wltb the mak
ing end beautifying of Arjamand's
ceiotaph and further that the Koran's
every" line and every word is repro
duced In Inlay or In. relief carving on
the Interior or the exterior of the Taj.
' Thl8 eem of Agra Is worshipped as
fervently by Hindus as by those of the
Msleui faith and Indlnu artists In a
fw years almost destroy their eye
slcbt trying to portray In miniature
upon Ivory the architectural perfection
and delicacy o'f this marvel of the
world. f
The Parian' Run.
One of the traditional stories of the
town of Fairfield, Conn., recounts a
wild dash from the pulpit made by a
worthy and beloved pastor of the Epis
copal flock, Dr. Labaree.
It was on a Sunday more than a
hundred years ago. The service had
been read, the prayers said, the hymns
sung, and the parson began bis ser
mon. As be proceeded his gestures be
came very energetic. He brought his
right hand down with, great force.
Then he turned pale, cleared the pulpit
stairs at a bound,' dashed out the
church door and ran toward the pond
a short distance away,
The congregation followed In bewil
dered pursuit, and saw their venerable
pastor with flying robe rush Into the
water until It came to his neck. Then
turning round, he faced his astonished
audience and said:
"Dearly beloved brethren, I am not
craiy, as no doubt many of you think,
but yesterday at the drug store I
bought a bottle of nitric acid, and care
lessly left It in my pocket to-day.
"My last gesture broke the bottle. I
knew the suffering the acid would
cause when It penetrated my clothing,
and rushed for the water to save my
self pain."
He drew several pieces of glass from
his pocket In witness of the tale. Then
he dismissed the company and hurried
home. 1
No matter how high a man's princi
ples are he cannot resist stealing
grapes from the bunches of grapes
displayed In front of the grocery stores.
Give any one In the country a book
to read, and he puta It aside to read
next winter.
The Italian cabinet has decided that
the excavations at Herculaneaum shall
be carried out by the Italian govern
ment with Italian money.
Madrid's Official Gazette publishes
an agreement with France for the con
struction of three railways through the
Pyrenees. An engagement Is entered'
Into for the two countries to build the
lines and construct the necessary tun
nels within ten years.
Glass bath tubs are being made la
Germany and are said to have advan
tages over the metal and enamel, th
prlnclpal one being that they are much
cheaper. They are made in a solid
piece, and one can be turned out com
plete in about five minutes.
Four hundred pounds of obsolete
German pennies of about the same pro
portion of copper and tin as used la
high conductlvely electrical castlnirs.
have, It Is said, recently been pur
chased at 21 cents a pound by the Uni
ted States manufacturers, being cheap
er now thun electrolytic copper.
During excavation near Prosit
Park, Reading, England, a workman
struck his pick against something
hard, and on removing the clav he un
earthed a quern, or hand mill, which
had probably come from the neighbor
ing Romnuo-British city of Silchester,
which was on the great trade routes.
The relic has been deposited In th-
Reading museum.
The coal-testing plant of the Geo
logical Survey, established a few vearst
ago, has proved that much of the pres
ent waste from coal-mines' can be util
ized t great advantage. For exanmle.
slack coal aud other waste sizes can
be formed into briquets, which for
power-supplying purposes are imiiiillir
superior to lump coal from' the sam .
mines. Another nroduct of file nilnoo:
which the miners have always regard
ed as waste Is "bone" coal, whicli con
tains more than 45 per cent of nsh.
This, It has been shown, can be use
fully employed In gas producing..' It
is believed that old dumps will .'also
prove available for this purpose.
The caves of southern France an
the most remarkable In the world for
their wall pictures, made by prehisto
ric men, who were contemnorarv witln
the mammoth, the rhinoceros and the-
reindeer In that country. Some of tha-
pictures are engraved In the rock. .
some are painted with different colorsx
They usually represent extinct ani
mals, such as cave-lions and cave
bears. A faithful representation of
the rhinoceros, with Its two bonis of
unequal length, Is found lii a cavern
at Font-de-Gaume. The prehistoric
artists made their paint of ocher of
various shades, pulverized and mixed.
in mortars. Four phases of advance,
in this troglodyte art have been dis
tinguished by explorers, most of whoso-
discoveries have been made within thai
past four years.
Queer Leirend of Indiana.
The Seminole Indians believed that
when the Great Spirit created this:
world he made three men, all fair of
skin. He led them to a lake and bade
them Jump In. The first obeyed and
.-ame out whiter than when he entered
the waters; the second hesitated, go
ing into the lake when the water was-.
a trifle muddy, hence came out copper
colored; the thjjd' leaped 'In last and
lame out black.
According to the legend the Great:
Spirit then led them to three bundles,,
asking each to choose one. The black.
man chose the heaviest, which was-,
found to contain spades, hoes and.
Dther Implements used In the perform
ance of manual labor ; the second found
In his sack a fishing rod, a gun and.
warlike weapons ; the white man chose-
the; sack which contained pen. Ink and.
paper, and this, so the story goes, laid,
the foundation for his superiority over
sther races. Kansas City Journal.
How Animate Blnah.
Animals blush as girls do. but It la-
fear and not modesty that ln their case
muses the Inrush of blood.
Horses blush in their ears, especially
In the left ear. When a horse Is fright
ened Its left ear will be found very hot
and swollen. This Is also true of rab
bits.
Cows and all other cloven-feoted anf-
mals blush Just above the fetlock. Dogs
blush in their tails. Whe? a dog 1
frightened Its tall blushes so that It
hangs limp, the dog having absolutely
no control over it
Insects blush In their antenna.
New Orleans Times-Democrat
The National Game.
"The management seems to be trylnc:
to hand out a square deal."
"Still, there Is some kicking."
"That's on account of the misdeals.
They're bound to happen." Louisville-Courier-Journal.
Swallowing your Indignation will not
satisfy your thirst for revenge.