Topics of
the Times
The old dowager empress continues,
however, to bo China's real General
Ma.
' a i
The bclrcss of the future will bo
known, perhaps, is a rnro and radium
maiden.
Of course, those Frenchmen who
ride In nlrshlps look down on people In
automobiles.
If one must die of overdrinking how
pleasant It must be to have the coro'
ncr'a physician call It "refined alcohol
liiu."
A European princess has eloped with
a coachman. Isn't It about time for
tho chauffeur to get In on this elopluc
business?
A man gets his clothes made to fit
his shape, but n woman, who Is more
resourceful, gets her shapa made to fit
her clothes.
This brigandage of those young Chi
cago ruffians was really getting to be
almost as fatal as football before the
police broke It up.
Russia and Japan hare agreed that
there Is enough good looting In fat old
China for two, aud there Is no use In
mussing up the scenery.
When Chlrago Is not In the throes of
a labor strike It Is In the grasp
highwaymen. Chicago seems to be the
Insomnia center of the nation.
It was a mistaken report that James
Lane Allen, the novelist, had found
fortuno In an oil well. Ho Is still
looking for his fortune In an Ink
well.
If the sting could be removed from
football people wouldn't pay to see the
game. And the same Is true of prize
fights. The more stings the more
money.
It is reported that the Duke of Koi
burgbe Is not pleased with the Amert'
cans, but if he has any complaints to
make about the quality of our money
be has not yet voiced them.
But It Is not necessary for the pub
lic to read Miss Ida Tar bell's articles
in order to discover that Sir. Bockefel
ler Is converting the country's wealth
Into Standard oil dividends.
It may comfort the consumers of
moat and butter and eggs aud coal to
learn that a German scientist claims to
have discovered a process by which
the price of radium may be reduced
several thousand dollars an ounce.
Young men who seek short cuts to
wealth or fame may And a useful sug'
gesuon in tms recent utterance of a
Western financier: "Tho young man
who goes around looking for a soft
place has got one already under his
hat"
A man who was caught In the act
of committing burglary at Paterson,
N. J., was ducked several times in
clean water and then told to leave
town. It Is reported that the friction
he created In the air as he left almost
set his clothes on fire.
Rev. Dr. Newell Dwlght Hlllls
thinks Sir. Rockefeller may some day
own the President of the United
States. Dr. Hlllls probably goes upon
the theory that the President Is about
the only thing worth while remaining
for Mr. Rockefeller to grab.
Bishop Huntington deplores "noisy
levity, excessive display or Inordinate
merrymaking at a unrlstlan mar
rlagc." We trust those friends of the
groom who tag the baggage, tip over
tie bouse, Bhoot at the officiating cler
gyman and try to wreck the train, will
take this gentle hint.
Is filled with self-seekers, whose sole
purpose Is to get Into public place, and
who constantly fill tho nlr with their
dcmuiclntlon of the actual holder of
office nnd weary tho curs of the com
munity with complaints that others
have had tho benefit of the places
which complainants perslttently want
ed, but which they could not set. .
Tho value of brains In business can
not be overestimated, of course. lint
neither can the vnluo o( manners.
Don't make tho error of supposing that
brains arc everything. You may havo
tho best set of brains In tho town, but
If you haven't the manners of n gen
tleman nobody Is going to nppreclato
you. Your manner Is the outward In
dication of what you are within. In the
estimate of most people, and If the
manner Is disagreeable few will take
the trouble to examine Into you uny
further. The consensus of general
opinion Is that the man who goes about
with porcupine quills as tits manners
hasn't any brains worth bothering
about. Did you never uotlco that the
men who employ large forces of In
telligent people look at an applicant
closely, ask a few seemingly unim
portant questions, and promptly cm
ploy or dismiss htm? They don't
sound his brain depth; they don't ob
tain his biography; they don't Inquire
Into his social standing; they size him
up from his manners, aud If he Is brass
on the surface they don't look for gold
within. The employer knows that If
an applicant's manner strikes him fa
vorably It will also favorably strike
people with whom he comes In con
tact In his work. And nobody knows
better than a big business man that a
favorable Impression means half the
sale. People arc apt to think that If
there Is any place where manners are
of little consequence It Is lu business,
where cold calculation so largely takes
the place of feelings. But the truth Is
that nowhere else are manners of such
Importance as In every day dealings,
There Is no capital and equipment any
young man can havo that will pay him
better than good manners. There Is no
posslblo calling for which this does
not better fit htm. If he has brains,
the world owes him something, but
unless he has good manners be will
have a bard time collecting It.
J
ROSY fUTURE OF WOMEN.
nr .v. d. mini, d. p., of t-ork
If )ou don't want women to outstrip
you In the Industrial race, and compel
you to come to them when you want 60
cents you would better stop drinking
poor whisky nnd quit gambling at race
tracks and tu pool rooms.
Women, In splto of nun's refusal to
give them tho rights aud privileges to
which they are entitled, aru to-day In
14R branches of business nnd In in
' OK- stances showing more ability than tho
men. In one of the greatest fluauctat Institutions of thl
city not long ago a well known man, drawing a salary of
$'-'5,000 a year, suffered a nervous collapse. The directors
selected as his successor tho young woman who had bee
the stenographer for ten years. She, the directors told
me. has dono better work than the man she succeeded
i ml Is doing It for but $10,000 n year.
In fifty years the women will know more than tho
uen. They havo more time to read and study nnd they
ire Improving their time. Eventually they will vote nnd
tell the men for whom they shall vote. Eventually all the
universities will be co-educatloual, and the women will
carry off all the prizes.
Give the friend you meet a smile
and a cheery word as you pass along.
Unless your troubles are urgent and
you are looking to blm for aid do not
volunteer a recital of your worries. He
has troubles of his own. Talk on
pleasant things. Have confidence In
tho present and faith In the future,
Nobody cares to hear your misgivings
or your predictions of worse things
that are to come.
One docs not like to give up beaten,
idq American newspapers are peculiar
ly averse to an acknowledgment of de
feat But can any of them boast a
larger circulation than is claimed by a
new Buddhist paper In Tokyo? Listen;
"This paper has come from eternity,
It starts Its circulation with millions
and millions of numbers. The rays of
the sun, the beams of the stars, the
leaves of the trees, the blades of grass,
the grains of sand, the hearts of tigers,
eiepnants, lions, ants, men and women
are Its subscribers. This Journal will
henceforth flow In the universe as the
rivers flow and the oceans surge."
Year by year the work of the Instl
tutlons for trade and technical Institu
tions Is becoming greater and more va
ried. In the South there are schools
which teach carding, spinning, weav
ing, dyeing and designing In cotton. In
the East many colleges have added a
textile department and throughout the
country we have Industrial schools
which glvo Instruction In the building
ana mecnanical trades, in barberlng,
brewing, dairying, domestic science,
dressmaking, tailoring, millinery,
watchmaking, drawing, painting, com
merce and other businesses too numer
ous to mention. There Is hardly a vo
cation In life the rudiments of which
cannot now be learned In somo school.
The trouble with the American sys
tem of government Is that, while In
theory It Is as near perfection as any
thing can bo, In practice it is subject
to the gravest abuses through the fact
that officeholders have come to regard
the public places with the salaries and
perquisites attached to them as private
property, to bo owned and enjoyed
without tho least regard to the public
good. This Is why our political arena
There will be no dissent from the
opinion that the world loses a man of
transcendent greatness by the death
of Herbert Spencer. This will be ad.
mltted by those who. have gone far
thest In the reaction against his philo
sophy. He was great In his marvel
ously comprehensive outlook upon na
ture and mankind, great In original
mental endowment, great In the cultl
vatlon of his powers. In his unselfish
ness, his unwearying devotion to
high Ideal. He was great also In his
Influence and his following, and al
though he must have been disappoint
ed both by the slow recognition that
was accorded him and-by the quick
trend away from his theories he had
some of the confidence of greatness.
and was sustained perhaps by con-
ictlons of the permanency of his
work which others do not share. One
can imagine that he was not wholly
Indifferent to his own case when In
speaking of the ebb and flow of opln
Ion In his little essay on "The Estf
mates of Men" he said: "Let me re
state this thesis by setting out with
the truth that all movement Is rhyth
mical that of opinion Included. After
going to one extreme a reaction In
course of time carries it to the other
extreme, and then comes eventually a
re-reactlon. This Is clearly observable
In the case of reputations." He cer
tainly showed few signs of yielding to
opposing currents, though the pathetic
clement of his growing Isolation ha
been felt even by persons who were
out of sympathy with him and thor
oughly convinced of the failure of his
main purpose. The book "Facts and
Comments," which contains the essay
to which we have referred. Is In truth
a defiance of the predominant forces
of the time. In It he exhibits a settled
aversion for the Increasing activities
of government, for the modern "edu
cational mania," for the boasts of
commercialism, the development of
militarism, and be has the hardihood
to make this distinction: "Were any
one to call me dishonest or untruth
ful he would touch me to the quick.
Were he to say that I am unpatriotic
he would leave me unmoved." How
ever, men who are stung by the last
sentence will remember that he was
honest and truthful, that be fought
dlseaso and practiced a patient self
denial with flue heroism, that bis llfo
was a long and wonderful mental dis
cipline, that be acquired learning be
yond any of his contemporaries, that
ho kept an unblemished character and
set a noble example. If the synthetic
philosophy shall go the way of all
philosophies, leaving only a few heln
ful fragments, thero Is enough in such
a career to secure a lasting fame and
to command the admiration of future
generations.
DISASTER AHEAD Or THE UNITED STATES.
Br O-SenXor Krsgtn of ris,
The reason Texas must never be dl
tided Is this: There can be but two
kinds of republics the confederations
of states and thu centralized govern
niout, which becomes In the end nothing
but a monarchy. The United States li
drifting too rapidly Into a monarchlal
form of government. It Is not even
now governed by men. It Is controlled
by money. The power of the financial
Interests Is paramount to tho power of
the people. The result will be a disso
lution of tho confederacy of States or
a monarchlal form of government.
want Texas to bo big enough to stand alouo when the
dissolution of the Union shall come. This Is reason enough
for never dividing tho Stato.
J. u.
1ICAOAX
PLANT LITE SHOWS DECINNINC OF NERVES.
ar Autrtw N'tson.
That certain plants are highly sensitive Is a
fact doubtless familiar to many readers. We
havo the case of the English sundews, whewe
leaves are provided with sensitive feelers. When
an unwary fly stumbles across the leaf Its legs
become entangled In the gummy secretion of the
tentacles, and these last bend downward over
the Insect, and thus tie It to the leaf surface.
Escape Is impossible; the Insect dies, and the
leaf converts Itself into a digestive hollow, within which
the Insect Is digested by means of secretions nearly akin
to those which are represented In the animal's digestive
work. Tho resultant. In the shapo of animal matter. Is
absorbed by the plant as part and parcel of Its nourish
ment. Without insect food these plants cannot flourish.
It Is the general rule of nature that the animal feeds on
the plant. Here the ordinary order of things Is reversed;
for the plant, as if In retaliation, demands the sacrifice
of the animal to Its nutritive needs. Other plants exhibit a
high degree of sensitiveness Intended to assist the capture
or insect prey, tbo "Venus fly trap" or North Carolina is
an example In point. Its leaf Is divided by a hinge Into
two lohea, or halves, Each half Is provided with three
sensltlro hairs. If nn Insect touches a hair the leaf halves
cloe upon It after the manner of the old fashioned rat trap,
only the Insect Is Inclosed within the leaf and Is thero duly
digested,
To explain these curious facts we h.tvo to taken lii-oad nml
general view of vegetable existence at large. It Is n matter
of common observation that ordinary plants show a certain
degree of sensitiveness to heat and to cold. Tho daisies
on tho lawn will close their petals when a cold wnvo comes
and open them again when the sun slilnrs. We may with
mfcty assume that no living being, animal or plant, Is nou
sensitive. They must one and all possess a faculty of sen
nation, for tho plain reason that one and all possess living
matter, and everywhere wo meet with living matter wu
find it exhibiting sensitiveness as one of Its primary quali
ties. Is this the beginning of nerves? lu my opinion It
Is. Wo have only to suppose that In the animal body, ow
ing to Its Kpcclal construction, there Is freer scopo for tho
play of nervous action than exists In the plant to explain
why sensitiveness Is more apparently a quality and feature
of tho animal than it Is of Its living neighbor. J
,i...H..M-H--m
FORTUNE HUNTERS WHO
BRAVE DIREST PERILS ;;
Llfo In ttto (lold Plelds of Alaska, Wltcro tlto RourIi lilemcnt ;
l.i Honest, nnd Always Insists Upon Pair Piny for All
WOULD CHECK IMMIGRATION.
ar Kr. Dr. k. 3. .r,4rfur.
In the last fiscal year nearly 1,000,000 forclg
era havo come to our shores. The Illiteracy thu
they brought Is astonishingly great and the v
clous tendency corresponds to the Illiteracy, They
are for tho most pnrt from countries whose prop
nro not readily assimilated to American Ideas and
Ideals.
r todge's bill would exclude n great number o
these Ignorant foreigners, aud that bill or sonic
o,ncr like It must bo passed or our most cherished Instltu
lions wilt le endangered, If not destroyed.
Our naturalization laws nro looto enough In themselves,
and even those laws nro not enforced. Men are made eld
zeiu who nro Ignorant of the first principles of tho dignity
and the duty of an American citizen, and I hope that the
day will como when no man will be mule a citizen who
cannot read In English the constitution ho swears to sup
port and no man b made a voter who cannot read th
ballot he casts.
TOO MUCH TIME SPENT IN COLLEGE.
Br Dr. Jtt. rrtilJtnt .lortliwtiltrn Vnlttrtllr.
A young man should get Into business rarlv,
for the ten years between twenty and thirty are
critical years. I belltvt that a young man look
Ing to a business career should be through with
Iris college work by the tlmo be Is twenty or
twenty-ono years or age. He will become n better
business man, other things being equal, than tho
one who stays by his Imoks until he Is thirty or
omer. sien wno stay long In eollego get such a
bent awuy from business that without great natural ability
they cannot brenk through the culture that hedges them
mi become great business men. At tho age of thlrtr-rlve
the man who entered business at twenty will be a better
business man tnan tlio one who began his career at thlrtv
fnlverslty culture Is not always tho best preparation
for life. It often stunts natural business ability, and this
is an ago wnen uusinct ability counts- for much. Verv
often I advise a college student as young ns eighteen years
io urop nis Biuuics anu go to work. I would not do till
in mo caie or one wno is advancing In a line toward his
business career, but with the one who Is at a atandttlll as
rar ns ins preparation Is concerned It Is better to tell htm
to go to work. A young man loses his elasticity bv the tlmn
e Is thirty. Usually he can be mado Into a good busluess
li
man only while that elasticity lanta.
MAGNETIC WATER PROPERTIES,
Genius in the Bud.
The eccentricities of James McNeil
Whistler have been a favorite topic of
anecdote-mongers for many years. It
Is only lately that we have bad
glimpse of Whistler the boy. A lady
who was "Aunt Kate" to him. all bis
life, although neither a relative nor
a connection, has written a charming
letter about blm to the London Times,
She had known blm ever since he
was a child of two years. She was a
neighbor of the Whistlers, and after
a long absence from home, she called
upon them and asked at once;
"Where is Jemmlo?"
"no was In the room a few minutes
ago," was the answer. "I think he
must be here still."
Presently Jemmle's tiny form was
discovered, stretched on the under
Bbelf of a table. The visitor went to
secure the prize, and asked;
'What are you doing there, Jem-
mle?"
"Vb dworln'l"
In one small hand was a pencil,
perhaps two inches long, and in the
other a morsel of paper about three
inches square. Yet in these tiny pro
portions the little artist was even then
doing work that showed an exquisite
promise.
College professors and the boot
blacks both strive to polish the under
standing.
When Flrit U.el Hliowed l'ojrtrfull
CorroslTe Ouatltle.
So absurd has the notion that water
could have magnetic properties seemed
to competent Judges that storli
Its discovery have been generally dis
credited. M. O. I.eighton, a hydro-
graphcr of the United States geological
survey, has been Investigating some of
these marvelous tales, and he feels
obliged to confirm them. The scene
of bis Inquiry was Indiana, and be de
clares that he has found such water In
three parts of the State. One locality
Cartersburg Springs, another Is Le
banon, and a third Is Fort Wayne. At
all of these places the fluid poseoa.es,
for a abort time after rising from the
earth, the power of magnetizing steel
objects immersed therein.
From a contribution of Sir. Lelgbton
to the Engineering News It appears
that the water contains a quantity o
carbonic acid gas, and It retains the
property Just mentioned until the gas
escapes. After that double change
takes place a sediment, which Is prob
ably ferrous carbonate. Is formed at
the bottom of the receptacle.
llepeatedly, before dipping knives
and needles Into the water. Sir. Leigh'
ton would test them carefully to be
sure that they were not already mag.
netlzed. Then Ave minute after Im
mersion thtse objects were withdrawn,
Tbey so attracted each other that one
would hang from another, point to
point. One of the knives was found
to exhibit magnetic qualities thirty
Hours after immersion.' Another expert.
ment made by Sir. Lelgbton personally
at Cartersburg Springs was to place a
compass needle near the pool. Here a
marked deflection from Its normal
position was observed.
At Lebanon the water comes from a
driven well of the Big Four Railroad
company. When It was first used In
locomotives it betrayed powerfully cor
roslve qualities. For that reason It was
almost ruinous to pollers. Dr, John
II. Hurty, the company's chemist, could
find no Ingredients which would ac
count for tbo peculiarity. Later, when
he had learned that the fluid would
magnetize axes and knives, he advised
allowing It to stand In an Iron tank for
a time before using It In boilers. That
scheme rendered It Innocuous. Now
York Tribune.
THE LAST SURVIVOR
OF THE WAR OF 1812
On a small farm cleared by himself
more than seventy-five years ago,
Hiram Silas Cronk, the last pensioner
of the war of 1812. Is now living near
Avn, N. Y attended by his daughter,
Mrs. Sarah Crowley, now moro than
00 years old.
Sir. Cronk was born on tho 20th day
of April, 1800, at Frankfort, Herlclmcr
County, N. Y nnd Is now 103 years
old. Ills health Is moderately good
and he docs not look to be as old ns
ho is. True it Is that tho old soldier's
mind Is growing weaker, and he takes
hut little Interest In present day af
fairs, but he remembers vividly thu
stirring times of young manhood. Un
lllcu tho nverago old soldier, however,
Mr. uronk noes not Ilka to talk of
"war times" savo to his own children.
his youngest son now being S3 and tho
V'est 70.
"Sly father has always been sweet
tempered and loving," said hU dough
ter, Mrs. Crowley, "nnd now In hi
very old days we children can detect
little or no difference In his loving con,
slderctlon for us and his feelings for
everyone. He Is never out of humor
and petulant, but Is even tempered all
the time. Throughout his llfo father
has been an Industrious, temperate nnd
Christian man. With tho sweet, child
ilko faith that was Instilled Into him
by a pious mother when he knelt at
her kneo In childhood, he never retires
now without getting down on bU
knees and offering up that little pray,
er;
'Now I lay me down to sleep,
pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keeoi
If I should die before I wake,
nrT 1 llfl. ljtl mv mil tn tVm'"
Sir. Cronk, with his two brother',
Casper and John, and his father, James
Cronk, enlisted at Western, N. Y., on
the 4th of August, 1814, when bo was
just a little moro than 14 years old,
Tho father and three sons served with
Captain Edmund Fuller, Now York
Volunteers, In tho defense of Sackctt's
Harbor.
For a number of years Sir. Cronk
received a pension of $12 per month,
but In February of last year Congress
passed an act Increasing the pension
to $25 per month.
WOMEN AND THEIR CA8H,
No Two Have Same Method of Carrvlns
Mono? or Valuables,
Of a hqlf dozen Washington women
to bo found any day In a street car
probably no two adopt the same means
of caring for their caBh. "Women
havo almost as many ways of carry
ing their money about with them at
they have changes of tho heart," said n
local detective.
"Tho most common place for n wom
an to carry greenbacks Is In her stock
ings. Since tho dayB when Evo'm
daughters began to wear thin article
dross It has been n favorite H.ife
deposit vault. It Is snfo to say that
three out of every ten shoppers In n
department storo will huvo n llltlo ro'l
of money tucked nwny In Iter stocking,
and when sho decides to make a Urge
purcbaso sho will seek a secluded spot
anu divo down for the money.
"When a woman la calling she usu
ally carries a II 1 1 lo chaugo lu her card
case, especially If sho Is obliged to ride
on tho street cars. If sho Is traveling
sue wears a tiny chamois bag about
her neck for tho purpose of safe-guard
ing her money and Jewels.
Tbo glove Is a favorite place for car
rylng money, especially Sunday, when
the bands aro busy carrying the pray
er book and the train for a Sunday-go-to-meeting
gown. The little space be
tween tbo glovo and th palm holds
Just enough for tho offering nnd car
fare. Tba school girl .carries her
change wrapped up In tho corner of
her handkerchief. There It remains
until noontime, or recess, when sho
unties the knot and buys her lunch,
candy, chewing gum or lead pencil.
'Now that the sleeves resciubla
nothing so much as a good-sized satcl.
el, they aro used for carrying money
tied up In handkerchiefs. The full
front shirt wnlst Is a convenient hid
ing placo for money and other femin
ine belongings. A petticoat pocket Is
often used by women for their valua
bles. They know this pocket Is an
Impossible thing to find, and would as
soon think of having the garment
mads without a band as without a
pocket.
"Many girls wear little finger purses
and tiny silver bags suspended from
chains to carry their change. A brace
let purso of leather or silver It worn
by tho fad-loving maiden; but no one
would ever suspect that there was
money in It. Perhaps the girl who
carries- her car faro In hor mouth is
tho least common of all, but sho ex
ists." Washington Star.
Ketchikan, Alaska, Correspondence:
Frontier llfo lost nono of Its flavor
when the trail of the American pioneer
swerved from tho West tu tho North
Tim fortuno hunter lost nono of tho
perils of his culling when ho nbau
doned tho train of the setting tun to
go In pursuit of tbo north star. Hut
ho pays no moro heed to the Monaco
of tho arctic than ho did to the vicis
situdes of tho desert. Ho follows each
stream na long ns Its sands will show
color of gold, nnd the coals of hit enmp
tiro nro hardly dead before thrro Is n
town site where ho pitched his tent.
Tho way la hard on account of nature's
rcKlstnnco to his cticroarhmrnta upon
her domain, but tho result Is ntwayn
tho same he triumphs and goes bold
ly onward. Everything In thlt world
has Its price nnd the gold-hunting men
of the North must pay In some colli for
the privilege of tho trail.
Tho looso way In which fortune
(lings her favors Is unaccountable. Ono
night some bunko men of tho gold
Ileitis sold a tenderfoot an old claim
that was supposed to ha worthless.
The knowing ones said they would not
havo It ns a gift When the'rnw East
erner took possession of hit property
he was the butt of many Jokes. How
ever, the swindlers and tho Jokers soon
laughed nut of tho other corner of
their mouths, for their dupe began tak
ing such quantities of dust out of tho
abandoned claim that It soon turned
nut to be a bonanza. Up to this tlmn
It bus paid him nearly $.100,000. I
fusts. At soon at they wero sealed a
waitress mine forward and tnld.
"Mush, gpnttV" They took their hats
and left the plnee, iiiiillcrliig ns they
went. They wondered why she had
ordered them out, and she, lu turn,
wondered what possowicd them, "If
they didn't want mush, they might
hnvo said to," sho growled; "guest
we'vo not good enough things to eat
to tatlify anybody."
The extreme. Northerner have man
uerltlua which are as odd at their
fornit of speech are peculiar One day
1 was lu a Jewelry shop In Dawson
when a miner came In to get a watch
that had been left for repair, lie put
It lu his pocket and without a word
about the price handed over his tack
of gold dust to the Jeweler, who prj
ceeded to weigh out the amount of thn
charge. Tho miner not only failed to
nak the price, but turned around to talk
to tome one standing near, and did not
even look to see how much was br
ing taken nut. (lold dust la worth
$111 nil ounce, and It would have bom
nu easy matter for the Jeweler to hsvt
poured out half as much again at tho
watch wai worth without hit action
being teen or the overcharge known
Afti-r the miner went out I ntkrd tho
dealer If tunny of his ciittotiiert went
to rcckleat with their duit. Iln re
plied: "A man lint to bo honest up
here, whether he It naturally to or not
When men place nhtnluto roiilldeueo
In each other there nro few who will
nliute It, !'nle a man hat a menu
Tit A 1)1 Nil POST IN ALASKA.
Unworthy Son.
Shakespeare's counsel, "Look with
tblno ears," becomes more picturesque
than trustworthy If read In the light
of a happening which the New York
Trlhuni notes;
During his recent visit to the Yel
lowstone Park, tho President of the
Unltod States, who Is a closo student
of American dialects, thought ho de
tected In tho speech of tho drlvor of
tho coach tho region from which ho
balled.
You como from Missouri, do you
not?" nsked Mr. Itoosovelt.
Tho driver pulled In bit four horses,
set his brake with his foot, and turn
ed Impressively toward tho chief mag.
Istrato.
Mr. President," be said, 'my fath
er ir mother onct went to Missouri
on a visit, nnd they visited there
weuty years. During tliet lime I
was born; but I want to tell you right
now tliet I'm no dcrncd Mlssourlan."
Jtlillauloiis.
'Isn't It ridiculous for Tcuspot to
think he can play football?" asked
aiklu.
"Why?"
"Why, bo's as bald as an egg."
Town Topics.
Tea Consumption of tlio Country.
AuurlLMiis coiuuinelRuoO.OoO poiiiiin.
of Chinese tens, '11,000,000 of Japanese
nnd about 4,000,000 of Indnu,
Experience often provides tho ru,
material for unnecessary couvvrsa
lion.
Teh senpegont son of n down East
preacher drifted Into tho Klondike to
make a new try at life. Un had
sown enough wild onts whero ho camo
from to make n bountiful crop of re
morse, nnd It would teem that ono
who bad played to hard and fast with
good opportunities would hardly bo en
titled to hit upon tho bett claim In
tliouand. Hut ho did. Ho took tho
precious stuff out nt a rata that wat
astonishing nnd broko the record for
riotous living. Ills good resolves
couldn't stand prosperity.
Many who are well schooled In tho
craft of hunting gold may Mumble
over It, while, tho uninitiated often run
right Into It. The man who was re
sponsible for tho discovery of the rich
est fields In tho North tramped over
them for years, vainly seeking his for
tune, and finally came out with hardly
enough money to pay his way home.
Ileforo tho ship reached Seattle he was
robbed of tho last dollar ho had In thn
orld. On tho snmo boat was a young
allfomtan who had tackled tho frozen
Sorth with less than $100 and had no
experience, who had $110,000 worth of
nuggets to show what his luck hail
dono for blm. All signs fall In a dry
time, nnd no man can tell much about
tho hiding placo of gold.
In 18S0 a French Canadian named
loo Juneau wandered up Sliver How
basin, tho beautiful canyon back of
tho town which hears his name, Ha
panned tho first gold from n field that
has enriched the world by many mil
lions, nnd which will continue to con
tribute to Us wealth for many years
to come. Juneau was ono of those
fearless characters who helped to con
ijucr tho wilderness, Ho was n path'
finder In tho full sense of tbo word,
yet ho died penniless, When the news
en mo to Juneau that the old man was
dead In Dawson nnd It became known
that his last wish was to be burled on
the mountain overlooking tho town
that was named for him the money
was quickly subscribed to bring his
body to tho spot whero ho said he
wanted to wnlt for the Judgment,
IiUomi of the North.
Tho peoplo of New England, ns welt
ns those of Dixie, have n distinction
In their language, aud so do tho resl-
acuta of the far North. Muny words
nro In uso hero that nro not known
elsewhere. When n person arrives ho
Is not known ns a newcomer, but li
mentioned ns a "chec-chowker," A pi
oneer Is not known by that nnine, but
Is called a "sour dough." Anyone who
has braved the hardships of ono winter
In tho gloomy urcllc cm then tnko In
himself tho lienor of being n "tour
dough." 'J lie word for "move on" Is
inUHh," This odd word of eommniiil
originated with the dog drivers, The
word "mush" Is to tho Ahisknu tied
uog wnat amen" is to tho trained
cnulno that says lis prnjers In the cir
cus n signal which ho underBliimlH
and nits upon, and ono for whhh ho
will not accept a sulmtltuto, Although
"mush" had Its origin ns a wmd for
dogs, It grow In popularity until It be
camo tho generally accepted oulcr for
anything or anybody to movo on or
get out.
Tho vernacul ir of the cold country
has a strong hold upon Its people, ns
shown In tho Incident when a couple
of returned prospectors went Into u
restaurant In SeHtio to get their break-
streak lu him he will do what It right
when he It taken for n gentleman. I
got a good profit for fixing that watch
and thero was no need of ttonllug from
my customer and, mind you. If n fel
low ei er gelt caught cheating here hi
might ns well pack up and get out.
for he will be a mnrked man."
l'.crr Ix'dr Una Credit.
Everybody hnt credit. And mot
everybody will pay somo time. On
cannot well run away. The Impostlhlt
distances can be well understood from
the treatment of thn prisoners In th
federal Jail at Sltkn. When there art
no ships In port the Inmates of tlx
Jail are let out to haul watrr nnd
chop wood. No guards aro necemary,
becauso they would turely ttarve If
they ran away. It Is altogether too far
from civilization for a man to think
of making hit way without provlttont
or meant of transportation. Several
men havo tried It and were glad to
como hack. Hut the situation It not
without Its agreeable features for tho
prisoners, for, although It Is ngntnst the
rules, the fishermen among them some
times manage to watch over a pole and
line near whero they arc working, and
It Is eren said that the hall players
do not allow thcintelret to get out of
practice.
The one thing above all others which
It characteristic of tho North Is the na
tive dog. The horse, automobile, shlpt,
trains, nothing can turn lit face to th
wind with thn assurance of Hint child
of tho arctic, the malnpoot When Ico
chokes the rivers nnd snow blocks tho
way of tho trains ho Is put In hnrnets
nnd goes where none enn follow. Hnlf
brother to the wolf, no living thing
known better the wny of tho wild or
how to survive lis rigors. Ho turn
his keen nostrils to tho wind nnd scents
with unfailing Instinct the approach
of tho storm whllo It Is yet nfnr; ho
known how to break through tho Ice for
water when he It Ihlrsty, ns vell ns the
trick of mnktng his bed In tho snow.
Although ho has been made the slavo
of man, tho wolf lu blm does not wear
out with work, and he has tho cunning
and endurance to take his food allvo
as It runs.
Tho Hnlllrtt or Halt I.tiket.
Probably tho most renin rknblo lake
n tho world Is ono with n coating of
salt that completely couccala tho wa-
er. it may bo neon nt uny tlmn dur
ing thn year, fully exposed, being oven
Its best when thn sun Is shining
directly upon It.
'lhls wonderful body of water Is ono
f tho saltiest of tho salt lakes, nnd Is
situated near Ohdorsk, Siberia. Tho
lako Ih iiluo miles whlu mid noventecn
long, nnd within tho memory of man
wai not entirely roofed over by tho
unit deposit. Orlglunlly evaporation
played tho most Important part In
coating tho laku over with salt, but
at thu present tlmo tlio salt springs
which surround It nro milling fast to
tho thickness of tlio crust.
In 1878 tho lako found an under
ground outlet Into tho ltlvcr Obi,
which lowered Us surfneo about threo
feet, Tho salt crust was so thick,
howovcr, that It retained Its own level,
nnd now presents tho curious spectacle
of n salt-roofed lake
UolllllolNO IO Jtllttlll
In 1800 10,ri03 metric tons of aeiman
cellulose wcro exported to Russia, and
In 1002 only 2,070 metric tons.
1