"TOPICS of the times. A CHOICE SELECTION OF INTER ESTINQ ITEMS. vw """""" Comment' and Criticism Dated Upon lh Happenings of tho Day HUtorl cal suit Ness Note. H It always easier to weep over a prodigal than It U to welcome him. A woman's favorite writer l a bus band who li capable of writing checks. It It became a man doesn't know a woman that ho asks her to marry him. .The scarcity of ISO! dollars Illus trates how little change a century has wrought. Mont people who think they nro de ' celvlng others only succeed In deceiv ing themselves. It would lo something of a calamity If ono of those floatinu mines should strlko tho sea serpent The man who has found a lost Wag tier score In Germnny affords another Instnnco of pernicious activity. Another death from tho shutting of a folding bedl Why don't some folk read tho newspapers and profit accord ingly? A fond mother may consldor her son tho flower of tho family and tho neighbors may couslder blm a bloom ing Idiot Merely from neighborly curiosity Uncle Sam would like to know what llraill expects to do with the big navy It Is building. The king of Denmark has a fine col lection of birds' eggs worth about $75. 000. The klug must have climbed hundreds of trees. Tho enterprising tobacconist may make a hit by pushing the brand of cigars that President Itoosevelt would smoke If" lie smoked at all. Tho preparedness of tho Japanese Is well Illustrated In tho special gun they Invented to meet tho peculiar fighting tactics of the Cossacks. Under the latest Supreme Court de cision railroads kill employes with Im punity, so long as they are not eio cuted by direct order of tho manager or president A Japanese postcard has been pub lished showing a Russian admiral standing on the beach In diver's cos tume with the Inscription, "Going down to review the fleet." The strenuous sloshing round of Marse Henry of and concerning Jour nals and Journalism comes mighty near entitling him to be designated the Mr. Wlggs of the Newspaper Fatch. A church In Pennsylvania Is almost disrupted because the women of the congregation proposed serving deviled eggs and angel cake at a sociable. There's something, after all, In a name. A ,cw York woman who was worth (76,000 died the other day and left her husband only $5 because he hadn't kissed her for nearly seven years. Per mitting the heart to grow cold doesn't always pay. Secretary Hay says that If the press of the world should adopt the high resolve that war should be no more, the clamor of arms would cease. It might; but the newspaper men would have to fight an Indignant public de manding suppressed dispatches, and In such a fight gatllng guns are not avail able. The national hymn of China Is so long that lt.raqulres about half a day to sing It No foreigner ever desires to bear It sung the second time. A German, who once listened to It said, "Too much of that Is plenty." By the time tho Chlnoso gets his hymn well sung he finds the foreigner begins thundering at tho gates of Peking If tho foreigners left any gates last time. Each year sees a decrease In the number of agriculturists that reach tho United States and a marked Increase In the less desirable classes from southern Europe, who settle In the largo cities, adding to the troubles of those already there. The officials are powerless to prevent this practice, which Is rapidly assuming alarming proportions, but the time Is not far dis tant when staps will have to be taken to regulate the traffic. Whether this will be through the medium of uni form citizenship laws In the various States and a mutual agreemont as to supervision of aliens remains to be seen. Athletes are In danger. So says the American Medical Association. They are threatened with arterlos-clerosls a big word which names a formidable disease. The overstrain of physical exercise the cinder path, the base ball diamond, the football Held the the aters of strenuous Ufo, cause the dis ease. The doctors say the ailment Is having an alarming growth. And It It Incurable. Its symptoms are a stif fening and deterioration of tho ar terlet, causing premature old age and a serious affection of the heart It Is declared that many young college ath lete are to-day as decrepit as their grandfathers wero at 70 years of age. This Is not a new objection to ath letics, but a warning which ought to bo heeded by college authorities and trainers. Athletics like everything else should be temperate. It is not only a popular feature of college life, but useful In tho development of physi cal manhood. Ilut there Is n limit. If the trainer permits his men to go beyond the limit Into overstrain the means may defeat the very purpose for which they were Instituted. Sir Jns. Crlcbton-Hrowne, the emi nent English authority on mental and nervous diseases, has aligned himself with thoso who have long demanded that the marriage certificate bo made accompanied by o medical certificate of physical nnd mental fitness for tho marriage relation. This Is no new proposition In this country. It Is not without recognition In the statutes of some of tho States. In practically all tho States Insanity Is a ground for divorce, though In few of them Is It In Its milder forms a bar to marriage. Sir James contends that a large part of tho mental and moral degeneracy of vast classes In the great cities, par ticularly London, where ho especially observed. Is due to marriage of the unlit, insanity, epilepsy and weak nilndednnss he declares to be In most cases Inherited. The army of the In sane has been crsntcd. he contends, by Improper marriages, that the law should prevent. There can be no doubt that society owes Itself better pro tectlvo measures. It Is the common thing to hear drunkenness, crime and poverty, ns well as mental and physi cal weaknesses, accounted for on the ground of heredity. If there Is noth lug In this commonly accepted theory It Is time mankind wero finding It out. If It Is true. It Is time mankind were doing something derisive to prevent tho perpetuation of the worst that Is In the species. How tho South grows! Hy leaps and bounds Its commerce broadens until It has beoomo a factor everywhere. Since 1SS0 tho population of the South has Increasrd nbottt 00 per cent, tho while Its manufactured products have Increased 2T1 per cent, which Is dolef opmcnt extraordinary. Itallroadmlleago has Increased 101 per cent nnd tho pro duction of pig Iron 731 per cent. In the coal Industry alone the output has jumped since 1SS0 from $0,000 annual ly to $tlU,00.000. It Is not necessary to quote figures beyond those already given. The development has been steady In all lines, and has been as marked In matters municipal and civic as It has been in the growing of cotton and corn. Time was when a Southern city was knowu by Its peculiar types of architecture. Now the skyscraper has como to stay. Tho mule no longer hauls the street ear. for electricity has been found as valuable an aid to prog ress In Georgia as In Massachusetts. Whatever Is good enough for the East has been fouud nono too good for the Inhabitants of that vast territory that cuds with the coast of Florida. Money Is plentiful. The South Is Just learn ing that she has a gold mine In her sunshine, and the North gladly sends her uncounted millions for her fruits and vegetables. Fortunes are made every year in truck farming, and there are still larger fortunes to be made, for the market for this kind of prod uce Is limitless, and the science of getting more and more but of the land Is becoming a matter of common knowledge. The development of the great West made the Fnlted States the richest nation on the globe. The de velopment of the South, carried, out on the present lines of progression, will put this country beyond dream of com petition. M I CROBES AND MONhY. We Must Have Money, len with Microbes on It. The fear of contagion from disease microbes which our ancestors ncer felt because ' Ignorance was blUs" to them seems to be putting Its ban upon one thing after another, says the Chi cago Tribune. One may not Indulge longer In clams, oysters, watercress, spinach, lettuce, shaving, kissing, pub lic library books, feather dusters, and numerous everyday necessities with out taking antiseptic precautions. Now comes a chemist at Washington who has fouud a grienlaik which was the favorite resort of 141 different kinds of the disease microbes. Startled by the announcement some brokers al ready are moving to protect cashiers and tellers by disinfecting all currency. One Hoston chemist has suggested the placing of cotton waste, saturated with formaldehyde, In the safe or money drawer, and another the pouring of a spoonful of It In a vault each night, which boards of health say will destroy millions of gorms. Some bank ers are Inclined to sniff at the pre cautions. They rightly affirm that the microbe, though a comparatively nen discovery. Is as old as time; that paper money Is nearly as old as time; that ennhlers and tellers have b.en handling the microbe and the currency without destroying the one or tteril z'.ng the other, and that they were healthy and long-lived, even though they directly exposed themselves by putilng their lingers to their Hps when counting money, which cashiers and tellers no longer do. The microbe and money matter, If It should occasion any widespread ap prehension of contagion, will make life much harder than It Is now. We must have money, even with microbes on It, and cannot stop to Inquire who had It last or through how many pockets It has passed, gathering new styles of microbes at eery remove. If the microbes would confine themselves to $1,000 bills It would not be to bad, because they do not circulate so free ly as fives do, but the microbe Is no respector of bills. The microbe might have some dlfllculty In finding the $1,000 bills, but It can find dol'ar bills with ease, and they are softer and more homelike than the others. KAFIRS MAKING A FIRE. WATCllINQ for A flaw:. Tho natives of South Africa still build their fires In the primitive way ot revolving n stick between tho palms, the friction on tho horizontal stick, held on the ground, being so great ai to produce a Hume. Not Doing It, "Ho left numerous relatives to mourn his death." "Well, he might as well have taken them with him; they're not carrying out Instructions." New Orleans Times-Democrat One good thing about the projecting hats tho women wear they can't get their faces near enough together to kiss. Wo all hao lessons enough, but they are not burned In, OPINIONS OF GREAT PAPERS ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS 'ho ScnsJt'so Temperament Octongs T ft Ml comfort It Is better to have a thick skin. W, 'si l.iut for accomplishment that Is worth while P I wwer lies In the sensitive temperament. The I .......Itl.-.v t.il. allfr.t.a m i-v.,.l in.ll lll W1IV (trough life, lie Is Jarred by discord and op ,osltlon. Ills craving Is for peace; criticism Mings hint like a whip. Sensitive men, as a rule endeavor to hide their sufferings from the public gate. In this endeavor they assume an arrogance or a cynicism that Is not genuine. Some of tho boldest tlouters of critics and opponents are really the most sensitive, llehlml their outward show of contempt they suiter the keenest agonies of soul-torture. Hut the sensitive Is the creative temperament A man that does not feel cannot perform, lie Is not creative, nor original. The sensitive man shuns polemics, the give and take of contest but once In a tight he stays. All the great men have been sensitive. The sensitive man takes things seriously. The sensitive temperament Is tho temperament of the thoroughbred whose pride keeps him from ever gH tug up. It Is the sensitive men that battle for an Ideal, for a principal. Sensitiveness Is a symptom of brains. Tho dull wit Is protected by a thick skin. Hut the thinker Is scnsltUe because he thinks. He Is self-analytical. He meditates on criticism and measures himself by It. To the world he may appear to be as hard as steel and as cold as lee. but he feels deeply as very man of brains docs. Intensity ot fcellrg Is n necessary element of genius nnd Intensity ot feeling Is possible only to the sensitive temperament. Genuine sensitiveness must not be mistaken for a spurl ous sensitiveness which Is very common and which Is noth ing but vault and conceit One finds people proclaiming themselves "sensitive" because their vanity Is easily of fended. These people are quick to Imagine slights where none were Intended They expect from the world a defer ence to which they are not entitled and they fret when this deference Is denied. The true sensitive does not cry out his hurts. He suffers in silence as every great soul does. His feeling Is not a shallow vanity, but a deep move ment of the souL San Francisco llulletln. II! tory of Japan's Commerce. A PAN has a history antedating that of any of he nations of Europe now existing. Its pages .iave been shut to us on account of our Ignor inee of the Japanese language and literature, ut these obstacles to the acquisition of knowl edge are gradually being removed nud many interesting and Important facts nro coming rUaVtViVV to light. The subjugation of Korea In 200 A. I)., Is proof that Japan had made considerable advancement In maritime power at an early date. The use of paekhorses and oxen, the spanning of rivers by bridges, and the establishment of stations at the distance of a day's Journey apart, as far back as 313 A. I)., show that domestic trade and commerce and Interior means of communication at that time hail reached a fair state of development Peddlers were know ti as early as 437 A. I)., while a systematized market was organized and a law of measurement and prices was en acted In 701; and In 700 the ratio of monetary metals was established at the rate of one to ten for gold ami silver, and one to a hundred for sliver ajul copper. Hy 1540 more than 2.000 Chinese merchant vessels, It Is said, went yearly to Japan, mostly to buy silk. Prior to this, and about 12S0, tho Japan Islands were made known to European nations by an Italian who had lived many years In China. The first navigation line from Europe to Japan was established In 1541 by three Portuguese mer chants. The Spanish secured a few trade privileges in l.Mii. and In lliOl the Dutch came and began to do a largo busi ness under the name of the East India Company. But before or shortly after these events Japan had es tablished herself as a sea power through her own efforts in the Pacific Ocean. The communication with the Philippine Islands, with Annan, with Slam and with India began be fore 1500. and there were then more than boo Japanese emigrants living at Manila, and thousands living In Si.im. For a short while the Philippine Islands were under the control of Japan. In 1000 William Adams, an English shipwrecked mariner, landed In Japan, and was naturalized. Captain John Smith, sent by James II., arrived In 1013. In 2 CN THE WINGS OF THE WIND. j The dangers of ballooning, writes Santos-Duinont In "My Air Ships," are confined usually to the landing. Ilut the sea of air presents many kinds of dangers, and sometimes the balloonist encounters more than one on the same voyage. In Nice. In 11)00. be went up from the Plnce Massena In a good sized balloon, alone, Intending to drift a few hours amid the enchanting scenery of the mountains and the sea. His experiences were enough to make most people content with solid earth. The weather was fine, but the bar ometer soon fell, which Indicated a storm. For a time the wind took mo lu the direction ot Clmlez; but as It threatened to carry me out to sea, I threw out ballast, abandoned the cur rent, and mounted to the height of about n mile. Soon I noticed that I had ceased descending. As I had de termined to land soon, I pulled on the valve rope and let out more gas, ana here the terrible experience began. I could not go down! I glanced at the barometer and found that I was going up. Yet I ought to be descend ing, and I felt, by tho wind und every thing, that- I must be descending. I discovered only too soon what was wrong. In spite of my continuous ap parent descent, I was, nevertheless, being lifted by an enormous column of air rushing upward. The barometer showed that I had reached u still greater altitude, and I could now tako account of the fact hy tho way In which the land-was disap pearing under me. The upward-rushing column of air continued to take me to a height of almost two miles. After what seemed a long time the barometer showed that I hud begun to descend. When I began to see land, I threw out ballast, not to strike the earth too quickly. Now I could percelvo tho trees and shrubbery. Up In tho storm Itself I had felt nothing. Now, too, as I continued fulling lower I could see how swiftly I was being curried laterally. Hy tho time I perceived the coming dunger I was In It. Carried along at a terrific rato. knocking against tho tops of trees and continually threatened wltli a painful death, I throw out my anchor. It caught In trees and shrubs and broke away. I was dragged, through the small trees and yielding shrubbery, my face a mass of cuts and bruises, my clothes torn from my back, fear lug tho worst and able to do nothing to avo myself. Just as I had given myself up tor to All Great Men. lost the guide rope wound Itself round a tree and held. I was precipitated from the basket and fell unconscious. When I camo to I had to walk several miles until I found some peasants. They helped mo back to Nice, where I went to bed and had the doctors sew me up. DIVORCE LAWS OF CANADA. They Are Far More Stringent Tlinn Those Kil.tliig In the United Htutea. It will not bo advisable for mis uiatcd couples in tills country who may desire a legal separation to go to Canada to obtain It Itecently publish ed statistics hIio w that during one gen eration of thirty-four years those prc ciHling the yeur 1001 tho dlvorceH granted In Cunada numbered only sixty-nine. In the United States during tho same period tho number ot di vorces was almost 700,000. The popu lation of the Unltisl States has aver aged twelve times that of the Domin ion, while Its divorces wero 10,000 times as many. If divorces In tho United States dur ing tliu time mentioned had been the same per capita as In tho Dominion there would have been less than 2,000 in this country reduced, In other words, by GCS.OOO. Were these figures reversed If Ca nadians hud outnumbered our divorce decrees by 10,000 times, relatively would wo not bo looking upon our "lady of the snows" with something of the regard bestowed upon the biblical scarlet woman' Vet no especial op probrium, nationally speaking, has been attached to our national laxity. Hero a trivial excuse, splilur-wcbby In Its validity, mny serve as a pretext for seperatlon. Hut In Canada It Is a much more serious affair. Only ono cause, the Scriptural, may bo taken us ground for legal separation, and then the matter is not left to tho Indifferent, Insignificant weighing of a local Justlco of the peace, or even to tho courts; It Is made the concern of Parliament both houses of which must pass tho bill which Is entered by counsel lu be half of his client In addition, a published notice of In tention to apply for divorce, giving namo of applicant and accused with ground of accusation, must bo Insert eel for six months In two newspapers published In tho applicant's residential town as well as In the Canada Gazette, the oillclal government organ. As a further bar tho cost of securing a dlvorco Is so Mgh that fow people of the lowor classes can afford It. The fee varies according to tho omlnenco of the counsel retained, but the aver ago coat Including traveling expenses for both applicant and icovsed must September, Kill, a world atlas was first Introduced Into the country and stimulated the study of geography and the desire for trade and discovery. So wltli the assistance ot William Adams two schooners were built. In them tin Japanese orossd the Pacific and opened trade relations with Mexico, only eighty years after t'oltmibus discovered America. So active was the commercial spirit that during this epoch over 1,000,000 Japanese emigrants had settled In the Islands and mainland of Southern Asia. Hut In livid the Japanese Government became afraid of foreign religious Inltucm-c and alarmed on account of the enormous export of gold; so It Issued n law shutting up ports, confiscating all ships large enough to go to sea, and prohibiting shipbuilding. China and Holland alone were allowed to continue trade relations, but their operations wore confined to one port As a result of this law, the growing power of Japan was crippled, and for over 200 years she led practically a hermit existence. Kansas City Journal. Mute Aid to Good Roods. EVHltAL of the Eastern States are Inking a practical part In road building. New Jersey, the first to make a State appropriation, passed a law In 1MU by which the State pays one-third of the cost of improving the roads. The conn ties furnish the other two thirds, with the prlv liege of charging a part ot tills proportion to the towns In which the roads are built. At first tho farm ers were opposed to the measure, but now co-operato with it gladly. A State Commissioner of Highways furnishes the plans. .Nearly 1,000 miles of roads In New Jersey have been uiacadamlited since tho law went Into effect. In Massachusetts the State meets the entire cost, but requires the counties to pay back one-fourth. The State appropria tions of $50O,0HO n year have reached a total of $5.ik0.i. and, as n result, Massachusetts has constructed hundreds of miles of tine roads. Connecticut operates on much the same system, and Its $1.Mh,oho In appropriations has pro duced 500 miles of excellent roads, tin a smaller scale Maine. New- Hampshire, Vermont llluxle Island and Del aware assist In the building of good roads. Hy the New York plan the State pays one-half the cost of building roads, the counties 35 per cent and the town ships 15 per cent Appropriations have reached a total of over $2,00i.0iX, last year's Installment being JUOO.OOO. Penn sylvanla, at the Inst session of the Legislature, appropriated a lump sum of $tl,50O,u0O for good roads, the State to paj two-thirds and the counties and townships one sixth each Hut there seems to be a loophole In the law In the matter of determining routes, and tho rivalry, or Jealousy, of neighborhoods has prevented much headway thus far. The principle of Stato aid to Improved roads has been firmly csMlill.shcd, on the ground that tho whole people are In let i--ted In the best highways and that alt citizens should lie ii- a fair proportion of their cost Already the roads Im 1 1 - o i this basis III Massachusetts, New York, New Jer sey and Connecticut are an Impressive lesson on the valuo of the good 1-o.ids moveiucut St. Louis Globe Democrat The, Morals of Americans. It. CHARLES Cl'THIIEItT HAM. thinks that Dihr moral standard of the American people is degenerating. Dr. Hall Is president uf the Union Theological Seminary In New York, tu tgffiQS. tho course of an address before the Ilellglous VSyP Educational Association In Chicago he spoke of the "relatively good sttte of the common mor ality of the Amerlcau people." but a deeper examination of the social side of our American life reveals, be thinks, a sit nation that causes anything but satisfaction. Our activity has astonished tho world, "but morally we are rapidly go ing astern so rapidly that one Is duuifounded at tho con trast after a visit to some of the countries of Europe." He llglon. ho finds, has very little part In our civilization to day; our home life might bo belter, and our people are generally apathetic about their spiritual Interests. To inui-h the some Intent but more specific are the conclusions of Dr Coyle. of Denver as disclosed by him .May 10 at the open ing of tho Presbyterian general assembly at Hurfalo. He noted the drift of tho people away from lofty Ideals and from organized Christianity. It means something, lie thought, when conservative observers called our time "the age of graft" Harper's Weekly. appear at Ottawa, tho sent of govern inent when the bill Is hoard govern ment fee, solicitor and counsel fees and so on, Is not less than $5m, and oftenur roaches $1,000 or more. A DICTIONARY PUZZLE. After Twenty Yenrn Cue of One, u Moil Mukea u lllni-ntery "I have," said a man who has more or less frequent occasion to look up the exact meaning ot words, "u dic tionary that I havo been using for uliout twenty years. With constant use for so long a time a considerable number of tho leaves have broken loose from their binding, which Is no more than might bo expected; but I Und myself to-day for tho first time realizing that with one narrow exeep (Ion, those broken leaves nil lie be tween the letters O to T Inclusive; the exception being some loose leaves found within the compass of the let ter F. "In other words, so far us I can tell by the loosu leaves lu tho book, and I havo no reason to doubt their evidence, tho words that I havo had occasion to look up In tho past twenty years have, lu a great majority of cases, begun with ono or another of these letters: F, O. P, Q, It, H or T. Isn't that curi ous? It may bo that to some persons more familiar with words than 1 It will appear simple enough, but to me It Is curious and Interesting. "This dictionary, lying open In Its holder on n trIHd book support, I have commonly used ns a sort of desk or tahlo upon which to lay, nt my elbow, papers and memorandums, and In opening tho liook to put It to tills use I havo commonly opened It at tho middle or somewhere further along In the vol ume, und this might account for the loose leaves, In Homo measure; but 1 am convinced that It accounts for them, If at all, In slight measure only, for when I come to think this matter over a Utile I find that I very rarely havo occasion to look up a word In tho first half of tho book, excepting, as shown by the loose leaves there, In tho letter F, and I realize nlso that I have us rarely occasion to look up words be ginning with any of the letters follow ing tho letter T; as u matter of fact almost nil tho words I havo to look up begin with some ono of tho six letters running from O to T Inclusive. "As I said before, this Is to mo curi ous and Interesting, though It may bo simple enough to porsons more famil iar than I with words and their uses. Now York Sun. Just plain, ordinary stubbornness of ten musqucrades as strength of character. PRESIDENTS A3BPOHT8MBN. Ituoeetelt Not llio Only Una to Indulge In Hunting. Persons Interested In (he big ganid hunting Hips and the dally nllilelld exercises of President Hoossvolt need only to examine th records ot form er presidents to learn that hn Is by no means tho first oiuoulho lo spend hit Mirations and leisure hours In tho pursuance of sports, tayt tho Phila delphia Ledger. No more arduous fish erman and duck shooter could bo tin nglned than President Cleveland. At his home near llutzard'a Hay hn spent every moment of his leisure time In hit faroilte pastime with the rod and reel, It was a common thing to sen Mr. Cleveland out to catch the proper tide even before dawn, and his skill U said to have been equal to that of any of the old shellbacks In Ihe neigh borhood when It came to playing a bass. Nor was President Cleveland tho tlrst to dignify the ground which Is popularly called the "presidential hunt ing present's." President Harrison went duck shooting along tho shores of these waterways and hunted oory foot of them clear to tho sea. All sorts of wild duck abound tu this illi trlet, among them cainasbaeks, and besides theseqiiall, pheasant, snipe, and wild turkey are lo be found. Pr. slibuit Harrison was a fairly good shut ui.li n gun, but his tlrst venture tinned slightly disappointing, for ho mliloolt a black pig belonging to a negro for n raivoon. He offered at once lo settle for the pig, but the patriotic owned declared on the giound that he had teen highly honored by a president of the United States shooting bis pig. nnd that the proud distinction would lie handed down from one geui ration to another In his family. President Harrison never teiok much to horso I nek riding nor to field spurts, but with shooting hn fell more and umro In love as he became older. Ilo even shot buck from a "sne.ik lm," an achievement of which nny duck huiitor iiiny well bo proud. Ileforo (leorge Washington become tlen. Washington ho hunt, d all over this same ground. After he became a general ho had little tlmo for bunt ing and shooting, but he was passion ately fond of horseback riding and was considered an excellent horseman een during tho days when lumbering stago coaches wero responsible for much riding lu the saddle and when horsemen wero plentiful. Curious to say, fond as Presld -nt Cleveland and Harrlso.i were of tho water front neither of them mer found pleasure lu swimming. President John (Jnltioy Adams was by all odds tho swimmer president of tho Whlto House. Next to Henjamln Franklin he was the best swinuuvr of any pnlillo man In Washington. Presldi nt Adau.si also was remarkable walker und frequently comblnrd his to hobble Often be arose before dawn, walked as far as (icorgetown, whero bo had a secluded nook, and stripping plung ed Into tho Potomac. Then, nftrr n long, refreshing swim, he would dress and walk back to his home, whe:o ho arrived by break of day, tevidy for whatever came. President Arthur was nlwnys espe cially fond of camping and hunting and fishing, and on one occasion win 1(H) miles from where ho might havo been reached by telegraph wire. Iluss and trout were .Mr. Arthur's favorites. He Is said to hao been reinarkab'y expert at casting the tly. and once, when on a visit south, the FIshlnij club of I.oulsvHlo presented him with an exquisite rod. suitably engraved, and of this the president ever felt espe cially proud. President (iarlleld was also given to tho pursuit of sports. He did not core for fishing, however. Hunting was his pot diversion. Hut aside from this ho took a lively Interest In all sorts of Held sports, especially In tho unt'nnul gauu baseball. At no time was tlielo a more enthusiastic baseball "crank" In Washington thnn was the president He was elected an honorary ine.nbcr of the old Nutloual baseball club, mil he frequently attended tho games play ed by his team, and fullowid Its victor ies with a Jealous eye In the morning newspapers. Hllllards was another favorite diversion with Pr slduit Jnr fleld. During his ndiiilnMr.itl in n now billiard table' wns placed lu the Iiiimo incut of tho White House, nnd hero he played almost regularly every after noon. President (Inrtliid ubn was fiunl of horseback riding. Taking hlui all In all, be was probably the most all round sporting president, for no mut ter what the spurt he felt at least a mild Interest In It. WiiHii't "Dear." "Madam! Won't you take this sent?'' Inquired a little wrinkled man of n largo woman who had Just enteied a crowded street cur on Ind ana me nno. Ho nroso from his Ke.it and tip ped bis hat In a htunblo sort of fashion. The woman seated herself. "Come here, dear, and sit on my lap," sho wheezed In a thin voice. "Why, uh ah I I " The llltlo man was embarrassed. Ills face red dened and he bowed und stammeied. , The woman leaned over nnd repeated what she had sulil. The lltllo man turned and retreated to the platform. As ho turned about n dog about ai big as a medium sized rat rushed up to tho nmazon and leaped Into her lap "There, that's a dear," she said, but tho man never knew. Chicago Inter- Ocean. i Original Deaoeut. Mrs. Mushroom That's a very pretty dinner service you'e got, Mrs. Lineage. Mrs, I.lneago Yes, thoso aro sumo specimens of our family heliinuius. They havo been In our family for gen tfrntlous. You see, each plico bears our family crest Sirs. Mushroom That's Just splen did! Hut wait till you seo tho family china l'vo ordsred. I'm going to havo a different family crest on ench plate. Izoud anil Discordant, "Qraciousl Look ut the glaring pink, green and blue band he's got niuuud his straw hat" "Yes, that's English, very English, you know," "Huh! It's mora llko n Herman band." Philadelphia Ledger. Somo doctors claim to be ublo to cure anybody who Is sick, "1 can ninny tell when jou are go ing to tell a lie," said t'rogg to l.vgg. "HowT" asked I.egg "I toe you open your mouth," said Cregg Town Topics. ' Old llentlenian (lo small boy, who Is nursing a skinned knee) Did )ou fall down, llltlo chap? Small Hoy I Ver didn't think I fell up und hashed .agin n cloud, did yrr? Unities Termer -1 nut In a quandary. I havo been offered an engagement by I two inn angers, und I don't know how to net Sun llrelto- Well, don't worry, j Thc)il soon Hud It out "And do you think," he asked, "Unit men progress after death!" "Well," she replied, "If they don't, It would Utmost seem useless for dome of them . to die." Chicago Record. I Mother Willie, whal's Tommy cry lug fori Willie Hilly because be , doesn't iviinl to learn anything. 1 Just 1 took III sweets and showed him how to eal lliem, and ho si-reamed. "Thomas, spell weather," said Urn J teacher. Thomaa - V I a e t Ii t h I e n r. Teacher You may sit down. Thomas. You'te given us Ihe worst ' spell of weather we've had this jour. I Sho Hut If you sny you can't hear ! the girl, why ever did you proKie? lis i- Well, 'tier people havo always been ' good lo mo and II' the only wuy 1 'could return their hospitality I'uiu-lu I Miss Cutting That dog of jours 'seems to bo remarkably Intelligent jSoftlelgh Yaws, Indeed! I aw -could not begin to tell Jou nil ha knows. Miss Uniting No, of courm not New Yoiker. Illenur I regret to I cum Hint your son Reginald failed In Ills graduating examination at Harvard. Husser Iteggy could stand that If only his crew had not been beaten In the boat race -Ohio Stuto Journal. tleiitlemnii (to man on hurscbacki -Why, my man, how do you eipoct to got that horse along with a spur on one sldo only? Horseman Well, sir, If I gels that 'ere side to go, ain't the other bound to keep up? "What a polite little boy you are," exclaimed Mix Anno Teeli. "and do you always take off your hat llko that when you speak to ladles?" "N'o'ui." replied the nilltii little boy. "only old Indies." Philadelphia Press. "I think I'll take till bracelet." said a lady nhose husband bad suddenly amassed a fortune. "Are you sure It's made of refined gold?" "Oh, ye." an swered tho Jeweler. "Hecnuso 1 do Jetest nnjtlilug that Isn't refined!" "ltd the lady. Tho t'nelo Well, here's the mouey i you've bron bothering tuo for. Now, remember the old saying that "A fool 'and his money nro easily parted. I Tho Nephew I don't know nliout ! that I've had to coax you for more ' than n week for this. I "I wonder why the groomsman nt n ! wedding Is called tho best man?" I queried the leup year girl "I suppose," ' rejoined the old bachelor. "It Is be ! i-iiuo be bns shown Ills superior In tellect In not posing ns the victim lu the tragedy."- Chicago News. She was city bred, and hud the usual fear of cows. "Why," she asked, when the danger was past, "did you take mo across this lot?" Tho small country I Ind chuckled. "1 thought It would be I fun," be said, "to seo jou try to climb la tree." Then after another chuckle: I "And it wn.'' Philadelphia Ledger. "Yes," said Mrs. Wordsworth; "tho family nro moat Interesting. John dances divinely, Tom slugs like an an gel, David Is a famous footballer, Hu saline paints with great taste." "And Henry?" "Oh, Henry! Well, he' n rather dull sort of a fellow, jou know. Ho only works and supports the oth ers." "John," said the bargain hunting half of the matrimonial trust us they sat al the breakfast table, "1 wish jou would let nit- have $25 this morning." "My dear," replied Ihe meek and lowly husband, "I wish you would break jourself of the habit you have of dreaming that I mnrrled an heiress." Tlt-lllts. Employer- You are having a decided 11 Irt a t Ion wiib the girl who has charge of our telephone wire? Truthful Clerk (with cold chills running up and down Ills spine, ami with visions of Instant dismissal) Y o-e s, sir; but please, sir Employer- -Well, keep It up. She will give more attention to our calls If you do. Tliu small boy was having his face bathed by a slsler, who perhaps show ed rather more entliusjasm "in the mat ter than was altogether nei-essary, for tho victim wriggled In her grasp. "Let mo go," he said gaspingly, when ha hud shaken off the folds of the bit of Turkish toweling used for a face cloth, "I can't see why you wash my face, any way; I never use It." llnrac-IluUliig Hlnles Erroneous Impressions nro In circu lation ns legards thu leading hnrse rnslug States. Ono Is Impressed that Kentucky Is entltlod to the lead from tho frequency that llio horses of thu blucgrnss Stuto nro eulogized. Yet there nro fifteen States Unit surpass Kentucky In the number of their horses, while tho aveingo vuluo lu twenty-three Slules rules higher than tho horses of the bluegrass Stato. Tho horses of New Jersey u vertigo $1)0.23 ii bend, and of Now Mexico $17.52, tho extremes, of uverngo prices In the dif ferent States and Territories, Poor OiinnIo. "I noticed (lusslo Woodby reading a book the other day " "Yes, It was tho Autocrut at the llreakfiist Tahiti.' " "I didn't supposo ho was Interested In anything outside of tho society col umn." "Well, you seo It was all u mistake, which he didn't discover for some time. Ho thought It was tho 'Aristo crat at tho Ureukfast Tuble.' " Phila delphia Press.