OaAWAKENIN
STRENGTH Ifl HEELS
NBA ,J-.
Coiled Springs That Are of
Much Use to Wearer.
f V V V IV T
OS
'M'- iVil"' ' I
Bkomzc Lion at
ONE ot the most striking Illus
trations, to the stranger, of
the awakening of China Is
seen in the contrast between
the fine new buildings of the
University of Nanking and the old ex
amination halls, in ruins.
For many generations these halls
represented to the Chinese their high
est culture. They are located In the
old part of the city and cover a large
space. They were built In the four
teenth century, by the Ming emperor
Hong Wu, a great patron of learning.
He codified the laws, and established
schools in all the chief cities and
towns, write Dr. Vachel T. and Cath
erine F. Lindsay in the Illinois State
Register.
These halls, in general appearance
made us think of stalls for animals on
some county fair grounds, only there
were more of them. They were in
long brick sheds, the cells separated
by partitions, and about five feet
square, the slanting roofs being made
of tile. They were intended to accom
modate about thirty thousand students.
Each line of cells was open to the
south. A narrow board on the floor
of the cell, answered for a bed at
night, two boards across at proper
heights for seat and desk, niches In
the wall for food baskot and caudle.
Each student was expected to pre
pare an essay on the books of Confu
cius, Mencius and their disciples and
commentators. No original ideas or
personal experiences were to be in
troduced. There Is a high tower near the cen
ter of this Enclosure from which the
long lines of tile slied roofs are seen,
many of them in ruins, alpjvergrown
with high weeds, wild vines and moss.
In looking through "A Guide to Nan
king" we found one mention of these
honored halls in the descriptions of
"Most Noted Places," formerly the
equivalent in China of all the univer
sities In our East combined. On the
same page of the catalogue there were
mentioned 48 modem Bchools for all
purposes one could well think of
military, commercial, surveying, draw
ing, naval, police, polytechnic, prison
reform, law, normal, language, silk
worm and mulberry, theological, Bibli
cal, with many that Indicated special
Btudles and Industries for girls.
MoBt of these are established In
good modern buildings in parklike In
closures, with lawn grass, trees and
flowers, and rooms equipped and set
apart for their especial work. The
Chinese are given to vocational train
ing. They have an elaborate system
of division of labor. They do not be
lieve in a "man of all work."
Confucianism and Idols.
We hear a great deal about the
superstition and Idolatry of the Chi
nese. We were astonished to find In
Nanking, and indeed everywhere we
went, the Buddhist temples, either
grown up in weeds, the idols In many
places covered with dust and broken,
or the idols thrown away and the
buildings transformed into modern
schoolhouses. Idolatry in China is
largely a growth through centuries
that has gradually developed from
Buddhism, Just as we see all manner
of fungi attached to a dying tree.
Confucianism is not idol worship.
In Us principles it is purely a code of
ethical laws. Its fundamental laws
are strikingly similar to the laws of
Moses. Consequently a person may
be a Confuclanlst in a general Bense.
and at the same time a Christian. It
is quite worth while Just here to call
attention to the fact that Confucius
lived about five hundred years before
Christ, more than a century after the
Fishes Which Carry Lights.
Certainly among the most remark
able of fishes are those which are pro
vided with lanterns of their own and
which swim around the dark recesses
of the bottom of the deep ocean where
no ray of natural light from above can
penetrate. A model of one of these
fish, notable for their phosphorescent
organs, is on exhibition In the United
States National museum. The Bides
of the fish are regularly dotted with
luminous spots, while, in addition,
there 1b a large luminous area, like a
lantern, on the top of the head. This
extraordinary creature muBt present
a singular appearance when swimming
in the dark abysses of the ocean. In
the model the luminous spots on the
sides are represented by buttons of
glass, connected with the interior by
tubes.
Firs Lasted Five Years.
! Perhaps the most remarkable be
ginning and ending to a colliery fire
was in the case of a mine near Stir
ling, Scotland, belonging to the Sauchle
Colliery company. The first shaft they
sank was abandoned In favor ot an
" " " 'ir-
P&kino Gate
Israelites of the ten northern tribes
were carried as slaves to Assyria. We
saw Assyrian art of that same period
in the "Forbidden City," the part of
Peking reserved for the rulers, in
closed by a strong wall, and into which
ordinary people are not allowed to en
ter. We had a special permit and
guides from the American embassy.
These art treasures must have been
brought by caravans, necessarily con
veyed by slaves under overseers.
These slaves must have been Israel
ites. The Confucian temples In Nanking
are preserved, often repaired. They
contain no Idols. There Is a large up
right tablet, inscribed with the "Laws
of Confucius," standing on the back
of a turtle, symbolizing calmness,
strength and longevity. On certain
days, set apart for' this purpose, in
cenBe is burned on a table in front of
this tablet, In Bomewhnt the Bame
Bpirlt, among Intelligent Chinese, as
we on anniversary days place floral
offerings on the tomb of Lincoln, or
the graves of our honored dead.
Tomb of Tal Dzu.
To most visitors In Nanking, the
place of greatest historical interest In
the tomb of the Ming emperor, Tal
Dzw, a greatly honored ruler on ac
count of his forceful character and the
many reforms he inaugurated for the
benefit of the masses of the common
people. Nanking was his capital,
This great Ming tomb is situated at
the foot of Purple mountain. It Is out
side the city wall, perhaps a mile, It
is surrounded by red-painted walls
which Inclose an area of about five
hundred square foet.
The visitor passes through three
gates of peculiar Chinese architecture
before coming to the Mnb. After
passing through the st.oond gate he
comes to a templelike building, high
ly ornamental, In which is a large tab
lot inscribed with a record of Tal Dzu
and his achievements, an Inscription
comparing him with his most distin
guished predecessors. This tablet was
erected by one of his greatest of Chi
nese rulers, Kang list, when he vis
ited Nanking, some time near the close
of the seventeenth century. He caused
the entire surroundings to be made
magnificent.
Up to the time of the Tai-Plng re
bellion these handsome buildings and
beautiful parks remained, but the" Tal
Ping vandals destroyed almost the en
tire tomb. Recently the viceroy of
Nanking made some repairs, yet only
a few traces remain of the former
grandeur.
After the vlBltor has passed through
the third gate he sees a large struc
ture with one opening In the middle.
This leads to the edge of the tomb,
which Is now covered by a hill of deep
soil on which 1b a thick growth of
trees. The ascent is steep. From the
summit is a fine view of the city and
surrounding country.
Among the accessories to this tomb
the most Interesting still remaining are
five pairs of stone statues of animals,
standing on either side of tho great
road leading from the entrance gate
of the park, perhaps twenty feet in
height; pairs of elephants, camels
lions, soldiers and priests, as the last
pair of guards. Near the gate is a
temple or tower with four openings,
situated on a low bill. Within is a
stone tablet, erected upright, on the
back of a turtle. It 1b covered with
Inscriptions of the great deeds of this
emperor, Tal Dzu. It Is said tn Chi
nese history, "This tablet was erected
there as a Blgn of reverence to one of
the greatest emperors that China ever
produced.
other in a better position. The riisimari
shaft became the Becret headquar
ters or a gang of Illicit whisky distil
lers. In the abandoned mine works
tney set up their still, and turned
I out
tnousanils of "drops of Scotch
that
nad never paid duty. One day, ho
ow
ever, the lire from their furnn
set
the coal seam ablaze and th ev hurt
to
fly for their lives. In a verv short tl
me
flames were pouring from tho cracks
In the ground, liRhtinu un the whnlp
countryside. Tho tire was walled in
with mud. It took five years to build
this wall, at a cost of JSO.OOO, and then
It waB useloss. Finally they sealed up
the mine, pumped carbonic acid gas
Into it and the fire that had taken live
yearB to fight was put out
Klrklng.
"Very gratifying!" said a young and
conceited novelist. "A gentleman
writes me that ho took a copy of my
last work to read during a railway
Journey, and as a result suddenly dis
covered he had gone 20 miles beyond
his destination." "Dear me!" com
mented the young author's friend,
"sleeping in trains is bad habit!"
Invention of Kansan Scem to Prom
ise to Add Much to the Gayety
of Coming Social Affairs for
the Young.
The latest spring-heel effect U em
bodied In the invention of a man from
Kansas and consists essentially of a
colled spring within the heel of a
shoe. This may be covered with some
flexible material to give the appear
ance of the ordinary old-fashioned
shoe. The effect Is to turn people
into Jumping Jacks, and very happy
looking ones, too, for it is Impossible
not to smile with the wave-like move
ment and think of bygone days In a
swing, a hammock or a small boat,
just large enough for two, gliding
down current In the moonlight.
At a recent social affair six young
ladies were observed smilingly bob
bing up and down like fishing corks
where the fish are plentiful; and the
Ish were plentiful, too, and quite ra-
The Spilng in MCtlon.
enous. Young men gazed wonder
ngly at the bewildering scene, for
.lystery always attracts, and it was
mpossible at first sight to discover
lie secret spring of enjoyment. Old
jachelors who had courted three gen
rations looked upon the scene and
nid that nothing like It had occurred
ince tlicy first made a study of the
pposlte Eex. Finally, however, one
f the maidens admitted that her
.trength was In her heels, and the
nyslery was revealed.
Hardening Molasses.
Solidified molasses, says the Louis
ana Sugar I'lunter and Manufacturer,
a attracting the attention of a goodly
unibtr of scientists. In experiments
nade It has been discovered that in
he concentration of molaBses a con
siderable loss of dry substance takes
ilace. lu Java experiments were car
ried on that showed that through the
lllution of the product the Inversion
of the sucrose was hastened percepti
bly. When thickened to certain den
sity it will not invert when heated to
134 centigrade so long as it is neutral
or alkaline. It only caramelizes all
ihe sugar and gradually diminishes
ft'ltJi a consequent loss ot dry sub
stance. The process of hardening mo
lasses can be divided into two periods,
before and after reaching the limit of
concentration. During the first, in
version only takes place with no loss ot
the dry substance while in the laBt
period sucrose and reducing sugars
are replaced by pure caramellzation
losses.
German Colors.
The German flag would he a rain
bow if it Included all the colors of
the various kingdoms, principalities or
states of the German empire. The
black and white and the eagle in the
Qerman flag are Prussian, and in the
staff-head corner is the canton, black
white and red, representative of the
North German Confederacy, which
was established In 1867. The colors
of Bavaria are blue and white; Han
over, yellow and white; Saxony, white
and green; Wurttemberg, black and
red; Mecklenburg-Strelitz, red and yel
low and blue; Brunswick, blue and
yellow; Saxe-Coburg, Gotua green and
white; Schaumburg-Llppe, blue, red
aud white. The colors of Waldeck are
black, red and yellow; Pomeranla
blue and white; Daden, red and yel
low; Hesse, red and white; Hanover,
yellow and white.
Sweat ef the Farmer's Brow.
When It comes to reserving grand
stand seats in the sun, the kaiser can
not have a monopoly. The American
farmer is entitled to a place in the
front row.
At the present moment our farmers
are feeding 100,000,000 foreigners,
They have all other aiders backed off
the emergency map by the immensity
ot their work. It takes about 1,600,-
000 bushels of wheat to Bupply waste
ful Americans with their own dally
bread. In some recent weeks we have
exported Just about that much more
to frugal Europeans.
Aa easy sum in arithmetic shows
that by the sweat of our farmer's
brows last summer 100,000,000 hungry
folks beyond the Atlantic are now
eating their bread. I should say that
nearly breaks a record for foreign mis
sion work. Philadelphia Ledger.
The Result.
"Russia has done away with vodka,
France has done away with absinthe
and England thinks about doing away
with beer for tho duration of the war.
English beer, you know, Is almost as
powerful as absinthe or vodka, any
way."
The speaker was an English pur
chasing agent now visiting New York
"Hut England Is very much attached
to her potent beer," he went on, "and
It will be very, very hard for her to
give It up. At tho Marble Arch before
1 came away I heard a tub thumper
shout:
" 'Ah, friends, If all our beer saloons
were at the bottom of the sea what
would be the result?'
" 'Lots of us,' a heckler shouted
back, 'would get drowned.' "
Concerned.
Old Lady (to nephew on leave from
the front) Good-by, my dear boy, and
try and tind time to send a post card
to let me know you are safely back in
toe trencues! iMncn.
heraBBERiJNTRY
"
Floating rubber Rafts
T HAS rarely been my privilege to
penetrate into more primitive re
gions than the headwaters of the
Orinoco, or into a land of greater
promise than Is found along the
upper reaches of the Gy Parana, bet
ter known as the Rio Machado, writes
Leo E. Miller in an interesting article
on the rubber regions of South Amer
ica, in the India Rubber World. The
Gy Parana, it might be well to state,
is one of the largest affluents ot the
Madeira. For many years its lower
course has been known to adventur
ous seekers of orchids, rubber, and
other natural products, all of which
have been yielded in abundance; but
It is only within the last few years
that the course of the upper river has
been thrown open to navigation of
any kind. Even now only an occa
sional dugout . ventures beyond the
zone of pestilence and rapids into the
land of hostile Indian tribes; but the
way has nevertheless been opened,
and within a comparatively short time
this region will be giving up its fair
quota of the natural riches that He
hidden in the vast, untrodden wilder
ness.
The Orinoco is, no doubt, better
known by name than the Machada,
and at present It must suffice to give
merely a vague Idea of the remoteness
of its hinterlands by citing that It re
quires approximately three months of
travel from Cludad Bolivar, 240 miles
from the mouth of the mighty river,
to reach the rapids of Guajarlbo, far
above the mouth of the Casslqualre;
beyond that point the river is wholly
unknown.
At Senor Paraquete's Barraca.
On February 28, 1913, I stopped at
the barraca of one Senor Paraquete,
far up on the Orinoco, beyond the
mouth of the Ventuarl. The main
building Btood on a high bank 30 feet
above the river, and was occupied by
Senor Paraquete and his assistants.
Several large rooms were used as a
venta or store and a fair stock of
provisions and merchandise was car
ried. On one side was the camp of
the full-blooded Indian employees,
Maqulrltares from the regions of the
Cunacunuma, who lived in small palm
leaf huts with their families. On the
other side stood long, thatched build
ings, open all around, with scores of
hammocka strung from the posts and
beams; these were the quarters of the
natives Venezuelans and Zambos. In
the rear, and some distance away,
stood the smokehouses, completely In
closed with palm leaves except for one
small door opening. Trails led Into
the forest from a number of points,
and numerous dugouts tied to the
landing indicated that work was also
prosecuted on the other side of the
river. Often, especially In the case
of the Indians, man and wife worked
together.
Old-fashioned methods aro employed
entirely. The trees are girded with
strips of palm pitch at the baso which
Intercept the latex and deflect it into
a folded leaf placed underneath This
system is rather wasteful and inju
rious to the trees. There Is no fixed
rule or custom for tapping the trees,
the men hacking Into the bark at ran
dom, but occasionally tho herringbone
pattern of cut is used. Each mar. has
two routes, and endeavors to have
from 300 to BOO trees on each, teldom
more, often less, according to the
abundance of the rubber trees in the
locality. He takes one trail one day,
and the other the next, thus permit
ting the trees to rest on alternate
days. If It rains, the day's catch is
spoiled, as latex mixed with water is
worthless.
The milk was weighed as brought
In by each man at midday and cred
ited to his account; In the afternoon
the whole force repaired to the smoke
house to work up the day's catch. A
kind of wood called Mazarandul is
used exclusively for the smudge,
The cost of transportation between
the Upper Orinoco and Cludad Bolivar
One of Nature's Mysteries.
Whence came the first globule of
sap? And why? How has it pro
duced all of the marvelous forms? Of
all the curiosities and mysteries of
nature this is one from which all
things are Inherent and all things in
explicable". Let's not call It protozoa
or protophyta or by any other of the
learned names but simply "snp" which
mysteriously assembles its composi
tion from the grossest ingredients of
earth and blossoms forth at the be
ginning of the real advent of the year
In multitudinous phenomena of beauty,
to the glory of nature.
Sleep Very Like Death.
All sleep is said to be the closest re
semblance to death in life that is pos
sible with healthy persons, but the win
ter sleep of certain warm-blooded ani
mals approaches far nearer the simili
tude of death than any other descrip
tion of sleep. Nearly every vital func
tion is suspended. Heartbeats are
hardly to be discerned. tsDlgestlon is
practically ended. The temperature ot
Ui blood Is reduced. Breathing is
down the rio machado
is enormouB. In the first place, the
distance is very great and the river is
full of rapids, necessitating long over
land portages; all provisions have to
be brought up, and the crude product
has to be taken back down; there Is
always a great loss both ways from
theft and wreckage, and as there Is
no regular system of navigation be
yond the mouth of the Apure, the diffi
culties encountered In securing boats
and crews are tremendous.
The headquarters of the Orinoco
rubber gatherers is San Fernando de
AtabapQ, containing about 100 huts,
which is the only settlement above
the Cataract of Malpures. In Febru
ary the town was almost deserted. In
May It was full of life. Numbers of
people were arriving daily; there was
dancing and gaming, eating and drink
ing, day and night, and many a man
spent his entire season's earnings in
a few evenings. The sight was not
unlike that formerly seen in the west
ern mining camps of our own country,
Representatives of the big houses in
Cludad Bolivar, which had made ad
vances to the concessioners, were
there to see that they received all the
rubber collected by their debtors.
The governor of the department (Alto
Orinoco) made his home farther down
the river, on the Rio Catanlapo, near
the Rapids of Atures.
On the Machado the rubber camps
are not abandoned during the rainy
season but aB the floods advance stand
Isolated above the muddy water,
crowded with their human inhabit
ants, chickens, pigs and dogs. Many
of the houses are built on piles, and
the water comes up until It touches
the floor. Cooking and washing are
done on the front porch and canoes
are tied to the posts in readlnest for
Instant flight If necessary, or to use
In gathering wood or visiting the
neighbors. Behind the huts, banana
palms bend and bow gracefully as the
current tugs at their bases, and a few
vultures are usually perched on the
roof.
Happy, Busy People.
The whole presents a scene of de
vastation, but the people seem per
fectly happy. If there is any high
country within reach, the men may
cut timber and collect copaiba oil or
hunt for various kinds of gums. The
gathering of Brazil nuts forms one of
the chief occupations, and thousands
of tons are brought down the various
rivers annually. CanoeB are hollowed
out, palm leaves and poles for new
huts are brought In, and everything is
made shipshape bo that there may be
no delay In beginning the rubber sea
son when the water recedes. There
are invariably a few men in each
camp who are famed for their prow
ess with gun and harpoon, and it has
been my pleasure on several occasions
to accompany these nimrods of the
tropical jungles on their long rambles
In search of meat.
At Calama on the Madeira, Just op
posite the mouth of the Machado, are
located the headquarters of one of the
best organized rubber companies 1
have found anywhere during my tour
years of explorations. It 1b the estab
lishment of Asensi & Co., who started
business 18 years ago with eight men;
today they employ 3,500 men all told,
and produce 700 tons of rubber an
nually, besides large quantities of
copaiba oil, tobacco, lumber, and other
natural products. Their concessions
cover the entire country bordering the
Machado and Commemoraclon, extend
ing Inland a distance of 30 kilometers
on each Bide of the water. In addi
tion, the concern controls large tracts
on the Madeira. The building at
Calama are large and comfortable, and
besides living quarters include mod
ernly equipped offices, storerooms,
warehouses, carpenter and machine
shops, and cattle barns. A resident
physician is retained for the care of
the employees, who are brought down
from the camps and cared for when in
need of treatment.
hardly noticeable and, perhaps, the
most Interesting of all these winter
sleepers is the woodchuck, alias the
marmot, alias the groundhog, which
goes to sleep in its hole when It Is roll
Ing in fat and while there Is yet plenty
to eat. Then It wakes and often comes
out In the cold of the spring, but If it
be too cold It holes up again, and this
gave rise to the myth.
Disappearing Island.
The most famous disappearing island
In the middle ages was the island of
St. Brendan. The saint for whom it
was named was an Irish worthy, who
Is said to have sailed, with a number
of monks, In search of a fabled para
dise and to have landed on an island
in mldocean. St. Brendan's was be
lieved to be visible at times from the
west coast of Ireland, but it always
disappeared w hen explorers were sent
out in search of it. When one of the
Portuguese kings ceded the Canary
islands to the Castillan crown the
treaty was reported to have included
St. Brendan's, which was described as
the island that has not yet been found.
LIFE at a cable relay station on
the westward course of empire
Is loneliness sublime. There one
watches day and night the swing
back and forth of the siphon re
corder of the Morse code, which brings
to the cable hut the news of the world,
Its policies, its pulse of commerce,
and every dot which comes In from
the Orient must be relayed for its
next leap to the waiting Occident, and
every western dash must be sped on
ward as an eastern dash that the
world may go ahead. That is Midway,
a station on the Commercial Pacific
cable. Few have ever heard of this
remote outpost.
Out at Midway is a vedette of civi
lization, two dozen men and women.
The sun glare Is over them; they all
go goggled lest their eyes be burned
in their sockets. Even variety has
gone from their lives in the lonely
exile; there is neither variableness
nor shadow of turning. Also the wind
is not fitful; all day long for months
on end it blows from just the same
corner of the horizon and the sand
which whirled In yesterday's blast
will dance the same endless whirl to
day and again tomorrow. The rains
will come on their appointed days;
just so many gallons will pelt down
as this day a year ago and the clouds
5 4. 7V-
CABLE STATION
will roll aside with strict observance
of the calendar,
Life is monotony; monotony stereo
typed. Four times in the year comes
a break. Once every ninety days the
supply schooner comes rom Honolulu,
with mall from home, papers and
fresh food; once In so often a new op
erator comes to take his trick at send
ing; once In so often comes the
chance for weariness to get back to
land where things happen and rules
havo exceptions.
Here In picture and in text Is Mid
way, outpost of empire, relay station
of news, wind-blasted sunburnt home
of three and twenty pioneers, But
there Is no lack of those who would
pioneer in the midst of the sea. At
the executive offices of the cable com
pany they will tell you that they have
more applications for a Midway billet
than they can fill. There is a five-
year contract into which the operators
on this distant post enter, but if the
solitude proves too much for anvone
on the island there are so many on i
the waiting list that relief is always
granted.
Part of Great Bird Preserve.
Way back in 1867 the tiny group,
then known as Brooks' islands from
their supposed discoverer, was an
nexed by the U. S. S. Lackawanna be
cause the Pacific Mall comnanv
thought It wanted It for a coaling sta
tion. The islands lie some fifteen
hundred miles northwest of Honolulu
and between them and the Hawaiian
group Is a string of uninhabited islets
that, together with Midway, have been
set aside as a national seabird pre
serve patroled by a revenue cutter to
keep oft the poachers,
Of the Midway group, Brooks Island
Is a roughly pear shaped lagoon atoll
entirely surrounded by a barrier reef
of coral, with two passages sufficient
ly wide to permit vessels of consider
able draft to enter the lagoon. The
atoll Is about two and a half miles
long and varies in width from half a
mile to two and a half miles, the
greatest breadth being toward the
southwest. The passages through the
Children's Plays Changing.
Watching the youngsters in the
parks during holiday time, I have been
struck by the change that has taken
place in children's games. I hope I
am not unduly pessimistic, but it does
not seem a change for the better.
Boys play cricket, girls seem to have
no recognized games at all, and the
Impression given the onlooker is one
of aimlessness and monotony. Why is
It that our boys no longer play "over
buckle," "prisoners' base," "weak
horse," "widdy-wlddy-way" and other
like strenuous games which some of
us enjoyed Immensely no more than
a decade ago? And why have the
girls forgotten "tag" and "ee" and
"rlng-a-rine-a-roses" ? London Chron
icle. Most Famous Spot In France.
The guide books tell us that the
Place de la Concorde is the most ex
tensive and strikingly handsome
"place" in Paris. This is entirely
true, but it is only another way of
saying that U is the most beautiful
and impressive open square pos
sessed by any city in the world. And
TIKI
.y,',ar-vj
reef lie on tbe west and northweBt
sides. The lagoon Is fully a pills afli
a half wide at its widest and complete-'
ly surrounds what little land there Is;
it Is thickly sown with patches Of
coral, which in many large masses!
reaches close to the surface, but boalj
channels may be found by Careful
steering and there is no danger, since
the water is always still. !
The land is found at the east side)
of the lagoon, two islands each little
more than a mile long. Middle Brooks,
or Eastern island, rises to a height ot
about fifteen feet, coral sand thinly
covered with grass and low bushes.
Lower Brooks, Sand island, about a
quarter of a mile west, rises to the
comparatively Imposing height of
fifty-five feet; but what it makes up
in altitude it loses in vegetation, its
ooverlng of grass being much thinner.
It is a mile and a half long, three
quarters of a mile wide.
Water is nowhere vlBlble, in fact
there can be said to be no supply ot
fresh water at all. Pits along the
beach will yield water at a depth of
about four feet and this is potable.
As is so commonly the case In the
Line Islands nearer the equator, this
water Is sea water, filtered and sweet
ened by percolation through the coral
sand. One such pit will be found serv-
JPX $6&?m' "'(7
ON MIDWAY ISLAND
lceable in general for about a month,
a brief life for a well, but matter of
no great moment, Bince another pit
may be dug to a fresh supply within
a few feet
Plenty of Birds and Fish.
If the land is of little worth, the
sea and the air bear an inordinate
share of the burden of food for man.
Small as the islets are, the number of
birds passes all reckoning; one may
mention a million merely as a con
venient unit of measure.
The albatross grudges mankind the
room to walk about In, the booby Is
as absurd and foolish and altogether
well named on Midway as wherever
found, the Sandwich tern is under foot
and an excellent table bird, the bos'n
bird and the frigate are found at cer
tain seasons on their nests, and the
plover and the curlew are in sufficient
quantity to find their way to the bill
ot fare. In the lagoon Is abundance
of fish, cod, sea perch, the always
toothsome mullet, mackerel and the
gaudy coryphenaB, so brilliant in their
varied coloring that to put them into
the pan seems almost to desecrate
the rainbow by cooking it. The tre
pang, or beche-de-mer, may be had
with no more exertion than that of
picking its dark ugliness from the
clear bottoms of the tide pools, and
those who have had oriental table ev
perience recognize that it may be
made Into the most savory of soups.
A delicious cockle is somewhat sparse
ly found and many univalve mollusks
afford a plentiful supply of palatable
foods.
In the crevices of the sea reefs
which skirt the lagoon lie hidden
many large crustaceans. These aw
rarely seen, for their habit is secre.
tive; but a pot baited overnight with
somewhat high fragments of fish is
usually found well filled in the morn
ing and the size of the crustaceans
runs rather higher than our best lob
sters. They lack the strong claws of
the lobster; they are more of the
squilla type, but the meat is very fine
eating and abundantly wholesome.
this is not all. Within Its bounds
more great events have taken place,
more history has been written In
blood than within any other similar
compass. Here, January 21, 1793
the head of Louis XVI fell under the
knife of the guillotine, the beginning
of that long procession that ended
only when the revolution had finished
"eating its own children."
Little Sermon for All Time
This Is from Charles Dudley War
ner's "My Summer in a Garden:" "The
love of dirt is among the earliest of
passions, as it is the latest. Mud
pies gratify one of our first and best
Instincts. . . . Fondness for the
ground comes back to a man after he
has run the round of pleasure and
business, eaten dirt, and Bown wild
oata, drifted about the world and taken
the wind In all its moods. The love
of digging is sure to come back to
him. ... To own a bit of ground,
to scratch It with a hoe, to plant seeds
and watch their renewal of life this
is the commonest delight of the race,
the most satisfactory thing a man
can do."