4?
. If,
' f . . Mr
. i 4
t
.... , afcrt..jr' . , v rn -
fU'iaOWi FOR GLOVt3.
tttoaarantiirarn Claim That Thujr Am JiTr
trust! fur Kaon PurpiMM.
We are HtiU bolng taught to fel what
respect wo onn for rats, on account of
their ukins boitijr used, very largely
used, for gloves. This venerable fic
tion wa revived lately in the corre
spondence columns of a lively contem
porary, and won at once contrad cted
by a practical glover at Grenoblo, prin
cipally on the score that rat-skins ere
not large enough for the purpose. Still
the statement was adhered to, objection
being taken that not one but. many
kins might be used in making one pair
of gloves. The Grenoble workman
wrote again, saying that 80.000 skins
passed annua ly through his hands, so
that he had some authority to speak
upon the subject, and he protested that,
to a practical man, the thing was quite
absurd, and, for another thing, the
kins were not only not valuable be
cause of being so thin, but were actu
ally too thin to be of any value. Still
the statemut was u.Mntained, and the
testimony of two authoritative works
on natural history and three encyclo
pedias all, we suppose, unanimous in
affirming that rat-akins are very large
ly used in glovomaking was triumph
antly appealed to. although, by the
way, the titles of these volumes were
not quoted.
It is of no use to put up encyclopedias
or works on natural history as a de
fense upon a point of manufacture when
people actually engaged in the work
assault them with a flat denial. Rata
are very interesting in narratives of an
lmai sagacity, which la as near an ac
quaintance with them as most people
desire, and their skins, like those of
moles, are delicate to a degree, and the
nap delightfully soft and fine. Mole
skins make Cne waistcoats, and have
been made up, with some perseverance,
into mantles for indies, and doubtless
rat skins might, with considerable
pains, be similarly utilized.
There was, some years ago, an in
genious individual of Liskeard. Corn
wall, "who exhibited himself in a dress
composed from top to toe of rat skins,
which he had been collecting for three
years and a half. The dress was made
entirely by himself; it consisted of hat,
neckerchief, conk waistcoat, trousers,
tippet, gaiters and shoes. The number
of rate required to complete the suit
waa 670. Toe tippet or boa was com
posed of the pieces of skin immediately
round the tail of the rats, and was a
very curious part of the dress, contain
ing six hundred tails, and those none
of the shortest."
Thii proves the possibilities of rat
skins, but very remote possibilities for
all that Gloves may have been so
made as curiosities, but not commer
cially. We meet with statements in
books to the effect that rat hunts are
regularly hold Li Paris sewers, and the
privilege of gathering the slaughtered
animals on these days sold by the au
thorities, but the Prefect of the Seine
knew nothing about it, and wrote to S.
William Beck saying so. We have
statements, also, both in books and pa
pers, that rat-hides are generally used
in making the thumbs or thumb-gussets
of kid gloves, and we have our
largest glove manufacturers quite una
ware of the circumstance. Hard facts
against book statement which wins?
Draper's Trade Journal.
V I UEOPIUM DEN S.
The Extant to Which They Flourish In
ban JTrnncijK'O,
The number of opium dens at present
existing in this city outside of Onina
town runs up into the hundreds. The
low lodging-houses are alive with them.
I In certain buildings on Kearney, Hush,
Xeary, Sutter, Sacramento, liroadway,
'Stockton, Vallejo and Dupont s'reets
there is scarcely a room which is not
equipped with an opium layout. South
of Market street, within a stone's throw
of the city's main thoroughfare, there
are, at the least calculation, three hun
dred dens resorted to for the purpose of
opium-smoking. The Petit House, on
Fourth street, where three murders
have been committed during (he last
few years, is a specimen of the others.
Within the walls of an opium den all
Bends are equal. Colored men and
white women lie about the floors inhal
ing the fumes cf the drug until, stupe
fied, they fall into the opium-smokers'
sleep. The majority of loose women
who ply their trade on the streets in
the southern section of the city have
been brought to their degraded condi
tion by the use of opium, or by associ
ation with titers of it A policeman
tells a story which many of his fellows
fully indorse. "I have entered opium
dens," he said, "which I cun't find lan
guage to describe. Young men and
women, negroes and whites, all lying
about the floors in the most filthy con
dition. They are like beasts. Diseased,
besotted creatures, lacking the strength
to get up and eat Why don't we arrest
them, you ask? Well, to tell the truth,
it's not much use. They get the stuff
in all the jails despite all precaution
taken by their keepers."
"Do you believe the vice is on the ii-
crease?"
On the increase? Well, I should
say so. Down in this part of the city
you find ten Honda now where there
was yno eii'ht years airo."-
THE SIGNAL. SERVICE.
Rmoni Prvwiilml to Show Why It
Should He NoH-Mllllwry.
The condition of the United States
signal service 'bureuu, which prcpures
Uie weather predictions, hus long been
a source of anxiety to those who are
interested in the several dopurtmenta
of our national science system. The
predictions given by the otlicers of
this corps, though of much value,
have not apteuml, to those entitled to
criticise them, ui to the attainable de
gree of -perfection. The cost of the
bureuu is greut. though it is even less
than the country would bo willing to
E
y for a satisfactory service. Hie
uiteil Suites kin-iuIs probable more
for this work than nl! the states of
Euroto, yet the weather predictions
have on the whole been less success
ful Ihun those in the old world. Al
though this bureuu has been in oMru
uon for nearly twenty veiirs. it lias
failed to develop a set of uble meteor
ologists competent todelinethe luwsof
Uie weather on this continent, and to
advance the science of meteorology.
Although the bureuu has gathered a
great body of fact concerning the at
mospheric conditionsof this continent,
it has not succeeded in doing any con
siderable uiuoiinl of investigation.
This, however, would huve been more
pardonable if the practical work of
predictions had attained the desired
end.
The weather bureau dcvcloed from
the signal service of the United States
army. The original object of the
corps, as its name indicates, was to
serve for the puriiose of communicat
ing information between the several
parts of an army on the march or iu
action. As a subordinate part of the
machinery employed during our civil
war, it did admirable service. If. when
it assumed its new duties as a meteor
ological corps, the otlicers and men
had been transferred to some one of
the civilian divisions of the govern
ment work, there can be hardly any
doubt that the corps would now huve
the foremost place among the scien
tific institutions of the country.
The United States is singularly well
placed for the development of mete
orological science, and the people have
a measure of intelligence wnicu well
fits them for the ready appreciation of
such aids to their life as this iiruncli of
learning can alFord. Unfortunately,
however, the corps was retained ui
connection with the arm v. .Voblo as
is the system of an efficient military
organization, it is thoroughly evd
when it is applied to work such as in
qtiirers are called on to do. Even
where, as in the weather bureau, cer
tain parts of their acts must be per
formed with studious regularity, they
can best be done under the conditions
of a civilian, and not of a military
corps. The military inllucnce is of
a necessity penetrative and dominant.
If men are soldiers at all, they must
be soldiers through and through, in
order that the system may be reason
bly perfect.
Under the present system of the sig
nal service, the observers are men en
listed in the United Stales army ; they
are thereby essentially separated from
all thecomlitions which prevail in the
non-military work of the state. Their
ptl duty is not to prosecute nulural
inquiries, but to olx-y the commands
of their sujierior otlicers. The life of
an enlisted man in any army is not
such as to be attractive to youths of
character and ability, and it is there
fore not surprising that few men of
capacity have sought service as ser
geants in the weather service. Thus,
while Harvard university has sent
more than a score of men lo the work
of the national and state geological
surveys of this country, none of its
graduates hus sought a place in the
lower ranks of the signal service. Col
lege ofliccrs have hesitated to advise a
man to seek such a position, while if
the corps was on a civilian basis these
chances in life would bo extremely at
tractive lo young men of ability.
Therefore it R jcnis that the best, if not
the only, thing to do. in order to give
the desired quality to the signal ser
vice, is to transfer it to some non-military
division of the government work.
-N. S. bhaler in Boston Herald.
Ilumlng Mud.
"A curiosity," said Ilev. A. S. Ladd,
of Auburn, "that has struck me with
much interest is this: A few days ago
1 visited a friend on Munjoy Hill,
Portland, and 1 was much interested
in one fact thut my friend mentioned
to me, and 1 think your raiders will
be somewhat interested also. My
friend Mr. Alfred Tuckwell is an En
glishman. Ho lias recently bought a
new house near the eastern promenade.
"This purt of the city has been a
common for the pasturage of cowsund
a playground for children and a saun
taring place for lovers until within the
last lew years. But now it is being
rapidly covered with pleasant dwell
ings and affords some of the pleasant
est localities for homes in all the city,
Now 1 come to tho interesting inci
dent. In his cellar and in Iiis garden
Mr. T. found a large bed of peat of ex
cellent quality. This winter he digs
it out of Ins cellar, and without any
drying, mingled with coal, it burns
readily and makes an excellent fuel.
He dumps his ashes in where lie takes
his peat out, aud when tho supply is
exhausted he proposes to cement the
cellar. lie thinks he has enough in
t.is garden to last several years. I am
not sure that a Y anlieo would have
thought of burning ' such mud."
Lewwtou Journal.
l(lPP7BWRELTe0lPAl
m Hip, 8w Ills. SNIg lis.
Pitts' Engines and Threshers,
Bain Wagons, Hacks and Buggies, and All Kinds of Two and
Four Wheeled Vehicles.
McCormack and Deering Binders and Mowers, Oliver Chilled Plows, Carden Cltv
and Mollne Plows, Disc Harrows, Wood and Iron Floating Harrows,
BARBED WIRE. MONITOR 8EE0ERS AND DRILLS. SINGLE AND DOUBLE HARNESS. SOLE ACENT FOR THE
LICHTNINC HAY PRESS, THE BEST IN THE WORLD.
F. H. ROSCOE,
MUCH THE
Nobbiest and
In thi County, is now to bi
M
CL
Of Albany, Oregon.
fjET When you want to " drccH up," wo would bo glad to wliow you
through and make thy right jir'ute.
Merchant Tailoring a specialty. Mk. K. A. Schekki.ek in an export, aud
has charge of this lejartini:nt. Wo giiunnitoe HutiHfuction.
P. COHN
Declares that he will again pay
MOKK FOR
WOOL, EGGS, BUTTER,
OH.
Any kind of Produce, than any
other house in Albany
AND
Will Sell Goods Cheaper
If you want to Make Maney,
Call on Him.
.AlVOVTVY, OREGON.
Wholesale and Itutall Dealers In
NEWEST,
Largest Stock of
OTHIM!
Seen on th u i m d
5 '
LEBANON
Meat Market,
Ed Kellenberger, Propr.
Fresh and Salted Beef and Pork
MUTTON,
PORK,
8AUSACE,
BOLOCNA
and HAM.
Bacon and Lard Always on Hand
Miiln Sireot, Lebanon, Or.
J. M. Kcene,D.D. S.
Dental Parlors
Office: Breyraan Bros. Building,
MAIiKM.OKKUO!?.
tW Hours trom 8 A, M. to 6 P. M.
Manager.
C. T. COTTON,
DKAI.KK IN
Groceries and Provisions.
TOBACCO It CICAR3,
SMOKERS' ARTICLES,
Foreign and Domestic Fruits,
IONFIOTIONIRY
tueaattar mmi laawar,
laa u la KUtarea.
Mala HI. Ibanan. OrKa.
iranaaafr tiMthn W. I.. DonKi
jUiiMMi without umun and prtoa iUiumJ V
Um bottom, put li'ui down M a fraud.
... v
W. L. DOUGLAS
$3 SHOE GENTLEMEN.
It-l In thf world. Kmnilno 111
M5.IHI I.KX INr) HANIl-HM H SHOE.
IM.IHI IIAMI-NKWMI WM.T MIOpK
H:t.fi I'0I.I:K AM KAKMKKS' KIIOK.
tHi.M) KX'I K VAI.I'K AI.K SklOfc.
m-iM WOHKIMJM AN'M SIIOK.
Kij.OO mill Vi.Tti IIOVH' M UIHII, MIOE&
All liiailo In IVuiiKrvw, llutloii Mini !.':.
W. L. DOUGLAS
S3 SHOE
FOR
LADIES.
I li Bol nil'l liy your ili-olfr, wrlli-
n. I,. lMJiui.AB. imw iviui, nail
"KxhmiIih" . I.. Itiiuitliin
for (I'll 1 1 ell "' I"'1 '"
Fir Sale by C. C. Hackleman.
OJM2UON
Land Company
R. F. ASHBY and CEO. DICKINSO N
tloiicTttl AkhmU fur
Albany, Lynn Co., Oregon.
Huylng and Hulling
EGal-EstatB-on - Commiss ion.
And Jtolnjc a 4taiirnl Ilful iKntiit
flUMilH'MM.
trLamt 8()li;lt(l fur Uitlo.
ASHBY & DICXERSON