of
the Times
kv-SsSSffVf
Tnray lies
Peter's crown.
the head that wears
Some one might surest to General
Corbin th.-.t an otaeer's marriage Is a
private affair.
The Empress of Japan smokes a sil
ver pipe. Well, even that Isn't as bad
as cigarettes.
The pumpkin pie that mother used
to make were usually called punkln
pies, 'were they not?
The conviction grows that If Teary
falls John D. Rockefeller Is the only
man who can take the North Pole Into
camp.
King reter had a good deal of tinsel
at his coronation, but he has nothing
on his clothes hooks that compares
with Dowie's new robe of ofiice.
All proposals of marriage on the ten
year plan should be accompanied by
tables of rates showing, among other
things, the cash surrender value from
year to year. .
While the statistician Is striking all
arts of averages, the practical house
wife Is being convinced that figures on
domestic economy are susceptible of
prevarication.
The Czar has appointed his uncle In
'apector general of artillery, but the old
man will not have much to inspect un
til some of the artillery can be taken
back from the Japs.
It is probably just a coincidence that
one scientist predicts that we will all
be insane Just a few years after the
date fixed by another scientist for the
disappearance of the blondes.
Scientists have declared that if a
man be put in a dark room with a blue
light it Is possible to extract his teeth
plalnlessly. Shut a man with the tooth
ache in a dark room and the air will
become blue enough without artificial
aid.
A statistical expert says more money
la spent in this country for candy than
for hats, shoes and gloveg combined.
This, however, is not as startling aa
the fact that more money is spent for
whisky and beer than for all of them
put together.
Some actresses have advertised that
tbey take buttermilk baths (and it ia
Letter to take buttermilk baths than
none at all), but it remained for Prof.
Elie Metchnikoff of the Pasteur Insti
tute of London to discover the efficacy
of sour milk as a life-preserving pota
tion. It is feared that many persons
will be so unappreclative of the scien
tific achievement of Prof. Metchnikoff
that they would rather take on age
than take in sour milk. HoweTer, if
It came to the last pinch, where a man
must decide between the cold grave
and a glass of sour milk, some of the
more timid would doubtless take the
milk.
Twoimportant announcements made
recently will no doubt cheer the heart
of dilapidated humanity. A Christian
Scientist announces that he is able to
pray a new suit of hair onto a bald
head and a Scotch dentist is prepared
to graft new teeth on an old jawbone.
The secret of eternal youth, It appears,
is not to be sought In an elixir which
Is to transform the human body at a
jump, but in skillful repair work
which makes good the wornout parts
after the method or the bicycle or
automobile mender. Treating th
human body as a piece of machinery
Is a cold-blooded proceeding that the
average man is likely to resent, but
we may be coming to it
With the story that a prominent
candidate for national ofiice prefers a
bumble although meritorious kind of
poetry, attention is again drawn to the
legend that Lincoln's taste for poetry
was not fine. Lincoln was fond of the
didactic verses, "Why should the spir
it of mortal be proud?" but he also
liked the greater poetry of Shak
speare. in one 01 ms letters is an
Impromptu criticism of "Macbeth" not
unworthy of a cultivated man with
more time for books and art than Lin
coin had. The man who wrote that
masterpiece of American prose, the
Gettysburg address, could not have
been insensitive to good poetry, and
bis own style shows that he was alive
to the literary beauties of the Bible.
The wonderful discoveries in chem
Istry make it almost certain that the
miner of the future will be engaged in
a search for rare elements, and perhaps
for some that are still unknown or not
fully appreciated, writes John A,
Church, in the Mining Magazine. The
power of electricity has given us the
command of elements which could not
be separated except In minute specks
twenty-five years ago, and it Is entirely
possible that new alloys with valuable
qualities will extend the field of his
usefulness. The miner in fact has one
eye applied to a telescope, looking for
new fields of effort, and the other glued
to a microscope, searching for traces of
metal, that he may recover from the
lags and gases of his waste products,
His work la bound closely with the de
velopment of transportation, and In
deed with every other industry, so that
men who boast a conservatism that re
jects investments in mining look with
dismay while their bonds fall in value
Topics
a strike among dl-
The hardest task of the missionary
among tropical savages U to teach
tropical MvtM U to teach
dignity of labor. Where
Illy want I supplied freely
i, the chief motive to work. !
them the
every bodily
by nature,
the -earning of one's daily bread. Is
absent. Hut the lesson .Is beau ;
learned. This was shown some months
ago In Toro a central African couu-
try lying to the west of Uganda at the j
foot of the snow-clad range anciently
kuown as the Mountains of the Moon.
The king's birthday was celebrated by
ku exhibition of native work. There
were two hundred entries, a smaller
number than the previous year, but
the standard was much higher and the
variety greater. The queen, who was
herself a prize-winner, presented the
prizes, and the king showed much In
terest Yet ten years ago, when the
first native Baganda missionaries went
to this people, they were sunk In the
lowest depths of savagery. Iu some
respects, this exhibition In the heart
of the dark coutlnent was more Inter
esting and remarkable than that In
St. iouis.
The establishment of a through line
of stermers between St. Ioui and New
Orleans is only one of many tokeusof a
revival of waterway transportation In
this country, and serves to call atteu
tion to the many ship canal projects
under consideration at tho preseni
time. Twenty years ago river ami
canal navigation were pronounced
dead. It was said that the steamboat
had seen its day; that the canal boat
had gone to join the stage coach, and
that the railroad had superseded all
other methods and means of transpor
tation and traffic. To-day the govern
ment of the United States Is engaged
in the construction of an lnteroceanlc
canal. The Erie Canal is to be deep
ened and widened by the State of New
York at an expense of one hundred
nilllliu dollars. Canada is talking about
connecting the upper lakes with the
ocean by locking and canaling the Ot
tawa River, while our own Congress is
Investigating the feasibility of con
structing a deep water canal between
the great lakes and the Mississippi
River. It would appear, therefore, that
water transportation, in this country at
least, la still in Its infancy. It la claim
ed by the advocates of inter-waterway
enterprises and they present strong
arguments that canals are well worth
their cost In protecting the public
against extortionate freight rates. At
any rate the country is likely to wit
ness in the near future a remarkable
renaissance of canal building and canal
traffic.
It would have been better If George
Meredith's short-term marriage propo
sition bad been received with that si
lence which a scheme so repugnant to
all that Is finest best and holiest in
humanity merits. For no matter what
may be Mr. Meredith's place in the
world of letters, he has not shown him
self competent to deal with problems
affecting the most sacred and most mo
mentous relation that can be entered
Into by a man and a woman.
We are not disposed to take the En
glish writer seriously. There Is a sus
picion that his belief that the plan sug
gested would "cause a devil of an up
roar," lets us into the real motive actu
ating him In giving his unlovely
scheme to the public. A little free and
exceedingly vulgar advertising may
please him better than the solving of
complex social problems. We do not
propose to enter into any argument
with Mr. Meredith. Judge Kersten, of
Chicago, has said about all that needs
saying in the significant sentence:
George Meredith must be insane; the
few who would entertain his proposi
tlon would be better satisfied with one-
year marriages or a shorter period."
For the rest we are content to leave
Mr. Meredith and his repulsive remedy
for unhappy marriages to the thou
sands of husbands and wives who are
traveling through life hand in hand,
sharing together cheerfully the bur
dens and the joys of home making;
to the fathers and mothers who are
rearing as best they know how our fu
ture citizens;, to the boys and the girls
growing up with that ?ublime love for
parents which strengthens and In
creases In tenderness as the tottering
steps of father and mother draw near
to the end of their earthly Journey.
For after all is said about this matter
we face this question: What of the
boy and the girl? Would a five or ten
year marriage satisfy the love of the
child for father and mother? Would
It compass the demands of .that divine
mother love, than which there is noth
ing finer? Would it meet the longing
of every human heart for a home? To
these heart-touching and all-important
questions there comes a mighty NO
echoed from Eden and reaching the
last man and woman on earth who
shall plight their troth and say "Till
death do us part."
A Man's Excursion
Mrs. C, the wife of an ardent lover
of "The Wilds and the Wilderness,"
accompanied her husband on one of
his "out-of-the-way trips," and this is
what she wrote home of "a man's
pleasure excursion":-
"First of all, I made up all sorts of
costumes to keep us from being eaten
alive by green flies, mosquitoes and
fleas; then we got up in the middle of
the night and took a train, and went
just as far as it would go; then we
climbed into a rickety old wagon and
rode to the limit; then we got into a
boat, and followed the water's course
to Us finish; And then we walked till
we dropped down dead and Ike is
happy I"
You must finally acknowledge that
you eat too much, and that you eat tog
fast
because there Is
tant mine.
wt
VW
V" iV-"
L ! "fVl? t-H
jrv V
s0 bird cau tly backward and rlso
or ,uaiUtalu Its elevatlou at the same
tiuu,
. , .... . ... f
c - - - - I "
,have discovered that the water tank
lu private houses are favorite bretvllug
! places for mosqultles atd they have
learned as well that goldfish are effect'
Ive destroyers of the mosquito larvae.
As few as five or stx goldfish are suf
ficient to keep au ordinary house tank
free.
No animal has more than five toes,
digits, or claws to each foot or limb.
The horse Is one-toed; the ox Is two
toed; the rhinoceros, thrcetoed; the
hippopotamus, four-toed; and the ele
phant, live-toed. Carnlverous animals
never have Uss than four toes on each
foot. The hyeua alone has four on
each foot. The dog ha i four on each
hind foot
No saint has a more interesting flow
er dedicated to him lu the tloral cal
endar than Si. Matthew. Thin is the
passion flower. It Is thought to have
emblems of the crucifixion, and to
these It owes the name given to It by
Its Spanish discoverers In America.
The Imaginary resemblance- of the
corona to the crown of thorns is tho
basis of the fancy. In addition, to that
there are the five anthers for the five
wounds and the three styles for the
nails, while the hammer, the lance and
the scourge are also traceable.
"When I was In Montana last year,"
writes John Burroughs, "I heard of a
weed called the loco weed that made
horses crazy if they ate it In a maga
zine article published since 1 wondered
If the buffalo had learned to avoid this
weed. A Western correspondent now
assures me, on what appears to he
good authority, that buffalo do eschew
this plant A ranchman In the pan
handle of Texas has crossed buffalo
with polled Angus the 'black cattle'
and he has found that an ar.lmal with
one-sixteenth buffalo blood will not
touch the loco weed. If this Is a fact
it is a very interesting one. It shows
how discriminating wild creatures be
come in the course of ages and how
this wisdom becomes instinctive.
LAKE LEVEL AT HIGH POINT.
Big VeMela Able Thta Year to Carry
Larger Cargoes Than IsnsL
The largest vessels of the great lakes
have been able this year to carry car
goes from 7 to 10 per cent larger than
at any time for the last ten years, be
cause the water In the lakes has been
onslderably above the mean level. The
profits resulting therefrom have ac
cordlngly been greater.
It has been variously estimated that
the water level is between one and two
feet higher than usual UkIs year. liar
bors and rivers, therefore, have been
able to accommodate vessels of larger
draft This, of course, permitted the
owners to load their boats more heav
ily and since the cost of trips was only
slightly Increased with a greater ton
nage the profits have been coinpara
tiveiy larger for each trip.
In accounting for the unusual
amount of water In the lakes this year.
Major Dan C. Kingman, United States
engineer for this district, said:
"The frequent and heavy rainfalls
this season In the district drained by
the great lakes partly account for the
high water level, but the comparative
ly small amount of evaporation, be
cause of the continued low tempera
ture, has had a great deal to do with
It too. I do not know the exact fig
ures, but the water Is considerably
higher than the mean level."
One of the boats of the Pittsburg
Steamship Company last year carried
7,300 tons of ore on one of her trips
and this year the same boat has car
rled 7,800 tons. The difference of 500
tons means a neat profit, and when It
Is considered that this company owns
and operates about 150 boats, It may
be seen that the rising of the lake
level has been a big thing for that
company.
Of course It will be remembered that
this season's shipping has been com
paratlvely light, but It would seem
that it must have been comparatively
more profitable.
The change in the lake level has
wrought havoc among the game birds
which make their nests along the
shores of the lake In this vicinity. The
nests have been overwhelmed by the
high water arid the young birds have
been drowned. Cleveland Leader.
A Tight Fit.
President Cassatt, of the Pennsyl
vania Railroad, while taking a quiet
inspection trip over the road on one
occasion, saw the conductor having an
altercation with a flashily dressed
young man.
The conductor was attempting to
place a check In the young man's hat,
which the latter resented. Consider
lng the matter too trivial for a scene,
the conductor ended the controversy
by placing the despised piece of paper
on the hat-rack.
"What was the matter with that
man?" asked Cassatt of the conduct
or.
"Ills head was so swelled," explain
ed the conductor, "that I couldn't get
a ticket under his hatband."
"Appropriate.
"Well, my friend Jones has been
elected," 'said the office seeker. "I
want to send him some flowers. What
would you suggest?"
"Forget-me-nots ' would be just the
thing for you," replied the wise friend.
Philadelphia Ledger.
NIEDLE AND SPOOL OF TMREAtV
The IViaUrpnit Which Vrank Parmtrs
HulU a 1'orlune,
When Frai.k Parmelee, founder of a
Chicago transportation Hue and a man
of much wealth, died In Chicago the
other day there
was found lu the
pocket of the coat
which he had last
worn thread and n
needle. He had car
r I e d t h e iu so
throughout h 1 s
long and success
ful career and they
were burled with
hltn. To them he
l HANK rARMKLKK. Olieil Kin muim ui.
success and he never wearied of tell
ing the story of his "needle and Jhread
capital."
Seventy-six years ago, when Parme
lee was 12 years old and living with
Ms parents at Byron, N. Y he decided
to leave home. The family was poor
and the boy considered himself old
enough to make his own livelihood.
Ills parents granted their consent re
luctantly, and the son arranged for a
"Job" In a stage coach office at Erie.
Pa. He was not concerned as to the
manner In which he was to reach that
point because his future employers
were willing to transport h'.in most of
the way and he could walk If he had
lu- Ul ' .
a . mk.A ,1... - i.u .1 . .iVA iii. tit.ttn.
er oaue mm gouu-uj in un inuniu.
"Franklin, I wish your father was
able to give you a little money to start
on, but you know he hasn't got It. Now
then, Franklin, your mother, who
thinks a good deal more of you than
you ever Imagined, Is going to give
you a bit of advice and something else
1th It and she wants you to treasure
both of them.
"Above all things I want you to
take great deal of pride In yourself
and just make up your mind that you
are going to be successful. And you
must always keep neat and clean and
keep your clothes In good repair and
don't let the buttons come off or else
you won't respect yourself. Now then,
'm going to give you a reminder.
The mother held out ber hand and
young Parmelee reached for the "re
minder." It was a spool of black
thread with a needle stuck through it
crosswise.
The boy kissed his mother and put
the thread and needle In bis carpet
bag. Then be started out for Erie.
lie afterward went to work on the
lakes, saved money, started a street
car line In Chicago and later engaged
in the express business.
MOTOR FARMING.
Latest Phase of Bctentlflc Agriculture
in England.
The many uses to which the motor
has been put are illustrated lu the ac
companying photograph, which shows
the Ivel agricultural motor, an English
invention, at work. This machine is
capable of hauling any kind of two' or
three furrow plow, or. In fact, any
agricultural implement. It can also be
used for driving all kinds of machinery
usually driven by steam or gas en
glnes. and when not at work In the
field It can be doing cartage work.
In a plowing experiment the Ivel
motor, hauling a three furrow plow,
THE IVEL AGRICULTURAL MOTOR.
plowed six acres one rood nine poles
of land of very hard surface to an
average depth of seven Inches In eight
hours fifty-four minutes, and the cost
worked out at a rate of 5 shillings per
acre, which Included everything.
Comparing these figures with the
cost of doing the same work In the or
dinary old-fashioned way, it will be
realized that by using the Ivel motor
you can get the work done very much
cheaper and quicker.
Machines have already been export
ed to Portugal, Egypt and South Af
rica, as in these countries the superi
ority of mechanical power over horses
and cattle Is appreciated.
Japs In American Army.
It may not be generally known that
the United States army of the future
will include a command of Japanese
soldiers, but ,thls Is a fact. They will
not come from the armies which are
fighting in the far east but will bu
enrolled from our Japanese citizens
in the Sandwich Islands. It is need
less to say that a very large portion
of the population of the islands, and
especially of Honolulu, Is composed of
this nation. They are found among
the bankers, merchants and profes
slonal men and are included among
the wealthiest residents of the city,
One of the principal schools of Hono
lulu Is attended exclusively by Japa
nese children and here has been eu
rolled a command of cadets which Is
to be mustered into the United States
militia as soon as Its members ore old
enough. It is drilled by a former
Japanese army officer and although
organized but a few years ago this
battalion has already attained high
standard of efficiency. It Is frequent
ly seen on parade In Honolulu and
attracts much attention.
It Is always encouraging to visit at
a home where they call a chicken
"fry."
i Jr.
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fir
The RaUlnnce I'luin.
Aa a rule, seedling plums have not
amounted to much, but the teta with
tho Radiance, extending over a num
ber of years, neein to Indicate thnt this
nort Is an exception to tho rule. While
the variety originated lu the South
(North Carolina) It has been tested
much farther north and pronounced to
be all that Is claimed for It. It Is ex
tremely early, yet escaping the late
ring frosts lu tho North. In color
It Is light red and yellow, of good qual
ity and a tine shipper.
The writer has fruited the Radiance
ut a slnglo season, but It is so prom-
ing that trees will be set in consid
erable number as soon as obtainable.
We believe It will not be offered by
THI RADIANCC PLUM.
nurserymen until the spring of 11K).
and then the trees will be high In
price. As It bears early It will pay
plum growers everywhere to give the
variety a trial. Indianapolis News.
Preserving Fence Posts.
The well-known methods of preserv
ing fence posts and wood, which are
partly embedded In the earth, are only
effective when both the charring and
tarring are applied. Should the posts
only be charred, the charcoal forma
tlon on the surface would act as an ab
sorber of the moisture, and, If any
thing, only hasten the decay. By ap
plying a coating of tar, without pre
vlous charring, the tar would only
form a casing about the wood, and
would not penetrate to the depth
which tho absorbing properties of the
charcoaled surface would Insure. Wood
that Is exposed to the action of water
or let Into the ground, should first be
charred, and then, before It hus entire
cooled, be treated with tar till the
wood Is thoroughly Impregnated. The
ncotlc acid and oils contained In the
tar are evaporated by the heat nnd
only the resin Is left behind. This pen
etrates the pores of the wood and
forms an air-tight and waterproof en
velope. It Is Important to Impregnate
the wood a little above the line of ex
posure. Stubble and Yited Breaker.
With a device like the illustration
good work can be done by running
over stubble fields when weeds nnd
stubble are covered with sleet, as they
2L
GOOD STUBBLE AND WEED BHEAKKR.
will break off and fall as nicely us If
cut by a mowc-. Take two pieces of
lumber about 2 laches thick and 0
Inches wide and bolt or nail together
with short stays. It can be made of
any length desired. I made mine 20
feet long and used a pair of horses
to it, going over fields while the Ice
was still on the weeds. C. E. Nichols.
Death-Dealing Wire Fences
Since the use of wire fences has be
come so extensive the number of cat
tie killed each year by lightning has
greatly increased. Farmers' Insurance
companies have Investigated the mat
ter, and now come forward with a
warning to policy holders. Nearly all
of the cattle killed by lightning have
met their death In open fields, where,
In many Instances, there was not even
a tree to attract the electric fluid. As
many dead cattle were found near
wire fences, this led to the discovery
that the lightning was carried along
the wires composing the fences, Dur
ing a severe storm cattle are liable to
run until stopped by a fence. Here
they stand huddled together ready for
the bolt. A remedy Is suggested in
running a ground wire every ten rods
several feet Into the earth.
Feeding Wheat to Stock.
When wheat sells at low prices con
slderable of it is fed on the farm, but
when it approaches the dollar-a-bushel
mark it is considered an expensive
feed. In many cases tills Is a mistake,
for wheat will be found very useful
In making a variety in the ration. In
deed, it is, with us, essential in the
ration fed to laying hens, and we
have fed It. profitably and paid a dol
lar a bushel for it Then, too, we con
ildrr It profitable at a ration for young
i. J T rr-Ni,-. i j
pigs mixed with ruual psrts of ground
corn nud l.lin milk, the wncai aiso
helnit ground. This ration gives them
a start that nothing else will.
KhtuiimrUm tn lings.
It Is hard to sajr what causes rheu
matism among hogs, although It tuny
bo generally found that they have oc
cupied damp quarters at some ttiu
during their growing period, iledl
cine may or may not do them good,
but It Is safet not to fool with drugs.
The better plan Is to let them have all
the charcoal and wood aihes they will
cot, supply them with clean, dry bed
ding, and tempt them to exercise by
turning them out on a good range
where the grass is thick and fresh.
All corn should taken from them
during the sumiupr and the feeding
of grain should be confined to mid
dlings or bran, with im re or less clean
slop lu which vegetables are liberally
placed. Clean waier for drinking may
be supplied, but no Inducement offer
ed the animals to root or to wallow.
Swine suffering from rheumatism
should be kept In a a lot by them
selves and be given special car.
Hush and Lima Itoans.
Bush beans are hardier than com
monly supposed and may be sown ear
lier than corn and other tender vege
tables. Tbey will endure a degree of
cold that will Injure corn and prove
fatal to squash vines. Sow and drill
84 feet and cover about two Inches
deep. Plants of the bush variety
should grow about six Inches apart.
The ground should be kept soft ami
mellow and free from weeds. Snap
beans will be ready for table uc
11 bout two months from sowing. A
quart of beans will sow K) feet of
drill. Lima beans are let printed In
hills, as poles are needed. It Is Im
portant to plant the need rye down,
else many of the seed will fall to com
up. The limns are more tender than
the bush varieties and cannot be
safely planted so early.
Products of the Corn Plant.
Among the products of the corn
plant are oils, paper, pith (that la nseet
In battleships to stop shot holes below
tho water line), whisky, three kinds
of sugar, and two each of syrup and
molasses; many food elements, differ
ent kinds of cellulose, vlcose, pyroxy
lene and amyloid; many products use
ful In the arts celluloid, collodion,
sizing, varnishes, films, filaments for
Incandescent lights, artificial silk, gun
cotton, smokeless powder and lino
charcoal; many varieties of starch and
of glucose; several kinds of gum, gmpit
sugar, corn rubber (used for buffers on
railway cars), corn oil cake and meal,
malt, beer, wines, alcohol and fusel
oil, even shuck innts and shuck mat
tresses. Notes About the Farm.
A good rotation for a stock farm Is
corn, oats and grass.
Spread manure as It Is hauled out.
save labor and secure the best results.
The average farmer should buy as
little oud se.l as little feed as pos
sible.
The greatest profit In feeding sheep
for mutton Is gained while the animals
are young.
Bran Is rich In bone, and serves an
other good purpose In keeping the
bowels open.
Animals cannot thrive their best on
dry food clone, no matter how rich
and plentiful.
Brittle and rotten hoofs are caused
by horses standing In soft ammonia
breathing manure.
The variety of sheep Is not of o
murk consequence tin Is tho Item of
securing a good growth of wool.
Above the food of productions thnt
goes to milk, a cow demands a food of ,
support in proportion to her size.
A rapid taking on of fat Is not al
ways an Indication of health and
thrift; quite often the contrary, lu
fact
The first and most Important Item
In the dairy Is to select the cow for
the special purpose for which she is
to be used.
The hog Is only a machlno for turn
ing grains into meat, nnd the greater
capacity It has for this the greater will
be the profit
Poultry Pickings.
Whole coin Is the best feed at night.
Kerosene the roost all over every
week.
Hot tar is a good remedy for red
mites.
Poultry for the plum trees and swine
for tho apple orchard.
Make tho hens scratch for a living
by scattering their grutn among litter.
Do not undertake to run things econ
omically by Btuning tho young poultry.
When geese have plenty of room
they do best when allowed to forage
and secure their own food.
One advantage in the use of dry
dirt for the dust boxes is that it also
prevents lice.
If the hens nre given plenty of dry
dirt they will dust frequently and re
move lice from their bodies.
Eggs cannot be 'secured waen they
are highest unless the poultry be made
comfortable and fed properly.
In building the poultry house, have
it so constructed that the fowls may
have the benefit of all of the sunlight
possible.