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CHARLES M. SHORTRIDQE,
Editor and Proprietor.
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THE SUMMER MONTHS.
Are you poing to the country on a yncatlon * If
jr. it Is ro trouble for v..s to forward TIIK CALL to
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MONDAY...... AUGUST 5,1895
THE CALL SPEAKS FOR ALL.
The defenders of the Solid Eight are
willing to talk of almost anything except
law.
The deficit in the revenue is one phase of
the money question which every Demo
crat dodges.
The third-term movement seems to have
finally decided to go fishing and wait for
an emergency.
The Call's published list of dens where
white persons smoke opium should be in
structive reading for the police.
The prevalence of Red Men at Redwood
City has no reference either to the color of
their noses or the crimson aspect of that
city.
The Hawaiian "filibuster" has become a
more thrilling object of interest on the Pa
cific Coast than the sea serpent on the At
lantic.
Corbett and Fitzsimmons can hardly
expect to get the undivided attention of
the country until the international yacht
race is over.
A Mugwump organ in the East has been
caught declaring that jingoism is a super
stition and the American flag a mere
"textile fabric."
Theatrical Manager Dailey will have
time in prison to reflect on the benefits
which he secured from sensational news
paper advertising.
According to Joseph Chamberlain the
new Parliament will devote itself to "con
structive social reform in England," what
ever that may mean.
With contending police forces represent
ing in themselves aty the elements of riot,
Omaha is presenting a delicious farce
comedy of the law to the country.
Kansas furnishes the country with a
xnild sensation in the form of a suit
brought by a Chinaman against an Amer
ican girl for breach of promise of mar
riage.
The prompt condonation and approval
of Miss Flagler's shooting of a small negro
boy in Washington seems to have started
a boom of that kind amone the Japanese
of the capital.
"Sound money" men, both in Great
Britain and Wall street, have accurately
denned the present administration by an
nouncing that they will pin their faith to
Cleveland and Carlisle.
It will be time enough to boast of the
Defender's superiority over the British
champion when she has proved a better
facility than she has heretofore 6hown to
avoid disabling accidents.
As a recognition of the generosity shown
by Chicago in erecting a monument to the
Confederate dead, the people ol New Or
leans have started a movement to erect a
monument to General Hancock.
The coming of Democrats of National in
fluence to San Francisco would be an
excellent opportunity for the Democrats of
California to urge the holdinc of their next
National convention m this City.
New York has been indulging the hope
that the Grand Jury will indict two great
railway corporations having headquarters
in that city for killing eighteen persons
within the city limits since the Ist of Jan
uary.
Boston is sadly disturbed by a set of re
formers who wish to have a new State
House as an ornament to the city, and are
denouncing the present one as an "archi
tectural monstrosity with a squatty
dome."
If the truth were known the Indian
scare in Jacksons Hole may have been oc
casioned by an attempt of the braves to
repeat the college yell tiiey heard while
the . Princeton expedition was in the
mountains.
If the enterprising gentlemen who are
working a section of the local press to se-
Bure fame as conspirators organizing a
scheme to capture the Hawaiian Islands
are not playing for a lucrative position in
a dime museum we fear that we overrate
their shrewdness.
One of the expected effects of the Demo
ocratic system of an ad valorem tariff is
reported from Philadelphia, where the
Collector of Customs claims to have dis
covered gross frauds in the undervaluation
of goods, as a result of which the Govern
ment has lost thousands of dollars in du
ties.
One of th« results of the sensational
booming of Holmes' alleged crimes is the
securing of the setting of the supposed
tragedies for show purposes. Thus at
Chicago, as well as at San Francisco, dime
museums and melodramatic playwrights
constitute able supports to demoralizing
journalism.
According to the Industrial World, a
telegraph-operator to receive news is no
longer a necessity to journalism, as, with
the new type-setting machines, a skillful
compositor can set up the reports directly
from the wires. The scheme, however,
overlooks the fact that telegraphic reports
need a good deal ot editing before they
go to press.
RAILROAD ASSESSMENTS.
The State Board of Equalization meets
to-day at Sacramento to assess the rail
roads of and for the State of California.
The aeents and attorneys of the Southern
Pacific Company have been before the
board during the past week with elaborate
statistics and cunningly devised sophis-
tries urging a decrease in the valuations
of the railroads of that great corporation.
The pecple of California have had no
representative there to answer the argu
ment of the Southern Pacific Company or
to point out to this new board the shame
less and disgraceful record of railroad as
sessments during the past ten years.
In this emergency The Call stands
forth as the people's representative and the
guardian of the people's rights. It pub
lishes in its columns to-day the truth with
reference to railroad values and presents
the facts, figures and method by the aid of
which an honest and just assessment of
tbe railroads of California should be
made. Its communication is especially
addressed to the members of the
State Board of Equalization. They
are pointed to the express language
of the constitution, which commands
that railroads shall be assessed at their
actual value. They are shown the pitfalls
of disloyalty and dishonor into which
their predecessors have fallen during the
past ten years. They are plainly directed
which way honor and official duty lie.
Will they take heed to the dictates of
reason and perform their duty to-day
with the interests of the people of Cali
fornia rather than those of her
greatest corporation in view? The
side of the taxpayers of California
is herewith presented and the showing
conclusively made that the railroad assess
ments should be raised rather than re
duced.
With this presentation of the truth be
fore them let us see what the State Board
of Equalization will do m the premises
to-day. _________^_
BROKEN PLEDGES.
It could hardly have been comforting to
the Democratic majority of tbe State
Board of Railroad Commissioners to read
the opinion of them which leading mer
chants of this City have expressed in inter
views published in TnE Call. A proper
consideration of the duties of this com
mission does not permit an ignoring of the
pledges which a majority of its members
took, because it seems to be a rational con
clusion that it was these pledges which
brought about their election and fastened
the responsibility upon them. Whatever
Bhrewdness Democratic candidates may
display in securing election on pledges,
they will have to understand that not only
they themselves Dut the party which
pledged and supported them will be held
accountable.
Mr. Williams of Williams, Brown & Co.
declares that "there have been no material
reductions in freight rates in California
within the past twelve months," and yet
during seven of those months the Demo
cratic members, who constitute a majority
of the Railroad Commission, nave been
under a pledge to reduce freight rates in
California not less than 25 per cent.
Mr. Michaels of Langley & Michaels has
declared: "We have never asked for a
reduction, simply because such a proceed
ing would be a mere waste of time. W T here
there is no competition the question of
rates on a certain article, to a given point,
is wholly within the province of the rail
road." That is a free sweeping aside of
any interference or control which the Rail
road Commission might exercise under the
law.
Mr. Roussel, assistant manager of the
Dairymen's Union, has said: "The rates
are satisfactory to us at the present time,
because we are not shipping anything. It
is not our season for doing business in
transportation. If it were, I should say
that the rates would be quite unsatisfac
tory. It is not alone the rates. The whole
service seems contrary to good business
principles.''
It remained for a representative of "Well
man, Peck & Co. to express inferentially
the supreme contempt in which the ma
jority of the Railroad Commission are
held. He said: "We are simply holding
our breath and waiting for the completion
of the new line. He know of no reduction
in rates; that is to say, a general reduc
tion. Now and then a rate on a certain
commodity to a certain point will be re
duced by the Southern Pacific for the pur
pose of freezing out a competitor or work
ing some other trick of transportation.
Usually the old rate is put on again after a
few months or the chareres are increased to
some other point, which evens up the
thing. As for a general reduction on over
land or local rates no one with Bound
reasoning capacity ever expects to see
this until the company is actually forced
to a change by competition. The Railroad
Commission, though pledged to a reduc
tion, has taken no action at all, so far as
we are informed. People generally under
stand what the pledge of a Railroad Com
missioner means. The duties of this body
are clearly denned, but evasion seems easy
and is no doubt profitable."
The Democratic majority of the Rail
road Commission ia welcome to all the
consolation it can get out of that.
CEEATING MONOPOLIES.
The openness with which the Solid Eight
of the Board of Supervisors are fostering
monopolies against the interests of the
City presents some interesting complica
tions. In their passage of the famous
bituminous rock resolution, which shut
out all such material for street pavements
except that which the Southern Pacific can
haul to the City, and in their frank viola-
tion of the law in granting to a branch of
that wealthy monopoly the right to run an
electric road to the new racetrack at Ingle
side, no great difficulties of explanation
present themselves. It is conceivable that
these gentlemen might have thus argued
with themselves:
"Those who have proved faithful to the
interests of the Southern Pacific have never
been permitted to suffer for their fidelity.
A public officer may be ever so true to his
sworn obligations, but he receives no more
than his salary for that. Should he betray
these in the interest of the Southern Pacific
what risk does he run ? The condemnation
of some independent newspaper, or the
railing of some body of citizens organized
to secure honest government? How
amusing! Do our friends thii;k less of us
for the betrayal ? Is our credit in any way
impaired? Are we not rather praised for
our shrewdness in beine able to loosen the,
gathering string of a difficult sack? And
if it should happen that some enterprising
person attempts to bring the machinery of
the law to bear in an effort to expose and
punish us, are we not aware of the fidelity
of the monopoly to its servants and its un
uiatchable power to counteract all move
ments to punish us? Surely you would
not take us for fools blind to our interests,
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 1895.
lacking in dependence upon our supporters
and fearful of substanceless ghosts."
It is conceivable that such an argument
might be made by officers in whom the
bump of self-interest dominates that of
conscience. Such a process of reasoning
would be borne out by history, however
lacking in compliment it might be to the
morality and intelligence of the com
munity." Thus far the situation seems
clear enough. But when we come to other
matters the way is not so clear.
Let us take the question of broken rock
for macadam on the streets as an illustra
tion. Certain specifications, adopted by an
old Board of Supervisors and readopted by
the present board, require that a particular
kind of rock owned by one company and
obtainable in an out-of-the-way place shall
be the only kind employed. This is clearly
a premeditated exclusion of the rock most
iabundant in the City— the so-called red
rock, with which all the thoroughfares of
the park are macadamized, besides all the
principal suburban drives, including Cor
bett avenue, the Ocean House road,
McDowell avenue (a United States
highway, and, therefore, independent
of City influences), and numbers
of others. It is a sedimentary
rock, carries a high percentage of cement,
is easily disintegrated, and if kept
sprinkled forms a tine, hard and smooth
surface, entirely free from sharp lumps.
If it is not kept sprinkled it wears-off and
sends abroad a disagreeable and injurious
red dust, and yields, when wet, a discolor
ing mud. Its color in these contingencies
is all that distinguishes it from the dust or
mud resulting from the employment of any
other material used for macadam. Its main
advantage, in addition to its easier and
cheaper manipulation, is that i^ is the
prevailing rock of the peninsula, exists in
numerous quarries, lies immediately con
tiguous to the places of the greatest de
mand for macadam rock and cannot be
manipulated into a monopoly.
While it is not difficult to imagine an
argument to explain a lively interest on
the part of public officers for the concerns
of the Southern Pacific and its branch,
the Market-street Railway Company, what
shall we do with the case of the broken
rock monopoly and the great increase of
cost in street improvements which the
creation of that monopoly entails? Can
this young monopoly extend the benefits
and guarantee the immunity which the
more venerable institution has the reputa-
tion of assuring? This might prove an
interesting question for the Civic Federa
tion and the Merchants' Association.
A LETTER TO HOKE.
It is known to all the world that Secre
tary Hoke Smith has recently swung
around the circle in Georgia making
speeches for the purpose of converting the
people to what he called "sound money,"
but which the irreverent Georgians have
ever since been calling "Hoke money." It
has not been made clear, however, why he
should have undertaken the campaign at
this season — why he should have left his
cool summer home in the mountains of
North Georgia to go to making speeches in
the sweltering heat of South Georgia,
where it is reported he was able to gather
audiences only by making a free distribu
tion of watermelons.
Without assuming an intimate knowl
edge of the motives of the distinguished
Secretary or pretending to know all the
causes of his course, we believe ourselves
able to throw some light upon his reasons
for undertaking a July freak that bears so
close a resemblance to a midsummer mad
ness. Shortly after Carlisle finished his
campaign against silver in Kenttrcky, Sec
retary Smith began sending copies of the
Carlisle speeches to the Postmasters in
Georgia with the request that they would
circulate them. His action led to protests
from the free-silver press of the State, but
for this he probably cared little. By and
by, however, the Postmasters began to
kick, and some of them kicked so vigor
ously that the exalted Hoke felt it neces
sary to get enough of a move on him at
any rate to get out of range.
The Postmaster at Lamaro Mill, Georgia,
for example, is reported to have written to
the Secretary, saying: "I apprehend that
there are very few people in this section of
the country who care to read Mr. Carlisle's
speeches on finance since he was appointed
Secretary of the Treasury. If you can
send copies of some of hia speeches made
when he represented the people of his
State in Congress and was not representing
a class, as he is now, the people of this
section will be glad to read them, or if you
can send some of the speeches made by
your honorable self a few years ago, when
you were trying to make the Populists be
lieve that you and the Democratic party
were more friendly to the free coinage of
silver than the Populist party was, I am
sure the people would read them with
pleasure."
As if this were not enough, the irate
Postmaster went on to say the people of
his section could not be "fooled, cajoled,
bought or bulldozed by the powers of
Washington," and wound up with the dec
laration: "Their manhood revolts at the
idea. They are not fools, neither are they
children. They will not be led from their
time-honored principles by any traitor
who, by accident, has got into power or
wears the collar of his masters."
When language like this is used by W
Democratic office-holder to a Cabinet
officer, somebody must act or Democracy
must get off the earth. Secretary Smith
rose to the occasion. He ordered a sup
ply of watermelons to meet him at the
principle country towns and took the
stump.
THE COUNTRY BANKS.
The semi-annual statement by the Bank
Commissioners, covering 153 commercial
banks in the interior of the State, shows
the same condition of affairs which The
Call has already noted with regard to the
savings banks of San Francisco. That is
to fay, the total assets of the commercial
banks of the interior have increased, loans
on real estate have decreased and on per
sonal security increased; deposits have in
creased heavily, and the bank vaults are
filled with money.
Nothing more surely than banks reflect
the business condition of a community.
We infer from the increase of bank assets
and properties that the banks have been
acquiring property by foreclosing on loans ;
from their reduced loans on real estate and
other secured means of borrowing, either
that they are afraid to lend money or that
borrowers are afraid to venture loans in in
vestments for development; from the in
crease of loans on personal security that
the stagnation of business and the cessa
tion of development have compelled re
sponsible men to ask for loans with which
to meet current expenses, and that the
heavy increase of deposits indicates an un
willingness to risk in business or the de
velopment of new industries money which
has accumulated from the very sources to
which it will not again be trusted.
The substance of it all is that while the
banks of the State, both savings and com
mercial, ace finding their vaults filling
with money and are thus safe, they are ex
ercising a powerful influence on the mate
rial condition of the people. It is not ex
pected of them that they will jeopardize
the interests of their stockholders and de
positors by taking the smallest risk in the
use of their own and their depositors'
funds, but it is contended that they may
be underestimating their power to deter
mine and direct the business faith and in
dustrial activity of the State. For years,
leaving the tariff aside, banking and forms
of money have bfen the leading questions
before the American people, and to-day
these questions are paramount. The re
sponsibility of banks, of the banking sys
tem and of all its allied factors, are in
volved in the great problems which agitate
the people. Whether the banks 9hall
deem it their function merely to reflect
rather than to direct in an encouraging
sense the industrial concerns of the coun
try, and whether, in the exercise of such a
power, they will display that wisdom
which finds a balance between reasonable
security and a moral obligation to pro
mote the industrial welfare of the people,
constitute the gravest problem that they
have ever been brought to consider.
PERSONAL.
T. F. Burgdorff of the navy i& at the Palace.
R. Kaehler, a merchant of Merced, is at the
Grand.
Dr. Victor G. Vecki of San Jose is a guest at
the Palace.
C. Theo Vogelsang of the navy registered
yesterday at the Palace.
Colonel William Forsyth, vineyardist of
Fresno, is at the Occidental.
A. C. McLean, a railroad contractor from
Monterey, is staying at the Lick.
\V. P. Thompson, an attorney of Fresno, was
one of yesterday's arrivals at the Grand.
Lieutenant W. S. Hughes of the navy came
down from the navy-yard yesterday and regis
tered at the Palace.
Senator E. C. Voorhies from Sutter Creek
has just returned from a trip to Alaska with
his family and is at the Baldwin.
T. B. McGovern, a Xew York commission mer
chant dealing in California products, arrived
here yesterday and is staying at the California.
W. R. Kelly, general attorney of the Union
Pacific, arrived here yesterday morning from
Omaha with his wife. He put up at th« Grand
for a few hours and sailed for Honolulu on the
Australia, whither he is going on a pleasure
trip.
OUT-OF-TOWN PERSONALS.
Santa Rosa, Cal., Aug. 4.— Colonel A. B.
Hardin is down from his Nevada ranch for a
few days. A party of eyeless left Saturday for
the Geysers, to be gone several days. The
party includes Major L. W. Juilliard, Elmont
Brooks, Carl Lane, Ray Poat and H. G. Mathias.
A. B. Swain and wife are visiting San Fran
cisco. E. L. Finley is spending a few days at
Napa, visiting Hon. M. M. Estee. Miss
Dot Ames, Miss Bessie Riley and Miss Ella
Holmes are visiting friends at Belvedere.
Judge A. G. Burnett is in San Francisco fora
few days. Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Crooks returned
from San Francisco Saturday. Hon. A. L.
Warner of Healdsburg was in Santa Rosa
Saturday, attending a third party convention.
C. N. Carrington and family, W. J. Heffelflnger
and family, D. Behmer and family, and J.
Swan and family have returned from a very
pleasant camping and hunting expedition,
which took them through Sonoma, Meudocino
and Lake counties.
Klamath Hot Springs, Cal., Aug. 3. —
The weather has been perfectly charming the
past two months and free from wind and fogs.
General and Mrs. Hart, who have been here
several weeks, have returned to the City. Mr.
and Mrs. 8. F. Thome of the Grand Hotel left a
few days ago. Among the recent arrivals are:
Mrs. A. M. Kichards, Miss T. E. Richards, F. 11.
Jones and family, San Francisco; W. W. Wil
liams, Professor C. G. Buck, San Kafael; H. A.
Brisco and wife. Rev. E. Graham, Chico; Mr. J.
W. Snowball, Miss Snowball, Woodland; Mr.
and Mrs. E. M. Coty, Mr. E. C. Weinrich, Mr.
James L. Tucker, Sacramento.
fcanta Cruz, Aug. 3. — Among thejlate arrivals
at the Pixley are Jesse E. Friest, Charles Schles
inger, W. B. Ansel. San Francrsco; Mr. W. A.
Hrowell] Auburn; Mr. and Mrs. P. Musto, Mrs.
Dora Briggs, Miss N. B. Loiik, Miss Anna B.
Long, Stockton; Miss L. G. Le Noir, Santa Bar
bara; T. M. Farrell, Miss Jennie Farrell, Sara
toga.
Salt Lake, Utah, Aug. s.— Mrs. aiffl Mrs. O. P.
Keene and Joseph Lendfin of San Francisco
are at the Knutsford. Mr. and Mrs. D. Butler
of San Francisco and T. 11. Oxnam of Los
Angeles are at the Walker.
HUMOR OF THE DAY.
Johnson — Is this your boy, uncle?
Uncle 'Rastus— No, sah. Dat's only my step
chile.
"How do you make that out; neither you nor
your wife were married before?"
"No, pah ; but, yo' see, sah, dis hyar boy was
done lei' bah somebody on our steps, sah."—
Philadelphia Record.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Yes," answered his wife.
He paled.
"This is so sudden," he gasped.
While they were working to revive him she
blamed herself for not having apprised him of
the new light that had burst upon her. She
could see that it would have been better had
she broken it to him gradually.
For example, she might better have said, "In
thirty seconds." if she did not wish to say, as
of old, "In a minute." — Detroit Tribune.
Little Jack— Where are you going this sum
mer, Mr. Softchapp? Mr. Softchapp— Urn- why
do you ask? Little Jack— Sis said when she
found out where you was gain' she'd know
where to go, and I was wonderin' where Sis
wasn't goin*. Mr. Softchapp — Is your sister
still in the city? Little Jack— Yes; but she's
goin' away for the summer as soon as she finds
out where you're goin'! Mr. Softchapp — In
deed! 80 she wishei to go where I go? Little
Jack— No. She wants to go somewhere else! —
New York Weekly.
The bride— Papa has given us an awfully un
wieldy wedding present— a thousand $3 gold
pieces.
The bridesTsaid— What are you going to do
with them ?
The bride— Oh, George thinks be can pawn
them.— Truth.
TENNESSEE CENTENNIAL.
A Celebration and Fair Will Be Held in
Nashville Next Year.
A letter to C. M. Johnson of the State
Board of Trade states that Nashville,
Tenn., is to hold a grand exposition next
year to celebrate the centennial of the
State, and the writer, Thomas J. Maslin,
says: "From all indications I think we
will nave a pood one." The exposition
grounds will be located near the old race
track at the end of West Bod avenue and
will occupv about 175 acres of land. The
»people of iNashville are thinking; of invit
ing California to send an exhibit of its
proaucts to the exposition.
Bristling With Bayonets.
The outburst of indignation in Brazil over
the British attempt to seize an island 700 miles
east of the Brazilian coast ought to convince
English diplomatists that the Monroe doctrine
is no abstraction, but a fact bristling with
bayonets. Brazil is aroused throughout its
limits, and Mr. Bull has concluded not to walk
off with any Brazilian island at present.— St.
Louis Globe-Democrat.
A Blow to Political Agriculture.
Secretary Morton has determined that the
Government shall go out of the seed business
and the date fixed for final distribution of the
stock on hand is next October. This is ari un
fortunate ruling for a certain class of politi
cians. Almost from time immemorial free
seeds have been a campaign document as nu
merous above as underground.— Philadelphia
Times.
No Syndicate Needed.
Clearly if this country is to remain on a gold
basis the United States Government will have
to step in and buy its share of the new gold.
It could easily do it. Having unlimited credit
the United States could buy the entire output
of the mines of this country, not asking any
help either from the Rothschilds, the Morgans
or the Belmonts.— Chicago Inter-Ocean.
A Singular Companionship.
It is a singular feature of the silver issue that
the silver monometallists, who are in favor of
free coinage, and the gold monometallists are
in full agreement on one point, and that is
that there is no possible chance of interna
tional bimetallism and never will be.—Pitts
burg Dispatch.
THE HEAVENS IN AUGUST.
August is especially the month of meteors, as
on the 10th, and for many days before and
after, they appear in unusual numbers.
Every night in the year a few of these lumi
nous bodies may be seen darting across the
heavens, and occasionally showers of them ap
pear, but in general this is the month that best
repays a close watch for these celestial fugi
tives. It is not easy to explain the little heed
the astronomers of past ages paid to these
nightly visitors. There are many accounts of
the stones that fell from heaven in ancient
and medieval times, but it is only in late years
that the aerolite was recognized as the shoot
ing star that survives first contact with its
earthly target.
Our ethereal atmosphere acts as an efficient
breakwater, and the perpetaal fusillade from
interplanetary spaces drifts down in dust form
to mingle with terrestrial soil. The meteoric
stone so rarely found is the exception.
It is now known that interplanetary spaces,
and probably interstellar spaces also, are
thickly strewn with particles of matter vary
ing in size from a pebble to a hiilock. Those
in the solar system, attracted by its enormous
mass, move round the sun In swarms of vari-
FIGURE 1— CONSTELLATION OP FERSETS.
ous degrees of compactness. Too tar apart to
shine as a whole by reflected sunlight, they
might revolve eternally undiscovered were it
not that the earth in its yearly journey round
the same center daily collides with some of
these wandering myriads.
The interesting questions in the matter are
why we meet more of them than usual some
times, why they become luminous and of
what they are composed. In the first case, if
the swarm be so long subject to the sun's at
traction as to be distributed over its entire
orbit until it revolves, ring-like, without a
break, if any point of the path of our planet
crosses this ring, it necessarily encounterssome
of the circling host every year, regardless of
the time of revolution of the swarm.
If the latter be not yet distributed uniformly
round, but moves in a slowly elongating cluster,
when the earth comes punctually round to the
intersection each year, the swarm may be
mainly, or wholly, at some other point of its
own path, though they would collide neces
sarily at long intervals.
The first case is that of the August meteors,
and some others of less note. The second that
of the November meteors, the main body of
which are met with about every thirty-three
years, though a few stragglers are seen every
year.
As the earth and the meteors are sometimes
moving in opposite directions, contact with
the leagues of atmosphere that envelop our
earth heat the cold, ftard body more and more
till the continued friction kindles it into a
blaze, while terrestrial attraction inclines it
downward, and then that sad sounding term,
"a falling- star," describes the effect created.
Phantom-like it springs from darkness and
vanishes in darkness. No star is missing in the
spot whence it flew, and no permanent gleam,
however faint, marks the end of its lustrous
flight. In a rare case the cosmical waif, when
very large, outlives the friction of the atmos
phere, and, heated and sometimes detonating,
it falls a captive to the earth.
The museum is the prison of the fallen star,
and no more interesting object is found there.
They bear the stamp of their unearthly ori
gin, for though the elements of which they are
composed include nothing that lias not been
also found here below, still the familiar con-
stituents are not blended In terrestrial form.
Iron and stone are the chief constituents and
they are classified according to the relative
quantities of each.
The August meteors, like those of November,
seldom yield any specimens for investigation,
as though numerous they are reduced to pow
der in the upper atmosphere.
Their long elliptical orbit is nearly perpendic
ular to that of the earth, and if the path of each
shooting star be prolonged backward, or in the
contrary direction to which it is moving, they
would all intersect in the constellation Persus.
This group may be seen toward midnight in
the northeast, or, better yet, at 3 :30 in the
morning. They are named Pereids, though it
is merely a matter of perspective from what
constellation they appear to come. After full
moon on the sth of August the evenings will
be favorable for observing this well-known me
teoric ring.
Besides the appearance of these temporary
visitors this season is also suitable for observ
ing the milky way which extends from north
east to the southwest margin. The constella
tion of Sagittarius, The Archer, is at the south
erly curve, and the intersection in the diagram
marks the point of the winter solstice, where
the sun is December 21 when it is winter in
the northerly latitude?.
The planet Venus, the bright orb directly
west, will attain its greatest brilliancy on toe
13th; and on the 22d the young crescent will
glide close by, as it has done during the past
months, but this conjunction will obscure the
lustrous star very slightly as the moon will be
in its most slender phase.
August 26 Venus will be stationary and
will begin to recede from the evening sky dur
ing the following weeks.
Rose O'Hallokan.
PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT.
Budrudiu Tyabjee, a Mohammedan lawyer of
Bombay, has been made a Judge of the High
Court of the Presidency, in place of a Eu
ropean.
The Rev. Dr. George Washburn, president of
Robert College, Constantinople, and his wife
are spending the summer at Manchester-by
the-Sea, Mass.
The Rev. Dr. Blyden, the Liberian Minister
to Great Britain, is visitintr Baltimore to en
courage the emigration of colored people to
Liberia. He believes tnat the American negro
is destined to civilize Africa.
The French Consul at Malta, M. Rocher, has
been appointed head of the mission which is to
be sent out to China by the Freneh Chambers
of Commerce. He has lived for some years in
Southern China.
Dr. Alexander McFarlane, formerly professor
in the University of Texas, has accepted an ap
appointment as lecturer in electrical engineer
ing in Lehigh University, and will enter upon
his duties at the beginning of the year, in Sep
tember.
Charles H. Cramp says the yacht of the fu
ture will be of steel, and that its motive power
will be electricity. He has an order for a yacht
bigger and faster than the 1000-ton Giralda,
the fastest yacht afloat, and says that this or
der will be filled.
Allen R. Benner, who has recently been ap
pointed as the head of the Greek department at
Philips Andover Academy, with the rank of
professor, is one of the youngest men among
the preparatory schools who occupy so respon
sible a place. He led his class at Harvard,
where he was graduated in 1892, throughout
the course, and he was considered a brilliant
classical scholar.
OUR RURAL HOMES.
Two of the prettiest homes across the bay are
those of Judge John Garber and James Palaehe
at Claremont, near Berkeley. They are on the
sloping hillside commanding views of the bay
and Golden Gate. The places adjoin and re
cently have been connected still more closely
by the erection of an artistic villa midway be
tween the houses. In this reside Whitney
Palaehe and his wife, who, as Miss Garber, was
well known in social circles over the bay. Both
places have large orchards and extensive
flower gardens. Mr. Palaehe Is quite an en
thusiast in horticulture, and his Blenheim
apricots, large and luscious, have long been
the envy of all his neighbors.
One of the landmarks of the Berkeley hills is
the old Hamilton place at the head of Dwight
way, near the State institute for the deaf and
dumb and blind. It was laid out by the late
Dr. Laurentine Hamilton, who there made his
home for many years. It comprises over thirty
acres of hill and canyon, and is as beautiful a
site as may be found. W. H. Smyth, now
superintendent of the Mechanics' Institute
Fair, bought the place recently and is making
many improvements. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Smyth are wide-awake floriculturists, and the
number of roses, chrysanthemums and pelar-
goniums that place will produce next spring
will likely surprise all the flower-show ex
hibitors.
The development of the sweet pea and the
consequent growth of the industry of growing
the seed are matters of which the average citi
zen knows little. Within the past few years
the industry has grown to tremendous propor
tions in California, as well as in the Eastern
States and Europe. This season seeds will be
harvested from over 200 acres of sweet peas on
the Hopkins and Morse places, between San
Francisco and San Jose, and no one can yet
figure just what the profits from this crop will
be. Sweet-pea growing has become a fad.
Every few years some flower-lover takes the
time and the patience to undertake the devel
opment by careful cultivation and cross-fertil
ization of some special blossom, and these
devotees the world has to thank for new and
improved varieties. It was Henry Eckford, a
Scotchman, residing at Shropshire, England,
who took up sweet-pea study, and up to the
present has produced over fifty distinctly
tinted varieties. Last year the seed of some
of these varieties sold for as much as $320 a
pound. Californians who wish early blossoms
next spring should sow seed in December.
Dr. Hutchins, the leading American authority,
says the best twelve varieties are: Blanche
Ferry, Blushing Beauty, Countess of Radnor,
Dorothy Tennant, Firefly, Her Majesty, Lady
Penzance, Mrs. Eckford, Mrs. Sankey, Orange
Prince, Stanley and Venus.
Not far from Hotel Rafael, in the best part of
gay San Rafael, Professor W. F. C. Hasson, elec
trician, has recently fitted up a charming
place and he is going iu deep for floriculture
and big strawberries. Professor Hasson was
once in the navy and traveled over the seas to
many lands, but he now disdains a home on
the rolling deep and thinks a California hill
side is as choice a spot for a home as can be
found. Mrs. Hasson, a daughter of Paul Neu
man, Bohemian and chief adviser to Queen
Liliuokalani, has been visiting her parents in
Honolulu for three months past, but she is ex
pected here soon.
One of the characters around Auburn, Placer
County, a few years ago was "Count" Feodor
Closs, a German of aristocratic lineage, who
came to that picturesque foothill town in
search of health. He is there yet, many of his
continental edditifes having worn off. He is
one of the most popular citizens and land
owners of the county. He found health, but
he did so not by sitting on a hotel veranda
after the manner of the idling tourist, but by
pitching into hard work. He bought a tract of
rocky hill land near town and to-day it is a
money-making ranch. He made some mistakes
and had many difficult tasks, but he perse
vered and now he is as proud of "Quisisana,"
as he calls his place, as Mayor Sutro is of "The
Heights." He has health and strength, and
to-day he is as good a Californian as any native
son. He has made a specialty of olive oil and
his brand is on sale at several of the best City
dealers, and a number of shipments have been
made East,
It is something of an indication of the vast
importance the horticultural industry in Cali
fornia has assumed when an ordained clergy
man like Rev. A. T. Perkins of Christ Episcopal
Church of Alameda gives up his charge for the
purpose of devoting his entire time to his de
vice for long-distance fruit -shipping. This,
Mr. Perkins, who has been experimenting with
his patent compressed-air treatment for some
years, has done. He will go East to demon
strate the value of his system of cars. Mr. Per
kins is a cultured gentleman, and for a long
time has devoted himself to horticultural work
purely for recreation. Now he will make it a
business. He has an extensive apricot and
prune orchard near Fruitvale, but this will be
cared for by others while he is working else
where with his invention. Two years ago a
carload of fruit packed and treated by his sim
ple process was sent to New Orleans and back
with most satisfactory results. I tasted some
of the fruit taken from that car on its return
after two weeks of travel, and it was as edible
as if just picked from the tree. C. S. A.
A New Style Bowery Boy.
The mere fact of the existence of a Street
cleaning League, composed of boys under six
teen years of age, is exceedingly suggestive.
If boys can be taught early the importance of
keeping the streets clean, especially by not
throwing rubbish into them, ft will be a mo
mentous gain for the city. It is especially in
teresting that the field for the League's work is
the district between Houston and Catharine
streets, the Bowery and the East River. There
is room for like organizations in all parts of
the city.— New York Tribune.
A New Set of Cyclers Needed.
The bicycler who passes through the country
sees only a streak of dusty roadway ahead of
him. He looks neither at the clover on his
right nor at the corn fields on his left. It is to
be hoped that bicycling will, so to speak, re
cover its breath; that it will become what its
early advocates predicted. But as now pur
sued, it is far from the ideal exeicise popularly
supposed. What we want is a generation of
leisurely, upright, broad-visioned riders, in
stead of "scorchers" and faddists and bloomer
ites. — lowa State Register.
Electric Fire Extinguishing.
As the old hand-worked fire engine gave
way to steam, the steam fire engine must suc
cumb to the universal wave of electricity. The
day cannot be distant when horses drawing
6000 pounds of steam apparatus shall no
longer rush panting through the streets, to be
followed by an eoualiy frenzied attendant
carrying coils of Indiarubber. An electrical
fire extinguishing plant must be one of the In
cidents of the coming year.— Chicago Times-
Herald.
Now That It Is Over.
A gentleman of an inquisitive turn of mind
wrote to the Globe-Democrat a year ago to
know what its editor considered to be a few
of the great essentials to the conduct of a first
class newspaper. The editor promptly re
sponded that the first essential was a big
waste basket and the second was a man who
was not afraid to fill it. This will account for
the non-appearance of the Horr-Harvey de
bate in these columns, now that it is over — St
Louis Globe-Democrat.
Why We Die Young.
If America can show no such record of old
people as Britain it is not unreasonable to sup
pose it is because, notwithstanding the greater
incomes and luxuries of the average family
our people are not content with simple food
or if they are, select and cook it badly living
for instance, on pork and soggy bread— and
because, either owing to climate or bereditv
they destroy all chance of being benefited by
habits of placidity.— New York Tribune.
Ex-Consul Waller.
Ex-Consul Waller's statement, which the
French authorities refused to hear, throws new
light upon his conviction and affords new rea
son for the United States Government to insist
upon an: explanatien. More important yet is
the fact thai the French court-martial refused
to ■. allow. Mr. Waller to . present any defense.
Such an arbitrary ; proceeding is utterly con
trary to all principles of international "law.—
Pittsburg Dispatch.
♦ — ♦ — «
Bacon Printing Company, 503 Clay straai. •
* «■ 9
The largest salt mine in the world is at
■\Vieliczka in Austria-Hungary.
«. — « — • 1 —
Ocean Excursions. ■■'."}•
Steamship Pomona, to Santa Cruz and Mon
terey, leaves Saturdays, 4 p. m., due back Mon
days, sa. m. Ticket office, 4 New Montgomery
street. •
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
: School op Design— A. E. M., City. The Cali
fornia School of Design, affiliated with the Uni
versity of California, ana whoso classes meet in
the Hopkins Institute of Art, is not a free
school.' There is "no entrance examination.
The evening classes are those in architectural
drawing, which meet Monday and Friday dur
ing the term. • The school year opens on the
15th of. August and closes on the 15th of May.
The tuition fees are $(> per month, ir'24 from
January 2 to Mav 15, and $48 for the full term
in the antique, life class (nude model), portrait
class (draped model) and modeling class. The
fee in the painting class (still life and portrait)
isSB $30 and $60. In addition to the above
there are special classes. The hours are from
9 in the morning till noon, and from 1 in the
afternoon till 4. .
British subjects— Subscriber,' Duncan Mills,
Sonoma County, Cal. Wheaton on interna
tion law says of British subjects:
Natural born British subjects include not only
persons born in British dominions but also the
children and the grandchildren <>i British subjects
born out thelegiance of her Majesty, unless the
father was at the time of the child's Dlrth outlawed
or attainted for treason. Such persons are there
fore entitled to claim British protection unless they
have been naturalized in some other country, or
unless tbev have ceased to be British subjects by
reason of her Majesty's once dominions in wWch
thev continue resident ceasing to belong to the
crown or Kngland by division or succession.
The Game Law-G. H. W., City. The law of
this State as it applies to the open season for
deer in every county of the State was amended
at the last session of the Legislature, and it is
as follows: tfggSS
Kvery person who, in the State of California,
shall bunt, pursue, take. Kill, or destroy any male
deer betwee P n the 15th day of October and the 15th
day of July of the following year shall be guilty of
m i^rTpe n r° S on In the State of California who shall
atanv lime, bunt, pursue, take, kill or destroy any
female deer or spotted fawn, or any antelope, el lc
or mountain sheep, shall be guilty of a misde
meanor.
University Extension— H. ,8., City. The
classes of the university extension will begin
late in April or early in September and the
course will be held in the lecture-room of the
Mark Hopkins Institute of Art in this City.
The subjects have not yet been decided upon,
nor can they be until after the opening of the
university on the 12th of August. No especial
qualifications for admission arc required; any
one willing to do the work is welcome. .Nor
are any fees charged. The announcement of
the course will appear in The Call as soon as
issued. Further information may be had by
applying to William D. Armes, secretary for the
University Extension, Berkeley.
Harry of the West— S. H. N., City: "Harry
of the West" was a term used by the admirers
of Henry Clay in writing and speaking of him.
It is used in the following extract from the
work on "Public Men and Events," by Sargent:'
Where had been General Harrison during the
preceding twelve years, the period of bitter war
fare between the Jackson party, headed by the
obstinate, sagacious, indomitable old hero, and the
opposition led the whole period by the eloquent,
ever-magnetic, the faithful Harry of the West?
Had Harrison's voice ever been heard during all
this dark and trying period, when midst the
thickest gloom and smoke all looked up to Mr.
Clay, sure that he wa3 at his post doing the duty o*
a patriot?
TnE Natick: Cobbler— S. H. N., City. "The
Natick Cobbler" was Henry Wilson, an Ameri
can statesman, who was born in 1812 and died
in 1875. In 1840 he appeared in the political
campaign as the supporter of William Henry
Harrigon in his race for the Presidency. He
addressed more than sixty meetings and was
everywhere introduced as the Natick cobbler,
he following the business of shoemaker in the
city of Natick, Mass.
Divorce and Divorce— E. R., Salinas, Mon
terey County, Cal. In this State if a decree
of divorce be granted on the ground of
adultery the community property shall
be assigned to the respective parties
in such proportion as the court, from all
the facts in the case and the conditions of the
parties, may deem just. Separate property is
not affected by a decree of divorce.
Little Gentleman in Velvet— E. W., City.
"The Little Gentleman in Velvet" was a
Jacobite toast in the reign of Queen Anne.
The reference is to the mole that raised the
hill against which the horse William 111 was
riding in Hampton Park stumbled and threw
his rider. The result was a broken collar
bone, a serious illness and the death of Wil
liam early in 1702.
Tacoma Papers— Juno, Stockton, Cal. The
following is a list of the papers published in
Tacoma, State of Washington: Bulletin, Die
Wacht am Sund, Electrician and Mining Re
view, Ledger, Masonic Review, News, North
west Horticulturist, Pacific Dental Journal,
Pacific Templar, Reveille, Sunday Herald, Sun
Tacomian, Tribune and West Coast Lum
berman.
Tracing a Soldier— E. M. W., Berkeley, Cal.
In order to ascertain the location of a soldier
of the United States army, write to the com
mander of the post at which it was last known
he was, asking where he is stationed. In the
letter give the name, regiment and company
he belonged to and date when last heard of at
the post.
Fuss and Feathers— S. H. N., City. "Old
Fuss and Feathers" was the nickname in the
army for General Winfield Scott. It was also
applied to him during the political campaign
of 1852, when he ran for the Presidency. He
was so named because of his punctiliousness
as to dress.
The Oceanic— W. A. C, West Oakland, Cal.
At the time the Oceanic and the City of Ches
ter collided in the harbor of San Francisco and
the last-named vessel went down, the Oceanic
sustained some damage.
An Escort's Arm— A. S., City. It is proper
that a lady should accept a gentleman's arm
when he is acting as her escort to and from an
evening's entertainment.
Pttbb blood and a vigorous organism offer no
foothold to disease germs, the seeds of the giant
evil. Take Hood's Barsaparilla to purify the blood
and give you new life and vigor.
•• Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrnp"
Has been nsed over fifty years by millions of moth
ers for their children while Teething with perfect
success. It soothes the child, softens the gums, al
lays Pain, cures Wind Colic, regulates the Bowels
and Is the best remedy for Diarrhoeas, whether
arising from teething or other causes. For sale by
Druggists in every part of the world. Ee sure and
ask ior Mrs. Winalow'a Soothing Syrjj* 25a a
bottle.
"From the Lowest Level"
A Story of Mining Life in
California.
By J. H. Wythe Jr.
The Call has secured the right to pub-
lish this charming story in serial form, and
the first chapter will appear next Saturday.
11 is customary to publish such contribu-
tions in the Sunday edition of The Call,
but the author has conscientious scruples
against having any of his productions pub-
lished in the Sunday edition of any paper,
and in deference to his convictions The
Call has agreed to print this story in the
Saturday issues only, beginning next Sat-
urday.
THE SAN FRANCISCO
And San Joaqnin Valley Railway Co.
THE SUBSCRIBERS TO THE CAPITAL
stock, of The San Francisco and San Joaquin
Valley Kailwny C'onirany are hereby notified that
the trustees' certificates are now ready for delivery.
Please preseDt the treasurer's receipts for the first
and second Installments to DANIEL MEYER,
214 Piae street, who will deliver the certificates.
By order of
THOMAS BBOWX. Chairman Trustees
TSTHEVERY BEST ONE TO EXAMINE YOTTR
X eyes and fit them to Spectacles or Eyeglasses
with instrument* of his own invention, whose
superiority has not been equaled. My succesa baa
been due to the merits of ruy work.
Office Hours— l2 to 4v. u.
