The Philipsburg mail. [volume], October 25, 1901, Image 7

About The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current

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WOMEN UNDER CIVIL SERVICEL
They Number On -ihird of the i:epart.
ment Lmploy . at Washiantnn.
It is only in recent years that women
have been employed in considerable
numbers in the public service. It is
now generally recognized that they can
successfully perform the duties of many i
of the subordinate, places, and they
have often shown eminent iltness and
high quality in their work, says John i.
Proctor, United States civil serv:ce
commissioner, in Leslie's Weekly. In
1870 an act of Congress provided that
women might, in the discretion of the
head of any department, be appointed
'to any of the clerkships in the depart
•enat upon the same requisites and con
ditioqs and with the same conipensa
tions as prescribed for men. . This Mag
ia Charta for women in the civil ser
Vice is recognized in the civil- service
laws and rules, which make no dis
crimination on account of sex.
From July 16, 1883, to June 30, 1900,
there were appointed in the class.fied
service in the depatments at Washing
ton, through competitive exam.nation,
2,044 females. This number included
1,260 printers' assistants in the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing, at a com
pensation of $1.26 per diem, which is
the lowest salary paid to women in the
classified service. About one-third of
all employes in the departments of
Washington are females; they are em
ployed mostly in ordinary clerical ca
pacity, although many teohn.cal posl
tions are filled by them. Three female
employes receive $1,800 per annum;
about fifty receive $1,600 per annum;
100 receive $1,400 per annum; 450 re
ceive $1,200 per annum; 300 receive
$1,000 per annum and the remainder
receive from $$60 to $900 per annum.
A fair comparison of the progress
made by women in the government em
ploy since the enactment of the civil
service law in 1883, as to compensation
received and number employed, is in
the State D"partment, office of the Sec
retary, which has probably employed
the fewest women of any office in the
departments. In 1883 there were ten
women employed and the highest salary
received was $1,400, there being only
one who was paid that amount. In
1889, in the same office, there were sev
enteen women; the highest salary was
$1,600; there were several at $1,400, and
others at $1,200 per annum, while the
lowest salary was $900. Of the total
number of women taking the compe
titive examinations during the past ten
years over 77 per cent have successful
ly passed, while only 62 per cent of the
males have passed these examinations.
The percentage of women in depart
ments differs. In the postoffice service
-the position of postoffice clerk is the
only one open to both sexes. Through.
out this entire branch of the service
6.52 per cent of the appointments for
the past ten years have been women.
Besides the foregoing, of the 69,000
postmasters in the United States under
the civil service, 6,285 are women. Of
the newer departments placed under
the civil service rule is the internal rev
enue, in which 2.09 of .the appoint
ments during the four years end:ng
June 30, 1900, have been women, and
the custom house service, of which 2
per cent of the appointments during the
past five years have been women. The
highest percentage of appointments of
women in any one year was in 1808,
when 13 per cent of the total number of
appointments made were women. The
next highest was in 1893. when women
numbered about 12 per cent of the ap
pointments.
Queer English Lease Method.
One cf New York's real 'estate' brok-I
ers who has just returned from a visit
to his old home in Devonshire, tells of
a curious situation there, which is due
to the death of Queen Victoria.
He says in Devonshire and some of
the other southern counties, when a
tenant wants to lease a farm or other
property he does not go to the owner
and ask for a lease for twenty-five
years or for any other definite term.
He simply says that he wants the prop
erty for as long as some third person,
not interested in the property, shall
live. If the selection of this third party
is agreeable to the landlord theJlease is
duly made, and in it the conditions are
set forth that the lessee shall hold the
property as long as the third party
named shall live.
Now, in Devonshire several of the
large land owners have for a number
of years made leases to last as long as
Queen Victoria should live. Those who
took leases on favorable terms during
the early part of her reign have had
years of good fortune, while the hold
ers of later leases fbund them sudden
ly terminated.
The same land owners are now mak
ing new leases to last during the term
of King Edward's life. All such leases
are not made on the lives of the king
or queen. On many of the smaller
holdings the third person selected is
some local personage or a member of
parliament. While this method of
making leases is a sort of gamble, and
is' decidedly inconvenient, yet the peo
ple Interested seem anxious to hold
on to the heritage of the old feudal sys
tem.-New York Times.
Looks Are Deceptive.
Visitor-I've been In many asylums,
but I've never seen such a dangerous,
wild-eyed lot of lunatics as that group
over there; and they're without guards,
tool'
Attendant-Why, mean, those aiu't
luanatics.
Visltor--'hey an't?.
Attesodat-I should say not; they're
Visitors.
VieitoP-Visitors!
Attesdat-Te sir; they're some of
e leadtig mnembers of the obems cow
mýhtikle heoldlg its ecsvention
Pon-Det lTo-Day.
As amat r satrems s ~ who bet
aew ber 4vamu
COL. EDITH MADISON AMES.
Young Woman Given an Unusual Dis.
tinction by Gov. Yates.
When the innumerable friends of
Miss Edith Madison Ames meet her
.now they come to "attention," salute
and address her as "Colonel," writes a
Chicago correspondent of the New
York Journal. And she is a colonel.
Because she fought for him politically,
Governor Yates appointed Miss Ames
Honorary Colonel of the Sixth Regi
ment, Illinois National Guard. She is
but 19 years old, but she is the only
woman in all the United' States who
has, the right to ride at the head of a
regiment of soldiers. In Europe, of
course, the Queen of England, the
Czarina, the Empress of Germany and
other women of imperial or royal birth
are honorary colonels of'regiments dis
tinguished for their services and their
histories.
Colonel Miss Ames succeeds "Jack"
Foster as commander of the gallant
a I
MISS EDITH AMES.
Sixth. Colonel Foster resigned volun
tarily. Lately he met Colonel Ames at
Governor Yates' house in Springfield.
She is a great friend of Mrs. Yates.
Rumor has it that Colonel Foster sur
rendered at discretion to Colonel Ames,
and that he is resolved to keep the col
onelcy of the Sixth in his family.
Before her entrance into military life
Miss Ames was well known as an influ
ential Republican politician. She ac
companied Governor Yates' party on
his private car during the last cam
Spaign, and he asserts that she won
many votes for him. Miss Ames was
born in Fort Wayne, Ind., going to East
Chicago six years ago. She was gradu
ated with honors at the high school
there two years ago. She is the only
daughter of her widowed mother, Mrs.
Benson Carey Ames.
Easy Lessons in City Life.
When Moses K. Armstrong was elect
ed delegate to Congress from the Ter
ritory of Dakota, he'made an experi
mental trip to Washington to accustom
himself to metropolitan ways. In '"1
Early Empire-Builders of the Great
West" he humorously describes some
of his first day's, experiences in an
Eastern city.
Down at the corner of the next block
I heard an auctioneer crying out, "Go
ing for fifty cents!" I struck straight
for his voice; and as I entered the
room, he caught my eye and nodded
his head.
I returned the compliment. At that
moment he cried out: "Sold and gone!"
To my surprise, I found that by nod
ding my hear I had bought a woman's
head-dress for fifty cents. I paid, the
money and left the prize on the counter.
I skipped out and walked slowly down
the street, muttering to myself, "Sold
and gone!" and I have not nodded my
head at a man since I made that bar
gain.
Being a single man, I felt a little blue
over that purchase, so I pushed on
through the rain up the avenue, and
soon met a bootblack who offered me a
shine for ten cents. I poked my foot
out to him. He pulled his artist-brush,
looked at me and said:
"Boss, you looks like one o' dem Con
gressmen. Chuck down de cash befo'
I spit on your boots; we don't trust
dem M. C. fellers."
I paid him the dime, and he blacked
one boot, and then asked if I wanted
the other polished, saying that his
price was ten cents a foot.
By this time I began to get mad, and
I turned from Sambo, and walked rap
idly on with one boot black and the
other brindle. My brindle foot at last
attracted so much attention that I
stepped the other into the mud to make
a match.
Maine Sardines.
"The sardine towns on the Maine
coast," says the Kennebec Journal,
"are congratulating themselves on the
fact that herring are beginning to
come. Every year the little fishes are
called upon to do their lightning
change act by arriving as herring and
departing as sardines."
Courageous Maiden.
Wright Smooth-Suppose you were in
danger of being kissed, sweet maid,
how 'would you meet such an emer
gency.
Polly Wogg (the milkmaid)-Face to
face.-Cincinnati Enquirer.
Annual Loss of Ships.
Out of an average annual loss to the
world's shipping of 2,172 vessels, nine
ty-four are completely missing and
never heard of again.
Quadrennial Legislative Sessions.
The Al4bama Constitutional Conven.
tion has decided that a session of the
Legislature every four years is al tile
State can stand.
Fruits and vegetables are so searce
this year that the grocery store taste
is lavis a hard time.
POINTER FOR COLLECTORS.
Debtor Propounds a Qdery that Sets
One Alan to Thinking.
A collector of bad accounts received
a lesson from a delinquent debtor a few
days ago that has started him to think
ing a bit. The collector had been chas
ing this delinquent for about six
months and had become tired of "Call
to-morrow," "I haven't it just now,"
and other excuses of a similar nature,
and thought it was time to become
"sassy."
"See here," he said the last time he
called, "are you ever going to pay that
bill?"
"Why, yes," replied the delinquent, "I
suppose I will pay it some day or other.
But look here yourself, young man, I
think' I can show you a thing or'two.
How many bills have you in that bun
dle?"
"About forty, I. guess."
"How long does it take yuu to visit
these people?"
"Generally, I can get over my route
in a day."
"Suppose everyone of them should
pay up?"
"That would be flne?"
"Oh, it would, would it? What would
you do fato a living if everybody paid
promptly ?"
The collector turned the thought over
In his mind for a moment or two, and
looked blank.
"Gracious!" he said, "I'd be out of a
job!"
"That's exactly my point. Don't there
fore, be so infernally anxious to collect
every cent due to your people at one
Lime. A few collections a day are
enough. As for my account, come
around some day next week, and I may
help you out of business by paying it.
Good day."-New York Tribune.
A Filipino Delicacy.
The Filipinos in Manila have been
having an unexpected feast. It came
to them like the manna to the Israel
Stes, being furnished by a swarm of lo
custs, which recently flew over the
city. To these people the locusts are a
great delicacy. The insects are served
dry or in a potpourri. They are also
made into pies and cakes, and In some
nlstances ground into powder and
steeped in liquid so as to make a bev
erage. At times catching the insects
becomes a very profitable business. In
SManila and the other large cities they
sell at $2 a sack, gold. These sacks
hold about a bushel. When dried, the
locust can be kept indefinitely. The
natives never eat the grasshoppers
green, but they eat them in every form,
dried or cooked. They even carry them
I in their pockets and eat them as they
would candies and other confections.
When dried the locust is nice and crisp,
and tastes something like gingersuaps.
Some confectioners dress the grasshop
per in various ways, serving him up
occasionally with chocolate trimmings
and coats of sugar.-New York Post.
Centerboard Well Was Deep.
There was a new young man on
Doard. He didn't seem co have much
to say about the management of the
boat, but he wore a lovely yachting
puit. The girls were very much im
pressed. It seemed to give them a
sense of protection just to sit near
him. One blue-eyed girl was heard to
say to him: "I am not the least bit
afraid when there are so many good
sailors aboard. You know all about
sailing, don't you?"
"Not quite," he answered modestly.
Just then the captain called to him:
"Barry. take the pail and fill up the
centerboard well."
Cheerfully the young man went to
work and the girls stared.
"How many does it take?" he asked
is he emptied the sixth pall; then he
added: "What are you lubbers laugh
ing at?"
Then the girls realized that it was
the first time the man in the lovely
yachting suit had ever been on a sail
boat.-Chlcago News.
A "Tennessee Lark."
The "Tennessee Lark"-a fresh
young singer from Memphis, Tenn.-is
all the rage among society people of
Washington. She
is wonderfully
fascinating, and
just as chic as
any 1901 girL
Mrs. Leiter and
Mrs. Reginald De
Koven and the
wives of the cabi
net officers are es.
pecially interest
ed in her. She
recently gave a
Soncert at the ex
exclusive Wash
A'ratxxssa LAan' ington Club,
when a tremendous ovation was given
her.
Revolntionary War Claim.
A Revolutionary War claim for $400,
the special value of which was $46.09,
contracted hnder the act of 1779, has
recently been liquidated by the Treas
mry Department. The interest and prin
cipal amounted to $12,906.20.
Phenomenal.
"We have the most wonderful cook
you ever saw. You know, we only en
gaged her as a plain cook."
"Yes?"
"Well, she makes good bread."-Town
and Country.
Lead, Copper and Iron Wires.
If a lead wire will sustain a weight
of twenty-eight pounds a copper wire
of the same thickness will uphold 802
pounds and one of iron 819 pounds.
Too Expensive.
Two tons of beets are equal in feed.
lag value to four tons of hay, but its
cultivatrle has proved to expensive to
be prwstable
N I
Conclusions: "I conclude that's a fly," fc
said the young trout. "You are right, .v
my dear," said its mother, "but never
jump at conclusions."--Exchange. :
Mrs. .Kelly-So "locomor-ataxics" is g
a paralysis of the legs? Mrs. O'Toole- I"
Yis. Mrs. Kelly-What a tony name
for a plain drunk.-Baltimore World. "
"I don't believe in parading my vir- -
tues," said Blythe. "No, I guess not," t
retorted Biggs. "It takes several to ti
make a parade."-Itndlanapolis News.
"Young man," exclaimed her father,
with emotion, "do you think you can 1
keep her in golf balls at ,the rate she r
has been accustomed to losing them?"
-Puck. I
"Why is golf se much more fashion
able than croquet?" "Why, in croquet
you don't have to wear one of those !
outlandish looking costumes."-Phila
delphia Bulletin.
"Haven't you any, positive opinions I
on any subject?" "No; by not having ,
positive opinions, you see, a man
doesn't have to wear himself out back
ing them up."-Detroit Free Press.
Not Built That Way: Tess-Miss
Skrawnay is going to the mountains
this year, as usual, I believe. Jess
Yes, I believe she can't bare to go to a
watering-place.-Philadelphia .Press.
More Satisfactory: Guest-Waiter,
bring two boiled eggs. Waiter-Boss,
couldn't you take dem aigs poached?
Hit's been found mo' satisfactory all
roun' to open dem aigs in de kitchen.-- I
Leslie's Weekly.
"Lady, won't you kindly give a pore
man 9 cents?" "Nine cents? Why
don't you ask for a dime and be done
with itt" "Oh, no, lady; I know the
sex too well. I wuz onct a married
man."-Boston Traveler.
"I hear that you have compromised
your suit for damages against the P. D.
and Q. Railroad Company." "Yes."
"Advantageously?" "Very." "Whbt
were the terms?" "They paid my law
yer's bill."-Town Topics.
Abrupt Discharge: Mrs. Hennessy
01 hear Cassidy wor discharged from
the quarry. Hos he onnything to do
yit? Mrs. Cassidy-Oi dunno. Shure,
he hovn't cum down from the explo
sion.-Phliladelphia Press.
"He says he's writing for a living
now." "I believe he is." "Why, lihe
can't write." "Oh, yes. He can write:
'Dear Father-Please send me another
fifty.' He does that about twice a
month."-Philadelphia Record.
The Usual Way: Mrs. Jones-The
kidnapers have thrown two more mes
sages on to the Porkenhamm's front
lawn. Mrs. Propah Stock-There's no
use trying to keep a front lawn looking
decent if one has children.-Judge.
The Usual Way: Mrs. Jones-The
kidnapers have thrown two more mes
sages on to the Porkenhamm's front
lawn. Mrs. Propah Stock-There's no
use trying to keep a front lawn looking
decent if one has children.-Judge.
"No, sir,'' said thie prisoner, "I assure
you that it was not for money that I
robbed the bank. My object was pure
ly literary." "How can that be?"" "I
was anxious to write a magazine arti
cle on how I did.it."-Town Topics.
"Willie, shut that window screen.
You're letting the flies in. W1llie--Well,
you've got to let some of 'em in. Mam
ma-Why? Willie-'Cause if you don't
let 'em in, how are they goin' to get on
the fly paper?-Phlladelphia Press.
How It Will Soon Re: Mr. Subbubs
(pleadingly)-Can't you help me out for
a few days until I make other arrange
ments? Miss O'Rourke (the. cook)
Not on yer loife! Me toime is booked
solid for eighteen months ahead, all
one-wake shtands.-Puck.
Smith-What's wrong, old man? You
look worried. Jones-I am. You know
I had my l!fe insured last week. Smith
-Yes, but what has that got to do
with it? Jones-Well, the very next
day my wife bought a new cook book.
Possibly it's all right, but it certainly
looks susplicous.-Chlcago News.
Mr. Fiskulff (after conversing with
neighbor)-J-ohnny, whose fault was it
that Tommy Tutfin got a black eye?
Johnny Fiskuff-His own. Mr. Fiskuft
(very delitberately)-Are you sure,
now? Johiny Fiskuff-Dead sure!
Why, he left an opening you could
drive a bandwagon through.-Puck.
The Latest Fad: Mrs. Nebb-l am go
ing to an observation party this after
noon, dear. Husband-An observation
party? What sort of a party is that?
Mrs. Nebb-Mrs. Quizzer's next-door
neighbor is moving, and Mrs. Quizzer
has invited a few friends to watch
through the windows and see what
they have.-Boston Traveler.
"'tYour account of the concert last
night," said the musician, "omitted all
mention of the very thing I wanted to
see printed. The violin I played as I
was careful to tell your reporter, was a
genuine Stradivarius, and one of the
best ever made." "That's all right,"
said the editor. "When Mr. Stradiva
rius gets his fiddles advertised in this
paper it will cost him half a crown a
line. Good morning, sir."-London Tit
Bits.
A story is just now going round about
a certain well-known English politician.
For a long time he had been in the
habit of buying an evening paper in
Westminster on his way to the house,
and usually from the same newspaper
boy. One evening, however, by some
chance he had not with him the neces
sary penny for his accustomed pur
chase, and intimated as much to the
youthful news vender. "Never mind,"
replied the other; "you can pay me for
it to-morrow." "But, my boy," said
the M. P., solemnly, "perhaps I may not
be alive to-morrow." "Well." answered
the boy, simply, "if that is so It will be
so great loss, after all." The legislator
Ieked at him, gasped, and passed on
Ib Iulence.
WOMAN SILENT TEN YEARS. I
Liucretia Hillman'a Vow of Silence Be. -s
cause i.enied the Ballot.
Lucretia Hillman, "the silent wom- I
an," as she is known in the country an
about Jacobstown, N. J., where she ev
lives, has not spoken to a human being nt
for ten years. If she Is faithful to her dt
vow she will remain silent until death, be
Miss Hillman b:as taken care of her. of
self for a oqarter of a century with th
great success. She is now about 50 at
'ears old and has a mind of her own. "1
She has always held to the idea that ai
women who pay taxes should have the it
privilege of voting at the general elec- R
tions. In 1886 she refused to pay her b;
taxes and it was not until she was in
:hreatened with jail that she handed oi
over the money. st
When she had delivered the cash and ti
received a receipt for it she raised her Is
right hand and swore that she would fl
work from that day to bring about b:
woman suffrage and until the right of si
voting had been granted to women she so
would not speak a word to human h
kind. i u
Frequent attempts have been made c,
to get her to talk, but without avail. 11
She has contributed money to the cause p
of woman suffrage and feels sure that e
some day she will be permitted to vote. s,
She owns and manages one of the p
best farms in her locality. She pays a
especial attention to truck gardening g
and manages to put a snug sum away t
In the bank at the end of each year. ii
She hires men to do most of the work, p
but it is not an unusual sight to see her ti
mounted on a mowing machine behind a
a pair of horses or following a culti- L
vator through a potato field.
Miss Hillman is nearly six feet tall, c
brown as a berry, has a step as firm as a
a grenadier, and when she gets hold of c
the plow she handles it like a plaything 1
She knows all about horses anad cows t
and she isn't to be fooled on any sub
ject that pertains to farming.
GLASS AGE,
1 [nWhich Peop'e Will Use Melted Sands
for Aim at LEvrything.
A leading scientist predicts that the
new age is to be the age of glass. He
says that glass is the best substance
known to us for every kind of struc.
tural purposes, and espfecally for dwell
ing houses.
There are many ways in which glass
can be manipulated, It can be cast
into window panes, paving stones, pan
els, etc. It can be molded into cor
nices, slates, wall decorations, and
even statues.
The foundations anI the walls of a
glass house would be constructed of a
r variety of glass, recently invened, call
a ed stone-glass, which has already suc.
cessfully withstood the severest tests
e When crushed it gives a resistance
three times as great as granite. When
t subjected to heat or cold it is found
0 less sensitive than steel.
g The walls would be held together by
angle-Irons, so as to permit of a hollow
e space through which glass pipes con d
I pass, conveying hot air, hot and cold
- water, gas, electric wires, drains and
I eevrything needed for the health and
l- comfort of the inhabitants. Stairs and
balustrades, ceilings and wall decora
2. tions, mantelpieces and fireplaces
I, would all be constructed of glass.
o- The new glass house will be absolute
't ly clean, and practically indestructible.
n The whole of its surface can be wash
ed from the top story to the basement,
s without a trace of humidity being left.
r Dust cannot collect on its pclished
face, and the spider will find no place
on which to hang its cobwebs.
Much Weeping Preserves Sight.
Tears have a functional duty, like
every other fluid in the body. The
chemical properties of tears consist of
lime and soda, making them salty, but
not bitter. The action of tears on the
eye is beneficial. Their duty consists
in washing thoroughly the sensitive
eye, which allows no foreign fluid to do
Lie same work.
Nothing cleanses the eye like a good,
salty shower bath, and medical art has
followed nature in this respect, advo
cating a salt solution for any distressed
ccadition of the optics.
Tears do not weaken the sight, but
improve it. They act as a tonic on the
muscular vision, keeping the eye soft
and limpid. Women in whose eyes
sympathetic tears gather quickly have
brighter, tenderer eyes than others.
When the pupils of the eyes are hard
and cold the world attributes It to one's
disposition, which is a figure of speech
implying the lack of balmy tears, which
are to the cornea what salve is to the
skin or nourishment to the blood.
Leading Him On.
The summer girl and the summer
young man had exhausted all other
subjects of conversation, when they
turned to the, crops.
"I guess all the corn fields of the
West are in a bad way on account of
the dry spell," said he.
"Yes, that seems to be the case," she
assented, coyly; "but I don't think the
popcorn crop will be injured."
After that, what could he do but pop?
-Pittsburg Commercial-Gazette.
Expensive Canal.
To finish the Panama Canal a tunnel
four miles long, 100 feet wide and 160
feet high will be necessary. It will
cost $4,000 a yard, a world's record in
expenditure, being four times greater
than the Mont Cenis tunnel.
Population of Dublin and Belfhat.
The population of the municipal area
of Dublin, including the independent
townships, is returned as 847,104, and
Belfast is 848,965, which gives the
northern city a majority of 1,861.
"I'm not only in the soup," an un
lucky man said to-day, "but the walter
bad his uagers nm It."
PHTHIS.i8 ON THE. DECLINL
EWidence that the Complaint Is Saue
cambing to Medical T'reatment.
Mortality statistics collected in differ.
e.t countries seem to concur in giving
evidence of a steady reduction in tht
number of deaths from consumptioun
during the past half century. It ma3.
be plausibly suspected that the whole:
of the aplparent gain Is not real autt
that greater exactitude of diagnosita
and a more precise use of the term,
"phthisis pulmonalls" may explain
away some of it. Still, we may thank.
fully believe that a large part is reaL.
We obtain support in that concluslon
by the general impressions formed by
intelligent old people, who, almost with.
out exception, assure us they hear anu4
see far less of "consumption" now thaor
they did in the days.of their youth. It
Is of great interest to determine the in.
fluences which have been at work 14
bringing about this result. It may be
said at once that attention to the now
so fashionable doctrine of contagion
has had no material share in it sincer
until the last few years no sort of pre.
cautions on that score had been taken,
It is possible, but perhaps not very
probable, that the inspection of butch.
er's meat may have been iniluential 14
some slight degree. By fur the most
probable hypothesis is that the gain has
accrued from the improvement in the
general prosperity of the race which
the nineteenth century witnessed. Dur
Ing it mankind were, on the whole,,
prosperous and in most civilized counu
tries the houses, the clothing and, abova
all, the food of the community were im
proved.
To speak of England alone, those who
can remember what it was sixty year%
ago assure us that the advance in the
condition of the working classes has
been very great. The food which ls
now obtained by all is more nutritiouns
more varied and less exclusively vege*
table than it formerly was. The clothes
are better and the houses are better. Its
spite of the fact that the age has wit
nessed the influx of population into cit.
les and large towns ~nd a partial aban"
donment of the country, the facilities:
for locomotion and the cultivation by.
e both sexes of athletics an111d outdoor pur,
suits have probably secured without
diminution the advantages of fresh air,
As regards the use of alcoholic bever.
ages, the age has witnessed vast inm
it provement. While there has been no
diminution in the quauntty taken, it hal,
been spread over a larger number. Ex.
cess has become disgraceful and la far.
less common than it was, while what
may be called the dietic use has bee~.
a maintained. Th'un. then, we seem to
come to the conclusion that the reducl
tion in the pr/evalnc(ce of tuberculosia
has been due to improvement in gener.
al stamina and advancement in the art*
T of civilized life.-London Polyclinic.
Ld RECENT INVENTIONS.
y Gloves can be stretched while drying
iv by using a new device formed of a sin.
d gle piece of spring wire bent to the
d' shape of the hand and inserted in the
Id love to distend the interior.
d An improved method of preventing
d the wires of a fence from sagging con
a. sists of placing pulleys on the end posts
a to a roller, which has a weighted lever
attached to keep the wires tight on the
I rnllpr.
In a new soldering Iron the handle
forms a reservoir for petroleum or othn
er volatile oils, which are fed through
a pipe to a burner inside the head,
where the oil is changed into gas by
the heat and forced against the interior
of the tip to heat it.
Baby carriages are changed into cr8a
dies by a new device, consistilig of 4
pair of rockers connected by cross
bars, with slots cut in the bars III
which the wheels of the carriage are.
placed to prevent themi from turuing.
while the carriage is being rocked.
To prevent the tops of curtains fromn
lopping over above when they are,
pinned to the hooks a plain or wave&d
vertical extension is fixed on the face.
of the ordinary hook, on which the en4d
of the curtain is fastened, thus holding.
it up and making a neater appearance.
An improved mucilage bottle has a
water compartment surrounding the.
mucilage holder with a wick running
from the water to a perforated collar
around the neck, which is filled with
an absorbent to keep the interior of the
neck moist and prevent the mucilage
from drying.
Bamboo rods for the manufacture ot
furniture, fishing poles, etc., are re,
duced in size and shaped as desired by
a new machine, composed of a taper.
ing metallic die heated to a gray heat,.
into which the stalks are forced, the
heat melting the siliceous coating and
fibers into a plastic state.
The sides of trenches and other exca.
vations can be securely held front
caving in by a new brace, which has
a fixed head at one end to brace one
side of the ditch, while a screw is in
serted in the opposite end to carry an
adjustable head which is opened until
it presses against the other side of the
ditch.
Horses Wear Straw Shoes.
In Japan many horses are shod with
straw. Even the clumsiest of cart
horses wear straw shoes. In their case
the shoes are tied around the ankles
with straw rope, and are made of the
ordinary rice straw, braided so that
they form a sole for the foot about halt
an inch thick. These soles cost about
a halfpenny per pair, and when they,
are worn out they are thrown away,
flyer notice two men when one wants
to sell, and the other wants to buy;
bow indifferent they pretend to be, *l,
though really watching like hawk%
M lishtening like mice?
i e irst thing a young mian lew 0at
ss. igs .bow Uttie other peol m1wu