Newspaper Page Text
PROGRESS OF REFORM. , n- f the Beuou Why the Democratic rmrty la Entitled to tho Support or In dependent Voters. President Cleveland's brief address at the unvailing of the Garfield statue in Washington fitly and forcibly en forced the "sad and distressing lesson" of his predecessor's death. While' lie said, "American citizenship stands aghast and affrighted that murder and Assassination should lurk in the midst of a free people and strike down the bead of their Government, a fearless search and the discovery of the origin and hiding-place of these hateful and unnatural things should be followed by a solemn resolve to purge for ever from our political methods and from the operation of our Government the per versions and misconceptions which gave birth to passionate and bloody thoughts. If from this hour," the President concluded, "our admiration for the bravery and nobility of Ameri can manhood and our faith in the pos sibilities and opportunities of American -citizenship be renewed; if our appre ciation -of the blessing of a restored Union and love for our Government be strengthened, and if our watchfulness against the dangers of a mad chase -after partisan spoils bo quickened, the -dedication of this statue to the people of the United States will not be in vain." The occasion surrests a contrast be tween the situation as regards tho civil service in 1881 and that in 1887. In hi3 second annual message to Congress. December 5, 1870, President Grant rec ommended "a reform in the civil ser vice of the country" which should 'govern not the tenure, but the man tier of making all appointments." In March, 1871, an amendment was tacked on to an appropriation bill in the Senate authorizing the President to prescribe "such rules and regula tions for the admission of persons into the civil service of the United States -as will best promote the cCicieney thereof, and ascertain the fitness of each candidate in - respect to age, health, character, knowledge and ability for the branch of the service into which Jie seeks to enter;" and also authoriz ing him to " employ suitable persons to conduct these inquiries. A Civil-Service Commission was appointed, and rules were established for the filling of vacancies by competitive examina tions, which were put in force during the summer of 1872. Tho new system speedily demonstrated its advantages -over the old, and in his annual mes sage, December 1. 1873, President Grant urged its extension, pointing out that "to have any rules effective, they must have the acquiescence of Con gress as well as of the Executive." "The Forty-third Congress was Repub "lican in each branch, more tl'an two to one, but the party managers had no -sympathy with the reform, and they . proceeded to starve it to death. Mr. Blaine, as Speaker, appointed a com .inittce on Civil-Service reform, of "which that unblushing spoilsman, Gen rl Butler, was the leading spirit, and Hinder the lead of Blaine and Butler, a House Republican, by 195 to 92, re t iused to make any appropriation for the support of the Commission in 1874, -and the system soon after expired of inanition. General Grant made no further at tempt to push the reform. General Garfield's first step was a step back ward. He chose as his chief adviser the man who as Speaker had been chiefly responsible for the smothering of Civil-Service reform in 1874. With in three weeks after his inauguration ihe turned his back upon his own pro fessions in favor ot reform by an os tentatious action based solely and al most avowedly upon the spoils system. A collector in tho New York custom house was removed midway in his term, not for tho good of the service, -since it was acknowledged that ho had been an efficient and faithful official, bait for the purpose of making room ifor a politician whoso personal demand iupon the President's chief adviser must 'be paid off" at tho public expense. This "backward step was not retraced, and on the morning of July 2, 1881, tho -outlook for reform was most discour aging. Perhaps nothing short of Guiteau's .shot could have impressed the people "with "the dangers of a mad chase after partisan spoils." Certainly the .assassination of Garfield marked the turning-point in the struggle with the spoils sj-stem. In the next election of Congressmen, in the fall of 1882, the popular demand for a change was made so plain that the expiring Con grt'43, promptly upon meeting in December, 1882, took up and passed tho Pendleton bill, which its author had for two years vainly pushed upon tho attention of his col leagues. In July, 1883, tho competi tive sj-stem was put into operation. In 1884 the growing demaud for a thorough-going reform of the civil service aided in the election of a Democrat over a Republican candidate who had shown his attitude towards the ques tion when lie committed it to the ten der mercies of General Butler ten years before. - The Civil-Service sj-stem became month by month more firmly entrenched, and in May, 1887, an ex tension only second in importance to its' original establishment is made -through the approval "by the President of rules which apply the competitive principle to promotions as well as to entrance. Most important of all, this .latest and most significant action of the Presinent is criticised only by a iew Republican spoils organs, while the progressive Democratic uewspa--pers throughout tho country accept it MS one of the arguments which tho par ty can present for asking another lease ot power in 1888. ii is not yet six years siuce Garfield's assassination, but it is already evident that the lesson of that event has been mastered by the American people. The spoils system reached its full fruition in his murder by a disappointed office- seeker, and the people nave tajen -a resolve to nurse forever from our political methods and from the operations of our liovernmeni me per versions and misconceptions wwcu gave birth to passionate ana oiooay thoughts. iv. Y. rose. ORATOR KEIFER. Specimen Patisares from the Jlepnblleaa . Kx-Speaker's Garfield Oration. Wo are indebted to Mr. Keifer, of Ohio, for a copv of his oration on Gen' eral Garfield. We can not print it in fulL A lew specimen passages will -rive an idea of Mr. Keifer s oratory: . " To be esteemed a worthy citizen in th time and of the country in which he lived a man must be possessed of more fulness of life, more generosity of soul and more lore for hii fellow -men than was accounted necessary tfl good citizenship in past generations. "Citizenship in our country includes sover eignty and power, or capacity to command oi direct tho affairs of state." "A citizen of our country must be filled witlJ tho philanthropy, incident to the perfected civil ization grown up over the grave of the barbai ism of the dead past." "The people of this purified Union, being imbued with a spirit of personal integrity, d mand of the statesman freedom from corrup tion, and an exalted policy in keeping witi their own lofty character." " Garfield lived in an age and country whert pure patriotism stamped the citizen with thl majesty of greatness more than in any othei age or government." -' Art and letters may satisfy restless genius. but pbysioal heroism is necessary to inspire patriotism." He at least believed in substituting for th blind the sight ot knowledge and for th maniac the sanctuary of comfortable repose reigned over by tender, God-like care." After looking through Mr. Keifer'i address, Avhich is full of just such pa sages as these, we can readily under stand why so determined an effort wai made to deter him from appearing al the unvailing of the Garfield statue and speaking his piece. It is plain that somebody who respected GeneraJ Garfield's memory had read the ora tion beforehand. But we can not un derstand why the courts were not ap pealed to to prevent the outrage. If. Y. Sun. SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.- Chas. J. Faulkner, the new Sen ator from West Virginia, is an accom plished scholar and one of the j'oungest men ever elected to the United States Senate. St. Louis Republican. All Governor Foraker's speeches nowada3's are mailed to prominent Re publicans throughout the Union, ac companied by a portrait of the distin guished son of Ohio. Catch on? N. Y. World. i Tho discovery by Commissionet of Agriculture Colman that dogs art sometimes run through the oleomar garine churns has shocked many of the bosrus butter-makers not a little, as they were not aware that any thing so expensive was being used. Chicago Herald. A New York paper says: Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, with his ere on the Presidency, reminds one of opera bouffe." Little Roosevelt's eye on the Presidency! Does he mean to wait un til he gets big enough, or doe bethink that Presidencies come in children's sizes? St. Louis Post-Disvateh. A New York paper no4es that 'General Lew Wallace has been sug gested for the Presidential nomination in 1888. The man who suggests him lives in. Crawfordsville, Ind. So does tho General." But outside that town however, tho Wallace boom has not yet Ben Hur-ed. Chicago Times. j No Republican who opposed Mr. Blaine in 1884 will support him in 1888, and to these may bo added a large number of his former supporters who deem his candidacy unwise. The Republicans may succeed with entire harmony in their ranks, but the con tests Already in sight in some of the close States do not indicate a spirit that promises success. Chicago News. Whenever a Republican post master is removed, or the services of Republican postal or post-office clerk is dispensed with, Republican news papers publish something like this: ' Complaints about the mail service are multiplying fast. They come from all directions." And yet tin actual facts are that the postal-service is being improved every day, and the people know it -Des Moines Leader. For days - past the Republican newspapers havo been howling over the Democratic nominee for Governor in Kentucky, General Lyman Boliver Buekner,. This Democratic nominee is the man who was at Fort Donelson when it was captured by Grant; the man who sent General Grant $10,000 when the failure of Graut & Ward overwhelmed, the great commander: and one of the men who was invited by General Grant's family to act as pall-bearer at his funeral. He was a great admirer and devoted friend of General Grant. St. Louis Republican. Drawing the Color Line. It seems necessarv to call the atten tion of certain Republican journals to tne lact that even in the North the word nejrro" is sometimes SDellcd with two gs. Franklin D. Smith,' of Portland, Ore., was blackballed by the members of Garfield Post. No. U. Referring to this expression of frater nity, ne wrote: I foturht Side bv side with wtiftA mrn ttinn sat side by side with them around our camp nre men, ana color was not thought of. Our country was our thought. I was white enough then to otter my lifo for the salvation of my country, and am I not man enough to belong to Garfield Post, No. 8, Grand Army of the Re public? 11 the incident had occurred south of the Potomac Our editorial rhiintWhnlt factory would have been run nirht and day for a month, but as it occurred it, me .worta it hardly deserves ft mart mention. X. Y. Ucraid. LIME AS A FERTILIZER. A Prranaylvanla Farmer's Accoant of th Effect of It Cm. In this part of the country lime is the principal fertilizer outside of barnyard manure. As the soil is naturally very thin we have to use something from the word "go" to keep up the fertility. I th-fnk there is nothing that will, for the same outlay of money, give as much in return. If land is properly made up with lime, and then properly farmed. no one will ever live to see it need any more. Last summer a neighbor called my attentiou to a narrow strip across one of his oat fields which was three or four inches taller than the rest, and explained that the cause of it was ''it had a small coat of lime fifty-two years ago," and yet it showed on every crop to the present time. If the land on which it is applied is extremely poor and there is no sod, it should always have a little manure to put on with it to give the lime something to work on. It is rather slow in its work. You sel dom ever see any benefit from its use till you sow in clover and then break up the sod. And then thore is no crop, at least none raised here, on which it is not very beneficial. Low clay ground that is naturally wet and cold, unless perfectly underdrained, is a poor place for lime. It shows much the best on high, dry, gravely soils. If low wet ground is plowed when not in proper order on account of moisture, where lime has been used, it seems to destroy its effects entirely. Here is a mistake many farmers make. Because a neigh bor who has high land can plow, thej will too, even if the water runs aftei them in the furrow. When lime is properly applied its ef fect on the soil is something similar tc yeast in dough for bread. It seems tc give it life and make it light and mel low. But in order to get the full bene fit of it we must put it on in propei -tyle that is, we must put it on when fresh burnt; the hotter the better. Old refuse lime that has become wet from exposure is practically worthless. Il must be so you can scatter it on like flour, as evenly as possible, and thee should be harrowed in without rain. Where it is wet and lies over the field in lumps it never mixes with the sol and apparently does no good. The amount to be used depends or the former fertility of the ground tc which it is applied, the amount yov have on hand, the time you have tc spare without making your crop late, etc. The old idea entertained by oui grandfathers, that too much would kill the ground, is extremely fallacious. We have used from 100 to 1,000 bushels per acre and never lost a crop on ac count of putting on too much. Wt usually use- 300 or 400 bushels per acre, and then before we sow down in clover, give a top-dressing of manure, which insures a good eatehu Then let it lie a couple of years and pnt in corn, and we never fail to get a crop- Land that has- been limed to any ex tent is scarcely ever troubled witl worms, which is- m small item some times. From past experience I would say there is no better fertilizer for at orchard than hot lime. It promotes the growth of the- tirees Is destructivt to insects, and surely benefit the fruit Venango (Pa. J Cor. Ofiio Farmer. MEXICAN' PEONAGE. A. System of Bondage- Wlt-ieis Is Worst Than Actual Slsver. Peonage is simple- ts theory snd com plex in practice. It is- the attaching oi labor for debt. A species trf judg ment is obtained and a mam's services belong to the creditor until the debt is wiped out. So far it might be- worse, but (and here is the rub the obliga tion does not end with the debtor, but, like the witch's curse in "Ruddy-gore." becomes hereditary anl descends from father to son until satislied. This fact, and the further fact that the bulk ol Mexican peons are not the original debtors, but the descendants of debt ors, would seem to indicate that race of active prodigals had once existed in the land; but, on the contrary, mos1 of the debts are under fifty dollars. The incredible poverty and ignorance of the masses is the only explanation of this state of things. Not one in five hundred can cast up the simplest form of accounts. A peon is allowed at best only a few tlacos a day, and a tlaco is about a cent and a half. Out of this his food and clothing are charged up, and occasionally interest is added tc the original amount. So it can be readily seen that instead of decreasing, the debt is gradually growing larger and larger, and the condition of the poor wretch more and more hopeless. The further inland, the more peons, and the arable lands of Sonora and Chihuahua are tilled almost exclusivel y by them. A large farm in these dis tricts resembles a slave plantation, ex cept that no care whatever is paid to the condition of the people. They are not worth it. At the mines the same state, of things exists, and whether in the shaft or chili patch the peon works on, doggedly, hopelessly, helplessly, born to it and knowing nothing better or beyond. Food and clothing are both kept near the vanishing point, A little maize and a few chili pods suffice for one, and a pair of overalls, a cotton shirt and straw sombrero for the other. A pair of cow hide boots is the reward of merit, and as they are used only on feast days they will last a peon all his life, and probably descend witn tue peonage to his son. The women wear cheap calico gowns, and the children nothing at all. An outlay of a few dollars will clothe a Avhole family for a year, and an actual calculation shows that they consume about eight cents worth of food a week per capita. Provo City (Utah) American. A morning hand bath in cold salt water is delightfully invigorating. FINDING AMBERGRIS. Accidental DUeoreriea of a Snbetanc-a Worth Fallr as Much as Gold. Tis said that every man's chance for a fortune comes once in a life-time. Be th at as it may, the Provincetown whale men are not generally backward in grappling that chance when it does come to them. The recent rich find of ambergris by two Provincetown sailors. Captains Johnson and Maudley, at Salm Bay, West Indies, recalls to mind some interesting stories of small fortunes that have been found drifting around in West Indian waters and along the Spanish main. Ambergris is a peculiar secretion found in a diseased sperm whale, and is worth its weight in gold. It is not a buoyant article, and is only obtained by killing the whale or the wha'.e dy ing and drifting ashore, when the lump of ambergris washes upon the beach after the carcass is decomposed. The ambergris whales are usually found near the land, and when the stuff is picked up on the shore the carcass of a dead whale is usually, somewhere in the vicinity. When an apparently healthy whale is killed and on exam ination appears to have very little oil. a search for ambergris is immediately made. In appearing it is a dark gray sticky substance, and verv vile smell ing. It is principally used in making perfumes to set" the odor and as a re finer. Provincetown whalemen have always been fortunate in finding this valuable article, and have had their share with whalemen from other ports. One clear, calm afternoon a number of years ago, the schooner Gage Phillips, of Province- town, was drifting along on the whal ing grounds, when the man on look out in the crows-nest hailed the deck, as is customary when any thing is dis covered on the water, and reported to the officer of the deck a small, peculiar- looking substance floating off the port quarter, and said it looked something like beeswax, which is often found floating in those waters. The captain was called, and after looking at il through his glass ordered a boat low ered to get it. It was taken .on deck, and after examination by the crew pro nounced to be some peculiar kind oi West Indian gum, some thing; they had never seen before. After being kicked around the deck for a number of days it was thrown into the stern boat to get it out of the way and soon forgot ten. Some time afterward the Phil lips fell in with another Providence whaler and the rrews exchanged visits. WMle the two captains were seated in the Phillips' stem boat spinning yarns and talking of home, the visiting cap tain suddenly espied the lump- oi "guns." and with much surprise asked: 'What are 3'ou letting that lay around in that style for?"- The- answer was: "Why, it is- ne good, cnly wax that I am taking houie for some of the boj-s." "No good," said the other captafra, "why, i is ambergris and worth its weight 5s gold, and you had better take care-of it." It is needless to say it was well taken care of aaad when the vessel arrived home the- sale of tha lump of gumr added $6,000 to the general stock fo the voyage-. Another captain off a merchant ves sel while laying at one of the small isl ands in the West Indies, discovered a lump as big: as his two fists in posses sion of a negro who, not knowing its value, sold it to the captain for one flannel shirti and an old pair of pants. It was sold in the States for $500. An other instance is told of a Province town whaling: crew who lost their prize when almosft securedL The whale had' been killed and towd to the vessel, when one of the sailous discovered some peculiar-looking particles floating ou tho water alongside He took them np with a dip-net, aW after examining them said they looked like anibergris It was deemed worth while to make a search. 0 sticking- a spear into the part where ambergris is usually found a hard substanee- was struck. Immedi ately all was excitement. The whals was cut into and a dark gray mass about the size- of a half barrel was- dis covered. Guy ropes were made fast and an attempt was made to haul' it in on deck, but it proved too much for the men at the ropes. A boat was- then lowered anJ hauled to the spot and the- guy ropes-thrown to the men in th- boat. Before they could caixm the ropes the lead-like mass shot downward into the bottomless sea and $50,000 slipped away, leaving a mad captaiu and a nisd crew. Boston Globe. m m Metric Weights and Measures. The aaetrio system of weights and measures according to Mrs Jackson, ol the Paris Geographical Society, is now obligatory by law in the Argentine-Republic-,. Austria and Hungary,. Bel gium. Bolivia, Brazil, Chili. Colon bia, Denmark, Ecuadcr, France- and colonies Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands Norway, Para guay, Peru, Portugal, Eoumania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, with a total population of. 241.9730-lL It is optional by law tn Canada. Great Britain and Ireland. Persia and the United States, witl inhabit ants. It is often used without having le gal value in Egypi.British India.Russia, Turkev, Uruguay and Venezuela, with a combined population of 333,266,8o. The system was first established in France in 1793, and standards were adopted in 1799. Arbansaw Traveler. m m m "A young married woman in lows takes long moonlight strolls with the ghost of a former lover." No doubt il her: husband was to be apprised of hei actions he would say "it's immaterial. n You couldn't snecter to . But gnomi I matter. Korrisioicn Herald. IRVING'S BURIAL PLACE. A Spot la Complete Harmony With ta Great Author's Writings. I confess I heard not without a so cret pleasure that the relic-hunters so chip and hammer the stone that mark? Irving s grave as to make its frequent renewal necessary. It did not seem to me a grievous wrong, nor in any true sense a profanation of the grave, but rather a testimony te the lovcableness of Irving's character, and an evidence of the wide extent of his fame, that. from filling the circle of the educated and refined among his countrymen. has now come to include that lower stratum of our common humanity which has only instructive and, so to speak,, mechanical ways of expressing its feelings. It would not have been easy to find a place more in harmony with the as sociations that gather about Irving s name as a writer than the spot in which he is buried. Even to-day, with all the changes that have been brought about by the growth of the neighboring settlement, the spirit of peace and quiet that used to brood over the region hov ers there undisturbed. Irving's own words in the "Legend of Sleepy Hol low," describing the grave-yard, the old church and the stream that plaj-s about its feet, reflect with the faithful ness of a mirror the scene as we behold it to-day. Here is tho church, a small building, with rough sides of the country stone, surmounted by a picturesque roof, and witn an open bell-turret, over which still veers the vane pierced with the initials of the Fred- crick Velypsen who built tho church and endowed it in 1699. In our rambles about the grave-yard we used to find the bricks of light-colored clay brought from Holland, and of which, so tradition said, the church had been originally built, or which had, at any rate, been largely msed in its con struction. The church was seldom used except in the summer time. On communion Sunda-s the handsome seventeenth-cen tury Jacobean table of oak bronglit from Holland, where plenty like it may still be found, was set oust,, a it i to- daj", with the plain vessels of silver presented by Queen Anne," as the formula goes, that used to please my childish taste for things that had about tbem the flavor of old daysi. The same budding taste- for antiqui ties led me and some of my schoolmates to the old grave-A'ard, where-we- hnnted up the oldest tombstones, scraping- oft; the moss and lichens to decipher tW names and dates, and enjoying many ai laogh over their carved ornaments. scroll and cockle-shells, and sturdy, dew-lapped, Dutch cherubs, with their stumpy little wings scored like- checker boards- for plumage. Many of these gravestones were said to be imported. from Holland by the early settlers,. ILL the biaek3 of which the church was built, the table in the church, and nnuehi of the furniture to be found ui-tlie far Re houses of the countr3--side,.ohairs aud tables, clipboards, and even looking glassesv Tbe carvings, memorial vei'ss- aad Scripture texts upon those toml- stones were cut by the most skillfuL workmen) orcr-seas, and tne names and dates weire- filled in here at home as-ojo- c:sUn (called. Century. FRATERNAL ORDERS; BKensbhtpr the More Prominent A merS- oauB Iteneflcial Societies.. The following is about tho- members- ship of th beneficial orIurts- of. tha; countryr A fiX. TJ. W JTT.OOU K. al H 180,000 Kojtal Arcanum American. Legion of Honor. ....M.UXl Ksights. and Ladies of Honor 40.0U1 United American Mechanics...- 40,000 Chose Friends 30JXIO EoyalXfemplors of Temperance Equitable Aid Union ll.OOO Knights, ot Pythias. E. ft, - lOM Onlre ITniied Friends - lii,00ft SeJact Knights, A. O. U. W 11,000 Knights of 3accabees lftOOG United Gcdfir of the Golden Cross SMXX1 Knight oft tke Golden Hall ,0)C. Empire Order of Mutual Aid . United, Order of Honor 7,000 Nj-tiotuiJ. Union C,00C Hme CLnclfe. &,00fl Independee-t Order of Foresters 4,0uC Knights. e Columbia 2,0Ut Various other fraternal benettclal orders.. estiuxiteti 50,00C Gr&4 Total - 736.uiJC The estimated amount of life benefits carried by the membership is about two billion dollars, and the amounls paid widows, orphans and: dependants an- jf nually, will reach ov.w twelve million dollars. Bee Hive. An Insurmountable Obstacle. Ieorge, we must part forever." "I am not surprised. 1 exacted tti blow," said Georgav disconsolately, as he leaned his hancisome heal against one of the marble-pillars of the rit-hly furnished drawiaj room. "You iov.e rae not." 'Indeed. I da3re you, Lmfc 'You love mut Then what can pre vent our speedy union? X'ou can not hesitate becaue of the difference- in rank. You Ljlwav that lr.e levels- all ranks. " .No, Augcttf-rns; there; is one- species of rank thatWve is po werless to exert any iiillueMce-ovcr." "Wh.it.if5. that, darling?" That horrible scct of onions on vour brtatb-" Merchant Traveler. A ffouring mill in Oregon pays an adjac-eat saw mill fifty dollars a day for its sawdust, wkic-h it uses for fuel in its big furnaces Their fuel cost them one hundred dollars a day before they found that they could burn what most Western saw mills throw away. IT. Y. Sun. Tout thousand pennies were given at an Easter collection in one of th churches in Kingston, N. Y. It Wok ozue time to count the coituv PAGAN PLAY-THINGS. How the Chinese Children o Saa eiseo Amuse Theiiuelres. . A peep into the play corner of m Celestial juvenile makes plain the fact that few play-things iuflico for th pleasures of the youth of the Flowery Kingdom. Dolls there are, to be sure, but the girls make very little of them, and they are often petted and patted by the boys. There does not seem Jo be so much of the make-believe among th childish players of Chinatown as there is among white children. Al though a joss appeals to their imagina tion, a doll is only a dolL This may be accounted for by the fact that abowfc the time when they would naturally begin to take most interest in wax features and saw-dust bodies, their at tention is called to dolls of flesh and blood. Hardly has the female Mon golian fairly begun to steady herselfc inher clumsy shoes and she is made a saddle-horse for the month-old tots ol her own or some otner lamuy. Sometimes the motherly-looking littftj maid who bends her back to the daily task of giving the baby an airing has such a tired expression of countenance that it would appear to be only fair, especially in view of the disproportion o of burden to bearer, that places bo changed for a time. But, besides the hnman plaj'-things, there are odd puzzles to be put to gether or 6trung into certain shapes, gorgeous glass marble to roll about, balls with strings attached so that they may not get lost, and colored blocks with which to build wotulerf ul houses, bridges and towers; diminutive junks to pull about on the floor, and small mirrors in which to scan small yellow features and narrow black eyes. Th abacus, or mechanical counter, i placed in the hands-of the youth at a very earl' age, and it is wonderful to Americans how quickly mathematics are mastered in this manner by little fellows hardly knee-high. When kite-flying is-to-be considered, the Chinese of any age are always i. :i .1 ri.i i .i light in sailing paper dragons and bird as boys of ten. But thisdoes not detract from the pleasure of tie- boys-, win unwind the kite-string and watch their cherished toj- float awaywith an inter est that flags not with each successive aerial flight. More Chinese kites ar flown by American boys- in; San Jfran Cisco than in any other- city in the United States, but one is not often aifV forded tho spectacle of. a. Celestial youth flying a kite event ihi this- cos mopolitan place, as they are usually sent np from the roofs of buildings. ut of view of the street. Top-spinning is a favorite- amuse ment, and in this the Chinese are ex perts. The length of time- in which, ahey can keep the humming.objeet. ii iiiotloa is quite remarkable.- Chioc-se boys from eight: rt twelve-years- oi age play an odd game with sticks-of wood about three feefclongj. A stick, is grasped near the middle ami tiirowni sideways, the object being to orosrsrfl upon another stick lying u pon tile ginoand. The secret ef: the game- anu tue- points to De maae nave iieveir been Baaatered bj- the Aiaerican boys who hang about the outskicte-of China towiu. The small CalifornaamvotesitJ a verydhnll play and can sot see what, there- is in it to arouse tliA-onthusiatiuti of tiie-y-oathful heathen. - There is a Chinese game,. however;. that nerer fails to arouse the interest, and envy of the white- boys. It i.--playedl with a loaded corkbestuck withi featheKSw The game is to- keep the oorkiathe air. The first player throws, up tha shuttlecock and leforo-ifc again reaches the earth he twi-tshis foot and! gives the- descending objpat'a-kiek with-. his-ha-)l which sends it up-into the air;, sometimes as high as twenty feet. Wh'en: it descends again he "i-i as. to-keep it within range of his heeliasslontg 3 pos siblevbuk the play sooa-fails to be ex clusive;, other boys standing. anxiously about! manage to get iu.kick.at it, send--ingrifc away from the flrstrplayer, who them jjoiis the outskViKH in: a generali scramble to gain possession. Somr times in the heat of the-nlar, when tho ecowd . bunched to-ptheiv. the shuttle eoekis struck by the hand but that-. it not allowable unle.'-itiis-in danger-of poaching the ground! before the heeL aan strike it Expert nJayers kaep tiieir-Lands in theiirsleev-bs, hitting; Uie feathery object only with, the heeL,andl thus keeping it f mm, t!e ground! for hours at a time. (Sreat skill is noeas sary for this gan.rev.and where .Ameri can boys have andeituken to play ii with the heathen theyh:ure always. cut a &oxry figure. SituFrcMcisco Cbtonuile. How HainP4n-i Are Mdfo.. , The machinry. UM.d in the. maniUfjAC tnre of hair-pins- is of a dt-lSoato- and intricate character, as tho prices at which pins are scJd nectefeiitat tho cheapest anil most rapid process which can only b-t procured by automatic machines. The vrirc is node wspress ly for the -urpose and pat up. ia large colls, which are placed in a clamp, which carried it to the nxac-tine while straightening it; from there- it runs in- to anotluer machine, which i-uts, bends, and by a delicate, iit-itantanoous pro cess sliarpcns the points, liunning; at full sj-eed these machines will turn out 120 hair-pins every minute. To econ omise, it is necessary to keep them working night and day. The diflicult part is the enameling, which is done by dipping in a preparation and baking in an oven. Here is where tne most0 careful attention is required, as the pin must be perfectly smooth and the eu- amel have a perfect polish. - Tha slightest particle of dust causes iniper-. fections and roughness, which is ob lectlotiable. Boston Budget.