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THE IM.AZA. C AFFAIRS IN MEXICO Present Attitude of That Country Toward the Uuited States. SOT AFRAID OF ODE SEW POLICY A Tribute to President Diaz and His Successor. ?THEIR INDEPENDENCE DAY ::il i ? ?rresp*>D*ienf-e of Th** Kvenlng Sfar. CITY OF MEXICO. September 3. 1SOS. i he republic of Mexico is making exten Flve pr.-parations for the celebrat'on of Wednesday. Thursday and Friday. S.ptem ber 14. ?.rd 1*1, which this year marks the eigMy-eishth rnniversay of the dec laration of Mexican ir dependence from Spain, and the sixty-eighth birthday of Gen. Porfirio Diaz. the chief executive of the nation. The celebration will differ from the anniversaries of other years in the %!ded note of thanksgiving, sounded by reason of the achievement of Cuban inde pendence, which completc-s the dow; full of Spanish power in America, begun by the Mexican revolt of lflti. It is a sight worth seeing when the Mex ican public gives itrelf over to the observ- I ?r.ce of this, its chief civic holiday season. ?After the thorough-going southern fashion, the festivities are extended through three r.-.E-hts and two days. The chief event is hen tens of thousands of people mass 1: to the jrr. at Plaza de It Constitucion on which fronts the National Palace and the Or and Cathedral. A band of several hundred pienoc. num tho ,J?st masfclatw frrtm all th" m'l Itary zones, serenades the president and wife when they appear on the balconies 1. king out from the hall of the ambassa dors where they then hold their annual r ? pti..n to the diplomatic corps and the ? : -? of Hexiean and f.>r*-itrn society Fire Trorks torch the night, all the church belli ri: g and cai.ron are fired from the cita when the president apptars on the cen 1 Palace and giv.-s the "" , llbt-rtad. in memorv of the t'me when the . ry of liberty was first raised i< gainst Spain In lsn>. Mexico has not 'or gotten the terrors of ,he times lea-ling up to h r national Indepeadcaee in HSI, and in ,he < he.-ring multitudes still shout 1> Lth to Spain!" as did their patriotic lore. ears when the century was young. Smyputhixed Willi Ik. Tile influential Spanish colony in Mexico ha^ been so active in lis support of Spain in t!._- Cuban war that many Americans have mistakenly supposed that this Wealthy minority represented the masses ,he Mexican people, and that the sym pathies of the whele nation were for the ?* of Spain. The .truth is that the Cu ban.- and the i nited States have had no m .re sympathetic alii-s in the contest tnar: H-. majority of Mexicans, t if course torte allowance must be made for the fact f at ti. if. xic itis are bound to Spain by - "f a common language, rellci>n I . traditions. and with the same natural J-itin prejudice toward the Anglo-Saxon, n ? ri ml.ers of the conservative ??ar*v S'M.' "? tho war "f th? rnited Spates *-? ; i si .-pain the b> ginning of an mggrem *''' I" ?"'?>' ??f ex pans to.? on the part of "*'r nor,hern neighbor, and have ?id. with Spain for that reason. Hut the great er numb r of Mexicans, knowing the friendiy attitude of the United Stat -s to v. ard their own country reaiiz,. that eve-v 3tr'n*,h and power on the part ?? -he ? "eat republic" will also add to the t '?"rl'-v 3,1,1 advantage of the small r on;-. Wish.rig lo avoid foreign entariglemeiits. . ?*>??*" government has kept dis creetly silent, but no nation rejoices more heartily over the fall of Spanish power 11 Mexico, f. r her experience before in dtpendente parallels that of Cuba and all .'panish '"Oloni-s. past and present. When the Spanish ? iiqu r-d Mexico early in the sixteenth century, the native Indian pop ulation was estimate.! at W?,4*ju. Three ? ?nturies of murderous Spanish rule re duced it to the 13.1 MO**j making up the present census. Knmlty for Castile. When the patriot priest, ilidalgo, led an insurrection against Spain in 1810 he and l.is principal followers were promptly exe ruted on capture by the Spaniards and their heads were hung by iron hooks on th? outer walls of the citadel at Guana juato, as a perpetual warning of the fate of all who ever dared to speak the name of liberty. The cruelly disgrace,l heads of t h?> fathers of Mexican independence now rest in a crystal tomb under the altar of the kings in the cathedral in the City of Mexico, and when they were placed there the ceremony was attended by such an outburst of patriotism on the part of the Mexican people as could leave no doubt ? >f their underlying enmity to Castile. I.arge amounts of money and war supplies ha\ e been quietly sent from Mexico to the < uban insurgents in the past three years, as wax also done for the ten years' war en.'ing in l.sTS. The birthday of President Diaz is each ?"ar reasingly observed by both Mexi cans and foreign residents, who almost unanimously agree that he is the practical onVh'r, ?.f *!<??> in the advances accom piished in the less than twenty years In Wl.ah he has been in office Were Mexico a first-class power it is probable Diaz wou d be generally recognized as one of "*ur"s ln contemporaneous his to.j He has stamped out revolution where powder Is naturally in the blood of the people, and has made life and property in that once wild land as safe as it is ln the ( nited States, if not. indeed safer In some particulars. He has encouraged rail" roa 1 building to the extent of the nearly ih ir'a n"W PaylnK dividends to their American and European owners, and has so fostered the investment of foreign capital that hundred, of millions of Am, r ican money is now profitably planted ln he mines, mills and other industries or this country. ca A Wise President. President Diaz has built up a system of free public education, so that any one who today desires self-improvement can receive it at the public expense. The president has frequently said that the public school sys tem is one of the strong factors In his wh.^LTif futl'r"' and th<" the *3.5u0,00(> which the government Is now spending an w ill ha?!n thU of the public service ^ !"creased rather than diminished. on* haj> a more interested ob ?erver of the Spanish-American war and modern killing machin ?n than General Dtaa. He U slowi^ buiid TY OF MEXICO. ing up an efficient Mexican army and navy and is on the lookout for the latest ad vances in war ideas. Mexico is not making the too common error of buying war boats before it has trained sailors to man them. To this end the school ship Saragosso is rrnstantly cruising the seas with its ca dets under an English captain, and a naval academy is being established on the west coast to co-operate with the Chapul tepec Military Academy. It will be only a tew years when Mexico will be a definite I?owcr on the southern seas, as its present small navy is steadily increasing. Mexican Roneh ltiders. The feature of the military demonstration w hich arouses most enthusiasm in the crowds during the September celebration is the appearance of the Mounted Rurales, the "rough riders" of Mexico. They go swinging by on mettled horses, cinched under silver-trimmed saddles, and the men Wear their showy "charro" leather uni forms becomingly. This is the great an n!!a.V"oun<1"U|> of the nervy fellows who for all the rest of the year will pull a trigger on any outlaw who strikes their range, i rat is why train robbery is not at present a profitable occupation south of the Rio t.rande, the law providing that bandits may be shot on rapture, as the prelimi- ! nary step of the investigation into the af fair. Numbers of the Rurales were once 1 famous outlaws, to whom the president of fered pardon for past ofTenses if they would enter the military service, and they now do their work well for law and order. In l'too Gen. Diaz will complete his twen tieth year in the presidential offlce, wiien it is his desire to permanently retire to pri \ate life, as lie said he would do in a recent i Interview given me at the National Falace. A Mexican ItuiiKb iiider. \\ li n the corespondent asked who would be his successor as chief executive, he promptly expressed first preference for S?nor Jose Ives I.imantour, present secre tary <if the treasury, with Gen. Bernardo Reyes as his second choice. The president is a great believer in young men. Senor I.i m;intour being little more than forty years of age. Gen. Diaz is practical dictator in Mexico, and makes no secret of the fact that with him rests the choice of his sueiessor in office, he to continue for a time as the power behind the throne. It is held by many that a military ruler is still needed in the cactus republic to hold in check the revolutionary spirit so natural in ih- south*rn ruces, but Gen. Diaz be lieves that a civilian can now be safely intrusted with executive power, otherwise he would name Gen. Reyes as his fir;.t presidential choice. The Next Italer. Senor I.imantour has rendered such sig nal service at the head of the treasury department that he has gained the con fidence of all classes. Largely by his splendid financeering ability Mexican credit has been completely sustained, de spite the heavy depreciation in Mexican sil ver money, and the national budget now shows a credit balance at the end of each year. The Limantour family Is among the old est and Wealthiest in the country, and Don Jose is one of several intluential brothers being a graduate at law. During an ex tended acquaintance Senor Limantoar has frequently expressed to me his frank ad miration for Americans and the social and political institutions of the United States, lie has made a discriminating study of the I'r.lted States' system of government, and credits it with being in most respects the best the world has ever known, saying that lie wishes Mexico to grow to the same gen < ral standard. He speaks English, and has several times visited the United States, the last occasion being in the summer of 18D6, when he took notes on the silver campaign in this country. Xo Xeetl for Fear, A change in the present policy of liberal friendliness on the part of the Mexican gov ernment to Americans and American inter ests would seriously afreet the profitable ness of their heavy investments in this country; but no fear need be felt on that account If either Senor Limantour or Gen eral Reyes come to power. The latter has induced many manufacturers from the I nited States to locate at Monterey, the capital of the state of Nuevo Leon of which he is governor, that the American colony there is nearly as large as that of the City of Mexico, and numbers about people. Two older men often mentioned for the presidency are Senor Ignacio Mariscal sec retary ot foreign relations in the Mexican cabinet and former minister to the United States; and Don Matias Romero, present Mexican envoy to Washington. Both of these diplomatists are equally friendly to the I tilted States, and are counted among the strongest men In the Mexican service. EDWARD PAGE GASTON. How They Keep t'ool. From Ix>(iJon Tlt-Blts. \\ hilst the Englishman resigns himself at times of Intense heat to perspiration and grumbling, his fellow-men in the east have solved the problem of "how to keep cool" by methods as ingenious as they are varied. Of ail these delightful methods the "sink ing rooms" of Persia commend themselves most to one's conceptions of the luxurious and delightful. "When not required, these gildod. g.ass-walled palaces lloat gracefully on the blue waters of Lake Niris, the most lovely of Persian lakes. When tne heat ceases to be cumfortable their happy own ers enter the floating palaces, which are drawn by heavy weights down into the transparent depths of the lake, and with an ample supply of .iir from above, luxu rious surroundings, iced drinks and fan waving houris, the Persian millionaire who cannot enjoy - o degrees in the shade must be difficult to please. The Priuce of Agra has a similar palace moored in one of the reaches of the Jum na. Its furniture and appointments are superb; the very chairs are made of gold and Incrustc-d with jewels, and the curtains are of the most exquisite silks. On sultry days the prince and his suite enter their river palace, which is at once unmoored and floats pentlv on the bosom of the Jum na at the will of the tide, catching every breeze that blows, and gliding to the sooth ing music of harps played by fair hands. Who would not be the Prince of Agra? The "cooling galleries" of China are little less delightful as refuges from a too torrid sun. They hang suspended over rivers or private lakes, and are sumptuously fur nished with rare rugs and tapestry, set tees and lounging chairs; whilst every cooling beverage that man can devise is there in profusion. In India the well-to-do Englishmen and natives fly from the plains at the first blast of heat and take refuge in the hills, where the cool breezes blowing from snow-capped mountains drive away all thought of the simmering plains below. In Borneo the heat is tolerable in the summer?villages rising on pillars from the very heart of cool lakes. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR NOTES Tomorrow's Christian Endeavor topic Is one that all people need to learn?"Self Indulgence or Self-Denial." The Scripture texts are from First Corinthians ix: 24 to 27, and Gallatians v: 16 to 24. In writing on the topic, Rev. John E. Pounds, D.D., pas tor of the Christian Church at Irvington, Ind., says: "Seif-indulgence is moved by a desire to get present pleasure, to appease animal appetites, and to escape exertion and toil. It is sinful and suicidal to drink wine when it blushes in the cup, but not more so than to deny wisdom when she beckons, and the same spirit of self-in dulgence which would lead to the drinking of wine would turn from the pursuit of wis dom. because it requires an act of wi.l and manhood to refuse the one and follow the other. Self-denial has for its purpose the conquest of selfish and sinful desires, prep aration for service and the gaining of strength for successful struggle in the cause of right. It denies itself only that It may give itself more freely. Consecration spends not less than dissipation, but it spends to bless others, not to destroy self. Self-denial refuses to drink the wine of selfish pleasure, in order that the hand may be steady to hold to thirsty lips the water of life." Victor Hugo said, "People do not lack strength; they lack will." William Penn said, "If thou wouldst conquer thy weakness, thou must never gratify it." Beginning the first of next year, the Ep worth leagues and Christian Endeavor so cieties will use a uniform course of topics for their meetings. At the recent Christian Endeavor conven tion at Nashville a committee was appoint ed to prepare a system of topics for use at tiie meetings of local unions of Christian Endeavor societies, and it is expected that before long such unions all over the coun try will be considering in unison topics not only of interest to Endt avorers, but of good to communities as well. At the meeting of the District of Colum bia Christian Endeavor Union at Calvary Baptist Church last Monday evening Rev. Geo. S. Duncan, In delivering his charge to the newly-elected officers and committees, said he would group what he had to say under seven P's; and then he proceeded to make a most excellent and inspiring ad dress, his seven p's being present, punctual, pray r, practice, ponder, push, posted. The board of officers of the union has chosen as the union's motto for the year "In alPthy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Mr. Harry G. Kimball and Mr. George W. Stose have been elected chairmen of the good citizenship and press committees, re spectively, of the District union. The Presbyterian board of foreign mis sions has commissioned this year thirty two new missionaries to the foreign field, as follows: Africa, ti; South America, 2; China. 10: India, G; Japan, 4; Corea, 1; Per sia, 2: Siim, 2. Northern Virginia Endeavorers are mak ing great preparations for their state con vention, which assembles in the M. P. Church in Alexandria next week, the first session being at 7:3o on the evening of the 15th. A preliminary rally service will be hel?l in the Ball3ton Methodist Episcopal Church tomorrow evening, at which one or two District Endeavorers will speak. To the Moou by Rail. From London Tit-Bits It is a little startling to learn that the railways of the world have a mileage suffi cient to make a railway from the earth to the moon, and yet leave a residuum long enough to coil another railway six times round the earth at the equator. Of this enormous mileage Persia is con tent with a railway barely long enough to connect Charing Cross and Tunbridge Wells. It has but one mile of railway for every 13,235 square miles, an area nearly equal to that of Holland, or for every 294, 000 of its people. China, with its seventy-three miles of railway, is In some iespects in worse plight. For each mile of railway it has a popula tion equal to that of Yorkshire, and an area nearly as large as Belgium. Japan, with its 2.237 miles of railway, is much more enterprising. For each mile it has only to meet the claims of 18,775 peo ple, and an area of seventy-one square miles. Although it has, roughly, only one mile for every ten in the United Kingdom, it carries no fewer than 70,000,000 passen gers a year. Of the world's total mileage the United States claim nearly a half, or, more ac urately, 180,000 miles, a length, roughly, equal to seven and one-quarter times the earth's circumferei ce at the equator. In proportion to population, the United States have for each mile of railway in Russia twelve miles, in Germany or ihe United Kingdom, five miles, for each mile in Austria, six, and In France, four. Among European nations Belgium is most blessed with railway facilities in pro portion to area; and Spain halts impotently in the rear of all the other nations. During the last five years Russia has shown mcst railway enterprise, with an in creased mileage of 20 per cent; Germany follows with an increase of 7 per cent; France with 6; and the United Kingdom is content with 3. Africa has one mile of railway for every 1.210 square miles of territory. *nd Au stralasia one for every 321 square miles, an area approximately that of the county of Huntingdon. WHERE MONEY GOES The Great Sums That Americans Spend in Pari3. WE LIKE WHAT WE GET IN EXCHANGE Whether It is in Grand Hotel or Latin Quarter. CHEAP EVEN WITH TIPS Written for The Evening Star. I The about-face of French sentiment in ! regard to the Spanish-American war. exe- ' cuted in response to the demands of the Paris shopkeepers, who were alarmed at the prospect of losing Yankee custom, has | brought up a discussion of the subject of what Americans spend in Paris. Estimates have been made which, though not ac curate, show that the sum total is remark ably large. Of course, there is no limit to the sums that very rich Americana may spend in Paris every year. The Countess of Castellane. for instance, and Mr. James Gordon Bennett probably spend there, good years and bad years, a quarter of a million or half a million dollars of their great for tunes. Mr. Bennett has been known to give an ordinary cabman a thousand-franc note for driving him a few blocks, and once he added a live-hundred-franc note when the jehu protested that his fare was only two francs. It is likely that there are fifty rich Americans who make their homes In Paris and between them spend an aggregate of $3,000,000 a year. Then there are the very poor Americans, who are equally without limits in the mod esty or poverty of their Paris lives. The writer lived In Paris for an extended period on 51) francs a week, and suffered small discomfort. He was better off than many, notably t'han a student in chemistry from Colorado, who had only 50 francs a montn to spend, and managed to exist on it. His bed room was a dark closet that knew no fire, and cost him 17 francs a month. His one meal a day was had at a wine shop where cab drivers eat, and cost him 15 cents, including a slice of meat, some vege tables, a pint of bad wine and a bit of cheese. In the morning he bought himself a bowl of coffee and a. piece of bread at a creamery. He did his own washing, never entered a cafe, walked wherever he had to go, enjoyed none of the regulation pleas ures?simply wore an old blouse and worked at his chemistry. Between these two extremes there is all possible variety in the expenditure of Americans in Paris, and in their manner of living. Students in the Latin quarter will tell you that they can get as good a room as any one needs, furnished and looked after, for 50 francs a month?that is. $10? and quite a tolerable dinner, with formal progression from soup to coffee, for two francs or less. The meat served at these Latin quarter establishments is not always above suspicion, but Itv goes down well enough with the sauce ofVaiety. (tood Dinner f<w OO Cent*. There is no doubt that an excellent din ner may be had at maay places in Paris for three francs, while 75 francs a month will secure a room good enough for any one, large and well liglrted. There is one just such room at Just such a price in Paris in which James Russell Lowell used to live. Robert Louis Stevenson lived in one on the Rue Racine which tost very much less. The average dweller on the "left bank." artist or student, man or woman, will find it necessary to spend aT>out $750 a year to live , decently in Paris. There are over a thous and Americans of this class in Paris, so for them we may put down an annual aggre gate expenditure of about a million dollars. Rising now in the scale to those Ameri cans who have their own "apartments," it is to be noted that rents are very much lower than they are In New York. A charming little apartment, three rooms and kitchen, just back of the Madeleine, can be had for only 12?j francs a month, furnished. For larger apartments the rents will range up to a thousand francs a month, which amount will Insure accom modation for a large family on one of i?e ! finest avenues. And the cost of unfurnished apartments is ridiculously small compared with what < we pay in this country. In the new build ings goinlng up about the Arc de Triomphe, buildings containing the most modern im provements, small apartments of three rooms and bath may be had for 700 or 800 francs a year, while for 2,000 francs a year ] an excellent apartment, with six or eight ! rooms, may be had in a good part of Paris. There are probably 2.000 resident Americans in Paris, people in easy circumstances, who rnyy be put down as sending $2,000 apiece each year in the gay city, and that makes $4,000,000. The number of Americans in Paris who rent or own entire houses?hotels they are called?is comparatively small, and the cost j of these hotels, which are built only for the \ rich, is considerable. What it would cost per year to keep up an establishment like that of the late Or. Evans on the Avenue Du Bois de Boulogne is a matter of pure conjecture. He made his great fortune out of the Fr< nch and could afford to be lavish with it. But even Mr. James Gordon Ben nett is content to live in an apartment. What tin' TourlntN Spend. Coming now to the great army of Amer icans who do not reside in Paris, but visit it frequently, it is estimated that 50,000 of these pass through Paris every year. The chief expenses of such persons may be put down to eating and drinking, sleeping ac commodations. purchases at shops, cabs and passing pleasures. A room at a good hotel may be h>>d f?r $1 or $2 a day; cafe au lait in the morning costs 30 cents. A lunch at one of the good places costs at ' least 5 francs, usually more. An excellent dinner for two m?y be had, if the things j are chosen wisely, for 20 francs. What a man drinks at cafes and American bars de pends upon himself. A bock (glass of beer) costs 10 cents, including a tip of 2 cents; a mazagran (glass of coffee) costs 12 cents, including the tip; sirups and lemonades cost la cents without the tip, und American drinks cost American prices?sometimes a little more. It Is likely that each one of these passing Americans will spend $7 or $K a day during their stay in Paris for food, drink and bed, and that is but a small part of the outlay. Cabs at 35 cents a course. Including a 5 eent tip. or at 2 francs an hour, will mount up to 1<> francs a day, and what the pleas ures will cost and the purchases depends upen the individual case. It costs two or three francs to enter each one of the music halls, which exist vftthoiit number, and it costs a good deal more, Sometimes, to get out of them. Seats' at the theater or the opera cost a dollar 6i* two, about the same scale of prices as in New York, although; there are seats to be had for 20 cents if one will take them. Leaving aside purchases at the shops. It is safe to say that the Average American visiting Pari* for the pleasure of it, and spending only a week or two there, will distribute his money at the rate of about $20 a day, say $150 a week., for he will spend $10 extra on Sunday. And that makes over $7,000,000 a year for the 50,000 transients, if we assume that ea*ch otie stays a week. And purchases in thtj shops are still to be counted. A Costly Day's Shopping;. It is hard to estimate the amount of these purchases; some spend thousands of dollars, others spend very little. One au thentic case came to notice a few weeks ago where a young lady from New York bought seven dozen pairs of silk stockings for herself at 20 francs a pair, and the same number for her mother. That made $672 for one item of one day's shopping. Any day In the summer one will see the Rue de la Palx blocked with carriages, many of which have brought American la dies hither In search of hats, gowns, cloaks, underwear, lace handkerchiefs, etc. Indies wait in line hi the rooms of these fashion able providers for the privilege of paying from 5 to 10 louls (the louls Is $4) for a hat and from 20 to 100 louls for a gown. Some buy five hats and ten gowns; some buy more; some less. Many seek -what they want in streets of lower prices, but It is safe to say that few American ladles go away from Paris after a week's stay with out leaving behind them at least $100 for pretty things U> wear or carry home. And this outlay on their part evens up what the man wand for pleasure. Tan million dol lain a y??r in probably nr?t excessive es an estimate of the entire expenses In l'arls of our 50,000 transients, Including purchases at ?hops. Comparing the cost of living In par is with that in other great cities, say London, New York or Vienna, there Is little question that an American will get better value for his money In the French capital than In any other, much better value than he can get In New York. Rents are about one-half what they are in New York, and lodgings about one-half what they are in London. Meals at restaurants are cheaper and bet ter than in any other city. One may live at a Paris pension, with a good room and ex cellent nu-als, for $10 or $12 a week; so one can in New York or London, but the thing received will not compare with what one gets in Paris. Gloves in Paris cost less than half what they do in New York. Clothes and boots made to order cost one third less, the barber who shaves you. if you go to a quiet street, charges seven cents, including the tip of two cents, against 15 cents in New York without any tip. And so on with many things. Enjoyments for >otlilnK. Then there are in Taris inexpensive amusements without end, cafes with fine music every evening, where one has mere ly to buy a drink and listen, military bands piaylng twice a week in ail the public parks, where a chair costs only two cents, and every day cf he year, especially on Sun lay--, the wonderful and ever-varied gayt-ty of the Champs Elysees and the boulevards, which is as free as the air to every one. A million dollars would not buy this in dreary London or lazy Vienna or nerve shatttrlng New York. It belongs to the genius of the French. Suminmg up all these various items of expenditure by the various classes mention ed, and throwing in something for miscel laneous expenses It will be seen that Amer icans spend in Paris every year an amount of money somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred million francs. And this, of course, represents only the spendings of in dividuals for themselves or tliier friends: it does not represent the vast amount of merchandise purchased in Paris every year by our great importing houses. Were that included we should find our total mounting up to hundreds of millions more. So it is no wonder, to those who study figures, that the Frenchmen have been singing a sweeter song to us of recent weeks To lose hundreds of millions on the Spanish debt is bad enough, but that is no reason for courting the loss of other hundreds of millions thf.t have come from America. So the thirfty merchants of Paris have rea soned, seeing their profits dwindling, and have brought pressure to gag the ugly speaking Paris press?which was not a bad idea, either for them or for us, since it must be owned, if they like our money, we also like what they give us in exchange for it. CLEVELAND MOFFETT. EDI CATION IS ENGLAND. (?rent Progress Hn* H?'en Made in the l.nst Fifty Years. Prom Literature. But what of the mass of the people? What is education, or what passes for such, doing for them? It is more than fifty years since in England the first faint hearted steps were taken by the state to ward the instruction of its citizens?a duty up to that time abandoned to private en terprise and the strife of religious parties. It is nearly thirty years since the nation, in the education act of 1870, for the first time set Its hand to manage its own schools and inaugurated a partially national sys tem of education. The schoolmaster has since been abroad throughout the land, with the result that almost every one can read and write, and the entry "his" or "her mark" in a marriage register, once almost the rule, Is now a rare exception. By slow degrees, through many failures and mistakes, in spite of political and the ological obstruction, our education author ities have evolved a system of elementary instruction which on paper leaves little to be desired. We have, in fact, the raw material for a first-rate system of national education, and all that is wanted, In the words of a recent writer on the subject, is to make It national and to make it edu cational. How this is to be done we do not now inquire. But it is worth while to ask what has J>een or is being done?what is the effect of a!l this educational activity upon the intellectual tastes and recreations of the people? Our laborer or artisan is not yet a liter ary or even a cultivated person, nor is It either iikely that he will be, or necessary that he should be. But education is slowly widening his inteliectual horizon and giv ing him a few sips of the Pierian spring. The machinery for giving him such men tal cultivation as he is capable of is all there, and only needs to be more intelli gently applied, and for a longer period. When a more enlightened public opinion, and the inliuence and example of his em ployers and social superiors point the way, he may begin to see that it is worth his while to continue learning after he is twelve or thirteen years old. He is now the dominant factor in politics. His vote can make and unmake ministries. States men of whatever political party must give or profess to give him what he wants. A lilt ret'uretl HmiLo Game. From the New Orleans Times-Democnit. One evening while Colonel Hiche's regi ment was stationed at the fair grounds a brenzed and broad-shouldered Texan walk ed Into the office of the Commercial Hotel, and, squaring himself at a table, began the task of composing a letter. It was evi dently a hard job. He stuck out his tongue, scratched his head, changed pens a dozen times and went through all the contortions of a m: n with a bad case of St. Vitus' dance before he cencluded the epistle. Then he fished out a black wallet, unwound a strap a yard long, and extracted a five dollar bill, which he carefully folded up with the sheet. By that time the perform ance had excited the sympathetic Interest of several bystanders, and one of them pointed out the mail box in the corner. "Just put your letter in there, my friend," he said. "Hey?" exclaimed the Texan, glancing up. "I said to drop your letter in that box," repeated the other. The big in.mune bent upon him a look of unutter able scorn. "Well, I've heered tell of all kinds of city bunko games," he said slowly, "but that's the durndest barefacest one of the hull lot! Don't you say nothing, now. or I'll have to smash y'. Say, mister!" he called to the clerk, "kin you tell me where the postmaster keeps his shop?" He was given the proper directions, and returned beaming. "Say," he asked one of the hotel staff confidentially, "do I reely look as green as all that?like I'd bite at sech a game?" He was assured that he looked like a thoroughbred, and went away happy. "Hope to die if I ever give any more tips to a Texan," was the comment of the gentle man who pointed out the box. Tlie Argiiraenl Was ConvliicinK. Frcrn Law Notes A correspondent sends us the following story from Mississippi: Counsel for the de fense was addressing a country J. P. of the "old school." Said he: "I realize that I stand in the presence of a descendant of thj grand old Huguenot family that emi grated from France to escape from re ligicus intolerance. Many able jurists have sprung from that family and embellished the bench and bar of the Union. Their watchwords are honor, truth and justice, and their names ars spoken In every home. The law Is so plain in this case that "he who runs may read." Shall I insult the in telligence of this ccurt by reiterating a proposition so simple? Need I say more??" "No," interrupted the judge. " 'tain't nec essary?I'll give you a judgment." Counsel sat down, while the judge with emphasis knocked the ashes from his cob ripe and counsel for plaintiff began: "May it please ths court?" "Squire, what are you fixin' to do?" asked the Judge. "I have the closing argument," was the reply. "Well, you jes' as well set 'own. I done got my mind sot on the other side." Judg ment for defendant. Bat tire Lot One Counts. From Peek. First Spaniard?"Those Americans are slow. They cannot accomplish results as quickly as the gallant sons of Spain." Second Spaniard?"That is true. I have been watching our bulletins, and I observe that our forces gain a brilliant victory the first thing in each battle, while the Amer icans come in with a victory a day or so later." It may not be too late for Spain to mend, but she has an awful lot of mendinc to do. ?Puck. Chances of Annexation if It Were Left to a Vote. ATTITUDE OF INSURGENT LEADERS Opinions as to the Final Solution of the Problem. THE VARIOUS PARTIES (Note. Mr. George Reno, the only A men run eor renpondent who ha? remained <-"Htinuouf.lv fn Cut** since I he beginning of the war for iiMlng x-niionrr. who is the friend of I'mildent Mm>. and ?i,o was consulted l.y l'retddent M.tilnley in r-gard to the attitude of til ? Culians toward the I'ulti.i Mili-.-h. contributes the following inten sting count of the iMtiitioai situation in the island at the present tiine.t YACHT ALFREDO, Miami. Fla, Sep tember 1.?If the assurances which have emanated from Washington within the past few weeks are made good the ]>eopie of Cuba will soon have ail opporluni'y to cast a free, unintimidated vote for the first time in the history of the Island. Flec tions held in that unfortunate country in the past have been mere shams, empty tcremonials, that failed to express the de sire of the people. That which it is now expected will be held some time this fall will be one of the mojt Important events that has taken place on the islanJ. Sep aratists, annexationists, autonomists and Spaniards all look forward to It with the greatest interest and concern. The people who compose there parties are residents in Cuba, and have interests in common, but they will look at the future government of the island from entirely dif terent points of view. The separatists are the insurgents who during the past three years have been righting for liberty and independence. They are comjiosed of two entirely distinct elements: first, the old Creole population of thu Island, the aris tocracy. the best blood, the best brains, the best titizens. the best representatives of the Latin race on this hemisphere. With these people the desire for freedom, abso lute, for an independent republic, lias be come* a passion. It has been their dream and their ambition for years past. For it they have given up life, property, every thing. Numerically, they :<re probtMy lri the minority; socially, politically and in tellectually the> deserve greater cotsidei.i tion than any other element on the island. They include the Agramontes. the Cisne ros, the Uetancourts. 'he Menocals. the Castillos. the Agueros. the Moiinas. the 1 )e I.eons. the Veronas. the Massos. the tJar cias. tile Artegas. the Sanchez and yue> t das. These families own more than half ol' I he properly on the island. They have descended from the nobility of Spain; ninny of them have been knighted for acts of bravery or patriotism. The 1'roKresMlve I'urty, They are the liberal, the intellectual, the progressive people of Cuba. Many of the sons of these families have been grad uated from our universities. They are familiar with our literature, our history and our institutions, political and econom ic; they were the inspiration, the lead ers and the backbone of the late revolu tion. They adore the United States, her institutions and her people, but they will not vote lor annexation at present. With them personal pride and sentiment have played a very important part in their struggle for liberty, and although in a few years' time they will undoubtedly he the n-.ost earnest supporters of annexation, if it were forced upon them new, though well aware of the benefits accruing therefrom, it would nevertheless be unwelcome. The real secret for this is that they desire at least a brief period of self-governme-nt. To enjoy this privilege would be the greatest boon that could be granted them, and they are assuredly capable of self-gov ernment. The remainder of the separatists com posed the rank and file of the Insurgent army. Many of them are negroes or mu lattoes, nearly all of them are farmers, country people, pacificos. Ignorant and un ambitious, but non-combative, save under actual compulsion. Numerically they are undoubtedly in the majority. They have never held office, nor would they be likely to do so under an independent government. They care only to attend to their own af fairs. They may in time, with education, make fairly good citizens. They will prob ably vote against annexation. Tills class will never furnish rulers, nei ther is it likely to resist any just form of government. In evidence of the non combative nature of this element I may j state that during an intimate association I of three years in the insurgent army whiie I these men were under arms I never saw a blow struck, a knife drawn or a shot fired among themselves, nor have 1 ever heard j of such an occurrence. Tlie AiinexataoniNtM. The annexationists include a large num ber of respectable and intelligent Cubans, many of whom have spent the greater part of their lives in the United States, and who, keenly aware of financial and other advan tiiges that would accrue from annexation, are in favor of it and will vote for it at the first opportunity. They compose a worthy clement in society, and are practically American in everything but birth. Nu merically they are not large, and to what extent they may exert an influence toward winning over the separatists to the policy I of annexation it is impossible to say. They are an unknown quantity. What attitude will be assumed by the old party of the "autonomi#ta" is almost equally uncertain. The "autonomista" were chiefly property holders of the old regime. They compose an eminently respectable but not over progressive element, and they were never devoted to the inborn principles of liberty and independence. They were al ways e-ager to compromise to accept the best the present afforded and to let the future take care of itself. At heart they favored the cause of the insurgents, but they did not espouse it openly. In plain words, during the revolution most of them sat on the fence. In point of numbers and influence they exert considerable political power. Between annexation and independ ence they will probably choose the former as the easier way out. The conservative party, or the Spaniards A HKl.l'M London Fun. Villager?"I'm quite well, thank yer, ml at K, ain't yer, miss?" District Visitor?"Certainly I haven't vli Villager (after dusting chair)?"Well, y? Psalm, yer give# me a *1111110', an' then ye form an entirely different class. An to their merits or demerits, their claim* to consideration or oth. rwlse. opinions will undoubtedly differ. In the past th?y have assumed an air of superiority over all an the island, except the srmy and th. church They were the merchants, the shopkeepers the usurers, whose sole purpose was to profit at the expense of the Cuban. For centuries they have done all In their p?wer to hold him down and prevent his appoint ment to any office. Many years ag" they entered into a conspiracy with the churi h ami the state to keep him In a condition of litianciai and political slaverv Tlie> took good care that neither he nor his interests were ever represented In the cortes at Ma aria. They prejudiced the crown an ! the con h against the Culian; they bought up tho Judges and shared their plunder wlih the tonal l'o.ltli lans and military authorities who came out ostensibly for" th.- purp.we of a just administration of the Ia*s They n^hi,1f f"r ,,1!' Ulanl and did' noth ing to benefit it. Their money was si.-nt 1.1 Spain, their sons were educate.) there and helped to form the vast armv of the voluntaries. They furnished the spies. th. v built the forts, th.' barricades. th>- tr. n. ios and the trochas. They contribute <1 a !arg<i part of the funds which carried on t he *ar, Spain against the Cubans. They progressive td' unr"m?'romlsl?K ?">?! un \o Love That they are cordially hated by the Cu bans is natural and Inevitable. This Is one Of the political phases which during tho period of reconstruction the Cnlted S- it. s will find the most difficult to handle. This class numbers about L'fci.ooo. They will un vol'i'V'"1 VOt" f"r ""ncxatlon; they would ^uled bva1h '^.ru,her ,h"' 'omehv r"l;a,n8 The remark made citTof n !y -V: ''r-1 In The S will Illustrate the uncom ser^rlle ,m llH,Val spirit of th toward the Insurgents: 1 wish to <rod that th. forces of Spam h .1 hlo.vdlK.unds with which to hunt these C?1 ban curs out of their holes and tear them hmb from llm!Again. in th. cltv Pu rt? left th>e'ha ?S,'J,nlsh 'esld.nl. as his bus ri. ^ -Te fnr soho r*'marked in my Hearing. I never see my sons leave that f?ir that Th""1 ,,ut what 1 for wi h thut K ,n'ay r, ,urn contaminated * deVndence'" C ?US rot tornu'd tcao,! r of 'he school was a Cuban nez r .'m,'',', ' Wnre Ih" oPPoneuts <>* Marli n z i .impo..he support, rs ?.f W?vl,r Th?'M; fact * need no common t. I nose < uhan convicts an<l cutthroat? lih ?oa,t?Lfr?m ,h" IS,? of ^nes/anT owIri raDhv ofiTh"iil'' *ledge of the topog raphy Of the country. Incorporated with the regular army, to he afterward known nfn ^'loHtfiir" llpn<?th the dig of ^ ; discussion. That th. t.-rm* of capitulation at Santiago granted h r a >le parole and the prot.vtl.n of the i n ? | ret' in h , ru"Un"- "1,h I" rmisM.,,, retain their arms and remain in Cuba was wilY'h'V mistaken generosity wh h we Wi.l have occasion to regret In th. future GEOKUK ItKNu. MAI % III A. How This Dread lll.ea,, nf SoU fliers In t uba is Trniixuiitted. From the Sanitarian. The Madagascar campaign affords a striking lesson as regards the Importance of aerial transmission. To facilitate the transportation of baggage Into the Interior of the island the French government had supplied its troops with metallic wagon ettes. so constructed that they could be floated across streams. For one cause . r another it was soon found that they could not be used, and the construction of S cross-country road was determined upon. The young soldiers were put to the task, and bravely and uncomplainingly they worked. Soon, however, the sick list In creased and, by the time the road was tin fn * u h "8t ha<1 bw "m- aPi'al , ?" . hj ,lhe military authorities permit ted this when natives could be had to do the work it would be difficult to explain. ofT^^,iTh?ant S no rtrcurns'tancw w^,dthTsoaUmaUle" m"n * ? ,h?:r'"a,n8 m"Ht not attempt to work the ground in the Intertropical regions " writes Medical Director Maurel o th,. French navy; "it is death to them, but It does not Injure negroes or other natlv<? WT>',e ,'ou'd be secure.! for this purpose " fmhi ^ ?f aerial transmission is & ^r^rr-i 'rami.lnK [? .hv .r, .r.!,.. uiu.'.'.ul suffering the I.-ast inconvenience while his assistants suffered from chills merely be cause they did not seem to 1?- able, lit.'-rallv speaking to -keep their mouths shut " He absolutely refrained from talking so as to allow none of the miasmatic air to reach lungs through the mouth the i.a--il passages, B9 is well known, acting a? J tlve aPpa.ran,s through the .lestruc "\.at'"n "f the nasal secretions upoi at mospheric organism. ?? The Kound Hobln. From the Providence J. urual. The "tound robin." of which General Shifters division and brigade commanders made use. and which, according to report was resorted to by the tars of the navy Just before the commencement of the war as a method by which to inform President McKinley of their views regarding the Ma ne matter, had its origin several cen turi.s as? in France. It was used there bj officers of the army as a method of ex pressing their dissatisfaction with the course of the king ot his mini.Men! Hv Signing in a circular form the leaders of the movement could i.ot l?- as. ertained and su.^h'd out for punishment. The first instance on record of the use of this form_ of protest In the nuvv oc curred In l<?io. At the instigation of ihe L?uke of Buekii gham. the king's fav.rlt. an English fiett, under Admiral lientiing ton was dispatched to Kochelle to assist in the coeroion of the Protestant subjects Of Lxiiils XIII of France. Hut the Kn glisn tars, in common with their fellow countrymen, locked with favor uoon the resistance of their coreligionists against the proselyting leal of the French king and thty signed a "round robin," express ing their determination not to fire a ^hot against them, and, without waiting for a reply, they weighed anchor and brought their ships hack to Kngland. The admiral however, received a peremptory order to return to Dieppe, whereupon the whole of the crews quitted the ships without fur ther parley. There is a time in every jrirl's llTe when she regrets that she wasn't named "Lu cille."?Atchison Globe. ti II 4 Ml. ss, but 1 ain't seed you afore. Vre fresh sited you before. Mrs. Johnson." r goe ^?>Wn ere' lln' 'r*r rea<^a me a short