4 4 V- €1)t iDcmacrat. BBOHSOV ft GABH,iPaMiahan. MANCHESTER, IOWA. The o)icn door lu China gives tlie dowager empress a chill. Messenger pigeons being used In war Is quite a contrast to Noah's dore busi ness. It used to be the strong brain that told In college work. Now It is the husky right leg. There are different ways of hauling people over the coals. One is when the dealers run up prices. In Kansas they are making sausages of rabbits. However, hairs In sausage are not altogether a novelty. Considering the marked falling off in marriages Instead of wedding marches It looks like popularizing "Tlie King of the Union." few women have yet attained to the degree of wisdom that Inspires them to save up their rainy day skirts for a rainy day. Scientists say that in future ages all people will be brunettes. We suppose this will be due to the passing of the white horse. Another college student has died from the effects of hassing. When will stu dents learn that brutality Is a crime except on tlie, foot-ball field? The "automobile face" is said to be worse than tlie "bicycle face." The wearer looks as-If lie had suddenly been 'aroused''from a nlgbtmareless sleep. Tlie Chicago man who speared a waiter through the lungs with an um brella, made a )vrong use of tlie article. The umbrella was designed to sited water, not blood. It will always be a puzzle to think ers that If 800 shots are fired for every person killed In war, why there Is such a. big percentage of loss from acci dental shooting In the hunting season. It la reported that Great Britain wants to buy the .Galapagos Islands. This must be a mistake. If Great Britain wanted them she would first to get them by sending surveyors there. Hetty Green says.no way has ever been-loTCntad-to prevent people from throwing away their money. It Is gen erally understood, however, that no rach Invention »would be of the slight est use to Hetty. The Queen of Holland Is reported to be engaged to Emperor William's old est boy, but It isn't likely that they will be married if the young lady finds out that such a union would be agree able to her ministers. The 10 per cent, a week syndicates offer a brilliant opportunity to get something for nothing, but, unfortun ately for the credulous investor, the Opportunity is afforded only to the men who run the syndicates. Gov. Bradley of Alaska asks that the ,_*crfltory be granted statehood and an appropriation of $110,000 for a peni tentiary. With such Improvements the Governor apgafff to bellev^that even In Alaska almost all the comforts of home may be obtained. A New York woman arrested for keeping chickens In her rooms sup posed they were no worse than the squawking parrots and barking dogs of the other rooms of an apartment house. Why should there be so much difference of opinion as'to pets? Think of a promoter In the Intelli gent city of New York inducing people to give up their money by promising them 620 per cent, a year! Evidently, If you want to hoodwink people, you want to hoodwink them well. If he had only promised a return of 6 or 10 per cent he would, In all probability, have secured few victims. There Is an Immense amount of attraction In a gold brick. The head of .a large corporation says that he Is tired of having letters in volving thousands of dollars delayed .because his stenographer's feelings •were hurt by a reproof for tardiness. The remark sheds light on the fact that .many corporations are supplanting women by men employes. Too many women have yet to learn that business la business, not sentiment, and that places are held. If not always won, by business qualifications alone. The humorist's assertion that talk Is cheap, women half price, seems In the whirligig of time to have brought iu Its own revenges. At the recent In ternational Council of Congregatlonal •ists, every speaker exceeded the time allotted him, thus encroaching upon •the privileges of his successor. At a subsequent meeting of a State Feder ation of Women's Clubs, only a single speaker overstepped the limit of time, and the exception was a man! The necessity for some cliauge In foot-ball rules may be seen when It Is noted that In proportion to men en gaged In action there were more casu alties reported last'fall from the cam paign on the gridiron than from the war being waged lu the Philippine Islands. Twenty-two men engage In a foot-ball game and the contest wages for an hour and a half. The casual ties in killed, wounded and disabled will average 20 per cent., which,- we -believe, Is very much greater than have marked the-fierce and bloody battles of the world's history. True, a man Is not killed In every game, but the death list, nevertheless, Is far too heavy. As for broken limbs and noses and ribs and collarbones, these are but in cidents to the sport There are other BUI Anthonys. Brave men who have faced dangers In flood and field, but tind the everyday strug gle of life more menacing, more trying than facing shot and shell. And there .• are many men and women who have 'i HI? nothing more heroic than to "keep t_ ,'J.ji the procession" until now, but who reel" discouraged and are not sure of the future. To all such It may be said that, however safe and easy our VilWsterlty may find the path of life. In Ifyiys -to come when perhaps justice !tind order reign, the cobdltlons to-day glvea splendid opportunity for charac ter-forming. feto this cause we should deem ourselves fortunate that we live in :m icge of stress and strife. For this nwun we should set ourselves stead f**Uy to our tank!!, liQtyftvef hard. Mark Tapley, one of Dickens' cleverest creations, accepted every hardship and trial as an opportunity for gaining credit to himself for cheer fulness and helpfulness. That is the spirit in which we can succeed. This Is the Ideal which we can carry with us In dally life and conquer. Our new Department of Agriculture, which, when first authorized by Con gress, was regarded by many as likely to prove more costly and ornamental than useful or pro 11 table, is gradually justifying its creation. While tlie ex periments In agriculture carried on un der Its supervision may not have been of great practical value to the average American farmer, the Information It collects and furnishes to the public in Its monthly bulletins and annual re ports Is worth many times the cost of collection and publication. It is well known that we raise cotton, wheat, corn, oats, various fruits and meat products to supply the deficiencies of the rest of the world, but It is not so well-known that we Import $200,000,000 worth annually of the agricultural and forest products of other countries. Tile annual report of the Department of Agriculture for the present year pre sents this fact In clear and unmistaka ble figures, and the mere statement In dicates that there Is still a vast profit able and unoccupied field waiting for the American farmer. The bulk of these Imported products, which include coffee, sugar, India rubber and a dozen varieties of fruit are chiefly grown In tfopical countries. With our recent ac quisitions iu the West Indies, Philip pines and the Sandwich Islands we are prepared to engage in the production -of all these articles and the $200,000, 000 prize Is certainly worth striving for. As a prerequisite to success In tills llue tlie American people should cultivate a little more pride and faith iu American products. We arc Im porting and using very inferior Amer ican wine, which Is exported first to be furnished with a foreign label when we could get a much better article at home If we were willing to be known as consumers of home-made wines. There Is little doubt that we can pro duce figs, dates, prunes and other fruits which we now largely Import Oranges of the best we already grow In Florida and California, and with our new West India acquisitions all our tropical fruits can easily be of the home grown varieties. And why should we not be able to supply our own wants In the shape of coffee and tea and the sugar to sweeten both within a«very few years? The fault of the American farmer to date has been his Inclination to confine himself to the cultivation of a few staple crops, with which lie often overstocks the markets. There should be greater dir. versify In his farming, and the reports of the Department of Agriculture point out very definitely the field In which this diversity can be profitably exer cised. American farmers cannot study these reports too carefully for their own prosperity. WEAPONS OF ANIMALS. Claws, Teeth, Hnm.and Hoofs All Come Handy at Times. Many animals, Including both those that kill and those that are killed, are endowedwlthspeclalmeans of offenslTe and defensive combat. The latter are often furnished with weapons of effec tive value, such as the horns of cattle and goats and the hoofs of horses, seys the Philadelphia Times. Even someof the largest animals, which are not carnivorous and may be said to have no enemies, possess special organs that they can use for Inflicting wounds. Such are the tusks of the elephant the horn of the rhinoceros and tlie antlers of the moose. Their primary purpose, however. Is to aid In procuring food and In cleaving a way through forest and Jungle. With beasts and birds of prey weap ons of attack are Indispensable. Amoug tlie most highly developed are the retractile claws of the cat family, the cutting and tearing feeth of the wolf family and the talons of eagles and hawks, liven iu lower forms of life we tind highly specialized weapons, chief among which are the fangs of venom ous serpents and the stings of bees, wasps and hornets, rendered far more effective by the presence of a powerful and s-metimes deadly poison. While noting the liberal endowment of creatures that prey up:.u animals, we must not lose sight of the fact that certain vegetarians are also well equip ped with weapons of combat. The males of the bovine and the goat tribes In the wild state use these weapons largely in their combats with rivals of their own species, while the females employ them chiefly In defense of their young. The bull fights with the head down, often with the eyes closed and the horns, being usually short and nearly straight, can lie used only one at a time, aided by tlie toss of the powerful neck. The horns of the cow in all the com moner breds are turned somewhat for ward so as to be of the utmost service, and the faithful mother fights for her calf against dog or wild beast with her head raised and eyes wide open. A stag brought to bay sometimes presents his antlers to the hunter. With some species these branching horns are shed at certain seasons, and during their renewed growth are for a time soft and useless as weapons. They gain strength and toughness at the season when rivalry and battles between the males are ill order, and it is, therefore, natural to Infer that the autlers are Intended chiefly for this purpose. Against many foes however, man In cluded, the deer family find their best weapons In their hoofs, with which they strike and cut as with knives, sometimes killing dogs, wounding hunt ers and at other times cutting colled rattlesnakes into pieces. iffpf Advice i'roiii tlin Gallery. Of the Dublin gallery boys a famous baritone, iu his reminiscences, tells some facetious tales—one of "Faust" In which he played Valentine. After the duel, Martha, who rushed In at the head of the crowd, raised his head and held him In her arms, during the first part of the sceue, aud cried out, In evident alarm: "Oh, whut shall 1 do?" There was a deathlike stillness In the houBe, wblcli was Interrupted by a voice from tlife gallery calling out: "Unbutton his weskltl"—London Spare Moments. hp.uii ir *s a Charlt-ible People. The Spanish are among the most charitable people on earth. Without a poor tax, Spanish communities of 50, 000 self-supporters feed a popular population of 5,000 or more. Because she didu't want shotgun wheu she was a little girl, mother UBU't understand why lier son wonts a shQtguu. This Is mi'iisprjug pthej' peo ple 1» your half bush«l. CRIMINAL AGGRESSION. President McKlnley has undoubtedly been guilty of criminal aggression In his assumption of war making power In the Philippines. Iu December, 1898, the Presideut instructed Gen. Otis to enter upon a war of conquest and sub jugation. This was before the pence treaty with Spain was signed. Referring to this fact, Francis A. Brooks, a well-known Boston lawyer, says: "But the crowning offense of Presi dent McKlnley in this matter Is the use made by hlni of the treaty-making power as the means of acquiring from Spain dominion and ^control by the United States over the political condi tion of a remote people against lliclr will, and by employing the army and navy to accomplish that end. We sup pose that the treaty-making power wns conferred on the President by the con stitution In the Interest of peace, and that It is a gross abuse aud perversion of that power to employ or avail of it as an excuse for subjecting an unwill ing people to the dominion of the Unit ed States, as is now being done by the President." President McKlnley has taken upon himself a fearful responsibility. A re sponsibility ungrnnted by the constitu tion and unapproved by the people. There would have been no war In the Philippines if McKlnley had offered the same terms there which were granted to the Cubans. Upon MeKlnley's con science must rest the burden of caus ing the (lentil of thousands of Ameri can soldiers and the expenditure of hundreds of julllious of the people's money. It Is vaiu for the President to claim in his message to Congress that he has simply been engaged in maintaining tlie authority of our government. He has made war without authority, aud Con gress, with which body the war-mak ing power rests, should recognize this fact and demand an accounting. But should Congress fail to do this, owing to the fact that It Is now a creature of the Republican administration, the peo ple will not fall to make such a de mand and the result of the Presidential election of 1000 will lie to deprive Mc Klnley of any further power to usurp authority and to court criminal aggres sion. Farmers and the TrUBts. Do the farmers realize that the Re publican party proposes to keep the trusts in power? Realizing tliis, do they not also realize that they are taxed by the trusts much more heavily than by the Government, and that to vote the Republican ticket Is to vote a contin uance and an Increase of tills tax? Take the matter of steel nails. Last year before the trust was fully organ ized the farmer sold his wheat for 65 cents a bushel and bought a keg of nails, needed on tlie farm, for $1.65. How Is it this year, when the Republi can party has encouraged, fostered and protected the nail-trust? The farmer sells his wheat tor' 02 cents a bushel and pays $3.85 for a keg of nails. Some how or another: tills farmer has been cheated out of ttjgee bushels and a half of wheat. Whoald it? The Republi can part}', which upholds the nail truBt. Another Illustration of just how these lovely Republican trusts work Is given by the Cincinnati Enquirer as follows: "The workingman, earning $0 a week, who last year put a tin roof on his front porch, paid $2.45 for the box of tin, and had $6.55 left out of his week's wages. This year when lie put a trust tiu roof on his back porch he had to pay $4.85 for the box of tin and had $4.15 left out of his week's earnings. That man has no doubt discovered who stole the $2.40." With these facts iu view, what arc the farmers and the worklngmen going to do about the matter? It would seem the course of wisdom for them to vote against the Republican party, which Is taxing them to the very limit of en durance. They know that they can hope for nothing but a continuance of this taxation as long as the Republican party remains in power. Will tliey con tinue to aid the oppressors anil to place the yoke on their own necks? Kileuima of the Protectionists, There are "things working together for good iu our tariff system. We are pleading with the strongest for the the open-door policy. Can we justly prohibit trade at home which we de mnnd abroad? We are seeking a world market for our manufactured product. Will our people submit to paying more for any of these products at home than they are sold for abroad? We are competing successfully with the so called "pauper labor" of the world. Will we at home believe It Is longer necessary to protect ourselves against it at home? We are aroused by the exlsteuce of I rusts we are determined to control or destroy them. Can we do either when, aud so far as, they un protected by our tariff laws? We have for these many years paid bounties to all sorts of private enter prises, Indirectly and lu unknown amounts. Tills tax was paid by tlie consumers In proportion to their neces sities, and not In ratio to their ability. We are now asked to pay a bounty di rectly to ship owners out of the com mon treasury. Will the people stand It? The beneficiaries of the old sys tem are grown bold and ask from the treasury as a right what they have before taken Indirectly from the indi viduals. All these things and more are driving tlie system of protection to tlie wall. McKlnley did not eyen men tion It iu his message. Protectionists are driven to a dilemma from which they cannot estape. The territorial expansion has forced them to it Trade expansion would have done It, any way. They cannot advocate either ex pansion and hold to protection at home.—Milwaukee Journal. Seamen Denounce Ship Subsidies. The action of the National Seamen's Union, at the annual convention In Chi cago, on Saturday, may cost the Hanna Payne ship subsidy bill the votes of some members of Congress who bad been won to lis support on the suppo sition that it would be popular among the seamen, as well as among the Inter ested ship owners and shipbuilders. One of the strongest claims made for the bill Is tliut It will tend to build up the mer chant marine of the United States, and so give employment to a great number of American seamen. Special efforts have been made to secure the support of the labor Interests for the measure on that ground. That element of th« labor clasii most directly Interested, the se&men„«?annot be brought to look at 11 In this light. At the national conven tion a resolution was adopted severely eopdetjiaiug tbe scheme and declaring it "vicious, uncalled for, and of oo ben eflt to labor In this country." President McKlnley strongly recommended the principle of the bill in his recent mes sage because it would bring "more work and wages to our countrymen." He will be paiued to learn that the class of "our countrymen" he supposed would be most particularly benefited with "more work and wages" emphatically deny his proposition and reject his pet measure as "vicious."—Cleveland Plain Dealer. How "Opening the Mills" Has Worked* McKlnley hit upou a happy phrase three years ago, designed to keep the attention of the voters away froiu his attitude ou the silver question, it was to the effect tlmt it would be better to open the mills rather than to open the mints. For a while after MeKlnley's election the process of opening the mills went on—not due in any wny to his election,, but beenuse the Uulted States was par ticipating in the world-wide recovery from seven years of lean picking. As soon as possible McKiuley pushed through Congress a bill for higher tar-, iff protection, the trusts spruug up In a nlglit and the process of shutting down the mills wns begun and Is In operation to this day. Scorce a day passes in which some trust does not shut down a few mills for the sake of limiting the output, creating an Inade quate supply, aud thus giving excuse for high prices and increasing prices. Consolidation of office forces, reduction of number of traveling men, economy In rents, reduction of advertising, and many other means have been employed by the trusts to mnke more money with less expense than formerly.—Helena (Mont.) Independent V*?.' "I'll take care of you, grandma!"—St Louis Post-Dispatcli. Polygamous Utah Office-Holders. A full disclosure will revenl that Mr. Roberts aftm all had sufficient reason to belteve that, his plural wives would not bar him from Congress. The State of Utah Is full of polygamous office holders aud Presideut McKlnley has, over tlie protest of citizens, selected polygainlsts for important Federal of fices. All this was known to Roberts,, and why should he alone be barred?—?1 Denver Post. WOULDN'T FORFEIT GOOD NAME Mistake of a Woman that Helped a Church Out of Difficulty. The mistake a lady recently made caused her husband to pay $450 more than he had expected, but resulted in a large increase In the fund being raised to pay off a debt on a local church. The lady Is the wife of one of the best known coal men In this vi cinity, and at the time she made tlie mistake she And lier husband were at a meeting of the church, of which they are members, in a near-by town. The meeting had been called to raise funds to pay off a pressing debt "against the church. The minister made au appeal to the congregation for money and appointed a committee to take around paper for subscription.' As the member of the committee came near the coal man he said In a whisper to his wife: "Put your, name down for fifty." The wife wrote her name and placed the figures opposite, and when the paper reached the minister he looked over the congregation and, with a smile, said: "I am delighted to see that Sister Smith has so nobly responded to the call I made and to the needs of the church. She has put her name down for $500, and it is the largest sub scription on the paper. I know many of you are worth more than the lady who lias so nobly shown her love for the church, and I hope you will strive to emulate her uoble conduct. To give you a chance I will again pass around the subscription paper, and I hope none of you will fall behind our generous sis ter." Willie the paper was being again passed arouud the husband of the lady became very anxious, and, turning to his wife, he said: "How much did you put down?" "Well," said the wife, "I iu tended to put down $50, but I guess 1 put one cipher too much, but for goodness* sake don't let them know that I don't know how to write $50." He did not and paid the $500, and when tlie subscription paper was re turned the second time the subscrip tions had been largely increased.—Pitts burg Chronicle-Telegraph. Rigid Tnfct lor Matrimony. Both In the northern and western isl ands of Scotland the uatlves have some peculiar customs unfamiliar to the dwellers of the mainland. One of these, known aB the "marriage test," Is practiced In the Island of St. Kllda, where the populallun barely exceeds a hundred. The desire amolig the Island ers to Increase this number does not seem to be exceptionally strong, and every man before be is deemed suitable for a husband has to perform an evolu tion with no little bodily risk. The St. Kildans are, of course, adept rock climbers, and the aspirant for matri mony is therefore subjected to the test of balancing himself on one leg on a narrow ledge overhanging a precipice, bending Ills body at the same time In order to hold the foot of his other leg In the hands. If found lacking In courage the maiden withdraws her betrothal, and should the man fall over the ledge, It is presumed that, iu his case, he will be disqualified. Choice of Victims. New drummer—I can sell a big bill,of goods to any man on earth. Proprietor—That's all right,'-*''but don't exert yourself to sell goods to any man who hasn't got money. Coffee was not fcnowa to the Qmlc* or Rogaui. POTTER PALMER, OF CHICAGO. He Is Much More than the Husband of a Famous Woman. The newspaper reading world knows much abont Mrs. Potter Palmer, of Chlcngo. She sprang before tbe public eye ns the president of the Woman's Board of Managers of the World's Fair. More recently, her successful manage ment of the love affairs of Count Can tacuzene and Miss Julia Grant her niece, has kept alive the public Interest lu tills forceful and attractive woman. Like Mary Ellen Lease, she eclipsed her husband, of whom little ever ap pears In print. And yet Potter Palmer Is a great business man, one of the real makers of Chicago and a power In the financial world—one of those silent forces, which contribute so much to tbe world's progress. Potter Palmer was a young man when he located in Chicago fifty years ago. He invested a tew thousand dol lars In a dry goods store and soon had the cream of the city trade. His sur plus cash went Into real estate and the soil wns fertile. He was a wealthy man wheu, at the close of the war, he took Into partnership with him Mar shall Field aud Levi Lelter. State street now Chicago's leading thor oughfare, was then a narrow, dirty lane. Lake street was the commercial center. Potter Palmer proposed to make State street the commercial cen ter. Men ridiculed him, but he went over to tbe despised street, bought a mile of frontage and commenced buildt. Ing commercial palaces. His firm oc cupied the first and other firms quick ly took others. When the fire of 1871 came, Potter Palmer owued thirty-two buildlugs on Slate street. All were de stroyed. He borrowed $3,000,000 and rebuilt them, better and stronger than .before. Then he looked about for a spot where he might build a home. What Is now the inngnlficent boulevard known as the North Shore drive was then a heap of sand. Hero he built and sold adjoining property to the best class of people. The boulevard Is the result Then he built the Palmer .House, Chicago's finest hostelry In his day, which It Is npw said he will tear POTTER PALMRR. down In the near future nnd erect In Its stead a commercial palace. These are a few of the Ihlngs he has done for Chicago. He has never de sired political honors, never sought them. He might have won honors In this field, but (hey were not to his lik ing. He has preferred to be the simple business gentleman, eager for the wel fare of his city, building always for the public weal as well as his own .good. His later years are spent In the midst of artistic surroundings of bis ex quisite home. There has always been In bis nature that vein of sentiment which never desired that Chicago should be of the material only. Parks, boulevards, art treasures, music have to him always seemed as much a legiti mate part of the being of the city as mercantile establishments and steam roadB. He has enriched Chicago in this direction also. A GREAT BOER LEADER. Gen. Cronje, Who Opposed the British at Modder Kiver. While Geu. .loubert, commander-ln chief of the Boer forces, Is tbe tactician, Gen. Cronje, who commanded the Boers at the Modder River, is the burly figbter of the Transvaal army. Of the two Cronje is the more representative Boer. .Toubert, possibly from his French an cestry, Is a man of a certain polish, and can be Indirect when policy re quires. Cronje Is blunt aud always to the point. His craft is that of the hunt- GKN. CIIONJK. er, and thinly disguises tbe force that awaits only the opportunity. Gen. Cronje Is greatly admired by the Boers. They think Joubert Is a wonderful tactician and organizer, but they love Cronje, tbe silent man, of sud den and violent action. He Is no man's friend. His steel-gray eyes peer out from under huge, bushy brows. He never speaks unless necessary, and then In the fewest words. He never asks a favor. When time for action coiues he acts, and that with the force of fate, and with no consideration for himself or his men. Cronje Is a soldier and uothiug else. He hates form. He hates politics, though a born leader of men. He was strongly urged to oppose Kruger for the Presidency In 1898, but he would not. He will have none of any rule but that of the rifle. He despises cities. He Is a man of the velt. It was Cronje who rounded up tbe Jameson raiders and, Bays a writer, "his maneuvering on that occasion was that of a Cromwell. So far as my mem ory carries, Cronje was not even specif ically thanked by the Volksraad for his great service to the state. He was a burgher: it was bis duty-to repel the Invader: he repelled him—and there the matter rested. "They would have censured him had lie failed tbey refrained from comment when he succeeded. "Cronje, riding back to Pretoria, had no guard of honor to receive blm, no great civic .function to fete him, no sword of honor to adorn him. He was plain Peasant Cronje, returning, heavy beafted. from his wounded son's pallet In Krugersdorp Hospital, somewhat weary In the bones from those long hours In the steaming saddle, nowise iplated, nowise altered from hla every |4ar demeanor. 'tglac* tbea Cronje Uu t'»c«ly«4 4 mm in the Executive Council, and Is no* a personage with a substantial state salary but the man Is In no waj changed. He Is as individual as Kru ger, strong in the faith'of his own gen. eralshlp as Joubert" PET SUPERSTITIONS^' Some that Influence Mostly All Sort* of People. Dr. Samuel Johnson would never enter a room left foot foremost the bravo Marshal Saxe screamed In terror at the sight of a cat Peter the Great was not equal to crossing a bridge when he came to It unlesB to do so was absolutely uecessary Byron shared with less famous people than be the dislike to having the salt at table spill ed between blm and bis neighbor. A Bneeze is with half the nations of the world nothing to be sneezed at To ex claim "God blesB you" when any one sneezes In your presence is a relic of what the Roman did before us, and be fore him tlie Greek. Mohammed gives directions of tbe same kind to bis fol lowers, aud the Hindu of to-day utters his pious ejaculation after the sneeze by way of prayer or good wish on be half of the victim. Many people will avoid going under a ladder If they can get around It The belief that If you put on your stocking the wrong side out it is lucky Is very general, or was until tbe schoolmaster returned from abroad and I myself remember an old woman who was con vinced that turning her stocking Inside out saved her from being lost when the fairies, one pitch-dark night bad mis led lier on a trackless EugllBli moor. What Is to take the place of a lucky horseshoe when we all ride In automo biles? There Is no room for the Im agination In them. Some new mascot will have to be discovered. Charms of one kind or another are carried by peo ple that have a pious contempt for hea then superstitious a small potato, for example, to avert rheumatism, or a chestnut The late journalist George Augustus Sala, never traveled without carrying with him, as a lucky card, an ace of spades. Somehow it failed to save him from his creditors. But creditors are notoriously deficient in imagination. If Shy lock had remem bered this wheu he drew up his bond "The Merchant of Venice" would never have been written.—Rochester Post Express. Nobody Claim vd the Watch. "Great Scott! but that's a fine watch," caine from 11 chorus. "Wliere'd you ever get It?" "Stole It," answered Its possessor, calmly. "Von don't believe me, do you?" be went on. "Well, I'll tell you how It happened. I was on a western district which enjoyed the reputation of being the toughest one covered by tbe house. T~had some time to kill and so went into one of the gambling joints. It isn't necessary to go iuto details as to what happened. As luck would have It there were a half dozen others In the place besides myself who might he con sidered as possible victims. When the time came the lights were put out sud denly and then we had Tough house' for about ten minutes. In tbe mdldle of It I felt somebody grab my watch and reached out after him. 1 caught someone and felt that he was just put ting a watch In his trousers pocket I gave his wrist a hard wrench and got tbe tlmeplecc. Then I broke away. When I got to the light I found the watch was this one. And as 1 never heard from the owner I have It to compensate for the loss of mine." After which the waiter hurried over in response to six different signals.— Philadelphia Inquirer. Influenza Cause I by Ozone. On one occasion tlie present writer walked to the edge of Lake Michigan when a strong wind was blowing right from tbe lake. The bodily condition was as near perfect as could be, and yet In less than Ave minutes tnere was every evidence of having caught an ex tremely hard cold. The severe Influenza continued until, on walking away, in less than 500 feet It disappeared as If by magic. It Is very certain that the temperature had nothing to do with this, nor the wind, but the Influenza was directly due to the abundant ozone in the air. By Inquiry It was learned that hundreds of residents who bad lived upon tbe Immediate edge of the lake bad been obliged to move back three or four miles lu order to relieve themselves from such experiences. Physicians readily admit that It Is not always possible to say .why one "catch es" cold It certainly cannot always be because of undue exposure or change in temperature, but probably also to changes In the electric condition of the air. Facts of this kind should lead to the extremest cautlou In studying any supposed relation between the weather and health.—Popular Science. Society for Buck-U riling In a neighboring Long Island village tbe young men have a new privilege. On paying ten cents a week they can have their socks darned by the belles of tbe village, who have organized themselves Into the "Giddy Girls' Darn ing Club." One of tbe young ladles no ticed a hole in the hose of a young man who was paying her a social visit the other night, and, on comparing notes, it was found that many of the other girls of tbe village had been Impressed by tbe fact tbat the beaux of tbe place needed help In keeping tbeir socks In order. Tbe young man wbo was ad mitted to the privileges of the club must not be In tbe habit of smoking, drinking, playing cards, or doing any thing real naughty. All be has to dd then 1b to pay ten cents a week and wear his socks into as many holes as pleases him.—New York Cor, Pittsburg Dispatch. Advion to a Daughter. If you want to please the men, Daughter mine 7 Learn a little bit of art, Some good poetry by heart, Languages to wit impart, Music fine.. ... Know the proper way to dress, How to comfort and caress. Dance a little, gossip less. Daughter mine.'- If you want to please the men, Daughter mine Study how to make a cake, Learn to stew and boil and bake. Say you cook for cooking's sake. How divine Be a housewife, all the rest Counts but little, truth confessed. Such girls always marry best Daughter mine. —What to Eat. She—To think that you once declared that you would love me as long as you lived! And now, hardly a year mar ried, and you care nothing at all about me! lie—But you see when I told you I would love you as long as I lived I wasn't feeling very well, and I really didn't think I'would live long.—Boston Transcript. Some girls are so particular that the only way you can bold their handsels to •bake bands with them. Were It not for tbe blimoMguoruacs •MM ptoplt would alwaj» b* uaMppf) SXMUE.I. G.OMPERfc Acme Chsrac l«n«llca of the Famous American Labor Iieader. Samuel Gompers, the American labor leader. Is as conservative as the Bnglish leader. Burns, Is radical. Where, the latter says strike, Gompers Bays arbi trate. "I cannot," lie once said, "much a* I bate oppression, endure the sight of hunger." The nation owes a bigger debt of grat itude to Somuel Gompers, president o' the American Federation of Labor, thaX most people Imagine. Had it not beet, for the rock-llkc firmness with which, for nearly a fortnight, this man stood against a conttnent-wlde strike of sym pathy with the Pullman men, there might have been an uprising of organ ized labor, compared with which tbe strikes and riots that really did occur would have been mere child's play. Mr. Gompers' diplomacy was not less striking than his wisdom. He at no time said that he would not advlBe a strike. He simply, by delaying action, gave his followers time to think. When they bad thought tbey saw the master fulness of bis course. Mr. Gompers proved himself to be a general worthy of leading so great an organization as the Federation. Samuel Gompers Is an American by adoptiou. He is of German descent, as his name Indicates, though of English birth. Thirty-eight years ago he was apprenticed to a shoemaker In London. Then he was a lad of 10, with no bright er prospects, no greater advantages than those of ten thousand other ap prentice hoys of the world's metropolis. To-day he Is tbe executive bead of tbe most extensive combination of labor unions in the world. In this capacity SAMUEL GOUrBltS. he wields a constant power by the side of which that of other labor leaders Is nothing. The lad did not like tlie shoemaker's trade, and, his release being secured, he learned to make cigars, becoming proficient by the time he was 13. Then, with his father's family, he came to America. Down to the time he began to work In the shoe shops, he attended dav school regularly. After that he continued Ills studies at a night school, where he applied himself so eagerly as to excite tbe especial attention of his teachers. Upon bis arrival In America he joined a New York clgarmakers' union, and his gift of common sense and his power to express Ills thoughts logically and clearly quickly made him a prominent member. Later he was repeatedly sent as delegate to the International union. When David B. Hill was Governor, he wished to make Mr. Gompers a mem ber of the State Board of Arbitration at a salary of $3,000. The tender was courteously declined. "If I should accept a political ap pointment," said Mr. Gompers, "my usefulness In labor organizations would be entirely and permanently destroyed." In 1882 Mr. Gompers was made presi dent of the American Federation of La bor, and now holds tlmt office. His sal ary Is but $1,000 a year, less tban lie could earn at his trade in good times, and a far smaller stim than could be commanded by a man of bis unusual natural abilities and self-won acquire ments In the business world.' A Matrimonial Lottery. Every three mouths in the province of Smolensk, Russia, husbands and wives are chosen by the chance draw ing of a lottery ticket. The tickets cost 1 ruble (00 cents) each. There Is only one prize to be drawn, and It consists of the entire sum yielded by the sale of the tickets, amounting to 6,000 ru bles ($3,000), together with a woman described ns being of noble blood. The tickets are sold only to men, and the lucky winner of the prize will have to marry the damsel If he takes the 5,000 rubles. If, however, he be already married he Is at liberty to turn over tbe money and the woman to any friend whom he may wish to put Iti for such a good thing. If the winner should be willing to marry, but Is not found to be to tbe damsel's taste, then they are to be excused from matrimony and per mitted to divide tlie rubles. When H'nry Irvine Was Hissdil. "I was hissed every night for a week when I was playing the provinces about thirty-five yearsago,"sald Henry Irving to a writer iu Alnslce\s, "I was given an engagement as leading man in a very small theater, and before I made my bow to tbe nudienco I learned tbat tbe man wbose place I had tuken was very popular In the vicinity, and that tho people strongly disapproved of tbe way In which tbe management bad fofced blm to retire, so that when I made my appearance the audience showed their dlsapproval of the manager by strongly hissing tlie successor to their favorite, and they kept It up for a week. It was a very unhappy week for me." The Same to Him. "How much for a photograph?" he queried, as he entered the room at the head of tbe stairs. "My dear sir, you have made a mis take," replied the occupant of the office. "This Is a dental parlor, while the pho tographer Is next door." "Oh, you pull teeth?" "Yes, sir." "How much?" "Fifty cents apiece," "Well, go ahead aiid yank out one or two. It's about the same to me." The Am-riran Bird. The turkey was first discovered in America, and brought to England In the early part of the sixteenth century. Since then It has boeu acclimatized In nearly all parts of the wovld. .// u. A Shrewd Move. Cora—Wbat sense can you see in the game of golf? Merritt—The gense is displayed by tbe players lu having a boy to carry tbe big bundle of sticks for them.—Judge. Why 1 hey Wear the Fez. From an interpretation of a passage In tbe Koran Moslems are forbidden to have shades to their eyes. henep t)ie tbience of the peak Lotf) ffom tbe ty1 Wdtbeturbftu, International Bimetallism. Tbe Government has arranged fei the payment of a part of tbe national debt In order to relieve the money stringency. The proposal to boy upv $50,1)00,000 of outstanding bondB, thus putting that much more money In cir culation, If not a confession that under our present currency system (we will: not say currency laws, as we have no law on flie subject which any states man is wise enough to define). Indeed, is It not a.frank avowal tbat tbe com mercial Interests of this country are. continually menaced for lack of sulll eient funds with which to do business? In other words, does It uot vindicate the quantitative theory and those statesmen of broad and liberal views, Including George Hoar, James G. Blaine, James A. Garfield and others, i, who so long nnd so tenaciously beld out for bimetallism? The New York News docs uot at this period, It says, propose to discuss gen erally and elaborately the benefits of a double standard "without regard to the nctlon of any other nation." If there is anything In party platforms, however, or In the recent utterances of public men. Including William McKIn ley himself, tbe strictly gold standard population of America consists of E. L. Godkln and Carl Schurz, one of whom has just voluntarily retired from act ive participation In affairs, and the other of whom possesses a mind so kaleidoscopic tbat there is no telling where he will stand this time next year., If McKlnley were sincere, If his party. followers were In earnest in the pre tension that It desires bimetallism un der International agreement now Is. tbe time such an agreement could be forced with comparatively little diffi culty. During tbe fiscal year ending June 30 last our exports of manufac tures were greater tban our exports of breadstuffs. We advanced to the first rank as a manufacturing nation, com peting with the "pauper-paid labor of Europe" and demonstrating that activ ity in trade depends not upon hlgb tariffs but upon superiority of work manshlp ni)d the adaptability of goods to the uses of any people. This is hard on the Dlngley law, to be sure, but tbe trade balance It gives us proves'be-.% yond question tbat we are masters of the situation when It comes to dictat ing a monetary standard. And this Is not all. England Is to day In desperate straits for gold, was In desperate straits before the mines at Johannesburg were shut down. A.— usual 'source of supply amounting' to $100,000,00 a year is cut off and the Bank of England has been for weeks laboring zealously In every possible way to start a gold movement from tbls side. But even that tremendous If the Flft^'-sixth Congress has the' good of tbe people at heart, it will take. advantage of tbe sltuatlou and bring HI 1 financial glant.cannot overcome natur al law. With exportation of Ameri can manufactures amounting to $1, 000,000 a day, and with tbe crop move ment to Europe under way. the ten dency of gold will be to not only stay here, but to come here from other cen ters. A German statesman of front rank, as quoted by New York dnlly papers,, said positively that unless the agrarian element of his country permitted a broader and more liberal policy of In ternational trade, the Empire would have to abandon the gold standard. It Is well known that European powers of less Influence, like Austria, Italy, Spain and tbe Netherlands, would wel come bimetallism If It were made gen eral. France and Russia are the only two nations In a position to hold out should a commission like that, which Senator Wolcott headed In 1897 go abroad as a dictator of terms and not as a solicitor of alms. 7 all Europe to terms. Tbe time was never as propitious before, and It may never be so propitious again. Repudiation. Naturally enough the New York Board of Trade wants Congress to es tablish the gold standard. Wall street Is the center of the money power In tills country and what Wall street wants Is a monopoly. Now. what is proposed? Simply that the $1,300,000,000 worth of national ob ligations be made payable iu gold. This Is repudiation of the coutract. made with the people that these obligations should be paid In coin. To this tlie faith of tbe government is plighted. But Wall street wants tho contract broken, wants the payment luade In gold, wants the people to shoulder an extra burden, wants to. fatten ou the labor of the masses. And what Wall street wants the Rcpubllcau party Is bound to supply. Repudiation Is au ugly word, but Mc Klnley aud his backers will not balk at It. Perhaps tbey will uot pass gold legislation. Perhaps the Republican politicians are shrewd euough to see that such action would result In Me Klnley's rejection by the people at the polls In 1000, but repudiation is what the Republicans advocate and It Is: what tbey will perpetrate If McKlnley Is re-electcd. For this reason. If foe no other, Mc Klnley should be defeated. The pledge of this government should not be broken. It should bo made to keep faith with the people. AU "oris. :r- TigSt clothes ami Indigestion cause red uoses. The Gerniauy ariuy contains 10,000 musicians. Good Friday was called Long Friday by the Saxons. Nnthiug costs Jess uor Is cheaper than the compliments of civility.—Cervantes. If you have learned to "know thy self" then you are uot apt to give thy self away. Maurice, the son of the first "Prince of Orange," showed himself a born sol dier at 15. Hunt wrote some of bis critical essays at 15, and later in life declare^ them to-' be his best. When a horse thief's fate hinges on the decision of a self-appointed Jury he Is pretty sure to swing. If we fasten our attention on what we have, rather thau on wbat we lack, a very little wealth Is sufficient,—V. Johnson. The business portion of St. Peters burg was seriously damaged by flre la 1862, tbe property lost exceeding $5, 000,000. Russian battle songs are written In minor keys, and Instead of being brll liantly martial are sad, telling of tbs"??i soldier's fate. lu 18(15 Caristadt, in Sweden, wasSV destroyed by lire, and it was noted as a singular clrenm^taQii* that all the build ing" in Hit' town wore otinsumed 'except: the, i:*h"p pn:,ice. juu .the Jtilu -rwerstff