The Manitowoc pilot. [volume], March 15, 1900, Image 11

About The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932

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RUSSIA AND- PERSIA.
Muscovite Intriguers Are Planning
a Momentous Coup.
flow the Cznr Propose* to Absorb the
Shah’s Dominions—The Kusslnn
Advance Toward the Bor
ders of India.
[Special Correspondence.]
THE most important internation
al topic of the day is the hold
which Russia has within the last
few months gained in ancient Persia.
England is so occupied at present with
the Boers that she is giving less than
her usual attention to her eastern af
fairs and has left Herat, considered the
hey to the territory bordering on her
East Indian possessions, exposed to
danger from a Russian invasion.
■This city has figured prominently in
TWO PERSIAN SOLDIERS.
•the history of the world from the time
of Alexander to the present, and has
withstood many sieges. It is four
sided and surrounded by mud walls
30 feet high, each less than a mile in
length. If held by trained soldiers any
native attack could be repulsed, but it
could offer very little resistance to
the guns of a civilized foe. Its posses
sion has caused two wars for England,
one with Persia and one with Afghan
istan. The territory surrounding it is
the only region in Afghanistan in
which the soil repays the labor of till
ing, and from its earliest history Herat
has been th • point of supply for all the
adjoining territories. Because of
the physical features of the country,
which is very mountainous, Herat is
the natural center from which the
roads of southern Asia radiate and its
position is of the utmost importance
from a strategic point of view. It is
now principally interesting, however,
because it is the only gateway through
which India could be attacked by Rus
sia. The only route by which a large
army could be despatched is via Herat,
Farah, Girishk and Kandahar. Forty
years ago Russia’s boundary was hun
dreds of miles away, and her pledges
to keep her proper distance were read
ily accepted, as any hostile move could
be easily repulsed.
Russian acquisitions since that time
have given her .a fort within 60 miles
of Herat. Her troops are being massed
on the Persian border, and while two
marches would enable them to sur
round the cit 3 -, it would take the Brit
ish soldiers, 530 miles distant, a month
to reach Herat, which is garrisoned by
only four cavalry and five infantry
regiments, with 35 old-fashioned can
non on the walls. The attention of
the British government has been re
peatedly called to the importance of
securing this city against Russia. The
ameers of Afghanistan have, again
and again, received pledges from the
English that their country would be
preserved independent of Russian en-
J .
GATE TO A PERSIAN CITY.
•croachments. For this reason Fnglish
•counsels have been allowed to dom
inate Afghan affairs.
But if Russia should conclude to
march against Herat how will it be
possible to thwart her designs when a
movement of British troops in that di
rection now would probably precipi
tate an attack? Plausible Russia is
still talking pacifically, as usual, to
hold the general attention as much as
possible away from the moves she is
making, for her conversation is seldom
in accord with her deeds.
It is a well-known fact that for years
Russia has coveted Persia, not only
that it is valuable in itself, but because
of the advantages which would accrue
from possessing its frontier.
It is pretty generally believed that
the recent loan of 11,000,000 rubles to
Persia, secured by a mortgage on the
-customs and a concession to lay rail
ways over the country, while seem
ing innocent enough, covers a scheme
very different from what appears on
the surface. The watchfulness of Eng
land has alone prevented Russia from
absorbing Persia long ago, hence the
Muscovite government has been com
pelled to satisfy itself by obtaining
bits of the eastern and northern front*
iers, more by intrigue than war.
Dazzling stories have i hvays been
told of the wealth of Persia. During
the last reign there.was such an ac
cumulation as could not have been so
soon dissipated. When M azafar-ed-
Deen, the present shah, was crown
prince, his residence was near the Rus
sian frontier. His older brother, Ze
lee Sultan, desired the throne, and it is
thought the prince agreed to be a vas
sal to Russia if the czar would make
his rule assured. The loan is probably
intended to deceive the world to which
the true condition of affairs will be
come gradually apparent. Russian of
ficers have drilled the Persian army,
and the troops are accustomed to act
under their orders. Doubtless, if
Persia passes, in time, entirely under
Russian rule, both countries will be
benefited. Persia by more rapid prog
ress in civilization and improved fa
cilities (for the Persian merchants are
shrewd money makers and care little
who governs them so long as their
business prospers), and Russia by the
acquisition of a half million square
miles of desirable territory, 3,000,000. of
new subjects, the advancement of her
frontier and a coast with ports from
which India is easily accessible.
Russia has always manipulated af
fairs so that other nations have never
been able to obtaim railway conces
sions in Persia. Now she will cover
the country with a complete network
of railroads. They will develop its re
sources, but the advantage will belong
to Russia, although doubtless Ameri
can engineers will construct them.
The merchant fleets of Russia have
sailed the Caspian sea for years, bul
since the treaty of Turkomantchai no
I’ersian has been allowed to display the
flag of his country there, nor have Eu
ropean goods for a long time been al
lowed transit to Persia. Traders have
been compelled to go around through
Turkish Armenia. Thus has a market
for Russian manufactures been se
cured in Persia,
One great reason for the seizure of
Africa by Great Britain is the necessity
for depending on the Suez canal tor
the quick transport of goods to India.
England must have independent ports
south of Suez for means of easy com
munication* The safety of her mer
chant marine is also the reason for her
anxiety to prevent Russian ships com
ing from the Black sea to threaten
Suez. But all previous precautions for
the protection of India will avail little
if Russia obtains control of the Per
sian gulf and seaports, almost at the
Indian border. Great Britain will bo
compelled to maintain vast fleets for
the protection of her merchant ships.
The fleets of Russia could attack the
coast of India and cooperate with
r.’vA w
OLD PERSIAN PRAYING TOWER.
armies transported by means of Rus
sian control of Herat to that portion
of the border where the mountain
passes are not severe. England could
never feel secure, because while Rus
sia is making the most | .‘ific promises
she is stealthily but firmly advancing
most in her agressions.
Russian ships are being constructed
in our yards which have no superiors
either in size or equipment. The des
tinieS~oTall nations are likely to be in
fluenced by the events of the next four
months. If England succeeds in tho
Transvaal, the Russian bear will prob
ably keep his claws concealed for thq
present, and bide his time. If not, wo
shall see what we shall sec.
Asa nation, we are on very friendly
terms with Russia, hut we have a long
coast line, unfortified, and should our
interests clash with hers, we may wish
that England had taken a little better
care of Herat and that the civilized
world had done something to prevent
Russian encroachment on Persia, to
which history, both sacred and pro
fane, is so much indebted. This was
the country of Cyrus and Darius, of
Artaxerxes, Sapor and Chosroes, tho
country from whence, in all ages, have
come most wonderful tales which can
never be disproved. To Persia we aro
first indebted for Saracenic architec
ture. The northern part of the prov
ince along the Caspian sea is covered
by dense ancient forests in which are
ruins of cities famed in history, where
hunters may now seek tigers and other
large game. Near and plainly visible
from Teheran, tower Demarend, a
mountain peak SO.OOO ieet high. Min
eral supplies are abundant. The prov
ince of Azerbaijan produces quantities
of all kinds of grain and fruits. North
of the Persian gulf vast table lands of
sand and salt can, by irrigation, be
made very productive. The country
furnishes opium, tobacco, rice and ex
cellent wines. Palms grow in the
south.
The Persians are a laughter-loving
people, intelligent and brilliant in con
versation.
Under Russian rule their old re
ligions would be allowed to stand or ba
only slightly modified. A large major
ity of the people are Mohammedans,
while there are Jews, Armenians and
still a few Parsecs. The Babees are
the only religious sect likely to causa
trouble to new rulers.
EDWARD JULIAN.
The black jaguar of Central Amer
ica will attack any man by night or
day whom he finds lying down.
SOCIETY AT WASHINGTON.
Dr. Urliitol, Pastor of the President,
Snj * Social Atmosphere Tliere
Is Sveet and Wholesome.
Dr. F. M. Bristol, President McKin
ley’s pastor, contributes to the New
York World a paper on “Degeneracy
of American Society,” in which he
says: “I protest against the applica
tion of the term ‘society’ to that little
set. of fools who contribute nothing
but scandal to the annals of a com
munity. True society of America, com
posed of the brains and virtue of her
typical men and women, to be found in
Washington. New York, Baltimore,
Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and in
every city and town and village of this
country, is worthy of all honor and re
spect. Husbands never had more vir
tuous wives nor wives truer husbands:
sons never had sweeter, purer mothers,
COL. ROBERT STEPHENSON SMITH BADEN-POWELL.
This gallant British officer Is now universally spoken of as the "hero of Mate-
Ring." With scarcely more than 2,OiK) men he has managed to defy aI a fro he*
sieging force of Boers, commanded at one linn- by Cronje himself. The siege be
gan October 15. 18119. Col. Baden-Powell made occasional sorties, but ids force was
100 small and his weapons too ineffective to make headway against the Boers. The
town was bombarded almost dally, food was high in price and poor In quality,
but through it all the brave commander succeeded in keeping his men enthusi
astic and the hearts of the civilians full of hope.
nor mothers nobler, cleaner sons;
brothers never had more chaste, intelli
gent sisters, nor sisters more heroic,
chivalrous, high-minded brothers than
they have to-day and in our own Amer
ica.
“I am bound to say that the highest
standard of American society may be
foundat thenational capital. The social
atmosphere of Washington is sweet
and wholesome. It was never more so.
No social scandals tarnish the purit.v
of our oflicial or congressional life.
Finer specimens of moral, intellectual
and patriotic womanhood cannot be
found in this country or in the world
than are to be met at the social func
tions of the beautiful capital, where
the best traditions of republican purity
and democratic simplicity are pre
served and exemplified in the domestic
virtue, affection and happiness of the
first home of the land.
“Surely the American people may
justly felicitate themselves on the high
THE LAST OF "OLD MOSE.”
“Old Mose," a veteran grizzly that Inhabited the Sierra Mad re mountains In
southern for a number of years, bus Ju.st been slaughtered by a couple
of wood choppers. For years this animal has been the terror of the (Jte Indian
braves and the white settlers. It made (lerce attacks on men and cattle and de
fied the wiliest hunters. The two wood choppers came across Mose by accident,
and dispatched him by strategy, lie proved a veritable mountain of flesh, weigh
ing about 1,100 pounds, and his pelt was ulna feel six Inches long and over seven
feet In width.
and unsullied record of that first home
of the land from the glorious day o'
Martha Washington t< the good and
happy day of Ida McKinley.”
Almost iim llnd iin Urecley’N.
Among 111 in;; statesmen. Mr. Go
sehen writes probably the worst hand.
His figures are fairly clear, as one
would expect from so eminent a finan
cial authority, hut some of his corre
spondence would eclipse Dean Stan
ley’s letters for being indecipherable.
Mr. Goschen took up one of his own
memoranda the other day, and, being
very short-sighted, exclaimed: “A
man who writes like that ought not to
be in the public service!”
Kiiueatrlnn Travel.
At the commencement of Berea col
lege, in Madison county, Ky., 1,500 sad
dle horses weie picketed on the
grounds.
RIFLES FOR SHARPSHOOTERS.
The I’resenf Infantry Weapon I*
Not Well Designed fur
1.0 ■■ g linage.
The Napoleonic maxim that “fire is
everything''’ is truer in these days of
| smokeless powder and long-range
weapons than ever before, says Cus
sier's. An expert shot is no longer
; blinded by bis comrade’s smoke; nor
is ids position revealed by his own
smoke when firing from cover. Ton
sharpshooters nowadays are worth
I more than 50 bunglers with tlie rilie.
The present infantry weapon, how
ever, is not well designed for sharp
shooters.
If the sharpshooter is required to
use regular infantry ammunition his
rifle should differ from a common
musket in the following particulars:
Its barrel should be thick through-
out, tapering slowly toward the muz
zle. On a telescope-sighted gun
it need not be over 24 inches long.
This restricted length, together with
the amount of metal in the barrel,
would give it stiffness, would keep it
from excessive heating, would neu
tralize recoil, and would enable the
man to hold steadily when shooting
from hip rest, which is the steadiest
of all offhand positions and as prac
tical in the field as on the range.
* * * It is a mistake to use high
powers in a rifle telescope. They re
strict the field vision, lessen the illu
mination and magnify errors of hold
ing. So far ns aiming is concerned,
a ]lower of four diameters draws a
man 1,000 yards distant to within 250
yards of the shooter, and this is close
enough for murderous accuracy.
The Animal Kliiadoni.
Die Nat nr gives statistics of the num
ber of species of animals now known
to exist o:i land and sea, the total be
ing placed at 400,000, while there arc
150,000 catalogued kinds of plants.
The insects alone furnish 208,000 spe
cies, of which 120,000 are colcoptcra,
with lepidoptcro, 50,000, and hymen
opteru, 38.000. The birds number 13,-
000, 1 lie fiili 12,000 and reptiles 8,300,
of which 1,040 are serpents, 300 being
venomous. The amphibians are 1,300
in number, spiders, 20,000; mollunks,
50,000; worms, 8,000; cchinoderms, 3,-
000. The Museum of Natural History
at Ilerlin contains 200,000 species, the
collection numbering 1,800,000 speci
mens.
A lilt Ijisy.
One—Have you any idea of 1 be hour?
The Other No. I have killed so
much time lately that I am ashamed
to look a clock in the face. Indian
apolis Press.
THE CHILDREN IN THE DARK.
Why should the little children be afraid to
go to bed,
When night has kindly spread its sable
curtain overhead.
To help the little lashes shield the tired
and drowsy eyes.
And guard them from tho staring light that
in the sunshine lies?
Go watch the little blrdlings calmly sleep
In forests dark,
Where all the night there comes no light
In tiniest speck nor spark.
Who over hoard of animals who pucker
lips and bawl
And with the shrill shrieks of terror their
mammas loudly call,
Because when God has spread Ills veil of
velvet overhead
They fear because 'fls dark to shut their
eyes and go to bed?
Why. they enjoy the silence and tho rest
fulness which seems
To pave their easy pathway to the pleas
ure-land of dreams.
The night Is just as safe as any burning.
staring day:
The stars as good ns sunheama, Just ns
beautiful and gay:
The softness and the silence help the little
folks to sleep,
And gentle angels o'er their loving vigils
keep.
Those little birds and animals should not
be braver far
Than little human urchins in the night and
darkness are.
Go watch the quiet slumber of the tiny
red papoose;
Tlie animals, from elephants to gopher and
mongoose;
Tho blrdlings, with their feather 1 ds worn
snugly on each form,
And all, from moles to monkeys, fearless,
cuddlesome and warm.
Our hardy boys and girls should be
ashamed to kick and growl.
With every little visage warped info a
wicked scowl.
Night is the time for sleeping, fur nesting
snug and close,
Not for a rebel uproar, and acid face, mo
rose ;
Consider velvet darkt oss a wrap which
God has sent
To shut you out from trouble and make
yon more content.
A civilized young urchin should tongue nnd
temper keep,
Thank God for sheltering darkness and
contented go to sleep.
—Trained Motherhood.
SERVES AS A CLOCK.
Kan nan I'nrincr linn n Ilniilnm Itoost
rr That Ih ;i It cl in hie aw Any
Timepiece.
Dennis Keefe, who lives three miles
southeast of Newton, Kan., has a three
year-old bantam rooster which, in one
direction at least, shows more than
human intelligence. Every day, exact
ly at 12:30 o'clock, it comes in from
the fields, leaving the other chickens
behind it, and pecks on the kitchen
door until it is admitted, repeating
the performance at six o’clock every
evening. It never fails to be on time
jm.
AS GOOD AS A CLOCK.
and is quite as accurate as tin* kitchen
clock. In fact, Mr. Keefe says he
could get along fairly' well without
any timepiece simply by watching the
bantam. it was the only chick
hatched out of a selling by a hen of
ordinary size, which promptly de
serted its insignificant offspring. Mr.
Keefe then took the forlorn chick into
the house and raised it by hand, feed
ing it daily at 12:30 and (1 o'clock.
Once, after it had grown up and was
running about the yard, he forgot to
feed it. It promptly let, its wants be
known by peeking on the kitchen door.
Since then it has never failed lo make
its calls twice a day, and always at
exactly the same hour,
lltol* Art of n >1 ini*r.
A mine on ( tear creek, Utah, caught
tire and the men rushed out, all but
one, who was working deep in the
mine beyond where the tire was rag
ing. The foreman called for volun
teers to go into the mine to rescue (lie
man, and several attempts were made,
but the men were driven back by the
flames, and the cry of “Powder!” Fin
ally a young man named Franklin
said: “I will go." He fought his way
through smoke and flame an a found
the miner, working away all uncon
scious of his peril. The return jour
ney was fully as dangerous, but the
two men succeeded in getting out of
the mine, although badly scorched.
Ten minutes more of lost time and the
miner could not have escaped alive.
Ufliclit of (lie lliimnii llmln.
The weight of the brain bears little
or no relation to the ability of its
possessor. The brains of two idiots
weighed, respectively, 07.7 and 59.9
ounces, while that of (iambetla
weighed less than that of the average
boy of seven. A weak-minded man
had a brain weighing 70.0, while a
dwarfted Indian squaw possessed one
of 73.6 ounces.
A dehorned bull, we are told, gored
a man to death the other day. The
Chicago Tribune says that it hap
pened, however, In Kansas.
THE ANIMATED DUMMY.
An Enlrrlnlnmrnt for Yonntt I'ropl*
That Will I’ur.rle nml Ueliicht
Any Audience.
I received a letter the other day
which .stated that the writer intended
entertaining 1 a small company by the
exercise of his favorite pastime- —ven-
triloquism.
Of course I went. People are always
interested in ventriloquism, and, be
sides knowing the host had never be
fore laid claim to the art, 1 was cu
nous as to his first attempt.
A good-sized audience had collect
ed, and the auditors worn seated in
chairs before a small platform. Our
host presently stepped forward, and
after a few practical remarks regard
ing his art, proceeded to give illus
trations by talking with someone
who was apparently in the ceiling.
I thought the elVect marvelously
good. The next feature of the enter
tainment was a dummy brought in
by two attendants and propped up in
a chair placed on the platform. It
was an outrageous looking affair,
with straws sticking out at all the
joints.
My friend made a few remarks of
apology for the dummy (which I cer
tainly believed it needed), stating
that, after all, he was merely inter
ested in his work as an art. and had
had no opportunity to procure the
regulation figures. He then pro*
DUMMY AND VENTRILOQUIST
cccded to make tlio figure recite
verses, ernek jokes and sing simps in
I lie most approved manner of it pro
fessional. 1 was utterly bewildered,
until (he explanation came where I
had le.i f looked for it —our dummy,
unpainly in form and bulpinp with
straw, suddenly rose and walked from
the platform.
The effect was tremendous; for a
moment, it seemed as thouph we, i
the audience, could not believe It—•
that the dummy had been a real live
boy all the while, and not one of us
had guessed it. 'I hen we rose in a body
and, amid a storm of applause, sur
rounded the clever ventriloquist am)
his accomplice.
Iweut into the dressing room after
it was all over and helped take the
uummy apart; so 1 can give a pretty
accurate account of how he was made
up. In the tlrst place, the boy was
enveloped in a suit of clothes very
much too large for him, and the ex
tra space was tilled in with straw.
The ends of the trousers and of the
arms were gathered together and held
with twine. A large pair of shoes fas
tened at different angles made feet
which seemed utterly lifeless, and
gloves stuffed with cotton took the
place of hands.
A false face cleverly constructed
covered the face, and a red handker
chief and large derby completed the
deception.
The false face was made from t
piece of cardboard about eight inches
long and seven inches wide, bent into
a semicircle. The eyes, nose and
mouth were painted in with ink. If
desired, the jaw could be easily made
to work up and down, in this ease,
I lie lower part (lie face must bo
covered with some dark material,
so that it will not show when the
mouth opens.
It is not difficult to acquire a
small amount of skill in disguising
the voice, and, if the attention of
(he audience is attracted in a certain
direction, it is very ready to believo
the sound comes from that direction.
A boy lying down in the room over
head is a sure mentis of making a
voice come from that direction.
The success of the dummy will bo
assured if it is properly brought in.
The boy must remain perfectly limp,
ami handle as little as possible like
a living thing. Boston Globe.
Wluil Mliilii lino' liven.
A writer is thus quoted hy the Chi
cago News: "I happen to known case
which illustrates forcibly how easy an
accident might have affected the whole
course of history. A few engineers, of
whom Sir Itevans Kdwards is the only
survivor, composed the party which
blow up t he docks at Sebastopol. There
was a shaft .'!() feet deep, wit h a gallery
running horizontally from if. At tho
hot tom of the shaft, just inside the gal
lery, stood one Gordon after of China
and Khartoum with a lighted enmlta
in his hand. The powder was lowered
in four barrels and one of these slipped
from the slings, fell to the bottom of
the shaft and broke up, so that Gor
don was left standing up to his knees
in gunpowder with a lighted candle in
his hand. That there was no prema
ture explosion was a miracle, and if
that miracle had not been worked th
odds tire that a different dynasty would
be ruling in China, and that T.ord
Kitchener would never have had tho
opportunity of making his ftimous
march to Khartoum.”
A Ml■ lendl ii it Hem.
Johnny Old Mr. Skin Hint must b*
an awful generous man.
Ills Father Why?
Johnny The paper says he constant
ly keeps a good watch on everybody
in his employ.—Jewelers’ Weekly,