The times. [volume], October 22, 1899, Second Part, Page 8, Image 20

About The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901

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THE TIMES, WASHINGTON, SGXDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1899.
Cnlinii Reconstruction.
m33m New -Born Cuba," by Franklin
Mwttteews. is a record of the first sixty
toye of American occupation of the island
ITbe situation was a unique one and it is
-well that it should be described fully and
faithfully. More than one book is likely
lo be written on this subject, and that of
3ir. Matthews is the first one of anv
prominence. It is fully illustrated, and
there are nearl four hundred pages of
it.
The author begins with Havana as tt was
Wider American military rale According
to hie observations, one month after Amer
ican occupation of the city began it was
cteaa. He believes that General Ludlow
proved himself a thoroughly capable and
efficient officer Then he passes tp Ma
tansae, and in this chanter there is. a pret
ty hit of description which is vrcrtn quot
ing: Three days after the reporter rescind the men:
of tbe Jofmetown flood one of them Xmcau his
eutt. "The docs are harking acun in Johns
town," meaning that normal coudttions were J
leternfac So 1 aright ssj of Cuba, tbe iHren i
ware teogbiag and playing attain. Use could hear J
then- shout everywhere On I he ttreets and
ansa amees it was "One strike." "Fool," Third i
base Sttde, as they plaed baseball lunous
ly &od n&d American terms exlusiieli At
Might, in ie plaza of the city. tbei placed the
OaWta cbk ii ring around a rosy to th music
of American mihUrr bandj It te one of the
commonest aghtt in Mataraag to see an Ainen
can ealdier trailing through the stretts with two
or three children, perhaps one perolud on his
ffeonlders, trading English for Spanish words.
She Spanish, soldiers struck the children me
of them the Spaniards manned out of pure
wantonness. The American sold o-s coddled
them, played with them, and ci-riwLere iou
went It was "Cood by," meaning How do ion
dor from the lips of the children when they
-reeogniBcd yen to be an Amenum. and vour
hand stole into jour pocket for i anus in
steoclfoely. The book, being merelj a collection of
newspaper letters, makes no attempt at
arrangement by topics, and after some
Stories of Spanish cruelty, quite as iiorn
nte as anything in the reports which helped
ie bring about the war, tbe subject of
sanitation in Havana is aeain considered I
From tbe author's description of the sam
ary, or rather unsanitary conditions un
der which the city has existed for nearly
three hundred years, it would seem that it
was almost worth while to have a war for
the. sake of cleaning out this plague-spot to
the south of us. This state of things hae
been described more than once, but there is
s. conciseness and a fervor about Mr Mat
thews description which may make it
"worth quoting'
PmiuUr tbe neatest sunwise that thousands
of pewns found, when Otv flocked to Havana j
IB aae are. entry naye ot American conuw, was
fiets streets. On bright cunahinv days
fiiey seemed cleaner than New Yoii. street. On
ratty das the were not so clean as the rtrect
of Xew lot, in wet weather The reiwm was
that there te no foundation for the paving
Stones in the streets of Havana, it'll -n hard
irsfflc Jolt over the Hjuare. uratainlv paving
eUees of the city on a. rainy day, the black
rawd. pokoned with the ttltii and disease germs
of decades, and even centuries, exudes between
jM stanea, and the streets become black with
dirt, just a. trine blacker and thicker than the
bteek mud of lower 2ew ork streets when
Ftvect-cieasing becomes latgeiv a matter of poll
ties that is. part of the came of getting mwey
oat of a public treasury without giving an cquiv
alent. The ram over and th m shining, Hav
asa'e streets under American mill arv ru'e were
ss dean as tfaoce of anv atv in t1- United States.
When tkr Americans took actual chartre of tb
city, however, the streets were Blthv Dead am
reals abounded, garbage was f-oeountered eierr
where, gutters were foul, and open mouths of
Eewers naming into the ocenn or into the harbor )
wene reewng .vauwatinr oocrs niieo mic air,
cad the condition of the public buildings was
Each that the Amen-an Armv oncers nracticanv
refused to oeeupv them To illustrate th fright
ful oooditton of V public buUdingf. let me
ear that in one of the rooms of the Facts Castle,
oocatrd by the civil puard. and in the group of
pubSc bnttdtags of which the captain general's
palace wis the chief, tle bodies of no lets than
fifteen dead etts and dogs were found Tfceoe
rulmilr bad not died of atarvatinn Tbev had
rttayd into this room in the search for focd and
had died of die fool atmosphere V candle won d
nut .burn in the place Thirty two caKloads oi
Sfat were taken frwi tbe palace of tbe jtovernor
at Havana provner Tbe condition oi the cap
Uim general's palace was such that funeral
Xraokr would not occupy it, and h went out
1 a suburb called Vedade.
comes a chapter on "Hcncst-CuE-
lasns Service in Havana " In this there is
rtber an amusing account of something
which happened within the first six weeks
of the sew management The editor of
a mall newspaper wrote a blackmailing
letter to one of tbe employes of the custom
bouse, who carried the letter to Colonel
Bliss, Collector of Customs Colonel Bliss
gave out a general assurance that nobody
seed fear dismissal without just reason,
and cixmmoncd the blackmailer to his office,
where there was a stormy interview Af
ter the interview Co'onel Bliss received a
letter from tbe blackmailer, who seemed
to be unconscious that he bad done an
. thing wrong, and insisted that his victim
pay him what he seemed to consider a just
debt He said
Some tears ago I used to publish all the proceed
SUBS of the cadi, and Mr came to me implor
ing asy silence He- promised spontaneously to
pay twelve subscription every month for tbe
Ujaiar he could keep hw emplorment, and that U
he amount I claim trom him, because be is in
dented to me for three or four months.
The naivete of this is rather amusing,
hot It shews the condition of things in tbe
government of the Spanish colonies In
the chapter on "Tbe New Postal Service"
it Is stated that under the old postal sys
tem the letter carriers used to receive
their pay by charging from 3 to cents,
Bonettmee more, for ever letter they de
ftvered. e chapter on "Americans in Cuba" is
one of the most interesting It was to be
6Hpeeted that after tbe war Americans
would flock to the island with all sorts of
Instill fas enterprises, and that was what
happened Some of these schemes were
Euecessful but more were cot. and this
afc&pter Is full of picturesque incidents
It may be well to quote a fe paragraphs
which give fragmentary pictures of Cuba
lost alter peace was declared
6oon there arrived tbe Iranchise-ceekers, the
ulrriisaaiiltiin. the adventurers in business, willing
lo take bokl of "any old thing" for the sake of
ifc48aff oat apain. a few gamblers and croek,
jucb of limited means, hoping to get prontable
ijahs m tbe work of regenerating the place on
American ideas, some omce-aeekers with more or
Jew haay "polks" in Washington and eUrwbere.
taswisw of all Mrtc, merchants of small capital
TnUialmi. to open retail shops, and, bv no means
least of all. the agents of American breweries,
who past led Havana from one end to the other
with Uthographtd advertisements of American
beer gtvmg the Cubans warped and exaggerated
idea of AiMricat a a nation of hard drinkers
This second army of American occupation was
always seen to the best advantage at night, in
sad aiuinid Central Park in Havana Its mem
bene ailed the cafe crowded tbe atdewalka, pa
trwis-d tbe cabs extensrveiv, filled tbe theatres
that were running, and caused a babel of voices
" ia the centre of the town, in which more English
wands than fipanWi could be heard as one passed
"slang. Most of thor Americans had serious faces
Their money was being used up everv dav, and
there was little certainti that any adequate re
turn would result from their work. They sa
anted one another at night, and asked how they
weae getting on, and the commonest expression
to he heard was
"1 think I'll go home next week "
Many men in Havana looking for business open
hags seemed to be inspired bv over sealonsness. I
remember one man who was always on the lump,
sad who was continually working over a lot of
ffcUKs whenever he sat down. 1 was told that
:hr ww from Michigan, and that he wanted to in
troduce Grand Kapids furniture on the island.
Anyone who studied the ways of tbe Cuban
people, and observed how devoted thej are to the
four rocking chairs that face four other rocking
shall a smroas a rug in the parlor of mry house,
4Mdd Me what a dnhcnlt task that American
xgaot bid. Tbe Oufaans get maboganv for their
farafture, and tbe pieces are of a most solid and
aabztaatial nature Thete is no such thing as
phust or velvet in common use on furniture, and
the American scent was somewhat discouraged
iowesd tbe end of his stay There were climatic
InOssneM ef a forbidding nature against tbe in
traduction of ordinary tmericau furniture.
Perhaps it is just as well that the style
of art prevalent in some American furol
twra establishments will not be Introduced
at once into Havana
The condition of affairs In tbe various
srorincea Is taken up in successive
chapteis, followed by an account of
' American Soldiers in Cuba " In this
there are two or three picturesque anec
dotes, showing the rough-and-readj char
acter of the American private soldier, and
his inclination to make himself useful
wherever he mi happen to be Here are
to of them
1 made friends with two artillerymen oft dutj
in the first Sundav ol the carnita1 We wire
seated en a beech on the Prado promenade watch
ing tin riion Suddenh one of the noldiers leap
ed fioni the bench sprang out into the street, and
rcMurd a chid fiom under an uncontrollable
hor- s feet I-ite n-inuteb later he dashed away
a;.atn An old man had fallen in a liwj spell
and had frattuud his skull The soldier carried
the man out of the crowd in his arms and aw
that lie recened medical attention He was
gone half an hour letter m the da I met him
nearly exhausted and mopping his brow
"u see, it was this wai," be explained
Juw after ou left us, a little hoi was ran oier
He was unconscious I picked him up and learn
ed that his home waf on) a b'oek ana down a
side street I tamed him home, and when his
mother raw the boi she fainted. The boi's fath
is was usrless. 1 put the bo down, and by
motion; told the father to loosen his wife's, dress
at the neck and dash some water in her face He
went ahno-4 into hvstenes. lit paid no attention
to the boi but knelt be-dc his wife, bejran to
caress her. prai oier her, and lament things
generalli mi would have thought she was dead
or dimg riii I to'd him to loosen her dress,
and showed him what I wanted I called for
water He jurt kept on bellowing I told him to
pel out. He wouldn't moie. Ahat do iou Kip
poc 1 did? I jut took him In tht collar and
the trousers and pitched him clear into the
middle of the Mi-ret, and hut the door and locked
it I loosened the woman's dress milf, got some
water, and brought her around In ten minutes
she was csnng for the bo I don't think he'll
live W hen 1 came out 1 saw that whelp of a
lather, and I simph chased him out of Mht. I
should like to haie given him a thrashing I
have been haung a lively time, considering that
I am off duti "
That man wa sunpli an ordinary Vnvrican sol
dier who did thiugn whenever he thought that it
was neer-ari for some one to jump in and do
them His companion told me of an episode in
which he had figured onli the dai before The sol
diers had orders to p-cvent crue'tj to animals, and
especial h to the little mules that draw the in
mens? drav about the streets of Uaiana The sight
of one of these little animals struggling with a
load wb'ch in our own countri would require at
least two horses to pull is alout the most irritat
nur sight in liaiana, Inrring the cruel wai the
ox team are loked This soldier saw the drncr
of one of these carts goading a little mule that
could srarce'i stind up into triing to pull eight
large tasks of iwdajses through the street The
soldier stopped tiie dmer and told him to take
off part of hi load The dmer pretended not to
understand. The mildier made motion that could
not be misunderstood The driver refused to
obev and declined to set off his cart The ex
aperaied soldier pulled him from his seat The
driier climbed back, and again he was pulled
down Again he climbed lack, and was pulled
down, and then lie came at the soldier in a fu
nous rage and struck at him That was enough,
the butt of a tnu&et whisked through the air
and the dmer lav prostrate on the giound with
a gash in his head The wildirr was at lit.- suit
in an inrtani and to ins relief found that the
ddver was not hurt bad!v The man was on wed
completely and stood In meeklj as the soldier
climbed into th cart and began rolling the
casks out One oj them was splintered in the
fall and most of the molasses was lost Tbe sol
dier went on until ail the caks were on the
ground but two, and then he told the dmer to !
go on He mad (hat man ccm back and take
two bocrtieade each time until the load was all
carted awai, and then he reftorted to hit superior 1
otfk-er and received commendation. J
A peculiar case of what might he ca'led j
unconscious moral suasion happened in
Cicnfuegos, and it has a funny side. This j
ie tbe stofj J
It wae down in Clenfuegos that an Ohio regi I
roent was under probabli the ttierett stress of j
any that occupied a Cuban citj before the Span j
urcU went home denfuegos was the last pUec i
evacuated bv bpanish troojis. There were JO.OOO j
oj litem in uim town wnen me uko men arrieu
The Cuban trooi moved in jlso and Spaniard.',
Ouitans, and the United btstes forces each es
tablished a patrol in tbe streets, and the lines
lapped oier 1 very Spanish soldier had his car
triage belt filled and be earned a Mauir
Tbe Ohio men had about a dozen cartridges to
a nun, and tbei had SprbigffcJcfe For the first
twenti four hours our soldiers were in a desperate
frame of mind Their officers could not per
suadc them that there would be no conflict They
made up their mlmis'that if a fight came thti
would sell their lives dearlv
Fltialli the tension became too seiere fir one
of the Ohio bovs In some mysterious way lie
had secured a quantity of liquid that was not
good for hun His steps did not show what
he had swallowed, and he went on bis pa
trol with a, determination to whip the entire
Spanish arm if necessan He was simply
spoiling for a fight. The Spanish soldiers did
not commit any overt act in his presence, and
he was at a loss how to teach them jl lesson
Finally be decided that it had to be done,
and that the credit and reputation of the
American army as a fighting force rested upon
him He swaggered around, and put on airs.
The Spaniards refused to le insulted, and when
he could endure the situation no longer, liia
eye lighted on a glass insulator at the top
of a telephone pole He raised his nHe to
ins frhoulder The Spaniard? tightened thir
grip on their weapons He pointed lu gun
at the insulator and fired riiere was a com
motion on the street, but the insulator was
broken to bits The Ohio man tossed his head
to one side, raised his gun, and fired aain
Anotber intsilatcr went to bus Ths lolun
teer was in high featlier, and brought down
a third insulator He had done his duty, and
he went on about his patrol, relieied unci
proud that he had shown the Spaniards what
a I mted States soldier could do
The effect upon tbe Spanish soldiers was elec
trie After they were sure that there was no
danger of being shot, they dashed to the foot
of the pole, picked up the pieces of broken glasF,
and kept them jb mementos Tht cien took
the pieces to Spam with them as somonirs of the
manelous .shooting of the American soldier The
news spread rapidh, and although it is not over
creditable m all its aspects to our troops, that
incident was powerful in rclieiing the strain m
Clenfuegos" Our troop were without food The
Spanish foldiers, resfecting men who could shoot
like that drunken soldier, generous! offered part
of their food to our laib, and soon they were
fast friends, and so remained until the transports
sailed sujv to bpuin with the last of their forces
ever to serve on Cuban soil
Then follows an account of the arIous
industries of Cuba, and in the pages deal
ing with the tobacco business there Is re
corded a curious custom which preiails In
the Haiana cigar factories The cigar
makers hire readers to read alouu to their
workmen during about three hours of the
day in two sessions of an hour an a half
each A part of this time Is glen to news
paper reading and the rest to pure litera
ture, generally of a high order Tin read
er is selected by competithe examination,
and each workman pays a smalt sum to
ward his support Now and then there
has been an attempt to stop the readings,
but this always bnngb on a atrire
Mr. Matthews' book is sketchy and un
conventional in style and makes no pre
tense to being comprehenslie, but it con
tains a great deal of interesting material,
moat of which is practically new to tho
public (New York Harper & Bros $2 50 )
The Hrontc Kuiiitty.
"Charlotte Bronte at Home." Is the latest
book of literary reminiscences by Marlon
Hariand It is written with that peculiar
combination of anecdote, chronicle, character-study
and description which makes
a book of this sort fascinating, and it can
not fall to interest those v.ho haie de
lighted in "Jane Eyre" and Shirley," or
who are interested in the literary life of
the last half-century This strange, shy,
brilliant woman-genius is one of the
unique figures of the history of English
literature
The house in which CuRrlottte Bronte
spent her childhood was a dreary little
place It 1b not to be wondered at that
the sombre atmosphere of Haworth Parson
age got into the books of its children The
chapter devoted to the home life of the
Bronte family opens with the following
paragraphs
Ilaworth Parsonage, as all the reading world
knows, stands upon higher ground than the
church A tiny dooryard u in front, divided from
the burying ground by a brick wa'l Behind are
fields sloping upward to t'ie rolling moors The
graveyard lies upon the front and one end of the
dwelling, sod, on the upper gable end, is ktghcr
than the hoiwc ground.-, suggesting grcwome
thoughts as to the juabty of the water drained
into the well for cooking and drinking purposes
There are four rooms upon the first floor with a
central hall The apartment at the right of Ilia
front door was asjjgned at once to Mr DronU
as a study Hack of it, but with no communicat
ing door, wan the kitchen It had one window,
ard a rear doir giiing upon the yard Opposite
the at dy was the parlor This wus tliu family
eating room, and thev bad no other place in which
to receive visitors. Next to this and atroa the
hall from .the kitchen, was a storeroom Mr.
Hronte's bedchamber was directly aboie the
study, and as declimrc health soon compelled
his wife to have a separate 'lecping room, she
took that ovtr the parlor A grianU domitory
aboie tho storeroom could be wannnl by a grate,
if necemin The nuriry was cut cfl from the
upper front hall The solitary window looKcd upon
the graveyard and the church There was neither
fireplace nor stove in it The winter's chill and
the spring dampness must have got into the stone
wall and the flagged flooring, and lingered there
until luli suns baked the houe to ith heart
That vv,is nut a luxurious age and the children
were AorMnre Item, let we cannot hear without
a shudder that the six little things had no other
plavroom tlian this that thev ?pent hours of
even dav, and mest of even stornu day here,
bu-v with their books and the games miented
bv themselves Thev had no tois, and no play
fellows outsiih the parsonage
Mrs Tcrhune then goes on to tell of
the children's daily life Porridge and
milk, bread and butter, made up their
morning meal and comersatlon at the ta
ble was discouraged The windows of the
dming-rocm looked out on the graicyard
After bteakfast the children had their les
sons with their father, and vere then
committed to their nurse for sewing les
bons In the afternoon they went for a
walk Their father seems to have been a
reseneel and melanchol but gentle-na-tured
man and it ib recorded that his
wife "had no fear of him ' and that he
never gave her an angry word
Perhaps the toy less life of tho children
stimulated their imagination Not one of
the girls ever had a doll, but they enacted
all sorts of dramas among themselves At,
they grew up they were taught houeke p
ing in all its branches, and made all
their own clothing Then, as time went on,
they were sent to the "half -charity"
school where the tuition was ?1S0 a year,
the fare mean, and the educational sys
tem poor Why is it that In boarding
schools such an immense amount of money
is charged for indifferent accommodations'
After the experience at school, of which
Maria, the eldest sister, died, the family
lived at home, busied with their own
quaint concerns The children seem to
have amused themselves in all sorts of
quiet but unusual ways The "Young
Men's Magazine," In bis. numbers, was
printed with the pen, by Charlotte, and
itb subscribers were her two sisters and
her brother nobody else
A later chaptei describes Charlotte's ex
periences as a governess Then follows tho
story of the family troubles, familiar to
the reading public, of the escapade-, of
Branwell and the death of the father One
of the chapters which will be most gen
erally interesting is that on Charlotte's
first success as a writer Most peop c have
heard how she came to her father, after
"Jane Eyie' had appeared, with the book
and a bundle of press notices, and remark
ed diffidently, "Papa, I've been writing a
book He said ho v. as afraid that if he
tried to read it her minute handwriting
would try his ejes She told htm it was
minted Then he began to worry about
the expense and probable failure of a book
by an obscure writer, and she gave him
book and criticisms and slipped away
(The path of the literary woman In the
forties, Mas not a particularly easy one )
Subsequently the family oracle appeared
in the parlor, and standing over the plainly
laid tea table, exclaimed
Girls, do iou know Charlotte lias been writing
a book, jnd it is much better than likely ?
The queer little incident which followed
the success of ' Jane Eyre" is, perhaps, not
so well known The critics thought that
the three pen names, .Currer Ellis, and
Acton Bell, were but masks for the Identity
of one and the same person, and in the sin
gleness of their integrity the sistera con
sidered this a slur upon their veracity So
Charlotte and Anne set out for London at
once, two quaint little figures The expe
rience they had is Morthiipubltihlng i, i
Dre sul for the eventful journey, Charlotte
and nm sat down to aft cany tei, eating lit
tie, as we ran imagine, and then began the
four mile walk in good season to catch the
night tram A heavi 'howcr wet them to the
tvin on the road, but they pressed on Dfiinu
Hon of eha-icur wag too serious a peril fo
them to mind trifles when bent up n self
justifkalun
They went straight from the Chapter Coffee
House (where, odd as it mtey ettm, they
elected to lodfee because their father used to
put up there as a young man) to Smith L
Kldtr's Cornhill office, amazing the senior part
ner by presenting the letter he had sent to
'Currer IJcll " Lp to now he and Mr. Mil
Iiams had writtfi to their auther as a man
The publisher turned It over in Ills hahd, and
looked bewildertd from his own handwriting
to the quaint little women' sWndinjf Side" By
side at the full height of pieir smaj) .stature
"Where cud vou get this?" he asked, natu
ralli Charlotte was spokeswoman, intro
ducing herself as ' Ourrir Bell," her companion
as ' Vcton " In his delight at the 'ohiti n of
more than one vexed question, Mr Smith would
have called together a coterie of literary people
at his house to meet the unmasked 6eTebnfies,
but the visitors would not consent They would
retain their incognita to everybody in London
but himself and his partners. After an hour's
chat, thev trudged back to their quaint quar
ters, never noticing that they were the only
women in the house
The book is fully illustrated, and will
be a 'valuable addition to any reference
library. (New York G. P. Putnam's Sons
?2 50)
Knilnny Ilomiiiicc.
Three or four books of railway stories
have come out within as many years, and
the best of them all in some respects is
"Stories of the Railroad," by John A Hill
Mr Hill was formerly a locomotive engi
neer on the llio Grande road, and his
"yarns" have the realism which can come
only from thorough knowledge of one's
ground, while they are full of an imagina
tion and power which prove the born story
teller The technical phrases are not so
abundant as to make the story unintelligi
ble to the outsider, but at the same time
there are enough of them to give plenty
of local color
There are nine of the tales, two o- three
exceptionally good, the others of great
merit, and suffering only by comparison
with the authors own best work Per
haps the most original and striking is "My
Lady of the Eyes," and the most pathetls
and captivating "Jim "Wain Wright's Kid "
"The Polar Zone" is a weird creation, a
little out of the regular line of the au
thor's v ork, and ' The Clean Man and the
Dirty Angels" Is the queer title of the
best character sketch in the volume "A
Peg-Legged Romance" is the only one of
the stories with a strong vein of hutror
The main Interest of them all may be said
to be the love-interest human cicot on in
some form or other, generally that of love
between man and woman In the early
days of the railway sentimental people
used to think that there could be few pos
sibilities for the story-teller in this sooty,
grimy, numbered monster run on sched
ule time, but it seems to bo Mr Hill's
mission to show how ' Romance brought up
the nine-fifteen "
Next to what the theatrical press pgent
would call "heart interest," the most sa
lient quality of this book is its oddity of
plot and incident This Is shown In almost
all the tales In 'Jim Walnw right b Kid"
we have the story of a young engineer
a little rough of tongue, perhaps but a
clean-souled, chivalrous, and manly Amei
ican mechanic and the curious relations
which existed between him and his fire
man, who was not a man at all but an ad
venturous, plucky, and intelligent joung
girl, who In a spirit of pure daring, had
disguised herself as a man and applied for
a pc-bition on a newly constructed engine
She was the ' Kid " Her father had brought
her up In a machine shop she had worked
in the factory where the now engine was
built and was familiar with every part of
It, so that she easily carried out her plan,
and not even her companion suspected the
truth for a time, others never found it out
There are two or three things about this
story which are peculiarly American The
bringing up of the girl In a free, untram
meled atmosphere is one, another Is tho
character of the hero, who, like the aver
age decent young American, will protect a
weaker comrade as readily as he would
shield a woman When the identity of tho
"Kid" is finally discovered the romance be
gins, and the two are finally married
"My Lady of the Byes" has a touch of
mysticism In It, of a very original kind
As for the style of the book, from a litera
ry point of lcvv It Is rather rough Here
and thero are conventional phrases which
jar on one Tho ex-engineer sticks out
all over It Many of tho paragraphs sound
as if they might have been written by the
secretary of the Amalgamated Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers. They have the
semi-stilted phraseology of the committee
on resolutions But, alter all, that does
not hurt them for the purposes of this
story -teller. The stories are good enough
to be told in almost anv form (New
York: Doubleday &. McClure Company.
?1 30.)
Minor Fiction.
"Arms and the Woman," by Harold Mac
Grath, is a story of a princess, or rather
two princesses, and two Americans, told
in a style which is n little like that of An
thony Hope, though the time is the pres
ent and the atmosphere that of reality In
stead of that half-shndowy fairyland In
which the 'Prisoner of Zenda" moved The
heorine, Princess Hildcgtrde, is a charm
lug woman, though slightly indefinite at
times, and the hero is rather conventionally
brave and manly The man who takes the
strongest hold upon one fancy is Dan
Hlllars, the London correspondent of an
American newspaper who first falls in lovo
with Hildegarde, and is placed by her in
a somewhat extraordinary situation An
other admirably drawn character is the
princess' intended husband, Prince Ernst,
a finished old profligate, from whom
she is, of course, rescued in due
time There are two or three stliring
chapters, notably that in which the
princess fights a duel for the sake of
her lover, and that In which hor lover
finds out that there are two princesses In
stead of one, and that owing to this fact
Hildegarde may yet be his The plot Is
somewhat intricate but not distrebSingly
so (New York Doubleday &. McClure
Company ?1 25 )
"The Heiress of the Season" is a new
novel by Sir William Magnay, Bar , author
of "The Pilde of Life, ' and some other
books People who like to read books writ
ten by a titled person will enjoy this,
and those who care nothing for th-U addi
tion to the title-page will have the satisfac
tion of discovering that a man can write
a very passable story and also be u baronet
The story concerns the adventures of u
spirited and beautiful young girl, daughter
of a quiet country squire, who, owing to
the sudden acquisition of a fortune, be
comes "the heiress of the season," and re
news her acquaintance with a brilliant
young political leader named Charleroy.
whom she has met very informally at home
A pretty love-story immediately begins,
complicated by various political and social
intrigues, not of a very weignty kind, but
deep enough to be interesting There aic
accurate and vivid pictures of London
society, with its well-known habitues, ami
most of these folk contrabt forclblv with
the charming, spirited freshnesb of the
heroine and the real vigor of character
possessed by Charleroy. It is a good book
for an idle hour on a rainy day or a rail
way train (New York D Appleton &. Co
$100)
e
"Dionystus the Weaver's Heart's Dear
est" is the some.vhat elaborate title of
Blanche Willis Howard's last book Like
"Seven on the Highway," it is a story of
life on the Continent, the scene being laid
in the land 'between the Danube and the
Neckar, in the hamlet of Hexenfels," in
the bleak hill countrv known as the Rough
Alp Vroni Lindl.uhe heroine, Is a child
of the mountains, straightforward,
willful, wayward, ' and delightful,
developing into 'a strong and beau
tiful woman In this story the
author shows tho same indepenaence of
thought and purity of motive which was
evident in what is perhaps her best work,
"The Open Door. The quaint mountain
dialect is reproduced in a way which adds
an indescribable charm to the story Tiie
postman "Tiber," is in some ways a rep
etition of Bernhard Dietz, the big-hearted,
big-ouled stonecutter of the earlier book
But there Is nobody like Vronl In any
bock, either by this author or another. She
is unique, and she is the kind of chaiacter
who could have been created onlv Ly a
woman novelist (New York Charles
Scribner's Sons $1.50,)
LITERARY NOTES.
George Ade, author of "Artie," "PIn'c
Marsh," and "Doc Harris," was born in
1866 at Kentland, Ind , the sort of the town,
banker There he had an ordinary town
boy's schooling but he derived from it
more than the ordinary boy can possibly
acquire Later he went through Pardue
University In Lafayette, Ind , and there he
made the valuable acquaintance of Mr
John T McCutcheon, with whom he has
since been closely associated After leav
ing college, Mr Ade's Interest in jourahsm
took him Into the office of a country paper
where he acted as reporter and man of all
work, filling any position which happened
to bo vacant for the moment, from office
boy to managing editor
This fall he will bring out a book called
"Fables in Slang," which Is quite different
from anything he has yet achieved. Noth
ing could be more up-to-date in the ordi
nary city life than the peculiar logic and
moralizing of these little tales With such
qualities thev combine a curious sort ot
quaintness, v hich makes the large type and
capitalizing, and the formal and conven
tionalized Illustrations b Mr Clyde J
Newman extremely appropriate
Hugh Thomson, the illustratoi of Jane
Austen, has drawn seventy illustrations
for the edition of Charles Reade s ' Peg
Woffington," which tho Doubleday &. Mc
Clure Company will publish These
are all In the delicate line
work which Mr Thomson has
made practically his own, and when
coupled with Reade's delightful picture of
early theatrical life in London, when Gar
rick, Barry Colley Cibber, and Kitty Clivo
.sere among those v.ho gathered about the
Immortal "Wellington, they come with pro
jounced interest for the lover of t,ood
editions
At last we are to learn of the late Span
ish war from the standpoint ot the regu
lar Hitherto he has been content to let
the volunteers and the reporters write the
books, while he attended to the serious
business of the moment the fighting Tho
regular who has now turned his experi
ences Into a book Is Mr Karl Stephen
Herrman late private Light Battery D,
Fifth United States Artillery and his book,
"From Yauco to Las Marias Being a Story
of the Recent Campaign in Western Pu
erto Rico by tho Independent Regular Bii
gadc, Under Command ot Brlgadlei Gen
eral Schwan," Is announced for Immediate
publication by Messrs Badger A notable
feature of the -book is forty full-page il
lustrations William Vckolson whose bold portraits
of celebrities are so well known, has made
another collection of drawings under the
title of "The Squnre Book of Animals,"
published by R H Russell These pic
tures are as striking as anything Mr Nich
olson has yet done The subjects are do
mestic animals, including a duclc, a hen,
a colt, a goat, etc
Recently Miss Pamela Colnian Smith, the
color Illustrator was visiting Rev S Bar
ing Gould at his Devonshire home, and
there met Sir Henry Irving The greatest
English-speaking actor was so Impressed
with tho originality of her work that he
asked her to design a poster for his use in
America, using the quaint color scheme
which has brought her early distinction
Miss Smith a greatest enthusiasm is per
haps for illustrating tho best of the old
English ballads nnd folk songs, using the
songs mainly us a suggestion for studies
of tho country and sea life in and about
early England In her hands these be
come more than illustrations They take
rank as remarkably unique and accurate
studies of an "atmosphere" all but lost to
the England of todav They aro free and
fanciful in conception and almost bold in
coloring, but never grotesque. Two books,
"Wlddicombo Talr" and ' Tho Golden Van
ity and the Green Bed," will bo published
shortly bv the Doubleday & McClure Com
pany, tho first In an edition limited to 500
copies, each numbered and containing an
original sketch In colors by Miss Smith
They aro particularly interesting just now,
as a company of English singers Is an
nounced as about to produce these old
ballads, singing them ir vostume and with
scenery under the direction of a Mr. Pem
berton. who will start them first in Bos
ton. The artist's work will be reproduced
by the stencil process, printed by haud, so
that it wiH bo possible to realize the flavor
and the full vigor of the coloring
Charles Dana Gibson's travels on the
Nile have found expression in a book of
"Sketches in Egypt," which shows the
artist in somewhat of a new light as a
writer as well as an illustrator Of course
tho body of tho book is taken up with
drawings and a remarkably god collec
tion, by tho way, full of strength and ap
preciation as vv I1 as of the delicacy pe
culiar to Mr Gibsoa but in addition these
diawlngs are supplemented with wiitten
impressions, tho most complete which he
has published so far. The book which was
published October 11, is especially In
teresting just now, when the eyes of the
civilized world have been drawn to the
Upper Nile. Doubleday fi. McClure Com
pany, the publishers, call special attention
to the de luxe edition, to be issued later,
consisting of 250 signed and numbered
copies, each accompanied by a portfolio
containing art proofs oi ten of the most
Important pictures on Japan silk tissue and
mounted on plato paper suitable for fram
ing. R H Russell & Co will oon publish
"Plantation Sketches," by J Campbell
Phillips, a scries of drawings depicting ne
gro life as It exists on the Southern plan
tations While Kemble looks for what is
humorous, this artist has sought for the
pathetic and sentimental This is the first
collection In book form of Mr. Phillips'
work
Mr Prank T Bullen's forthcoming book
will bs entitled "The Log of a Sea-Waif."
The brilliant author of ' The Cruise of tho
Cachalot" and "Idyls of the Sea" presents
in. this new work the continuous -jtory of
the actual experiences of his first four
years at sea. In graphic and picturesque
phrases ho has sketched the events of
voyages to the West Indies, to Bombay,
and the Coromandel coast, to Melbourne
and Rangoon. Nothing could bo of more
absorbing Interest than this wonderfully
vivid account ot foksl humanity, and the
adventures and strange sights and expe
liences attendant upon deep-sea voyages.
It is said by those who have read the ad
vance sheets that the book Is likely to
prove a companion volume to our own
"Two Years Before the Mast " The rb
li3hers. D Appleton . Co , announce that
the book will be ready almost immediately.
Mr Trank Vincent's Impoitant and In
structive book, "Actual Africa," has a pe
culiar interest for readers at this time The
author presents vivid accounts of his visits
to Delagoa Bav, and to Durban in Natal,
whence he traveled to Newcastle, Charles
town, Johannesburg, and Pretoria Mr
Vincent gives most graphic accounts of the
life of the Boers and the mining and other
inteiests of the Transvaanl His visit to
the Transvaal was followed by a journey
through the Orange Free State, where he
visited the capital, Bloemfontein, and aft
erward he made a careful study of the Klm
berley diamond mines His journey south
ward and his stay in Cape Town furnished
additional facilities for a comprehensive
view of the present theatre of action in
Africa The results of this personal study
of the territory now attracting so much
attention Include many characteristic illus
.trations. "Actual Africa" is published by
D. Appleton & Co , who have also
Issued "Oom Paul's People," by H C
Hlllegas, which has been called "the true
story of tho Boers."
A ufilque volume of verses which has
the morlii oD indicating the author's sin
cerity, and speaks strongly to the enthu
siast and lover of the sonnet, is "A Gar
land of Sonnets" (in praise of the poets),
by Craven Langstroth Belts The volume
will be Issued by Messrs M T. Mansfield
& A. Wessels, of New York, and printed
from an "old-style" type on deckle-edge
paper with Japan paper portrait Insets,
the whole bound after the Trench manner
and enclosed In a slip case.
Tiio old adage about truth and fiction
was justified again in the recent football
game" between Harvard and Wesley an,
whep EUis, the. Harvard right hr If back,
made a run of thirtv-five yards and jump
ed over a Wesleyan tackler's head, scoring
a touchdown The same feat is described
in Mr R. H Barbour's new football story,
"The Halfback," and the exciting Incident
is illustrated in the frontispiece of the
book, which has just been published by
D Appleton &. Co,
The Important subject of "Food Poison
ing" in its relation to health v ill be dis
cussed by Prof. Victor C Vaughan, in
"Appletons' Popular Science Monthly" for
November He calls attention to the dan
ger from poorly canned foods, especially
meats
Seumas MacManus. the voune Irishman
who came to New York a stranger, and6!
startled the editors and publishers with
so early and complete a victoij as almost
to discourage native writers, is the author
of a volume of sketches of giants, witches,
kings and fairy spells, entitled "In Chim
nej Corners," to be brought out in the
middle of October by Doubleday &. Mc
Clure Co Thebe stories owe their charm
no more to the wa In which Mr Mac
Manus has caught the elusive spirit ot
folk lore than to the fact that they are so
delightfullj and bafflmgly Irish The book
is elaborated Illustrated in color by Miss
Pamela Colman Smith, who has done a re
markable piece of work In getting hold of
tho author's vvill-'o-the-vvlsp humor
This stor is being told with great relish
in Yale When Miss Caroline Hazard was
installed president of Welleslej the other
day Dr Hadley, of Yale, met President
Eliot of Harvard "I hope you are coming
to the inauguration at Yale," said Dr.
Hadlej
"I expect to," leplied President Eliot
It suddenly occurred to President Hadley
that as President Eliot had received his
degree of LL D from Yale the Harvard
president might properly appear at the in
auguration as a son of Yale, so he said
"I hope ou will wear jour hood of Yale
blue
President Eliot grasped the situation in
stnntl He remembered that President
Hadley had received his degree of LL D
from Harvard, and he said "I'll wear mj
Yale blue hood If jou'll wear jours of
Harvard crimson "
'Agreed," said President Hadlej.
And both kept their word
' Madnd the Spanish capital ' sajs the
"Pall Mall Gazette," "has one or two pa
pers which have a fair circulation, but
thej cannot compare in importance, as to
their influence over their ovn countrv 's
population, fcith other first-class Continen
tal newspapers with the best p-oductions
of Uibtriu, Russia, or even Italy Of the
Spanish papers probably the 'Imparclol"
has the greatest sale ainought the people
of Madrid but the chief paper for Influ
ence amongst the better classes Is "La
Epoca, which is a conservative journal of
very old repute having been established
foi over half a centurj 'La Epo a' has
never supported anv other parti In Spain
but the high Conservatives Its piesent
circulation ma be taken as being about
twelve thousand daily, and it is edited by
the Marquis do aldiglebias who Is also
one ot Its proprietors It is a lour-page
journil whose columns are prlncipallj
given ovci to news from Spanish sources,
and its supply of foreign matter and do
lugs, as we kno. them In this countrv, is
but Bcanty There is generally a leading
article of Importance In Its first column,
and the latter half of Its fourth page is
given to the "serial, ' which is as much in
vogue In Spain as elsewhere on the Con
tinent. Charles Scribnors' Sons announce a new
book by Trances Hodgson Burnett, entitled,
"The Great DeWllIoughby Claim " The
DeWllloughby claim Is a claim that Is be
ing fought out in Congress, and naturalli
Mrs Burnett's Intimate knowledge of
Washington life In Its less familiar phases
is drawn upon. Tho writing of "Tho Great
DeWllloughby Claim" has extended over
some years, and the book Is really a cul
minating one in Mrs Burnett's series of
novels.
CURRENT VERSE.
The frightened h& of ckmda W T
Trample the Mnshine down, aad caaa the day
Into the duety toraC7aaoa ot Ctry -
nd sombre twlHrht Hnr, and taint, and Ugh,
The wild goose trails Ms- barrow, with a ay
Sad as tha wail of soma poor caataway
Uho aeee a vessel drifting far aetray-
Of his last hope, and lays him down to-die.
The chidren. rtotoun from school, grow bold
And twarrel with tbe wind wboa awgry. gust
Plucks otf tbe Mimwer hat and flaps Utatahl
Of many a crimson cloak, and twirls the dost
In antral shapra grotesque, and dims the gold
Oi gleaming treses with tha Mar otnat.
James WWtcomb Riley
The Critic.
The critic ctocd with scornful eya
ilefore a picture on tbe wall;
"ou call this artf Now see that By,
It i not natural at alt.
"It has too many legs, its head
is far too large who ever srw
A By 1-fce that, so limn and dead.
And wings that look as if they pabawl"
And with a gesture of diagust
lie waved hi hand, when lo' the $y
Flew irom the picture "Ah! some daat,"
The critic aaid, "was in my eye."
Henry Uoyle.
Aontli.
Morn's wtyatic roe is laddening en tht MOa,
uawns inteu nautilus makes glad the sea.
There is a lyre of dame that throb and Ms
Far heaven and earth, with hope's wild tuWp
With lilicd field ami grove.
Haunts of the turtle 4ov,
Here in the land of Love.
The chariot of the noon makes blind the blue
As towards the goal hi burning axle glara.;
There in t fiery trumpet thrilling through
Wide heaven and ear Ik' with deeds ef one who
dare
With peaks of splendid name,
Wrapped round with astral name.
Here w the land of fame
Tbe purple priesthood of the evening waits
With golden poiiiu within the tempted galea;
There is a harp of worship at the gates
Of heaven ami earth that bid the son! arie
With columned cliSs ami long
Vale, music breathes among,
Here is tiie land of Song.
Mcon-crowned, the epic of tbe mjrht
Its starry utterance o'er height and deep;
There is a v ice of beauty at the souls
Of heaven and earth that lulls tha heart asleep
With storied woods and stream.
Where marble glows and gieama
Here is tbe land of Dreams.
Madison Cowein.
Ktei mil Me.
What an exceeding rest 'twill be
When I can leave off being Met
To Unnk of it! at hut be rid
Of all the tbrnga 1 ever did!
Done with tbe varying di tress
Of retroactive consciousness'
Set free to feel the joy unknown
Of life and lore beyond my own!
W hi bouid I losg to have John Smith
Ktentally to straggle with'
I'm lohn but ouih w cherubim
Seem quite incongruous wfth Mm.
It would not seem so mieer to dwell
Eternalt Jean Smith in Hell.
To be one man forever eens
Most 9t in purgatorial dreams.
Put heaven 1 Rest and potver and peaee
Must surely mean the wnil's release
From thw small labeled entity
This pacing limitation Me'
Charlotte Perkins Steuon in the Cosmopolitan.
"U Foetn.
I saw them in m dreams a goodly band
W ith lyre of gracious make within each band,
A laurel wreath upon each shin ng head,
11 young as jouth and all fair garmented.
They swept the strings beside a magic" sea
That ever beat its wavea in melody
Upon a shore where blooms immortal sprang
Between their fet, for olaee while they ang
I waked, and saw J hem in tbe light of day,
A motlry crowd, for some were bent and grey.
And some clothed on with raps and hollow eyed,
And others limped, as they had journeyed wide.
And oftenwhiles they sag when racked with
pain.
Or cpase of field and flower, of Love'a domain,
When mured about by sad and noisome eights
And lacking air and pace and May delights.
i.nd let methinks I lored their motley more
Than thoe dream Angers that I saw before;
And jet methinks they looked of heavenly race
15 so ire strange token on their brow ami (Bee.
Richard Bcrton.
Hose Vdnir.
'Twas in green leafs springtime
When the birds on ev'ry tree.
Were urea kin' all their little hearts
In a merry melody,
n' the voutig buds hum? like taelg,
An' the flowers srew everywhere
'Twas in green-feaf) springtime
I first saw Knee Adair.
I met her sowin mushrooms
With her white feet in the grate,
'Twas eve but mornui' in the smile
O, my sweet colleen dha?,
An' I kissed her, oh, o ecratly,
That not a one should know
Bat the roguish stars tbey winked above,
An' the daisies smiled below.
The father in confeesion, Rose,
W on t count that love a sin.
That with a kiss taps at tbe heart
An lete. an angel m,
'Twsa so love entered into mine,
n' made his dwelhn there
If that's v sin, the Ijord forgive
J. our beauty, Rose Adair.
The leava. will fall in the autumn,
n' the flowers all come to jenei,
But the green love in my heart of hearts
W ill never shed a leaf.
For the sunshine of jour honnie eyes
Will keep it green an fahr,
An' jour breath will be ita breeae o' spring,
O lovelv Rose dair'
Temple Bar
The I.iiii nml the Ijiulj.
The Law whereby mv Lady moves
Was nc-er Law to me,
But 'tin enough that She approve!!;
Whatever Law it be
For in that Law and bv that Law
ily constant course I'll eer;
Xot that I heed, or deem it dread.
But that She holds it dear.
Tho' Vsia sent for my content
Her ncheet Argosies,
Those woidd I (arn and bid return
If that should give Her eae.
With equal heart I'd watch depart
bach winced ail from sight,
Sans bitterne" desiring less
Great 0rcar than Her delight.
Yet uch am I, yea, such am I,
Sore l)nd, and freest tree,
The Law that sways mj Ladv's ways
Is mjstery to me.
Rudyard Kiphng.
Illumes of u Siielllnc: Reformer.
A fisherman sat on the quaj
Partaking of afternoon tuay,
When a ladv tame by
Who winked with ooe v.
Ami whispered, o sugar for tnuaj."
A man waa committed to caol
For stealing a tcnpeHiij naol,
The judge was severe,
And Kaie hun one yere.
Without am option of baol.
A grand old bootmaker of Hawarden
Used lo pend the whole day in his gawardan
When hsa irirmts akt him why
He lookt up at the sky.
But onlj replied, 'Beg your pawarden."
It Is raid that Nathaniel I-mnne?
Lived whollv on bread ami b-oad bbiennes;
When invited to eat
But i nioroel of meat
He answered, ' Just think what it mmienne!"
A thoughtful voung butcher named ilowll
Had a tender and sensitive sow!!,
When he slaughterrd a sheep
He alwajs would weep
And paj for a funeral towli.
sailor, who sported a queue.
Wad civil to all that he knueue,
If he tame under lire
He ustd to retire
nd ksj, with a bow, "fter yuene."
The Dowager Duke of Ruccleugh
Was famous for In iHeugii,
When asked, 'Do vou w
Anv onions m stue"
He cautiously answed, "V feugb."
A groom of the royal demense
W 4 the tltiest old man ever sesne;
But he kept out of sight
In a ditch day and maht.
For fear of annoving the quesue.
The amiable Commodcre Ilaijch
Set sail down the channel one dilh;
When asked, 'Do jou know
Which direction to coi"
He answered, I'm feeling my walgh."
One autumn the Marquis of Stevnes
Shot a partridge with infinite pevnes;
Then he cried, "I'm afraid
Of tht havoi 1'vl maid'
See onlj one feather remevne'"
Westmnster Gazette
.0TES AXjQgERIBS.
hr ib gfew wake rea&y a aufafctf V &
It Ie a rhmrd aad baa adferHy !
"snake.
What la the povulstia ol tbe Tmnnwasf jKe
.
public T ar
About MMW; am tfer kalr ( vdm
are black. '
What is tbe minimum petJtfcm nfjmmm fa
establish free mail delivery in cittaa at tamif
A.X.
By Mia law ot 1397 Um
a populAUoo of 1,M, or fottat
of $lMt Tk departimmt la bow
eriBff extending to syatana t
towns.
Were Protestants eaacerard in the OnsmB
Uodicea, held ia A. . 3SST A . fk,
Hardly, since Frotestaatissa aan
2m.
Cornell ot LMdteca. to nacertsla mhM
ptacaa mteassy Iron 3 to- 472.
When did Oir tiatnet Wobwfay tak. u limit at
tbelMtish iwtN te sferptt war Afca
aadrU boasbankdr S.
In 1M2. 2. On Jaly 11 aod IX.
W. J. D. On tke aacoad ot
the Treasury DeaartowM pii
ttoml debt at MSM.tt7 Ta to Stt
eral Cessna pot Use aggregate ot StMe.
county, municipal, asd aekooi dfctorttt sWW,
lesa sinking trad, at 3J3S.XlMtt.
What a the nKaisnam capital stock wtta wait
national banks are permitted to taganhwr
ft tt.
Fifty tkonaand doHara, Tfcia te dttee mi
lesa than 8,00 populetioB. Bsewfcw tfc
capital may not be leas than fllMM. aa
to places having more than 59.M9 totwli
tants the capital stock most oat Ism
than $2en,C0O.
la the Tmted Stairs Xavy there aia she m
ponte gunboat fan yen tell me widen taay as,
jrni waat is the dulerenee between tnaa smt aw
ordinary gunboat? X.
They are the Annapolis, Wnottaaj. 2Cw-
port, Yickaburg. Priacatoo, aadt
They are smaller, slower, and have i
guns tban toe regular gunboats.
How many silver dollars were coined la sflBV
and at what mints? Is there anv Breaaiassv am
them? -JtvfHfc
There were coined for Um
ending December 31, 18W. SS&Stt dim
dollars, so yon ace tbey are not rare. Bat
don't let that discoarago jea. IaoJst on
your impossible premium. If it te otniag
bet canceled postage stamp.
What is tbe ares of the City of Sew Oiliaai
2. Row many mika ol irver front has tha eHyt
a. What is iU population? X. 9.
Tbe area is 19 1-4 miles. 2. Save mjms
on each side of the rrrer. X Mayor Hewer
estimated tbe population on Janomry 1 ef
this year at 3Q0,9M. By the causae ot Ifst
It was 542,039.
Did ordinary domestic sheep cease ansa tbe wai
ones found in our mountains? SHI
No; all our recognised broads mn a Bs
ropean origin. Tbe source ef lew Isolds
can be traced with certainty, bet it to see
posed that tbe origlsale were tbe argalt of
Asia, and the mnsimon of Oscsfea. both-being
large-horned wild sbeep.
What is the "dunwlow" bttUctT . When ws
the eagle adopted as the iioaal esaMtsa at
America? H. P. S.
A rifle bullet of metal so soft tba it
mashes, and on striking a men rnnliia a
tearing ound nearly as di mallei as vbsx
from an explosive bullet. Tbey bsrrefes
used bj England against sarages wbossTfe
rocity made them indifferent to ai-large
proportion of tbe wounds from latter-day
rifle bullets of small calibre. 2. ITSS.
V) bat mere power ass aa admiral ot the assy,
than a rear admiral? 2. why is Dewey vamtttd
so much more than the great generals of tbe
i ivil war7 3. How many gold dollars will a Mnad
Troy of pare gold make? iiKC.
He ranks all rear admirals. 2. Became
hia achievements are more recent, and Be
cause the Spanish war developed, fewer
popular heroes than tbe ctrtt war. 3. Oofcl
is valued in oar coinage at the rate ef 3M3
grains of tbe pore metal to tbe dtotfasv A
troy pound of gold would thus grse SiSltS
dollars.
What is a woodcut, a lithograph, and aitsat
engraving, and what are tbeir differences PHase
tell something of the cost of each. M.fR.
A woodcut is a picture or design minted
from an engraved block of finely gmtoed
wood. A lithograph is printed from stone,
usually in several colors. A steel engrav
ing ia printed from an engraved steel plate.
Tbe last te tbe most costly of the three.
and woodcuts are more expenatre than
lithographs.
How long have electric are-alarma been hi
user SOfB.
About forty years. The tret prac
tical trial of a Ore-alarm teiegranb system
occurred in 1851, both In New Tort city
and Berlin. It was much modtned before
it was adopted. The earliest record of as
electric fire-alarm is a British patent to
sued in 1S47 Prior to that there were
many automatic fire-alarms that were net
electric That of Joseph Smith, patented
in England in 1302, is an example.
What is the trial of the pyx? Ik CK.
An examination of coins reserved from
successive coinages to be testad for weight
and fineness. Jn this country the trial of
tbe py occurs annually at the Philadel
phia mint on tbe second Wednesday to
February It takes place before the Comp
troller of the Currency, the aasayer of the
New York assay office, tbe Judge of Ike
United States Court for the Eastern dis
trict of Pennsylvania, and others desig
nated by the President The coins tested
are from the other mints as weH. if no
defects are found, a report of the proceed
ings is filed, merely, if deviations te ex
cess of these allowed by tow are discover
ed, tbe facts are certified to the President,
who has power te remove tbe omcere at
fault. In England such trials ocenr-eaeh
year before a sworn jury of sbc goldsmiths.
Tbe pyx is the strong box in which each
coins are kept.
What in lineage and fees are necessary te Jam
the Order of the Cincinnati 2.Nhat arc (he
requirements ol Ibe Colonial Aunesf J. A
Male descendants of Continental omeers
oneof omeers as high as colonel tn Use
French co-operating army are entitled, to
membership in the Society of tbe Cincin
nati, if deemed worthy What the toes are
we do not know, but yon can ascertain by
addressing the Secretary General, Coi. Asa
Bird Gardiner. New York CHy. 2. There
are two orders of Colonial Dames of
America. One insists that its members
shall be descended from some ancestor
of worthy life who came to this eoontry
prior to 1750, and who rendered to bis
country some efficient service during the
Colonial period. Services rendered after
1776 do not entitle one to memberaht.
The secretary is Mrs William Reed. M3
Monument Street, W, Baltimore. Hd. The
other order is patriotic and educatloaal.
and not so exacting as to descent, we
think. Its secretary is Mrs. Timothy Ma
lach Cbeesman. 15 Ftftn Avenne, Xew
York city.
Mow a a clearing house condectedr BL B.
Take the largest in this country, that of
New York, it has a row of sixty-ftve
desks, one for each bank. Here appear at
about 9 o'clock in tbe monung two clerks
for each bank. One clerk to stationed at
his bank's desk, the other, a messenger,
stands before it bearing all the cheeks
and drafts on other banks that his bank
has received on tbe previous day, all sort
Mi in envelopes. At a signal, each mes
senger steps to the next desk and delivers
tbe envelope of checks on its bank. The
clerks receipt for the envelopes, and the
messengers pass on to all the desks, re
turning to their own. Thus each measea
ser has delivered to each bank everything
his bank received from it tbe day before,
ami each clerk has received the cheek dhe
bim. The clerks then report to the" clearing-house
manager, and settlements, h to-gal-tender
notes or cola, are made. t tha
manager, before 1 30 of tbe same day, be
immediately turning the cash over to tha
banks representatives.