Newspaper Page Text
T7TK P.T'PLTWiTOX 1'RKK I'KHH TIMKSiHI HSDAY, '' ) F"M.l 1 1011 11 STATE LOTTERIES, ; I Rise and Fall of a Tremendous Gamble In England. STARTED UNDER QUEEN BESS Tho First One Was "Without Any Dltincks, Contayniny Good Pricas, ns VVcl of Redy Money 03 of Plato and Certaine Sortii of Marchaundizes." Thourh it Ir certain that the custom nf holding lotteries was pract Icml In I urobilin countries ns far back us the middle of tho ilfeeiilh century, It n-ms tlmt tills iiM'tlctilnr Idoa'wns in '.noun In Lnglatd until more than years ' i-r. Tl lottery, in fact, appears to lui boei Included among tin-ip mn i iporlnnt things, hnth poof lit' ' "1 fi-it were intro duced to ""ll i"" . during the reign of Qui'w. i:n ..,',.. i being R.r niaj r ty's .pro- ' nand that Hits ready i i. mii f . alsimj this wind" mi be! i uf , v. intu II an noes was r ipt' 'Hie : il' , lottcij must have taiien 'I if arranging, owl uk. tio d (i. ::.i t 1'i it tin.' people of t' ii a certain nmount cf , 1 1 , form of gambling, for .1 ir' m v :,m first brought fc un- dn Mary's r i Ml. . '1 i wins; did tint t I Hi! . i's later. orlp 1 1 Mil-, of Queen itti" I, .is fo-innntply 1, "i""'. in black lpttcr ti in length ami Id- It b"gins Ir V '. i ry ri'dl Lotterle i "" my blancks, con ..u .oi of good prices tslc). r.-ii in HX'.v as of plate and "(- i f m. rohauinlizos, hav liiP'1 . 1 ptv'cd hy Hip com- l r the (jueono's most ex ',11. I v men expert and .il ... - ...i to say that "the iic i ii . i (. 1 iv her tunjes " t ' intent that such com - may cumince to arise there- the hirg-: home, may he i towardes tl.o reparation of . and -tret gili of the Healine nl h ol'ipr inbliqllo good Thoie were something like inzes in this gigantic venture, h the first was of tho value of while the entrance fee was two shillings and six pens." - I. lent his "speeiiill favunre" ' ttery whose object was "the i i t p'.-intatloti of F.nglish colonies i ti la." the prizes consisting of 'i' money, "besides rewnrdes of i tie,' the tickets being drawn !, , Iniilt house at the west end I' s the '-".'ill ot .It. ne. Hll'J." '1 - ' cry does r. a, however, appear til' ' lieeli vi ry "i ii'it. although we i -e aspire 1 by t'i" 1'isinri.ni that it vv- s "plainely ari..,l ami honestly pnfi lined." for iv. j in t lie want ot "li 'i- nope th" t.'in I r of lots there w n t.iven ia.- a.cl li.r.jwtic away " i'v thou-.i nil I '.'tti--kes without i' it any mu' n..c, ' certainly a i . , i i i rons i :-,-)ree img un Hie part of the promoters. The lucky man mi ' Mon was Thomas Sharplilfe, ,i J'. ! of J.omlon," who won the I'r t i i e of "loure thousinid (,'rownes in f i' te plate, which was spnt to Ills Ik'i in .i very stately manner." 1 ' to s, .mo cxtctit poorly patron V f'l's lo'tery appears to have ' i i.oori otU of Interest amam: 'iMitit personages of the day, .i t"l I that during the whole i t!.e drawiiiK there were al- ,i--it diners woiNhipfull ' ' ' i.d Esquires, accompanied ''' : ratio discreet Citizens." we it on lotteries (or everj c ' ' ' I ifpose wci-e I. .-Id In I.on- d I ii' h.T I -' . .1-1 -i lit tiecns, with t n ii.'l'ii I. ' , that troulile con f- I ' . aroe i ft fi-n the Iit'.imoter.s !i i 1 t of ti,' ti. i.-t holders who ll; pcued to I o ui, u Uy 0r thought lluv iial l pn unf.iirly treated, as no do il.t rianx .r tlini were. We Hud, th-ref.r,.. ii.,.; , ..r-,,,,1,, n! orders were iMiied f . the - i;,- u-s,i,n of thin form of jrniiil 'Inn. tl.on.-h the law does not pec m to lrie li.nj .-my sreat effect. Af I ', liowi '!! .u,y one propuim; 1 ' .1 loiti-ry olili;red to scud i .i f i jti to ii.e u.u'. and in ' s 11. s ri-j-'i we 1'id meiition of M or I sr, h i .1, i. iiit. One of tif - was for "the ransom of Ihitfllsh ii l un -t. AlRirrs or the Turkish K or f.r any oilier clmrltable u t" e pro-rioter maklin: It a bur-f- ' 'i after ho had paid In a third (f ' prntlts ho should reserve the re- f ir his own expenses and "the re- 1 f 1h fortunes, ruined bv loval t, ' Lottorv "lli"os for the sal of tickets were esinbiished all over the country n- c.e went on, but none was more 1. than Hie atrenoy of one iilsh, win Iloii'-ished at the beplniilm: of tho n1 'eentii 'ciitury. This enterprising iiidii .(lual, wliosu chief ulllces were in fVinib 'I and at Clinrin Cross, must lnvo mmlii a considerable iortuiio out of the much sater imslness of hoIIIiik Hike's than tukiiiK them. Hut his pro'nerous career, as also that of Ids fellows, (ami. to an abrupt end when ?.hn lottery art was passed In lSL'i, by wl.Mi it was provided that after Hid drawing of the state lottery for that year there were to hu no more of them. London (J lobe. OUR SENSITIVE PLANET. Constant Changes In the Sh3ps of tho earth's Crust. One naturally thinks ot the ecrth's crust us being exceedingly solid and F'lble, except perhaps In volcanic re ft ids where earthquakes are of fre quent occurrence. As a matter of fr t however, the shell of our planet Is extremely sensitive and most dell-c-a'dv balanced, so that under the In 1' ikcs of causes that seem altogeth r 1'isb-i Meant In comparison with the iK-i'iitl'' bulk and weight of the earth It wolds and lliictuates In a most ninn-iiig manner. To an eye so placed an to be capa I !o of tni.ing in at one comprehensive f,'iiiii'o the whole round outline of the g ibe 1' mild not appear of precisely I" i .h:po during an entire day or e'ci an hour. Most of tho phanges referred to are, of course, very Might when compared with the size of tho earth Itself. The opprntloti of ntmosphorlc nnd oceanic nuil other similar cntisps Is contlnttnlly briiiBltiB nhout changes In the shape of the earth's crust. One of the most Interest Iiir of the nRPticlps whereby fiticlt alterations tire effected Is the carryini; power of rivers. Wher ever n nrpat quantity of phikI nnd Ki-avel Is btfltiR brousht down from the Interior of n continent nnd poured into the sea, ns, for instance, along the northwestern coast of Kurope or the gulf coast of the United States, the weight of the earth's crust Is slowly increasing, nnd the consequence is seen In the gradual subsidence of the shore. Such a sinking has bppn going on for thousands of jears along the North spa coast and on the continental side of the I'.ritlsh channel. A similar de pression Is occurring on tho eastern edge of ottr own country nn.l along the gulf of Mevlco. It has been esti mated that the gulf coast Is sinking at the rate of nearly two feet In a century, Corresponding elevations must, of course, occur elsewhere. And to these ulow chances In the level of the earth's crust earthquakes are due us well as to Hi" more violent local disturbances created by volcanic action. Harper's Weekly. SGAP BUBBLES. Thinness of tho Gray Hued Films Just Bsfore Thoy Burst, What Is u soap bubble? Nothing b'.U a Illtn of water molecules held together by the cohesive power of soap in solu tion. A soap bubble's size and strength depend upon the right composition of the mixture that lurnlshes Its mate rial. The colors In n soap bubble are due to what Is known in physics as Uio Interference- of light, and depend upon the varying thickness of the tilm of water. The observer who watches n bubble as It is blown will notice that, the col ors rapidly chase one another over the (limy globe. He will also see that they vary In hue, growing less and less bright at the top of the bubble because thrrp gravity stretches it downward and makes the III in thin nest. It Is a singular fii'-t that the last color to appear on a soip bubble just before It breaks Is a gray tint. The thi' kness of Hie llltn when this tint appears upon It Is less than the one hundred and lifty-six-thousandth of tin Inch. Were a soap bubble to be magnified to the size of the eartli and the mole cules magnified lu proportion, then the whole structure would be as coarse grained as a globe of small Ipndsliot touching one another at tlielr surfaces. In the blowing of a snap bubble there Is presented the i-pe"tacle of the stretching of a liquid to tho extreme limit of its c'ipai ity. In this way we come nearer to a sight of the invisible molecules of matter than could bp got In any other way no mat'er how elab orate the experiment. Kxcbange. An East Indian Amulot. Ill India a variety of trenis and stones are ued as amulets. The most common Is the salagrnma, a stone about ns large as a billiard ball and which Is perforated with black. This Is supposed to be found only In On ti dal;!, a river In Nepnul. Tho person who nos-esses one of these stones is esteemed highly fortunate. lie pre serves it In a clean cloth, from whence It Is sometimes taken to be bathed and perfumed. He believes that the water In which it Is washed, if drunk, has the power to preserve from sin. Hold ing it in Ills hand, the ding Hindu ex pires In peace. An Architect's Rose, A story Is told of Sir Christopher Wren, the great Fnglish architect who built the town hall of Windsor. F.ng land. It appears that a lidgety mem ber of the corporation insisted that the roof required further support and wished more pillars to be added. Vain ly did Sir Christopher nssure him that the supposed danger was imaginary. The alarm became Infectious, nnd the great architect was finally worried Into adding the desired columns. Years rolled on, and In latpr times, when architect and patrons had passed away, cleaning operations on the roof .revealed the tact that the supposed additional supports did not touch the roof by a couple of Inches, though this I was imperceptible to the gazers be low, Hy this curious expedient did Sir Christopher pacify his critics while vindicating his own architectural skill i to future generations. Swift Was a Dunce at School, Not only philosopher! and divines, but some of the most trenchant satl i rists and brilliant humorists, were dull ; enough as boys, it has been snhi of I Swift in Ills best days that "he dis played either the blasting lightning of satlro or the lambent and ineteor-llko j caricatures ot frolicsome humor." And .yet this vigorous disputant was con sidered a fit Hiibje-t for a fool's cap at school. Afterw.uil at the Dublin uni versity "he was by scholars esteemed a blockhead" who was denied his do ,gree on his first application nnd ob tained it with great dltllculty on tho eennd. London Standard. A Business Suggestion. Bobby bad worn his mother's pa tience to the limit. "You are a perfect little heathen!" Bho icmarked. giving way at last. "Do you mean It?" demanded Hob by. "I do Indeed," snld his mother. "Then, say, ma," said Hobby, "why can't 1 keep that 10 cents a week you gimme for the Sunday school collec tion? 1 guess I'm as hard up as any of the rest of 'em." Harper's Weekly. Things Ho Know. Ills Wife-Why don't yon go to tho doctor mid find out just what you night to eat and what you ought to ivold? Dyspeptic Oh, 1 know nil that now. ! ought to eat everything 1 don't like and avoid everything 1 do. Lxcliange. Ail Sound, Fred What do you think of my ar gument? Will Sound; most eorialnl" sound. Fred-What else? Will-Nothing else; merely sound. AN ECCENTRIC BUTCHER. His Bills Wero Queer, nnd So Wcrs 1 Thoy Come From Titanium and Ar as rils Enting and Praying. I Firm s c Diamond. In 1720 there died nt Itomford, In The diamond bus ever been regarded Cssex. Knghtnd. n well known butcher I as possessing "tic q'"Hlly Mint phned It tC that town named Wilson. Mr. Wll- ' beyond rl ulry-nimHy, that of hard 30U. It appears, was notable for his in- ! neks. There arc scleral gems that com tegrlty in business nnd for the k'H- rote with It 1" honuty. tuil tit U-tist ono tlcncss of his manners two qualities ' -the ruby-when of rare size outranks which, perhaps, would scarcely havu it In costliness, but none In the whole entitled him to the notice of posterity ! list equals It In hardness. The hardest had he not nlso exhibited a remarkable i slcel cannot equal tho diamond In that uddlcuon to psalmody, extraordinary proficiency In peninanshln and n hleh ly peculiar manner of eating his dinner. Such butcher's blllu ns he sent to his to be ns hard as diamonds. These are customers had never been seen before 1 produced from the rare metal titanium, ami have never been seen since 'I hey One experimenter. It Is- claimed, sue were all exquisitely written by his reeded In preparing titanium In the own hand, but the top line would be. 'electric furnace- In tbe pure form It perhaps, In German text, the second In Is much harder than steel or quartz. Unman letters, simulating the llnest , and when combined with silicon or print: beef would be In one style of carbon no as to form u silleide r.r bo writing, mutton In another, Intnb In n ride of titanium it matches tie- di.v third, wlille each of these hinds of meat would be still further distinguish ed by a different color of Ink. lie was n great friend to the church, observing all Its ordinances and u tri fle more. Hvory Sunday he entertain- ed the congregation with a solo, sing- I penetrating large white quartz crys Ing the psalms by himself until the , tills, forming gems that the Trench minister came Into the desk. And on j call "love's nrrows."-New York Press. every fast day. while all the rest, of I the congregation went home to their KEPT ABOVE GROUND. refreshment and resl. between mnni- Ing and evening sen-Ice. he never j Ingenious Way Major Hook Evaded quitted the church, but went about I tM0 Terms of a Will, from pew to pew repealing the Lotd's j Among Ingenious ways of evading a Prayer and singing appropriate psalms will the plan followed by Mulor I tool; until he bad performed these favorite , mid recorded In 'Ancient. Curious and devotions in every pew In the church. famous Wi!U" maj be commended: He had a large appetite and seemed , A county newspaper Mime years determined that all Itomford should , ago loeordcd the death ot a Major Know it; for, instead of sitting down quietly to dinner In his bark parlor, he would usually sally fortli Into the street with a leg or shoulder of lamb In one baud, n largo knife In the oth er, n small loaf of bread In bis pocket and a handful of salt in the bend of the arm which carried the joint; nnd thus equipped would perambulate the town, eating as he went, until he had consumed (he whole of this very sub stantial ine.ll. Chambers' .Inurual. WRIGGLING SIGNS. How the Movable Effect Is Obtained In Electrical Designs. j.imI inf.,.M,msiv dcUsed a nn.de of A great many electric signs are of , keeping her In a room which lie allot the moving type. Walk down most i ted "to her sole and seiiarate use." any city street after dark and you will see many lllumlnnted signs of novel and Interesting design. Here a lone red and blue snake seems to bo wiggling from the street to the top of a building On the other side a wheel Is rapidly revolving, below It yellow smoke Is Issuing In clouds from a huge brown clpar. There Is also a large theater slpi which suddenly Hashes i Into view, only to disappear after an Interval long enough to read It. It Is quite puzzling to the ordinary pedestrian to explain Hi" wonderful , light effects. It is apparent that the light Is iJhtnined from electricity, but this Is about all that is understood. In such signs as where a snake seems to be wriggling along, a cat chases a rat, words that spell themselves letter by letter and In all other similar signs the effect is produced by a mechanical device called a "flasher," which lights tbe tiny electric sign lamps In the or der required to produce the effect. This flasher Is driven hy a tiny motor The Hasher Is made up of a number of fingers, and each finger drops In Its turn upon a metal plate that is elec trically connected with a certain letter or series of letters, or, In the ense of the snake or rat chasers, with certain bulbs The flasher is driven nipkllv. ' and In this w,iv the snake can ")0 I speeded around Its course verv swift- ly Where the onlv effect desired Is a sign in which one letter Is Illuminated at a time the Hasher becomes a much simpler devlee, but In all cases the un derlying principle is the same. New York Tribune. Helping tho Coffee. Some of tile coffee sold roasted and ground causes complaint. Most of It can be Improved a little. Trouble seems to be that it Is not roasted enough and needs another touch of 1,10 U!Ul,t! ot urisKiiny nc i on htan lire. You know the less it Is roasted ! wlx" A"S- 1"77.-New York Amcrl the more It weighs. Put a couple of C!ln- tablospoonfuls in a seamless agate quart stew-pan or cup and set it on tho stove, gas or blue tlnmo and shake It while It gets another scant patching, never letting It get not enough to smoke or scorch. Set It aside till It gets cold and then pour on the water and tlnlsh up in the reg ular way. New York Press. Didn't Hit Him. John Wesley had a reputation tor cheerfulness. In his journal ho writes: "I preached In Halifax to a civil, senseless congregation. Three or four gentlemen put me In mind of the hon est man at Loudon who was so gay and uuconcerupil while Dr. Sherlock was preaching concerning tho day of Judgment. One asked. "Do you not hear what the doctor says?" He an swered. 'Yes, but 1 am not of his parish,' ' The Reoipe, "Your novel Is pretty good,-' said the publisher to Scribley, "but, after all it needs just a little more thrill. Can't you put something stirring In It?" "Why. I might." said Scribley, "though Just how to stir things up 1 don't know." "Well," smiled the publisher, "sup - pose you try just a little more spoon - lug. Nothing like a good spoon for stirring, you kuow."-Han,er"s. He Didn't Tell. "Gee! Now tell me as man to man what you would do If you were mar ried to that woman." "You tell me what you would do. urn married to her." Houston Post Considerate. She -Why did you ask Belle to go with us? He-I saw sho was going anyhow, and I didn't wish her to feel menu over it.-.Sniart Set A Fault Findor. "You wero always a fault finder." growled the wife. "Yes. dear." responded the husband ,(1t njJ 0 1(J rt,at)y t0 take them oir. incekly; "I found you." j Jutlg0i HARD METALS. I respect. Hut there are at least two products of chemical experiment that havu proved, according to I ronch chemists, mond Itself In hardness, Tltntiltim resemble tin In Its chem ical properties, and II Is the character istic element In the beautiful red and brown crystals or tutllc. These, in tho shape of needles, are sometimes found , Hook and spoke of him as singular character." "lie died." says the re port, "on Monday sennight at his house. Ham street. Ham common. lie was an ollicer lu the Last India com pany's service and reached the age of ieenty-llve. Ills house was remark able for its dingy and dilapidated con dition." His wife had become entitled to a life annuity, bequeathed to her In these ambiguous terms: "And the same shall be paid to her as long as she is above ground." When, there fore, the fjood lady died her husband j very naturally obje-ted to forfeit his ! tllrolne bv tilltllnir her lielnw friillliil placing a glass cne over her reinnina. For thirty years lie thus prolonged his enjoyment, If not of his wife's society, at least of her Income. Da Vinci's Writings. Although Leonardo da Vine! was a voluminous writer, ho never published a single line during his lifetime. After the master's death in France Ills manuscripts were taken back to Italy. Ills heirs proved unworthy, nnd the precious writing-! were grad- ually dispersed. Iiose pages were often detached and were either given nwny as relics or stolen. No attempt was made to publish any of Ids treatises, except that 'in painting, for moro linn H0 years after his death. This was partly owing to the great difficulty of deciphering his handwrit ing. Da Viwl was left handed and always wrote lu oriental fashion, from right to left. Itesldes this, his orthog raphy Is peculiar to himself. He ab breviates some words and joins others together and employs neither stops nor accents. Loudon Chronicle. The Flag at Trenton. The flag "that Washington had with him when he crossed the Delawaru to "ttacK J rcntou was not the "stars and stripes " Washington crossed the "'"'aware In December. 177i. and the lsteneo until the June of 1777. when It was voted into being by the congress, i The Hag that waved our General Washington on his way to and from Trenton consisted of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, ns at present, with a blue canton emblazoned with the crosses of St. George nnd St. An drew, as in the Hritish Hag. The first time the present stars and stripes wero flung to the breeze was on the dny ot Bad Shots. A certain Yankee was touring through Devonshire, and, calling at an Inn, lu ordered some of the lamous elder. Not finding it to be what he hud expected, he Inquired how It was made. "Oh," said the publican, "we stood n barrel of water at "no end of a room and threw applies at It." This caused a general laugh, but the Yankee was equal to the occasion. "Waal," ho said, "I guess you didn't lilt Is very often."-London Ideas. Ways of the Oyster. Oysters after they have been brought away from the sea know by instinct the exact hour when the tide Is ris ing nnd approaching their beds and so of their own accord open their ' shells to receive the food tram the Ken as if they were still at home.- London Telegraph. It Reminded Him. 'I have s In my Journeys several ' frll,t"4" SIU1 tlm nlvt)ler- "who vol untarily undergo all sorts of self In dieted lacerations." "That's nothing." answered Mr. Tutt. "I know a lot of people who Insist on 1 h!'"viug themselves." : Grcnt Uttl,e 'sht" "Where are you going so last, ! "My wife has just telephoned m I that the baby Is asleep, and I am go Vug home to see what it looks like." Toledo Blade, His Early Promise. , "Does my boy." Inquired the parent, ! "seem to have a natural bent in any I one direction?" I "Yes, sir,' said tho teacher, "lie gives every Indication of being a cap tain of Industry some day. lie Kets the other boys to do all his work for hlm'-Chlcago Tribune. Just Our Luck. Williams - Till" Ii a queer world. Walker - High' yon are. . man's nhoes will often get untied, but never THE ASTOR WAY. A Lesson In Financo That William D. Taught Hla Dookkooper, The teal estnte dealer was reinlnls 'Ing. "liiitiw years ago," lie iiald, "Wll 'lain U. Astor said one day fJ Mt head bookkeeper, '1 wish you to write out those 1200 lenses'-IndlciitJnt; the documenbs-'preparntory to releasing the vnrlous properties for which they will be drawn and reduce each rental price 1!5 tier cent for the ensuing year.' Tho head bookkeeper, astonished, ven tured to protest. There has been no complaint. Mr. Astor.' he said, 'from any tenant ns to (he amount of rent charged. All are satisfied to pay pros rut prices.' " This Is a matter of future busi ness.' the linnncler replied, 'as well as present. Times nro not especially good just now, and I do not think they will Improve this year. I am not. however, making this reduction as a philan thropic movement, it will bo a good business Investment for me to retain all of my tenants, if possible. Indi cations are that business conditions during the coming year will force many persons to move Into cheaper houses nnd flats than they have been occupying for some time. 1 do not wish my tenants to move. 1 know them and inn familiar with their ways. I am acquainted with their needs, de mands ami methods of pnylng their rents. If they should move I should have to try to replace them with new tenants, whose desirability 1 have not tested. Itesldes, I should have to spend large miium In rcpuperlng. painting and arranging these various properties to suit the new tenants. Ity reducing rents I shall have a delighted lot of tenants, who wi.tild not leave me If they could. Furthermore. 1 will make It impossible for them to tlnd as good places elsewhere for the money. Nat urally, having hail their rents reduced, they will not ask for any repairs that can possibly be avoided, and 1 shall snve some money In that direction, over previous years. Itesldes, 1 shall know the exact amount of reduction and shall be able In estimate my re sources accordingly. If, on the con trary, I let many of my tenants move out the amount of my losses would be uncertain. Vou will find. If you com pare my rentals at the end ot the year with those of .similar properties own ed by other persons who make no re ductions, that initio is n profitable plan. When times impnHe we can release at advanced ligures. nnd undoubtedly to the name tenants.' "Tbe bookkeeper learned a lesson In i finance, the leases were drawn ac cordingly, and Astor did not lose a tenant." New York Press "Sunday Folks." When Dr. John Cairns went from Scotland to Ireland for rest and travel in istil he was at mice delighted by discovering from the guides whe showed him about that most of the landed gentry were "'Sunday folks." "That's a tine castle." he would say pointing to a big house set like a crown on some rocky hill "Yls. son-," said his guide. " 'Tis Sit John O'Connor's." or. " 'Tis Sir Itory O'.More's." He always ndded. "He's a Sundah mon." At last Dr. Cairns grew curious. "What is a Sunday man''" he asked 'Well, sorr. it do be a mon thot has so many writs out ag'lu him for debt that he stays shut up tight In his house nil tho week and only comes out on Sundah, when the law protects him " Dr. Cairns" opinion of the landed gentry underwent n change Elephants Can't Jump. "There Is one thing im one lias evet seen an elephant do either in a i ircus or out of it, and that is to Jump," said n keeper In the Central park men agerie. "The fact Is an elephant cannol Jump. Because of his gre.it weight he cannot take all four feet off the ground nt once. He can make a KM yard dash at the rate of twenty miles an hour, which Is going some, but If be wa pursuing au enemy and came to a deep ditch eight feet across he would have to stop short, because It Is too wide for him to step It and he Is unable to jump. An elephant Is a great coward, fcle will have a Ut if a rabbit runs between bis feet. He has tremendous stiengtb. lint he doesn't know It." New York Sun. A Curious Illusion. People declare that they have seen a field of grass gradually change color during a shower of rain, thousands of mushrooms springing up before their eyes. This Is un optical Illusion caus ed by the rain beating down the grass. The mushrooms do not really spring up during a single shower of rain. They are there already, but hidden by the grass, and when the rain beats down tho grass It exposes the hidden mushrooms. London Mall. No Use For Amateurs. Klla That young farmer tried to kiss me. saying that he had never kissed a girl before. Stella What did you tell him? i:ila That 1 was no agricultural experiment station. New Y'ork Press. Quite Thoughtful. Dora So you have decided to break off your engagement with him. Norn Yes, but I don't think 1 u'ltill do It un til after my birthday, as It comes next week. Club Fellow. A Wonder. Flgg As a talker Brown's wife Is certainly a wonder Fogg Bight you tire! Wonders never cease. Boston Transcript. It Is not the Insurrections of lgno ranee that are dangerous, but the re volts of Intelligence. Lowell. Carrier Pigeons Can Travel Far. A tereiit experiment has proven that carrier pigeons may bo trusted io convoy messages from ships wot oral hundred miles at sea. Sea-Weed Eating Nations, China and Japan are pro-emluently tho seaweed t-htlng tip.tlons of the world. Among no other people nre sfaweedii so oxtenalvely eaton and re lithcd U3 food, AESCHYLUS. Curious Fate That Overtook ths Fa ther ot Greek Tragedy. Aeschylus, the celebrated (Ireek dramatic writer, Is universally refer red to us the "father of (Ireek trage dy." Horn of a noble family nt Uleti sis. In Attica. MS II. O., nt the nge of twenty-four he first presented himself at the festival of Bacchus ns a com petitor for tho public prize and fifteen years afterward gained his first vic tory. The pre-eminence which ho thus acquired was successfully maintained till 408 H. 0 when ho was defeated In a similar coutest by his younger rival, .Sophocles. Aeschylus, mortified nt the Indignity he thought this put upon blm, quitted Athens and went to the court of Hie ro. king of Syracuse. Of the remain ing period of Ills Ufa but little Is known, except that lie continued to prosecute his favorite pursuit, and Mint his residence In Sicily was of some duration may be Inferred from the fact that It was sutllclent to af fect tbe purity ot his language. The thirteenth and last victory of Aeschylus was gained In 45S It. C. On the manner of his dentil, which wns singular, the ancient writers are unan imous. Whtlo sitting motionless In the fields his bald bend wns mistaken for a stone by nn englo which hap pened to be Hying over lilm with a tortoise in her bill. The bird dropped the tortoise to break the shell, and the poet wns killed by the blow. Aeachylus Is snld to have liecn the author of seventy tragedies, of which only seTcn are now extant. THE PRICKLY PEAR. This III (Matured Fruit Is Rcmarkablv Tenacious of Life. Tile prickly pear Is said to be co tenacious of life that a leaf or even n small portion of a leaf. If thrown on tbe ground, strikes out roots within a short time and becomes tho parent of a fnst growing plant. Mischievous though the African prickly pear may be, it Is not without Its good qualities, its Juicy fruit, though rather deficient In flavor. Is delightfully cool and refreshing in 'he dry heat of summer, and a kind t treacle is made from It. Great caution must be exercised in peeling this curious fruit, the proper way being to Impale the fruit on i fork or stick while one cuts it o en and removes the skin. The Individ mil who undertakes to pluck tins treacherous fruit with unguarded li-i i gers meets with nn experience he doc not noon forget. Concentrated essen e of stinging netlle seems all at once to assail hands, lips and tongue, nnd the skin, wherever It comes In con tact with the ill natural fruit, is cov ered with a group of minute bristly hairs, apparently growing from it and venomous and irritating to the last de gree. In dry weather these spiteful little stings do not even wait for tbe newly arrived victim, but. fly about, light as thistledown, ready to settle on any one who bus not learned by experience to give the prickly pear bush a wide berth. Mineral Microbes. Some interesting experiments have been made with ancient medals, vases and so fortli of lend that are gradually disintegrating In the museum of Clu ny. After a certain number ot years they fall Into dust. The cause, It Is thought, lies In tho presence of minute quantities ot saline matter with which the objects have become Impregnated during their long burial In the soil or under water. These mlcro-'-ople Im purities piny the pari of bin teria and microbes in living bodies. In other words, the lead is "Mel:" nnd unless the noxious matter cm be removed will inevitably perish Curiously enough. It Is found that if traces of salt are Imparted to a fresh mass of lead It Is attacked and eventually falls to pieces like the oblects in the mu seum nt Cltiny. Sea Springs. In the very hottest district In the world the shores of the Persian gulf thero Is no rain whatever, nor rivers, no- oases. Yet water Is got from the bottom of tho sea. Six miles off the shallow coast there Is a long line of bubbling springs of ice cold fresh water. Divers capture It In goatskin bags and retail It lnlaud at very mod erate prices. Kveu In nn annual drought, which lasts from January to December, and In a temperature that hardly ever sinks below 00 degrees nnd often rises to over 110 the natives have no worry about their water supply. Thoughtful of Mother. Little Albert Is a bright boy. In play lug the other dny lie upset n beautiful Imported (lower holder, a gift to his mother from a friend who traveled abroad. "There, see what you've done," his mother said, pointing to the fragments on the door. "Yes, mother, but don't take off your Flippers. You might cut your feet," warned the lad. Philadelphia Times. Not Too Good, Uncle Inquired of little Bobby If he had been a good boy. Bobby No, I bnven't T'ncle Why, 1 hope you haven't been very bad. Bobby Oh, no; Just comfortable. Blessings. Blessings may appear under the shape of pains, losses and disappoint ments, but let him have patience and h will see them In their proper fig ure. Addison. You will never get on tho sunny Bide by waiting for the world to turn round. Atlanta Constitution, Bricks of Colli Dubt. Bricks uiado of coul dust nro used for paving In Btissla. Tho coal dust Is combined with treaclo and resin. The True Observer. Ho alono Is au acute observer who can observe minutely without being ob served. Lava tor. -T- I . ( i nc impresiioniBi, i "Wniiilerfnl, marvelous! And what does your ptcturo represent?" "Oh, aB to that, opinions aro divided." Journal Aimiemit THE REAL SANS-GENE. Gtory of Her Adventurous Career lr tho French Army. livery one knows the wnsherwr.ninii who was so familiar with Napoleon In Victorian Sardon's play "Mme. Sans Ocno," but the real Sansfietie wli" lived at that tlrn was n dragoon i' one of the great Corslcan's armies ntel spent twenty years In camps nnd bai racks, In campaigns and battles over Kurope. In the Mtisee do L'Armee lu Paris there Is a special case Itis.d which stands her equestrian statu" Her real name was Marie There Flguetir, and she was born In Hur gundy In 1771 When ten. nt the end of the reign of terror, she enrollec" In a cavalry regiment comma ntled by oi.n of her uncles nnd soon m-qulred he nlcknnme of Sans-flene. Mine. Saiis-Oene fought In Ocrnianv with the French and lintavlnn nrtnli", charged at Iloheullndeti, took part I . the siege of Toulon, wns In the Italian Spanish and Austrian campaigns nnd fought at Austnrlltz and In Ktr-sla During tho hundred days the emperm conferred the Legion of Honor upo-. her, and she charged at Waterloo fi r the last time. With the restoration she left tl.e army to get- married. She was Mie i thirty. In the course of her marlt.; career Sans-Geno had five horsrs sh under her and wns wounded eight ftmcs In different engagements. She died in hospital in ls'in London Globe PYRAMID OF CHEOPS. It Would Taka a Hundred Millions Duplioate It Today. One ot tbe most familiar questions asked by "personally conducted" ton Ists visiting Dgypt nnd the great pvr i mid built by Cheops If, "I wonder Imw much It cost to build II?" A bulldln ,' contractor with a head for figures ni ' building estimates has estimated 'i f tbe Cheops pyramid could not be d ip cated today for less thau $l&),iwf' With modern machinery and the ployineut of 40,000 stouectitters. hv ers, qnarrymeti, masons and latm-e a duplicate of Hie pyramid ennui ' o erected in two years It has been calculated that the w ' n really required the services of lmi men for thirty years. The Cl'e. . pyramid occupies a siace of l2i a"-, -t nnd is 7K feet high and contains 1' :il.ri,000 cubic yards ot stone and i Ito. The material nlone represent ut Item of .sr:'.i!,00O,O, while Uio Ut r would Increase this about by S7-.mii 000. To this must be added S3,iW,i for tools, transportation and s!mP -Items. The pyramid Is built on n rock 1,"0 feet deep, and to build a f i'n. datlon of tills character would add the cost to the extent of making e total ot .?l'H'.00ii,(i('0. New York W' Vicarious Candy. A group ot children were plnym.- n a gutter. A passerby walked s.w ' , watching tbe active preparations i t a "little mother." aged about seven w i was marshaling tier charges lti'o o. der, apparently in prepiiratk n f some urban excursion. Something hi I gone wroug, and one small kid wis howling. "Shut your noise. Tommy Illggins. and bo good this minute:" ndmouisti. d the motherlot, with a promisv" smnck. "if you don't stop like 1 tei' you I'll leave you right here in the mud gutter. You can't go wid us tp yez closes yer noise and bo's a gid boy. Do you know where we're go-n ? Well, we're goln in the next Pluck o the candy factory to smell the candies cookln'. And do you yer know what they're makln' today? Well, it's chocolate creams and pep'mlnt." N w York Press. Monkeys Aro Fighters. "Most persons will guess Hons or tigers nro the most dangerous ani mals to train." said an animal trainer, "but they're wrong. Give a Hon one good licking and he'll remember It He hits back only when his man is down or has his back turned, but a monkey will fight ngninst nny odds, and you never can tell when he'll I r back. Fven a medium small monkev can strike a blow that will rpa i through a coat, vest nnd two shir's and he leaves a nasty wound. The most daring thing I ever did was m 0 into a monkey cage nnd take a baby from its mother. The ordinary bouse cnt is tho most stubborn nnlnai under training, but the monk Is most dangerous if you work the hirg-1 kinds," Now Y'ork Sun. Mildly Censuring Him. "My goodness!" sho says, with i pretty scowl. "I think a girl wnr. d feel dreadfully foolish If sho propised to a man." "I should think so, too." replies t' dltlldent youth. "But then 1 suppose there are so: . girls who are just simply compelled i do the proposing," she sighs. After an hour's consideration of that remark he realizes what she really means. Woman's World. Diplomacy. Mrs. A. That cook was awful, and I am glad she's gone. Mrs. B DM yon discharge her? Mrs. A.-Oh. no I wished to avoid a scene. What 1 dhl was Hatter her so about her cook ing that sho thought she wns under paid and left. Boston Transcript He Saw Them. "Did you see any sharks when you crossed the ocean, Mr. Splfklns?" ask ed Miss Purling. "Yes," replied Splfklns sadly; "1 played cards with a couple." The sting of a reproach is tho truth of It. Luxury Dccomcs Necessity. Tbe luxury for which wo sacrifice d our necessities has In a getierat "ti become a necessity for which we sac rltlce all our other luxuries. I'niver fallst Leader. Height of Contentment. Brow nly Is .lones contented. Townly I should say so; I never heard him complain of Mi- way hiJ child Is taught In school Hnrpur's Bazar.