POPULIST POLITICS.
Wilt the Farmers Or gun Ire?
Daring the past few months we hare
Suggested time and Again tho impor
tance of specific, intelligent, radical
and united action by the jx'oplo who
support the colossal trusts which have
grown np In our country during the
last decade, especially In the last twelve
months. That something must be done,
and don quickly, no Intelligent man
ran doubt. Along the line of sugges
tions hitherto presented, we find the
following sensible article In the Indian
apolis Journal, which is worthy of
careful thought:
A circular, which we now have be
fore us, makes the statement that there
has been an advance on the pHcs of
all articles used In the manufacture of
farm Implements, building material,
etc., of more than 100 per cent, over lust
year's prices, and that the end Is not
yet. The firm that Is sending out this
circular advises its customers to mnkc
their purchases now, as they sny the
advance In prices has not yet reached
the maximum. 'While this Is the con
dition of things In regard to what the
farmer has to btiy, the price of what ho
raises Is down at the same old. murk
that it has leon for several years pant;
In fact, on some lines of products he Is
selling to-day at a much lower rate
than he did a year ago. It Is true that
the price of cattle, horses and sheep Is
somewhat higher, but there Is nothing
like the Increase In the price that there
Is In the price of all kinds of manufac
tured products. The result will le that
the abundant crops with which the ag
ricultural classes have been blessed
this year will all be swallowed up by
the enormous profits which are being
exacted by the trusts, and the farmer
will come out at the end of the season
as poor as he was lefore, If not worse
off. A mere statement of this fact does
not help ns In the matter. The chief
question which we should ask ourselves
Is. "What are we going to do about.
It?"
No nubile man has ever offered a
plan by which the trusts can be de
stroyed. As long as the competitive
system stands as the nccepted plan
upon which business Is to be conduct-
od, it Is utterly impossible to formulate
a law that will apply to the trust (great
organization of capital) which will not
also affect the smaller concern. We
cannot say to a man or a doeu men:
"You can organize for business with a
capital of f.100,000, but no more." We
cannot say that 1,000 men cannot throw
their capital together, do business as
an association and divide profits. This
Is all that Is necessary In order to pro-
duee all the evils which the trust Is
bringing. Then, what shall we do?
Let the producers meet the manufac
turers on their own ground. Organize.
Form yourselves Into nn association.
Lot the products of the farm be con
trolled and sold under one head. Es
tabllsh warehouses in which to store
your grain, banish the commission mer
chant and the board of trade. Let all
the grain In the country 1m; sold by one
association. Let the association pay a
certain per cent, on all grain stored
and take out a percentage for the stor
age. Then when buyers want to buy
grain let them come to the association
to buy. Hut you say this cannot be
done. Why? Because the farmers will
not organize. Well, If this Is so, thcu
they are entirely to blame, and they
'.lave shown that their own lack of
business sagacity Is the cause of their
more keen-sighted fellow men who are
eugnged In manufacturing, getting the
best of them. But a few more lessons
like the ones they are getting at pres
ent as to the benefits of organization
ought to have the effect of waking the
farmers tin to the necessity of the case.
The day of haphazard production and
sole Is past, if the farmer would keep
up with the procession. Manufactur
ing is belug reduced to an exact sel
. enoe. Shrewd men are studying night
and day for methods which will reduce
the cost of what they are making.
Others are seeking to reduce the cost
of getting the product to the consumer.
Every unnecessary rxpet.jc is being
eliminated. If an article can be made
cheaper (in n big scale than on a small
one, It 's made that way. Then, when
the article Is placed on tho market, If
thory Is a competitor who Is making It
necessary to cut the price, If It can be
ilone.'be Is squeezed out of the way. If
that cannot bo done, he is bought up.
Jims the field is left open to them.
Advertising Is then unneoesnary. Trav
eling men ore not needed. The sam
ples need not be so numerous and the
sale Is assured, for theru Is no one else
to whom the merchant can go for what
be wants. Do we like it? No. But
that is not the point. It Is here, utid
the only way to avoid Its evil conse
quences Is to meet it on its own
ground. The ultimate outcome will lie
State factories und co-operative Insti
tutions. Mankind will learu through
them that all this struggle to crush
each other Is unnecessary. They will
learn that when shoes nre to be made
the thing to do Is to make them as
cheaply ns Is possible and sell them for
something else; that all these middle
men, who aro now nothing moru nor
less than that much of a burden, can
be dispensed with, and that supplies
can be drawn from a vast system of
storehouses, which can be operated at
a nominal cost. He will leuru that It Is
nut true economy to let grain rot lu
storehouses while men and women are
starving, yet ready ami willing to per
form service to pay for the food they
- need. But It will take time for us to
lrn these things, and this most vl-
Jhlngs, the trust, Is to he
leaching men that
If one man 1
hs a thing ro noli, he will
fret nil he rnii
for It. If he can get ten
times what It Is worth he will do so.
The one who Is buying will pay no
more than he has to, and If he can get
the article for nothing he will do so. A
famine Is a blessing to the man with a
full crib. The public laughs In high
glee when the merchant becomes over
stocked with goods and Is compelled
to sell at half what the goods cost him
to avoid bankruptcy. People flock like
vultures around the widow's house
hold goods when they are to be sold
on the auction block to pay the mort
gage she has placed upon them at ruin
ous Interest, to pay for food to keep
her babies from starving through the
winter, and when a purchase Is made
at a small per cent, of its actual value,
the purchaser walks away with a broad
smile at the thought of the "bargain"
he has made. All tills may be "busi
ness," but It Is not God-like. It may
be necessary In order to "develop ener
gy," but It docs not develop nobility of
character, lofty Ideals, or a high moral
sense of Justice. No man can 1h suc
cessful In the combat who loves his
neighbor as himself.
It is all wrong, but perhaps we are
not yet far enough tip In the scale of
civilization to attempt to change it.
And when the change does couie It is
more likely to cotno through the dis
covery that the lest Interests of all can
be best subserved by mutual co-operation
and mutual assistance.
As we said In the beginning of this
article, the co-operntlon of the rich for
self-protection Is an object lesson. If
the rich can co-opernte, and are gain
ers, why cannot the poor? If the rich
can become richer by working together,
why will not the same plan be benefl
etui to the man at the plow and the
man with the hoe?"
The American House of LcvtlA.
If. must le Interesting to the readers
of the Mercury to know that the United
States Senate, an at present constituted,
represents more wealth than can lie
found In any other law-making body
in the world. Though more than half
their constituency nre farmers, there
Is not a farmer In the list.
The wealth of twenty-six out of the
forty-six who comprise that lordly body
of parasites, known as the I'nlted
States Senate, Is as follows:
Chauneey M. Depew (Rep.), New
York, personal wealth, $2,(100,000.
William Andrew Clark (Dem.), Mon
tana, mine owner, banker and manu
facturer, $50,000,000.
Marcus Alouzo Ilanna (Rep.), Ohio,
coal and Iron mine owner and manu
facturer, railroad and steamship lines
and hanker, $12,000,000.
Stephens Benton Rlklus (Rep.), West
Virginia, coal and Iron mines and rail
roads, $7,(MX),0uO.
John IVrclval Jones (Silver), Nevada,
gold and silver mini's, $10,()(M,kk).
Bedford Proctor (Hep.), Vermont,
lawyer. :"..( i(io,( 100.
John Ken n illep.). New Jersey, law
yer and bunker, $5,000,000.
Thomas Collier Piatt (Uep.), New
York, express company, banker and
commercial Interests, $..0O0,0o0.
George Pealmdy We! more (Rep.).
Rhode Island, banker, lawyer and capi
talist, $5,000,000.
Nathan B. Scott (Hop.), West Virgin
la. capitalist, $2,000,000.
William Morris Stewart (Silver), Ne
vada, lawyer and gold and silver mine
owner, $2,000,000.
Nelson W. Aldrlch (Rep.). Rhode Isl
and, street railway magnate, $l,000,oon.
Addison O. Foster (Rep.), Washing
ton, lumber, coal and shipping, $2,500,
ooo. James McMillan (Rep.), Michigan,
lumlier. $5,000,000.
Kdwurd Oliver Wolcott (Rep.), Colo
rado, lawyer and mining. $2,000,000.
Henry (Jabot Lodge (Rep.), Massa
chusetts, literature. $2,ooo,(M)0.
Charles Warren Fairbanks (Rep.).
Indiana, lawyer, $1,ooo,mi.
Joseph Benson Foraker (Rep.), Ohio,
lawyer. $1,000,000.
William J. Sewall (Rep.), New Jer
sey, railroads und banking. $2,000,000.
Joseph Very Vjuarles (Rep.), Wlseoij.
sin, l.myer nnd lu..il.or, $l,r.(0,s.
Boles Penrose (Rep.), Pennsylvania,
lawyer, $1,000,000.
Francis K. Warren (Rep). Wyoming,
ranchman, $1,600,000.
Kugone Halo (Rep.), Maine, lawyer,
Jfl,0iMI,0(!i).
George C. rcrklns (Rep.), California,
steamship and banking. $5,000,000.
(I cargo Shoup (ltepi. Idaho, sheep
and mine owner. $1.(MM),000.
Joseph Simon (Rep.), Oregon, lawyer,
$1,000,000, '
The Admiral's Answer.
When not engaged lu any stupendous
victories, the hero of thu hour appar
ently occupies himself with saying
good things, wnlcb are now closing In
round bilil In a wuy to suggest tho veil
of clouds with which tho Homeric gods
shrouded their favorites. Says u writ
er luthe Independent:
"At Singapore, where the Olympla
stopped several days, tho population is
doubtless tho most heterogeneous of
nil cities. There urj Malays, Javanese.
Hyaks, Chinese, Japanese, l'nrees,
Hindus, KUiiUs. Tutnuls, English.
Americans, French, GerKuius, Dutch.
Spanish und Portuguese, a British
olllclal was eoinmeuUng upon It to Ad
miral Dewey nyl remarked:
it Is the luflst motley gathering ex
tant. WWlffve every luce here unless
It be tho Tagnls.'
'Dwy could Pot resist the tempta
tioii to loxinoss a humorous thought
and sal-
I rilnk If you communicate with
be will bo glad to spare you
usiiDd of them.' "
I he Iiuugfiing t'ure.
U Italian doctor who specially
i-nds la lighter ns a cuie to;
ills, Tho" diseases iiilluelli od
unity laugh are numerous, ami
from bronchitis to anaemia. It
lo Interesting to sec Jiow the treat
Is effected.
ro Is undoubtedly il great opening
professional gelotot bora pout 1st s
verv name makes one smilewho
fuld study various ways of Inducing
lighter. A iiuirM! of tickling is pre-
I'ibed for bronchitis, for example; a
stive or ruicleui conn ti i s uugui mm
anaemic patient: win..; puns, nn-u
ft at Intervals, would be fount! emeu-
i loiis lu case of pleurisy.
Bacon filtered Cambridge at 13: at Id
ho wrote against the Arlstotolean logic;
ut 2d b had completed the "N'orvum
Orgauuw."
Baron Alderson once remarked to an
advocate who was notorious for the per
sonal nature of the questions he ad
dressed to witnesses, "Really, you seem
to think that the art of cross examina
tion Is to examine crossly."
The late Lord Watson had a habit of
Interrupting counsel, and this often
caused Irritation. One distinguished
advocate once reproached him on this
account In private. "Eh, man," said
Lord Watson, "you neetl not complain,
for I never Interrupt a fool!"
William T. Stead was moved to send
a copy of his brochure, "Shall I Slay My
Brother Boer?" to two London editors.
One reply ran somewhat thus: "Dear
Mr. Stead: What, In heaven's name,
have I to do with your family , affairs?
Yours sincerely, ." And the other;
"My Dear Sir: By all means-if he In
sists upon It. Yours faithfully. ."
"It Is a constant wonder to me," snld
the student of human nature, "to sec
how quickly the minds of some men net.
I met a man the other evening who had
an Intellectual grasp that was astound
ing. I met him In the hall Jiwt as he
was reaching for an umbrilla. is that
your umbrella?' he Inquired. 'No,' re
plied I. in that case,' he answered,
it's mine.' "
Tom Corwln had on enormous mouth.
He once said he had been Insulted by
Deacon Smith. The good brother asketl
for further explanation. "Well." said
Corwln, "when I stood up ot the lecture-room
to relate my experience, and
I opened my mouth, Deacon Smith rose
up In front, and said: 'Will some
brother please close that window and
keep it closed?' "
Dr. Emily Black well, one of the pio
neers of her sex la medicine, heard a
physician deliver a fierce diatribe
against opening the doors of the profes
sion to women. When he ceased, she
asked: "Will you please tell me one
reason why they should not practice
medicine?" "Certainly, madam; they
haven't the muscle, the brawn, the
physical strength." "I see, sir. Your
conception of a sick-room Is a slaughter
house; mine Is not."
Half a dozen back-country Boers once
went to Pretoria, and during the day
President Krueger showed I hem over
the government buildings. In one of
toe rooms an electric lump was burn
ing, and ns they passed out the Presi
dent, with his hand on the switch, ask
etl them to blow out the light from
where they stood. One nfter another
drew a deep breath, blew out his
cheeks, ontl sent forth n tremendous
puff, but all In vain. Then the Presi
dent bade them look, anil, blowing out
his cheeks, slyly turned tlio switch,
blew, and out went the light. The
Boers were ama.ctl, ami as they left the
buildings one of them who had. been
more observant than the rest, remark-'
oil: "The President must have a won
derfully strong breath, for. did you no
tice, the light was entirely Inclosed In
glass."
On one occasion Lord Norbury ob
served an attorney of doubtful reputa
tion prospecting In the dock for busi
ness, ami determined to make nn ex
ample of him. Just ns the attorney was
climbing over the rails of the thick Into
tlxc court, his lordship called out:
"Jailer, one of your prisoners is escap
ing. Put him back." Back the attor
ney was thrust, and the following col
loquy ensued: "My lord, there Is a nils
take here. I am an attorney." 'i am
very sorry, Indeed." said Lord Norbury,
"to see otic of your profession In the
dock." "But, my lord, 1 nm Innocent."
"Yes, they all nay that," was the Judge's
reply: "a Jury of your own fellow-countrymen
must settle It." "But. my
lorn, exclaimed the now desperate
man, "there Is no ludictmert against
me." "Then." said his lordship, "yon
will bo put back, and If no tine appears
to prosecute, you will be discharged by
public proclamation nt the cud of the
assizes."
SOLDIERS CIQ FOR TREASURE.
Our Men Are PrriuiiiiiK of i:( comiii
Monte L'rUlopt,
"I have n cousin in tho Thirty (Itii l
Infantry, now In Manila." said an em
ploye of one of the city hotels to a Now
Orleans iimes-I lemot rat man. "ind he
nays In n letter which I received tVoir.
him the other tiny that all the men in
his company are badly worked up on
the subject of burled treasure.
"It seems that one of the piivn'es.
while prowling about a deserted Fili
pino house a few weeks before the in"
ter was w ritten, found a small wooden
box hurled In the yard, ctmtalning HfKl
lu Spanish gold.. reported the dis
covery, ami an effort was made to lo
cate the owner of the money, but he
haiUbsappeared lu tho hurly-burly, and
1lVo supposition Is that he was probably
killed in some engagement. At any
rate the soldier was allowed to ret a Pi
the coin, ami the episode naturally ex
cited everybody In the ranks. My
cousin says that n number of such finds
have been made by men In other com
panies, unit that the burying or money
and articles of Jewelry appears to have
been a common practice among the Fili
pinos its they retreated before the
American troops.
"The consequence Is that the ground
around their ruined homes Is being In
dustriously prodded with bayonets, and
all our men arc dreaming of bccou-.lng
Monte Crlstos."
Game llorc.
Tvo seen mi ay a thing mi race
.1:1. !;. toil I think the utvuteM race '.
ever saw was nt New Orleans a few
years ago." remarked a track follower
the other day.
"It wan several years ago ut Now Or
leans, and one of the best horses to bet
tin w as Duke of Mi'.phas. owned by
Aid. Casey, of Chicago. But l.c was a
rogue, and whenever he took It into his
iiead to run 110 one could beat him, but
If ho sulked nothing could budge him.
0:1 this particular day l was a warm
favorite, as he distance was seven
eighths, tho uolug heavy an. I all condi
tions Juol to t lit I'klng of the Duke. He
went lo the post till light, but he was
soon out of sorts, and no iiuiouct of
hulling could make him b ulge. Fi
lially a "twitch" was 1 'tit 'or and the
luklmunt utM'te:' .d tbe Duke
toeing the mark. , Finally he showed in
clinations to run, and down went the
flag, with the Duke off In front. The
'twitch' had caught on his nose In some
manner and t:o stick kept hitting him
on the legs a;id chest. Despite this
or, jM-rhaps, on account of It the Duke
ran faster than he ever did before. He
won all the way. with the 'twitch' hang
ing to his noe. Aid. Casey won a small
fortune on his horse, ami has the same
old 'twitch' hanging In his private of
flee to Into day."
"CON" MAN.
Caused a Well-Known Firm to With
draw Its Bank Ilepnnlt.
"Do you know that thieves have often
caused trouble among business firms?"
remarked a well-known detective the
other day. "I know of a case right
here where a bank lost a big depositor
through a pair of swindlers. A few
years ago a well-dressed man presented
himself at a certain national bank ami
laid down a check for $3,000. It was
signed by a well-known wholesale whis
ky house, and upon the back were the
words identification waived.' At the
same time a well-dressed man entered
the ofllee of a live stock firm at tho
stock yards and asked If he could wait
In the office, ns he expected a telephone
message. He was told that he could,
and he took a seat near the telephone.
Down In the bank the paying teller was
asking who the holder of the ohc !;
knew. He said not very many firms ;:
he was a stock dealer, but If the tellei
would call up Mr. Smith, of Jones &
Smith, the well-known brokers nt the
stock yards, he would find out that ho
w;as all right. The teller called for the
number, and when the ring answered
he asked for Smith. The man on the
end said he was Smith, and he at once
gave Brown, the holder, the amount of
the check. When It was discovered
that the check was a forgery there was
an awful kick, as Smith said Brown
was as good as gold. Smith declared
he had talked to no one. antl the result
was an argument between Smith and
the bank teller. No oue -knew about
the accomplice answering the 'phone,
and the result was that Smith took his
account from the bank and no one ever
knew who It was who answered the
telephone."
NEW USES FOR GLASS.
Pavement Tented in I.yotiB linn Proved
Perfectly Kutiafactory.
The United States consul at Lyons
has recently reported upon a new slnd
of pavement which has for some months
been In use 111 Lyons, and has satisfac
torily withstood the effects of heavy
trnfhV. says Chambers' Journal. It is
made of glas prepared in a peculiar
manner, the product being known as
ceramic stone. The factories where
this material is prepared are of great
extent, and wo are told that in the yards
were seen many tons of broken bottles,
which the superintendent described as
their "raw material." The treatment
consists In heating the, broken glass to
tin? melting point, and then compressing
It by hydraulic pressure and forming it
Into molds. For paving purposes the
glass is mad? Into bricks eight Inches
square ami is scored with crosslines, so
that when the pavement Is completed
It resembles a huge chessboard. The
gliuss loses Its transparency and brittle
ness. and lis said to bo tlevltritletl; It Is
ns cheap as stone and far more durable.
It will resist crushing, frost and heavy
shocks and can bo employed for tubes,
vats, tiles, chimneys, etc. It is avail
able for all kinds of decorative pur
poses; and a large building math of the
material will form an attractive object
at the Paris exhibition.
Scientific (ittrnswiirk.
Sir Joseph Prefitwich, a distinguish-, d
Fngllsh geologist, acquired extraordin
ary skill In making deductions from I lie
surface formation of a piece of land.
To some of his simpler neighbors his
science seemed pure divination.
In ISti-l Sir Joseph purchase an es
tate near Sovoiioaks. and built :i hous-v
upon it. Tho farmers about wore
unitized at his stupidity. His house was
011 11 dry nod l:-t h-ss chalk hlllsitl '.
There was hot a drop of water to be
had.
So contidont was Prestwleh in respect
of water supply, however, that ho t;t
once engaged an old well-dlg-ror to nlnk
a well one hundred and sixty-eight feet
tieep.
The bori'ig proct o.tod, but wli.m a
depth of one hundred and sixty-six feet
was reached the two workmen went to
I ho city 'and sought an interview with
their employer, whom they found at bin
desk. They explained to him that Micro
was no sign of water, am! that In Ihelr
opinion It was UMdim to Ik to to a
greater depth,
"lio on." was the quiet iviolml -r.
."You will conic upon v. ater to-morrow.
You are within two foot of il."
The next day It proved exactly as
Prestwich bad foretold. Antl ever itt'ler,
among many of tin- ilciileus of tho val
ley. Sir Joseph hid the ivputaCon.
much to Ids amusement, of not b.'in;
quite "canny."
'I bo Mneilniii t nre."
Interesting experiments with the
odors of herbs have from time to time
lieeii made, ami it has been I'our.d that
many species of mlert bos are eas l.
titr.-.ed I y various smells. Tho odor
of cloves litis -lecll kliowu to ilestriy
ml robes in ::.' minut- s; cinnamon will
kill ..1. tue species iii 'J oiinuto; Ihyme
in I'."). Ill I"- mill Pes niiuin.ill iltl
vcrhrmi Is round ijT'ciive, while the
odor of mint has destroyed various
forms of microbts in .." mimics, 11 ml
it Is recorded as Uie most effective of
all oil rs as ait MiitNepMe. It Is now
believed that herbs which have bed!
found in Fgyptian mummies wore
placed on tie li'-dict inure lor their
antiseptic iVoiert:es Mia 11. as meie
ornaments or
eel s til sent n ielli.
- 1 I II'- 1 III I'.ltl i n v'.
An ing-'itio; s lady has suggested tin
improvement lu the method ol holding
a ii 'ttlle for the p :i'ioo of 1 1111 a. ling
It. It is to I o 'belli between the third
ami little lingers of the left hand In
stead of by the thumb ami foretlugor,
palm uppermost. The advantage of
tl:is Is that toe thiuidi and lirst tinger
can bo used l grip the smallest end of
tho thread as soon as it protrudcti from
'.'. eye. u 1
le Plug go
to'aget htdi
eve, a mn hod preferable to that of
th- thread 11 lid luloavorlug
1 o! the end with the right
Inlld. This prevents the weight of the
cvQton from diiiggiug the cud out of tbe
l')Ll.:llU
MANY OLD WATCHES.
NEW YOSK MAN'S COLLECTION
OF TIMEPIECES.
Ornamentation of the Bridge Was the
I'art of Watch tbat the Kngllnh
Maker Caed to Etpend SI out Labor
and I'alna Cpon.
Two thousand watch movements;
2.000 detached bridges; 100 old watches.
These nre approximate figures for the
collection, not yet classified und num
bered, of Calvin Rae Sn-'th. professor,
of drawing In the College of the City
of New York.
The bridge of the watch Is the metal1
plate at the back of the works which
covers and receives the axle, Jeweled or
otherwise, of the balance wheel. In
the old hand-made watches the plate
was exquisitely wrought and appears to
view when the brass cap Is removed
which covers the movement uutler the
various outer cases. It Is estimated
that one-third of the labor of making a
watch of the early period was expended
on the bridge. No two hand-made
bridges are ever alike. None of the old
watches contains a date, and until the
Knglish law of 17-10 it was not compul
sory for the Lond:ni maker to affix his
name or tho number of the watch.
The movements made In Loudon in
the last century for the Chinese market
are reeog'nlzed at once by the peculiar
pattern of tho bridge ornament. It Is
iltl that a Chinaman who could afford
to carry a watch at all carried two to
be a check on each other. This bridge,
upon which the watchmaker exhausted
himself In ornamentation, is the key to
the period to which the watch belonged.
It was customary to engrave a head,
sometimes at the upper but more often
nt the lower edge of the bridge. In the
earliest watches It was a female head;
afterward It was the head of a lion or
sometimes of an eagle. By antl by the
popular hero of the day began to be
handed down to posterity on the bridges
of the watches. In Mr. Smith's collec
tion we find permits of such distin
guished people ns Major Andre,
(leorge III., Tonssalnt I'Ouverture.
Ceorge IV., Lord Chatham, Admiral
Nelson and Lord North.
At the time when the tulip craze In
vaded England from Holland the con
ventional tulip appears In the bridges
und pillars of the watches of the day.
It Is an axiom of the collector that the
modern watchmaker Is densely Ignor
ant of the mechanism and value of an
oltl watch. One of the finest movements
in Mr. Smith's collection chimes the
hours, the quarters and the minutes.
The 1k11 Is a coll of steel encircling the
works, which at the time Mr. Smith
discovered It the jeweler was about to
take off antl throw away. Among all
the watchmakers of New York there
ure.only three or four experts In old
movements who could repair a Loudon
or Nuremberg watch of loo years ago.
.wosi or ttie old movements were
casetl in silver, duly Dukes and Princes
aspired to gold. The Jewelers now
adays buy these queer old bull's eyes
over the counter for the value of the
cases, and except In a few rare In
stances the latter go promptly into the
melting pot. Occasionally a case made
of tortoise shell, or covered with shark
skin, or made of an alloy called pinch
beck, saves n flue old timekeeper from
destruction.
The oldest watch of the collection was
made about KSHO by Thomas Tompioii,
who died In lT.'JO, such a famous crafts
man that his remains were entombed
in Westminster Abbey. Tomplon Is
called the "Father of Knglish Watch
makers," and side by side with him lu
the famous abbey lies (Jeorge Oraham,
another Illustrious watchmaker. This
old timepiece has but. one hand, the dial
being spaced only In hours antl quarter
hours.
GREATNESS.
An DixtitiKiilsIicd from Learning in
.Yen Who Achieve Kiiiincnce.
It Is a common error to confound
learning with u-iviincm, 'i'l'e fact that
11 medical undent of this day knows
more of the science of medicine than
Dr. Abernethy did docs not prove lie
Is n greater man. Tho fact that the
average sophomore In one of our col
leges knows more of the laws of nat
ure, of chemistry, of the sciences and
of languages than Socrates know does
not prove that the former is the great
er man. The fact that the ordinary
uavul cadet could take 11 torpedo bout
uud sinlv Lord Nelson und the Victory
in a few minutes docs not prove that
the latter is a g.'eater naval com
mamlor. John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's
Progress" lias been read by more peo
ple, and will lu yea is (o come by rend
by more people, than any book written
by the most learned man of his own
or subsequent times, ami yet Iiuuyau
was a tinker by (ratio ami was as Igno
rant of the rules of grammar as he was
of the binomial theorem. No one can
dispute the genius of Biinyan. Creat
or Invent ions anil discoveries have
been made In our time than wore ever
made by Jenuor, or Watts, or Sir Isaac
Newton. But it Is likely tho credit of
not one of the great modern Inven
tions can be ascribed lo any oue man.
Morse alone did not Invent the magnet
ic telegraph; Bell did not alone iim
celve the Idea of the telephone, nor
was the typesetting machine the ex
clusive work of one man.
There was among Hie great men of
the past an Individuality, which distin
guishes few living men. The average
ability of physicians was ns great, per
haps, in Aberuethy's time as it is now.
And yet lie slootl high above theni, and
almost without a rival. The average
ability of the Fulled States Senator
was, perhaps, as great or greater In the
last generation than it is to-day. Ami
yet the three great Senators, Calhoun,
..l,wt..l 1111,1 Cl.ll' .'I ....I l.l.rl,
..... 1 if. I."'. J
... ' ,. in. n- in 11,,- oeiiii i.yy
to-day their pro-cniiuciiee would prol
bly be as undisputed. It may be tt
there are many men now living in t
I'mr.t.l t'il. ivlt. ii,, l,,,!.. I...
1 ...... , 11 in. 1,1.1.1 jii.iu.i in- tee:.
...I 1,.,, ,. ,. .- 1.. .. fi
in .ii ii 1111 ii. i-iii. liiiii- uu- ir 111
of Mie walks of life so great that thi
position is entirely undisputed.- Bad
more Sun.
. i,
REASON FOR PIRACY'S DECAt
- . "1
Matter 01 Truilinu Klilm No I.oni
lurry Kpeeie with Them,
A son of the old-time vachtlug
tain. Jack White, of Bed Bank, picl
up a Mexican sliver dollar of ivi
Sajjidy Hook the o'her day. Capt. Ji
said it reminded him of many a dollar
he had seen that had been picked up
along the Jersey coast antl on Long Isl
and shores.
"Mexican sliver dollars," he Mid,
"were the money of the commercial
world during all the early part of this
ceutnry, and you could find them when,
ever there were wrecks. Nowadays pi
rating would not pay, but In those days
every ship had to carry a lot of money
every time she went on a voyage. Now
adays a captain doesn't have to have
anything but a bit of pocket money, and
It Is a fact that many a ship goes on a
Voyage with hardly a dollar on board.
If the captain needs anything he can
either draw money at any port or else
finds credit there.
"It was very different a generation
ago. In those days a captain had to
take out with him money enough to last
him for the whole voyage, anil some
thing for emergencies besides. He often
had big sums aboard, also, that were
used In trading, or that represented a
cargo sold.
"It was not uncommon In those days
for a ship to mart out with a full cargo,
bound for some foreign port, whore the
captain would have to hunt his own
market. If the cargo wouldn't sell well
there, he had power to go to any other
port to hunt a profitable market. Then,
when lie had sold out, he was expected
to buy a new cargo, either for a home
port, or, perhaps, some other part of
the world. It was not unusual for a
captain to handle half a dozen cargoes
on a long trading voyage, and come
home In ballast, with a big box of sil
ver dollars to help keel his ship up to
the wind. Even the little vessels car
ried a lot of money aboard.
"I guess that dollar was wrecked
there fifty years or so ago, and it ha.s
been drifting around In the sands ever
since."
Recently completed Improvements In
the Canadian canal system make It pos
sible for a ship 270 feet long, diawiug
fourteen feet of water and carrying
2.500 tons of freight to pass from Lak
Erie to the sea without breaking cargo.
A decision has been handed down by
the Minnesota Supreme Court, In which
a majority of the court concur, holding
that State authorities have no right to
enforce the game laws against the res
ervation Indians while hunting on their
ow n reservations.
Count Skorzewskl. .1 wealthy land
owner In Poscn, Germany, has recently
astonished the natives by employing a
camel, Instead of horses or oxen, to
draw the plow on his estate. The ex
periment has proved most successful
and Is likely to be copied In other agri
cultural districts.
Syracuse, N. Y.. has established a
municipal lodging-house at which an
applicant Is furnished with a supper,
bath, lodging and breakfast on condi
tion that he works at street cleaning
half a day. A meal Is furnished for one
hour's work. The system has put an
end to the tramp nuisance.
Gas and electric lights can be auto
matically extinguished at a predeter
mined time by a new Knglish device
having a disc revolved by clockwork
with adjustable hands on the face of
the disc, which are set to come in con
tact with the key at the desired time to
cut off the gas or electricity.
Tho finest gardens In the world are
the Koyal gardens at Kew. England.
They cover an area of about 270 acres,
and are visited by about l.oOO.OOO per
sons a year. The gardens contain tbe
finest collection bf exotic plants In the
world, a palmhousc, a winter garden, a
museum, nn observatory ami a school
tor gardeners.
To be prepared for emergencies, many
of the European mouarchs have largo
amounts of money on deposit in the
Bank of England. Napoleon III., when
he saw that his star was 011 the wane,
contrived to r.rnd a va:;t sn:a to En
gland's great bank. This deposit has
enabled Empress Eugenie to live lu dig
nity and luxury.
Natal, the name of the South African
colony, Is pronounced Na-tal. with the
accent on the last syllable, the a being
pronounced like a lu "far." The coast
of Natal was discovered on Christmas
Diy, 1497. by the Portuguese, under
Vr.sco Da (Jama, who named it In honor
of the day tiles natalu-, in Latin; natal,
In Portuguese -Natal.
The following curious bit of English
appeared the other day in the Nan
tucket Inquirer and Mirror: "Stillmaa
C. C:ush caught a hook In his linger
Saturday while codfish! ug off 'Sconset.
He was unable to extricate It and had
to take his anchor antl row ashore with
It probing I ho flesh all the time. Dr.
B. F. Pitman removed it."
The Kashmir railway Is to be con
structed over 1S( miles In the most
mountainous part of India. It will bo
opera toil by electricity, water lower be
ing used. This permits of a much
lighter motor for drawing the same load
and also permits of grades which a
steam engine could not climb without
recourse to the rack system.
A firm of fish dealers in Mobile, Ala.,
Is experimenting with a railroad tank
car lu which. If successful, they will
transport Spanish mackerel, pompauo,
gulf bluetlsh antl other Southern fishes
alive to Northern cities. They b--lievt
that uecessary aeration and regulation
of temperature In a sutlicient quantity
uf sea water will be feasible.
Numerous line specimens of the kind
of fine clay known as kaolin having
been missed from the exhibits or the
State geological department of Georgia,
detectives were put to work to Invest!-
Ei'teit T il' '' i 1 i i I rir, .-IT 1 i I1,' '-"Th a t
;..Inui' Williams, a neg, scrub-won'"
e:
uployed Micro, had eaten them, 'i'tf
woman turi.e out to be a regular GeoBi(
gia. clay eaier. i
Two years ago a Brown County
fai-uier gave his daughter two chickens
and promised to feed rhe Increase for
four years, provided she would take
. are of them. Ho say she has $t;4 in
lue bank and has 2io chickens that he
will have lo feed this winter. He also
nays that at the end of four years she
will own the farm and will be charging
him rout for living on It.
After observing the antics of some
folks the theory that man descended
from the monkey doesn't seem so ridiculous.
Moro steel Is nsed in the manufacture
of pens than In all the sword aod gun,
factories In the world.
According to chemical analysis, tit
teen part of the flesh of fish havo
about the same nutritive value as
twelve parts of boneless beef.
The principal ingredients in the com
position of smokeless powder ar (run-
cotton and nltro-glycerlne. Somo other
substances are added, however, '.u aaiall (
quantities. i
An object, like an Iron anchor, that
Is thrown Into tho ocean and is free to
sink, will go to tho very boUom, no
matter how deep tbe tsea may be. Thai
notion that at a certain depth the denJ
sity of the water Increases to a pointl
exceeding that of Iron, and that the obJ
Ject would there be suspended. Is eM
roneous.
Prof. Dewar has at leugth succeeded
In solidifying hydrogen. In Its cen4
pact form, solid hydrogen Is a trans-t
parent Ice, but owing to rapid cbulllJ
tion It usually appears as a foamy whIUi
muss. Its mean temperature Is 10 de
grees centigrade above absolute zero.
Prof. Dewar says, with reference to hid
latest achievement: "The last doubt aK
to the possibility of solid hydrogen havJ
Ing a metallic character has been re-j
moved, and for the future hydrogen)
must be classed among the nou-metallld
elements."
Before the Biological Society of,
Washington O. F. Cook described hla
studies of tho African termites, or
white nnts. Certain Individuals lu evj
ery nest have no other apparent func
tion except that of fighters or soldiers,1
Some have a long beak from which theyj
eject an acrid, corrosive fluid; others In
spire terror by making a loud clicking;
noise with their mandibles, but theyi
neither shoot nor bite. One singular
observation of Mr. Cook was that th
soldier ants which rush out to defend
an attacked nest "do not return to the
nest, but wander about and soon per-j
isn from exposure to the outside air."
It Is said that there Is not a stream
rising In the mountains of Luzon and!
the same is true of other Islands of the
Philippine group which has not its
gold-bearing sands. The alluvial depos
its of the precious metal have been gar
nered for many years, but no thorough;
exploration for gold at its sources In the
mountains has ever been made, because
the Spaniards were unable to coaquer
the trilK's Inhabiting the Interior re
gions. Some of these tribes are said to
look upon the digging up of the earth as
a sacrilege, and they will not seel; gold
In that way, nor permit others to do it,
lost the wrath of the gods should grow
hot against them.
During a violent thunder storm at
Ithaca, N. Y., last summer a writer for
the Companion was surprised to ob
serve, several times In succession, a
short luminous streak which appeared
at a particular point in the clouds, and
remained visible about two seconds at a
time. It 'was probably an example of 1
the rare phenomenon called bead lightyl
iiing, ucscruieti uy .101. aiinn inomson.
nt 1 1 1 . .Annul itinnHnnr rt 1 1 1 .v m.. ! ...i r
association. When seen to advantage
It resembles a string of luminous beads
hung In a cloud, "the beads being some
what elliptical and the ends of their
axes In the line of their discharge being
colored red and purple respectively."
As seen at Ithaca the line was viewed
nearly cud on, and there was only a
HOW A BRiDGE IS ANCHORED.
LonultuUinal Section Showing Anchor
in 8 of ICaat Kiver Structure.
The new East river bridge of New
York will bo the largest, strongest ami
liantlsomest of the large suspension
bridges of the world, its entire length
between terminals will 1 e 7,200 feet,
the length of the main spun, center to
center of towers, will be l,iuo feel, and
LONG! Tl'DlNAI. F.CTION.
the extreme width of the lloor, from
railing to railing of the outside aide-
walks, will lie IIS feet, says the Scion-
title American. Tho next largest sus
pension bridge is the famous structure
ure L
k-or,
a mile and a half down the East rive
which is l.'irdi feet between towers
ami ;!,4."i5 feet long between the anchor
ages. This longitudinal section shows
how the great bridge Is anchored firm
ly at each end.
A Wuy They Have.
"Tho sun was setting in the West,
Just at the close of day"
So runs the sour, no doubt it's true.
Because nohuily ever knew
The orb to let
Itself get M-t
lu any other way.
"The stars were shining overhead.
And night her sable wings had spread,"
According to the song.
Why should wo doubt the singer, say?
For' isn't that, in fact, the wuy
They do h right nloiiK?
"The genie breezes
The autumn -h
Ah. well.
For. out 1 fere
Th'V", f,, tie ,r,.eze cei
."liiieago Times-!!.
A traction.
"What is a fraction'.'
"A pait of anything, sor."
't:tv. nn e :i ni! do"
"The Klvlnteeiith of .Inn I Mel
bourne limes.
America ii Itarli Wire in Afril
liarueii-wne ioikts ara iiseu
slvely in south Africa nnd most o'
material is Imported from th Ul
States.
A lash Calculation.
If ull Mie money lu the worl
divided equally among t lie peo
person would get about t'M. 4
i
isfcslarri il
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