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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 1899)
i 4 I SMART CHINESE BOY. BEATS ALL, GRADES IN 'FRISCO SCHOOLS. Stands at the limit of Tlilrly-Sctcn Thousand l'uulls The Chinese School Examination IleveaU Hume Astonish Injf Facti, There Is a public school of Chlncso pupils In San Francisco, and It has Just made Itself felt with something of a ot In the understanding of tho great white men who make the educational wheels go round in tho "vclly big city." At tho recent examinations this school of Celestlnl youngsters reached a high er percentage than any other public school having no grade higher than tho seventh. Tho percentage was 100. One of Its pupils, Wong Dock Yue, atLilnod a higher percentage than any other pupil of any grado or color In the city. Tho highest average of nny whlto stu dent was made by Robert Dougherty of tho ninth grado of tho Mission Grammar School. Ho got through with 84 per cent, or 3 por cent loss than was nttalned by Wong Dock Yue, who Is Just promoted from the seventh to tho eighth grade. There wore sov eral of Wong Bock Yuo's classmates who gained as high a percentage as Robert Dougherty, the highest whlto boy. Tho soventh grado of tho Chinese school ran from 84 to 97, n remarkably high average. In the fourth grado (primary) an Individual percentage of 99 was attained, while no pupil ran lower than 82. In some of the white WONG BOCK YUE. grades pupils ran as low as zero, while tone entire grade averaged only 1G. Whether It is more difficult for a ninth grade pupil to reach 97 per cent than for a seventh grade pupil to reach 94, depends, of course, upon tho relative severity of their respective studios, as, for Instance, whether It Is harder' for a 15-year-old boy to learn multiplication than for a 13-year-old to learn addi tion. Assuming the most logical the ory, that each la given work corre sponding to his ability to grasp It, wo must give Wong Bock Yuo the credit 'which the figures stand for, and call him tho top-notch pupil In the lists. There is a daily attendance of about 37,000 pupils in tho San Francisco pub lic schools. Wong Bock Yuo has, ap proximately, 36,999 competitors. He holds a higher roccrd than any. Is he the superior of them all in precocity? Wong Bock Yuo's school is one of those unique places In the city which not even tho old residents, who think they have seen everything of interest that is to be found here, have ever discov ered. It Is a familiar fact that San Frnnclsco contains many such odd corners, which no ono seems to know tho location of when eastern friends are to be entertained with sightseeing. The Chinese public school Is ono of tho most Interesting of them all and prob ably quite the most novel to a stranger taking a survey of our city. It Is pre sided over by Miss Rose Thayer, who is assisted by flvo associate teachers. There" are Ave grades In tho school, moat of them primary. Only Chinese pupils are In attendance. These num ber about 150. Superintendent Webster Is attracted by the unusual features of the Chinese school to the extent of having formed some speculative Ideas upon Its effect In local education. He thinks that tho ladles of tho school nro doing great work. He does not know in what degree to compare their pupils with the white pupils whom tho other teachers of the city are given charge of, for, as he says, there aro many circum stances which make the Instructing of Chinese children a very different mnt-. ter from that of teaching tho whlto idea how to shoot. W1UI Excitement on u Carelte. People who Imagine that the carette is a sedate and quiet vehicle, fit only for old women and elderly men who wish to avoid excitement, are cherish ing a delusion. As a typical carette experience a trip from the river to Madison street, recently, may bo cited. Directly in front of Cen tral Music hall tho carette, which was on tho wrong side of the street, collided with a heavy truck loaded with coops containing live chickens. The truck driver expostulated with tho car ette driver, and ordered him to take the other side of tho street at once. The latter declined. Hot words followed, and a moment later a challenge to a duel was given and accepted. Both men drew their whips and stood up on their seats. The lashes flew, and the horses, thinking tho blows Intended for them, started up and pulled the ve hicles apart. The carette turned out so quickly that a beer wagon almost took its wheel off. A moment later, whllo tho passengers were recovering from tho excitement, a cablo train swept round tho corner of MadlBon street and was stopped within three Inches of the venerable equlnes at tached to tho carette, whllo the passen gers scrambled out In confusion and ilarra. Chicago Inter Ocean. THERE IS NO GRETNA GREEN, l'lace Whore ltomantlo Marriages Take l'lace tins No Kxlslence. From tho Genealogical Magazine: The novelists have woven a romance about Gretna Green nnd its village blacksmith which will last for all tlmo and which for all tlmo will supply a denouement to tho wares of successive professional story tellers. Tho sordid facts of Gretna Green marriages and the still more sordid details of tho Gretna Green registers nro widely dif ferent from the plcturcsquo romanco which we associate with tho days of postboys and the rand racing and chas ing through Carlisle. Tho history of Gretna Green and Its marriages rests upon tho abomimiblo marrlnge laws of Scotland. We call them abominable, for they are tho curse of tho Scottish genealogy. Tho marrlago laws In Scot land wero and aro (for they remain un altorod) atrociously simple, and there in lay the temptation nnd attraction of Gretna Green. Probably tho novel reading public will bo shocked to hear that there is no such definite placo as Gretna Green; tho nnmo applies to a district comprising some numbor of villages or hamletB somo miles apart. All that was necessary was to get over tho border Into Scotland nnd there mnke tho uecessnry ' contract beforo witnesses. Tho 'blacksmith's shop on tho high road north from Carlisle was tho most easily accessible and was probably tho best known, but thero were somo houses Just over tho border which kept witnesses at hand and re tained a register of tho contracts en tered Into. The registers wore a sec ondary matter and tho fees demanded wero frequently largo and, whore sa crecy was an object, extortionate. Those Gretna Green marriages still oc casionally tako place, though now only between residents In the neighborhood, but as similar ceremonies take place all over Scotland thero Is nothing espo clally distinctive about tho contracts made at these Gretna Green marrying shops. But unless an actual nnd proper ceremony takes place we bollove these Scottish marriages aro not valid upon persons where both are of Eng lish domicile, though to thoso Intend ing to elope we can offer the consola tion of tho fact that the preliminary residence and advertisement necessnry in England are not compulsory in Scot land, and a marrlago in a Scottish church is binding. So n couple of re turn tickets to Scotland may still carry matrimonial advantages. Tho British law attaches great weight to domicile and, provided domicile bt established, a marriage legal under the laws of tho placo of domicile Is hold tr be valid In England. HERO TO BE HONORED. Tho city of Mobile, Ala., Is to do honor to tho memory of Rear Admiral Raphael Semmcs of the confederate navy, ono of tho greatest sea captains of the rebellion. Semmes was born In Maryland, tho state of Rear Admiral Schley, and was appointed a midship man In the navy of President John Qulncy Adams. Ho served with credit during tho Mexican war, and when the rebellion broke out offered his services to Jefferson Davia. His most noted engagement during the rebellion was as commander of the famous Alabama during It's engagement with the Kear sargo off Cherbourg, France. Tho Mo bile monument will be of heroic size, the figure of Semmes being eight feef NEW STATUE OF REAR ADMIRAL SEMMES. six Inches in height. It was cast In bronze at Newark, N. J recently. Fn'moui Medium Is Dead. New York Journal: Lottie Fowler, the medium, famous once as n sooth sayer of disaster, died in tho Manhat tan State Hospital for tho Insane. Twenty-five years ago all Europo was talking about .her. She amazed the Old World with her prophecies. In England sho predicted that tho Prlnco of Wales would meet with an accident while out driving and that the coach man would be killed. It came true. During a visit to St. Petersburg in 1880 she predicted the assassination of Alexander II. The crime was com mitted six days later. Suspected of being in league with tho Nihilists, tho American medium was escorted to tho border and forbidden to return to Rus sia. In 1870, whllo In Bridgeport, Conn., she predicted an explosion In tho factory of tho Union Metallic Cartrldgo Company. An explosion did occur a week later, and tho supervis ing chemist lost his life, Sho was ar rested, and a section of tho public said sho should be burned as a witch. That made her fortune. DISOWNS OUR FLAG. AND SWEARS BY THE ENSION OF GREAT BRITAIN. Vflir William Waldorf Astor Ilnd n Hocus l'rillgrco Manufactured for Illmielf nod I Jem me nn llnctlsh man. William Waldorf A3tor claims to traco his lineage back. 900 years or more. This wonderful pedigree, which Is given herewith, Is pronounced fraud ulent by no less a person than Mr. La th rop Whlttlngton, who is nn eminent English heraldic nuthorlty. Mr. Whlt tlngton hns gone through tho French archives nnd other original sources of Information and found the pedigree to be a collection of nonsense, containing several falsified dates in order to mnke It seem probable. Tho alleged Astor nncestora arc as follows: Pedro d'Astorg (of Castile) Fol lowed Raymond, Count of Toulouse, to Franco ofter the wnr In Spain, 1035, against the .Moors, who wero command ed by Yitstif Tashafln, Moslem king of tho Almornvlds of Morocco. Received n grant of land from Count Ray mond, whom ho followed as a crusader to tho Holy Laud, where ho was killed at the taking of Jerusalem, 1100. A Spanish queen granted to ono of his ancestors tho arms of a falcon argent on a gloved hand In acknowledgment of the capturo of her favorlto falcon. Tho recipient adopted as his name tho Spanish word Azor (tho goshawk) WILLIAM WALDORF ASTOR. Plorro d'Astorg Served under Simon do Montfort, Compto do Toulouse, at tho battle of Maret, 1213, In which the King of Arragon was killed, Bernard d'Astorg A crueador serving under Alphonse, Compte do Toulouse. Gull laume d'Astorg Present at tho Fol et Hommage rendered May,1221, by Mnin frold do Chateauneut. Plerro d'Astorg Seigneur do Nonlllac, Llmausln, In 1268. Adhomar d'Astorg Served In 1298 In Gascony and Flanders. Ber nard d'Astorg Served against the English, 1339 and 1356. Pierre d'As torg Seigneur de Montbartler, Gulenne, 1390, 1435. Jean Jacques d'Astorg Married Anne do Montclalr; served against tho 'English In 1440, '42, '50. Jacques d'Astorg Seigneur do Se grevllle, married Jeanno de Beaufort. Jean Jacques d'Astorg Married Jeanne do Verdale. Jacques d'Astorg Knight of tho Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Antone d'Astorg Bnron de. Montbartler (Haute Garonne). Served In Italy under Francois Her. Married Marguerite, daughter of Roger, Baron of Montespan, Dec. 10, 1505. Antone CONVERTED M. O. WAGGONER. Lawyer M. O. Waggoner of Toledo, jgno3tlc nnd Infidel converted to Chris tianity by sacred music Issuing from a talking machine, and who Is going to burn his library In that city, Is the re cipient of many letters. They come from men In every walk of life. The majority of them aro from curious In dividuals, Inquiring If It Is true that ho has been converted from a scoffer to a believer. Many of them aro from Infi dels, who call him a fool, and one man says he must have been under hypnotic Influence. Ono enterprising book hunt er in Cincinnati has written him of fering to purchase his library at a good figure. As it has become known that he Is to burn his books he has received numerous letters from persons who d'Astorg Seigneur do Montbartler nnd Governor In the Dloceeo of Tou louse. Married Gnbrlollo do Golren do Lux In 1G53. His will Is dated Fob. 27, 15S7. The Chateau do Montbardler, Gulcnne, was destroyed by tho LIgue In 1571. Joseph d'Astorg -Marquis do Rouqucplno. Married MIremondo de Mun, Nov. 10, 1C92. Compto d'Aubar cdo Dlgorro, by gift of Raymond de Golrnns, his aunt, Dame d'Aubarcde. Paul d'Astorg Seigneur do Aubnrcde, Governor of Sedan, Marcchnl dea Camps. Married Gabrlello do Maulcono, daughter of G I rami do Mauleons, Bar on de Barbnzon, July 31, 1G29. Jacques d'Astorg Comto d'Aubardcde.Baron d Barbaron, Seigneur do Thuy.Mory GIn don and Belmont; married Htlalro tW Busca, daughter of Baron de Pcyrusso Fob. 2, 1652. Jean Jacques d'Astorg Born In France, Jan. 28, 1GG4. Fled to Germany upon tho revocation of the edict of Nantes In 1G65. Married Anno Margarcthe Eberhord In 1G92. Died In Nussloch, near Heidelberg, Baden, April 2, 1711. Felix AStor-Son of tho foregoing, horn nt Nussloch, 1G93. Mar ried Eva Dorathca Frcund In 1739. Died at Wnlldorf, near Heidelberg, Baden, Aug. 10, 1765, Johanno Jacob Astor Born July 7, 1721. Married Marie Mag delene Vorfoldcr, July 8, 17GG. Died nt Walldorf, April 10, 181G. John Jacob Astor Born at Walldorf, July 17, 17G3. Removed to America In 1784. Married Sarah Todd, Sept. 19, 17S5. Died In New York, March 29, 1848. A Curious Assortmrnt. "I could stock a museum with queer things I hnvo found In our bookB," said a librarian. "Those articles In elude all kinds of bills grocery bills, gas bills and every variety of bill un der the sun; hairpins and hair orna ments of every design and material; love letters galoro, locks of hair, bits of lace, dress samples and wntch chain charms; pen and Ink, pencil, crnyon and water color sketches; money or ders and postage stamps, and I have also a dried human ear, which I found In a book on surgery, borrowed by a medical studont probably, as they carry all sort.? of uncanny things about with them. Photographs, too, nguro largely In my collection. 1 once found an In surance policy In a book, but It was quickly claimed. Tho hustling advor tlscr cannot let even library books alone. Somebody Is nn agent for n certntn patent medlclno. Ho tnkeB out half a dozen books, not to read them but Bltnply to Insert n circular." Crisis lu the Clcaret Trade. In 1889 the total production of cigar ets in tho United States was 2,Hi,u00,' 000. For tho next eight years there was a steady Increaso In tho number produced. In 1897 It reached tho as tonishing total of 1.0G3.000.000. Then came the agitation against clgarets, and the tax was udvanced from 50 cents to $1.50 a thousand. The effect was that In tho fiscal year ending June 30, ,1899, only 3,735,000,000 clgnr;ts were. made. In spite of this fact the exportation of American clgarots has steadily Increased. In 18S9 tho total taxes paid on clgarets amounted to $4,203,000, an Increase of $610,000 oyci the previous year. l,t)3rt,:iuO Notes an Hour. Tho record of tho greatest numbor of notes struck by a musician in twelve hours is said to have been mado by Paderewskl, who struck 1,030,300 notes. BY MACHINERY. wish to buy certain volumes. He has received hundreds of letters from clergymen from all parts of the coun try, congratulating him on tho stand ho has taken In tho matter. One pro fessor of an Ohio colloge wrote him to postpono tho burning of his books for Just one month and reflect on the mat ter, Mr. Waggoner has been busily engaged recently In answering these letters. Tho men who hnvo writ ten him kind words ho thankB, nnd those who have essayed to criticise he endeavors to show tho error of their harsh words. Several agnostics have visited tho city and called upon him. Long Interviews have been tho result, and the; men who came to denounce him have gono away In a thoughtful mood. FIliED THE FIRST GUN AND A FILIPINO PICKET DROP PED DEAD. Dramatic Story of the Initial Shot That llroitKht on the Wnr In the l'hlllp (tlncs William Ornyson Helloed That lie Was ItlRht. William Grayson, who fired the shot that culminated In tho Flllptno-Amcrl- enn war, strangely enpugh, Joined tho Ncbrnskn volunteers because of lovo of adventure. Ho has lately been dis charge I and is now In Nobrnska. Ho says that tho Filipinos nro being sup plied with provisions by tho English and not by tho Germans. Ho oays of tho shot that started tho war; "It was just a question of killing tbnt Filipino beforo ho killed me. That Is tho way I felt when I lovelcd my gun at him, nnd those were my feelings when I heard him gronn In tnc dust. "After It was all over I felt 'queer' nervous and unsteady. Tho only thing that seemed to steady my nerves that night was to shoot again. "Thnt was tho first shot of the wnr against tho InsurgentB, nnd my target was tho first Filipino ever killed by an American. "When I went on outpost duty thnt night I was mad enough to light the o scratch. For days nnd weeks be foro the Flllplnou had been calling us the worst nnmcs men could think of. "'Uno Filipino mas bueno cinq Americanos.' That was their taunt: 'Ono rebel can lick flvo Americans.' WILLIAM GRAYSON. They would have spit In our faces If we had waited much longer. "Orville Miller of company D went out with mo that night for outpost duty near Santa Mesa. Wo went heavily armed nnd kept our eyes open, for we had boon warned by our superior offi cers. Tho end of our beat was closo to a lot of old buildings and bamboo thickets. Whenever wo saw a sus picious figure we would get under cover nnd watch. If any ono tried to cross our lino ho would bo halted or shot down. "About 8:30 o'clock I saw thrco men not more than thirty feet from us lvlnc flat on tho' ground. They had Just dis covered us. At that moment I heard a whistle from their dlroctlon. It was too dark to seo them plainly. The slg nal was answered from tho brush by another low whistle. Then signal lights wero seen from Filipino block houses, nnd MUIor and I know what was coming. "Haiti" I yelled, as tho rebels began to get up, clicking tholr rifles. "Alto!" (hnlt) was tholr reply, and wo had boen challenged. Thero was no tlmo to lose, nnd so I brought my first Filipino down; and I tell you, thero was n llttlo feeling of safety and satisfaction when I heard him groan. Then I knew tho war was on. "Wo at once ran back to where four of our men were on guard nnd lined up for battle. Then wo mado for the plpo lino back toward tho camp, and I shall never forget that llttlo trip that night. "It Boomed that a thousand men wero firing nt us on all sides, and it looked as though we would never get under cover from the bullets. My hat was lost Bomowhcrc near where I killed my rebel, and I found It there tho next morning. "I admit that I was scared when 1 got back out of reach of that lead. It la a serious tiling to fire a shot thnt starts a war. None of us over expected to get out of the holo at tho plpo line, which made good brcastworkB, though wo wero Joined by tho entire outpost thirty men and wo nil poppered away at the enemy, "Then tho action spreud from tho right to tho left, nnd In fifteen minutes tho engagement was general from Caloocan to tho bay." Sud Knilinc to Testlvltles, Tho cablo announces that young Vis count Castlcroagh, oldest son of the Marquis of Londonderry, has suffored concussion of tho brain turoiigh n fall from his horse und will be confined to hie bed for several weelca at least, even if no more serious complications de velop. Tho accident will put a sud den and Bad ending to tho festivities In honor of tho coming of ago of the young nobleman. Tho birthday has been celebrated at Mount Stewart, County Down, one of the scats to which tho viscount Is heir, Ono day last week moro than 1,000 tenants were feasted on tho estate. Viscount Cas tlcreagh, who was educated at Sand hurst, tho English West Point, Is n second lieutenant In tho Royal Horee Guards, and Is heir to 50,000 acres of land. The Most Wonderful. From Harpor's Round Table: onolo Reubon had Just returned from his Christmas holiday In Now York, and Iila mind was n confusion of cinemato graphs, solf-plnylng pianos, automo biles, phonographs, etc. When ho was asked which had impressed him most ho solemnly replied: "By gosh, the horseless piano beats 'em nil." LONDON'S "BIO BEN." llotf ilrt l'vopln Itevi Well Who IfAvn to Hoar It. The striking mechanism of Big Ben Is n Brobdlngnagiari affair In iwery way. It is Borne thirty or forty feet up above tho clock, which occupies a room In tho center of tho lower, says tho London News. Tho striking nnv rhlnery la driven by weights of about n ton nnd n half, hanging in a sort of chimney shaft 174 feet deep, ami lo wind them up from bottom to lop though, of conrttc. they nro never Al lowed to run quite down In a fair day'r. work. When hilly wound up, Big Bcn'H tormentor thn massive iron hammer lit ad wi!l go pounding away for four days without further at tention. It needs u iiintty poridoioui hammer to fetch tho full lono out of a boll weighing fifteen or sixteen tons, and the marvelous thing Is lh.it this mnsslve incehniiiBti lui'ps such Imnii- tlful time us It dots Tho clock, with which It lu connected by Iron roils. gives It Us cue with nuoh untouching precision that the ehlmen got through their preliminary performance ulul tho' great hammer fulls on tho mighty Ben within onr scruml of Greenwich moan time nt leaKt. that In what It hi nup- pofed to do and the nsltniiomor roy'a.1, who keeps u vigilant eye upon tlio great public tluiipleco, aya that It tines not vary n second n wutik all tho year round Tho only unsatisfactory thlin? about tho whole perlornuuino h Iho horribly bad "E" that Ben sends forth. The wonder la,, nut that nlok iorton fliuM It tor t in i: to him lo Jiavo-lt booming out all tilehl long, hut that people who ate diointd lo ho continu ally heurlng it arc ntl nmilo 111 by It. WEDDINOS IN JAPAN. Oild CVkhiii'Iiy In t!m I.imiiI of tho (Jlirynnnthtmiiim, When a young man bus Hxml hit nf fectlonti upon n maiden of Ktiltnlilo standing ho dcclnit-s his lovo by tauten ing a branch of n certain Hliruh to the lioinr of the damsel's p-irents. If tho branch be neglected the suit Is re jected; If It bo accepted so Ik tin) sullor. At the tliso of the Marriage tho bride groom sends presents to liW hrlno us costly as bin means will allow, which she Immediately offers to her parents In acknowledgment or tholr kindness In Infancy and of tho pains bestowed upon her education. Tho wedding takes place In the evening. Tho brldo Is dressed In a long whlto fillK kimono nnd white veil nnd sho and her futuro husband sit facing eaeh other on tho floor. Two tnbles are placed close by; on the ono Is a kuttlo vjlth two Hpont9, a bottle of sako and cups; nn tho other table a mlnlaturo nr tree signifying the .strength of tho bridegroom; a plum tree, signifying tho beauty of tho brldo, and, InBtly, n stork standing on a lor toUo, leprescntlng n long II To and hap piness, desired by them both. At tho marriage feast each r,ucst. In turn drlcks thrco cup of thn sake and tho two-spouted kettle, also containing sake, Is put (o tho moutho or the brldo and bridegroom alternately by two at tendants, signifying that they aro to share together Joys and sorrows. TJio bride keeps her veil all her life nnd after death It Jo burled with her as her shroud. Tho chief duty of a Japanese woman' nil her life Is obedlenco whllo unmnrrled, to her parents; when mar ried, to her husband and IiIh parents; when widowed, to her son. AN EMINENT GERMAN. Paul Hoy e of Munich will leavo a great gap In the soclnl nnd literary Ufa of the fatherland. In the social Ufa of Munich he has for yearn been u PAUL HEYSE. prominent figure. Almost six feet tall and weighing upward of Z00 poimd, he carried filmVelf with' the soldierly bearing gained by service in the army. Best known as a novelist, he is also a poet of much merit, mi well an a noted wit. As a young man no one would have predicted for hlni a literary ca reer. He never read hooka for pleas ure and It required coercion on tho part of his parents to get him to llnlih college. Early In life ho had an mi fortunnlo love affair and went away to hide his sorrow in Italy. There tho literary lovor seized him and shortly after he wrote his first book, "In Para dise." HIh bt-'Bt-known novel In "Tho Children of" tho World' whl.!l -hits been translated into uliuost nil tho modern languages. Tho Hoyxo villa, near Munich, has been for years a center of attraction for famous people. Thttlr I'avorlUi Color. The Sultan of Turkey's favorlto col or is dark red. Tlio German Emperor likes his uniforms blue and red, nnd covered with gold etnbrqldorlos, Tho King of Greeco, who dons his uni forms cs seldom au possible, hns' s marked preference for light colors. Tho Emperor of Austria has a preforenco for gray, whllo tho Emporor of Russia likes dark green uniforms, and tho King of Italy, excepting tho rnro oc caalons when ho appears In a gonornl'ti uniform, generally wears black. J