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Curnnt topics
THE HUMOROUS SIDE OF THE COAL STRIKE
was recently presented in an entertaining
way by the Boston Transcript. The Transcript
says: "It is a very serious matter out of which
somobody cannot oxtract fun, and the present
coal shortage is no oxcoptlon to the rule. At tho
present timo it is all but impossible to walk along
any of the principal thoroughfares of down-town
Boston without encountering a crowd every block
or so, drawn to some shop "window by an ox
hlbit of coal. In some caBes those displays show
a good deal of ingenuity on tho part of tho orig
inators, but tho majority are very simple. Tho
display most often met with consists of a hod or
bucket of coal, to which is attached a placard
bearing some such rign as 'Black Diamonds,' 'Real
Coal,' 'Very Rare Onco Used for Fuel,' 'Guaran
teed Real Anthracite,' 'Wo Have Money to Burn,
But No Coal,' 'Wo Give Away a Piece of Coal
With Every Purchase.' Ono exhibit which is at
tracting considerable attention from people on
the way from tho North Station up town is a
model of a coal breaker carved in a lump of coal.
In other places are to be seen vases or orna
ments of various kinds done in coal. A down
town clothing concern last week devoted ono of
its largo show windows to a display of lay figures
dressed in miners' working clothes, with empty
dinner pails scatterod about. In the window was a
sign, 'Back to tho Mines When?'"
THE READINESS WITH WHICH ENTER
prising persons take advantage of tho pop
ular humor is also illustrated in an extract from
this same article, as follows: "Fakirs innumera
ble have appeared on tho streets with tho prod
uct of jewelry novelty makers. With them a stick
pin, composed of a very small piece of coal, is an
article that finds a ready sale. Tho novelty mak
ers were quick to take advantage of. the coal fa
mine and their factories are running out all
sorts of things for which a sale is to bo had.
- In fact, tho old saying that ' 'Tis an ill wind that
blows nobody good applies to them. One firm is
turning out one hundred stick pins from a pound
of coal, and as each pin retails for 10 cents, it
can he seen that coal sold in this way is bringing
even a larger return than when sold by the dealers
at $20 a ton. A variation from the plain coal stick
pin is one with a small brilliant set into the coal.
These are labeled 'The mo3t expensive luxuries in
the world.' Other designs are a minature coal hod
bearing the word 'Empty,' another marked 'Bust
tho Trust,' a small piece of coal suspended from a
pick ax of brass or silver, a combination of coal
and imitation gold, marked 'Take your pick;"'
A DESCRIPTION OF A FORM OF CURE
whicb has at least the novelty of being new
ia presented' by the Chicago Chronicle. The Chi
cago publication obtained its information from
Colorado Springs, Colo., and relates to tho theory
of a- newspaper editor of that place that a system
of fasting used in connection with right breathing
will cure every ill that flesh Is heir to. Recently
this editor finished a fast of fifteen days' dura
tion and all this time he has been laboring hard,
even working at meal times, when ordinary la
borers WQuld cease their labor for a time. It is
said that persons from all parts of the world have
sought this- editor in the hope of relief through
his system and that for these treatments, if they
may be called by that name, no charge is made.
T?OR MANY YEARS DEATH VALLEY IN CAL-X1-
ifornia has been regarded with aversion on
the ground that it has caused the death of many a
western traveler. It is now said that recent de
velopments have brought to light the fact that tho
valley is rich in' precious metals and minerals and
a great rush to the spot is predicted. Ledges of -gold
and silver of great richness, it is said, have been
discovered, and among the minerals the deposit of
. borax is especially valuable. This has induced the
borax trust to undertaue the development of the
country. Niter Is also found in groat quantities
and it may not be impossible that this valloy may
come to rival Chile in its production of niter.
There Is no doubt that the development of this
famous valley will be attended with great hard
ships as for many years it has been thought to be
In reality what its name Implies, but notwithstand
SevaP this entllUBiastic miners declare that-the
So thQ newly founa land of wealth will equal
iae xwaed rush to th Klondike somo years ago.
The Commoner.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IS JUST
now interested in one phase of tho gas
lighting problem of tho country. Great efforts aro
being made to discover some means of producing
a "mantle" that will bo hard enough to wear for a
longer period of time than the ones now used.
This matter has been a problem with the gas com
panies and contractors of the United States ever
sinco the introduction .of tho gas mantle, and In
tho state of Michigan a gas company has for two
years post boon giving a scholarship to a graduate
of tho university who seems able to carry on tho
work of investigation. The New ork American,
in an article on the subject, says that this year
M. E. Mueller was appointed to the scholarship,
and his year's work Is awaited with interest Ho
visited during the summer tho various gas con
cerns in tho middle west, and this fall his work
is along the lino of finding the cause of tho de
terioration of tho mantle. Immense sums havo
been offered by every large city in tho country for
tho perfection of the gas mantle so as to increase
its efficiency. The city of Columbus, 0., was tho
first to get light on the subject, from an old Mich
igan graduate. He made a groove under the man
tle in which quicksilver was placed. Tho mantle
was suspended from above on stiff wires, on the
ends of which a small ball rested on the mercury.
This enabled the mantle to stand a great jar, but
it did not deteriorate any the less. This is the
problem now bejng worked on by Mueller. An
offer of $10,000 Is made by M. C. Dunkle, who
lights Chicago, to any man who will put a mantle
on tho market twice as efficient as the present
one, but not twice as expensive. Mueller is after
tho $10,000, and the Michigan professors will try
to help him win.
MANY PEOPLE REGARD THE OFFICE OF
secretary of agriculture, as of interest only
to the farmer, but mis view has been somewhat
modified by a flower exhibit which Secretary Wil
son of the department of agriculture recently pre
sented at Washington. "Uncle Sam's Flower
Show" as this exhibit is styled, is one of the
greatest flower shows ever seen in the capital city,
consisting as it does of 25,ou0 plants and 122 va
rieties of chrysanthemums. Particularly attrac
tive among these plants is a variety known as the
"Black Hawk" which bears a blossom twelve
inches in diameter and in color is pure white with
a pink center. The exhibit is attracting very gen
eral attention from the people of Washington and
many, have discovered that instead of Secretary
"Wilson being interested only in tho practical side
of agriculture, his good taste and knowledge of
horticulture combine to make his department ono
of the most attractive in tho capital.
A" GREAT CURIOSITY IN THE POS
b session of the first assistant postmaster gen
eral. This is described by the Chicago Inter-Ocean
as being a large eilk embroidered picture of Wash
ington crossing the Delaware, surrounded by
American flags and surmounted by an American
eagle. The work is beautifully done, and is an ar
tistic creation of needle work. The curious fea
ture of it is that Washington and all his com
panions have the almond-shaped eyes of the Ja
panese. It was made in Japan, and the artist
while following correctly every other detail of the
copy before him. could not resist the temptation
to put in the Japanese eyes. This piece of em
broidery does not belong to the first assistant post
master general nor to any one else living so far as
known. It is a contribution to the dead letter
office. It was mailed from the Philippines to an
address in Brooklyn which could not be found
After much effort to locate the man to whom it
was sent, it was discovered that this man had
deserted from the United States army in the Phil
ippines, and that he had the best of reasons for
not furnishing Uncle Sam with his present ad
dress. The name of tho sender was not given.
Tho beautiful piece of embroidery therefore be
comes a contribution to tho dead letter office.
..y11!80? day be sold at Public auction along
with the other curiosities that accumulate in the
dead letter office, but in the meantimo It has be
come an object of curiosity in the postoffice de
partment, and it has been placed on exhibition
in the office of the first assistant postmaster gen
IN AN ADDRESS RECENTLY DELIVERED BE
fore the Outlook club Arthur T. Hadley,
president of Yale university, said that the col
leges like any other enterprise must -study public
demands and try to meet them. Mr. Hadley thinks
that universities have not made tho same progress
in the development of public spirit as they havo in
technical training or in scientific laboratory work.
He thinks it is the highest duty of universities to
be organizers of this public spirit. President Had
ley also said: "Many of the so-called practical
Vol. a, No. 4.
studies of a college course deal with matters which
a boy is bound to learn speedily in the office or
the shop. Some of them simply give him methods
which he has to unlearn before ho can bo of any
use to his employer. But the lessons of self-devotion,
of subordination of the individual gain to tho
public good, are things which, if ho does not lay
the foundation for them at college, may never bo
learned at all."
THAT THERE IS A GROWING ANTIPATHY
to the Carnegie system of free libraries in
England is a claim s'et forth by a writer in the
Chicago Tribune. This writer says that the oppo
sition does not come solely from tho laboring men
and one sious London journal recently pointed
out the growing unpopularity of 'the frowsy liter
ature of the free library.' The Tribune writer
adds: "marylebone borbugh, which is under tho
jurisdiction of the London county council, has re
fused Mr. Carn.egie'8 offer of 30,000 pounds to
found a free library, point blank. And in approv
ing Marylebone's strange course a London paper,
which has heretofore had nothing but praise for
Mr. Carnegie and his works, says: 'We are not at
all sure that the day is not quickly passing, even
if it has not already passed, when there was any
reason for these libraries. It is idle to pretend
that fiction is not the chief pabulum that the aver
ago library goer battens upon, and pretty well ev
ery novel that is worth reading can now be .had
for sixpence. Marylebone .has other more press
ing needs that she would do well to supply before
she thinks of giving her ratepayers the frowsy
literature of the free horary. On the whole, wo
think that Marylebone has taken a much needed
progressive step by refusing to sanction the ex
penditure of public money for the provision of
what is quickly becoming an unnecessary in
dulgence. "
THE BOARD OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE
navy department is confronted with a grave
problem. The constructors find it difficult to de
sign the armored cruisers so as to combine tho
greatest fighting power with tho highest speed.
A Washington dispatch to the Chicago Chronicle,
referring to this matter, says: "As is usual in
the preparation of designs differences of opinions
early developed among the members of the board.
The ordnance department wished to cover the
vessels with the heaviest armor and place on them
the biggest guns; the engineers wished to give a
high speed, which meant much engine and boiler
space, and the equipment division wanted much
room for the large crew which such a vessel
must carry and for the complex equipment which
modern ships must have. These differences of
opinion have become much more pronounced than
ever before and there have been some lively
scenes in the board meetings recently. Gradually
the issues have been adjusted tentatively, save the
very important one of weight 'to be allowed for
motive power, wiiich means speed. The act of
congress contemplated cruisers of 14,500 tons dis
placement and Constructor Bowles, for the first
time in the history of the department, almost
insisted that this limit should not be exceeded
by a single ton. This would have been a small
consideration except that his attitude also re
stricted the speed of the proposed ship."
IT IS FURTHER POINTED OUT BY THIS
Washington correspondent that Engineer in
Chief Melville had pronounced views on that sub
ject and he insisted that the new cruisers should
not take the wash of anything afloat. He demand
ed that they be able to overtake, if need be, or es
cape from any battleship or cruiser of any other
navy, holding that the reserve speed, as in the caso
of the Oregon at Santiago, often might turn the
course of battle. He had secured the plans of the
British armored cruiser Drake, which had just
made the admirable speed record of twenty-four
knots, and he pointed out that she had much moro
liberal allowance for engine width than as pro
posed to be given the Tennessee, which is the
cruised now being planned. It is probable that
Secretary Moody will be called on to decide tho
issue as to whether speed shall be sacrificed to
fighting power and size limitation.
AN INTERESTING STORY OF THE EXPERI
ences of three stowaways is related in a New
York dispatch to the Chicago Inter-Ocean. John
son, Jenson, and lianson recently landed in now
York despite the emigrant officials who were bene
on shipping them back to Norway and Sweden.
They came over on the steamer Oscar "J";"
Johnson broke the record for ingenuity in warns
himself away by crawling into a coffin, where no
remained for several hours. The three men stowea
away on the Oscar II. the night before the steam
ship, sailed from Christiansand. On tho second
