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MALL LOSS BY EIRE
INSURANCE MEN ARE MILLIONS
AHEAD
1ear Jnst Past Has Been a Favorable
One for Tlieru Amount of Property
Consumed in the Twelve Months
Will Not Kxceed 130000000
Total Income Not Diminished
The officers and stockholders of the fire
insurance companies doing business in the
United States can look back upon the year
1S9G with satisfaction for it was one of
imnciml rrrrA 1 tl mwl limsnorih for I
them At the beginning of December
men who had kept tab upon the fire losses
for the year felt safe in predicting that
-unless some very big fires occurred before
Jan 1 1S97 the insurance companies
-would have had a great year for profits
The losses from fire in the United States
during the year will probably not amount
to more than 130000000 and large as
this sum is it will be the smallest since
1890 The losses in that year footed up
S10S993792 In 1S91 the sum rose to
143704967 in 1892 it grew again to
15151G098 and it reached its highest
figures in 1S93 when the total of our fire
losses was the enormous sum of 1G7544
370 Since then the losses were 140000
4S4 in 1S91 and 142110233 in 1S95 Of
these sums the insurance companies have
liad to moke good considerably more than
Ihalf In 1892 the losses to the companies
amounted in round figures to 93500000
in 1S93 to 103000000 in 1S94 to
and in 1S95 to S4500000
The total of the losses in these four
years was 001000000 and the total paid
Knit by the insurance companies was 372
000000 This amounts to about G2 per
-cent of the total losses and applying this
same rule to the losses of 1S9G the
t v 11 1- A l i A
ance companies snare woum ue uuuul
SSW00000 and it may fall below this
This would leave a margin of 4500000
extra profits to be added by the companies
-either to dividends or surplus in hand
The experts declare that although the
premium charges of the companies may
have fallen behind during the year on ac
count of hard times the natural increase
in income from investments have probably
Jcept the total incomes of the companies up
sto about the same sum as last year
Hard times these lame experts declare
POPE LEOS DELICATE HEALTH
iDeath of Cardinal Sanfelice Has
Greatly Affected His Holiness
In spite of official denials the reports
ithat the health of the Pope is very deli
Icate are confirmed by private advices
According to news from Rome received
by Cardinal Richard the Archbishop of
JParis the condition of Pope Deo is very
disquieting The death of Cardinal San
Ifelice greatly affected his Holiness as
Sanfelice was Pope Leos probable suc
cessor to the pontificate and regarded the
jDreibund as a possible means of bringing
about a reconciliation between the Quir
Snal and the Vatican Emperor William
when he visited Naples last spring asked
Cardinal Sanfelice what attitude he would
take up if elected Pope but the distin
guished prelate declined to be drawn out
In view of Pope Leos present condition
of health it is stated that sonie of the
JPowers have already signified their
wishes regarding the succession Frtnce
Belgium and Portugal favoring Cardinal
Parochi the Vicar General of his
gSjL ypgf
LEO Xlll
tiess while Spain Austria and Russia sup
port Cardinal Vannutelli the Prefect of
the Congregational Index
A bill is about to be introduced in the
JNew York State Legislature limiting the
height of buildings to 175 feet It will
Slave the indorsement of the city authori
ses of New York and will probably be
passed The fire department the board
of public works and the real estate men
are opposed to sky scrapers
In the California Assembly Belshaw
jhas introduced a resolution instructing
Californias delegation in Congress to
prork against all Pacific Railroad refund
ling bills
flfefe
Haunis Taylor
For the first time since last May our
minister to Spain Ilannis Taylor the oth
er night met the Queen Regent It was at
a banquet at the palace that the meeting
occurred and it was watched with deep
interest by European diplomats present
After the dinner had been concluded the
Queen spoke cordially to Mr Taylor and
conversed with him for some time avoid
ing however all mention of either the
Cuban problem or any question of politics
Hannis Taylor is from Alabama He re
ceives twelve thousand dollars a year but
does not enjoy a wholly pleasant position
as things stand Although he fully ac
cepts Mr Clevelands policy and theory of
presidential irresponsibility to Congress
in foreign affairs as stated by Olney yet
as the visible representative of the Unit
ed States in Spain he has to bear the
brunt of the fury of the Madrid mob only
tempered by such police protection as the
authorities are able to afford It is cer
tain enough that were it not for such pro
tection the mob would tear him to pieces
and destroy the embassy His position is
something like that of a man sitting on a
keg of gunpowder with a lighted candle in
his hand If there is an explosion he may
be able to get out of the way in time and
he may not Dr Taylor was born in New
hern N C in 1S51 In 1SG9 he removed
TR iCtTffcjrr VKW AG CE AGREE TO ARBITRATION
And what will poor Canada do now poor thing Chicago Tribune
Tasually have a disastrous effect however
Hipon insurance profits from another cause
incendiarism No one questions that
J1S96 was a hard times year and yet
the fire losses have fallen off
to Mobile and was admitted to the bar
The University of Alabama conferred on
him the degree of doctor of laws in 1S90
Mr Cleveland appointed him minister
plenipotentiary from the United States
to Spain on April 6 1893
The Latest in Epitaphs
fer km
Pittsburg Leader
Sparks from the Wires
A new ocean going yacht is to be built
for Queen Victoria in place of the Victoria
and Albert the present royal yacht
The plate and sheet mill of the Cleve
land Rolling Mill Company which has
been closed down since 1S93 will resume
operations giving employment to proba
bly 200 or 300 hands
Charles E Campbell a constable fell
down a dark stairway while evicting a
family at Dayton Ohio and sustained a
fracture at the base of the skull from
which he cannot possibly recover
Joseph B McCullagh the St Louis
editor left no will His estate now in
the hands of the public administrator
will be divided between seven sets cf
heirs part of whom live in Dublin Ire
land
The plate and sheet mill of the Cleve
land Ohio Rolling Mill Company which
has been closed down since 1893 will re
sume operations within a few days giv
ing employment to probably 200 or 800
hands
An order has gone into effect at the
Union depot at Atchison Kan prohibit
ing persons from smoking cigarettes in
the waiting room The depot master has
orders to eject any person who refuses
to obey the mandate There will be no
objection to smoking cigars or pipes
The dwelling of Rev M L Jones at
Pickens S 0 was destroyed by fire and
two of his children were burned to death
The father was away from home and left
the place in charge of his 12-year-old son
Elbert and his 12-year-old daughter
Mary While both were asleep the flames
broke out
EDTJCATEONALCOLUMN
NOTES ABOUT SCHOOLS AND
THEIR MANAGEMENT
Problem to Come Before the Southern
Educational Association Need of
Reform in the System of School
Punishments
Race Problems
The education of the negro race will
bo doubt be one of the leading ques
tions before the Southern Educational
Association again this year President
Phillips in his last years address
struck the key note when he said It
is a fact that cannot well be called in
question that white teachers in negro
schools can never realize even approxi
mately the ideal relation that should
exist between the teacher and pupil
This is forcibly true in elementary
schools That relation requires love
not philanthropy affection not charity
sympathyTnot pity Occupying planes
so widely separated spheres of activity
so diverse without common blood or
social ties common history or common
interests common origin or common
destiny a white teacher and a negro
class will never realize the ideal school
In such a case the teacher cannot ap
peal to the inner life of the pupil and
the craving consciousness of the child
finds no responsive chord in the teach
er They must meet if they meet at all
upon the cold abstract plane of reason
The instinct of race identity as strong
in the one race as in the other as strong
in the pupil as in the teacher inter
venes as an insuperable barrier Be
tween teacher and pupil must ever re
main this chasm of race difference as
deep as human consciousness itself Call
it prejudice if you will as
a God implanted instinct of which the
teacher cannever divest himself but of
which the pupil can never be educated
Although it be tempered by philan
thropy sweetened by religion or even
smothered by fanaticism it still ex
ists and will continue to exist as long
as humanity
Many educators of the North do not
yet understand the conditions confront
ing the people of the South We hope
many of them will make the trip to
Mobile meet with the teachers there
and after mingling with the people and
seeing things as they are they will
return better prepared to understand
the educational problems of our whole
country American Journal of Educa
tion
School Whippings
The brutal beating administered to a
12-year-old pupil by a teacher in a pub
lic school the other day suggests the
need of reform in the system of school
punishments
In some States corporal punishment
of public school children is prohibited
by law It is noteworthy that this pro-
hibition has not weakened the discip
line or in any other way reduced the
efficiency of the system On the con
trary reports from two or three States
where teachers are not allowed to whip
pupils indicate a higher standard of the
schools and more encouraging results
The aphorism Spare the rod and
spoil the child is about as inapplica
ble to conditions to day as are so many
others of its kind that were quoted
with unctuous rectitude by the gray
beards of the past mainly for lack of
a sound reason for their conduct The
child of to day differs from the child
of fifty years ago as the man and wom
an differ from their prototypes of a
past epoch The home training of
children is now superior because par
ents are better civilized and have a
clearer insight into child nature Pos
sibly the public school is largely re
sponsible for this progress in that it
has placed the advantages of educa
tion within the reach of all
Probably there was a time when to
curb the barbarian that is latent in all
juvenile natures a vigorous application
of the birch was necessary But it can
be asserted as a fact borne out by the
records of public school management
that very few school children now need
whipping in order to be brought under
discipline Of course there are still
some incorrigibly bad children who are
utterly impervious to moral suasion
but these are too few to justify the tol
eration of corporal punishment in the
public schools Such pupils should be
set apart where they will not demoral
ize the rest of the school The excep
tions will not then be an excuse for the
maintenance of a system which is sure
to prove baneful rather than beneficial
In its operations St Louis Republic
Docked a Cent a Minute
Milwaukee is theonly city in the coun
try which runs its school on a penny
basis Probably no school commission
ers In the land of the starry banner are
more ingenious In inventing ways by
which the salaries of the teachers of
the public schools can be pared down
The latest exploit in this direction Is a
rule whereby any teacher who is tardy
a single minute loses a cent of her sal
ary and another cent for each minute
lost -
The teacher herself is made to report
the tardiness to the principal of the
school who in turn reports it to the
school board and the secretary docks
the unfortunate victim of an open
bridge or a broken trolley wire a cent
for each minute she has been delayed
There Is no excuse accepted It is
a cent a minute without mercy The
time is taken by the school clock with
which the teachers watch must agree
There Is no allowance for difference of
watches as on the railroads If a
teacher is a minute late at the first
opportunity she must walk up to the
-principals office and request that he
see that she has a cents worth of ab
sence placed against her name In case
the unfortunate has been a minute and
a half late there Is a great how dye
do The committee has to meet and
debate solemnly whether the teacher
slall suffer a 2 or a 1 cent deduction
and there are few recomendations for
mercy
t is to the credit of the teachers that
iu spite of the ridiculousness of the
matter and the implied insult every
time they have to play the spy on them
selves every one has promptly reported
any absence Most of the commission
ers are ashamed of the rule but
through some occult influence it is al
lowed to remain Cleveland Plain
Dealer
Schools on Indian Reservations
Schools are maintained in New Tons
State on six Indian reservations
These are at Salamanca South Onon
daga Hogansburgh East Moriches
Akron and Suspension Bridge The
schools on the reservations have been
supported at the expense of the State
for many years and since 185G have
been under the charge of the State Su
perintendent of Public Instruction
The populations of the several reserva
tions in 1S92 was 4923 The number
of children of school age on these res
ervations in 1894 was 1478 The num
ber of children attending school some
portions of the year was 973 with an
average daily attendance of 394 The
Indian schools were in session thirty
five weeks during the year at a total
expense of 1230129 There are twenty-nine
school districts on these reser
vations
A State Flower
The public schools of some States
have adopted a State flower The gold
en rod is claimed by Nebraska Oregon
and Alabama Colorado has selected
the wild columbine Delaware the
peach blossom Idaho the white syr
inga sometimes called the brides
flower New York and Iowa the rose
Vermont the clover North Dakota
the wild rose Maine the pine cone and
tassel Minnesota the moccasin flower
Montana the bitter root Utah the lily
Oklahoma the mistletoe and Rhode
Island and Wisconsin in lieu of flowers
have chosen the maple tree
The Class in Phvsioloy
The following remarkable physiologi
cal statement ocurred in the examina
tion papers of a student in a Western
school not long since The human
body is divided into three parts the
headr the chist and the stummick The
head contains the eyes and brains if
any The chist contains the lungs and
a piece of the liver The stummick is
devoted to the bowels of which there
is five a e i o u and sometimes w
arid y
Mnst Not Accept Trasents
The Pottstown Pa School Board has
adopted a resolution forbidding the ac
ceptance of presents by teachers from
their schools The directors took this
action because they believed that
many poor children are embarrassed
at their inability to contribute along
with the other children to the gifts
They also regard the practice as fend
ing to influence the teachers relations
with the pupils
A Tigers Spring
The strength of a tiger in its dying
struggle is said to be almost fabulous
writes Miss Marryatt in a letter from
India and she goes on to describe a
very distressing occurrence which took
place In the Bandypoor jungle by
which Captain H aide-de-camp to
the Governor of Madras lost his life
Captain H while staying at the
bungalow on a journey to or from the
hills heard that a large tiger which had
done great mischief in the neighbor
hood was still lurking in the surround
ing jungle This was grand news for a
sportsman and he lost no time for sal
lying forth in search of the beast Ac
cording to the statements of the natives
who accompanied him the captain soon
found himself face to face with this
monarch of the Indian forests
The tiger was on one side of a small
stream and Captain H on the other
and it was afterward ascertained that
he had actually fired at the brute thir
teen times before it sprang with amaz
ing strength across the stream amaz
ing when it is taken into consideration
that Captain H was in general a
most successful shot
Seizing the unfortunate man before
he had time to elude the attack the
brute crushed him so frightfully that
he was only carried back to the bunga
low to die A doctor was procured as
soon as possible but nothing could save
his life The tiger must have fallen
back almost instantly and died as he
was found on the spot with the thirteen
shots in his carcass
Broke Up the Band
The success of a boy in silencing a
street band is recorded by the Philadel
phla Record
A German band of four pieces started
to play Annie Rooney A crowd of
urchins attracted by the music soon
gathered around Then a mischievous
looking boy appeared on the scene
sucking a lemon He waited until the
band was In the midst of the tune and
then squeezed through the crowd and
standing in the midst of the musicians
began sucking the lemon with all his
might
The effect was instantaneous the
sounds issuing from the brass Instru
ments became feeble and at last they
ceased altogether and the four Ger
mans whose mouths were dripping
moisture and all puckered up made a
break for the little fellow threatening
Mm with a terrible punishment The
boy made his way through the crowd
however and soon showed a clean pair
of heels
Like a Bird
SmithYou told me your friend sang
like a bird I think he has a horribly
hoarse voice How can you say It is
like a birds
Jones Well the bird I meant was a
crow Judy
It is an Indication of a disappoint
ment for a woman to class all men un
der one head
UJtU UU W
HARD TIMES LINGER
There is a feeling almost amounting
to despondency that seems to pervade
the entire country because the expect
ed revival of business that was prom
ised during the campaign has not come
about and the wheels of the factories
are still idle There were many who
actually believed that the changing of
the names of the Presidents leaving
the conditions remaining the same
would bring back confidence that as
soon as it was settled that McKinley
was to fill the executive chair for the
next four years the dormant industries
would awake from their slumber and
activity would take the place of the
torpor that had prevailed That this
was a foolish expectation any one of
sense might have known and none
better than the men who were most ac
tive in proclaiming that the day after
McKinley was elected the factories
would start up It was a good political
dodge and had the desired effect
Those who were influenced to vote for
McKinley because of the promises and
vituperation will have ample time dur
ing the winter to sit down and do some
thinking But one cannot blame the
men who are so impatient to have pros
perity return who are out of work
and out of money to meet the necessi
ties of a long winter And it is only
surprising that they are as patient
under the dreadful burden as they are
showing themselves to be But it will
be wise for the leaders of the Repub
lican party to bear ever in mind that
these promises stand against them and
that they must fulfil them or that party
and all that it signifies will be swept
away like chaff before the breath of
the hurricane when the time shall have
come for the people to again decide
who shall be the chief executive of the
nation and what the policy shall be
The situation at present Is summed up
in a few words It is a money period
of industry and that alone is active
all other Industries are absoutely life
less The money changers are the only
ones who are doing business They
have it to loan on gilt edged security to
anyone who dares to venture into busi
ness but they are careful not to invest
it in business themselves And therein
do they show good judgment for no one
has the hardihood to engage in trade
or manufacturing under the existing
conditions It may be that their good
judgment ceases there and that the
time may come when they will wish
that a more liberal policy had con
trolled their actions for if there is not
a change for the better there will be
one for the worse to sucn a degree that
no man can tell what the consequences
may be There is a limit to starvation
and suffering When that limit is reach
ed by an individual the end is that of
suicide or crime and the end with a
multitude is open rebellion and civil
war We might as well look this square
ly in the face as to try and deceive
ourselves into the belief that these
things will not come about Utleys
Weekly
The Old Tear and the New
The year 1S9G hasbeen a disappoint
ment to pretty nearly all the world and
notably to the people of the United
States The prediction had been made
that we would see the end of our finan
cial uncertainties long before it had
run its course but we are floundering
in fear and doubt still We were told
that if we would elect McKinley Presi
dent prosperity would quickly enter our
doors but the dame is yet tarrying and
many of us have almost given up hope
of again receiving a visit from her
There is reason however for expect
ing that the next year 1S97 will see
the n ation of at least some of the
rr nnrt til in era thnf worn pvnrvtpfl frntti
the dying one To be sure we cannot
tell just what our Republican political
masters will try to do with us but the
probabilities are that they will be care
ful not to arouse any further enmities
against themselves They may even
try to relieve the financial stringency
by adopting some of the ideas of the
Democracy which were denounced dur
ing the last campaign but the reason
ableness of which is becoming clearer
pvery day
It may also come to pass during the
new year that the tyranny of the trusts
will be smashed although there is no
likelihood that the monopolies which
fought so fiercely for McKinleys elec
tion will be disappointed in their ex
pectations of higher tariff duties and
bigger profits for themselves
Of one thing we are reasonably sure
and this Is that we will find a good mar
ket abroad for our breadstuffs and this
means more money for us even if Con
gress fails to act as it should on the
financial Issue There Is a slight war
cloud to be sure in our sky but it is a
small one and is almost certain to be
dissipated Spain does not want to
fight us and we do not care to fight her
We bid 1896 good by without regret
but we can welcome 1897 with a cordial
handshake and the wish that it will do
better for us than its predecessor New
York News
Postal Saving Banks
In Great Britain the postal savings
bank system has proved an unalloyed
success It is a boon to Hhe working
man of frugal habitsand besides cre
ates a foundation upon which that
sure thing dear to English hearts
the annuity is built Savings banks do
not suspend in England leaving depos
itors nothing to show for their years
of thrift and self denial And the sys
tem is as simple as it is satisfactory
Interest is paid at the rate of 2 per
cent When a depositors total ac
count exceeds 200 no more deposits
can be made but buying consols
through the postoffice investing any
sum from one shilling upward at the
current price of the day The post
office will also sell stock obtained
through it charging a commission of
ninepence for the purchase or sale of
stock in amounts below 25 Thou
sands of working people thus become
owners of government stock while
ings banks under private management
do not endeavor to compete with thej
government banks Life insurance can
be obtained in amounts of from o toi
100 The 5 insurance is for children
between the age of S and 14 years The
policies can be made payable at death
on the attainment of the age of 53 60
or 63 and on the expiration of periods
of 10 15 and up to 40 years
Sporadic attempts have been made
from time to time to establish a similar
system in this country but they have
failed through the powerful influenCel
brought to bear by bankers who
row the peoples money at a nominal
rate of interest and loan it again at
usury
The advantage of postal savings
banks is so apparent that it does not
admit of dispute It Insures the de
positor absolutely against loss and atj
the same time gives every citizen thati
saves a direct interest in the
tion of his country and its institutions
The assertion is vencured that with-
in five years after the establishment of
such depositories practically all the
small hoardings of America would be
attracted to them and the federal gov
ernment could secure quite a revenue
by becoming a money lender on a large
scale to nations less favored than our
own
Tariff Not Currency
Hon William Lindsay United States
Senator from Kentucky whose defec
tion in the late canvass was such a dis
appointment to his friends and such a
discouragement of Democratic effort
in a State so closely balanced as was
his is of the opinion now that a re
union of all real Democrats in Con
gress is among the probabilities of the
winter He thinks
There will be such a clamor on the
part of the manufacturing trusts for in
creased and inordinate protection astp
force all the Democrats into one solid
compact body shifting the issue from
sound money to protection amalgamat
ing all disintegrated elements and
bringing together that which has been
torn asunder You will have scandals
growing out of the greed of the protect
ed interests that will fill the newspa
pers before July superseding every
other sensation
What Senator Lindsay expects ap
pears to be quite certain to come to
pass President elect McKinley has
won whatever distinction he enjoys
among the public men of his pare by
his extreme devotion to high tariff
views His name is identified among
all politicians and in all sections with
the idea of the taxation of the people
for the benefit of capitalist manufactur
ers The currency question he had all
but ignored previous to last June vot
ing indeed in Congress for the unlim
ited coinage of silver at the ratio of
sixteen to one but assuming no leader
ship one way or the other in the de
bates on that question
He was and still Is a tariff protec
tionist pure and simple although for
the purposes of the campaign of 1SG0
he suffered himself to be put forward
as the opponent of silver coinage and
the champion of the gold standard He
naturally feels less interest in that is
sue now that the election is over than
In the struggle for high taxation to
which his public life has been devoted
Having disposed of Senator Wolcotts
proposal to reopen European negotia
tions for a silver ratio by giving his
full permission to the attempt the Pres
ident after the fourth of March will
call his extra session and the old hum
drum tariff debate will be trotted out to
befog and delude the nation
The Democrats in Congress should
welcome the opportunity of reuniting
their forces and making battle against
protective theories and against the tax
ation of the many for the benefit of the
few
Adopting the American Method
Our consul general at Vienna reports
that the glucose trust in Austria has
secured a prohibitive duty from that
government whereby the American ar
ticle has been shut out of the Austrian
market It is curious to see how the
trusts and tariffs flock together the
world over Philadelphia Record
The stoppage of silver coinage does
not seem to have brought prosperity to
India any more than to the United
States judging from the numbers dy
ing of starvation in the former country
Despite the promise of prosperity to
follow the election a large number of
people are still carrying nothing but
their hands in their pockets
A French experimenter Camille Da
reste says that the gerrn In the bens
eggs is not destroyed by an electric
current that would kill an adult fowl
but that the germ is so modified in
most cases that a monstrosity will bt
hatched
