10 'Che Conservative.
nre couvincccl that many of the work
ing classes are led to dangerous drinking -
ing habits in this way. These men , it
may be , would have gone to ; i temper-
since paloon , bad it been convenient , in
preference. Acting on tbis tbeory , a
wealthy London tea mercbant about teu
years ago established tbrongbout tbc
\Vhitechapcl district what bo called
Teo-to-tums. These cafes
- - were regular ,
full of chairs and tables , offering a va
riety of daily , weekly and monthly
publications and all kinds of games tc
visitors , who paid a small weekly fee
for the privilege of using them. Every
thing except intoxicating beverages was
sold at n very low figure. The rapid
Fiiecess of these humble clubs in Lou-
don led to their introduction through
out all the English cities. They have
become ati important social fact. An
attempt was made to establish this sen
sible temperance ageucy iu Now York ,
but for some reason , perhaps because
public opinion was not marshaled behind -
hind it , it did not realize its English
popularity. Perhaps it was uot quite
suited in detail to the American en
vironment , but in the very logic of
things institutions of this sort can bo
made far more potent factors iu temper
ance reform than aggressive crusading.
A Frank Frenchman.
A prominent Frouch author , M. Do-
inolins , tbo editor of La Science Societo ,
has recently published a striking book
tinder the title "To What Is Due thti
Superiority of the Anglo-Saxon races ? "
That n French writer should admit such
a superiority is n marvel. That ho
should be able to analyze it with great
subtlety and precision is loss wonderful
once the conviction had seized his mind.
The French intellect is eminently lucid
and direct when its X ray is not abso
lutely befogged with prejudice. M. De-
molius proceeds at once to plant his rea
soiling on the thesis that the English
speaking races always take their initia
tive iu political , social and industrial
life from the standpoint of the individ
ual. Ho says in defense of his title :
It ia useless to deny the superiority of the
Anglo-Saxons. Wo inny bo vexed by this su
periority , but the fact mnnins despite our
vexation. We cannot go niiywhere about tin
world without meeting Englishmen. Over nil
our possessions of former times the English or
the United States flag now floats. The Anglo
Saxon has supplanted us in North America ,
which wo occupied from Canada to Louisiana ;
in Mauritius , once called the Isle of Franco ; In
Egypt. Ho dominates America by Canada and
the United States : Africa by Egypt and the
Capo ; Asia by India and Burma ; Oceanica by
Australia and Now Zealand ; Europe and the
entire world by his commerce , by his industry
and by his politics. The Anglo-Saxon world is
today at the head of that civilization which i *
most active , most progressive , most devouring.
Let this race establish itself anywhere on the
globe , and at once there is introduced with
prodigious rapidity the latest progress of our
western societies , and often these young socie
ties surpass us. Observe what wo Frenchmen
have done with Now Caledonia and our other
possessions in Oceanica and what the Anglo
Saxons have done in Australia and New Zea
land.
land.He
He finds the superiority of the Anglo-
Saxon to consist primarily iu the mode
of his educuuui , which is directed in
an eminent degree to make him a prac
tical , self dependent person , full of re
sources to conquer a home and liviug ,
however ho may be circumstanced. But
in making this just admission ho docs
not quite account for the growth of
that system of education. It could not
have como at random. That was an out
growth too. Our author does not suffi
ciently emphasize the fundamental ra
cial spirit , lying behind all else. Even
in feudal times the same independent
masterful spirit displayed itself from
baron down to peasaut. It is this bored-
ituiy spirit which has evolved all the
forms and agencies of superiority , which
M. Demolius so euvyiugly praises and
which ho describes at length. Just why
tbis peculiar union of intellect aud teni-
porameut should have been crystallized
in England and not in some other part
of growing Europe , fermenting with
forces similar to those agitating life
across the English channel , is the tap
root which the author fails to touch.
Of course the question is academic , but
it underlies the other.
There are many sigus that financial
distress iu Japan is sharpening to a
crisis , iu spite of the largo war indem
nify which China has paid. Everything
has beeu stimulated iu au extreme de
gree in the enterprising empire , which
is now threatened by one of those col
lapses which always follow great infla
tions of business. Japan has beeu ex
pending euormous sums on her army
and navy since her recent war iu the
ambition to become a great power in
the western sense. She has built many
railways , promoted and carried out vast
public improvements , endowed college
aud school systems aud been lavish
without stint in spending money for ox-
celleut euds. The mercantile communi
ty in Japan arc in great distress , and
the government is unable to do aught to
help them. The country is paying the
price of au overweeniug ambitiou in
stead of waiting for slow and sure de
velopment. It was the same cause that
is to say , vast expenditures in public im
provements and a too great hurry for
civilization which plunged Ismail
Pasha aud Egypt iuto bankruptcy.
There is uo danger of tbis for the euer-
getio island kingdom. But certainly
omens point to acute and prolonged
fiuaucial trouble.
Merchants Versus Express Companies.
The suit proposed to bo brought
through the Merchants' association of
Now York against the express com
panies will detormiue an important
question which has arisen under the
Mar tax law. The country from one
end to the other will fiud its interests
a'Jected. According to the wording of
tlio law , the express compauy ou receiv
ing a parcel must affix aud cancel the
stamp , but at whose oxpeuso no definite
statement determines. The carrier com
panies assume that the stamp cost shall
bo paid by the merchants and refuse to
accept business otherwise. Law is sup
posed to bo the embodiment of commou
sense , and the evideut intent is the rule
by which such matters must bo cou-
strued. The philosophy of taxation
scorns to bo that a business pays for the
privilege of making money iu its special
fushion and under the machinery of
work which it has devised for that pur
pose. A receipt for a parcel is merely
the acknowledgment of the express
company that the property has been in
trusted to its hands aud the acceptance
of responsibility therefor. That is a
part of the essential machinery of the
express business. It does not belong ,
one would naturally conclude , to the
friseutial work and methods of the mer
chant. If this analysis is sound , the
cost of the stamp should rest on the
carrier coinpauy. The decision when
given will involve many hundreds of
thousands of dollars in the outcome.
Most merchants do business uow on a
very small profit , and the receipt tax
would bo seriously felt by those of them
who are obliged to use the express com
panies ou a largo scale iu sending small
parcels.
There is au unconfirmed statement
that a Stuttgart publishing firm has
bought the right of Bismarck's memoirs ,
written since his resignation as chan
cellor was demanded by the Emperor
William II. We can fancy that the rcv-
elatious in such a book , written when
the Iron Chancellor's temper had beeu
set on edge , might easily alarm one so
sensitive to criticism as the emperor.
It is iutimated ho will suppress the
book , as ho did his father's memoirs ,
then indeed by Bismarck's advice.
The Potato Field.
During the grain harvest the potato
field is apt to bo neglected. This was
bad enough iu the days when weeds
were the only enemies to bo feared.
Since the potato beetle has become com
mon , there should never a day pass
\ \ hen Bomo one does uot go through the
field and destroy all the larva ) iu sight.
It is easy to see by examining the
leaves whether eggs are numerous. If
they are uot , hand picking of beetles
will suffice. A dose of poison applied ,
diluted with water at the rate of a teaspoonful -
spoonful of the poisou to a pail of wa
ter , will kill the larvae so soon as they
get to work aud prevent most of the
damage. It is very difficult to have this
done so promptly that part at least of
the hills will uot bo stripped before the
poifiou is applied. But in harvest time
there are several hours of daylight early
in the morning , wheu dew will prevent
doing much iu the harvest field. If this
makes too many hours' work per day ,
take a longer nooning. If the grain
harvest aud the care of potatoes conflict ,
most farmers will bo wise in giving the
preference in care to the crop that is
most profitable , and , concludes Tl.o
American Cultivator , it takes several
acres of graiu to equal in value a largo
pom co cruj ; i i & w.rc.