The Semi-Weekly Tribune. 11 LA I DAUKi Proprietor. TEKMBl il.3 IN ADVANCE. NORTH PLATTE NEBBA8KA. The passion play will bo enacted at Obcr-Ammcrgau twenty-seven times during tlio coming summer, the first iporformnnco occurring May 24. A now auilltorlum accommodating 4,000 persons has been built. During tlio volcanic eruption In tlio Ilawnllun Islands last summer tho nmoko roso to n height of between flvo nnd nix miles, and then drifted away to the northeast. At a distance of COO miles from Hawaii It settled upon tho nurfaco of tho sea, and was then car ried back by tho northeast wind to Its lilnco of origin, whore It arrived a fort night after ts original departure, and rovcrcd tho entire group of lalandii with Its heavy pall. It Is Btrange now to recall that, as a n girl, the lato mother of tho German empress was exceedingly anxious to marry Napoleon III. Indeed, tho mar riage was nearly arranged, but Queen Victoria and Prince Albert strongly disapproved of the proposed alliance, nnd their opposition carried tho day. Had Princess Adclaldo of Hohonloho becomo empress of tho French tho whole face of Kuropo would almost certainly have been different. Tho recent trials at Indian Head, on tho Potomac, of tho armor mado for tho Itusslan battleship Rctvlznti, build Ing In this country, seemed to show that armor-plato of tho Krupp form mado In America has tho advantage In tho endless contest between guns and armor, Fivo-incii projectiles wun u striking velocity of moro than 2,000 feet per second failed to penetrate moro than two Inches In u five-Inch plate, and tho projectiles worn broken In pieces, whllo tho plato was not cracked. A correspondent of "Flgnro," writ ing from Madrid, gives n very favora ble account of tho present condition of Spain, which bo says "Is muklng rapid progress toward recovery, after a series of cruol dlsantorB.'" Tho tendencies to disorder havo subsided; tho danger of revolution has passed; under tho lnlltt enco of n well-balanced budget, public credit is Improving; tho personal worth nnd practical wisdom of tho queen regent hnvo "mado her tho one fixed point Around which all the wlHhes of Spain and nil tho sympathies of Ku ropo gravltato"; nnd her son Alfonso, who will nBccnil tho throno in two or thrco years, gives flno promlso of In tel! Igcnco, courage, and virtue. It is notlccablo that all tho great generals, cither of tho past or present, havo been known to tho public and their soldiers by some familiar nick name. Lord Roberts' sobriquet of "Hobs" Is tho most popular namo to tonjuro with Just now In South Africa, just its "Lo Potlt Corporal" was tho wntchword for Napoleon's legions. Frederick tho Great wns dubbed by his yoldlers "Our Fritz," and tho' duko of Wellington, who gained tho confidence but novor tho affection of his troops, was known ns "Old Nosoy" an uncom plimentary allusion to hlo most prom inent feature Just as "Stonowull" Jackson and "Marshal VorwartB" ex pressed tho most noticeable character istics of Jackson und Dluchor respec tively. It Is estimated that tho state of Maryland lost 13,000,000 during tho past season through tho ravages of tho pea-louse, which, Prof. W. O. Johnson of tho Maryland Agricultural college says Is an Insect now to sci ence. It holongs to tho well-known croup of tho aphldos, or plant-lice, and on account of soma changa In conditions has becomo suddenly abun dant, appearing for tho first tlmo on tho cultivated pen. It Is of a groeu color, and only an eighth of an Inch long. It sticks tho Juices from tho leaf nnd stem, and tho plant dies. Not only in Maryland have growers of peas suffered, but in Now Jorsoy, Del aware, Now Yorlc, Virginia, North Carolina and Connecticut also. For tunately tho pea-louso has many In sect enemies, which played havoc with It bofore tho close of tho season. I)y tho action of tho senate In rati fying Tho Haguo poaco treaty, tho United States now stands beforo tho world as a nation no loss ready to practice than to preach arbitration. Its promptness In accepting tho Invi tation to Tho Hnguo, tho omlnonca of thoBO who ruprosontod tho country, its commanding position as ono of tho great powers of tho world, and tho government's well-known advocacy of the principle of arbitration, nil tend to Invest tho action of tho sonata with peculiar significance lly It wo hnvo now shown our good faith, and othor nations may follow. Tho aim of tho treaty, stripped of complicating de tails, Is mcroly to make pcaco easier and war moro difficult. It cannot compel peaco, for It leavos each na tion froo to chooso a courso for Itself; but It cooks to render tho resort to nrniB tlio last resort. In a HrussolB strcot travorued by an electric tram-car It has been noticed that tho r.reeu on one sldo of the way begin to loso their follngo early In Au gust, tho leaves turning brown and dropping off. nut In October tho samo trees begin to bud again, und some times even blossom. Mennwhllo trees on tlio opposlto sldo of tho street arc unaffected, losing their follngo lntc In tho autumn and budding only In tho spring. The cause of the unomuly Is supposed to bo leaking electric cur rents, which stimulate tho growth of tho trees affected. FOR WOMEN AND HOME ITEMS OF INTEREST FOR MAIDS AND MATRONS flow to Ctsnn million Stylish Vfalst Theater llonn Villa of Hpsce In liooras When You lions Voor rictures. Few Good IIIjU. film Walks In lWnnty. (Old Favorite Series.) Bhe walk In beauty llko tho night Of cloudlcsa clime uiid Marry skies; And all that's beat of dark and bright Meets In hor aspect and her yen; Thus mellowed to that tender light (Vhlch heaven to gaudy day amies. tne shnde the more, one ray tho lew. Had half Impaired tho namelese grace Which waves In every raven trnr, Or softly lightens o'er her facts Where thought. serenely sweet express How pure, how dear, their dwelling place. And on that check, nnd o'er thru brow, So soft, no calm, yet eloquent. The smiles that win, the tlntu that clow, Hut tell of days In goodness spout, A mind at peuce with nil below, A heart whose lovo Is Innootr.t. Lord iiyron. Now to Clean millions. Now that ribbons arc so extensively worn It Is quite worth whllo to know how to clean them successfully and easily. The two methods hero glvnn havo been put to tho prnctlcal test many times over, so there need be no hesitancy nbout trying either one through fear of falluro or of unsatis factory results. The first method Is exceedingly simple, nnd nnRwers the puruoso for il except whlto lbbona or those that are very badly mussed, Fill in glass fruit Jar about half full of gasoline moro or less, according to tho amount of ribbon to bo cleaned. Place tbe soiled ribbons In It all col ors, lengths and kinds may go In nt once nnJ screw tho cover on tightly. Shake the bottlo occasionally and lcavo It cloBod far from two to six hours or over night. Then tako out tho rib bons, shuko (ich one well and hang It to dry In thtj open air. Tho ribbons will bo clean nnd tho dirt will he found on tho bottom of tho Jar. Of course, tho rlbbomt need a thorough airing and aun bath to remove tho odor of the gasoline, but that Is nil. No pressing Is required, as tho gasollno does not affect them ns water would. The clear gasollno should bt poured off with out disturbing that at tho bottom; then tho dirt which has settled at tho bottom should ho emptied out and tho clear gasollno put back, ready for uo another tlmo. Keep It tightly covered, and, of courso, never use It near a fire. because of tho danger of Us Igniting Tho gasollno will turn white ribbons yollow, so this method Is not advisable for thorn. It nlso leaves the rlubons In tho snmo condition as It found thorn as records their being mussed or crum pled, bo thoso Hint nr badly creased should bo given tho treatment that Is accorded tho whlto rlbons. Prepare a euds of soft water and any pure iwjap, wash tho ribbon In this, Just as you would wash n flno handkerchief, rlurc and lot It partially dry. Tako It down whllo still damp In nil parts and roll It smoothly over a wldo card or pleco of pasteboard, rolling a pleco of clean wblto muslin with it. Wrap tho mus lln round last, so that tho ribbon shall bo covered, nnd placo tho wholo under a heavy weight. A lottor prcBS Is an excellent placo In which to press It. Loavo It until It shall havo had tlnn to dry. Tho miiBlIn will absorb tho moisture. Tho ribbon will como out looking fresh nnd cloan, and will havo lost nono of Its "life." as Is tho case with ribbons which nro pressed with an iron. If a good soap is used tho colors will not run, and this process takes oui tho creases as well as re moves tho dirt. When Yoa Hang- Your 1'lctures. By hanging pictures low you In crease tho apparent height of tho room. Colored pictures should not bo, hung In Iinllwnys or on staircases unless thoro Is plenty at light for them. In such places strong photographs, engravings, and drawings In black and whlto go best. A plcturo should not bo hung from ono nnil; tho diamond linos form ed by tho cord hnvo a very discordant effect. Two nails, and two vertical cords, or, what la far moro Bafo, pieces of wire cordage, should bo used Instead of tho slngio cord. Plcturo cords should bo no near tho color of the wall upon which they are put ns possible, bo that thoy may bo but little Been. When ono plcturo la hung beneath another tho bottom ono should bo hung from tho one nbove, nnd not from tho top; thus wo avoid multiplying tho cords, which Is always objectionable. A good hue for walls where prints or photographs aro to bo hung, Ib a rich yellow brown or a lenther color. Lustre to the black of tho print of tho tone of tho photo graphs Is thus Imparted. Tho wall pa per should havo no Btrongly dotlncd pattern. Tho center of the plcturo, as a rule, should not bo much ubovo the lovel of tho eye. Vatus of Spaeu In Rooms. The season Is rapidly approaching when It may ho necessary to move nnd for thoso Intending to change their places of rcsldcnco this llttlo notice is prepared. In selecting new apartments It should bo tho aim of the housewife to economize on spaco. Where closets nro scarce, a shelf fastened at a con venient holght for gowns and hung with portlers or curtains of daintily figured cretonne, mnko a serviceable substitute. Fancy brass hooks ore fastened to tho outer sldo and tho shelf cau bo enameled to harmoulzo with tho furnishings of tho room. On top aro books and photographs, which mlslcud tho casual observer. Any carpenter will pui up the shelves for a mere song, as it were, A box couch In tho dining room may do duty as a linen closet and STYLISH It is of embroidered crcpo in tho palest salmon tint, tho dots being dono In black silk. The decoration is com- posed of bias folds and rosettes of black mlrrolr velvet and revcrs In tho library It may servo 03 a recep tacle for old newspapers and books that nro not In frequent use. In the bedroom tho box couch can still bo Impressed Into service ns a repository for shoes or best bodices nnd evening gowns. ArrnnsInK Ilrlcn-rtrac. Thero can bo no better decoration In a room than bric-a-brac, yet noth ing bo detracts from art as too. much ornamentation, a incw om society woman who has recently Binrtad n bureau whore women Just beginning housekeeping go and get Ideas as to how thoy can best furnish tholr homes, Bald to your correspondent a few days ago: "Tho best plan In tho world when purchasing bric-a-brac Js to buy noth ing that has no vlslblo sphere of use fulness, or If this seems too broad a rule, to purchase only ono of a kind of tho useless articles. No woman who cares for tho appearance of her room will havo two of every kind of article, This gives a sameness to Its decorative effect that Is Indescribably inartistic. Tho day of 'matched' pieces Is no more. Elegance consists In having things that aro worth having, and Just enough of them. If ono tnkos to buy ing cheap china It will bo found that It accumulates with startling rapidity, and lu tho end la only a nuisance." Theatre Gown, Dull reddish yurplo smooth-faced cloth, laid in shallow vertical pleats, stitched down along tho edges to the knees. Belt, yoko and stock of dull pastel pink panno velvet, tho latter two being spangled with gold. Bolt hucklo of brass. Toquo of whits em broidered net, with ornamental spray of dull pink roses and shaded leaves. OUR COOKINQ SCHOOL. Appls (linger. Take two pounds hard npplcs, two puintT loaf sugar, ono and one-half pints erf water, ono ounco of tincture oil ftluget. Boll tho sugar and water tt a syrup, adding the ginger when It bolls. Dip tho pared and cored apples Into cold water, and boll them in the syrup until transparent. Put the WAIST. fit richly embroidered chiffon, Worn with thld fascinating bodice was a dainty turban in all white chiffon, with fluffy strings tied at the throat la a smart bow. plrces of apples Into a Jar, pour over them the syrup and cover. ' Fig Dumplings. Mix half a pound of flour with a quarter of a pound of flno chopped suet. Add half a pound of figs chop ped into small pieces, one tnblespoon ful of baking powder, and half a tea spoonful of sugar, and hnlf a teaspoon- tul of allspice. Mix all theso together thoroughly with a little water, divide into five or six dumplings, put Into fast boiling water and cook for an hour and a half. Hteatned Itmon I'addlnsr. One teacup of self-raising flour, one teacupful breadcrumbs, one teacupful sugar, ono teacupful of beef suet, three-quarters cup of sweet milk, tho grated rind of a lemon. Mix and put In a buttered bowl, and tie a greased paper on tho top. Put la a pan of boiling water, and let It boiWor two hours. If a larger pudding be requlr cd, doublo tho quantities, and tho long er It is steamed tho better it Is. Celery Fritters. All the green stalks and tcndr leaves from tho bunch of celery used for salad may bo utilized In celery frit tcrs. Clean nnd chop fine, and to ono cupful of this chopped celery add ono scant pint of flour, one beaten egg.one hnlf teaspoonful of salt, ono-quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper, ono teaspoon ful of bnklng powder and sufficient milk to make a thick batter. This la dropped by spoonfuls into hot fat, and the fritters aro drained on unglazed paper beforo being served. Sayings and Hayings. Tho boy having freely admitted that he cut down the cherry tree, Is amazed to observe his father coming at htm with tho trunk strap. "What!" exclaims tho boy. "Do yoa not proposo to exemplify the saying that honesty Is tho best policy?" "No; rather tho saying thnt children nnd foolB Bpenk the truth!" retorted the old mnn, with a readiness of wit scarcely to bo expected in ono of his mature years. Now York World. Ilope for Htm. Negroes aro unconsciously humor ous. Tho other day two roustabouts were overheard talking. They mot on the levee, alter ono had been absent from tho city for several weeks. "Hello, Bill. How Is yer?" asked the first. "Well," was the reply, "do doctors Is give mo up, but do police ain't!" Memphis Scimitar. He Craved a Favor. "Say," called tho victim from be neath tho bed coverings. "Well?" asked ono of the burglars, gruffly. "Would you fellows mind carrylni off that ornamental watch dog of irlni In tho front yard along with the rest of your swag?" Philadelphia Nortt American. At the Concert. "Johnson is a great artist. How ln ovltablo la his touch." "Just what I've been thinking my self. Ho 'touched' me for $10, nnd , found It extremely Inevitable." Allan ta Constitution. Tim (Supreme Tut. "I'd -ay down my life for yon," pro tested th poetical maiden, "but woulV you lay down tho carpets." Philadel phia Record. CPTTT'MTTTPTr1 TfiPTPQ an(1 spotted clothes reduced to a raln-DVyXJli-XX' XJ X JX XVJ.O Jmnm by lhe nlng devlc invented by CURRENT NOTES OFDISCOVERY AND INVENTION. Automatic Fountain Ten Filter Novel Mense Trap Tlio Fate of tlio Great Salt Lake Electrical Research Rail roads as riant Distributor. The Tate of the Great "alt Lnke. It is prophesied that beforo tho end of another century the Great Salt Lake will be entirely dried up. Tho cause for this is said to bo the exces sive drain mado upon It by the Irriga tion and enterprises of tho Mormons. Contrary to the theory which was ac cepted for a time, this great lako Is not fed by underground springs, but by the Jordan, Weber, Ogden nnd Bear rivers, and when tho water of these streams Is Interrupted for irri gation purposes, It necessarily do creases tho water supply of Salt Lake, leaving It more to tho mercy of the sun and tho attendant evaporation which Is constantly going on, and which is slowly but surely drawing the water away until In tlmo only a bed of dry salt will remain. Tho cause of the saltness of the water of this mysterious body of water has boon a matter of conjecture to scientists for years. The moat plausible theory is that the saltness is due to high alti tude, which causes excessive cvapora' Hon, while there Is practically no out let to tho lake. A scientist after a number of experiments has expressed tho conviction that If nil the salt sup ply in the entire world were cut off except that found In tho bed of the Great Salt Lake, there would still be enough to last tho world for ages, so deep Is this deposit. Regarding the decadence of tho lake, a writer recent ly said: When the Great Salt Lako Is mne It will bo missed ns a wonder and at a salt factory, for llttlo else. Its waters destroy vegetation Instead of nourishing It. Should tho fresh wat ers of Utah Lake, however, be evapor ated o disappear Into the earth thou sands of square miles would ceaso to be habitable. Somo years ago tho Utah Lako region was made a govern uient 'reservation, an act which has kept Irrigation companies from draw- Ine water either directly from It or from its feeders. Irrigation Age. RAIlroads as Plant Distributor. It has been noticed that many plants, not natives of the locality, aro to bo found growing In tho neighborhood of great railroad yards. Sometimes the seeds of theso plants have been brought thousands of miles from tholr natural habitat. Often they flourish amid their new surroundings, and gradually spread over tho surrounding country. Thus tho railroads carry un suspected emigrants, which travol to nnd from every point of the compass. In the Mississippi valley aro to bo found plants which, within a few years pact, have been thus brought together, somo from tho Atlnntlc seaboard, some from tho Gulf region, and somo from tho other Eldo of tho Rocky Moun tains. Novel Mousetrap. A novel adaptation of an old princi ple is seen in the mousotrap hero shown. Tho familiar bird and rabbit traps of youthful days aro suggested In Its arrangement, but tho idea of using an ordinary bowl for the cago is brand now and constitutes its most tinlquo feature. It Is natural to sup poso that a bowl would form a most effective trap, as its familiar shape and character would not arouse its rlctlm's suspicions, but would rather lead him to bollevo that everything was all right and that tho bait so temptingly displayed had been provi dentially overlooked by tho custodian of the larder. This bright idea has been developed by an Inventor of Ma ploton, N. D. Tho device consists, as shown, of a baso bonrd, carrying two supports and two lovors, which Inter lock. Tho end of one engages with tho end of the bowl and Is maintained in its position by tho other lever, which is supported by tho bait. When the latter Is removed, or over Jarred, tho levers aro released and the bowl falls, capturing the nlbbler. Doctors for Ailing Plants. A writer In the Contemporary Re view urges tho need of a now class of iducated physicians whoso business shall bo tho caro and euro of disease- threatened nnd disenso-strlckcn plants "The tlmo will como," he says, "when evory agricultural district will havo Its plant doctor." Ho even foresee tho development of specialties by plant doctors Just as by othor physicians, so that In many difficult and obscuro cases of disease affecting vnluablo plants, tho aorvlces of such specialists will be employed. Tho foundation of schools of practical plant pathology is nrncd as a matter of national Import ance. Automatic Fountain Ten Filler. Tho usually dlsagreeablo task of rilling a fountain pen is made easy and tho probability of Ink-stalnoa fingers I I 1 1 an Inventor of Hackensack, N. J. This Ingenious arrangement consists of a bottle to hold the wrlt'lng fluid and a stopper in which thero nro two per forations. Through one of theso a slender tube, bent In tho form shown, passes and extends to tho bottom of tho Ink reservoir. At Its extremity a piston Is carried which, acting In con Junction with tho barrel of' tho pen reservoir, forms a mlnlaturo suction pump. Its uso is very simple. Tho top is unscrewed from the pen as usual and tho piston placed In tho barrel and pushed down to tho bottom, thus expelling all tho air, which escapes through tho hollow tube carrying tho piston, bubbling up through the Ink nnd passing out through tho opening In tho stopper. Now, when the piston Is drawn out of tho barrel by tho move ment of tho latter a vacuum is pro duced back of it, and this naturally draws or suclta tho Ink out of tho bot tle. Tho slzo of tho filling lube and Its shape are designed so that tho opera tion of filling Is practlcallyautomatlc, Just enough Ink being drawn out to fill tho barrel without overflowing It, tho surplus falling back Into tho bottlo, leaving the dovlco ready for tho next operation. Klectrlcnl Research. Professor McAdle says that before long sclenco will succeed in measuring the energy of a lightning Hash, and also in demonstrating tho nnturo of tho aurora. That tho aurora 1b an elec trical phenomenon has long been rec ognized. An Intimate relation seems to exist between the aurora and tho sun spots. In 1882 tho astronomer at Greenwich sent out notification of the appearance of an enormous sun spot on November 17 of that year. For threo houra on tho morning of that day not a wire of tho Western Union Telegraph company could bo used, and not oven tho market quotations could bo distri buted. At night there wns a brilliant auroral display, and all telegraph ser vice was again interrupted. Cables to Europe and wires to Chicago wero alike unworkable; but somo messages were sent as far as 700 miles by cut ting off tho batteries nnd utilizing tho ntmosphcrlc electricity. Over half of North America, across tho Atlantic and k over northern Europe, It seemed nB If legions of ethereal demons wero bvsy Inciting electric and magnetic appar atus to strange and mischievous antics. The artificial production of an electric fire-ball by Professor RIchman 13 unlquo, though electricity In this form 1b not unfamiliar. Sometimes such balls are seen to run along the surface of tho sea, and when thoy appear on land they usuully burst with a loud noise, often with disastrous effects. Nobody has yet been ablo to explain these balls, which appear to be a very concentrated form of electricity. When the experts Bay, as most of them do, that electricity Is merely, a form of motion, the explanation Is moro or less unsatisfactory, but how is one to ac count for the presentation of a form of a motion in the shape of a luminous sphero? Boston Transcript. Coru-Statks Turned to Account. The American Agriculturist shows how cornstalks, formerly almost a waste product, havo lately been turn ed to account, until now tho farmor can get from 3 to ?G a ton for them. They play a part In the building of warships, being used to form celluloso for packing cofferdams; thoy aro util ized In tho manufacture of smokeless powder; paper pulp can be mado from them;, they furnish pyroxylcne var nish, aro useful as a packing material, and together with the lenves and tas sels enter Into tho composition of vari ous prepared fodders and foodstuffs. Ilecent Inventions. To protect the window frjmes of a building when another bu fling is on flro a portable flro-proof Vtirtaln has boon patented, having a bracket for attachment to the Intorior of tho win dow, which supports an Iron polo on which the curtain Is hung outside tho window. Newspapers can be neatly kept In n newly designed file, which Is formed of iwo parnllel strips of wood hinged to gether at the back to form a pair of Jaws, several U-shaped springs being inserted in the strips to grip the front edges together and bind tho backs of tho papers. For uso in delivering water lo a window-cleaning brush a newly de signed handle is hollow and has a pis ton set Inside, with a slot In the sldo of the handle by which a pin Is con nected to the piston to operate It, draw ing water from n pall and delivering It to the hrush. Railroad cars can bo easily shifted by tho use of a now implement, com prising a lever, which haB a pair of plates attached to ono end, with curv. cd ends to lit the flange of tho wheel, a chain being hooked over the axle tc Increase tho traction on the wheel and al'ow It to bo revolved. If the moon looks palo and dim, ex pect rain; If red, wind, and If her na. tural color, with a clear sky, Ulr weather. :