1
I
X
i
mr -
Moonshiners ir
Dcsplto tlio unending nctlvlty ot the
police, "potcon," Illicit whisky, Is
browed In large quantities In Ireland.
Numerous arrests nnd convictions have
had no permanent effect Jn stamping
out the ".poteen runners" nnd In all
likelihood the people will .always ho
within reach of a "sup of th' crathur."
A ".running;" sad to rolato, la most
cases usually follows one or more ot
tho poorer iamlllcs being plunged .Into
doht. A cow, ,pig or other animal may
havo idled, perhaps the potato crop is
not up ito (expectation, or tho oats havo
given a small return, and there aro a
iow pounds necessary to .sottlo with tho
landlord. An It takes a -very small
capital to Btart a "still," soon tho nows
1b flying .across tho hlllB and bogs that
Vthord'B goln' to bo a chanco to kill a
dhrpp .of tho xalo thing."
.From :the oozy depths of turt banks
tho Bovernl parts of tho stilt nro un
covered, whero they nro hidden .from
'tho aiiick.eyes of tho "bluo coated gon
tlemen." On a dark night tho still is
. ot up In some desolate anu forsaken
I corner, and always In a place whero
tho -entire countrysldo can bo searched
with tho naked eye.
atrqparlng .for 'Foteon.
3n itho western parts of Connaught
and tho Islands lying a few miles off
tho coast .In tho Atlantic ocean the
"poteen workln' " ,1b carried on to a
great extent. Hero tho pcoplo havo
changed llttlo during tho last ono hun
dred years.and fow of tho commoncon
vcnlences of modem civilization nro
known. An instanco of this backward
ness Ik Illustrated herewith, whore a
womanslts grinding oats for poteen in
a quern, tho same crude mill that was
used In tho Holy Land In biblical
times, and Is still used In that country.
The quern .Is simply two stones fitted
together. A hole In tho top stono re
ceives tho grain, which Is prepared for
grinding by being dried ovor tho turf
flro in an iron pot. J3y turning tho
top stone tho grain is passed through
tho stones, and Anally falls from tho
rough side Into .a white cloth spread
on tho ground for its reception. Nearly
all tho meal consumed by tho natives
of tho districts mentioned ia .ground in
auerns, tho crushing of oats for poteen
being only ono of its many duties.
A "ralo Jrlsh still" Is shown at work
In tho second picture. Tho liquor is
Just beginning to trioklo through tho
worm into tho cup, and until thoro Is
y a "tidy sup-of spirits" Jn tho small
' keg tho children will superintend mat
tors. Long experience, In splto of
their fender years, has mado theso
"gossoons" oxpert brewers, and moro
than .onco tho "sargent an' his min"
haro boon fooled hy theBe tricky
youngsters.
Simple lu Construction.
The .simplicity of tho still will bo
seen at a .glance. Tho turf llro sends
tho steam through tho connecting pipe
Into tho coppor worm in tho barrel.
Tho harrcl Is filled with cold water,
which condenses to steam and sends
It forth "th ginuino stuff."
Little attention is paid to tho ago of
poteen in Ireland. The worm worka
very slowly when compared with tho
demand for tho output, thereforo ago
becomes a secondary matter. In fact,
it drops out of the reckoning alto
gether. Thero Is only ono case on rec
ord of poteon "rlponln'," and that was
when it was burled In a garden and
Its placo of concealment forgotten.
However, that is another story.
fWhen a "wee dhrop" has been suc
cessfully run public interest in It
reaches an acuto stago. If tho still Is
located on an island In a lake, as Is
' often tho case, at a given time tho
"cots;' long, fiat-bottomed boats, will
bo seen shooting out from tho shores
of tho mainland and making for tholr
destination by circuitous routes. Tho
cots aro beached at different plnces,
and left In positions admitting of ready
escape. Soon tho, frlngo of natives
uround tho still grows into a well de
nned circle.
Tho "runner" of thest!!l stands over
the keg of liquor with a tin cup In one
hand and with tho other keeping a
firm grasp on tho wooden "tap" that
draws off tho poteen. In bottles of all
shapes and makes tho liquor Is car
"' i . i . i - mmm
CHILDREN TENDING
rled away and tho demand for mugs
and cups far exceeds tho supply. Shill
ings and sixpences aro taken out of
tho corners of colored handkerchiefs
whero thoy have long lain toward a
Bottlomont with landlord on rent dny.
Money Bpent Freoly.
Not a penny pleco avallablo In tho
townsland but will go to swell tho
"runner'B" pllo, unless tho "missis" at
home Interferes, which Bho seldom
doea. Indeed, thero would be more
chanco for troublo wero her husband
-Baaa aaaaaa sara asa
.
ta return to tho hoiuo without a "woo
dhrop" hnndy. If ono man runs short
of money nnothor has a Blxponco or
two to spare, so that beforo tho gath
ering has been long on tho Island thoro
nro signs of over-lndulgonco.
By and by this ono and that dlsposo
themselves on tho grnsa to get a
much-needed nap. Thoro la a big do
creaso lu tho call for mugs nnd cups,
and a decided Increase In tno amount
of nolso. This evon growB somctlmo,
despite many recruits to tho ranks of
tho sleepers. Then, lu most cases, tho
cry "po-llco, po-llco," will como echo
ing over tho water. In an Instant all
Is excitement Tho wooden tap ts
pulled out of tho keg and a bung In
serted. They tako to boats moored
In tho adjoining water nnd aro soon
pulling away with the pollco In pur
suit Gradually tho unfailing regularity of
tho "cot-men" begins to hold their
pursuers evon, nnd, when tho excite
ment of tho cliaso has to an extent
counteracted tho effect of tho poteen,
their increased strength of nrm sonds
them ahead. When tho gap is soon to
bo widening loud chcors como from tho
pursued. Such ns aro not rowing
wave their arms nnd hats wildly and
shout dcrlslvoly nt tho policemen. Tho
GRINDING CORN
latter now know that thoy aro dn a
wild gooso chase, but at leaBt thoy
must bend to tho work for a llttlo
whllo longer so ns to llvo up to tho
duties imposed on thorn. Ono by ono,
however, they rest tholr oars, and
soon thoy nro talking it over and
laughing tho whllo thoy blamo tho luck
which gavo them such exertion with
out results.
Qftimos tho pursuit takes placo on
land, and hero tho pollco generally
suocood in making a haul. Tho po
teen drlnkero nro not half so lively In
escaping .ashore as afloat, and, besides,
tho "bobbles" aro all actlvo men. Over
bogs and hills such as aro ablo scatter
nnd run for dear life. A coat Is thrown
away herd, a waistcoat thero, suspend
ers aro unbuttoned, tho hard leather
bolts tightened a hole, and if tho pace
Is a "klllor" tho old doth hat, hold In
hand, will follow tho rest of tho ward
robe.
I'ollce In a Trap.
At tho start tho pollco also scattor
In order to capturo tho most prisoners,
In this way tho pursuorB frequently
find themsolves great distances apart
at tho end of a long chase. Tho great
object Is to arrest tho owner of tho
still. "JWhon this is accomplished tho
victim seldom escapes a heavy flno or
elso imprisonment Many amusing in
stances aro recorded of pollco being
led Into traps by tho pursued. On ono
occasion a policeman found himself in
a log-holo nlno feet deep, and from
which escape was woll-nlgh Impos
sible. His comrades had gono In an
opposite direction, .and no ono heard
his cries savo a couplo of his intended
victims. They hauled him out of tho
mlro, and when he stood on the bank,
AN IRISH STILL.
a perfect plcturo of dojoctlon, ono of
his rcscuors suggested "th' hist rimcdy
in tho world for n duckln."
It waj novor known how much po
teon tho threo consumed beforo thoy
parted, but Mlckoy's Pat was always
willing to swenr that they ''cr that
bad thoy couldn't till their own forth
ers."
Tho bog holo covored tho sins of the
policeman, and It was rumored after
ward that when tho sergeant heard of
the occurrence ho declared: "Och,
aaa ass aaa aaaa
if
IrelaLrri. fc
holy smoke! Wasn't I th' fool I didn't
think of such a. thrick mesclf."
llltihon Storking.
Ribbon stockings nro ono of tho lat
est fads of Dame Fashion nnd clover
girls who llko to keep in tho forefront
of tho drers precession, but who also
have to count tho pennies carefully,
aro making their own. Tho founda
tlon for tho ribbon trimmed stocking
Is a plain black stocking, bilk or llslo,
Bands ot ribbon In If nn Inch wldo
nnd threo Inches long, each ond fin
ished with a llttlo loop, nro fastened
upon the stockings In such a way that
thoy form a gradually widened figure
ai uio nnicie tno riuuon nanus, nro
sldo by Bldo and almcBt touch, but at
tho calf, whero they terminate with
a small buckle, they nro two or threo
Inches apart. This gives a protty
shape to the nnklo nnd makes a fiat
leg appear Tound. Tho most refined
of theso ribbon-trimmed Btocklngs aro
of flno black llslo, trimmed with black
satin ribbon. Tho bands nro fastened
to tho stockings with vory small safety
pins or "with tiny Jeweled pins. An
othor stocking novelty 1b tho black
ono trimmed with a very largo ribbon
bow, -which Is fastened upon th In-
IN A QUERN.
stop. A low- cut slipper, absolutoly
Plain, is y-orn with this stocking. Tho
foot looks extremely dainty dressod
in tnis small black slipper and tho
ribbon bow upon tho Instep makes tho
latter appear high. Philadelphia In
qulrcr.
Faith and Work.
Two colored brethren wero walking
along tho road discussing faith and
works. Mr. Johnslng was strong on
iniin ana Air. Tnomson plnnod nls"
raitn to works. "I Jes' believe," Bays
Johnslng, "on lying down on the
promises and Jes trusting In do Lord,
until Ho dono brung It to pass." "i
bollevo in do promises, Just same as
you do, but laws, I addltionallyb'liove
dat a man should Jes' do'all ho can tor
oring aom promises around hbsef.
Supposo my boy Jim says, 'I want a
drink.' I say, 'What for you bothorln'
mo about It? Go to do spring and got'
Say, wnat'a dat dust In tho road?
Dat am Mlstnh Carter's bull!" Mr.
Johnslng went over ono fenco and Mr.
Thomson over tho other fenco, leaving
me animai a clear road. Aftor walk
ing somo distance in tho Holds thoy
camo togothor, and Mr. Thomson cried
out In derision: "Eh, oh my! Did
I soo Brother Johnslng lying down on
dom promises? a restin' on dom
promises, when do bull camo down de
road? Eh, oh, oh no!" "Hoi on dnr,
hoi' on dnr, doan you go circumventln'
mo nnd a-Jeerln' mo. I Jes want to toll
you mighty plain dat when do Lord
mado dem promises, dar warn't no
slch animals aroun'. No. sail! Dal
animal was n contingency, sab."
Used anil Cnuaeil Hulls.
Tho elovated structuro of tho Man
hattan road has long boon sustalninc
a weight of four tons to every sixty
feet of track moro than is necessary.
Tho laying of now rails was begun
many months ago, but most of tho
laying hns nover advanced further
than a mero stringing out. Tho now
ral'.B weigh 100 pounds to thb ynrd
and each is 20 yards in length. What
puzzles tho observant passenger from
day to day is tho corrosion of tho un
used ralla with scaly rust, whereas the
old rails on which trains nro con
stantly traveling remain bright. This
brightness 1b not confined to tho head
of tho rnll alono, which friction might
bo expected to keep polished, but ex
tends' ovor wob, bnso and flsh-plnto.
Tho philosophy ot tho thing Is slmnlo.
but passengers havo not looked It up.
incw rorK l'rcss.
No "Kocky Fords" In Iloeliy Fords.
A Kansas, man who nttended the
watormelon festival nt Rocky Ford
recontly says ho novor saw nnything
llko It beforo In his llfo. Thoro were
moro than 10,000 pcoplo on the
grounds. Between 25,000 and 30.00C
watermelons wero stacked In Krcnt
heaps along somo rudo tables. A
hundred men with long knlvei
Blnshcd tho molons open and over;
ono ato his fill. But what struck th
Kansas man ns curious was tho ab
sence of tho cantaloupe for which th
placo Is so Justly famed. Kansas Clti
Journal.
THE VALUE OF PAIN.
Calls Attention to tlio Fnct That DU
emo Kxlutft.
Pain Is not disease; It is a symptom
calling nttcntlon to tho fact thnt
dlscaso exists. Wo do not romovo tho
diseaso by stopping tho pain. Head
aches usually nrlso from disturbance's
In digestion, duo to ovorcntlng, eating
frcoly of soft foods, making bad com
binations of foods, too much ot a va
riety at meals, etc. Fermentation and
deeny of tho foods with the formation
or poisons nnd Irritants result. Tho
danger Is reported at headquartors,
Tho thing to do U-to heed tho volco of
tho faithful sentlnol, assist naturo to
get rid of tho Impurities generated
olthor by washing out tho stomach
drinking freely of water, faBtlng for n
day, by vigorous oxcrclso or ollmlnn
tlvo baths. Recognlzo in tho pain tho
volco of a friend calling attention to
tho ract that wo havo dono wrong, and
rcsolvo nover to vlolnto tho laws of
hoaltb on this point ngaln. In,n day
or tho transgressor would feel well
and would bo ablo to keep from getting
into tho same or a worse condition by
avoiding the onuses. This is not tho
way theso symptoms nro usually treat
ed. Pain Is looked upon ns an onomy.
not ns tho voice of a friend. Tho Bick
ono goes to a physician and domnnds
something thnt will stupofy or paralyzo
tho nerves tho pain must stop nt onco,
Ho Is given an opiate, tho pain stops
tho food still keeps on docnylng in tho
stomach; ho Imagines ho la well. Tho
dlscnBo still exists; tho Bymptom nlono
hns been removed. Tho faithful sent!
nol has been knocked down. Tho
means of telegraphic communications
to hendqunrters has been Bovcsed. Tho
onomy has his own way and la nblo to
go ahead undisturbed in his destruc
tlvo work. Tho watchers aro asleep
under nn anaesthetic or oplato. Tho
onomy enters tho camp. Poisons that
aro goneratcd In tho stomnch through
errors In diet, overwork nnd lrrltnto
liver, tho lungs nnd kidneys, through
which they aro eliminated, and filially
result In Brlght's dlscase;or tho lungs
being weakened, aro not ablo to resist
tho gorms of tho diseaso that aro in
haled. Ho falls a victim to tuborculo
sis and Is now In n serious If not an
incurable condition. Tho only safo
way Is to study tho human body and
becomo familiar with tho laws upon
which health, happiness nnd llfo do
pend. Provont pains, woe nnd sick
ness by nvoldlng their causes. Llfo
and Health.
To Koop itoiiuty.
American women, who nro famous
for their cooking, eat too much, do
clares a foreign critic. Thoy prepare
dishes so tomptlng that thoy aro tholr
own victims. In youth women caro
more for lmpalpablo things, for tho
nmbltlons nnd tho nsplrations that
load them on to all sorts of ondeavor,
but when thoy ceaso to havo tho spur
that impels toward dally striving for
tho fulfillment of somo dream thoy
find solace in eating. This fact was
emphasized tho other day when
woman who twenty years ago was
famous bollo, was telling ono of her
frionds of tho Borrows and disappoint
montB that had ombittorod her llfo,
Tho friend glanced at tho woman, who
woignea nt least zuo, ana said sho ap
iieareu 10 oe vory won. "Yes," was
the answer, "I havo fallen Into tho
habit of oatlng to distract my atton
tlon from my troubles." Eating as ;
pastimo Is always a dangorous experi
ment. Tho woman who would be al
ways beautiful must bo abstemious.
Bho must bo nblo to leave tho tablo
feeling Just a llttlo hungry. Sho must
adhero to a senslblo dlot, nnd sho
must obsorvo tho most sovoro rules
about regular meals. It is as Import
ant that Bho should bo tomperato In
candy and lco cream sodas as It Is that
sho should cultlvato a youthful spirit
Mnrrlngo nt Thirty.
Tho collbacy question is a dollcnto
ono to discuss, but It seems to mo
that if by giving young workingmen n
chanco of lodging themselves comfort
ably and respectably when thoy first
bocomo self-supporting you prevent
them from, getting marrjed to girls as
young as themselves and acquiring a
quiverful of babies beforo they aro
well out of tholr teens, for moro good
than hnrm Is likely to result In tho
long run from this oporntlon. Young
men of tho mlddlo class at tho pros
ent day rarely marry under thirty.
many or tnem not until they aro woll
past that ago. So fnr as I can soo.
neither they nor society are tho worse
for deferring their nuptlalB. Tho low
or you go In tho social scalo, tho
stronger aro tho reasons against n
man marrying young. Henry Labou-
chero In London Truth.
Itomnn Antiquity Hestnrort.
Any ono who has vlsitod Rome car.
not fall to remember tho mystorloub
covored passngo about which bo
many posslblo nnd Impossiblo Btorles
aro told which connects tho Apostolic
palaco ond tho castlo of St. Angolo.
For somo tlmo It has been entirely
neglected, nnd after tho tnklng 0f
Romo It wns cut through to destroy
tho connoctlon between tho vntican,
which remained in tho hands of tho
church, and tho castlo, which waa
used as a fortress by United Italy,
Now, at last, restorations are about to
bo commenced, nnd It will then bo ono
of tho most Interesting sights In Rome.
Most of tho work of this- passage,
which is roofod over nnd has small
loop holes to give light, was dono by
tho orders of Alexandor VI., that ho
might havo n aafo means of cscapo in
cao of nood to tho castlo.
Occasionally a man Is so groat that
he Is missed for nearly awoek nftor
his death.
USING POOR FOOD
Will Load to tho
Probably tho Btatomont thnt persons
of today do not llvo m well, In tho
matter of eating, as tholr unc Btors,
will bo met with a vigorous donlnl;
yet thoro Is no doubt ot Its truth. Tho
samo cleverness which supplies us
with so mnny comforts unknown to a
previous generation hns provided also
icod ndulteratlons which, in many
eases, aro posltivoly harmful. Tho
London Lancet says: "Thoro can bo no
doubt thnt during tho past decado food
has undorgono a steady degradation,
nnd this cannot bo without a demoral
izing influence upon tho human race.
It will bo noticed thnt by far tho ma
jority of cases ot tamporlng with food
rolato to tho substitution of a cheap
er artlclo rather than to tho addition
of an injurious substance Tho com
mon defcuso la thnt modom condltlona
of llfo mako substitution a necessity.
It is dlfllcult to bso tho logic of such
n defense nt least In n number of
Instances. It Is urged, for Instance,
that Jam or mnrmnlado cannot bo
mndo without tho addition of glucoso,
which prevents tho prcsorvo ' from
crystallizing. Now, long beforo glu
coso was a household word Jams and
marmalado wero made and very good
thoy wore, too consisting entirely ot
sugar nnd fruit. In tho same way wo
nro told thnt bcor must bo browed
from sugar, and that browing oxclus
lvcly from malt presenta untold dim
cultlcs. Again, golden Byrup, which
used formerly to bo tho rellnod syrup
of molnBBos, now consists largely of
artificial sugar, which 1b doubtless a
moro markotaWo product, but It Is not
tho samo thing ns cano sugar. Evon
In tho country good old-fashioned
whonton bread, with tho fnsclnating
brown color of rich whenton flour,
containing tho ontlro nutritious nor-
tlons of tho berry nnd possessing that
Now York possesses tho only com
pleto collection In existence of nrch
aoologlcal treasures from Porto Rico,
This s now in tlio American Museum
of Natural History. It was largely
mado stneo tho Spnnlsh-Amorlcan
war. and nn explorer who renched
Now York recently from tho Island
says thoro nro further nrclmoologlcal
remains left there.
Tho natlvo American pcoplo of Tor
to Rico aro extinct Thoy could not on
dure Spanish oppression nnd becomo
submissive slaves, nf. might nn Afri
can natlvo. But at ono tlmo thoy
woro an Interesting peoplo, woll ad
vanccd in certain nrts, a3 Now York's
now collection testifies. Somo yoars
ngo tho museum had n collection of
nnclont stono implements, but tho
trensurcs 6ecurod slnco tho island
camo into our possession complete.
nnd round out that collection.
Tho stono objects woro probably
mado by tho ancestors of tho Carlbs.
Thoy differ greatly In fineness of fin
lah, polish nnd artistic form from
stono objects found In other places.
Tho uso of many ot theso objects la
unknown. Thoro was no wrltton lan
guago on tho Island beforo Its discov
ery, and tho millions of Cnrlbs and
Arawaks who lived In tho West Indies
have slnco vanished. Thero has not
bocn a singlo full-blood descendant of
theso pooplo living In tho region dur
ing tho last half century. Tho names
of places prcsorvo n few of their
words. But thoro Is no tradition about
tho Btono objects.
HtriuiKO ltellot of Stono Ato,
Among theso specimens of tho stono
ago aro many peculiar rings or ovalB
of stono resembling horse collars In
slzo and nhapo. Samo weigh twenty
pounds, others aovonty, nnd thoy nro
found as dcop In tho ground as nlno
foot. Many aro strangely and beauti
fully carved. Somo of theso rcsomblo
a coil or loop, with one ond projecting
beyond tho coil whero It seems to bo
tied.
Such flno Btono cnrvlnga must havo
boon lntondod for serious and import
ant use, possibly religious, as religion
abovo all other powerB has led , man
to oxecuto dlfllcult and pormanent
work. Thoy could not bo collars to
bo worn for punishment, ns too much
art 1b lavished upon them, but thoy
may havo aorved In religious sacri
fices. aiystcry of tho HIiirs Unsolved.
Tho mystery which surrounds theso
curlouB atones Is not yot solved, nl
though over forty years airo tho sa
vants of Copenhagen, London and
rnns wore struggling with tho prob
lem, hnvlng but n fow Hiieclmons. In
1873 Ortey y Tnpla of Porto Rico
brought some to New York Wn nnw
havo many of them In tho Museum of
Nnturnl History, Tho mystory of
their uso remnliiB unsolved.
But thero nro other Interesting
forms. Ono resembles tho lower half
of such a collar ns ubovo described.
but tho carving seoma to occunv n dir.
foront position.
Thero is n llttlo four-IeEcd mntntn
or food-grinding stone, and pcatlos,
which could huvo been usod upon It.
Thoro Is nlHo ono with four legs nnd
tho head and tall of an nnlmul, whllo
tho back Is flat or evon dlah-shnnod
and useful for grinding
llniiutiriilly Ourvml Images.
But these objects, tho ubo of which
may bo Biirmlaod. aro not bo Interest
ing aa certain peculiarly carved and
ponsnea atoucs', reminding ono of
MLICS If! PORTO RKO 1 rSl I
Eator'a Degradation,
delightful wheaton flavor, now seldom,
If ovor, characteristic ot bnad, Is dif
ficult to obtain. Tho baker's loaf 1b,
ns a rulo, n tastclers, Insipid article,
which requires n considerable appo
tlto beforo tho Idea of eating It can
bo entertained. No wonder that tho
tasto for bread is rapidly diminishing,
and undoubtedly les bread Ik con
sumed than used to bo tho case. As
is woll known, brend contains almost
ovory element of food necessary for
existence, but wo should bo sorry for
the person who tried to subsist en
tirely upon tho modern uninteresting
lonf mado from blanched rollor mill
flour, It hns recently been stated thnt
tho degradation of tho tooth so no
tlccablo among us now Is duo to rollor
milling having lnrgely supplnntod
stono milling. Wo should not bo sur
prised. Tho degradation of food la ft
vory serious matter and is bound to
lend sooner or lntor to tho degradation ,
of tho cater. No niovemont could con
fer grcnter blessing upon tho peoplo
than thnt which ntmcd nt bringing
nbout n return to tho older and moro
ratlonnl methods of preparing food.
Let us see moro of tho homo mndo
nrtlclo thnn wo now b?o; let us ro
turn to moro palatable food that will
do moro good than tho machine mado
stuffs nnd tho endless ssrlcs of sub
stitutes. In nil tho schools throughout
tho land wo would hnvo tho children
taught tho advantages of home mndo
food, nnd how tho brand, fruit, Jam,
or evon beer nnd cldor cin bo mndo
nt home. It would encourngo a spirit
of Industry, It would glvo us pnlata
blo and nourishing nrtlclcs to cat or
drink and might have a wry whole
Bomo effect upon thoro who saem de-llbci-ately
to attontuato food na much
ns posslblo or who nnv tin rpcrnnl tn
I its natural cntiowod palatablllty."
grcnt Biialls with hlgn backs aud
their heads on tho ground. Somo ot
theBo nro rcnlly beautifully symmet
rical, well polished and evon nnd
mndo of bsautiful nnd varlegatod
Htone. What thoy could hnvo boon
used for la unknown. Wero thoy
housohold gods, fetishes, objects wor
shiped by mon or by women? It ia
posslblo thnt carvlnga may yot bo
found representing ono of them in ubc,
for tho prehistoric pooplo of Porto
Rico wero nblo to draw realistically,
as Is proved by. tho carved faces,
somo of which aro fairly woll execut
ed, although somo nro crude
Voro KklllKd Fot (ers.
Thoao peoplo woro also skillful aa
potters, and many llttlo pottory heads
nro interesting na thoy differ from
anything wo havo In tho United
States.
Tho early oxplorcra did not obsorvo
tho Mexican papor codices, sayB tho
New York Herald, but destroyed
them In tholr zeal to obliterate all of
tho old religion, in ordor to mako
way for Christianity. Hnd wo theso
books In oven a small proportion of
their nbundnnco beforo tho conquest
wo might find reforenco In them to
tho lnhnbltants of tho Islands to tho
east of Mexico, and so posslb y' solvo
theso Porto Rlcan mysteries. .
Women ns Commorolul Traveler. .
Tho head ot a St. Louis wholesale
houso was at Chicago on his way homo
from Buffalo recontly. In tho courso
of a chat with somo business acqualnt
nneca ho expressed the decided onlnlon
that women mako bettor drummerB
than men In Bomo l'nes. "Tho fact
l," said ho, "that in somo dopartmonts
womon seem to bo nblo to do better
than mon. Not long ago it was gen
erally bclioved that a woman could,
not soil nnything on tho road exennt.
hooka and certain articles of woarlne
apparel peculiar to her sox. Tho opor-'
ntlonB of tho fomnlo drummor woro for
a long tlmo confined to n vory limited
Hold. But in recont yonra sho has
branched out somewhat, and I simply
Btnto an opon fact when I say that sho
may bo regarded aa a buccoss on tho
road. In somo Instances sho has prov
en horBolf a moro valuablo member
thnn tho mon. Tuko certain lines, llko
ton, coffeo, spices and things of that
sort, and In a mnjorlty of Instances
eho will pjneo moro goods than n man
will In the snmo length of tlmo. This
Is probably truo of theso articles bo
causo sho can talk moro Intolllucntlv
nbout thorn. Thoy nro used In every
home, nnd tho avcrago business wom
an ono llnds out lu tho world manages
10 Keep, up wmi tho things neodod by
tho hotiBowifo, nnd henco tho woman
drummer can mako a fairly good talk
about tilings of this kind. Tho woman
drummor has como to stay," Chicaco
Chronicle.
Lincoln from tho Honth.
Tho statoinont has been mado that
In RoohovoR tho south has a repre
sentative In thq Whlto Houso moro
closely allied to It by birth than any
prcsldont slnco John Tylor. Whnt of
Lincoln? Col. Roosovolt Ib, Indeed,
half Georgian, but Lincoln waa olthor
a North Carolinian or n Kentucklnn,
nnd full-blooded at that, aa both his
father and mother woro aouthern.
Mary Todd, Lincoln's wife, was born
In Kentucky, nnd sho and nil her
brothers woro Intonsoly southern. Mr.
Lincoln, thoreforo, was moro closely
allied to the fcouth by birth nnd mar
riage thun any othor president sine
Tyler. New York PresB.