The Author of "Quo Vadis"
Believes That Culture Is
More Widespread in the
Uriited States Than in
Any Other Country
"American Democracy
Nearest of All to the
Ideal Humanity Has Been
Striving After" Ameri
can Cooking Deplorable,
American Women Less
Industrious and More
Dressed Than the Wom
en of Europe.
rARSAW, POLAND. "I cnn-
not bind niyuolf down to
write anything for nny
stated time on any stated
subject," was tho answer of
Henri Slcnklewlcz, author of
"Quo Vndls," when u repre
sentative of the New York World
asked him his plans.
It Is a regrettnblo fact that since his
third marriage, with Countess Dabska,
this great writer has given vory little
to tho world. He says ho Is not In tho
mood. Possibly tho delicate state of
health In which Miss Slonklowlcz has
been for some time has hnd a good
deal to do with it, ns ho has passed
many anxious moments on her oc
count. ,
On hor account, also, he is not able
to pass tho winter on his estate near
Warsaw, in the government of Kiclco.
Tills property, which Is called "Oblcn
gorek," was given to him by tho Polish
people on the occasion of his jubilee,
some soven years ago. It Is situated
."in tho prettiest part of Poland, far
enough from a railway station to in
sure privacy from tho Inroads of tour
ists, and possesses, besides the house,
a beautiful park and a home fnrm.
Tho house, which' is rambling and
comfortable, reminds one a little of
the moro substantial Swiss villas, Ju
fact, tho government of Klelco in
often called Polish Switzerland, from
its hills and valleys . and beautiful
views. Tho drawing-room, furnished
in tho stylo of the first emplro, is a
mingling of restful, neutral shades.
The dining-room, furnished in typical
Polish style, with many good pictures
by lnodern artists, leads into tho au
thor's studyi though, ns a matter of
fact, Sienkiowlcz best work includ
ing "Quo Vadis" was dono elsewhere.
Resides thoso rooms, on tho ground
lloor aro other sitting and bedroomg.
Tho general effect Is one of simplic
ity, neatness and good taste.
Park Is Beautiful.
Rut tho chief charm of Oblengorok
lies In the pnrk, with Its shady nooks,
dim alloys and confusion of flowers
Then, too, thoro Is the spring of min
eral wator, discovered on tho estnto
soon after It was presented to Its
presont owner. At tho tlmo It was
hoped that this wator, which M. Slon
klowicz christened "Ursun, In mem
ory of tho gigantic Polo in "Quo
fifl!uM willlfl tin unnt nil nvi tlin
world. It Ih not unllko Apolllnaris In
tasto and It Is clear and spnrkllng. In
n short time, howover, It was found
that, owing to tho difficulties connect
ed with transport, tho wator, even In
Warsaw, was too expensive to havo
a largo sale. Small quantities aro still,
howevor, bottled and sent to different
parts of tho country. Tho spring is
built, round In a tasteful way that
characterizes all that has been dono
by tho owner of Oblengorok.
M. Slnoklowlcz, whose handsome,
jioworful head shows signs of having
been "out in tho-snow," has travoled
about a great deal. Among other
places ho has visited tho United States
of America., Ho has Httlo but praiso
for Americans and their country. And
praiso is a thing with which ho is not
lavish, as many pcoplo have found out.
"Truly, If anybody wore to nsk mo
which nation has attained tho best
clvlllzutlon I would unhesitatingly an
swer, 'Tho American " ho suld. "In Ku
rope only a few classes of tho com
munity have embraced civilization
or, rather, to speak quite correctly,
only ono class has dono so. This class
has gathered In and keeps ovorything.
Tho wholo world exists for It and In
it only; science and learning arc ex
clusively Its department; poetry, art,
Intellectual movements overvthlng, In
a word, that makes Hfo ronll beauti
ful, spiritual and elovated. UVit com
prises the UjUhetlc and intellectual
part of human life, oxlsts but In and
for this class and acts but through this
class, Go out of its bounds nud you
will find that nobody knows anything,
nobody can do unythlng. This higher
world writes.critlolsos, Judges, speaks
creates tho community's opinion pub
lishes newspapers, fills picture galler
ies, libraries and theaters; It means
the wholo of civilization. Beyond it
oxlsts but a huge turbid wave of hu
manity, living n Hfo that is more or
loss physical, uncultivated, dark and
coarse.
Widespread American Culture.
"Rut in Amcrlcn, whorcas, perhaps,
gonorttl science and culture do not
reach such a height In Individuals or
In one particular class ns hpro In En
ropo, to mnUo up for It this culturo is
far more widespread nny, there is no
comparison between tho universality
of culturo hero and In America, so
much docs It oxceed uuis. And this is
what Is called American democracy.
"And now I will toll you this: If n
high state of civilization docs not in
sure Happiness to the human race,
then we ought to cast it away and re
turn to the times when men walked
nbout on all fours; but If we admit
that widespread civilization does con
duco to human hnpplness, then I can
only nfllrm that, taking one country
with another, human happiness is In-
comparably greater in America than
anywhere In Europe. This Is to say
that America tho democratic is near
est of nil to that human ldoal which
man nas ueen striving after for so
many centuries.
"In order to bo able to'Judgo of a
nation's moral standard one must havo
some sort of a foundation to go on.
Of all human truths wo mny take this
ono as tho least doubtful, that tho do
velopment of education brings the do
velopment of morality In its wake. If
anybody doubts this he has only to
tuko statistics of crime from the first,
nation that falls to his hand and ho
will see the dlfforcnco between tho
number of criminals who are quite II
llterato, those partly educated and
thoso highly Instructed. And if this
bo so it Is perfectly clear that, since
general education stands higher in
America than anywhere elso, general
morality stands higher, too. Rut ob
serve, please, that I do nob Includo
the largo pnrts of tho country which
aro principally crowded with Imml
grants from Europe, driven to crime
by wnnt. I do not mean tho towns on
tho Indian frontier, either; I spenk of
what I must call the 'finished statos,'
that is to say, thoso states which aro
living under normal conditions, and
hero I can nssuro you that you will
llnd far more loyal people than any
where else In tho world loyal In tho
sense that public snfoty Is greater In
thoso states than anywhere else.
Respect for the Law.
"Refore visiting America, some years
ago, I was told that I should
have to go about with a revolver In
my bolt if I wanted to get home alive,
Of course, whon I got there I found
people laughed at me. Though I spent
moro than half a year In tho states,
and went into all sorts of districts and
corners, mixed with nil kinds of peo
pie, slept on lonoly farms and In fish
crmon's huts, I novor hnd tho slightest
trouble with anybody, never was in
porsonnl danger and never by Amerl
Henri Slcnklewicz.
can hands was my pocket In jeopardy,
"And all this meons a high stato of
morality among Amerlcnns, a high
state of culture, not tho culture, of ono
singlo, elegant class, but a democratic
culturo permeating tho wholo nation.
"I noticed nnother thing about tho
Amerlcnns, and that Is their prosnorl
ty, What tho Americans call a poor
man has a nlco llttlo houso all to
himself, a enrpot on his lloor, good
tables, beds and tho Inovltnblo rocklns
ohulr. At IlrBt I conld not understand
why they called such a small farmer
poor, Thon I learned thnt It was be
cause ho had no money saved nt tho
bank not oven $100. Good heavens!
How mnny authors, doctors and bar
risters thero aro hero In Poland who
have never hnd 100 cents In tho bank!
Wo do not call them poor, What wo
;
' '
call a poor man Is ono who lives In n
collar, eats but onco a day, and never
sees meat but through the butchor's
windows. Here In our country pov
erty's teeth chatter with tho cold; pov
erty begs, stenls, breaks Into other
people's houses. Show me such pov
erty in America! There oven a bank
rupt former Can turn his hand to a
hundred things nnd enm a living.
American Women.
'Never boforo nnd nowhere else In
tho world havo women hnd such a
good timo as In Amerlcn. Tho laws
mnko up to her, custom gives her free
dom, public opinion shields her oven
when sho ia at fault, and all tho mon
pet and spoil her. This respect for
womon Is a general trait In tho Anglo
Saxon chnractor, but It Is greater In
America than In Englnnd. Tho Amor-
lean woman Is n little like n spoitt
child. Rut when you ask mo If she
stands higher or lower Intellectually
thnn the European woman I must nsk:
With what class of European wom
on am I to compnro hor?' Wo havo
differences between tho dlfforont
classes of women such ns do not exist
at all in Amoricn. For Instance, with
ub a 'drawing-room' lady, besides hor
own languages, speaks goodness knows
Houce at
how many forolgn ones; she jilays on
tho piano nnd knows how to talk
about art and literature with tho
greatest charm nnd that Is whnt is
chioily necessary. Her mind Is flex
ible and developed; If Bho thinks fit
to pose ns something unusual sho
knows how" to cover her porfumcd
soul with a cloud of mystery. In tho
thick forost of words and feelings sho
moves nbout as if sho woro at home.
In general sho Is quick nnd as keen
In society ns a razor; to speak tho
truth, sho Is not learned, but devel
oped, both psychologically and aes
thetically, to tho highest point.
Comparison Hard to Make.
"Compnro with tho a country wench
Chloo. She walks about with red,
hare feet, drinks vodka, cannot read or
write, knows absolutely nothing of
what Is going on around her; the world
rotlects itself only In her eyes, bb the
heavens are reflected in wator; Noth
ing touches her brain. Now, with
winch of the3o two sisters am I to
compare tho American woman? Leav
ing out tho bluo stockings and a small
percentage who by traveling In Eu
ropo havo mado themselves up on
European lines, I will take tho average
American woman. We find exactly
tho same thing thnt I mentioned when
speaking nbout American civilization
nnd culturo. Every American woman,
of course, knows how to road and
write, nnd alio rends tho newspapers.
They all dross exactly alike, that 1b to
si
f
sny, so far as tno rasnion ami cm oi
ifholr clothes go. Roth intellectually
nu acsineiicauy nicy suum iuwi-i-
han a certain number of our
women, and much higher than tho
masses of them,
"Personally I am far from holding
American women up to their educated
European sisters aB an example. I
would oven say that they havo many
of tholr faults nnd nro wanting in
many of their good qualities.
"Taking thorn nil round thoy are fnr
loss Industrious, they look far Iobs aft
or their homos, housekeeping nnd
kitchens. For this renson American
cookory Is In a deplorable slate. Then
thoy seem to dresB themselves up
moro than our womon, For this rea
son you will not seo Btich dresses oven
In tho Pnrls boulevards as you do In
tho New York Rroadway or Kearney
street, San Francisco. Tho fashions
are the Bamo for all womon, so that
what a millionaire's wlfo wears dif
fers from a Bcrvant'B dress only In the
cost of tho Btuff not In tho cut. To
my oyos thoso dressed-up women look
vory strange by tho aldo of tho mon,
who appear to enro nothing about their
clothes. Tho American man's nesthetic
nppotlte Is satisfied whon he dressen
up his wife. He seoms to want noin
lug for himself.
Social Relationship.
"Very , few American women know
French or other foreign languages. I
did not meet nny womon who were
Judges of art or literature, on nny
who know how to paint or draw. An
other thing thut struck mo was tho
mlxturo of Puritanism nnd freedom In
social relationship. Tho rolatlons x-
'stlng, between young men anil women
8at .1 III I II I IMHMIUIW
would give rise to nil sorts of scandal
ous results In Europe. Thero wo find
nothing of tho sort partly, perhaps, I
owing to tho American woman's cold
tompcrament, partly to public opinion,
which puts all tho blamo on the man.
"One result of their democracy Is
their respect for labor. There, whero
every kind of work Is oqunlly ro
spected nnd hold sacred, workers aro
not divided Into higher and lowor
classes of tho community. Wo Eu
ropeans have not tho least Idea of
the extent to which labor Is respoctod
In America,' and In this respect Amor-
lea stands immeasurably higher than
any European nation. To ho frank, a
mnn in Europe who goes in for manual
labor Is looked down upon by those
who do not work; he loses his caste,
they exclude him from tho clnss he
onco bolongcd to If ho comes from
what wo call tho 'upper classes.' Thero
Is nono of that In America. Thoro
classes, according to our ideas, do
not exlat only different kinds of 'busi
nesses' exist, nnd tho gentleman who
makes hoots Is as much respectod ns
tho gentleman who enrns his living as
a lawyor, nnd this for tho slmplo and
unshaken reason Mint public opinion
makes not tho slightest dlfforcnco bo-
Oblcngorch.
tween a respectable bootmaker and a
respcctablo lawyer.
"And herein you will llnd tho key to
Amorlcan democracy. In gonoral,
though I did not shut my eyes to tho
Amerlcnns' bad qualities, I must say
that tho moro I studied them tho moro
good ones I found."
HANDICRAFT WORK AT 86.
A Venerable Vermonter FlndB Delight
In Weaving Beautiful Dasketc.
St. Johnsbury, Vt, has an ardent fol
lower of tho modern handicraft move
ment in David E. Harrimnn, who nt 8f
lias onened a workshop on IiIb own
promises, tho Doston Globe says.
In his youth In Reacham, Vt., ho
used to watch an aged man, Samuel
Shenard. mnko baskots and a fow
years lator profited by what ho ob
served. At first a pastime for lcisuro
hours, tho basket making booh became
a means of okelng out a slender In
come, insufficient for tho support of a
growing family. Then thirty-flvo or
forty years passed during which such
work was forgotten.
Last Bummer his wlfo and a daugh
ter, who Is a teachor in Kansas City,
Mo., woro weaving rallla, nnd watching
them brought back memories of his
old employment to Mr. Harrimnn.
During tho winters of such soverity
as thoso of northern Vermont outdoor
work Is Impossible for a man of his
age nnd It Is often hard for ono bo
nctlvo to keep busy. TIiIb work seemed
just the thing nnd so his shop Is now
OBtnbllshcd. In thin day of machine-
made nrtlclcH one of his perfectly-
shaped, flnely-bullt baskets Ib a delight
to tho eye.
His tools and mnterlnls aro nimplo
and Inexpensive a hammer, smoother,
jnckknlfo nnd two logs of brown nsh.
Ono log furnishes tho hnndles and tho
uprights or wnrp of tho baskota. For
tho woof or filling a second log nbout
a foot In diameter Is hnmmored with
Infinite patience until tho pith gives
away, leaving the grain free. Long
strips aro torn from tho log, pulling
ulwnys from I ho top to tho bottom.
tiiobo Btrips are flinooinoci witu a
smoother nnd cut Into nnrrow strips
with a jackknlfe.
From this point on nny fifth-grade
boy who has studied manual training
could easily mako I ho baskets, but It
Is doubtful If he could shape them as
pcrfoctly as does Mr. Harrimnn. His
baskets aro square, round and oblong,
and are mado In all sizes,
up to data tho work Has been a
labor of lovo with him, for ho has
given nwny every baskot, ho has mado.
Smothered In Ordera.
Tho high military officials In Ger
many nro equally highly decorated,
According to a PnrlB contemporary,
tho eight udjutautH of Frederick III,
possessed but 35 decorations between
them. Count Unison Huesslor had
54 and IiIb successor, Gen. von Pies
son, has nlrendy 58. Tho live personal
adjutants of tho kaiser possess to
gether 100. Marshal Rluch could bonst
of only 15 in all.
I UMlIUMli HII.hH MIMMWinWU' II
THE CLUE I
1 1 By JAMES FRANCIS DWYER 1 1
(t'opyrlRht.
It was midnight. In Fifth avenue
there wore few pedestrians, and so a
fat man In evening dross, hurrying
northward, attracted attention. Six
night birds, who thought his nctioiiB
mysterious, followed n few paces In
tho rear. Occasionally they questioned
ouch other as they trotted briskly
nlong, but tho questions wcro put in
tho hopeless tono thnt tho questioner
uses whon he knows tho person ques
tioned cannot supply tho Information
ho requires.
The fat man didn't speak. Ho
moved at a Binnrt Jog trot, looking
straight to tho front nnd seemingly
unaware- of tho fact that ho was tho
cause of much conjecture. Tho mys
tery scented by tho others was caused
by tho peculiar movemoutH or his
hands. His arms wcro outstretched,
and his two hands revolved round
ench other llko tho hands of a llshor-
man hauling in a lino. And tho in
quisitive ones In tho rear wore unablo
to ox'plalu this movement. It was not
a dignified oxorclBo for a fnt man In
evening dress, and tholr curiosity was
Justified.
At Thirty-second Btreet a pollcemnn,
dozing on tho opposite side of tho
road, straightened himself aB ho snw
the hurrying group coming towards
htm, Swinging his night stick ho
crossed over nnd waited tho npproach
of the llttlo procession. Ho was In
charge of that neighborhood, nud
thero should bo an cxplnnntlnu.
The fat man paused tho ofllccr at a
gallop. His hands were moving faster
and faster, nnd tho tails of his coat
wore ntlckiug out llko llttlo blnck
wings In hlu roar. Tho law was a
til lie astonished. As ho stood looking
nfter the lender of tho hurrying sqund,
ho was Jostled by the Inqulsltlvo ones
following, and ho beenmo annoyed.
"Sprint
Little, or Wo
Late."
Too
Ho grabbed a straw-hatted youth by
the shouldor and questioned him. i
"What's tho matter?" ho cried
"Search mo," nnsworcd tho qucs
tioned one. "Io'ino go; 1 want to boo
what tho olo guy Is up to."
Tho policeman lost his temper. Ho
wns bolng treated with dlsroBpect. A
festive eltlzen wub running a fool pro
cchsIou over his beat without giving
him tho leant oxplnnatlnu! So ho lot
go of tho youth's shoulder nud dashed
madly after tho man In evening dross,
"Here, whnt'H tho gnmo?" ho panted.
"What port of a Btunt nro you up to,
nny how?"
Tho fnt man shook oft tho grip of
tho law and run faster than ovor, his
outstretched hands circling round
ench other llko tho arms of a windmill
In n gnlc,
"Stoop down and I'll toll you," ho
gusped, as tho officer mado. nnother ef
fort to restrain him.
The evident roHpoctnblllty of tho fnt
man mado tho poUcomun comply with
tho request, mid bonding bin six-foot
frame ho ran nlongsido tho other ns
ho listened. Tito inqulsltlvo mob, now
numbering a score, gathered In close,
but tho nightstick described a clrclo
and thoy backed into safety.
For nearly twenty yard3 tho police
man ran with bent back. Then ho
straightened hlmsolf up and laughed
loudly. "Good for you," ho cried.
"Sprint a llttlo, or wo may ho too
late." Then ho nturtod to run mildly
alongside the mnn with tho windmill
nrmu.
Tho curious onos wcro annoyed.
Thoy woro taxpayers, and thoy did not
think it right thnt the officer, who was
tholr sorvant, should keop tho solution
of tho niyBtory a secret, Thoy growled
angrily whonovor the law chuckled
ovor tho nlnry that tho fat man had
whispered, but they followed nt full
. by
fjfll lh III
May Do
Shortatory l'ub. Co.)
Bpccd. Late revelers Joined tho
group, but when' thoy nuked tho reason
of tho chase thoy were told to watch
tho movements of tho lender s hands.
"Hoen doln' thnt all tho way from
Twenty-eighth. Btroct," gnsped tho
early followcra, proud In tho posses
sion of Hint much information. "Ho b
told tho coj). a Joke, an now tho hick
ory wlelder Is hlttlti tho trail with
him."
At Forty-oighth Btreet tho pollcemnn
met tho officor on tho ndjolnlng heat,
nnd hooking him by tho arm ho whls
porod Into his oar ns ho kot "nee
with tho fnt man. Tho now pollcomnn
guffawed loudly, nnd ngnln tho angry
crowd looked vainly for tho humor
thut seemed appnrent to tho two
guardians of tho peace. Tho first po
llcemnn Blackened Bpcod, called out a
friendly "Good luck" to tho fat man,
and then roturnod to ltla own bent,
while hlu comrado trotted Bwlftly In
his placo.
Tho fat man Hwung oitBt, down Fifty
third street, and now recruits Joined
t)io procession at every ynrd. Rut
all thirsted vainly for Information
Questions put by tho nowcoinorB woro
mot with tho ono nnswer: "Don't
know; look nt his hnnds. Rccn twist
lug thorn round nnd round nil tho way
from Twonty-elghth street."
Crossing Third avenuo tho fnt man
halted suddenly. Ho knelt down upon
the car tracks, and tho officor stooped
beside him. Tho crowd pressed round
till the swiftly-swung itlghtBtlck swopt
thorn bnclc. Tho man In oveniug dross
crawled across tho tracks nnd rnked
tho ground with his lingers.
Presently ho leapt to IiIb foot and
yolled out excitedly. "It's all right
officor," ho cried, and onco again IiIb
hands started to rovolvo round (cnch
other as ho dashed towards tho wator.
Just hero a third policeman was
initiated Into tho myBtory that whb
troubling tho crowd, nnd with a merry
laugh ho took up a position by tho
Bldo of tho fnt man. Tho crowd
cursed collcctivoly. Hero was a
myBtory that had heon explained
thrco times to bulky policemen, yet
thoy wcro kopt in Ignornnco. It wasn't
fair. Thoy had a right to know why
tho man in evening, dress was doing
tho windmill performance with his
hands, nhd why that Btunt amused tho
pollcemnn. Much of tholr bronth wub
exhausted In Btrango phrases de
nouncing tho Bccrecy of tho pollco, but
thoy woro dotormlncd to seo tho ond.
Near Second avenuo a man standing
on tho nldownlk turned when ho heard
tho nolso of tho charging squad and
contemplated tho runnors. Then ho
stepped into tho street nud crossed
ovor. Tho fat man 'chuckled. Ho
whlBpcrod to tho policeman at his
right hand, and tho officor dnshod
ahead. The man In front started to
run, hut his pursuor overhauled him
In n dozen strides, nnd thoy rolled on
tho pavement.
"Wot'B tho matter?" gaspod tho
enptured ono. "Wot nro yor scrufiln'
mo for?"
"TIiIb gentleman wnnts, his rubber
door-mat," murmured tho pollcomnn,
rcllovlng bin captive of tho parcel ho
curried beneath his arm.
"Hully Geo!" exclalmod tho pris
oner, rubbing his oyos and stating
round him at tho crowd. "Whoro did
y6r got tho mob, nn' how did yor know
I had It, anyhow?"
"I had you on a titling," explained
tho fat mnn, holding up n black thread
in tho light of tho street lamp. "I'vo
caught llvo mon who havo tried to
steal that mat. It's attached to a
thousand yards of strong thread, and
as thoy generally grab It when tho
streets are qulot, tho trail Is always
clear."
Motor Boats on Dead Sea,
Tho Dood sea is u government mon
opoly, nud nt presont Is lonscd out to
u small nntlvo company. Thoy havo a
woodon boat built for a Balling ves
sel, but nbout six mouths ago had u
motor put in It. If this company suc
ceeds thoy might try a couplo moro
motor boatB. The Dead sea is one
third solid matter, the groator pnrt of
which Is Bait, and tho quoBtlon to
nnswer Is: Cnn tho hulls stnnd tho
notion of this Bait water? Pcoplo in
this country uro not wonlthy enough
to afford a motor boat for plenauro
only, nnd ns no ono would bo allowed
to use ono on tho Dead sea, Jaffa Is
tho only posslblo mnrket for boats In
tho district. Tho Jordnn valley, tho
rlvor and tho Dpnd bc.i nro tho por
Bonnl proporly of tho sultan. A per
mit must bo first obtnlned from the
sultnn boforo boats of any kind cnn
bo Inunched thereon. Such permits
havo herotoforo been vory difficult to
procure for motor bouts.
Appointment Causes Commotion.
MaJ. Gon. Edwnrd Hitter von
Schweitzer, a Jew, haB rccoivod tho
iippolntmont of field marshal, tho
highest military rank In tho Austro
Hungarian empire. Anti-Semites ox
press thoinBolves bitterly, whllo tho
moro llboral-mlnded are loud in tholr
praises of Emperor Francis Josoph
for this lntest manifestation of his
freedom from religious bins,