THE NORTTT PLATTE SEMT-VT5FiKTiY TTURUNF.
LUXEMBURG REPRESENTED
AT WASHINGTON
Luxemburg, latost and smullest of
'io oouutrlcs of the world to send u
diplomatic .representative to the Unit
ed States, lias .a ruler with a better
popular title to her throne than per
Jiups any other reigning monarch.
Though the llttlo grand duchy Is
smnller even than Rhodo Island, it has
a history reaching farther Into the
ipast than many of the great nations
among which U now takes a place.
It has been "buffeted about like u shut
tlecock by the countries that hem it
In, and at one time or another during
the past thousand years has been un
der the control of nearly every one of
the principal nations of the western
.part of the continent.
While a part of the Holy Empire,
.-Luxemburg furnished an emperor for
the Gennun throne. Count Henry IV
of Luxemburg was elected to that po
sition In 1308 as Henry VII. Luxem
burg later came under the control of
Burgundy and then fell successively
'to Spain, Austria and the first French
republic. It remained under the sov-
erelgnty of the king of the Nether
lands from 1815 to the accession of
-Queen Wilhelmlnn In 1890, when the
existence of the Salic law that nntl
femlnlst outburst "of the old warrior
Franks brought the grand duke of
JCatMU to the throne.
Even while tire king of the Nether
lands was sovereign of Luxemburg, It
-wns a member of the German confeu
erntlon, with the city of Luxemburg
garrisoned by Prussian soldiers. Ro
tentlon of this garrison in the city after
the division of old Luxemburg between
Holland and Belgium In 1831, and es
pecially after the dissolution of the
German confederation In 18C0, almost
caused the Franco-Prussian war to
Start three years ahead of time. The
matter wus'coinpromlsed by an agree
ment for the withdrawal of the Ger
man troops, 'find the demollshment of
the fortifications of the city of Luxem
burg, so strong that the fortress was
lenown as "the Gibraltar of- the North."
In addition the grand duchy was set
-up as an independent state with its
neutrality guaranteed, like that of Bel-
,-glutu. by the powers. This guarantee
was one of the "scraps of paper" of
1014.
During the World war Luxemburg
-was practically a prisoner to Germany,
3nit because the Inhabitants did Hot
resist, the Germans treated them with
m certain degree of consideration. The
sympathies of the people were with
France, however, and several thousand
Xuxemburglnns served with the trl
-color. This popular sympathy for
France and the belief that the reign
"Ing Grand Duchess Marie Adelulde,
liad pro-German lennlngs made her un
popular. After the armistice brought
.about the retirement of the Germans,
m bloodless revolution broke out, uud
Xuxemburg added nnother to Its long
list of sovereignties by'bdng a repub
lie for a few brief hours. Conserva
tive elements? brought about the abdi
cation of the grand duchess in favor
of her sister Charlotte, the present
ruler, and by liberalising the const!
tutlon. Marie Adelaide has entered a
convent and become u Carmelite nun,
BRUSSELS: CAPITAL CITY
OF THE LAND OF THE
LOOM '
Brussels, conspicuous during tho
war, again became a center of world
attention with the meeting there of
the International llnanclul congress,
Brussels' fume rests partly on pop
ular misapprehensions.
Its name is linked with a carpet
that is not made there, and also with
a cathedral which, properly speaking,
Is not a cathedral at all but a church
that 'of St. Gudule.
But even after deducting this much
from Brussels' credit, enough remains
to give it a foremost plnce among
world capitals. Were the romantic
adventures of the city cast into a
"movie" scenario, the title might ac
curutely be "From Swamp Dwelling to
Petit Paris."
The seventh century village on the
Senne. near the center of what now Is
Belgium, was called Brucselle, liter
ally "swamp dwelling," with descrip
tive Intent. The genius of a pcoplo
for making much, of meager physical
circumstances fully warrants the nick
name often given the modern city of
parks, boulevards, art galleries and a
famous university.
Suffering was no new experience for
Brussels. More tltajn three centuries
earlier its great squure had seen Count
Egmont and Count Horn walk to the
scaffold, as tho former recited the llf-
ty-flrst Psalm, and a little later both
heads were, displayed to the assembled
multitude on Iron spikes. More grue
some still, both beads finally were
boxed and sent to Philip II of Spain
sd that latter-day Herod might exult
at another victory over his northern
subjects.
Though tho Brussels carpet of mod
crn times Is not made In Belgium,
Brussels was paid a deserved tribute
In Its naming, for when It first was
manufactured at Wilton, England, the
product was patterned hfter Jthe tap
estries for . which Brussels was famous
for centuries.
In addition to Its weaving Brussels
gained renown for Its laccmaklng, and
Its nccdlc-made laces still llnd their
way all over the civilized world, In
cluding a considerable quantity to tho
United States. The feminine' culture
of feudal times sought to express In
the delicate designs of filmy fabric
what men wrought In tho laco-llko
architecture of Its cathedrals.
MEXICO cTtyTtHE ROME
OF THE AMERICAS
"In all the world one cannot flml
a more remarkable capital than Mex
ico City," says William Joseph Sho-
wnlter, In a communication to the Na
tional Geographic society.
"Situated in a valley whoso floor
Is a mile and a half nbovo the level
of the sea, and whose borders are sur
rounded by towering mountains; lo
cated where the beautiful volcanoes,
Popocatepetl and Ixtacclhuntl, rear
snow-capped heads above the plain and
stand eternal guard over It, Its situ
ation is one of rarb beauty and grand
cur. Its climate Is mild, tlio temper
ature ranging from 35 to 70 degrees,
with a mean of 05 degrees. No man
sleeps without a blanket In Mexico
City, nor needs an overcoat at midday.
"Prior to the conquest the lakes of
tho Mexican valley were extensive and
the barges of the- Aztecs sailed unin
terruptedly from the gates of Chupul-
tepec to Ixtapalapa. A large number
of canals Intersected tho ancient me
tropolis of Tenochtltlan and connect
ed with the lakes In the suburbs, mak
ing It a sort of new world. Venice.
"In 1G07 the celebrated Portuguese
engineer Martinez undertook to drnlil
the Valley of Mexico by cutting a
canal through the mountains. Tho
work, however, wus largely a failure,
'since It drained only one small lake-
and an unimportant river, leaving
lakes Texcoco and Chalco still perpet
ual menaces to the cltjv
"In 1879 a huga drainage canal 30
miles long was begun, which wns
completed In 1900, nt a cost of about
$8,000,000, Amerlcun gold. Its com
pletion removed the danger of Inunda
tions from Mexico City and solved the
problem which occupied the thoughts
and engendered the fears of the
Aztecs an far back as 1449.
"Mexico City Is the most complete
mixture of the ancient and the modern
to be found In the new world. The
old city 'might date anywhere from the
tenth century, from Its appearance.
The new city Is ultra modern, and you
step from the sixteenth to the twen
tieth century by walking across the
street.
"The parade ground of Mexico City
Is the Avcnlda de San Francisco.
This short street extends from tho
Mexican White House to the Alameda,
and Is only about 24 feet from curb
to curb. Here, at the approach of twi
light, every smart equipage In 'the cap
ital conies. Down the one side of the
street and up the other. side moves. the
procession nt a slow walk, while ev
erybody looks at everybody else.
"As Avenldo de San Francisco unites
the old and the new cities, so docs the
Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May) unite
the cathedral, stateliest of all the re
liglous edifices on the continent, with
the National theater, which wns
planned to be the most beautiful of
nil the amusement places In America
The Cinco de Mayo is the Wall street
of Mexico, and the buildings which
line it are modern In every respect.
"The Pnseo de la Reforma, extend
ing from Chapultepec to the Avenlda
de Juarez, a short avenue connecting
the Pnseo with Avenlda de San Fran
cisco. Is one of the. finest driveways
of the world.
"The national pawnshop Is one of
the unique Institutions of the capital.
It was founded by Pedro Jose Ho
mero de Terreros."
HOW GEOGRAPHY SHAPES
ITALY'S DESTINY
Italy's peculiar geographic position
always has been one of tho chief
sources of the country's remarkable
Individuality r.n Individuality marked
by Its political and economic course
since the armistice was signed. Ar
thur Stanley RIees. writing to the Na
tional Geographic society In this re
gard, says:
"From the beginning Nature set It
alv nnart. Every boundary Is perfect
ly clear. The historic "sea enfolds it
to the south, east and west. On tho
north the terrific Alps sweep around
It In a great semicircle from Mediter
ranean to Adriatic, closing the circuit.
"To be sure, from the time of Au
gustus the boundary of each side of
northern Itnly has been Juggled, now
to the- east, now to the west, by poli
tics ; but the physical boundary Is still
definitely there. So thoroughly did
the nnclent chronlders recognize these
.natural limits that long !efore the
name of Italy had any political sig
nificance or entity the writers applied
It to the country thus Inclosed. Tho
nenlnsula-. with Its tremendous Apen
nine bnckbone, makes a hugo boot
which thrusts out practically Into tho
center of the great midland sea.
Necessarily, then. Italy was exposed
to attack and Invasion from three
sides. Indeed, It wns the Invading, or
rather (Colonizing, Greek who combined
with the aborigine to form the pop
ulntlon that stocked the peninsula.
Tnlrnn In n Kmn'llpr wnv. coocrnnhlrni
site or poslflon exercised no less dis
tinct nn effect upon some of the fore
most Italian cities; and In shaping
their affairs and men it also influenced
ihe pntlre world.
''After formlnc this basin northern
Italy the Apennines sweep southwnrd
In a rugged backbone which deter
mines the whole Internal geography
of the country as definitely as the
Alps do its outline northward.
"In central Italy, west of tho moun
tains, the valleys of the Arno and the
Tiber tho only streams of Importance
give tho keynote to any geographic
study of the region. Over on the east
ern coast no rivers of Importance can
exist, because the niountnlns there ap
proach too close to the sea, though the
tortuous, mostly dry beds of tho 'tor
rentl scar every height.
"In this connection It Is Interesting
to noto that nowhero is the peninsula
more than 150 miles wide, and gener
ally not more than 100, while down
In Calabria tho width dwindles In two
places to 35 and 20 miles respectively.
One of the most Inspiring views In
the whole length of tho country nlso
displays this nurrowness strikingly!
when, on a- clear day, from the Gran
Susso, the highest point In the bleak
Abruzzl range, central Italy, at near
ly 10,000 feet, one muy look not only
eastward over the Adriatic to far Dal-
mutla's rocky shores, but also west
ward over the mountain and moor, City
and sandy coast, to the dim and misty
blue of the Tyrrhenian sea. In vol
canlc southern Italy, likewise barren
of any great waterways, the Apen
mines break up Into groups of hills and
peaks, not usually so lofty as farther
northwnrd.
"As in the case of Japan, the sur
rounding sea makes n vast dlffercnco
In the Italian climate. Judged by Its
position alone, the penlnsulu should ho
about the hottest part of Europe It
Is only 90 miles from the southern
shore of Sicily to Africa. But the twin
seas and the ever snow-capped moun
tains temper the heat, and the region
al peculiarities are such that we find
Turin, for Instance, colder in winter
than Copenhagen, and Milan as warm
In summer us Naples."
A VOLCANIC BARNUM AND
BAILEY
Young America will drop anything
to run to a lire. In some parts of the
world Hawaii, for example one also
drops everything to run to n volcano
eruption, unless he already Is too close
for comfort. Then he runs from It.
Have you ever wondered what a vol
cano, In action, looks like? Here Is a
description, not by a scientist, but by
a young Washington woman who went
to Hawaii to live just before Mnuun
Loa's terrific eruption Inst year:
"It seems as if Hawaii, though small,
must have just so much attention, and
so ever so often she explosively projects
herself Into the arena of the world's
happenings," wrote Mrs. Shirley Fos
ter Allen. "Not content with her share
In tho 'Big Show' In Europe, she de
cided to stage a first-cluss side show
all her Own and the 1 two volcanoes,
Maunn Loa and Kiluueu, have certain
ly done their best to make1 It the 'big
gest show on earth.'
"Just n word about the geography
of the place. In the first place so
many people seem to .think the word
'Honolulu' emhrnces,all there Is to the
Islands; and In the second place, the
general conception seems to be that
the volcano Is located in Honolulu's
back yard, as it were, and that
we Honolulnns take our dally
exercise by running up to the
crater every morning before break
fast. - Honolulu Is located on the
Island of Onhu, third island In size
in the group, while the volcano, or
rather volcanoes, are located on Ha
waii, the largest and youngest Inland,
with nn area of more than 4,000 square
miles, which lies nearly 200 miles
southeast of Oahu.
"The first Indication of volcanic ac
tivity was the presence of a peculiar
cauliflower-shaped cloud hanging over
the mountain. Three days later, on
September 29, the whole heavens were
lit up with on apricot glow when, from
n huge vent In the mountain's side, a
flood of molten Invu was belched forth.
Spreading out Into a great shnllow
stream, It camo roaring down the
mountain slope, burning forests, car
rying hugo trees and Immense bould
ers on Its' surface sweeping every
thing before It. With a speed varying
from one to twenty miles n hour, ac
cording to the country It was passing
over, It broadened out until It was
nearly n mile In width. After wiping
out the government belt rond, razing
telephone poles and destroying a vast
amount of property, the red-hot lava
tumbled over a high precipice and
plunged hissing Into the sen.
"A number of excursions were made
In October from Honolulu, and, In ap
proaching the flow from the sea In the
early evening, tho glow from the lava
wus visible for many miles before
Alikn was reached.
"Drifting within 200 ynrds of the
point where the liquid rock wns rush
ing Into the sen, the scene stretching be
fore one was awe-lnsplrlng. Slowly
the smoky haze, from the burning for
ests, which hung over the source 20
miles away, lifted and the river of
fire stood out In Its full glory, holding
one speechless and spellbound. Leap
ing from pall to valley, rushing up
hill and roaring down, the fiery flood
thundered down the mountain slope,
carrying on Its bosom rocks as big as
houses that were tossed about as If
they were mere pebbles. As tha,
stream of blazing lava ncared tho
coastline, It appeared to gather more
speed, taking a final plunge over a 100-
foot cliff nt a terrific rate, aim look
Ing for all the world like n fiery Nl
agarn. As tho red-hot lava came In
contact with the water, grout 'columns
of steam and gas, like huge wafer
spouts, were forced hundreds of feet
Into the air. Huge boulders, hurled
Into space, exploded with thunderous
reports into auras or red ami green
lights, while flashes of what looked
like lightning added Vf Ui chaos."
f 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 J I J 1 1 1 1 1 f 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 C 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Ismail (Stftal
1 fHuur nf Unx Staarun i
Dy DOROTHY PERKINS 5
nmiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiimmiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiirc
(Copyright by A. Neely 1U11. )
Box boards can be used In the mak
ing of practical Christmas gifts, espe
cially small gifts.
Whlskbroom holders never fall to
please. The holder In Fig. 1 requires
single hoard of the dimensions
shown In Fig. 2.
Use a small saw for cutting. Cut a
trifle outside of the outline, then finish
to the line with plane and sandpaper.
Bore a pair of holes nenr the top of.
the board, In the positions shown, to
slip over wall hangers.
Two coats of wlflte enamel malTo n
nice finish for' a bedroom whlskbroom
holder. If tho wood Is clear, you can
shellac and varnish It, or stain nnd
wax It. A stain can be made of nil
paint thinned with turpentine.
The necktle-rnck In Fig. 8 has a
back of the dimensions of the upper
part of the whlskbroom holder; there
fore, If you muke the holder first, you
can mark out the tle-rnck board from
It. Figure 4 shows the height to
make the back. Bore holes for hang-
ers. Figure 5 shows dimensions for
tho rod bracket, and Fig. 0 shows di
mensions for the tie-rod. Bore the
hole for the rod through the bracket
before cutting out tho block, to pre
vent tho possibility of splitting while
boring. A carpenter's dowel-stick,
flagstaff, or stick whittled to the di
ameter given, mny be used for the rod.
Center the rod upon the bracket, and
center the bracket upon the back.
The plant-stand shown In Fig. 7 Is
designed to conceal the earthen pot
of a potted plant.
The diameter of tho pot will de
termine the Inside width and length
of the box. Make the inside depth
an Inch less thau the depth of the
pol. Figure 8 shows how sides A nnll
to the ends nf sides B, and how tho
bottom fits between the sides.
Cut top C to lit tho top of the box,
with n projection of 1 Inch all around,
Cut the center hole a trifle larger than
the pot, so the pot will slip In nnd
out eafilly After the top lias been
nailed on, prepare the corner strips
D and E, nail them together and nnll
a pair to each box corner.
The footstooMn Fig. 0 will bo ap
preciated by every lover of n good
book nnd an easy chair. First prepare
end pieces A by tho pattern" of Fig.
10, then top board B. The length of
B should be 14 or 10 luches, the width
will be governed by tho length of
pieces A. Nail top B to pieces A,
then cut bruce 0 (Fig. 1!1) and fasten
It between runners A. To tho edges
of top B null strips D (Fig. 12):
Round the top edges as shown.
Pack dampened excelsior between
strips D (Fig. 13). Then over tho ex
celsior stretch n piece of cloth, and
i - -)
ilt'T
TOR DlMCNSION I I Oj
lie Fio 2 LJ-r- " 14-
tack It to the edges of top B.
(Elfrtutmafi Stop
tlfc tBiujfl (flan fflalu?
a. neely hail
(Copyright by A Neely Hall.)
When painted In bright colors, the
toys shown In the Illustrations will bo
as- pleasing to those young relatives
whom you wish to remember on Christ
mas, as any similar toys In stores.
The nuto truck shown In Fig. 1 has
a cigar-box body 5 Inches wide. 8
Inches long ami 2 InrlioS deep. Cut
wooden strips A (Fig. 2) ) Inch wide
nnd 1 Inch thick, by the length of tho
box, and null them to Hie box
bottom close to tho sides. Screw
scrcweye axle hearings B Into -these
strip. Tho scrcweyes should bo A'
Inch In diameter, because tho wheol
axles C (Fig. 3) must be of this diam
eter to fit tho holes of tho spool wheels
D. The "'heels nro spool ends.
Il' inovo (he rear end of the box anil
hinge It tt. he box bottom (E. Fig. 2),
for an end gate.
Fig. 4 shows n detail of front
platform, F, dashboard G, steering
post II, and steering-wheel I a spool-
end.. Fasten these pieces as Indicated.
Fit sent .7 across tho box top, and scat
back K to Us edge. Null canopy sup
ports L to the seat buck and box sides,
nnd tack the canopy M to the sup
ports ncorhe top.
The clown turner (Fig. 0) Is mado
to perform upon his turning-pole by
squeezing the lower end of the up
rights. The squeezing causes u pair
of thretids F (Fig 11) to untwist then
twist, and the untwisting and twist
ing makes the clown turn.
Fig. 7 shows dimensions for up
rights A and connecting block B. Fas
ten B between strips A us shown.
Patterns for the clown are shown
In Figs. 8, 0 and 10. Cut the-body
members, out of cigar-box wood,
punch holes where Indicated, and with
pieces of hnlrplns or otlmr small
wire, pivot tho arms and lugs to tho
body. Pierce a small hole through
each hand, and whittle the ends of a
match to fit In the holes. The match
(E, Fig. 7) forms the turnlug-pole.
With a coarse needlo pierce a pair of
holes through 'the arms at the wrists,
nnd another pair through uprights A
near tho top. Run heavy linen threads
through the holes In tho wrists, and
twist their ends (F, Fig. 11), then run
the ends through tho holes In uprights
A, and tie. The threads inust be twist
ed when the clown hangs down (Fig.
11), untwisted when he bus swung
up over tho pofe.
Tho top In Fig. 12 requires little
description. A pencil with a blunt
point (A, Fig. IS) pushed through n
spool whittled cone-shaped (B), forms
tho spinning point, and a shoe-polish
cun (0), pierced to push over tho pen
cil end nnd rest upon tho spool end,
completes me top.
Tho top Is spun by twirling tho pen
cil between the palms, In ono direction,
then tho other alternately (Flff. 12).
"poco Fuel Co.
1 X
tl j j 1? :
Li r lu 1
if
tiHinnmuninuiu
(fT7 C A
f 1
.MARY GRAHAM. BONNER.
I COfTHUM IT VlHItN MVIMftl UNlOM
ZEDU FAMILY.
"W'q nover give the 'keeper any"
trouble." said Zoe Zebu. Wo'ro
good-natured for the most part."
"Yes," said .Mr. Zebu, ."we're a
pretty harmless lot. Well, In some
wnys It's n wonder wo iiren't more
spoilt, for In Indlii, from where y
onme, we were known fas 'the sacred
cattle of India.'
"That might have spoilt us.' For
to be considered so much as all that
Is oven .very dlfteront from being
petted nnd loved.
"But we are a pretty gentle, lot.
Now I have two big horns and it
hump. I am telling this so that when
children come to n zoo iumI should
see mo or any of my relatives they
would know who we were nt once, and
would bow their heads and say:
"How-do-you-do, Zebu family?'
"I have reached my full growth, for
I nm five years old. Tne little, young
er Zebus have smuller humps. They
have to grow to manhood nnd fivu
years of nge before they cun have real
humps such ns I have, or rnthur a
real hump!
"You, Mrs. Zqo Zebu, hnven't as big
n hump iih I have; neither hav you
such big honr you never have. Non
of the Mrs, Zebus have as blgjiumps
and horns. -
"Now, your young haby-doesn't ,
show his horns until he- Is ulmost a '
yenr old. Sometimes he shows them
fairly well when he Is about nine
months old.
"Oh, but you jire a Jealous mother,
Mrs, Zoe Zebu.
"You're a very Jealous mother.
"And If another zebu mother .has
a bnny all the other Mrs. Zebus
would go after her for a dttyor two-
Just to annoy her a little be ause they
were jealous, though they really
"How Do You Do?"
wouldi.'t mean to be cross, nnd nfter
n day or two they would come to
their senses nnd bo pleasant.
"Isn't that so. Mother Zoe Zebu?"
"Quite so, quite so," said Mother
Zoo Zebu, or Mrs. Zoe Zebu. Sho
was known by both names.
"You, Mr. Kebu. don't enre for
your young sons as you do for your
young daughters. If you got a chance
you might kill your young sons, where
as I've never heard or known of a
Mr. Zebu killing n young daughter.
"But you're nil right when they're
a little older, nnd you are very nlco
and friendly and fatherly and all the
rest of It then.
"And when they're young, very
young, nnd really only babies, all the
Mrs, Zebns have the senso to keep.
rtinlf- llilliloa ff in t1inuic:nltn(i
"Sometimes a Mrs. Zebu Isn't
especially good about looking after
her young, but that only happeps once '
In awhile. They say In the' zoo that
has happened. Usually Mother Zebus
look very well nnd carefully after
their young, and they at .least would
never do anything like 'hurt them.
"A mother Zebuonly has one Iittlo
one (or one big one, some creatures
might call tho hahlcK) born at n time.
It Is all k" Mother Zebu can take
care of, she thinks.
"And so she acts nccordlng to her
thoughts.
"But while we're cross when our
hnbles come, for tho first few days,
as we're nervous and anxious for tho
safety of our new ones, we're pretty
friendly on the whole.
"When my hahy was born I Was
cross for three whole- days, hut then-
I was pleasant again.
"And the keeper comes right In our
yard nnd -oven brings guests with him,
too, nnd tljo goat, Jlmmle Riley, who
Is- Just the greatest little boss In the
world, he comes In here, too.
"Ho wns named nfter ono of the
keepers, the ono who looks nfter
Lnrry, the monkey,, nnd Fat, tho coatl
mundl, nnd tho one who named htm
was tho keeper who looks after tho
goats nud tho bears and the zebus.
"And he lets his pet dog nnd his
pet lamb come In here, too. And vis
itors havo come In and we huvp licked
their hands with our great scratchy,
purple tongues.
"Yew, friends, tho Zebu fumlly Is a
very friendly fnmlly. Do not he
nfrnld of us. Wo will not hurt you!
And wo hope you like to hear nbout
us ; we hope sol"
Stickler for Exactness.
Young Ludy (telephoning) Oh, doc
tor. I forgot to nsk nbout that eye
medicine you gave me."
Doctor Well?
Annus i.uwjf ju m. ii mi ii iii iuy
eyes before or after meals? Cornell
Widow.
