THE COST OF A QUARREL?
Pathstie Story of the Strike In the'
Westmoreland Coal Fields. :
In Westmoreland county. Pa., the
loosest strike oa record still drags on.
A. S. Crapsey has just finished a com
plete investigation and makes a thrill
ing report in the August American
Magazine.
It is a coal strike, and it has been
going steadily on since March 10. 1910.
Oa one side are the operators, aud on
the other side are the -United Mine
Workers of America. The operators
are organized, but they object to the
unionizing of the , men. The quarrel
really started over that point. Then
questions of pay. conditions of labor.'
nd so on. became involved.
But it is the cost of the quarrel that ,
is most interesting now. The United
Aline Workers have actually paid out a
million dollars in cash to the men who
are on strike. The operators have spent
half a million for extra police protec
tion. Untold millions are the loss
through limitation of output and In
creased expenses. 1
Twenty fives have been lost and an-;
speakable suffering incurred. Babies
bave been born in the open fields where
the strikers have camped out. Sickness
bas abounded. Drinking has increased.
Moral degeneration has set in. Physical
weakening of the men bas taken place. .
It is a terrible story. j
The war is coming to a close because
the miners have exhausted their re
sources and must g:ve up. Mr. Crap
sey. who writes in great fairness, says,
in conclusion:
"No one could be with these men for
any length of time without feeling for
them a pathetic admiration. They
were sacrificing their immediate com
fort for a future good. They were fight
ing for a cause. They were convinced
that they were battling for two primi
tive rights of man the right of a man
to own himself and the right of a
man to own his job. Most of them
had come from eastern Europe allured
by promises of freedom and plenty.
They found slavery and starvation
awaiting them. One Italian said to
me. drawing his hand across his neck.
1 canna lire like a man: I cutta a
throat )
These men were living on starva-;
don allowances. The union gave each '
man $2.50 a week, with a small addl- (
tional sum for each child. They were '
limited to the simplest food. Bread
and molasses was a luxury. They ,
would inarch every afternoon a dis-j
tance of five miles to and from the '
nines and go supperless to bed. and '
yet they hold on. There is a wistful '
look In their faces as If they didn't
understand, as If they were asking of
this great country: 'Where is the free
dom you promised me? Where is the
plenty T
"The condition of the women and '
children In the shacks that the labor
anions have built to shelter them will
not bear description. They are herded
without any regard for comfort or
decency; they live in their own filth;
they are eaten of vermin ; they are half
starred; they are clothed In the castoff
rags of others: they are the innocent
-victims of a great social wrong.
"The strikers are beaten, but only
for a time. In my judgment, we are
on the eve of a great industrial strug-.
gle In the coal fields upon the issue of
which the existence of organized labor '
will depend."
Menace to Unionism. j
The A. F. of L. executive council
was in session in Washington the oth- '
r day, and apparently it has dawned :
on its members that the jurisdictional
quarrels in affiliated unions have be- 1
come a serious menace to the move
ment. It was given out during the
session that "the absurdity of anions
warring among themselves to deter
mine whose members shall d this or
do that long since has Ikq apparent
to even the most superficial observer.
This foolishness mast stop, and stop
It will." It is to be hoped the execu
tive council is not bluffing. Brooklyn
Eagle.
Dislikes Convict Labor.
"I have visited several large penal
Institutions In the United States where
goods are manufactured, and I think
our Australian law barring prison
made goods Is a good one." said W. B.
Barkley of the high commissioner's
office of the commonwealth of Aus
tralia. Trade Union Notes.
Members of the Minnesota state
board of barbers examiners receive
93 per day.
Within the past forty years the
number of women workers in France
bas nearly doubled.
Painters of Wheaton, 111., secured In
crease to 4o cents per hour, eight hour
day and Saturday half holiday.
At Hot Springs, Ark, the painters
have gained aa Increase from S30 to
$3.00 per day. carpenters from 3.60
o St.
Brewery workers of Lancaster. Pa
won their strike for $1 per week in
crease, and engineers got $2 per week
Increase.
The city council of liar re. Tt, grant
ed street and water department em
ployees a forty-eight hour week, reduc
ing hours from fifty-four, without re
duction In wages.
"I believe in a uniform five hour
working day for five days a week, the
wages to be $3 a day." said Henry
Abrahams, secretary of the Boston
Central Labor union.
After twenty years of service' all
postmasters and -clerks in Germany
receive a pension from the s.ivernnieat
ami after forty years a full pension. In
addition to the regular salary. "
FOR UNIONISM.
The next great day in the la
bor calendar Is Labor day, which
will fall on Monday. Sept. 4. The
eyes of the whole world are at
this time fixed on organized la
bor with close and critical in
spection, and it behooves all ad
herents of the movement to do
their best to make a creditable
showing on the day of its annual
public display.
Now let us all get to work and
prepare such a celebration of the
approaching holiday of labor as
has never been seen. It will well
reward theeffort in the enjoyment
of the day. in the self satisfac
tion that will follow attention to
this great duty, and in the re
sult in public appreciation of the
strength, vitality and high pur
poses of the labor movement.
Who can hang back when the
greatness of what is at stake is
considered? By all means let us
begin at once a long pull, a
strong pull and a pull all to
gether for the good of organized
labor.
UNIQUE GAS DETECTOR.
Mechanical Device Gives Warning of ;
r: r i u: . !
A new device for detecting fire damp
in mines has just been designed by
two young chemists, junior teachers in
the Technical college in Sydney. Aus
tralia. The new detector is a simple
and portable apparatus designed for
the purpose of detecting and indicat
ing the presence of fire damp and oth
er dangerous gases in coal and other
mines. Its warning is given either
by a loud sounding alarm bell or by
the flashing into view of a red glow
light.
The makers of thus simple contriv
ance have based their procedure upon
Gratham's law of the diffusion of
gases namely, "all gases tend to dif
fuse into one another at a definite rate,
which varies in an inverse ratio to the
square root of the density of the
gases. Taking also Ansell's fire damp
detector as an additional starting point,
the Inventors have succeeded in pro
curing an efficient instrument which an
inspector or miner may carry in his
hand and test with ease and certainty
the air in any heading or at any work
ing face.
The apparatus consists merely of a
piece of glass tubing bent into U
shape, with the lower curve flattened.
One leg of the U has an ordinary shell
funnel at its upper end. and the open
mouth of this is covered by a thin
disk of plaster of paris. mixed thin,
so that in drying it remains porous.
The other leg is crowned by a small
reservoir containing additional mer
cury, with a little glass tap to allow
the metal to be run into the bent tube
below as and when required. Through
each lower leg there is passed a fine
platinum wire, that of the funnel
crowned one being about half an inch
below the level of the other, and im
mersed in mercury, which fills the
bend of the U up to its level. Each
wire is connected to the poles of an
ordinary battery cell, and thence ef
fective connection is made with either
an alarm bell or colored light- When
the detector is brought into the pres
ence of an admixture of gas and air
the foreign gas permeates the plaster
of paris shield and depresses the mer
cury column below. This naturally
causes the mercury in the other leg of
the U to rise, and its rise brings It Into
contact with the platinum wire just
above It. This slight contact is suffi
cient to complete the circuit and set
either hell or danger light to work. So
sensitive is the apparatus, as shown
by tests during a recent exhibition, it
can be adjusted to give warning of the
presence of such a small proportion
as 2 per cent or even less of an un
desirable gas.
Labor In Switzerland.
It Is said that labor conditions tn
Switzerland are somewhat better than
anywhere on the European continent
and the organized workmen relatively
: greater. The trade union movement,
however. Is not thoroughly united, po-
t litical and religious questions preclud
ing a complete unification. Beneficial
' associations and other organizations
based on religion are common in Swit
zerland. Out of a total of 113.SOO or-
' ranlxed workmen in 1910 only 67.3-18
'rere affiliated with the general federa
tion of that conntrv. the Trade Tnion
association. The railway workers have i
an 82 per cent organization. Member-
ship Is on the increase.
i Coopers In Fine Shape.
Information has come to hand rrom
j the secretary-treasurer of the Coopers
I International union that business in
j the cooperage irade throughout the
: country is exceedingly good and that
; there are no Idle men in fact, there
I is a dearth of men. This organization
, has signed up numerous contracts re
. cently. every one of which gives a sub
j stantial increase in wages and the
I shortening of the workday to eight
j hours. These agreements have all
1 been secured without strike except in
' one instance, that In Chicago, which
j lasted only five days.
Labor Federation In Piu.n.
j A federation of transiiort workers
j has recently been formed in Bulgaria,
j There are now affiliated the unions of
j railway men. post, telegraph, tele
i phone and tramway servants, dockers,
; teamsters, motor drivers and all other
laborers employed in any branch of
the traffic and transport trade of the
country.
EARTH WEARS DUST BLANKET
Increases Temperature In Daytime
and Checks Fall of Temperature
at Night.
When the air Is very thick and
hazy it may contain Coating dust par
ticles to the number of from 10,000 to
20.000 in every cubic centimeter.
while a cubic contimeter of very clear j
air may contain only from a dozen to
a few hundred particles.
An English observer's data indicates ,
that there Is a relation between the j
quantity of dust and the temperature j
of the air. A great amount of dust. )
it is thought. Increases the tempera- j
ture In the daytime and checks the .
fall of temperature at night. j
The reason is that the presence ot ;
dust serves as an obstruction to the j
free radiation of heat through the,
air. The sunbeams pass through very
pure, clear air without lending much ;
heat to it, and at night the heat re-
ceived by the ground during the day
readily escapes through the same air;
but if the atmosphere is heavily laden
with dust, the sun's raysare partially
arrested by the particles which, be
coming heated, in turn warm the air.
and in like manner heat radiated from
the earth at night is retained hi the
hazy layers of air In contact with Its
surface. . 1
Without its atmosphere, which I
serves as a coverlet to protect It ;
against the fearful cold of space, the ;
surface of the earth would be frozen
like that of the airless moon. But the
data gathered by reliable observers
show that the atmospheric blanket
wrapped around our planet varies In
Its power to retain heat in proportion
to the amount of dust particles that tt
contains. Harper's Weekly.
EXTRA ALLOWANCE FOR KIDS
Wise Housekeeper Lays Down Safe
Bule for the Entertainment
of Children.
They just had received a telephone
message that Mr. and Mrs. Rankin j
were over In town with little Bennie,
and would drop In for luncheon if it
would be convenient, and they had '
said of course it would be. Then they
hastily examined the contents of the
larder.
"We seem to be rather low on choc
olate." announced Jessica, "but proba
bly there is enough If we are carefuL
We can give Bennie a little cup."
"Dont ever think It," warned moth
er, hastily. "Pick out the biggest cup
for Bennie and be prepared to refill
It a few times. You and I will take
little cup or none, but dont ever think
a child especially a growing boy
isn't going to want the most of every
thing. If you make such a mistake
you are likely to come face to face
with the most terrible embarrass-
icents. A much safer rule is to allow j
double, at least, for each child."
WOMAN'S WAY THE SUREST j
Gets Quick Action Where Man Would
Have Argued for Half an
Hour.
A writer In the New York Globe
tells of a young woman who, be be
lieves, is not inferior to any man In
the management of the affairs of life.
She bought a small farm, and waa
busy overseeing the work on it.
. The other day she ordered a tele
phone installed, and the compaays
workmen started in. Presently the
"boss" called her out to the lawn.
"We cant run the wire In without
damaging that tree," be said, pointing
to a fine old elm near the pterin. Tt
cant be done."
"Very well," replied the young wo
man smiling, "then you needn't pot fa
the phone." and she e entered the
house.
"Did the electricians go awayT" ask
ed the correspondent, who assuredly
believes that a man should think twice
before Insisting upon bis boasted men
tal superiority to the other sex.
"No, sir. They put in the phone
and without banning the tree."
"A man. now," he eonctadea, "would
have argued a half hour over the mat
ter." Unredeemed Paris Pledge.
An incident not without patn or
eurred toward the end of last k a'
a sale of unredeemed pledges at li-r
Mont de , Piete. There were sol b?
auction a child's drinking cup. r'att
spoon and knife and fork. Fifty one
years ago these souvenirs wer iv
posited in the Paris municipal pawn
shop. Every year since the interest
has been paid regularly and the right
of redemption secured, but the family
never seem to. have possessed the
necessary 15 or 20 francs to resume
possession.
Evidently the poor people are either
dead or. have become more needy
Two years ago the Interest ceased to
be paid, but the department, to their
credit, abstained from selling thee
"lares and penates." Several letters
were addressed at the last known res
idence and to other places where the
pawners have lived, but they have
come back marked "Inconnu." The
sands of the glass have run out and
the objects so carefully guarded for
half a century have been sold.
Same Old Human Nature,
From the fresco paintings of wom
en in Cretan palaces of the period
about 2000 B. C it is learned that the
women of that time pinched in their
waists, had flounced or accordion plait
ed skirts, wore an elaborate coiffure
on their heads, shoes with high heels
and hats which might have come from
a Parisian hat shop, while one woman
might be described as wearing a jupe
calotte.
FACTS ABOUT THE SHAMROCK
Is an Entirely Different Plant In Vari
ous Sections of the Emerald
Isle.
A rose by any other name would be
as sweet, and the fact that the sham
rock of old Ireland Is an entirely dif
erent plant in various sections of the
Emerald isle in no wise affects the
romance that attaches to the name
The plant generally exported from
Ireland under that name is one of the
hop clovers, Trifolium minus. It Is
a mistake to think that this plant
will grow only In Ireland. It will grow
and thrive In any temperate climate
when properly cultivated. In fact,
there is no plant known as shamrock
which is peculiar to Ireland. White
clover, for Instance, known In vari
ous sections of Ireland as shamrock,
grows in the United States in great
abundance. Black medic and wood
sorrel are designated as shamrock In
certain localities. The wood sorrel
may. In fact, be the shamrock of song
and story. Ordinary red clover Is
sometimes called shamrock In the
United States.
But, after all. a pretty sentiment
should not be Interfered with by bo
tanical experts what matters their
Latin names, so long as the three
leafed bit of green grew near the cot
tage of the fathers in the ould conn
try?
CURIOUS PHASE OF IDIOCY
Man Will Lie In Bed and Shiver
Rather Than Get Up for
Extra Wraps.
Perhaps a man never realizes so
surely what a fool he is as when be
wakes up on a cold night with the
feeling that there is not enough cover
ing on the bed. While he Is perfectly
aware that he is shivering, all his
powers of action seem to have de
serted him. He will no doubt draw
his knees up close to his chin, but
that is about all he will do to relieve
his suffering.
AH this time, strange to say. his
mind Is just as capable of thinking as
if he were not in a half daze. He real
izes fully that In his wardrobe, with
in a few feet of him, are enough extra
wraps to laugh the cold to scorn and
make him the happiest man in the
world. Yet he will huddle himself
Into a cramped position, and lie awake
to hear his teeth chatter rather than
get out of bed and walk a few feet
All this time he recognizes the fact
that he Is a fool, and though he In
wardly curses himself for his timidity,
some strange spell seems to be cast
over him that prevents his doing what
he should do. There he shivers until
sleep comes to his aid. In the morn
tng he will vow never again to be
such a coward, though he knows in
his heart that when the thing occurs
again he will be Just as big a fool as
before. ,
STRENGTH OlF "SPIDER'S WEB
Single Thread Supports Weight Seventy-Four
Times Weight of
Spider Himself.
The strength of the spider, and of
the materials it employes, is some
thing almost incomprehensible, when
the size of the insect and the thick
ness of his thread are taken into ao
counL Recent experiments have shown
that a single thread of a web made by
a spider which weighed 54 milligrams
supported endwise a weight of four
grams, or 74 times the weight of the
spider Itself.
When, therefore, a spider spins a
web to let himself down from the
celling, or from the branch of a tree,
and we see him descending without
perceiving his thread at all, we may
be perfectly sure that he is not only
in no danger of fTHtig but that he
could carry 73 other spiders down
with him on his Invisible rope. Know
ing this fact with reference to a sin
gle thread, we need not be surprised
that the threads of a web. Inter woven
and reinforced one by another, have
a very considerable strength, and are
able to hold bees and wasps, them
selves very powerful in proportion to
their size, and to bend without break
ing under a weight of dew or rain.
TO READ COIN INSCRIPTIONS
Numismatist Shows Test That Seldom
Falls to Reveal Dates oa
Worn Coins.
Lying on the table In front ot a
numismatist was an old copper eotn.
It had experienced hard usage.
"Can you read the date and the In
scription?" Inquired the collector.
- The visitor Inspected the specimen,
but, although he had the aid of a mag
nifying glass, he confessed that the
words and figures were Illegible.
"Let me assist you," the collector
remarked. Going to the kitchen range
he thrust an ordinary coal shovel into
the fire and permitted It to remain
there until red hot. Withdrawing It,
he dropped the coin on the utensil,
and it speedily became as red hot aa
the shovel itself. Immediately the
date. 1794. shone brightly in glowing
figures on the obverse side of the
coin, and similar treatment revealed
the words United States of America
one cent on the reverse. This test,
according to the numismatist, seldom
fails with any coin, even when the in
scriptions have been worn so perfect
ly smooth that they are Invisible to
the naked eye.
Women In Business.
Women are now engaged in all but
two of the 303 gainful occupations of
the men of this country.
Named for Lincoln
Made in Lincoln
tlBErtTY
gH.OARBER &S0MS
Demand Iiterty Floor and take no other,
does not handle it, phone us about it-
H. O. BARBER & SON
E
A TRIUMPH IN THE ART OF BREWING ,
r
THE LEADING BEER
H0OS& FRAAS
UJSCOti NEBRASKA
IN THE MIDDLE WEST
THE RIVERSIDE
BASE BURNERS
For hard coal or coke. Largest sarvmit nf rr-it;
'face. Improved flue construction prrxlaces more beat un;t
from coal consumed. Easy
.flues, thus affording doable radiation and taking: cold air from
'floor.
HANDSOMEST AM) BEST
Riverside Base Burners are as goo! as they look, and they
I are the best lot k ng stoves on
ERNEST
108 North
A RANGE OF QUALITY
Is the new improved steel range, tnade express
ly for us, has many points of superiority over
other ranges including material and construct
ion. Two warming ovens. Bakinsj oven asbestos-lined.
Improved and handy bmUing device.
Sectional lids.
A RARE RANGE BARGAIN
We guarantee this range for service and dura
bility. We have been handling ranges for many
years, but "The New Han" is the best we have
ever offered. Prices from $40 rp according to
size.
HALL BROS. CO.
1517 0 Street
I
Preserve for San Water FM.
Bermuda wm soon have a sett v
ter fishing preserve covering a area
of about five square miles. I: wQ be
made by consti uctlug a sfC of eoav
erete across the single narrow open
ing which unites Harrington
with the ocean, and fixing a
to prevent the exit of flan.
Queer Physical Facta.
- Matters in geography and physics
appear to get a little mixed at times.
The mouth of the Mississippi la sev
eral miles farther from the ecaier of
the earth than Its source, so that it
actually runs upfam. Also the eastern
end of the Panama canal is farther
west than the western end. It sounds
like a "bull,1 to be rare, bat for all
that it is a fact.
Test of the Oven
Test of the Taste
Test of Digestion
Test of Quality
Test of Quantity
Test f Time
Measured by Every
Test it Proves Best
If your grocer
1
to take down or set op. Three
the marlei.
HOPPED
lOti Steet
to U33 tsaa. TW r
States prolace 1X3 toaa;
with Alasals. farafafciaar ftM
Asmtria, wf Iserta. 57 toe; Italy.
Moote-Amiara. JT tons: Rant. JO-
Aofka. Tit tea; XexVa. 134
ot&er eoant-lea, tagfafflga; Japaa
t-Btaa. rarsadi fa
20 tons.
W W IUsm
Oae farm szciasfvery tor
aa been started, la Cippsfasd. Yle
tarfa, which, sonssrisea (wo ffiims sit
acres of eweatypcas bs taadt An
other farm exapclsiBg fir fccadr!
aeres fcaa bm start in sourer
Tasmania and another of m ncrm tm
New Sooth WiSea.
Santa.