', , 'V
- if- f.
TMC BEST OF LIFE.
Not till life's heat is cooM.
Tbe headlong rush slow tsi tu t ipiiet l"i",
And every purbli'id passiou that has
ruled
Our oiier years, it lea hi
Spun os in Taiu. aud. wetry of the rare.
Ws tip do more who loses or woo win
Ah! not till all the best of life seems past
The best of life begin.
To toil ful uaj fame,
Hftnd"l.(ing, and the tickle guests of
pra iae.
For pia.v or power or gold to gild a
naine
Abflre the nif whereto
All path will bring na, ere to lose our
day.
We, on whose ear youth's pas-ung bell
has tolled, '2,
la bluv:nB bubbles, even a ohildren do,
Forgetting we grow ld.
But the world widens when
Such hope of triral gain that ruled ua lie
Broken among our childhood's toy, for
then
We win to self-control!
And mail ourselves in manhood, and '.here
rise
Upon ii fn.ra the vast aod winilet.s
hemht
Thoae i lenrer thought that fire unto the
bulll
What stars are to the night.
The Spectator.
CHAPTER I.
Three steely wreaths of smoke from
three dual's floated toward the park.
The night was calm, with scarce
breath of air to net the tree tops nod
ding No one thought to Jar uion the still
ness of the sceue by uttering his
thought aloud. Besides there was no
need of speech; they were friends, and,
being friends, smoked on In peace,
helping by their presence the unfolding
of each other's. dreams.
But the spell was broken at last. The
jwarai coloring of Lewis Forbes' dream
had vanished into a grayness of va
cancy. He rose, and by his motion disturbed
hlg guests.
The three men rose and shook them
selves free of the last remains of w hat
they had Just tried to conjure up agabi
before them.
The heat from the fire began to make
them more sociable, and they lalked
on all sorts of topics, their conversation
taking on a wide range, from the new
est book on conveyancing to the latent
opera.
At last the talk came In nearer cir
cles and assumed a more personal In
terest. "I suppose you are both going to the
Hansotue dance next week?" suggest
ed Le wis Forbes, the host
"Perhaps; I know guile kuuiv yet,"
replied his friend Spencer, In a tone of
the least possible concern.
"I dare say I shall go." drawled Ca
rew. Who could have connected these al
most careless replies with Agues Ran
some's bew itching eyes and cherry lips,
whose unsubstantial Image tliey had
been kissing in their counterfeit of
passion?
Each slowly took from his pocket a
delicately-tinted envelope, from which
he drew a letter.
A glance sufficed to show that the
contents of all three, were the same.
The truth flashed upon them, lighting
up for thcin the ludicrous side of the
matter.
To do them credit, they tried to be
angry, but, despite themselves, they
burst into a roar of laughter.
When they had finished they consol
ed themselves by calling the lady a
flirt, accepting their Infatuation as
a fact too real to be displaced by rea
son. Forbes was the first to suggest
that they should discuss the matter in
all Its ben rings.
"What is the good of that?" asked
Carew.
"To arrive at some understanding,"
was the reply.
"Well, but after all," Insisted his
friend, "the best man will win."
"Yes or the first," was the rejoinder.
They sat for a long time propound
ing solutions of the difficulty. All kinds
of devices were mentioned to ascertain
the lady's feelings on the subject.
At last Spen.-er wag seized with a
happy idea.
"Lot us all propose together," he ex
claimed. They looked at hlin In surprise. "AH
togPther?" they echoed.
"Yes." he explained, "w hy should we
not all three call on her, or, perhaps,
writing would bp less embarrassing.
They wit a while and pondered, tills
Idc objections that were not objec
tion, filially they set themselves se
riously to think out the details.
CHAPTER II.
Acne Rausome, like a bee among
the heather, hoveling over the purple
Delia, was In her boudoir turning over
with dainty fingers the books and pret
r thine
ta left the mirror and lay on the
Before the Are, too Indolent al-
1 to thin.
Os ksMl not lain long before a gestfe
aa vu aanounced, and ft was evl
Cast If bar eager aod lovlag welcome
' that fhev were more than friend. Thli-
was bis flrt visit after his acccpmuce.
and as yet he was still only a friend of
the family.
They were still talking -now about
themselves when the maid brought
her mistress a letter.
She read It and very demurely Land
ed It to her lover, but before he had
half got through it she broke into a
peal of laughter.
"Wnat answer shall I give, dear?"
"Well. I think you had better tell the
truth," he replied.
"Tell the truth V she asked, repeat
ing his words.
"Yes. that you haven't any prefer
ence." "uli, but suppose I have?" she re
joined archly.
A kiss was her only reply.
This was the letter which caused her
such amusement:
"Icar Miss Kansome: We, the unde
signed, having the honor to make you
a somewhat curious request Each ot
us aspires to the honor of your hand,
and. being dear friends, we cannot. In
the light of this knowledge, set our own
fancied individual claims before those
of each other We pledge ourselves to
abide by any decision at which It may
please you to arrive. Hoping that you
w ill find it possible to help us, aud that
you will pardon what may appear im
pertinence, we have the honor to re
main, your most devoted admirers,
'i.KWIS FOIiHKS.
'IHoilSli'MF.il,
"WILLIS CAREW."
They discussed the wording of the re- j
ply. and decided to couch it In surh
a form that no mention should be made
of the engagement, while no Iir.ct nc j
ceptance of the proposal contained in
this note should be given. j
Agnes suggested that Jack should,
call on !'.r!ws that same evening,
shrewdly guessing that the friends
would meet at his lodgings In eager ex
pectation of the reply.
CHAPTER III.
It seemed a though the clock woulo
never strike 4. Would the court never
rise, that pKir juniors might doff their
wig and stuff gown and hasten away
westward?
But Lewis Forbes got home nt last,
eager for a letter that he hoped to Cii.t
But when he found It he did not open
It, but, with his mind In a ferment,
waited for dinner and the arrival of
bis friends, who were to dine with him.
They arrived together, and both In
quired: "Where is It?"
They arranged themselves around
the table. In the middle of which lay
the precious envelope.
"Opeu It," suggested Carew.
Spencer nodded approval.
"(ientlemen: I thank you most sin
cerely for the honor you propose to cou.
fer upon me. I much regret that I can
not help you out of your difficulty by
IMTsoiial preference. Would not such
a case be better left to pure chance?
A pack of cards might work out a so
lution. Thanking you once wore mos
sincerely, and awaiting the result with
some anxiety, I remain. Yours very
truly, AGNES RANSOMR."
He finished, and set a pack of cards
on the table without speaking word.
They shuffled them still in silence.
Forties was the first to break it. "Yon
see, cutting for the highest or lowest
card is one of the crudest of methods.
Iet us play vingt-et-un, the first to turn
up a natural to be the lucky mail."
They agreed, and the deal fell to
Forbes.
Iiay began and went on round after
round, but still no "natural" turned
up. Every other combination in the
pack was dealt except a "natural."
A visitor was announced to relieve
the monotony. He proved to be Mill-
man, who, true to bin proposal of ;bei
morning, had called and found things
as he had anticipated.
"We won't keep you a moment," urg
ed Forbes. "We are only waiting tr,r
a natural."
CHAPTER IV.
Another round was being d."alr; each
one had a card. Millman, looking on
saw the light In Spencer's eyes; glanc
ing at Carew he was surprised to -e
his mouth twitching nervously. Both
evidently had a good card. Forbes
dealt each a second. -
"XaturaU" eame from both smltil
taneously, as they started up frtn the
table.
Forbes looked at his own cards, rath
er from curiosity than anything else.
"Natural r he shouted, his fac aglow
with excitement.
"But." Insisted Spencer, "you forget
the agreement was the winner should !
be the man who turned up a natural '
first"
"Yes," objected Forbes, "but surely
we must keep the rule of the game. If
the dealer gets a natural it cancels any
others. The rule Is, as you know,
'Quits pay the dealer.' "
"But don't you see," argued bis
friend, "that this Is not a regular
game?"
"Appeal to Millman," suggested Ca
rew, himself uncertain whether to ad
vance his own claim or not
Forbes undertook the task, and after
putting him In possession of fhe lead
ing facts, concluded by saying:
"Now, who do you think Is entitled to
propose to Miss Rflnsome?"
Jack appeared for a tuomeut to be
deep In thought
At last he said, very slowly:
"There Is dhe way out of the diffi
culty "
"Yesr
"I will safe yon the trouble. I will
marry Mlaa Kansome myself."
"Oh, bat It's no laughing matter,'
protested Forbes, giving utterance to
the feelings of bis friend a weU.
"Of course not," assented the umpire;
"but It solves the difficulty, doesn't tt?
I Besides, " he added. "It's easier for me
I I n engaged ta bar."
SOME people may think It the
eaalest thing In the world to write
a letter, but graceful lettur-wrtt-ing
Is an art; and It Is an uudeulabla
fact that, notwithstanding the suierior
educational advantages of the present
time, comparatively few women of the
period can write a well-expressed note.
The construction Is apt to be awkward,
aud the whole production lacking In
that Indescribable stamp of culture
which the note of a well bred woman
ought to posses.
It Is bard to say Just how this state
of affairs has been brought alwuf, for
certainly this most essential part of a
young woman's education has of late
been apparently neglected. Thirty or
more years ago note writing was an
accomplishment; to be sure, the diction
was then somewhat labored and the
style verbose, but every well-educated
woman uuderlood the art of writing
letters and notes. It may be that the
higher branches of education are to
day deemed of more imKirtanee. and
l hat the stud'-ufs time is Vu) engrossed
with them to attend to what may be
termed the purely womanly accom
plishments, in these days.' when two
or three hastily written pages take the
place of the old fashioned six or eight
pages, note-writing should reach a
state of perflation; aiol It is to N- Imped
that teachers and parents will become
conscious of i his need In modern edu
cation, and that the next generation of
girls will be proficient In It
Facility of expression and readiness
of diction should receive particular at
tention In a school couise, and practice
notes on every conceivable sublect
should be fre;u.-ntly written. I,et
more attention he paid to composition
and less to the modishness of the hand
writing. I't that be naiural; It mat
ters little w hether the style be angular,
round, large or small, so long as It be
legible. If there are any who doubt
that note-writing Is a lost art let hftn
New Htyles in
look over a dozen or more notes of in
vitation, regrets and acceptances writ
ten by debutantes snd the average so
ciety woman. They are for the most
part lxse aud crude. Verlmslty Is tire
some, but It Is preferable to brevity
that amounts to curtuess. An abb!
rhetorician once said: 'if you have not
time enough to write a letter or Invi
tation correctly ilo not write it at all."
Higher education lias !ts great advan
tages, but young women wrote belter
notes In tin- days of less pretentious
home traiuing aud governesses.
On came they, tbe loveliest throng In
tbe world,
Their banner of faith and allegiance
unfurled.
Bent low every knee, upraised every
eye
To their star of deliverance far up la
the sky.
American Wheelman.
Farmers and The'r Wives.
There Is no question that some farm
ers' wives have a hard time. I am not
speaking of farmers wives as a class.
They not only have to do all the house
hold work, which Is often too much for
one woman to perform, but quite fre
quently too much outdoor and barn
work. I say the farmer should take a
great deal better care of his wife than
of his team. I am not sure that he
always does. There Is one thing the
husband can do If he la poor, and that
la to be kind and affectionate to his
wife, says a writer In the Mlror and
Farmer, for even If she hat to work
hard the work will aeem lighter If she
knowa It la appreciated, and that her
husband still lares and appreciates
Tbe Wheeling: Women.
HBP
(
ier. The farner should b- courteous
tu bis wife, yet some are fsr from being
so. you would think. If you could hear
tbem talk tu liiitlr wives aud scold
them. They don't appreciate what they
' do for tii e ui and for their comfort
i When going to your worn for the uay.
wou't a kiss, a loving sinlie or a few
affectionate words cause her to have
! better spirits all the time she Is alone,
j aud wou't she be glad to see you when
your work is done? I think so. It is
I well worth trying. Let us try to make
life more cheerful and happy for our
wives. Tbeu we shall And more en
joyment aud protlt In farm life and
farming. There Is no place where
kindness aud gentle words pay as welt
as In home life. The farmer should be
kind aud gentle with all of his stock,
but his wife claims more and should
receive It. Won't she appreciate It.
though!
Tbe Wide Palrt Ma ".!.
Our pr i .vers have been -wer-d!
j Tbe heavy, widely-distended ski -j
will very soon be u thing of the piit
I They are an abomination and on
never to have been allowed to lieco"!.
; fashionable. Why. It would take fo'T
' hands to manipulate the folds In h"
a way as to keep l!ie skirt out of t'i
dust, and when n woman tries to ac
complish the task with two her ;uip
its soon forgotten in her cramp -1 tio
' gers, and she g-vi- it up in il. -;.i:
. How anything so lolally unlit t
! worn III the street ever Ix-cnme a f.'isli
l Ion Is a mystery to evei ione. except.
jierrmps. those who manufacture the
1 hair-cloth. But physicians have de
; notinced the heavy linings as Injurious
I to health, and this, with the gixxl sense
of long-suffering mid heroic womcf
J who have patiently tried to endure th
' burden for fashion's sake, has hrough
atsuit a decided reBHlon against the
and the heavy skirt must go.
Flrat of Her Hea to C.et the Office,
Miss feline (!ray. of (Juthrle, o:.
has the honor of being the first womii-
Rattling Uree.
appointed as a Culled States Commis
sioner. In business circles it is well
known that Miss Cray is in every wa
capable.
IOr4c
Spotted esprit net in both black and
white Is used for neck ruffles.
Skirts remain straight and round,
with godet and organ pipe barks.
The newest materials for costumes
are alpaca and bareges of the old kind
revived.
iJouble-breasted traveling capes when
opened aud thrown back reveal revels
of velvet or corded silk.
A fetching cotton fabric, showing
fancy stripes ou dark and light blue
grounds, is known as marine twill.
The general revival of wash material
for gowns will be an Interesting phase
of the summer world of fashion.
All bouffant effects should lie left en
tirely to the thiu woman, who iie-ii-them
aud can wear them wlih good iv
suits.
Patent -leather shoes, with blue'
stockings aud tan shoes with stocking
to match, are the relgulug styles of li:
season.
Hats of combhiatlou straw and sat.
braid are trimmed with bauds snd r;,
settes or standing bows of the sani
pliable fancy braid.
Tall wouieu may wear long cape
with good results, but those -who an
short or of medium height should wo-:
tbem much shorter.
Oardeu data for the coming sumiui :
are better named than ever, since ot
top and sides Is a horticultural dis
play marvelous to look upon.
Lnce on tlie stylish shoulder cape.
by means of stiff linings Is made to
stand out after fhe manner of quills
upon an offended porcupine.
White duck suits are to continue in
vogue, but not tbe cheap, domestic
duck. Tbe material that comes over
the sea will have the preference.
New silk waists of Rob Roy plii.ldert
taffeta silk are made with plaited
fronts, bias yoke bucks, full elbow
sleeves, and velvet stork collar.
A recent Imported French grass cloth
Is msde over a china rose silk, the In
tense glowing hue of the lining giving
the entire gown roseate tint
mm
NEWS OF FMYUTIOX
REMARKABLE GROWTH OF THE
SUMMER SCHOOL.
A Woman Wins lb Degree of Bachelor
of t-clence la Civil Knliier ring -Mno
j College la Thi Counti-jr-Fads
in tbe He boo a.
Where Teacher 1 rain.
The uuiu.t achool idea has spread
iu .. ' Hi-a with amazing rapidity of
late, . : .ustltutes" and "summer
assemblies," uprluging up In all parts of
the country. Chautauqua leads tn pup
uiarlty, though the school at Martha s
Vineyard enjoys the distinction of be
ing the oldest aud broadest in its meth
ods. Tbe tirst summer school ever
founded was that Inaugurated by the
eminent naturalist. Prof. Agassi., on
l'euikese. island, the neighbor of Mar
tha's Vineyard. Tbe Chautauijua
school of pedagogy was last season
placed in charge of the president of the
Teachers' College of New York. Wal
ter L. Heivey. Ph. I). He will agaiu
be lis deau tills season. With an able
corps of asslsiauia, principally profes
sors and Instructors from the Teat b
ers' College, be puts Into practice the
methods of leaching adopted ut that
institution, tlie finest of its kind In ex
istence. i The Chautauqua School of Pedagagy,
know u as the Teachers' Retreat, ofters
for courses designed to meet the
needs of teachers in elementary aud
secondary echoods, In normal aud traiu
ing schools, aud of school ptiuclpuls.
.ecu departments are open psychol
ogy aud pedagogy, methods of teaching
L iglish literature aud composition, ua
Hi re study aud primary methods, Im.i-
auy and geology, exiieriiiu-ut.il science,
form, drawing und color aud expris
slon. In a number of the courses laboratory
and Held work are included, and In all
the courses opportunity Is given for
definite work toward a well-deflutd
aim. A progressive course covering
three years, supplemented by detiiiito
reading and study to be done Iwiweeii
times with suitable tests, lead to ihe
Chautauqua teacher's certificat?. The
number and variety of tbe courses en
able the students of the ietiv.it' to re
turn year after year without duplicat
ing their work. The observation classes
are an Important and Interesting fea
ture. These. uuinber as pupils the lit
th; sons aud daughters of the summer
cottagers, who are taught by Mierettvat
professors that the student teachers
may learn the practical ways of apply
lug their theoretical knowledge of In
struction. At Martha's Vineyard the
summer Institute offers additional in
ducements for the training of teachers
this coining season, including Instruc
tion In all grades, from the kiadergar
ten and primary through tlie regular
college course. A presentation is made
of the most practical and philosophies!
methods of teaching.
Besides these two leading summer
schools which are offering special de
partments In pedagogy, others younger,
but promising, are being formed in
many and widely separated localities.
Some are State schools, as the Connec
ticut one, and that at" Plymouth. N". IL,
which is the only free one iu the coun
try. The National Summer School at
(ilens Falls, X. Y., Is doing good work,
while the Virginia one U on the same
plan as the Institute at Martha's Vine
yard. The new school at Arm Arbot,
In connection with the University of
Michigan, has a college of pedagogy.
At the Agricultural College, at Lan
sing, Mich., whose botanical gardens
are noted, the summer students camp
out Harvard University has Its sum
mer school at Cambridge, Mass. Even
New Jersey lays claim to one, tlie Ava
lon Summer Assembly, at Avalou, in
eluding a school of forestry, while, tlie
Brooklyn Institute has opened a sum
mer school at Cold Springs, Loug Isl
and. Our College.
The general Impression produced by
the commencement day reports from
all over the couutry, says the New
York World, is that we have a great
many colleges In this couutry, aud that
they are turuiug out a great many
graduates. Tbe Impression Is not er
roneous. Tbe increase lu the resources
of utgher education In the United States
during the last thirty years Is one of
the most prominent features of our
national development. While the
other nations of the civilized world
have beeu standing still or at best
moving slowly In the matter of college
growth, we have passed them with a
rush, until we now head the list In tbe
number of colleges, the number of
students and the amount of endowment
devoted to this worthy object.
Not only Is this growth highly credit
able to the educational spirit of the
age. but there Is one feature of it
which distinguishes It from the col
legiate history of Europe and which
is worthy of special attention. This
Is the fact that while we have quite a
number of well endowed and thriving
State tiulverslllos. the larger number
of our colleges and the grestpr endow
ments represent the voluntary gifts of
the private friends of education. This
Is true of no other country. Nowhere
else Is wealth so generous aud so Judi
cious In Its beslowal of bounty. The
endowments given to colleges by citi
zens of the United States In the past
thirty years far exceed In amount all
that baa been given for the same pur
pose by all the rich men in all the
great countries of the world In all his
tory. Nothing like It has ever been
seen.
With such an origin and such a his
tory our colleges must be typical and
genuine American institutions. Their
foundations must be deep down In our
national life,- their strength Is a part
of the strength of tiie nation, and
,r' !6 ,h,,r er1' rm,,b ,lr
tju f ,Q), pa, i j i rty year, if the re
cent rate of gruttlb Is iii.ilnlained. as
It h is every promise of Isdng, another
generation will make us the most pro
ru:i.liy as well as the most widely
lear ! p-tt'on the world has ever
know u.
Vouftg Womin Archit'Ct.
Miss Marian Sari: Pa ker. of Detroit,
is the lirst woman t gr.ioiiate from the
depar'ineut of engineering of tbe Uni
ve:sity of Michigan. She recently won
the degree of bachelor of science in
civil engineering. She has taken the
full course provided for those who de
sire to become civil engineers, except
tbe fleld work In surveying, and far
this she substituted drawing. How
ever, she has taken all the theoretical
work of tbe course and has stood all
tbe time well at tbe head of her class.
Will MARIAS SARA PARKER.
Miss Parker entered tbe university four
years ago from the Detroit high school,
from which she graduated tn IHill.
Her Object In pursuing this course,
she says, was to become a practical
architect Upon finishing her course
she expects to practice her profession
somewhere In the West, which she be
lieves to be the most promising section
lu which to settle. Her desire and de
termination In overstepping tlie ordi
nary bounds of woman's activity by
seeking a technical education wpre not
at all of a spasmodic nature. She as
serts that It has been her steadfast In
tention for at least ten years.
Commencement DnT in Georgia.
Hitch up the ox team, Johnny, an' drive
'em to the gate;
For me to' yer mother's goin' to see Moll
grmltiHte:
An Jena's s hskin' biscuits, in' Sally's
a-slicin' ham,
An' I'm jest so proud o' Molly that I don't
know where 1 am!
Yer
mother raised the chick mis
that
bought her hooks, an sweet
To tiie was the dsily lubor in lie autn-
lin r's linniin' heat.
When I thought of her bright eye beiim-
in' nil' said to myself: "I'll state
Tlinr ain't no in I in ihe country so fitlca
to graduate!"
So I plowed in the summer sunshine, an'
workc-d in the wintrr's -old;
An' I've bought her the linest dresses that
ever the store-men jold;
An' I'll e her there, with her bright
sweet eyes, like stars In the twilight
lute;
An' maybe there'll lie some tears in mine
w hen I see her gradaate!
I never was much on larnln' for my
means w as mighty small,
But I reckon when Molly omes hack
home she'll know enough for us all
An' thar ain't a gul iu Ceorgy, though
you hunt fr 'em soon su' late.
That'll look as tweet as Molly when she
comes to graduate!
Atlanta Constitution.
Fads In the fclienl.
heu the public schools get away
from the rudiments of an English edu
cation, says the Athuita Constitution,
the tendency is to drift to the special
fads of certain reformers, who are en
ternally tinkering away at our educa
tional system, one good thing about
our old fashioned schools was their
freedom from these new-fangled no
tions. They tralued up a race of men
aud women whose Intelligence and cul
ture are the crowning glory of Ameri
can cltlzeusuip. but they did not study
one-fourth as many text Issiks as are
now used In the schools. If they want
ed to Und out something about alcohol
and tobacco they learned what they
wanted to know at home. Tbelr time
lu school was devoted to the elemen
tary studies, and the teacher who paid
too much attention to matters outside
of a practical English education was
never warned long in one place. Some
thing will have to be done to reduce
the number of text-books and special
studies or the schools will do tbe chil
dren of the poor very little good.
Educational Notes.
A copy of the first edition ili;i,'i) of
George Herbert's "thp Temple" was
sold at auction at New York for $l,u",0.
Tbe public school property of thu
United Htates Is estimated to be HX',
ihsi.iks). All property usd for educa
tional purposes Is valued at $iifXMsn..
IKHI.
A dispatch to the Loudon Standard
from Moscow says (he Cy.nr has assign
ed .VUkki rubles i$.'17,.iii)) to be allotted
yearly ns pensions for scholars and
uii'liors.
A violent discussion Is going on In
Trance over the co-educatlou of the
sexes, and French public sentiment Is
much opposed to the attempt to Intro
duce It
The California School of Mechanical
Arts, founded by the geueroslty of the
late James Lick, has proved to be a
revelation to Its trustees, teachers and
students In more ways thap one. Al
though the school has been In operation
for only about six months, It Is already
attracting general attention, and haa
so systematized Its students ss to
abridge the labor of years and to attain
the most surprising practical results.
r
i
- I: - ; m
