tbatrfoon Journal. Mk. O. CAHUW. UUMM4 rrwp. HABRISON, - - . NEB. New York court has decided that "tbeosopby Is not a religion," but un fortunately the court doesn't tell what It Is. The principal program of the Greeks has been to all fire and then fall back. That's the trouble; they fall back too allflred much. A Chattanooga paper, lamenting the absence of a building boom, editorially exclaims: "Where is our brick?" We suggest that your hat be searched. After studying the present course of Colonel Ab Ha mid we are firmly con Tlnced that a magnificent advertise ment for somebody's nerve tonic Is go ing to waste over there. That Massachusetts bank employe who ran away with $30,000 the other day had been drawing the magnificent alary of $33 a month right along. What rascals some men are! A London paper assures us that "Ambassador Bayard left England full of conflicting emotions." Well, a three weeks' course of continuous banquet ing is likely to leave a man in just that condition. A merchant In Atlanta, Ga., has been hauled up In court and fined $10.75 for "kissing a pretty customer when she was not looking." The offense, appar ently, Is set forth In the last five words of the charge. A Kansas man has petitioned the Legislature to change hto name, John Rat, because he can Induce no young woman to accept It Very naturally the feminine sex Is averse to becoming a Rat catcher. It Is announced that "the Prussian Diet has made a savage attack on American oleomargarine." If the oleo margarine Is given half a chance it will retaliate by making a savage at tack on the Prussian diet Italian duels are not quite as harm lees as the similar pastime in France. The annual number of duels In France is about 1,000, and occasionally some body "ts scratched. In Italy the an nual average is 275, with five fataiVtles. An iniquitous man in Kennebunk, Maine, pried open his wife's trunk the other day and found $2,000 worth of stolen goods and a set of burglar's tools, Served him right! When will husbands learn to mind their own bus iness? Word comes from India that a dia mond valued at $1,500,000 has been stolen from the Nizam of Hyderabad. It ought to be comparatively easy to detect that stolen gem whenever it is worn, unless It happens to fall into the hands of some hotel clerk. . That Chicago police officer who is unable to distinguish the difference between a case of paralysis and a case of Intoxication would seem to be well fitted to adorn almost any walk in pri vate life, and he should be given a chance to adorn It at once. A Louisville paper refers to the sad case of a prominent young man of that city who called upon his sweetheart the other night and shot himself in the vestibule. It is a foregone conclusion, of course, that he will die, as a shot In the vestibule nearly always Is fatal. The running of automobiles, or horse less vehicles, has become a national sport in France, and clubs devoted to It have been formed In the larger cities. One of the sights along the French roads this summer will be the addition of many motor wagons to the great number of bicycles. An electric contribution box is the latest Connecticut Invention. The min ister touches a button, and small silver cars, lined with velvet, visit each pew simultaneously, running on a slender rail back of each pew. Each car re turns to a lockbox at the pew entrance and the deacons collect the receipts after the services. Switzerland Is not addicted to giv ing away franchises. In the Jungfrau a railway to the top of the Jungfrau the Swiss Legislature requires $20,000 to erect so observatory on the summit, and $200 a msatn to pay for weather reports and other sdeotlflc work. The fare Is fixed, but the Government re serves the right to bay out the com pany after a certain number of years. A passenger pays $8 and the ascent will be made in 100 minutes. Turnpike raids, murders from am bush and mob lynching parties In Ken tucky have driven the Legislature to the enactment of stringent measures to suppress this lawless element so common within Its borders. The Sen ate of that State has passed a law which requires Jailors and other offi cers holding persons threatened by vio lence to arm the prisoner that he may defend himself, and to protect him with the aid of a posse at the peril of forfeiting his own office. It Is ques tfsMble which would be la the most CjBjer, a desperate criminal without weapoas, er his captors, providing he (' 0? tzS$ Press expresses it",:' i ry sf prescriptions " "-' .vjvCi fcrxhM be assessed $1,500 by a Jury for de stroying the sight of a child's eye by putting carbolic add In a prescription where something else was ordered. An other chemist will pay $8,000 because be substituted corrosive sublimate for a harmless drug. Not all the blame should be attached to the drug clerk, however. The handwriting of physi cians is notoriously indistinct. They should be required to put their pre scriptions In printed characters, espe cially where poisons or dangerous drugs are included. The gracious princess of Wales, un like her mother-in-law, has thought to commemorate the latter' Jubilee by raising a fund for the survlng poor In India Out of her own means tne prin cess has given a royal sum and others have helped to swell the total wkh generous amounts. An anonymous do nor has contributed $125,000, and there las beem much curiosity as to the iden tity of this person. It is now $a!d that it is the late American citiaen, W. W. Astor, who is so generous. Charity should not be impeached, but if Astor Is really the man who has done that it Is not ungenerous to say that his mo tive for the gift was not so much a desire to help the East Indians, for whom, of course, he cares nothing, us a wish to obtain favor in the eyes of the English nobility, and especially the royal family. However, the Indians are that much better off. When a trial for heresy before the synod of the English Presbyterian church can fall to the ground as has that of "Ian Madarau," there is reason to hope that perhaps that favorite pas time of the modern Calvkis has lost lis old-time charm. At the trail in ques tion the indietment was written In so slip-shod a way that there was really no ground upon which to base a prose cution. There were no specific acts or utterances of the accused brought up to prove that he had strayed from the narrow way of orthodoxy, and the whole proceedings were marked by a lack of interest in contrast to the fierce prosecutions of another day. Not only the minister but the world is to be con gratulated In this Instance, although had the trial been more exciting the gentle annalist of Drumtoehty would have added another experience which would have had a fictional value. The London Times remarks that it is next to Impossible for England "to do or abstain from doing anything In any quarter of the globe without calling forth angry criticisms from the Ger man newsiMiier8, which more or less regularly and intelligently derive their Inspiration from the German Foreign Office." The reason for Germany's hostility to England is one of the fea tures of foreign politics which the average American cannot readily grasp. Every country In Europe, of course, Is more or lens distrustful of England, but why Germany should have this feeling In a more pronounced degree than France or Russia, the in terests of each of which are more di rectly and strongly antagonize! by England than are those of Germany, is hard to understand. Probably the per sonal prejudice of the Kaiser against everybody and everything English la responsible for much of this antipathy. The depletion of the forest resources of the country has resulted in the cre ation of forestry commissions in a few States for the purpose of devising means for preventing a waste of tim ber, the destruction of forests by fires and encouraging the development of forest reserves in sections denuded of their pine. Scientific forestry, such as Is resorted to in France and Germany for preserving the timber resources of those countries for the use of future generations, lias been almost unknown J In America, but It Is probable that the ! work of the various foresty commissions I now in existence will lead eventually I to a general movement throughout the J country toward the cultivation of for-J est reserves, under the protection of , laws providing that the timber thereon ' shall be removed gradually and a sap ling planted for every tree removed. At the last session of the Wisconsin , Legislature a law was enacted provid- tng for a com mission to devise means for creating forest reserves In the State and to prevent further destruc tion by forest fires, which are usually ' caused by the carelessness of settler and hunters. How Tradesmen Ar; Chested. Two dealers, one of china ware and the other In suits and wraps, happened to be discussing, not long ago, the mul tifarious ways of small cheating most In vogue. "A lady she Is counted a very fine lady Indeed," said the first, "sent to me on Christmas eve fora punchbowl to be forwa rded to the house on approval. On December 26 It was returned with word that it did not suit. But we could see that It had leen used and carelessly washed. She had had all she needed of It and then she sent It back." "It's the same thing," responded the other, "with our Easter business. Not a year passes that we don't have suits sent borne on approval and promptly returned on Easter Monday. They have been worn for the festival, and then what was considered their most urgent need was gone, and so they are thrown back on our hands." A Blessed Hope. First Auditor (at the tank drama) Never saw such miserable acting In my life. Let's go. Second Auditor Let's wait till the next act. There's a flood scene with real water In it, and maybe some of 'em will get drowned. New York Weekly. This Is the season of the year when the household martyrs drag a wet rag through the house, and call It heje cleaBUKg. STYLES FOR SUMMER. MOT WEATHER GOWNS FOR IN AND OUT OF DOORS. revlnloity All A-fluff aad A-flutter-Free Kajployment of Baffling New Characteristic of Ureezlness Pome Very Newest Designs. Faacies of Fashion. New York correnpondence: ALL to the mind the summer array of women's finery and the first com ment to arise is an annual one; we are all a-fluff anda-flut ter. So we have lieen at July's be ginning for many years, but this year's flutter is dif ferent from that of past seasons, else women wouldn't be women and fash- ttniz niflpnt wonlil (V y be out of a Job. One new characteristic of breeziness comes from the free em ployment of ruffling, and this Is seen at its height In skirts of wash stuffs, which are frequently either one deep ruflle falling full from about half way above the knees, from Just below the hips, or from the knees; or are a scries of ruffles from the hem to the knee, to half way above to the hip or to the belt. Cuffs and soft sailor-like collar make a pretty finish to go with such a skirt, or a piece of the white is swathed loosely over the figure, the other mate rial showing through. For this use, deep embroideries and flouncing by the j ard, edged with lace, ornamented with insertion or even run with ribbon, are sold. Thus effects that once guaran teed the tune and care of a dressmaker may now be secured at reasonable rate in the shops to put right on. Certainly any woman who does not make herself daintily pretty this summer, ought to be condemned for stupidity or wicked indifference to opportunity. When It conies to similar adornment of silk dresses, the opportunity, of course, isn't so general, but the ruf fling is there, though usually In modi fied form. The idea seems to be to make wash goods up in some elaborate fashion, and to gain the apiiearatice of simplicity in silks. Thus it comes that the dress of this first picture is typical of many more. Its goods was lieige r.ud brown silk grenadine, three ser pentine frills of the grenadine trim ming the skirt near the hem, each frill edged with brown satin anil the top one finished with a satin heading. The waist's deep round yoke was edged with three ruffles that gave a stylish surplice effect, and the epaulettes were to match. Brown satin gave belt and collar. Quite as simply planned as this are evening gowns of finer stuffs, though in these there Is almost always some trimming on the skirt, ordinarily some uovelty of adornment is secured on the bodice, and In the whole as great a de gree of pieturesqueness is attained as is consistent with an unelaborate scheme. Such gowns are not easily made beautiful, and the skillful hand has In them quite as fine a chance for TI1K VKRY NK WEST KAMI. expression ns iu highly wrought cos tumes. An evening gown on this order Is In the second picture. It was Turco blue satin, the right side of its bodice lapping over and fastening beneath a planted bodice belt of satin flnMied with small rosettes. Three satin strap held by handsome chased gokl buttons held down the lace Jabot, the collar was folded chiffon wtth a' lace f rifling. IN SIMPLK PATTERN A5D FINE STUFF. j and the sleeves were severely plain. Even less of ornamentation was gives to the skirt, which trained sligljUy and had several rows of black velvet near the hem. Fitted to a tall and slender wearer, this dress will effect Just that appearance of simplicity skillfully planned that is now desired in dressy costumes. Its skirt's velvet ribbon trimming is a very stylish touch, one that Is being resorted to by the most stylish dress ers. With the gowns that tre all a-tl utter, much of that apparance is due to the fascinating chiffon or gauze sash worn. The belt portion of the sash Is usually of a sash wound easily once or twice about the figu. j. The euds seen) to tie at the bark in a lsiw knot with softly crip loos and ends floating away down by the hem of the gown. The ends are frilled sometimes, he edges at the end being finished with three or four little frills set close together; or they are tucked, the tucks extending half-way to the waist and 'sometimes, in Intervals of two or three tucks, to the loops. As a rule, these sashes art? worn with organdie or muslin gown?, and they may Ik made of the gown's ma terial or of chiffon to match some col or of the dress, but of late black mous seline de sric sashes have appeared with summer gowns of black or white or any summer combination of color that will take black ns a dash of con trast. The effect is often excellent, ami the notion is among the new oni. Even newer than these is the sash ar rangement shown in the next picture, which is. in fact, yet In the stage of being, like an uwertn!n housemaid, on trial, but with the protects favoring prompt acceptance. This belt was folded mull, the euds falling at the left side to the hem when; they were edged with delicate lace. The skirt thus set off was pleated cream mous seline de sole over rose-colored taffeta. Its waist consisted of alternate hori zontal bands of butter-colored lace In sertion, and narrow bands of the mous scline, all over rose silk lining. Epau lettes of the taffeta capped the shirred sleeves. With costumes into which GRAY WHIPCOBD STITCnEI) IH SCItoLLS. these sashes enter, the dainty summer hat is often tied, no matter what the color of the hat and trimming, with a ! sash !ow and strings to match the sash at the waist. When the bows at throat , and waist are both black and In con- j trast to the rest of the costume, a strik- i lngly pretty effect is often secured, I This summer, as for many previous seasons, a few women are seen In the country rigged out In sailor dresses. They are the unpleasant exceptions that prove the rule, which In this case Is that It Is not good taste to wear sail or dresses where there is no sailing. But where such a get-up may be don ned, there will be none prettier than that In to-day's fourth sketch. It was of white flannel, Its skirt consisting of a gored upper part completed by a gathered ruffle headed with three rows of white braid. The bodice bad sur plice fronts, large white revels, collar stitched with white and a folded white licit. The chemisette was white ba tifte, with a narrow frilling at either side of the center Iwx pleat, and tho separate collar was white linen, tho tie black satin. A white serge cap lined with white and yellow plaid taffe. ta and a white yachting cap completed the outfit. The wheeling suit shown here la of especial Interest, since it Is pretty with out being striking, and is In every way suitable. iray whip-ord was Its ma terial, the Jncket Mousing over a white leather belt, and opening over a uleevvlesK vest of white pique. White plqtic faced the revers, and stitching In scrolls ornamented the fronts. Be neath this or any other bicycle rig there should be corsets especially de signed for the exercise, Cnpyrlslit. ISWT. England hag 85 per cent of the wealth of the United Kingdom. 'SHE WST A-SAII.IXO GO. RAILROADS IN RUSSIA. Bis Thoasaad "Mitee HHng Mailt in the Ciar'i Dominion. The State of Illinois has lO.Otm miles of railroad, Iowa K.5oii, and Michigan 1,500. The three States Illinois, with a land aren of Sti.imo square tulles: Iowa, with a land area of ..." square miles, and Michigan, with a land area of 57.tH.o- have collectively ''". U'iO miles of railroad, or more than the Empire of Russia had, cording to the last ofti d.'il reiKu-u, which showed that at rlie beginning of the present year the total length of railways open for tnillic in Russia was 'S.i)" milt, of which 15. 2.'!0 milts liehmged to the State, exclu sive of 1H5 miles of the Tr.ins-Ciispian Railroad, win- h Is In the hands of the Minister of War. The area of Russia in Euro- is 2.1M),(HM) square miles, and of Russia in Asia. 0,4hI,h square miles, a total of 8.500,1 mki square miles. This deficiency of communication, how ever, is being, if not rapidly, at least steadily, overcome, and It is computed that there are now (S.ikhi miles of roads In course of construction, and it is es timated that by the end of the century there will be something like V2,iV miles of railroad iu the Russian Empire, two thirds belonging to the State. The growth of the railroad system in Russia, modestly begun in 1S.TT, has been very rapid since lsoo. The first road constructed was sixteen miles long, from St Petersburg to Tsarskoc Selo, and In 1810 this was the only line In the empire.. At that time the Fulled States bad In operation 2.HOO miles. In J.S50 the mileage of Russian railroad had increased to 300 miles, and 1150 It was still less than 1,000. The railroad mileage of tho United States in the name year was 30,joo miles. In 1870 the mileage of Russian railroad was 7.000. miles; in 180 it was li.iXMl; Iu 1S'0 It was 111,500. It has since Increas ed with such rapidity that, as stated, it is extiected that lief ore 11HMI there will lie 32.000 mile of railroad iu Russia, though, of course, thete figures com pare jioorly with the totals in the Unit ed States, where there are now Iso.ooO miles of railroads. One difficulty from which the railroads of Russia have heretofore suffered severely iaa lieen the lack of freight buslines. In other word, the Russian railroads have lieen run chiefly for passenger traffic, the profits of which are re'.ntlvely small and the expc;:.M-s of whl -h ;.ie inordi nately large. Up to twenty-five years ago the railroads of Russia carried tw ice as many passengers in a year a they did tons of freight, though grad ually the disparity betw-cu the two has been lessened, and since 18S.ii file pro portion of freight carried has lieen ma terially larger than heretofore. In the United States about 70 mt cent of the railroad earnings are from freight, and this i the chief hem of profit in opera tion on all the lines. The Russians are beginning to utilize their railroad facil ities for the transportation f freight to a greater extent than was formerly the case with them, and a a result of this, managers of the various line have found it profitable to extend them. New York Sun. Wonderful Mosquitoe. The Reverend Zeb Twifhel was the most noted Methodist preacher In Ver mont for shrewd and laughable say ings. In the pulpit he maintained a suitable gravity of manner and expres sion, but out of the pulpit he overflow ed with fun. OcetiKloiially hp would. If emergency seemed to require. Introduce something queer in a sermon for the sake of arous ing the flagging attention of his bear er. Seeing that his audience were getting sleepy, he paused in his discourse, and then proceeded as follows: "Brethren, you haven't any idea of the sufferings of our missionaries in the new settlements, on account of the mosquitoes iu some of these regions lie ing enormous. A great many of them would weigh a pound, and they will get on logs and bark when the mission aries are assing." By this time all ears and eyes were open, and he proceeded to finish his disburse. The next day one of his hearers called him to account for tell ing lies In the pulpit. "But I didn't say one of them would weigh a pound; I said a great many, and I think a million of them would." "But you say they barked at the mis sionaries." "No, no, brother I said they would get on logs and bark." A Thrifty Georgia Negro. Barton F. Powell, of Albany. Ga., a negro 32 years old. Is one of the most successful farmers In the State. Twelve years ago he had saved up $2,000, with which he bought 500 acres of land. He went to work on It and cleared $2,500 the first year. He has continued to add to his landed jKissesalons paying sKit cash for every farm purchased, and is now the owner of 2,100 acres of land, from which he market 4i0 bales of cotton annually. Besides his success on the farm he has developed the conn try supply store idea, and thus rakes In thousands of dollars a year. He also owns a comfortable residence In Baliibriilge. His profits last year were over $7,i00. He says that the question of social recognition doesn't trouble him so long ns he can get financial recognition at the bank, New I'roectts lor t.lsx Making. A number of prominent gins manu facturer met at the Moiiongah"hi House recently and deckled to build an Independent plate glass factory at Ellxnlicth, a few miles south of Pitts burg, In Monongnheln valley, at a cost Of $200,000, The prospective company Will fight the 1'lttsburg Plate Class Company and the plate gins pool, and will develop an Invention patented by George Marsh, of Sandusky, Ohio, The Invention, It Is said, will revolutionize the manufacture of plate glflss. By moans of it. the company, it Is cJalried, will le side to make plate glass equal to the liest French product, and at a cost less than that of ordinary Ameri can plate glass. The device hskls the Sheet of glass In Its frame by means of suction while the sheet Is being pol ished. The glass may then be easily reversed and the other side polished. At present expensive plaster of parts casts are used In the polishing process, and even then many sheets crack be fore completion. It is said the Marsh patent reduced the loss during the pol ishing prtioess almost to nothing. The new manufactory will give employ ment to several hundred men. Mr. Marsh's patent Is known by the Pitts burg Plate Glass Company. This cor poration offered the Inventor $250,000 for the device, but he refused 1L Pitts burg Post. A. E. Keet, editor of the Forum dur ing the last two years, ha resigned his position. 'The Pursuit of the House Boat," by John Kcudrick Bangs, will be issued in book form. M. Berthelot, the eminent French chemist, intends to publish the many letters from Ernest Kenan which he ha in his j hisses Ion. It Ls said that Stevenson's story, "St. Ives," ls to n- completed, and that the name of the author chosen for this re sisiusible task will shortly be an nounced. Justin McCarthy was Just able to fin ish the additional volume of hi history before his Illness lxvaane severe. He had worked so steadily over the book a to have been under a considerable straiu. "Daricl," the new novel by Mr. Rlackmorc, author of "Ixrna Do.e," Is to Is? publislw-d In the autumn. It ha ben running serially in England, and 1 con.side.rcd one of the author's best novels. The literary monument of the late Archbishop of Canterbury I hi im pirtaitt work, "Cyprian, Hi Life, His Time, His Work." which 1 to Ik- pub lished Imnu-dlately, with an Introduc tion by Bishop Potter. Alsmt the time of the Crimean war Cnti Marx wrote a scries of newspaper letters on the Eastern question. His daughter, Mrs. Marx Aveling, ha Ikh-ii collecting them not an easy task and they are to be published a a Ixmk. Pierre Ioti Is at work on a drama for which lie has obtained the material from iipor In the mncsIoii of his family. The piece is an historical play dealing with the perksl of the revoca tion of the Edict of Nantes. It ls In tended f'r the Ooniedlo Fratwalse. Opie Read's "The Juckltns" Is re ceiving rather more favorable reviews Iu England than It did at home. Tho Isjndou Telegraph ascrllics the gt-ow-Ing English Interest in American rustic life to the pioneering work of Harold Frederic. One of the longest novels of the year will Is- Hall Cable's "The Christian.'' The passage oinllt'-d from the serial are to be restored in the Ixxik, and the work is expected to cause considerable discussinii. It ls probable that Its pub lication will be deferred uutil the au tumn. The committee that has been formed to erect a monument to Paul Verlaine ls prejKirlng for publication a small volume containing some unpublished verses of the poet, In addltiou to cou-1 triliution by Stepliane Mallarmc, Hen ri Bauer, Edinotid Lcpelletier, and otb-i er writers. Mr. Crockett's autumn book will be' "Lochluvnr." That 1 to be followed! by a shorter story culled "The Stand ard Bearer." He ha Just returned from Pomeraniit with the materials for1 "The Red Ax." But these make only a beginning on the five years' contraHs that Mr. Crockett still bus ahead of him. Ian McLaren will not publish any work of fiction during this yiar, but he will Issue one, If not two, religious hooks liefore Christum. The scene of his next volume of stories will proba bly be Uild, In part at least. In Ameri ca. He 1h making progress with his life of Christ, whk h will proliably bo entitled "The Life of the Master." Preventing Noises. A means for preventing tho noise made by trains In passing over Iron1 bridges has been devised by a German engineer named Boedecker. He puts a decking of inch and a quarter irianka between tlie cross girders, resting on three-Inch timber laid on the bottom flanges. On the planks a double kiyer of felt is laid, which Is fixed to the ver tical web of the cross girder. At the connections with the girder a timber cover jodnt Is placed on felt, and two hooked Isdts connect the whole firmly to the liottom flange. Four inches of slag gravel cover the decking, whk h is Inclined toward the center of the bridge for drainage purposis. A layer of felt ls laid ts'tween the planks and the tim bers they rest ujhui and the Ironwork Iu contact with decking mid ballast Is asphalted. The decking weighs 000 pounds per yard for a bridge eleven feet wide And cost fv. enty-three -ent a square foot. It Is water-tight, and lias proved very satisfactory In preventing noise. After a man's children are grown, mid ncqtilre bad habits, he wonder that he ever complained of the trouble they caused when teething. When a man Ims-ouic so Ul It Is fear, cd he will dk', lot of pde say nice things about him which e.ribtirraao lliein greatly win lie recovers.