4
AN OPTIMIST.
6haL I. by Life's close commonplaces hedged,
Mlsrate tiie casual sunbeam, or, austere.
Regard the wild fiower pale, chance-rooted here.
Rooming the song bird tai-i dull thicket fledged?
Nay I Heart's ease. Fortune, I have never pledged,
A hostage for thy favor all too dear.
Ah. Heaven's light downshineth strangely near.
When outward view hath long been casement-edged.
Though grim mischance with evil hour conspire,
The balanced soul they shall not oversway.
Nor circumstance abash, nor failure bar.
They vex me not, the lamps of old desire,
Cnligbted In the bare room of to-day.
Somewhere the morning waits: Meanwhile a star.
-Century.
T name Is Persephone, and I
am said to resemble my moth
1 er. Pandora, who, as far as her
puppies go, certainly holds the tradi
tional gift box. For all my brothers
and sisters are prize-takers. I niyseif
don't go to shows, because I am ner
vous and bate being stared at
I am proud of being the poodle, and
a French one into the bargain. 'Tis
only jealousy that makes other dogs
sneer at me. Just as I have seen hu
man canaille sneer at a safe distance.
My young mistress is the prettiest
Love Me, Love My Dog
creature living. I used to think her i
one of the most sensible until she got j
friendly with Mr. Roft, who then was,
- and I thought ever would be, my pet
abomination in trousered males.
Phyllis and I live with an old lady
who is fond of us both, but she is very
strict with Phyllis, who calls her be
hind her back "the ogre-aunt."
Mr. Roft laughed until bis eyes were
lost when she first said it to him. I
longed to tell bitn what I thought of
him, and wondered bow he would look
then.
Phyllis had been getting very thick
with this young man whose laugh
startled uie almost out of my skin
when one day she fell from her bi
cycle. I wag following her when the acci
dent occurred, and Mr. Koft was rid
ing by her side. Something he said
made her color hotly, then pedal down
the coming hill with all her might.
Suddenly she rode over a stone,
werved to one side, and before I
could reach her fell to the ground
with a heavy thud.
I scampered to the spot and began
to bowl for help, while Mr. Koft jump
ed off his machine, as white as death,
and stooped over her.
"Be quiet, you brute r he mutter
ed, glaring at me, and I knew thut if
be could he would put the blame on
me and say that I upset her.
But of course, I paid no attention
to him, but bowled again, until at
last some passerby came and fetched
a cab and took them home.
The house was very quiet for many
days, and I felt wretched. The "ogre
aunt" crept about weeping. Once she
put her arms round my neck and wept
OTer me. I suspected from that that
waw wWn abort ef b(n1tf o-rehtpfa
and took care to keep out of her way;
for I do not like to have my neck curls
made all damp and untidy. I was
Tery neglected. No one brushed me.
At last I was summoned to my dar
ling's room and crept in nervously.
My heart was beating very loudly and
my eyes were dim with tears of joy.
Such a thin little hand patted my un
combed head, such a weak little voice
aid: "Dear doggie, do you miss me
rery much?" Miss her! Of course I
did. And with her all my pet titbits,
my little walks, my scampers after
balls. So I wagged my tall and smiled
up at her.
Little by little she got better, and
well enough to comb me and send me
for my ribbons. I knew the colors
well and always brought the one she
aid.
But one morning my feelings re
ceived a shock. Phyllis had a letter
and was very silly about it kissing it
though it were a dog or two-legged
being. Still I minded that less than
If it had been Mr. Eoft
"Oh, Phoney, listen!" she whisper
ed, as she combed my hair. "I am
sure you will understand, you dear
old thing! I've such a dear letter
from him, and he wants my answer.
Phoney the answer I would not give
the day I met with my accident"
I dropped my ears and lowered my
tail. By him I knew she meant Mr.
Roft. But what answer did she al
lude to? I looked Inquiringly Into her
gentle, blue eyes.
She laughed and kissed me on the
none.
"You dear old thing! I will read It
to you. Phoney."
And she pulled It from her pocket
and read out a lot of rubbish that
seemed quite unintelligible to me. Bat
then, 1 always thought Mr. Roft half
an Idiot, and wondered at Phyllis lik
ing bim. Then came a few words
tbat made me sit up I can tell you.
"Let that poodle of yours be mad
law of for once. If It la to be 'res' put
a her a bine ribbon. Jf 'no' a yellow
. I shall call to-day, and If I see
Cm color I long for on that black creat
wes bead I shall at one beard the
Kim and assert my rights."
- -rooey. it shall bs Mm! retch
Um, darling," said Phyllis, with a
Jrjrfei aaslia.
;,: A I wmlkti ttvwty oet of the
; , '; l the kMMr bcyoad. Wbsa I
ribbon. But I meant him to read "no."
I would show him that a dog of my
breeding could be something more than
a mere catspaw in his plot
I rolled over and scratched until the
riblKin came off and lay on the ground.
Then I trotted into the garden with
it and buried it in my favorite corner,
where I hide my best bones.
I knew I was doing wrong, but
Phyllis would not really mind, and I
owed Mr. Koft a grudge or two.
Often when my ribbon came off I
used to take it to my friend the parlor
maid and get her to put it on again.
So now. as 1 sneaked down from the
boudoir with a yellow one in my mouth
and met her at the font of the stairs,
she wild with a laufih:
"What your fine bow off again.
Phoney?. What an untidy dog!"
I wagged my tail s she tied it on.
For civility lowers no one, and she is
a nice girl. Then I sat down on the
doormat to watch for Mr. Koft
At last the gate clicked and he came
up the steps with a light spring. But
ns his eyes fell on me such a look of
astonished despair crept into his face
that my heart quaked within me and
I hung my head.
He stooped over me as though he
could not y'lvvc his eyes, and as I
felt his warm breath on my face 1
rolled over ou to my back iu terrified
submission.
"Silly brute," he murmured, "get
up. Have you been stealing? Don't
give yourself away like that Pho
ney!" He looked at me fixedly without
saying anything. Then, stooping again,
he took off tuy ribbon and stuffed It
into bis pocket.
That night Phyllis was worse, and
no one could understand why. And
the next day she lay silent, looking
out of her window with such distress
ed eyes that I could not bear to look
at her.
And Mr. Roft did not come near the
house, which proved that he had really
meant goodby.
At last I could stand it no longer.
Surely Mr. Koft could make things
right again. I would go to him.
So one afternoon I crept silently out
into the road. He did not live far off,
and, as fate would have It I came
He smiled when he saw me.
"Why. Phoney! Come to see your
friend," he exclaimed; "you're only
just in time, my girl. I start to
night." I wagged my tail and opened my
mouth. At his feet I laid the eartb
soiled blue ribbon. He stared at me
In amazement . "Phoney, you're a
brick! You're trying to tell me there's
been some mistake. I'm coming back
with you to make sure. Lead on, you
imitation Mephistopheles, and may the
real one have you if I'm misreading
you!"
What a race that was! I felt my
self really warming to him for under
standing me so well.
And, when we got to the house, I
crept stealthily in through the open
door, enticing him up, until we stood
like two thieves within the boudoir,
where Phyllis lay on a couch by the
window.
As she turned her bead to look at
me her eyes fell upon him. and she
crimsoned with delight Then sud
denly she became quite pale, and said
in a cold voice:
"Good evening, Mr. Roft"
He stepped up to her, and held out
the ribbon I had given him.
"Phyllis," he asked, "Is this the rib
bon you put on Phoney that morn
ing?" She stared from him to tne, I crept
beneath the couch, but I kept my ears
open. -
"Yes," she murmured, "But "
Tiie words were never said, for with
a sudden exclamation he threw him
self on bis knees by ber side, and took
her to his arms. St Louis Star.
A. Rum In Addition.
Mrs. Flaherty stepped off the scales
In the back room of the grocery store
as soon as she bad stepped on.
"Sure, these scales is no gtid fr ma."
she said, in a tone of deep disgust
"They only weigh op to wan hundred,
an I weigh wn hundred an' nolnety
pounds." -
"It's easily discouraged ye are," said
ber companion, Mrs. Dempsey, cheer
fully, "lost step on to thlm twlct, me
dear, and let Janiesy, bare, do th' sou
rr ye." ' '
Whan yon begin to notice a man's
name in the financial columns of a
newspaper it la time to look for his
wife's name In the society ooiumne.
booka eoetela ererytklag
tne eat tttef fM want to
NEGROES OWN TOWN.
Gold bora, Kl., with Three Hundred
feuHU, Man No Whita Person.
Society folk from the Northern and
Western cities who have visited Flor
ida during the past season have dis
played a keen Interest io the Florida
negro, writes a correspondent for the
New York Telegram.
A nnlque town in Florida is Golds-
boro, a place peopled entirely by ne
groes. Goldsboro is 1 miles rrom
Jacksonville, on the Atlantic Coast
Line railway, between the Florida
metropolis and Tampa. Within Its
precincts no white person nor mem
ber of any other nationality is found
and a negro mayor and negro council
dictate the destinies of the commun
ity. A negro postmaster appointed
under a democratic administration has
charge of the mall service and dark-
skinned night watchmen look after
the stores and shops between sun and
sun.
The school system is, of course.
operated under the regular guidance
of the public school laws of the state
and applicants for positions as peda- j
gogues are examined by the Orange
county school board.
Withal Uoldsl.ro, which has 3"W
population, is well governed. There
are few radical discords. The town
jail is in great disrepute and the pop
ulation pays Its taxes about on an
average with the ratio of whites in
other Florida communities. With only
few exception negroes own every
foot of land lu GoldsWo, and that
which they do not own they are pur
chasing on the installment plan from
white people who hold deeds for the
properties.
The town is ten years old from the
point of incorporation and there have
never been any riots or unusual dis
orders to mur Its records.
The community Is very religious and
has three churches with rapidly grow
ing membership roils. A nulque spec
lade ou .Sundays during the spring
and summer of each year is to see
the devotional exercises attendant
upon the administration of the rites
of baptism, which is not conducted
without loud and fervent crescendo
of thankfulness.
Goldsboro, however, has Its sinners.'
H has one chronic sinner w ho Iiclongs
to no church in particular and it is
reported among bis own peopie that
Uncle Abe professed religion twenty
one different times In one spring aud
summer and was baptized that num
ber of times, or seven times by each
church In the settlement each time
falling back in the mire of the wicked.
The negro municipality Is the home
of the independent voter. Each in
dividual vot a his ntuclwe die-'
tates. The absence of white citizens
has removed the source that frequent
ly contaminates the negro voter, al
though it Is told that upon one oc
casion an aldermanie ' election was
bought through the Influence of a
barrel of whisky.
The relations between the town of
Goldsboro and the neighboring town
of Sanford, two miles distant, peo
pled mainly by whites, are frleudly
and there Is an interchange of busi
ness between the two municipalities.
STORY OF "FIRELANDS" TOLD.
Fertile Ohio Region Recall Benedict
Arnold's Fuiuoua Connecticut Maid.
Unnumbered native Ohioaus, not to
sspeak of hundreds of thousand of
residents of this State, who have come
from foreign lands and other States
of the American Union, must have
wondered w hy a fertile aud productive
tract In northern Ohio, a district which
In no way hints of the ravages of fire.
should be called the "flreiands."
Among all the vicissitudes of Ohio's
early history great conflagrations were
notable for their absence. No such
terrible forest fires swept this State
as ravaged large areas in Michigan
and Wisconsin seventy or eighty year
Inter.
The flres to which the name refer
raged in Connecticut not Ohio, find
they were the work of British and
tory soldiers, instead of the result of
accidents or natural causes. In 171,
when the long struggle for Independ
ence was nearly ended. Benedict Ar
eola commanded an expedition which
ravaged the Connecticut coast of Iximj
Island Sound. He burned New Lon
don and other towns and left behind
misery and destitution as well as a
more bitter hatred than be had earn id
liefore that outrage upon his native
State.
This and other cruel and senseless
attacks upon Connecticut towns lef:
so strong a feeling of sympathy and
injustice behind that in disposing of
Connecticut's rights in lands now
forming part of Ohio 781 square miles
In the extreme western edge of the
western reserve were set apart to lie
donated to sufferers by the British
raids. Five ranges of township run
ning north and south were Included
in this tract
Sandusky Bay and Lake Erie extend
so far southward at this point that the
five ranges of townships contained
only about ftflO.OQO acres of land. The
tract measured some twenty-seven
tulles by thirty. The Connecticut suf
ferers, from the torch of the enemy
lived chiefly In New London. Norwalk
and Fairfield, and It was from those
towns that many of the settlers of the
"Flrelands" came to build In the Ohio
wilderness settlements bearing the
same names and having like civic
ideals and character. Dayton Herald.
Prepared for the Worst.
"Do you mean to say," asked th
optimist "that the unexpected never
happens to year
Jost so," replied the pessimist
Tre got ao need to It that I alwayl
expect It ew.' ruiedelphta PublM
HWW t 4 I HIHII 1
j
4
4
I
4-
OLD3
FAVORITES
n i nm 1 1 1 1 1 1 h n t 1 1 1 i 1 1
Rale Britannia
ft'hen Britain first t heaven's com
mand. Arose from out the azure main.
This ws the charter of the land.
And guardian angels sung this strain:
Rule, Britannia, rule the waves!
For Britons never will be slaves.
rhe nations Dot so blest thee
Must in their turns, to tyrants fall;
Whilst thou shalt nourish great aud free.
The dread and enry of them all.
Rule. Britannia, rule the wives!
For Britous never will be slaves.
Jtill more majestic sbalt thou rise.
More dreadful from esch foreign
stroke:
As the loud blasts that tear the skies
Serve but to rot tby native oak.
Rule. Britannia, rule the wives'
For Britons never will be slaves.
Fliee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame;
All their attempts to bend thee down
Will but arouse thy generous ttfline.
And work their woe but thy renown.
Rule. Britsnnia, rule the waves!
For Britons never will be slaves.
ro lhee belongs the rural nign;
Thy cities shall wiili commerce shine;
All thine shall be the subject main.
And every chore it circles thine.
Bute. Britannia, rule the waves!
For Britons never will be slavey
Die Muses, still with Freedom found,
Shall to thy happy coast repair;
((lest Isle! with matchless beauty crown
ed.
And manly hearts to guard the fair.
Kale, Britannia, rule the waves!
For Britons iievpr will he blaves.
THE FIRST BASEBALL. GAME.
such a Novel Event That It Wan 11-
lutrMted in a Weekly Paper.
The tirst newspaper report of a base
baii game that I remember reading
was an account of a game played at
llol.ol.eu. N. J.. in ISoit. It appeared
in an illustrated weekly and was such
a novel and Interesting event that the
weekly gave a double page Illustration,
writes James I. Steele, In Outing.
There were no baseball S'hdules In
those days, and nolxsly lay awake
nights hatching up reasons why Har
vard should not play Princeton and
why Yale should play Pennsylvania
Ali that was needed was an occasion
Mich as a Fourth of July celebration,
a county fair, a house-raising or some
other event of that nature. The oeea
sioii for this particular game was the
entertainment given to a team of Eng
lish cricketers then touring this cotin
fry and defeating "United States
wenty-twos" with commendable reg
ularity. We had evolved a game from
the old English "rounders," which we
jailed baseball, aud we wanted to show
our cousins what a high old game it
was.
It may have been the "humors of
Ihe day'' editor who wrote the report.
which whs as follows:
"Baseball differs from cricket, espe
cially in there being no wickets. The
Ihe ball has been struck, the 'outs' try
to catch It in which case the striker
Is 'out' or, if they cannot do this, to
strike the striker wfth it when be Is
rulmlitg, which likewise puts him
'out
"Instead of wickets, there are. at
this game, four or five marks called
bases, one of which, being the jt" at
which the striker stands. Is called
home.'
"As at cricket, the point of the game
is to make the most runs between
jacs; the party which counts the
most runs wins the day."
The fact that the reporter thought it
necessary to explain how the game
was played indicates the extent of the
public knowledge of baseball at that
time, and even he wasn't quite sure
whether there were four bases or live.
When lis? says a base runner may be
nut out by hitting him with the ball
le makes no midake. for that was an
ictual fact, and it was considered a
sood play on the part of a base run
ner to draw a throw from the piteJier,
'or usually the runner would dodge the
brow and gamlwl around the bases.
hlle the fielders were hurrying after
he ball.
This rule was alwllshed as soon as
Uie game became popular, for a base-
nan, instead of touching a runner
with the ball would often "soak" hlra
it short range, which generally
irought forth unprintable remarks
roin the soakee.
The artist In illustrating this game
-as not far behind the reporter. The
jicture shows us several hundred
Iectators aud, with the exception of a
'ew ladles and gentlemen seated In
arrlnges, the only person sitting down
n the entire assemblage Is Uie umpire;
ind, as if to show the perfect tranquil
ty of his mind and his contempt for
'oul tips, be leans gracefully back In
lis chair with his 4egs crossed. The
lasemen. Instead of "playing off," are
standing, each with one foot on his
ase, and a base runner Is "glued to
bird," although the pitcher la about
jo deliver the ball. In short, the gen
eral aspect of the Held Is enough to
;lve a modern baseball captain nerrous
irostration.
REPLACING 8TCAM POWER.
low the Oae Kngin Is Cosalag late
Um-Um ef Petroleum cm Snips.
1 Writing under the title of "The
Superseding of Steam Power" In the
aorld'a Work, Lewis Nixon says: "I
tmf bees leg lately to think the
. . . . .... u,.2io en-
wuoie ueveiopuieni iu
cine, to the efiusiou of the cu-
eine. has been a mistake and Ujsi w
are now at the beginning of a ne
era in the use of poer. '
could to-day gain better and more
economical results by altnl"""'-
steam and using Internal combu-in
engines, even in large etab.iHBieui..
The gain in economy of fuel will ad
vance with the size of die w
tueut With the Internal combustion
... .... .... ,.un l,C
engine a tirake um-jKj" ',
prodm-ed on a pound of cat. i m
could not be done with t-team under
any condition.
So great a revolution has couir
about In methods of producing steam
that a lo.i-ton cruiser of twen'y
one knots an hour could today pro
ceed around the world at fourteen
knots without taking on fuel and
without saerincing any of her war
efficiency. New kinds or engines
have come into vogue which sug'sts
facts larger even than this.
Oil engines using crude petroietiin
will be developed as soon a me ui
niaDd is felt for them, but. even here,
the fuel can be made Into gas and
burned thus with far greater econ
omy than is possible when the oil
itself Is burned under l.iilers or gao
line can Ik? ucd. In an ordinary
'5.'.J"0 horwe-povcer torpedo boat foriy-
three tons of coal would be us-d In
ten hours. With gasoline the radius
of activity of the same torpedo Imat
lie more than quadruped. fr
3,'J horse power can lie produc-d troiu
a.'Jixt gallons of fuel. Briefly. Hi."""
pounds of gasoline will do the work
of !",.(Xi pounds of coal. The '..si
of the fuel is higher, but with a gio-
line plant In a torpedo boat im'y two
men are rej'i!rcd in h eiicH.i' to., m
and none at all in the tireri-nn. l ie
Vitigers of steam at. high pre oij-e are
avoided and the eonsple.ity of ?le;iin
machinery done away with.
Owing to the certain saving to be
secured lu coal 'onsumption ami to
the simplicity and reliability of the
gas engine plant, we shail witne-s a
gradual forcing out of the -team
plants In future power plants for
lighting, pumping or factory uses ninl
11 will be u question of only a -hort
time Is-fore many of the exiting
steam plants will not be required.
CHEERFUL LITTLE CRIPPLE.
I'aiMcr-l)y Srallrd and Pitied Him in
a Crowded Louisville Street.
.Spinning along the concrete sidewalk
at a speed that made pedestrians
dodge into doorways and off the curb
lug Hew a mite of a Isiy In his veloci
pede wagon, says a writer in the Louis
ville Courier-Journal. The pedals were
gone, aud a second gin nee was neces
sary to learn by what power the ma
chine was propelled. The wagon was
propelled by the left hand of the tittle
cripple, while his right hand deftly
guided this new style of automobile
and prevented mishaps, though the
way was crowded. Lying limply In
the bottom of the wagou bed and quiv
ering with the speed of the locomotive
were ihe legs of the little sufferer,
withered.
The sun was shining brightly and
the crowd was In a Sunday mood.
Every one paused a moment to watch
the pathetic sight. I lashing along with
what seemed to be reckless abandon.
Um fpr-eu was nut tjiiiiuiisnr-o, ns ur
approached a steep step-off. Men In
the crowd bent forward as if they
would catch the wee chauffeur and
stall off the disaster that seemed atsiut
to happen. Nona was swift enough.
With a skillful turn of the hand he
directed bis vehicle to the side and
glided off the paving to the street
without a wabble aud with a smooth
ness that would make an ordinary
automobile owner pale with envy.
Again lie Is on the sidewalk, and
now he whistles a merry tune, not a
whit put out by the exertion of pro
pelling himself or of the inquisitive
glances of the crowd. A street car
dashes by, but it Is no swifter than
the little cripple, who leaves the pedes
trians behind and drives calmly on,
his hand muddy and his sleeve torn
from tugging at the wheel, but his
heart happy despite his withered limbs.
Are No Trampa in Germany.
To-day the kit of the laboring man
In Germany is In many respects better
than that of ours. The German state
recognizes the right of every mm to
live we do not When the German
laborer becomes old or feeble the suite
pensions him honorably. In Germany
the laboring man can ride on (he elec
tric cars for 2 cents we pay 5. Ger
man cities have public baths, public
laundry establishments, big parks, free
concerts and many other features
which soften poverty although they
do not remove It
The corollary to this Is that the era
peror permits no tramps to terrorize
his highways. The police are organ
ized for rural patrol as well as city
work, and every loafer Ls stopped and
made to give an account of himself.
In England vagrancy has been a pub
lic nuisance for generations with us
It has become of late years almost a
public danger. Germany has no
tramps. The man who ls without work
In Germany finds no Inducement to re
main idle. A paternal government sets
him to such bard work that the would
be unemployed finds it decidedly to his
Interest to seek some other employ
ment ss soon as possible. National
Magazine.
oatf la Replaced.
The mrgeoM of Lincoln Hospital In
the Bronx fcft aaticeeded In replac
ing the scalp e the bead of a young
girl after It had beea ten completely
oft by a revolving atkt3 la a mill.
A keen critic Is apt U Make cutting
.remarks. .'.
Mes Wil-.u Woodrow has adopted
-v M W. Wood
Sll. ,.i name of N - M
.-,' i order to e:.P" confusion
ith Mrs- Wo.siro Wiisou.
K fhaunel Passage and Other Po
,!11S 1S ,o I the title f Mr swln
.urties new l-.k. To one who has
ross-dthe British channel tt e r.ther
unpleasantly t,W-U-
The Harpers are printing another
n.pn-slou of William Hamilton Gib
.'. famous book of nature study,
"iharp Eves.- uhlcn ' "'I"'"""' "
ustrated by the drawings of the au
thor.
"Belgian Life In Town and Country
will be the next volume lu Our Euro-
Neighbors Scries, brought out ny
Putnam's Sous. Among the
tea n
;. P.
ua ny
topi-- discllsscu are uir t"'
f women In Belgium.
Ib.rp-r A lirothers sre reprinting
lilioiis of llenrj J.uncV famous story
f ii,iy Miller." Oe-.rge Eliot's novel
I !,.-,, phrattis Such" and Justin Mc-
i jti tiiy
'leorgc'
M.s.
hi. lory oi m i u
i and of U ilimm l .
Itraddoii. who is no longer
ind who for a long time ha
I ollllg
.,.:ir,,.!v loll' i.eil lier (M-II, is uoooi
!.i-iiiL- out a ii-w note!. It ! a story of
u;.i,.:,..ii l.fc in the e-nly Victorian
,1 (mil is oiled "A l.o-l Edell."
1 !,, Allien.. ui S: '"'Lilian ' Library
will p."liv !' cm )" I by Hamilton
I'.u. ! l...K on "Tl.c Trotting and
;i,e Pacing H".'-'" ttiH'h give the
),.!.,.', ,j li -!,.iy of !!' f,ini"iis Ameri
can tinders, ii nd pa'-cM and their ree
;.riN. Th' ii.'iS . 1 'aw son, author of "The
South Aic'l i'Hll l;c,ll.i. .," ill the (.
IV bum. mi's Sons Story of lie- Nations
Scries, has I II promoted to lie United
tj,ic minuter to Santo jiotniugo from
h s I-
I ui i-.-i -.t.ii-y of legation in liio
ic Janeiro.
The J. I!. I.ipp i ctt r,
li.-iiimr new met in'-M"
f v.,ic of lie 'r bet II
ti.o.e liii Ii have nppe.
"Si.ier T!iei-.;i," by
mpitiiy Is pub
!i:o editions
.-!.. Among
red lately are
leorge Moore;
-i i.e t'.ar's Pardon," by Lai he) p,
and "The ("arc-r of a leaiity,"
en ii,
by
John Strange Winter.
The Boston Natural History Society
is preparing lompieie li.is of Uie fau
na of New England, of which the tlrt
pa it, containing I he reptiles, has been
Issued iii Occasional Papers. These
lists are lo prepare the way for a com
plete illustrated monograph of the
fauna which the society proposes to
publish.
John lne Is to Issue volume en
titled "A I Jitter Pepys," being Ihe cor
respondence of Sir William Welter Pe
pys, H.'ivlso,",. Sir William was a rel
ative of the great diarist and a promi
nent member of the Bus Bleu Ste!ety
which Macaitlay said was Intellectual
ly far the best In the kingdom at that
period. 1 r. Johnson dcm-ribeil Sir Wll
llam as prime minister, Hiid s tjueeu
.jf the lilues Mrs. Moiitatru.
LUXURY AND DEGENERATION.
Instinct of Knee l'rrcrniiou Begets
a Loutfiug for tiie Country.
Students of sociology have dwelt on
the Anglo .Saxon habit of luxury as It
It new an Anglo-Saxon habit, and not
an implant from the Latin, says the
Brooklyn Eagle. They do not call it
luxury, they name It comfort and be
tween the one and the other no Hue
can he drawn, for what wns extrava
gance In the last ceutury Is the com
mon property of all classes in this, la
Sousing, food, drink, clothing, transpor
tation, ornament, domestic properties,
tiie accessories of travel and hotel life,
the every day citizen expects and oh.
tubH uwre than did tin? nobleman and
merchant three centuries ago. The ef
fect of comfort or luxury, Is to draw
men to the cities, where it is most
easily bought: to add to the congestion
already existing there; by that conges
tion to Induce Insanitary modes of life;
through luxury to induce, also, a soft
ness, a weakness, that make us the
readier prey of dlsejise, ennui, melan
choly and eventual degeneration phy
sical, menial, moral.
Such, at least, is the theory, but an
Instinct not merely of self-preservation,
but of race preservation. Itcgets In
us a longing to return to the soil, to
live In the country or on ihe shore, for
some weeks or months In tH. y,.n'Tt to
travel, to go abroad in .hi,, alul
yachts, to climb, hunt, fish, piy g0)f,
to take walking, horseback, bicycling
jr automobile tours, to till the eye with
light aud pleasing Images and the
lungs with unbrea thed air, to regain
the sense of beauty, to live more sim
ply, and so to bring back the vitaitt
that Is sapped by artitlclal living the
cities,
Hard conditions make hardy men, if
they are not too hard, and in Uie brief
lapses from these conditions tin? nat
ural rest and upsp ring there Is great
t happiness than In acquiring new
luxuries, or Uie forgetting of one pleas
ure In a newer. The barefoot boy,
Ishlng with a pin and whlstllm, in i.i.
freedom, ls not only healthier, stronger
luu i sruruier moral nber, but is real
ly happier than the pale, overdressed
ilty boy who baa a hundred wants un
known to the rustic. HUH, the country
Wople are anxious for their share In
Uie distribution of luxurtea, and right,
ly so, for In their environment they
ire less lnjarloosly affected by them,
affected at all
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