OPINIONS OF GREAT PAPERS ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS
toate el fret Means Ruia.
11 Dn of tke failed States ran derti n
a" I object leon from Brazil at to the oUtuatV
I I effects produced by the destruction of forest.
I V ' t.IUI (I ....... nnl1IJ V.. J I
-vu UJVI 11 lkiu llllinil IUVU (VU1U 17 lOMMU UI
the fart that treea make the weather.
In northern Braiil large states have l.en
brought to the verge of ruin through the uras-
Utlaa of the timber lands. I'nlted Sutxi Consul Geueral
Heeger at Rio de JaDe.ro ealla atteotkiu to tbe chronic
tToulht and torrefartlon In the states of H!o Grande do
Norte ! Cent. tiej ti p.r.hfd country has brought'
auch suffering that relief measures have been put In opera
tleo by tbe government. The connul geenral points out
that the situation there can be definitely traced to the
waa tan Ostructlon of tba timber, ome abundant in those
region. Now tbe states are being depopulated, and des
latioa reigns where once nature offered every Inducement
la tbe settler.
The I'nlted Statea In recent year ban taken step to
ward the protection tit Its forest, but tbe law it still
far from trliignt. Tbe government wan alow to awake
to the urgency of tbe matter Tbe wnjjte of timber In thin
"ountry during tbe past fifty year ba been almost beyond
tWief, Tbe continental railroads a!one destroyed millions
f acre of forests. Tliey slashed and burned recklessly
la building their IUie, and their engine vt fire to ana1
ruined vat areas Settlers, with no thought of the future
value of the timber. addd heavily to the waste. In one
way or another, tbe ruthless hund of the destroyer ha
doae damage that ran be repaired only at the expense of
many year.
Tbe forestry department of the roverntn'nt I one that
llionl'l be built up and strengthened by law designed nol
atily t foster the growing of trees, but to protect tbe tim
ber now s'and.ug -- 'h!' -ago Journal.
Otif Neighbors,
I MMIGUA TION is H nnl.je.-t of infinite possi
bilities. We hnd :C.!t,'!o immigrants lust year;
ICuu.td.t bad ll'VOoO. Who is the more ailvau
paged? of ohm i'jXk'I") came from the south
if F.urope -1 ci f in 4 and SiM n cla-s that uli
lnih ;r,!ics on the subject say in little to b'
(le-.re-l. of Canada's cutnpsra lively small
rnouut -r c.-ut came from (ireat Britain, Germany,
FrauH.-e. Hiigiuui, th ScuinI i :i:i via n countries and tin
Ui ml .State - tin- l-.-st material In tli' world to build up
a couulry and make It richer tna'erially and morally. Noi
tho kind to people the Blums of the cities, live from hand to
mouth, liwrei'c the drain on pauper care, and. In large
part, to out of the country when they have got nil out
of It tii.it iioy can or want. '
ifoiud.-t lia millions of or re, and she la Kelt lug about
U.cir ilifi'oui I'l way to nttr.i.'t the good citizen. Shi
offers, loo, a kuW. government; peace, onb-r and law.
waerc, alas, we have and offer turbulence and a llbert.v
that, becoming license, Infringes on rights like a tyranny.
I the (treat republic ie,lng its dmrm? Is the glamor paws
uig IT? Our Imm'jrratloti total doe not look like It. But
agnla come the qiieiimu of quiillty. What boots It that we
get tie offwoiirli.'R "f SouUiern F.urope and part with
auuae of our bet IjIo.mI to build up our neighbor to tbe
uurtb. where fruit of their Industry are absolutely lost to
u? ladianapolls New.
The Cost and Tolly of War.
II K war In the far Kast. aceordiug to the com-
e- "V Iputation of a well-informed newspaper of
I 1 1'urU. I co.stlng the Huilaii government at
I 1 iuiii.ify n .....I Ilia ntnAi.Bn m In
reaxlnjr dally. If the war continue for year,
n the experts say It Is pretty sure to do, Kus
la will accuiniilate a burden of debt that will
rest heavily upon many future generation.
Of cguw, f l.tKNi.taKi a day Is not a sunirlsltigly greHt
auiu for a flrstlas power to pay for the conduct of 1
war. Our war with Spurn cost us considerably more than
that. Hut It wa a short war and our financial ccul.iion
waa very Mrons. Ku"ila. on the contrary, has been throw
Ins; millions alter millions since the new policy with re
gard to the Asiatic porllon of the empire was put Into
alteration. Nobody knows how much the Trans Siberian
it,...,. U.if I; til an enormous amount: and tbe
expenditure on I'ort Arthur, Ualny, Harbin, Vladivostok,
and the oilier out! have run Into the hundreds of mil
lions. Iudeod, it was pretty well known to the Japanese
a well aa to the rest of tbe world that Russia's treasury
waa la an extremely bad way at the time war was declared.
Hut the 11.000,000 a day Is, after all, only a amall part
of the bills Russia has to face. Her losses of battleships
have uie-aiit the destruction of bundreda of millions of dol
lars' worth of property that must be replaced, and the
prospective capture of her great towns with their arma
ments miidt make the O.ar's heart sick.
Considered as a plain business proposition, the war with
Japan does not seem to be a very good investment Even
fimuKh HuMsla hu!d win st last, she will hare to defenj
her possessions more eiptnslvdy than ever, and bow many
years of ownership of Manchuria will be required to make
up her losses? Chicago Journal.
I
Railroads in Darkest Africa.
IT seema only the other day that eiplorers were
gaining fame by penetrating to regions of
Africa through which one may now ride in a
lrawing room car. The other day tbe first
rrtfflC3h through train left Cape Town for Victoria
-JaVJJ fj);, ou in(, Zambesi Klver, near where lAr-
lngstone died, and on tbe edge of that region
the eiploratlou of which made Stanley famous. With the
opening of traffic of this southern section of the Cape to
Cairo road half tbe splendid dream of Cecil Rhodes a
dream which t-aused men of lesser minds to say that be
was touched with madness becomes materialized Into a
prosaic, working fact, a matter of freight rate, time tables
and tips to the Pulinan jwrter.
From tbe north one can now travel more than a thou
sand miles to where only a few years ago, "the tires of
hell encircled In the desert lost Khartum" as easily as one
an travel to Chicago, and south of Cordon's reclaimed
capital tbe railroad is creeping along tbe banks of tbe
I'pper Nile. From Cape Town to Victoria Tails Is another
thousand miles, leaving something like IMi'Hj miles more of
road lo be built, but much less than that If use Is made,
is it will be at first, of the long stretches of lake navigation
available. A section of only T.V) miles will carry the south
ern stretch of tbe road to Lake Tanganyika, from the
northern end of which a short section will connect with tin;
head waters of the Nile.
liefore we fully realize what Is being accomplished, the
scream of the locomotive w histle w 111 scare the Infant Nilus
in bis cradle and the realm of ihe Pharaohs find an outlet
along the shores where Table Mountain looks out toward
be Antartle seas. All the schemes of ambition cherished
by the dead Kiryptlan kings had no vision of expansion so
;;reat as this. Tbe dream of Cecil Rhodes was greater than
the dreams of the Pharaohs. New Vork Press.
A Ndtiontil Peril.
IIKltK Is more In the toleration of recent auto
TT I mobile (lerformances on the highway than the
I I mere Ignoring of the rights and the safety of
.MIJl-l IT-.JMIT, BHH T IUT Lit 1 1J T.VU1U Ifr W.--
i't 'vvr'iM ",le unless w e nan rorgoiien pare 01 me epiru
fc!J'Jof our Institutions,
For Instance, It Is impossible to avoid the
onvlctlon that the only reason some of the men who drive
raclrig machines escape gaol Is that they are conspicuous
In aomc way, generally the possession of a good deal of
money. Thiyaverage man would serve a term behind the
bars If he caused the needless annoyance and danger and
damage which these men do.
Hut If this Is true, where Is the practical equality before
the law of which we have boasted for years? And without
that what becomes of the basis of our system of popular
government?
It Is not merely In the matter of uport that the change
has come. It Is commonly observed that it is almost Im
possible to punish individuals or corporations of a certain
prominence for some offenses. Hetween the complaint and
the exaction of the penalty there is almost always a way
of escape for these people, although there would not be
for smaller fry. The exceptions are Just about enough to
prove the rule.
It is a more or less clear perception of the fact which
causes much of the discontent which existing In Ignorant
men, takes queer and unreasonable forms, but Is none the
less' founded In a certain degree of Justice, and which
among wiser men leads to apprehension of the future, urn
lens we can brini: about a more general regard for sound
principles of justice and for the authority of law against
one exactly as against another. Hartford Times.
OBEYING OHDLRS.
During the war wllh Spain 47.0W
oldlera were nt one time camped at
Cblckamauga awaiting orders for the
Invasion of Cuba. Some of the regi
ments were made up of the finest and
most earnest young men of the com
munities from which they came. The
exigencies of camp life necessitated
duties with which they had been un
familiar. Prom one cavalry regiment
two young men, cultivated, weii.uiy,
ud graduate of colleges, were detail
ed to assist In horseshoeing; and so
faithfully did they do their work that
within a month they were able to
Diake as good a horseshoe, ami shoe a
horse ai well, as men who bad been
t mined to tbe trade from youth.
"It was not exactly what we had In
mind when we enlisted," said one of
tliem, "and It was as near tbe battle
field a we ever got; but it was our
way of serving our country then, and
we tried to do our duty."
A harder duty ntlll was assigned to
another man In the same regiment.
The major detailed him to keep the
re-gluietitul canteen. Not only was he
a total abstainer, but he was opposed
to the canteen on principle;, and In bis
conversation with Ida comrades had
made no secret of Ids Icellng In the
matter.
He holly resented his assignment to
this hateful labor, and could easay
have risen In rebellion at what seemed
a (tratultous Insult to his well known
principles. Hut be said to himself that
tbe responsibility for his assignment
to tbe task rested with the major, but
tbe rwponsiblllty for the way In which
be perforpied bla duty waa bis own.
Ho he took up the unpleasant work
amid not a little curiosity on the part
f bla comrade concerning the way lu
wfcJck ba would obey tba major'a or-
"i wiii give you the beer If you Wniu
it," ho said to the llrst man who asked
for a Drink of beer, "but I have some
thing better here In the finest lemon
ade to be found In enmp." ltemovlng
tin.- cover, he disclosed a generous ves
sel tilled to the brim with rich lemon
ade, and a lurge lump of Ice lu the
middle. It was too tempting to re
sist, and the lemonade was purchased
Instead of the beer. liefore noon of
the llrst day his lemonade was known
throughout the camp, and the run upon
the canteen was such that he was kept
busy milking more, and be took pains
to keep the quality lip to the mark.
The major came by and saw how be
was conducting the place, but he rais
ed no objection. The men of the regi
ment understood the reason for sup
plying the lemonade, and although at
first there hud been some disposition
on the part of the rougher ones to
make merry over the uncomfortable
altuation In which the young man had
been placed, even these came to ad
mire the spirit In which he obeyed or
ders, and they rallied to his support.
When his duties at the canteen were
over, he was found at the camp
Young Men's Christian Association,
helping In the religious work of the
regiment. Hut tbe popularity of bis
lemonade proved so great as to de
mand a steady supply of It, and In
proportion as the lemonade- was con
sumed, the sale of other drinks dimin
ished. The young soldier hart obeyed bla or
ders, and performed a task whirl) his
soul despised, but he did It In a way
that helped to give nls regiment the
reputation of being one of the soberest
aud most ordor'y In camp.
Waves of PenHlmlmii
ressltulsit) always exists, but It
comes In waves, and a wave of this
kind Is just now aweepl'iig over the
world. Anyoue who will take the trou
ble to look over the magazine and
newspaper files will find half a dozen
tlmea In tbe last 20 yeara when we
Vt?i"tj trcitit-ti tO liie fuiii6 pGiwijiioIIl
and to much the same stories of na
tional, moral and political decay na we
are to-day. If all of these were true
we would be sunk so low to-day that
It would be Impossible to go any lower.
If, however, we compare long ranges
of time we see unquestioned progress
In every line, moral and political, as
well as Industrial and financial. We
hear complaints of bad municipal gov
ernment, of graft in St. Louis, crook
edness In Minneapolis and rottenness
In Philadelphia, but, as a matter of
fact, tbe conditions for the country as
a whole are greatly Improved. Tho
apparent decline Is dtie to the fact that
we know of all the corruption to-day,
thanks to the press, whereas of old it
waa hidden away In darkness and se
crecy. In the snme way the apparent
Increase In crime, which Is the basis of
the English plaint, the greater number
of arrests reported everywhere, the
larger number of prisoners In Jail, do
not really mean more crime, but are
due to the fact that we have a better
police system and that very few
crimes go undetected ami unpunished,
as they did formerly. New Orleans
Times-Democrat
FAVORITES
Farmer John.
Home from his journey Fanner John
arrived this morning, safe and sound,
Ills black eoat off and his old clothes on,
Now I'm myself," says Farmer John;
iiiii he t)i ink j, "I'll look around."
L'p leaps tlie dog; "Get down, you pup;
Are you so glad you would eat me up?"
The hornet prick up their ears at him;
"Well. well, old P.ay!
Ha, ha, old Gray!
Da you get good feed when I am away?"
"Ton haven't a rib!" says Farmer John;
"Tbe cattle are looking rouud and sleek;
Th colt is goisg to ba a roan,
Aud a beauty, too; how he has grown!
We'll wean tba calf next week,"
Baya Farmer John. "When I've been
off
To call you again about th trough,
And watch and pet you while you drink
U a greater comfort Uiaa you can think!"
And he pata old Hay
And he slaps old Gray.
"Ah, this Is the comfort of going away!"
''For, after all," said Farmer John,
"The bent of the Journey ! getting home!
I've seen great sights but would I give
This spot, and the peaceful life I live.
For all their Paris and Home?
These hills for the city's stifled air.
And big hotels, all bustle and glare;
Land all houses, and road all stones,
That deafen your ears and batter your
bones?
Would j on, old Pay?
Would j on, old Gray?
That's what one gets by going away!"
"There, money Is king." says Fanner
John;
"And fashion Is queen; and it's mighty
queer
To see how, sometimes, while the man
Is raking and scraping nil lie can,
The wife spend every year,
I'.noiigh, you'd think, for a score of wives,
To keep theui in luxury all their lives.
The town is a perfect I'.ahjion
To a quiet chap." says Farmer John.
"You see, old Ray,
Von see, oh! Gray
I'tu wiser tluiu when I went away."
"I've found out this." says Farmer
John
"That happiness is not bought and sold.
And clnl. lied in a life of waste and
hurry,
In nights of pleasure and .lays of worry;
And wealth isn't ail in gold,
Mortgage and stocks and tell per cent,
l'.in in simple ways ami sweet content,
Few wants, pure hopes, and noble ends,
Some lit in! to till, ainl a few good friends,
Like you, old Hay,
And you, old Gray!
That's what I've learned by going away."
J. T. Trowbridge.
NEVER HAD A CANDIDATE.
MecbaaWm of Gasoline tingine.
It can be understood to what a nice
ty the mechanism of a gasoline engine
Is ad'ttsled when It Is stated thnt to
make 1,000 revolutions a minute means
thnt In a four-cycle engine there are
600 fcprnys of gasoline forced Into tbe
cylinder, t00 times the electric battery
makes a spark and 500 times tln es
cape valve Is opened to let the gas out.
Ilawkere State la Never Doubtful,
Tbut'a tbe Keuson.
Iowa first took part In a national
election In 1S-48 and It has since grown
to be one of tbe most important States
of the country, with mote than 500,000
voters, and, from its geographical po
sition, exercising great power In tho
West. Some of the most Important po
litical agitations which have swayed
the action of other Western States
have had their origin in Iowa, notably
"the Granger movement," "the antl
rallroad fight," and "the scaled pack
age" agitation as applied to the prohi
bition question.
Hut, though Iowa has been abund
antly recognized In all other lines of
political preferment (it hits now two
representatives In tiie President's Cab
inet, the Secretary of the Treasury and
he .Secretary of Agriculture, and hud
In the last Congress tbe Speakership),
It has never been recognized by either
of the great political parties for a nom
ination to tbe Presidency or the Vice
Presidency.
Twice the Democrats took their
Presidential candidate from neighbor
ing Nebraska, twice their Vice Presi
dential candidate from neighboring
Missouri, twice their Vice Presidential
Candidate from neighboring Illinois, tbe
Slates which make the western, south
ern and chief eastern boundary of
Iowa. Hut from the State of Iowa lt
ielf no candidate for President or Vice
i'resldent has come In a Democratic
liatlonal convention.
On the Republican side the failure to
fiomlnate an lowan has been equally
jnarked. The Hawkeye State has vo
lod In turn for every Republican can
didate for the Presidency since and ln
tiuding Fremont, but though It has a
long line of Cabinet appointments
JOrkwood, McCrnry, "Ilarlan, Hntton,
llelknap, Wilson, and Shaw it bus
ever received a nomination for Pres
lent or Vice President. Tbe most
atural expiation Is that Iowa has nev-
4r been considered a doubtful State.
Chicago Inter Ocean.
WHERE NATURE SPORTS.
Too Much to l-lxpeot.
Hrookelelgh I don't know what
time it Is.
Ascum Isn't your watch running?
Hrokelelgb I don't think so. I
could hardly expect the pawnbroker to
keep It wound up. Philadelphia Press.
Wbat has become of the oMLnslilnn
ed man wbo "popped" tbe question?
Jueer Things to He Been In the Hay of
Trieste,
Around the head of the Gulf of
Trieste, In the southern part of Aus
tria and extending across the base of
the Istrian peninsula, Is a plateau of
I'mestone which presents some pecu
liar phenomena, says the New York
Tribune.
Full-grown rivers Issue from Its Hide,
(isappear under oilier bills, to reappear
iter at some distant point. Mysterious
hnings rise through the bottom of the
Hay of Trieste, In time of heavy rain
fall bubllng up with a violence suffi
cient to endanger small craft. In the
heart of Cherso Island, which Is lu the
middle of the Gulf of Quarnero, Is the
I-ake of Vrana. It Is surrounded en
tirely by bills and lies In a bnsln said
to be 43 fathoms deep, Tbe level of
tba water la reputed to ba at leaat 40
feet below- the level of the sea afeout
the Island. It has no apparent afflu
ent or effluent yet tbe waters are al
ways fresh and cool.
It is believed tbe lake Is fed by
some subterranean passage, leading
out under tbe bay from tbe Istrian
Alps, possibly from Monte Maggiore
Itself. Some distance to tbe north
ward is a lake which disappears for
weeks at a time. This sheet of water,
known as tbe Lake of Zirkuitz, is
about four miles long and from two
to three miles broad. Villages, chap
els and castles are reflected in its wa
ters. Frequently in July, although not
every year, tbe waters begin to dis
appear, and in August the bed. 50 feet
below the surface at some points, at
times gradually appears. From 20 to
25 days are required for the entire lake
to be discharged. When the bed is re
vealed the peasants plant crops of bar
ley where only a short time before
they were drawing their nets. Tbe bed
remains uncovered sometimes for
many weeks. Tbe peasants gather
their barley and bay from the bottom
In the meantime. Then, with a rush,
the waters return, tbe basin being re
tilled sometimes in a period of 24
hours.
The limestone which forms the bed
Is perforated with a vast number of
caverns and fissures. Nearly 80 of
these are visible. They are 50 feet
deep. Tbe peasants give them names
such as the Kettle, the Sieve, etc.
There are 28 openings which draw
water off. only 12 of which both draw
off and discharge water. They connect
with caverns and subterranean pas
sages penetrating beneath tbe sur
rounding mountains.
In this neighborhood also is the grot
to of Adlesberg, tbe largest known
cavern In Europe and one of tbe most
beautiful in tbe world. It has been
explored for a distance of four or five
miles. Through a portion of it Hows
the River Polk, which takes this sub
terranean method of reaching its des
tination. Resides the fantastic caves and grot
toes are deep pits, varying in diametet
from a few feet to several miles, somt
of them having forests and agricul
tural hinds at their bottoms.
JEWS ARE MADE GENERALS.
Two Keccivc Signal Promotion In Aus
tria and One in France.
The Austrian army has received two
Jewish generals at the same time, says
the Israelite. F.dunid Von Schweitzer
has been appointed general of the in
fantry and Naval Constructor Siegfried
Popper was raised to the rank of a
genera), Ihe first case in tbe Austrian
navy. Popper was born in Prague
in ISIS, Is a graduate of the tech
nical college In Cuiisruhe, and has
been in tbe service of the navy since
1S71. .
General Von Schweitzer is a native
of Hungary, entered military service
as a plain soldier lu the war of 1800,
studied afterward in the cadet school,
was made lieutenant and distinguished
himself in tbe Hosulan insurrection of
1878. Heing admitted to the military
academy, he became staff officer, colo
nel of an Infantry regiment, and Is
now raised to tbe rank of general.
According to Oesterreichlsche Vv'och
enscbrift, this Is supposed to be the
first case of a Jewish general in Aus
tria. There was reported, however,
some time ago the appointment of an
other Jew, General Von Po-ges. II
may, however, have been converted to
Christianity before.
A French Jew Colonel Valabregue
has been appointed chief of the cal
inct of General Andre, the French min
ister of war. This extremely impor
tant promotion, of course, produced a
spasm of furious excitement in the
nntl-Semttic papers. They declare that
France and the army have been be
trayed to the Jews and that Vala
bregue Is cousin to tbe "traitor Drey
fus." "From to-day," exclaimed tb
Libre Parole, "Valabregue Is the real
bend of the army. W'e shall soon see
him minister of war and Dreyfus chiel
of the general staff. He is also the
cousin of General Naquet, that other
Jew, who, In a certain measure, ii
grand master of artillery."
lliiHiness tier Chief Idea.
"I heard last week," said Professsov
Gates of Harvard, "a good example oi
double entendre. There was a mat
who had been courting a woman foi
five or six years. This man, it wa
plain, loved the woman; he called or
her five nights In the week, but it
that shy mood common In New Eng
land he could not bring himself to pro
pose.
"He sat one evening opposite hli
sweetheart He had grown quite bald
since his courting had begun and, at
for her, little lines had appeared about
her mouth and eyes, and she stooped
as she walked. Very desperate slit
was. It seemed to her that they might
have been married five yeara ago.
" 'I seen,' said the shy lover, I seen
an ad. to-day for a suit for $10.'
" 'Was It a wedding suit?' tbe worn
an asked In a strange voice.
" 'No,' he answered nervously, 11
was a business suit'
" 'Well, I mean business,' said tin
woman."
It Is announced that Margery Wil
liams' novel, "Tbe Price of Youth,'
Has been dramatized.
Tbe Lotbrop Publishing Company
sas added to Margaret Sidney's Tepper
Books, "Five Little Peppers and Their
Friends."
Clara Louise Hurnham's two Chris
dan Science novels continue in steady
demand. In fact "The Right Prin
cess" has been sent to press for the
fifteenth time, and "Jewel" for the
ninth time.
Messrs. Harper & Brothers announce
for publication "The Adventures of
Buffalo Hill," by the band of the or
iginal Col. William F. Cody. A life of
Col. Cody not written by himself ia
appended.
"His Pseudoic Majesty" ia the title
of a book written by William Augustus
Smith, a Wall street lawyer, and is
sued by the Liberty Publishing Com
pany. It is a satire on crest -bunting,
gold worship and monopoly.
Joseph C. Lincoln's "Cap'n Kii" Is
reported by A. S. Barnes & Co. to lie
entering upon a career of Increasing
popularity. It Is said to rank high
iiiyoug the best selling books in New
Vork. Chicago, and other cities.
Doublcday, Page & Co. will hereaf
ter be tbe American publishers of the
"Great Master Scries." These repro
ductions are made by a new process
discovered by Mr. Itcndi.xon. the in
ventor of the phonograph, and are at
once cheap and artistic.
John Lane has added to bis dainty
fceries of reprint "Flowers of Parnas
sus," William Watson's poem, "The
Tomb of Hums." This critical elegy Is
written in the six line stanza in which
Wordsworth wrote "At tbe Grave of
Burns," and in which Burns himself
wrote so many of bis epistles.
"The worse poets are treated In life
the better It is for them," said the
Poet Laureate, Alfred Austin, the oth
er day, after thanking Signor Ricci for
bis lecture on Boccaccio before the
London Dante Society. "If there are
any poets or poetesses here," be con
tinued, "my advice to you is 'Do not
let society spoil you.' "
Tbe Macinlllfin Company will pub
lish the two volumes of Dr. William
W. Hastings, "Manual of Physical
Measurements, Boys," and "Manual of
Physical Measurements, Boys and
Girls." The purpose of these books ia
to promote a more widespread interest
in physical training and to provide a
brief, practical form of measurements.
Gelett Burgess and Will Irwin, au
thors of "The Picaroons" and "The
Reign of Queen Isyl," are reported to
be meditating a serious novel on San
Francisco life. Tboir efforts so far
have been in the corned spirit, but they
believe that San Francisco and tl Pa
cific Const offer more suggestive lit
erary material to the writer than any
other place In tbe world.
W. L. Alden wants Jack London to
drop "Jack" and call himself "John."
"These writers," be says, "who sign
themselves 'Jack' and 'Will,' suggest
'altogether too unpleasantly the grown
women who sign themselves 'Mamie'
and 'Birdie.' I trust yet to be able to
note thnt Mr. London has entirely giv
.en up shouting, and has adopted the
habit of calling himself John Lon-'don."
LONELINESS OF THE PRAIRIE.
Character Analysis.
"He Is a. great deal of an optimist,"
said one bright girl.
"Yes," answered the other, "and an
egotist us well."
"Can one be both?"
"Certainly. He is cheerful becauss
he firmly believes that the world can
not go wrong so long as be lives In II
and looks out for It." Washington
Star.
Now up and up, when you take a
good look nt yourself In the glass,!
don't yon think, "Well, I'm not such .1 j
bad-looking fellow" i
Tracklean, Treeless Waste, Without
Water or Human Habitation.
"I had almost as soon be set adrift
in a small boat In mldocean as to be
dropped down on the vast prairie near
the -Kansas-Colorado State line," said
a man who is familiar with the West
"One cannot realize the loneliness of
the western plains until he has cross
ed them. There are very few human
habitations, comparatively little of the
hind is Under cultivation, and water ia
a scarce and precious commodity. In
every direction nothing meets the gaze
of the eye except a trackless, treeless
waste which is bounded only by the
lowering sky. Trairie dogs are the
chief denizens -of this region, and aa
tbe train whirls past they perch them
selves on their hind legs and sit bolt
upright, as motionless ns a statue.
There are a few houses, but they are
at wide intervals. The single advant
age that a lonely pedestrian has in that
feglon Is thnt by following the rail
oad track sufficiently far he will reach
a town some day; but walking under
Ihe burning prairie sun andin a water
less country is by no means pleas
ant. "It Is positively tiresome to the eye
to ride across the prairies In a com
fortable Pullman car, surrounded by
nil the luxuries of life. This being
true, it must be next to appalling to
have to tramp over this region with
out food or water, except what one
begs at tbe few way stations along the
route. I have never been able to see
anything picturesque or Inviting about
the wide-stretching plains." Bloom
tngton News.
Storks Have So Voice.
Storks have no voice. The only
noise they make is "klappeiing" (snap
ping their great red mandibles rapidly
and loudly).
As soon as a man Is elected to office
be begins to work for a second nomination.
Intellectuality Is tbe cause of baM
noes. So sayi a baldhoaded scientist.