\ OUR GOLDEN TERRITORY. !
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It is almost thirty years dnee the
foresight of one man secured for the
United Mates a land whore value Is
< very day becoming more ati l more
known and appreciated liy the people
of the Union. He bravsl ridicule,
and opposition of every sort, from ev
ery source, and with a pertinacity
liorn of Inward conviction, he never
reeled until he had "pen Alaska be
come the property of the United Mates.
The name of HeerPtary Heward will be
forever associated with that remark
able purchase, hf which we secured
from Russia for seven million two
hundred thousand dollars a territory
nine times the slate of the New Kng
land states; teeming with gold mines,
rich In furs, abounding In fish, and
clothed with forests. But at that time
no one. not even the Russians them
Mclves, knew what u rich country Alat
kn was, and many were the Jokes made
iit the expense of .Secretary Scward'i
< iittiiMlasm. The papers sneered at it,
one of them suggesting to President
Johnson that he visit "this land of val
uable snow and merchantable Ice,” for
the general Impression was that It was
an Ice-bound country, access to which
war crowded with Hlberlun-llke diffi
culties, the people as a whole knowing
very little about It, and not stopping
In consider that Its thousund miles of
coast was washed by the warm wateri
of the Japan current, tbits modifying
the climate, so that winters In Sllk:t
are scarcely more severe than those
In New Vork, while the summers are
refreshingly cool. Secretary Heward
worked with almost a seer's vision to
' 1 '' 11J | > J11' 11 || I >-> lll’Ull W SIH. i illl'l *•*
i van ably seconded by Charles Sumner, |
whose a pee h In the senate on "the ces
sion of Husslan America” was one of |
the finest efforts of Ills life, and at
length I lie vast district became the
property of the United Slates,
Then < a me he puzzling question ol
naming the territorial baby, because
it si old name, "Husslan America," wit
no longer appropriate. The wits ex
erelsed their Inventlv. powers, sng
gestlng en li appelatlons as "American
Siberia," and "Zero Islands," but
Charles Simmer showed Ills line taste
hy suggesting "Alaska" (Hie grest
land), a name which the Indians used
In connection with the southern part of
the peninsula. The ceremony of the
transfer was very simple. Had one
been In Sitka a certain bright October
morning in IXfJ7 he would have seen
beautiful Sitka buy guy with the flut
tering Stars and Stripes on three Unit
ed States warships, while from every
stall and roof of the village waved the
emblem of Hussia's power, In front
of the old castle on Its lofty, natural
elevation were drawn up the troops of
both countries, who silently awaited
fho firs' salute front one of the United
States ships, tt which signal the order
was given to lower the castle's Huswiau
Aug. Scarcely hud the sound of the
American guns lost themselves In echo,
when the Husslau batteries boomed
forth, and the American flag gayly
WHITE HOUSE KAI'IDH, YI KON UIVER.
mounted to th<- top, while both coun
try'* gun* rounded u duct, ttfter which
* t he itmunun governor formally realgnod
I I* budge of office to America'* repre
.-cnt.ttlve and the hind belonged to l'n
<1. Mtm That night there wa» a ban*
«|i,et m l ball at the ittntlc. and th> it
the Kunian famtlleg. many of whom
were cultured, educated people, pre
pared to leave I he coHDtr) In |>oM*e»*toii
of il<- pew owner, mo thai In a few
month* the native* and I’ulted Slate*
triHtpa, together with UBMcrttpnlotta ud
vngtttrera, were the- *ole occupant*
tlradually th- latter id*** wa* attper
■ ruled hr hoii-»t pi o*pn tor* and nigged
phia* «r*. whom acconat* of the brawl)
'•I th« I tint am acted the toarUt* who
now mgtiallt flood the conal tealou.
where niiiue of the graudr*t ornery of
the » old can hr *een
I.* mug Victoria, the i><>ai tieatn* it*
•iipennne pa»*ag* among (he innum
erable laUttd* which net glare Ilk* #a
* trvle * he Ktaai In verity and truth,
they are Ike *pwr* of ikal unbroken
moctitiain range wkich form* a wall
alone >he IVilh coaat from worth to
*uwth At hi *t, owe begin* to count
► <k«*a U'andv but la eoon loat In a
maaa «l hgwrwa, tor them M a goodly
timpani of about | law varying la *iae
from email, dell- at* pair Be* at greea
i i great traetal at tend a* laige o the
•lata of Mo*, hweetl* A* the boat
it idea ta »nd out of thte tabvrtath of
ea'WU, the grew# be*-woe* A tbodo- >
pte, far new <ombtnaHw« of targwoMa
watge. teiee •>*»■ bed »A> •twatle group
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tains, and forests centuries old are
-unstantly presenting themselves. The
Vosemite seems but the child of thla
nast, grand congregation of rocks,while
Pike's Peak la but a strayed little
brother, for one after the other, on all
•Ides, mountains that lose thenmelves
In the sky's snow hanks rise perpen
dicularly from the smooth, level sur
race of the water, Neptune demanding
no tribute during this voyage, as one
meets the open sea only while crossing
Queen Charlotte Sound and Dixon Un
tranee. A bird flying high over head,
>r a seagull skimming the water's rnlr
ror-llke face, give evidence of the
feathered Inhabitants of these unex
plored wildernesses, while a birch-ha rk
canoe filled with Indians darting across
the water, add the last touches of wild
ness to the scene. Hut the "noble red
man” Is nobler at u distance than upon
nearer acquaintance, for the first set
tlement where the water carriage
lands. Fort Wrangell, discloses the
natives freed from all picturesqueness,
Ihclr totem poles alone culling out ad
miration. Before almost every hut
ore seen these stately emblems, sym
bolical of the natives' pride—* pride
which humanity shares, for does not
everyone respect a coat-of-arras? The
navage and white man here meet in
common ground, for each desires In
fluence, and In Indian affairs he who
erects the most splendid pole Is reck
oned a man of wealth, for these her
aldrlc emblems cost the owners from
$1,000 to $2,000 of our money, A line
cedar log, perhaps fifty feet long, is
chosen, and this, after It has been
stripped of the bark, Is curved with
the faces of men, beasts and blrda.
which may or may not be painted, and
to every Indian this true geneologlcal
lice relates a plain story of the owner,
showing Ills descent (which Is reek
oned on his mother's side), the power
ful alliances made by his family, and
the great events In the tribe's history.
The dry of Its erection Is a proud one
for the savage, as the event Is cele
brated by the ciitlie tribe, and that host
who can ruuke the greatest display by
lavishly feasting all his guests on the
delicacies of this land, by giving them
expensive blankets us souvenirs, is
counted tin- most Important, and takes
a correspondingly high rank, even It
be beggars himself In the operation a
parody on modern civilization.
Having exchanged good United
Unites money (of which they seem to
know the value) for silver suoons on
the handles of which they huve carved
totem poles, and having reveled In their
old art work baskets made of the split
roots of the cedar, woven together by
hand so tightly that ttiey would hold
water, rnd painted with native colored
day In rude geometrical figures, the
tourist tlnds himself once more drifting
through a never ending panorama of
nature's arranging and painting, until
the glaciers begin to make their ap
pearance, eacii one of which seems
more beautiful than its predecessor, un
til that (juteti of glaciers, the Muir, Is
reached. ldke a shy maiden. It has
been s’hary of Ita beauty, hiding lts»lf
In a bay which la rather formidable 01
entrance, as it In usually Hlied with a
Hcet of Icebergs and floe* which per
sist In keeping three-fourths of their
bodlc# under water, so that a vessel
wUblng to make their acquaintance
must be shod In Iron. The giiitlug it
the Ice under the ship's metal heel, the
fierce rushing In and out of the tides,
and the distant booming of iiuturc
artillery as the Icebergs break away
from the glacier's face and fall Into
the water, make one's hloud tingle, and
ctpevtation has reached Its climax |
when a sudden turn into an Inlet brings 1
one lace to face with one of the Host
novel awe instill ms sights In all ibis
great round wot III Muir glacier un
like .no into of Ita fellows -rive*
the bay Mount t'rttiuu and Mount f'ntr
wrather towering I.Mw feet strive the
water, like gtant wnirlc* guard this
fiSiam gem It does not stoop down tv
reash the s« i hut luridly, hsilvwll so
pittas hr* the edge of the water, pee
sawllng a solnl wall ot let over fW le*l
high ssd three miles aeruaa It* face -
a eight to dasate and fascinate man
hind
treating the skip. lifeboats land ‘h
eaptnag tuurkMa in a ravine nl tk« side
of (bin be river, abd the smefci (brosagh
sand and houkter la t«egun a scramble
rbk In reward, an the tup id tbe gla
star tg a sH*pgrepatbu» nf 1 r.s«*a*te».
mwnv of whtrb are as keauttfol eat
•ymmetrkral ae If they were >m ftom
Carrara marble by master artists in
days of yore. Even the sun seems to
pause and smile more genially as hr
sees himself reflected In a thousand
brilliant Ice-facets which separate it
rays Into their prismatic hues. Tbit
linger as he may, the time comes when
only the moon and stars see the won
derful beauty of the place, for boat
must say good-by when Sol's eharl >t
passes on. as It Is not safe for a vessel
to be overtaken by night in that Ice
dotted bay, which Is so unlike that
other hay which caresses the banks «-f
Sitka, the most Interesting settlement
In Alaska. A single street, at the
head of which Is the old orthodox
Greek church, with Its picturesque
green minarets, chime of bells and lint
clock, divides (lie village Into two
parts civilization and heathenism. On
the one side Is ihe Indian rancherle oi
settlement, for the government now
compels the natives to live In houses
or huts which front the lieach In e
double row, each place being white
washed and numbered. The Inside
consists of one large room with a hole
In the middle of the roof, through
which the smoke of the lire escapes,
Ihe soot on the celling forming black
stalactites of the most fascinating
shape and form. In this common liv
ing room, the entire family, Includlio
hordes of dogs, cal and sleep, while
the only touch of plcturosqueness about
the rancherle are the beautiful canoe*
covered with gay blankets, which arc
drawn up on the beach. On the other
side of the graveled highway are the
trading store, custom house, barracks,
mission schools and governor's castle
which Is a most Interesting square old
structure made of huge logs held to
gether by iron bolts, Its foundation t:P
Ing a rocky elevation which Ih snr
rounded on three sides hy water, while
the fourth springs abruptly from .b.
surrounding land, thus forming u nat
ural and Impregnable fortress. Tlu
view from this commanding height Jls
doses a semi-circular bay which m!«h
he the twin of the beautiful bay of N.i
pics, not even the lire mountain being
absent, for the extinct volcano, Kdgc
< urn he, far In the distance to the rlgh',
wrapped In a royal purple mantle,
guards the hundreds of emerald Island*
which stud the silvery, glittering ex
panse of water. Hack of the town ar
the everlasting hills, whose rising
slopes us blue as lapis lazuli, gradually
bide themselves in vellH of filmy, fleecy
clouds until they change their gown*
to the pure whiteness of perpetual
snow.
Nature seems to he "setting for hot
picture," for everything about Sitka
presents views to fill a water color-ar
tist with rapture. ICvcn the sun linger*
long before dosing his eyes on thi*
perfection, for 9 o’clock In August find*
i'lm still out of bed, flooding the scent
with glorious mellow light, which
gradually fades through the red of re
gret, and the gray of resignation, to ih(
tender amethyst of hope, for the gentle
afterglow which tints the snow-capp*
mountains, and Is reflected hy the Is
land-set bay, seems to be a promise ol
tomorrow's return, and one secretly
envies him the sight, for ere that Hint
comes the steamer will have carrie*
Its human freight many miles from thb
haven of perfect beauty, on the home
ward voyage from this land of poeti*
loveliness--America’s Switzerland.
Helium la r. Stine.
Helium, it will he recollected, Is c
chemical element which was known tt
exist in the sun and some of the star>
long before it bad been discovered oi
the earth. When found on our globe
two years ago, It was discovered In i
rare mineral of Norway named clevelte
Since then clevelte has been In demant
In chemical laboratories, and Its rarity
has made It costly. Recently n mint
was opened near Ryfylke, Norway, con
taining an abundance of clevelte, to
gether with several other rare miner
als. Tlie clevelte from this mine, ex
amlned in London, has been found riel
In helium, and it sells for about $" *
pound.
Fnue it Population of .lolni nui MlMir^.
Johannesburg, according to the lat
pst figures, has now 1-30,000 Inhibltants
51,000 of whom are whites. There art
IK,205 British, 3.335 Russians, 2,26.
Germans, silt Dutch, 442 Frenchmen
3'i 1 Swedes and Norwegians, 200 Ital
Ians, and 048 from other non-AfrlcBt
countries; the others come from th<
Orange Free Slate and the Britlsl
South African colonics.
FIGS AND THISTLES.
The ring of the dollar Is not heard in
the death chamber.
Jilnd acts find a dozen friends befort
kind wishes get an Introduction.
Tee truthful are youthful though
thali checks are withered with age.
The rich man In hell didn't ask (o be
taken out. lie wanted to be made mil t
fortkin > where he was,
Gone lice a sinner tbut you are con
cerned ibout him. and he will soon
lie i once ucd about hlmn*lf
There la some difference between
hope-*o re.tgion and «i -itr....« c i but,
there la between tougg) twt|:j it end
clear •unablao
A euchre piecing, dam ng theater
going beer di oklug church lucin'ei
tan do more to .'color el He the JFOUIbl ,
than a full Scope >
The great her w'iu la not cartwa,
whether anyhudy b being hruugttt i«>,
repentance by hla p,* ashing haa uiD |
underspent the lair t
According to the rtlhtl »l entwtl m il >
religloa, the p-nit eat I on the day ul
l*»ntertiat should here been "cut te 1
!u*ll logical lacultlee. ' Instead at 'nil
tu the heart "
I*-.-,e*w Who Wotftld hoW, aid gie|a
so l walk un their hneee lur the eah* i
.if being gretesnted to tjoeea Victoria,
-•■use Ikeaseeltse trow the Wed os* >
t»» Wight twee# «l the Ktag «f K ngi
• the prwye* aseettag Maas s Mow
JOYS OF HARRISON.
•YHEELS BABY CARRIAGE AND
CLEARS UP UNDERBRUSH.
Hi* l'.i’rrf*ldfnt Must Enjoy lloth, for
llf'ii lt«*< (iiiihiK Plump in III* Aillron
flock i ottftgc Proof Agwlnwt Politics
— lie Is Vvrjr Democratic.
KS! There's no
tellln' by appear
ancea," said the
man who rowed me
up the lake from
Old Forge in the
Adlrondacks to my
deatinatlon.
"When we was
eomln’ down here
'tother day a young
woman Hays: '.See ,
that old gentleman cleaning up brush. |
It must be hard work bending over,
he is so fat.’ ’That’s Benjamin Harri
son, ex-presldent of the United .States,’
says I."
The ex-presldent Is working on the
grounds of his new summer home with
ull the zeal of a pioneer who has a
growing family to provide for. His
beard Is white, but be Is young In
heart. An ulr of geniality and of
eheerlness pervades the Harrison cot
tage such as would surprise politicians
who have memories of the tempera
ture In the White House during his
administration. There is one man at
Old Forge who maintains manifest
skepticism of the natives not withstand
ills# flint lif. It Hi Imfin " llntwiuf lion
Harrison" actually "crack a smile" in
the presence of the new baby.
The baby now weigh* eighteen
pounds and Is as round und us red us a
pippin. When Father Harrison re
lieves the nurse in pushing the baby
carriage up and down In front of the
cottage 111* face shows that lie has
found an occupation more congenial
than being president of the United
States, He trots the Infant on bis
knee, pi wiggle;, his forefinger before
Its eyes with some of the awkwardness
of a young father with Ills firstborn,
but with deliberate <u;e.
Ha by McKee’s nose la quite out of
joint. Son Russell's non Is completely
broken, and he works at clearing off
underbrush with a daintiness and a
lack of naturalness and force which
might well call forth a rebuke from
the boss,"
The ex president work* like a veter
an handy man. Unlike Hon Russell,
he rolls up Ills sleeves and goes "right
in." Hut then Hon Russ Is blase. He
has not the enthusiasm of a young
father.
sion was that the president wax ex
tremely neat; withal a city man never
j to be dragged out of city clothes and a
citified appearance. However, we all
know what transformations the arrival
of u baby may make. When Mr. Har
rison clears away underbrush he wears
a delightfully grotesque little slouch
bat, a neglige shirt, flve-ccnt suspen
ders, a pair of old trousers and old
leather legglns which show wear, while
Son Russ’s show only style.
“There's no deer shooting now,” said
the ex-president as he put Ills hands
on his hips, drawing the deep breath
and taking the restful position of a
workman who has a moment’s leisure;
“and It’s pretty hot to fish in the day
time, So I am just clearing up the
front of my new place a bit. There Is
a lot of work to do yet before we get
Into good shape. It’s rather hard to
make a lawn where this underbrush Is.
Wfl ('lit It dnwn and rnnt it iin nmtiv
thoroughly one year, and when we
come hack the next It haa grown up
aguln In the tnoat audacious manner.
We're also ripping out some of the
atumpa left from the cutting of the
tree* when we firat built our cottage.
Then thla apot was nothing more than
a hatch of foreat % good place for the
deer to come down to the water to
drink. We had a great deal of pleaaurw
In aelectlng the tree* which we were
to leave for ahade, both aa to individual
Iwauty and to harmonious arrangement
of the whole,"
Aa greatly lutereated n* I «as In the
ex-president'a view* aa a pioneer, |
waa more Interested In whatever he
might say about the tariff Idll *ud the
return of prosperity.
H ink. r* and merchants." he vald
know better than I whether or not
prosperity |* returning. Here in the
wno«la I am quite out of politics."
He waa proof against any requests I
fur a word on the t'uban. the Hawwltan
or the Hehrlng Msa questions, and no
tees silent about the tkaglsy bill. Roll* I
Ilea, la awy form, It* thought, laudvlsa
Ids for aa s»pr*sid#*i enjoying the
qutet of his summer home
Mow that Mr llsrrtaow has a wife i
sad a hahr. to whom b* devotes him
self with tas gailaalry he goes less
sad lass to the etuh. a shooting
gad retreat low otganualloa tompused
wf well to do sad solid professional sad ,
hualwsas men, whkh h«s a has sum- .
msr eluhhwkse Sot far from the Mstrh I
atm .oils*#
Nte great frtwwd. Mr Mhephsrd. still ’
romes over to see him. and occasion
ally he finds time for an hour with Mr.
Shepherd on the piazza of the club
house.
Friend Shepherd is just such a man
as Mr. Harrison weald be expected to
like. What a vast contrast he Is to
Mr. Cleveland's ruddy-fared and j
strong-voiced friend, Broker Benedict! |
Friend Shepherd looks Just as neat and
smooth as the Mr. Harrison whom we j
knew as president. He aiwnys orderoji
whole section In the sleeping car long '
beforehand when he Is going to or
from the Adlrondacks. so as to have
the use of the upper berth In order to
keep the creases in his trousers In a
state of rigid preservation. He Is quiet,
thoughtful and correct. Hike the ex
presldcnt, ho Is celebrated for general
taciturnity and for particular verbosi
ty In asking a multitude of questions
about when the train or boat goes
while waiting tor it.
As either Is opposed to taking the
initiative In a conversation himself,
the natives wonder how they can ever
talk together; but this peculiarity may
explain how they get on so well, like
the two old army officers who, on be
ing introduced after spending the after
noon together, became the fastest of
friends. One had said: “The service
Is going to the devil"; the other re
plied, "Yes, d It, It Is;” and that
was the extent of their conversation.
"Son Hush,” who was so festive In
the earlier part of his father's admin
istration, has been almost forgotten by
the public and Is growing more sedate,
and some say more wise. The ex
president Is, If unythiug, more portly
than ever. In Ills shirt slepves, with
out th(‘ gracious fold* of a frock roat,
he appears as round as a Imll. He
takes no exercise, except pushing the
baby carriage and clearing away under
brush. Unlike Mr. Cleveland, he has
no naphtha launch. When he travels
on file lake II Is in a rowboat, Ills guide
and man-of-all-work being at the oars.
The new law which prevents the
“hounding" of deer, the luring of them
to a certain spot with salt or attract
ing them with a "Jack light” is a dis
appointment to Mr. Harrison, who will
now have to hunt the deer, instead of
having the deer brought to him. Form
erly his guides and their dogs hounded
the deer into the water, where they
were kept swimming until the ex-presi
dent from the bow of his boat dis
patched them. Or else at night he was
rowed along the shores with a light In
the bow of the boat. Often in this way
the prey is brought within two or three
yards of the muzzle of the rifle. As
the guides say, "You cun ulinost reach
out and touch them." Both "hound
ing’ and "jacklightlng" are scarcely
considered legitimate sport by Ameri
can sportsmen. What Mr. Harrison de
sires more than anything else Is the
venison for his table, it is said, and he
sees no more cruelty in getting it in
one way than In another.
FREDERICK PALMBR.
AS TOLD BY HORATIOSEYMOUR
rii« Th«nk>|lvlnf rreclanaatloa That
the? ( It rKjmrn <'»n<irtnat*«1.
Speaking of Horatio Seyraour, an old
New York politician recalls the follow
ing anecdote, which, he aHRerta, tbs
Governor lined to tell on himself:
"I hnd Just taken my seat In the rail
way carriage when I noticed two minis
terial looking men In front of me,”
said the Governor. “ ‘Do you know
this Horatio Seymour?’ asked one.
‘No,’ came the answer, ‘although t have
seen him.’ ‘Have you? Then I pray
you to tell me how he looks.’ ‘Well,
he looks what, he Is- a great drunkard/
answered the one who had seen the
Governor. ‘Dm,’ said the questioner,
sadly, ‘It’s a great pity that he should
be Governor. I understand that he
owns an Interest In more than half the
rum shops In Utica.’ ’Yes,’ was the re
sponse, ‘and he has to look out for
them in the morning, as he Is always
too drunk In the afternoon to attend
to that or any other business.’ I
pricked up my ears,” concluded the
Governor, ‘‘for I was curious to know
what had caused these two to go for
me so severely. Presently I discovered.
‘Have you seen his Thanksgiving proc
lamation?’ asked one. ‘Yes, and I
think It scandalously Infidel.’ ‘So do
1/ And yet that proclamation was
written by the rector of the leading
Kplscopal church In Albany."
IIU lftrok*n
Ethel—I saw Count Hardupskl last
evening.
Cousin Tom Does he talk ait broken
ly as ever?
Ethel Oh, yea. 1 heard him nak pa
to lend him live pounds before he left
• uinKo flail HU Wnakueu.
"Mrs. Cumso la a shrewd woman.*’
“What mukea you think ao?”
"She attaches u cyclometer to the
lawn-mower, and gives Climso » medal
every lime lie scorea a century,” a
Hrrat Mental Hlraln.
“How much Insanity develops In hot
weather!"
“Yes people lose Ihelr minds when
their Ice bills come In.”
KNICKNAMES OF CITIES.
New York -Gotham,
Louisville Kali City.
Aberdeen Granite City.
Keokuk -The Gale City.
Pittsburg The Iron City.
Hannibal—The Bluff City.
Chicago The Garden City.
Rochester—The Flour City.
Pittsburg—The Smoky City. %
Ht. Louis—The Mound City. *
London—The Modern Babylon.
New Haven--The CBy o( Elms. ^
Detroit—The City 01 the Straits.
Indianapolis The Railroad City.
Raleigh, N. C. - The City of Oak*.
Brooklyn—The City of Churches.
Baltimore—The Monumental City.
Nashville The City of the Rocks.
Springfield, III. The Flower City.
Cincinnati —The Queen City of tin
West,
Cleveland and Portland—The Forest
Cities.
Buffalo—The Queen City of thi
Hakes.
Ancient Rome -The Mistress of the
World.
Washington -The City of Magnlllceni
Distances.
Philadelphia The City of Brotherl;
lx>ve and the Quaker City.
Brussels—Little Paris. The name I*
sometimes applied to Milan.
Cincinnati- Porkupolls. This nano
has sometimes been applied to Chicago
Boston The City of Notions, th»
Puritan City, the City of Culture, thi
Modern Athens, and the Hub of the
Universe.
TUK KK l‘HK4ll)«VV UMt HUiMu ' (tM Hl.i IDUKtMUACtC I'l.AO*
