DELUGE IS NOW DUE.
THE DAYS OF NOAH MAY SOON
RETURN.
»■ _
A Great Aqnatlc Cataclysm —Sot Very
Likely, However, to I)l«turb the I'eaee
of Those Folk at Present Living on
the Earth.
i
A scientist, who asked that his name
he not mentioned In connection with
this article, says the New York Tele
graph, says that the days of Noah may
return. Following is what he has to
eay In demonstration of his Idea: The
great flood occurred 4,003 years ago.
There have been several deluges
recorded In history besides that one,
as that of Ogyges—which we read over
flooded almost all Attica—and that of
Deucalion, which drowned all Thessaly,
In Greece. I state these facta so that
•you may be quite prepared to hear that
^another great deluge, according to
, <*many learned and modern geologists,
.^threatens the earth. We are told this
may come at any moment, burying the
greater part of the continents of
Europe, Asia and North America under
millions of tons of water, and probably
replacing them with new continents In
^ the southern hemisphere. This new
• i deluge Is to be brought about by the
/''melting of the great antarctic ice cap
which now, fo somo scientists contend,
V holds an enormous quantity of water In
lta frosty grasp. Once released, this
«vast liquid volume will rush north
ward, submerging continents as It
t Wows. Now, this Is Important If true,
$md Interesting even If only an erudite
Villon. If we examine a map of the
world we shall recognize that the sur
face of the globe Is unequally divided
Into land and water; about one-fourth
la land. The largest share of the land Is
In the northern hemisphrre, where the
proportion of the land to the water Is
SB, It la computed, 415 to 1,000, while
In the southern hemisphere the propor
tion of the land to tiie water Is as only
120 to 1,000. In proof of the transla
tion of the oceans southward and the
consequent drainage of the northern
continent, consider the relations of the
hemispheres, when the “pull” of the
antarctic lcc cap will be evident. At
one time all the existing lands of the
northern hemisphere were covered by
water.
At the points nearest to the north
pole which have been reached the
soundings have never been more than
300 fathoms. The depth of the German
ocean and the Irish sea may be put at
forty fathoms. These oceans were much
deeper in earlier times; the ice cap has
drawn or “pulled" the w-aters toward
Itself. With respect to the mountains
of ice really in existence at the south
pole, os all geologists agree In saying,
it follows inevitably that many huge
Icebergs must be constantly breaking
off from its outer edges and drifting
away to the northward. Such is found
to be really the case. Reports from an
expedition now exploring the south
polar regions confirm the theory that
the warmth is now Increasing there.
If so, the change would favor the
breaking tip of the ice cap and the dis
solved waters would flow back and find
their lesel on territory now occupied
by man, but which in long age8 past
was the bed of oceans. A recent report
said: "Wc had comparatively high
temperature during our voyage—a
higher than Sir James Ross ex
perienced, and higher than those ob
served last year by the whaling fleet
south of Cape Horn.” Proofs of the
coming deluge seem to be afforded
again by the frequent recurrence of
large boulders—further evidences of
past cataclysms. Innumerable blocks
of rock of all dimensions have been
torn at various penuus irum regions
presumably near the north pole, and
transported along every meridian down
to the fifty-second parallel, and raised
to altitudes exceeding, In many cases,
500 yards above their starting point.
The nearer they are to the pole the
more considerable are their number
and dimensions. Some of these huge
boulders weigh thousands of tons, and
their displacement and translation
could only have taken place through
the agency and strength of powerful
cataclysms. Adhemar states that a
great deluge recurs every 10,500 years,
and there have been fourteen such. To
go back again to the antarctic Ice cap
As soon as this began forming, it be
gan ••ptlllng" the waters of the ocean
across the equ&tor into the southern
hemisphere. At various points all over
the southern hemisphere there ajp; Hn
t lent sea margins which Indicate be
yond cavil or question that the ocean
once stood at the height at which we
find these markings, or more than a
thousand feet higher than at present.
As this great antarctic Ice cap grew
and grew, It of course gradually dis
placed the center of the earth's grav
ity to the southward, until It Is now
two or three miles ftom the position It
occupied before the sinister growth be
gan forming The situation then, of
the whole question resolve* Itself Into
this: The development of the great
glacier at the eouth pole has reached
the point which Immediately prgred**
day or hour the abrupt disintegration
of thee* millions of cubic utiles of Ire
may let looee all th* accumulated
waters of the southern hemisphere, and
start them northward on thetr dread
fttl mission uf destruction The gla
dsri uf Greenland and other northern
territories will at one# attract the*#
looting berg* tad water*, and will
•ome pouring acme* th* equator la *
water wall a mil* high, bearing on
h*tr crests the gtgaattr fragments «f
'.he hm rap, which will be hurled
tgalaat sad euhmerg* all low lylag
lands mentioned at the beginning of
this article. This deplorable aquatic
cataclysm, however. Is not likely to
disturb the peace of those folk at pres
ent living on the earth. We may safe
ly assume that a gigantic mass of
which has taken centuries to accumu
late is not going to dissolve in a few
months, or even years.
CITY OF SAN JUAN
Ha* Always i.e.l |n Population In the
Inland.
San Juan, as the seat of the Island
government, has always been the lead
ing city in population, and also as re
gards the congested condition of the
populace. It boasts naturally, aB the
past home of the Spanish governor
general, the principal military,
naval and high civil functionaries, the
finest public buildings, and there have
been appropriated and expended more
moneys for general local improvements
than In any other city. It Is undoubt
edly the best harbor on the island, in
that it is completely landlocked,
though at present it Is sadly in need of
dredging, so that ships may have suffi
cient depth of water and room to
maneuver in the basin. The city is en
tirely cirrumvallated by an immense
sea-wall, and guarded on the north and
east by the picturesque, antiquated and
massive forts of Moro and San Cristo
bal. The population of the city and
suburbs Is estimated at about 30,000,
and probably within the narrow con
fines of the town itself, which is com
pressed Into a very limited space be
tween the great forts on the seaward
side and the battlements of the harbor,
live over 20,000 souls. The principal
house portion of the town consists of
well-constructed—so far as the walls
go—double-storied buildings, with now
und then one rising to three floors. In
the more squalid portions of the city
(one can walk all over the town ln an
hour) the houses are but a story high,
and in a single room an entire family
—and more—eke out an existence in
the semi-darkness of the one-windowed,
ill-ventilated apartment. The store
keepers and business men who do not
live outside the city, in the pretty lit
tle suburban towns of Bayamon, San
Turee and Itio Piedras, usually live
over their stores, on the second floor.
A town residenco with a front yard is
unknown, and the only bits of green
to be seen are In the gardens of the
governor-general’s palace, the Casa
Blanca, or In the Inner courtyards,
measuring a few square yards, of some
of the more prosperous merchants.—
Harper’s Weekly.
Bullet* Wastml In liattlo.
It is said that only about one out of
every three or four hundred bullets
flred in a battle is effective. Here are
an expert’s statistics on the question.
When Frederick the Great defeated the
Austrians at the battle of Czaslau, May
17, 1742, out of every 357 shots flred
by the Prussians, only one Austrian
was killed or wounded. In the cam
paigns of 1805 and 1806, when the great
Napoleon was victorious everywhere,
only one man was killed or wounded
out of every 3,000 shots, and In 1813
and 1814 10,000 shots were flred to kill
or wound one man. Bautzen was an
exception, for there 714 balls were flred
on one man hors de combat. At the
battle of Victoria, Wellington's army
flred 500 shots for one man killed or
wounded. At Solferino, in 1859, the
Austrians fired 8,400,000 cartridges, and
only killed and wounded 12,000 French
soldiers, or one man out of every 700
shots. In the campaign of 1864 and
1866 the average was sixty-six shots
for one man hors de combat. In the
terrible battles of 1870-71, 250 shots
were flred for every man killed or
wounded.
Amrrlnn Postal Statistic#.
Many people will be surprised to
learn that the postal establishment of
the United States is the greatest busi
ness concern In the world. Charles
Emory Smith, the postmaster-general,
writing In the Cosmopolitan, tells us
that It handles more pieces, employs
more men, spends more money, brings
more revenues, uses more agencies,
reaches more homes. Involves more de
tails and touches more Interests than
any other human organization, public
or private, governmental or corporate.
The postofflee department dlrerts 73,
570 postoftlces, musters an army of
200.000 employes, spends this year
$105,000,000 and counts receipts of
nearly the same amount. It handled
last year 6.214,447,000 pieces of mail
matter, of which 2,825,767,000 were let
ters. so that every minute confides
12.000 new messages to Its hands. It
manufactured and delivered postage
stamps to the number of 3,623,821.608,
and the value of $71,788,333. It carried
2.069.742.000 newspapers.
A My#tery.
“It U said that there are more than
5.000 different kinds of flowers which
give forth no odor whatever..rhen,
why the dickens do people go on rais
ing lilies of the valley?"—Chicago
Times-Herald.
%
Nut tiMlir » tsllure.
Mrs. Oothatu—"do your marriage
was a failure?"
Mrs. Idthvslde—"Yea. but I'm the
pi rfetrrd irvditor, aU my htwba
property In niy name."—Town Top
ics.
At the link.
“It's queer aU«ut lt<>>u>a man." I
"What la II?" Why, r»«n a sittgla
man In Huntuu can be catted ‘hubby,'“
- I'hlladelphU bulletin.
The Moors ol Arshin and dpnin wars
the a ret ut display tulursd glubea It
chemists • Indus*
F1GH GRANDFATHER CAUGHT.
Ka Old, Old Storjr with Koine Modern
Variations.
Colson Is a star at telling fish stories,
but he Isn't a marker to the man we
met In a anoe off Twin Island,says the
Lewiston Journal. He was evidently
an Oxford bear and he greeted ua
oleasantly as we pulled by.
"What luck’’* we asked.
"Nuthln' much,” he answered.
"Ain’t very good flshin’,” chipped In
Colson.
"Good?” he gTunted, turning so that
he could keep alongside us and carry
on the conversation. "Good? I should
say It wa’n’t. You ought to hev seen
this here pond when my father was a
young feller. Lord bless ye, ye don't
know nuthln’ 'bout flshin'. How big a
fish did you ever ketch?”
"Three pounds," said I, truthfully.
"Nine pounds,” said Colson.
"Nine pounds,” repeated the native,
scornfully. "Nine pounds! Why, I’ve
heard my grandfather teil 'bout the,r
using nine-pounders fer bait! Them
wuz the days when flshin’ wuz flshin’.
The lako wuz so dern full of fish then
that the farmers never used to buy
grain fer the hens. Uster sot nets an’
catch fish fer ’em. Some of my grand
father’s hens got so they’d catch their
own fish. Grandfather says he l'arnt
tho ducks how, an’ they l’arnt the liens.
"That seems tol’ablc strange, I know,
but I’ve hearn grandfather say as how
his father uster feed out fish to the
cows. They l’arnt to like It better’n
hay, an’ as there w-aan’t much hay
raised them days it were a great sav
in’. Only trouble wuz the cows couldn't
pick out the bones, an’ they uster work
down ulong with the milk and stick
Into a feller's fingers when he were
milkin’.
"Them wuz days when there wuz
some fun goln’ flshin’. They never’d
never think of takln’ home a fish that
weighed under fifty pounds. Some of
them big whallopers URter fight like
time. I’ve hearn grandfather tell
about bein’ out when they'd hooked
onto a big feller and brought him up
to the side of the boat. He wa3 ugly
and wuz fer cornin’ right into the boat
an’ settlin’ things. T’other two fellers
wuz scairt, but granddad he Just pulled
out a big revolver he always carried
an’ shot that fish right plumb through
the head.
“Granddad said It wuz a'pretty close
call, but he wuz a prudent fellow,
granddad wuz, an’ he never went flailin'
without bein' armed.”
Colson had been listening with rapt
attention. As the native concluded he
took off his hat deferentially.
“I am something of a liar myself,"
be said, and I roweij away.
MALAYAN TRAITS.
Points of Character of the Philippine
Islanders.
The Malay race Is Impassive, ro
ferved, and even bashful, so that, un
til one knows the race better, one can
scarcely credit his bloodthirsty repu
tation. The Malay Is entirely unde
monstrative. If he has any feelings of
surprise he never shows them. Per
haps he experiences none, no matter
how wonderful the sight which meets
his gaze. He Is slow and deliberate In
speech, and circumlocutory in Intro
ducing a subject to be discussed. Even
the children and women are timid, and
scream at the sight of a European,
while in the presence of the men they
are silent and taciturn. Even when
alone the Malay neither talks nor
sings, In this respect differing much
from the Papuan, who has all the ne
gro traits of chattering and singing to
himself for company. Overpay a Malay
for some trifle and hl3 countenance
betrays no sign of emotion; a Papuan
will bo grave for a moment out of per
fect astonishment at the mistake made,
and then burst Into peals of grinning
laughter, while he bends In two, and
finally rolls on the ground lu ecstasies
of merriment. The Malays, when in
company in a canoe, chant a plaintive,
monotonous song; at other times they
are silent. The Malay is cautious of
giving offense to any one, and accord
ingly will hesitate to quarrel about
money matters, and rather abandon a
Just debt due to him than to run the
risk of a feud with his equals. In his
ordinary life he is as impassive as a
typical Seot, and as fond of ail the nil
ndmlrari line of conduct as the Amer
ican Indian, though, unlike him, the
Malay does not dissemble his feelings
or play a part. He has really little. If
any appreciation of humor, and does
not understand a practical Jest. To all
breaches of etiquette he is very sensi
tive. and equally jealous of any inter
ferenee with his own or any one else's
liberty. To such an extent does he
carry this idea that a Malay servant
will hesitate to waken another, even
hts own master, though told to do so
The higher classes are exceedingly po
lite. possessing alt the repose and quiet
dignity of the best-bred Kuropean*
There Is. however, another side to the
character of the Malay. He Is reck
less, cruel and careless of human life. |
poseessee but a poor intellect, and has
neither taste for knowledge nor any in
digenuus civilisation.
Mm M lioutii.
"I'm afraid I won't he able to get
through," faltered the young knight, j
preparing for hi* first tourney
"Never fear1" grinned his opponent, j
aa he playfully poised hie lance, "111
run you through " Answer*.
kill Week VVaMMlk
"Wr||, | went to see my rich uncle
to lie If he would help ns," said llquU- i
lie "l»!d he receive you warmlr J
ashed Mcdallligea "Van. luhsksrarm
t "~ Pittsburg Chronkrle-Taieeraph.
CUTS OFF OWN' HEAD.
FEAT THAT HAS BEEN CALLED
IMPOSSIBLE.
She Made Three l.nn(n, the Last Was
Snrreaaful and the Severed Head and
Body lloth Fell to the tirouud — A
Shocking Scene.
One of the most tragic events ever
recorded in that section occurred at
Rhea Springs, Tenn., a few days ago.
Mrs. Sarah Clark, a highly respected
lady, SO years of age, ended her life by
severing her head from her body with
a sharp razor. Mrs. Clark had been
demented for four months. She had
had suicidal Intent since her mind be
gan to give way, and her relatives have
been compelled to keep a close watch
on her. About three months ago she
poisoned her daughter, son-in-law and
four of their children, but they all re
covered. The other night Mrs. Clark
retired about 9 o’clock, at which hour
her daughter noticed no change In her
condition. Some time after 4 o'clock
In the morning Mrs. Dee, her daughter,
arose, and, missing her mother from
the bed, which was In the room with
her own, became alarmed and called
her brother, who was in an adjoining
room. The two made a search of the
house, and, failing to find the old lady,
they went into the yard. The front
gate was standing open and Mrs. Dee
walked to It to see If she could see
her mother up or down the road. As
she went out the gate she saw her aged
mother, with head severed from the
body, clutching a razor In one hand
and the razor-box In the other, lying
by the roadside. The head lay fully
four feet from the hody, being on the
left-hand side of the walk, where the
body bad first fallen. The razor was
clutched tightly In the right bund, and
the case from which It had bpon drawn
was In the left. The warm blood was
yet trickling from the keen steel
blade. A neighbor who saw the deed
committed from a far-off spot says
that It was a cool and deliberate act.
He says that the woman walked leis
urely down to the gate, unfastened her
collar, and made three desperate
lunges, two from the front and one
from the back. Just as she was falling.
The back lick completely cut off the
head. Physicians consider the case
most remarkable, and one unknown In
the annals of medical science.
ATLANTIC STEAMER S LARDER.
Two und h Half Tons of flutter Are
tied.
One tidy little refrigerator about six
feet wide and twice that depth Is the
butterman’s stall In this market under
the sea. Little tubs of butter are
arranged on shelves to the amount
of 5,000 pounds, und In company with
these are 20,000 eggs. Twenty-five
hundred quarts of milk and cream are
stored In a separate room, all having
been sterilized. This market has a
room especially for salt meats, and here
are hams, bacon and tongue to the
amount of 4,000 pounds. There are
some articles of food without wuich the
epicure would be unhappy, and which
must be alive when cooked. Chief
among these are oysters, of which
16,000 are carried to meet the wants of
the passengers. Clams are only pro
vided to the number of 1,500. Lobsters
are not abundantly supplied; 7oo
pounds is all the storeroom shelters.
This market In the bottom of the ship
contains, beside the things mentioned,
fruits, green vegetables and an enor
mous stock of groceries. The latter Is
only limited by space, for groceries are
not perishable goods and will keep
from one voyage to another until used.
Tea and coffee are used In large
amounts—about thirty-three pounds a
day of tea and fifty pounds of coffee.
Perishable supplies are taken on board
In proportion to the number of passen
gers booked, and anything of this kind
which is left over when the ship
reaches port Is eaten by the crew.—
Ladles' Home Journal.
SARDINIAN WOMAN.
Graceful Carriage, Hark Eyea, Brilliant
Color*, Cfi*racterl*tlc Costume*.
The women of Sardinia are elegant
of figure and have a graceful carriage.
Their eytis are large and black, their
hair dark, with a brunette complex
ion. They dress very much in the
same style as women in every part of
civilized Kuroph. except that there la
not the same extreme haste to adopt
the latest fusblon. The wives and
daughters of farmers and tradesmen
amply compensate for the simplicity
of dress among the upper classes by
the brilliant coloring of their costumes
and at their religious fete* and other
festivities, when they appear In gala
dreas, they present a truly wonderful
spectacle. The aforesaid costumes
are a sort of family heirloom, handed
down from mother to daughter, and
treasured a* highly a* hereditary jew
el* or anceetral portrait* The fash
ion never change*, and Instead of feel- j
Ing ashamed of being seen In the same ■
dreas at two different entertainments,
they glory In this antiquity and In the I
number of occasions on which It has i
been worn.
A* Im lUUaliWM
Tha orgaaUm* of hallatonaa hara
h**h InvaallgalaU un t«o >■«>«.um* by
y C lUrrlaun. a t'ana.iUn ba.-iarloio
gill, wbo hat f.«un4 numarwua ba>*trla
and m»«l4a. larlotilag a barlllua an.I a
ctKtua kltlwrlu Hv4twtibr4 Tilt
rhararlar of lha gar»t ruaflruia liaaj
• I4’» thaury that tt'h.-t oatar la rar
rl<M up by aioi t.a aa4 fi .». a pr*l,»
lag hall
CHANEAUROUGE DOOMED.
For Years Ike Haunt of Thieves and
Humans.
The curators of Carnavalet museum
paid a visit to the notorious Chateau
Rouge, in the Rue Galande, says a
Paris correspondent of the Pall Mall
Gazette. The building Is coming down
In connection with street Improve
ments, and, as there is a legend that It
was within its walls that Gabrlelle
d'Estrees received her royal lover, a
thorough examination was made of the
premises to see whether they contained
any relics worth preserving. An il
legible Inscription or two was all,
however, that was found.
Once a princely mansion—of this
there Is no doubt—the building had
long since fallen from its high estate
and come to serve the most disreputa
ble purposes. The Chouteau Rouge,
the “cafe" which occupied the lower
portion of it, was for a number of
)eats the favorite haunt of thieves and
ruffians. The arrest In the place of
Gamahut, a particularly notorious
murderer, drew general attention to
the den, whlrh it became the fashion
to visit In the small hours of the
morning. Every celebrity piloted
around the slums of Paris by detect
IviH was taken to the Chateau Rouge,
where, without any effort of the Imag
ination, he could fancy himself In the
company of authentic cutthroats. As
a matter of fact, most of the real crim
inals migrated elsewhere when their
refuge began to be an object of
curiosity. Their places were taken by
outcasts, who were glad to masquerade
as scoundrels of the deepest dye for
the sake of the pence liberally dis
tributed by visitors.
Still, the Chateau Rouge at night
presented a curious spectacle enough.
On the counter from behind which
were served drinks various, cheap and
poisonous, there alwuys lay In full ev
idence two cudgels, both of them for
midable, but one of much stouter pro
portions than the other. They were
for the use, In case of emergencies, of
the proprietor, a giant of the name of
Trolliet; the lighter one served hint
to quell minor disturbances, while with
Its fellow he bad more than once to
defend his life against the friends of
those of his customers whom he had
been unkind enough to Introduce to
the police. The main room, grimly
termed by Its frequenters the “Mor
tuary,” was entirely devoid of furni
ture. It served a3 a sort of dormitory
to poor wretches who could afford no
better accommodation than tnot of
fered by Its floor. Such us it was Its
shelter was In great request and It was
difficult to pick one’s way among the
ragged humanity lying huddled about
It like a living carpet. The pictures on
the walls were another of Its features.
They were hideous but appropriate
compositions. One of them represented
a confrontation at the morgue of a
murderer with the corpse of his victim,
and another, called "La Veuve,”
showed the guillotine rising above a
pile of beads. In a smaller room at
the back the conditions were rather
more comfortable and visitors would
listen to songs written in thieves’ pat
ter.
DIDN'T LIKE HIS LUNCHES.
How tlie llewutrous Cloak Model pooled
Her Admiring Employer.
The heroine of all this is a beau
teous cloak model, and the story—ro
mance, comedy, tragedy, or whatever
you choose to call It—Is told by the
heavy villain himself, says the New
York Commercial-Advertiser. The lat
ter la a gentleman of persuasive man
ners and much wealth. He is the
cloak model's employer, and (he does
not tell this part of himself) had tried
for something like a year to Induce the
lovely creature to accept an Invitation
to luncheon. She finally accepted (he
tells that part) ajid was duly escorted
by him to a restaurant noted for Its
swell company and its ruinous prices.
The lady promptly proved that her
looks were superior to her manners.
(Her host tells that.) She swallowed
her soup from the end of the spoon,
with a sound like the exhaust pipe of
a bathtub. In the consumption of 4ier
entree she performed the feats of an
Asiatic sword-swallower; she conveyed
her salad to her mouth with her fin
gers and drank her coffee from the
saucer. Before she had time to eat
the lemon from the finger bowl her
employer was ready to quit (he tells
that, too), and later he asked his
friends, tearfully, If It was not a shame
bo lovely a girl should have had such
a vile bringing up. The model gave
her own version of the affair to her
associates In "the store." "I was
afraid I'd get fired If I didn't go," she
explained, "but," naively, "I don't
thluk he'll ask me again." She dined
that night In Sixth avenue with her
"steady," and her table manners were
those of an empress. The employer
does not tell that part. Hew <aau be'
He doesn't know It.
Intuit in Injury.
('holly—I waa walking down the
avenuu. dealt boy, when a «•minion
woman allowed her beaatly flowerpot
to (all on me head. Meggy — ||ow pain
ful? ('holly It waan't the pain, daah
buy. It wuth what the dwedful woman
aaid Meggy What rib! aha any*
('holly rialdehe wuth glad her flower
pot landed on a roll plaea and didn't
break.
In Ike WlUt nt Ultiw.n,
TuurUl • "I uudereUbd the buffalo
and uther large game la a.nio«t en
tirely mintt In the west," Native tul
fll lamia)—"Meehua you heard ‘boat
right, alraager t>u tilde of poher in*re
hainl no big gaau left round theta
parte walk .peekin' of"
DOLLAR SIGN S DEBUT.
The Author of the Familiar Character
at I.unt Illnrovered.
Some weeks ago Dr. Marcus Eaker
of Washington published in one of the
magazines an account of a theory
which he has to account for the origin
of the familiar dollar sign, says the
Boston Transcript. This has long been
In dispute. All sorts of explanations
have been given, the most common of
which Is that the Initials of the United
States are crossed. But there have
been seven or eight other theories to
account for the dollar sign which an
about as good. Dr. Baker, in his re
searches In the library of the bureau
of education, came across an old book
entitled "A Compendium of Federal
Arithmetic, designed for the use of
schools, and especially calculated for
the meridian of the United States,”
which was published Rt. Lanslngburg,
N. Y., In 1797. Us author was the Rev.
Chauncey Leo of Rutland, Vt. In this
book the author sets forth a system
of what he calls "characteristics,” by
which one vertical stroke was to des
ignate the mill, two vertical strokes
the cent, these two crossed by one 8
shaped stroke the dime and for the
dollar the sign consisting of the two
verticals with the two curved strokes,
now so familiar, was proposed. At that
time the people of the country were
Just emerging from the use of pounds,
shillings and pencp, where each was
separated by a space from the next de
nomination. It accordingly seemed
necessary to Mr. Lee to have an arbi
trary mark for each of the denomina
tions of our monetary system. But ho
soon found that one character, with the
decimal point, was all that was neces
sary, and in the latter part of his own
book all of his elaborate system of
symbols, except the one Intended to
mark the dollar, was found to have
been dropped. Dr. Baker certainly finds
the dollar sign In this old arithmetic,
and he does not find it In use at au
earlier date. By the time Adams’ arith
metic was published In 180!> the symbol
had become well established. He there
fore regards Mr. Lee as the Inventor
and believes the sign to have been ab
solutely arbitrary In Its origin, Slnco
the publication of his paper In one of
the magazines Dr. Baker has received
many letters on the subject, but none
In which his conclusions are chal
lenged. He intends, for further verifi
cation, to make a study of the depart
ment records to see when the dollar
sign first appeared in the troasury ac
counts. He also hopes to make a more
thorough Hearch of the old text bookH
to see if by chance any use of this
sign prior to that of the Rev. Chaun
cey Lee can be discovered. It Is cer
tainly Interesting to know the origin
of a thing In such constant use as the
dollar sign. Dr. Baker’s discoveries
sem likely to take all the sentiment
out of the matter, but this Is the com
mon result of modern historical re
search.
HADING STARTS A FASHION.
Itccuuav Nliu I.ooli* llcaullful Ktni In
I’lnln Clothe*.
Veils and bonnets such as Josephine
wore threaten Dame Fashion's peace
of mind, says the New York Commer
cial Advertiser, for Jane Hading, who
is playing Josephine in Paris, is beau
tiful and looks well in even ugly
clothes, and the women who love nov
elty und the gown builders who en
courage folly are ordering and making
many empire gowns for garden parties,
where any picturesque garment may be
worn without exciting unkind com
ment, and where a quaint frock or a
daring hat worn by a pretty woman
often sets a fashion for a season. One
of these Josephine bonnets has a large
and wide-open brim hemmed by a
thick roll of many-colored beads; a
branch of roses runs under It on the
hair. The crown, which is melon
shape, Is veiled with green net; the
white lace is draped around it and falls
on the left side, when it does not cover
the face. A Josephine turban of net
and pearls is said to be a trifle more
becoming than the usual empire head
gear. It has two white ostrich feathers
bending forward and ndorned by a
splendid veil of Honiton lace. These
veils are almost indispensable accesso
ries of empire bonnets.
•
A Valid Objection.
Mr. Cltydwcller (to suburban real es
tate agent)—1 only And one fault iu
your town, Mr. Bootnerup, but that
makes me decline to buy a residence
here. Mr. Bootnerup—Why, what is
the matter? Mr City'dweller—1 noticed
today as we have been driving about
that all your Anest houses are onnctl
by physicians.
Tlirir Hurt tan.
Freshman (showing young lady
about the campun) llere’a the Sen
ior*' fence. That fence belong* to the
Junior* and thle on* the Sophomur**
have. Young Lady-Oh. ye*; how very
Interesting. And what do the Fresh*
men have? Freshman (gloomily)-*
They have troubles In large and gen
rroua slices.
<i«r•*••'«* I (n a Cemetery.
Hoyle—I am strongly opposed to
rremalUm I thing It U carrying
things entirely too tar Coyle ||ow
so* lloyle W* would then be com*
pelted not only to earn our living hut
to urn our dead.
Me t ees* t«e C*mreee.
Hrown I hear Jouee la si* h I eon*
dsr If IF* anything contagious Mama *
I mat worry; If It la It won t miner,
he a loo dvat to give anything le nay*
body.
