prairavs
jBUHDlNCt 1
The democratic Norwegians desire!
a democratic" king, and could nave
made no wiser choice than that of
Prince Charles of Denmark, nov/
Haakcn VII. Compared with Sweden,
Denmark is tery democratic, as some
line phrases it, in Denmark the aris
tocracy has gone to seed. “The ‘upper
.-lasses’ in King Christian's realm (now
•King Frederick’s) are largely wealthy
merchants and farmers of the ‘scien
tific’ sort. Titles of nobility are no
longer issued in Denmark, and the few
remaining ’noblemen' in the kingdom
are not much seen at court.
It would be pleasant to believe that
not all royal marriages are mar
riages of convenience, and it is heard
on all sides that Haakon and his queen
made a real love match—but this sort
of story is very apt to be told even of
the most boldly "arranged” affairs.
Hut on the supposition this really is an
exception, let us give credulity to the
tale (jf the courtship of the Danish
prince and English princess. They
met when the latter one time accom
panied her mcthe- on a visit to her
Danish relatives. It was at the Ama
lienborg palace, Copenhagen, the
prince and princess made acquaint
ance, and, so the story goes, fell in
love at first sight. The princess is
three years the prince's senior, but
that was no matter, the course of true
love ran sm ;a!y, the couple was
married in the royal chapel at Buck
ingham palace. Whether or not the
marriage was a political one, it is
rather fortunate for Haakon, ruler of
a country with a long coast iine to de
fend, to have such a powerful ally as
King Edward.
To be sure. King Haakon has other
connections of due importance. You
•emember hts grandfather, the lament
ed King Christian of Denmark, was
t ailed fat her-in-la .v * of Europe, and
liuakon is related to almost all the
crowned heads; the czar is his first
cousin, the king of Greece his uncle,
be is a grand-nephew of King Oscar of
Sweden, his queen is cousin ol the
raiser.
King Haakon is popular in the best
sense of the word, not because he
makes a bid for popularity, plays to
:he galleries, but because he is natural
ly kindly and good-humored. When
the news was flashed abroad that he
was to occupy the throne of Norway,
> Paris paper spoke thus of the newly
elected sovereign: “His wife adores
him; but who does not?” A most de
voted husband, essentially a domestic
nan, a favorite among his many broth
ers and sisters, prime favorite with
his father-in-law, King Edward, we'l
liked tiy the democratic Danes, it is
readily seen he appeals to many rneu
of many kinds.
Charles was a sailor prince, and this
fact proved very agreeable to Norway,
with her long line of famous sea kings.
No doubt the schooling he received in
the severe discipline of a'training ship
had no small influence in his develop
ment. A former cadet in the Danish
navy and a messmate of (he prince's
recently wrote for Munsey’s Magazine
n spicy article on this period in the
life of the new king of Norway. The
writer, Hrolf Wisby, says; "But the
rough and ready course of training
through which he had to pass on ship
board, where nobody cared a fig for his
rank, and where he had to learn
prompt and implicit obedience to dis
cipline, determined his character in
after life, impressionable as the lad
was, he would have shrunk to a mere
princely puppet T he had been left to
develop only in the atmosphere oi
court life. Instead, the human side oi
the boy was brought out by contact
with his comrades in the navy, and un
der the pressure of their rigid code he
was taught to work and to piav, tc
endure and to enjoy, like other health}
lads of his age. It was a lesson that
lias been of inestimable value in hi;
cubseauent career.”
When the proposition was made te
Prince Charles that he become rulei
of the independent nation of Norway
the prince mentioned three objections:
his poverty—comparative, of course;
the fact that his wile was averse to as
suming the burdens of a queen: lha’
he ought to lie elected by the peopli
rather than by parliament. As is wel
known, the objections were overcome
Promise was given that a fund wouh
be provided tor ihe proper maintenenci
of ins family and s:i event of depositiot
that a life pension would be grantee
him. King Edward persuaded Princes:
Maud to consider with favor the posi
tion of queen of Norway. And popula:
vote ratified the choice of the nev
king. Ail was auspicious, the nev
king accepted the proffered responsi
bilities. solemnly swore to support the
constitution of Norway, and as King
Haakon VII. became head of the na
tion. His formal coronation takes
place June 22
Haakon is a name that has honored^
place in Norwegian history, and that,
this title should have been chosen is
significant of Norway s national pride..
The wife of Haakon VII. will be known
as Queen Maragretha, another name
highly honored in Norwegian history.
It was Maragretha (1353-1412) who.
brought Denmark, Norway and Sweden
under one rule, foimed a great union,
of all the northern countries. The lit-i
tie son of the present king and queen
the Norwegians have requested should
be called Olaf, a true Viking name.'
Haakon VI. and Maragretha had a lit-;
tie son Olaf, who died when but five,
years old, reterred to by a certa:;^'
writer as “the least and last of the
kings of Norway."
lying Haakon and Queen Mara
gretha! How far away these names
seem from the iwer.tieth century, this
modern machine age. They suggest
old days and deeds, when Norse kings
were giants indeed and royal women
were other than mere figureheads. Let
us travel back through the centuries
and try to catch some glimpse of that
mysterious romantic past.
First let us speak of Norway as a
great mother country, not big enough
to keep all her sons and daughters at
home, but sending them forth to he p
people other lands, to Iceland, and
Normandy, and Greenland, to. Scotland
and Ireland. Let ns pause to contem
plate Harald Fairhsir. he who united
his country under one head and made
a kingdom ct it, which it has since
continued. In his youth Harald
aspired to marry the beautiful Gvda, a
proud princess, who declared she
would not stoop to a mere Jarl; if he
would have her let him do as Gorra ol
Denmark, Eric of Sweden, Egbert ot
England, subdue the contentious Jarls
about him and become a great king.
Then Harald swore a mighty oath tnat
he would not cut his hair till he had
accomplished the subjection of the
other kings, tint:' Gvda was his own.
Twelve years pasted ere Harald’s
mane was shorn, Gyda came to his
home; 12 years it took to subdue the
Jarls and conquer the Vikings of ihe,
as Carlyle * tails them, out-islands.
Then Harald spent about 60 years m
organizing a government for his con
quests—Harald l'airhair had a reign
long as his renowned mane. After him,
came his son Eric Llood Axe, who wad
..npopular in Norway and was suc
ceeded liy the first Haakon, Haakon
the Good.
Haakon the Good had been brought,
up at an English court, and when he
: began his rule over Norway tried to
tea h the people something of Chris-;
tianity, and practiced as well as
preached; did not, like his father, force
the boys to go to sea, did not take
from them in greed. King Haakon
spoke to the people assembled at a
Thing (a sort of parliament) of the
I Great White Christ, and at the next
meeting at Yule refused to drink to the
j god Thor. This made a great hubbub
but the people had faith in Haakon the
Good and began to believe a little in
the Christ, though they forced some of
their heathen observances on the king
The laws of Haakon made at a Thing
at Gula were good laws, and ever loved
dearly by the Norse folk. When Haa
i kon died he was lamented by Doth
j friends and enemies; they said that
never again would Norway see such a
king. It is told that the year Haakon
was chosen king the birds built their
ne3ts twice, and the trees had two
crops of apples!
There follow after Haakon the Good
Harald Fray Fell; Haakon Jarl; Olaf
Tryggveson; Jarls Eric and Svein
(quasi sovereigns); Olaf the Thickset,
a true Viking, in later years become
Olaf the Saint; Magnus the Good; Olaf
the Tranquil; Magnus Barefoot; Sigurd
the Crusader; Magnus the Blind; Har
ald Gyllie, and now the “Fairhairs”
rage among themselves and become ex
tinct. We have the rise of Swerri, whe
led the wretched Birchlegs in many
victories and became king of Norway;
founded a new dynasty which was to
last as long as Norway kept her in
dependence.
Is it not of interest that the new king
of newly independent Norway is a
Danish prince and of close kin to the
royal family of Sweden? May the
Dantsh-Swedish-Norwegian king bind
in peace and fraternal feeling the peo
ple of Scandinavia.
CHRISTOPHER WEESTER.
TOO MANY LANGUAGES.
The late Lieut. .John I\ rraristreet,
of tlio Fiftieth Massachusetts, was for
many years a deputy sheriff and turn
y under High Sheriff Herrick at the
Lawrence house of correction. All the
newcomer* were by him assigned to
tin ir proper quarters.
One day. upon the arrival of a new
squad of itiiVintP.s. there was one who
scorned somewhat more “tony" than
tin- r^st. end. calling the lieutenant
aside, he claimed a little more cousid
eration than the others, owing to bis
previous standing in society.
“I never was in such a situation be
fore.” said he, "and I trust you will
give me a little different quarters than
those other fellows. I am highly edu
rated, and can speak seven different
languages."
“Seven?” remarked the lieutenant
“That’s altogether too many. We
don't have hut one language here, and
d—d little o' that."—Boston Herald.
IS NOW THREE SCORE AND TEN
SPEAKER CANNON CELEBRATES
SEVENTIETH BIRTHDAY.
Illinois Representative Says He Is
Net Too Old to ‘‘Build Castles
in Spain’"—Doesn’t Want
the Presidency.
Washington. — “The reminiscences
which come with the seventieth birth
day are in the main pleasant, but 1 am
thankful that the duties of the present
give but little time for reminiscences,
and i am still more thankful that 1
have not entirely lost capacity for the
building of castles in Spain. In fact. 1
I have been so busy for the last ten
years I have not bad time to stop and
think how it feels to be 70 years or
60 years old or young.
“Of course, I should be glad to live
to the age of Methuselah, if, in the liv.
JOSEPH G. CANNON.
(Speaker of House Who Declares He Has j
No Presidential Bee in His Bonnet.)
In?, I could continue to be useful. |
But. when the time comes for me to go.
i can lift my hat and say good-by with
the assurance that 1 have lived in the
70 years of greatest progress—meas
ured by the confidence that the next
70 will show as much, or even greater
progress.”
Thus spoke Joseph G. Cannon, speak
er of the house of repres ntatives, on
the eve of his seventieth birthday, re
cently.
No man thinks of “Uncle Joe” Can
non as 70 years “old.” To all who
know him he is 70 years “young,” and
young he is, measured by every stand
ard. Verile, vigorous, clear-eyed,
strong as a horse and with a capacity
for work equaled by few men. Mr.
Cannon has stolen ten or 15 years
from “Father Time.”
Neither by the masculine test of “as
old as he feels,” nor by the feminine
test “as old as she looks.” would the
Epeaker cf the American house of rep
resentativ s be placed in the septagen
arian class. Yet the family Bible,
carefully treasured in tlie modest home
in Danville, I!!., shows that Joseph G.
Cann n was horn on May 7, 1 S3*>.
The greatest birthday party Wash
ington has ei ,• known was given in
celebration oi tie seventieth anniver
sary of speaker Cannon's birth. Mem
bers of the house were hosts. On tJielr
invitation, the president, members of
the cabinet, senators, representatives
justices of t!ie supreme court, govern
ors of states and hundreds of others in
official life and out of it, gathered in
the Arlington hotel to extend thrir con
gratulations and sincerely to wish for
Mr. Cannon “many happy returns.”
When John Sharpe Williams, Champ
Clark and other southerne-s talk, au
they often do, of the salvation of the
country depending upon the e-lectior
of a southern man to the presidency,
“Uncle Joe" smilingly agrees wi£h
them and points to himself.
He is a native of North Carolina. It
was in the Colony of Friends, in Guil
ford, that he first saw the light of day
He was not long a Carolinian, his pa
rents migrating to the middle west
when he was four years old, but he
never lets his southern friends forget
he is a “native," especially w’hen they
indulge in this talk about the presl
dency.
In his serious moments—and he has
them—Speaker Cannon flouts all sug
gestions of presidential lightning com
ing his way. He recently gave out a
formal statement to that effect. Be
fore that he had gone to Secretary Taft
to urge his acceptance of the place on
the supreme court bench tendered by
President Roosevelt.
The newspapers had suggested that
some persons with presidential aspira
tions wmuld like to see Mr. Taft go on
the bench. The speaker based his ar>
gument solely on the country's need
of the present secretary of war in the
highest court.
“Now, Taft,” said Speaker Cannon,
in his heart-to-heart talk, “you won't
misconstrue my motive, for you must
know that I am not fool enough tc
think that any man could run for the
presidency at 72 years of age.”
The “castles in Spain” Mr. Cannon
Is building these days have, therefore
no connection with the White House.
“I have no ancestry to bother me
much and no gout,” is one of “Uncle
Joe’s” favorite expressions. Neverthe
less, he is proud of his sturdy ances
tors among the Friends, haters of war
but lovers of liberty, wffio gave their
lives in behalf of liberty at King's
Mountain and in other battles of the
revolutionary struggle's; haters of war.
but worse haters of slavery, who went
to the front in the great civil struggle
of the sixties.
“The records show," says Mr. Can
non. “that in proportion to its member
ship, the church, or Society of Friends,
sent a larger number cf its young men
into the union army than did any other
church."
IS FOUND GUILTY OF HERESY,
Eev. Algernon S. Crapsey W:I1 Be
Suspended from Episcopal Pul
pit Unless He Recants.
Rochester, X. Y —Rev. Dr. Algernon
S. Crapsey will be nspended from the
pulpit until he con; , ms to the teach
ings of the Prote-tant Episcopal
church, as the result of his recent trial
for heresy. The sentence will be im
posed in 30 days, unless I-'r. Crapsey
conforms to the doctrines he is ac
cused of having rejected before that
time, according to the verdict deliv
ered to him the other day.
The verdict expresses the hope that
Dr. Crapsey may conform to the teach
ings of the church before the sen
tence goes into, effect, in which case he
will not be suspended, and is as fol
lows:
“That the respondent should be sus
pended from exercising the functions
of the church until such time as he
shall satisfy the ecrl metical authori
ties of the diocese that his belief and
teaching conform to the doctrines of
the Apostles’ creed and the Nieene
creed as this church hath received the
same. However, we express the earn
est hope and desire that the respond
ent may see his way clearly, during
the 30 days that under the car.ons of
the church must intervene before sen
tence can be pronounced to the full
satisfaction of the ecclesiastical au
thorities oi' such conformity on his
part.’’
Crapsey has been rector of St. An
drew’s Episcopal church here several
years, and is 50 years old. He is an
ardent student, a man of simple tastes
REV. A. S. CRAPSEY.
(Found Guilty n( Heresy After Episcopal
Church Trial.)
and is noted for his philanthropy and
his services to the poor and sick. He
is further described as a lover of home
and family. The charges against Dr.
| Crapsey were based on his book, “Re
ligion and Politics,” and on a sermon
he delivered last December. His ac
cusers charged that, in general, he de
nied the virgin birth of Christ, His
resurrection, His miracles and His di
vine character.
FEUDAL DESIGN IS ACCEPTED.
Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Decides on Coat of Arms at Bos
ton Convention.
Boston.—The Episcopal diocese of
Massachusetts has a seal or coat of
arms for the first time in its existence.
Some objection was made to the de
sign on the ground that the sword is
an emblem of barbarism and that the
coronets are monarchial, and that
iPL. 11_1
THE NEW COAT OF ARMS.
both are out of place in American ec
clesiastical insignia.
Objectors suggested that the pro
posed seal could more properly be
composed of insignia identified with
some of the early rectors of the Epis
copal church in Massachusetts, or that
it should at least contain a design in
some way suggestive of the local ec
clesiastical history, rather than of
feudalism.
The design submitted to the conven
tion which met here recently and
which was accepted, is a combinatior
of parts of three older coats of arms
A broad red band down the middle of
the shield, bearing a sword, blade sil
ver, handle gold, is from the arms o,
the see of London. Eng., of which the
Episcopal church in this country is an
offspring.
The three coronets are from the
arms of the city of Boston, Eng., from
which our city took its name. The
two narrow stripes, eacu side of the
sword and crowns are white and pure
ly ornamental,' the broad expanse at
each corner of the shield is blue and
it, with a silver star in the upper cor
ner, are taken from the Massachu
setts coat of arms.
Become Skeptical with Age.
The venerable Prof. ATexander
Stephens, M. D., of the New York
College of Physicians and Surgeons,
said in a recent lecture to his med
ical class: “The older physicians
grow the more skeptical they become
of the virtues of medicine and the
more they are disposed to trust to tile
powers of nature. Notwithstanding
all our boasted improvements, pa
tients suffer as much as they did 40
years ago. The reason medicine has
advanced slowly is because physicians
have studied the writings of the prede
cessors instead of nature.”
To Honor Cuban Patriot.
The people of Matanzas, Cuba, will
honor the memory of Jose Marti, the
Cuban patriot, by the erection ct a
| monument in that city. i
A3GUT FLOOR COVERINGS.
Denim May Be Used to Cover Colter
of Worn Carpet—Bugs of
Home-Make.
It is real economy to cover the
floor of two or more rooms with' the
>use kind of carpet, then when they
become worn through the center the
best part can be put together to make
one carpet. \
Many housekeepers use a large
quare of uenim in the middle of the
room when the floor is covered with
a thin carpet, or with one that is bad
ly worn. It saves the carpet wonder
fully and is made by sewing several
widths of denim together. Be sure
and select a denim that will go well
with the carpet, it is said that denim
itself makes a very satisfactory floor
covering for bedrooms if several thick
nesses of paper are placed underneath.
It is a real bleating to the careful
housewife that rugs continue to be
so popular as floor coverings, as there
are so many ways ot making ’hem at
home by using the cast-off and out
grown garments. It is a good plan to
have the carpet bails woven Into rugs
instead of the old-fashioned rag car
pets.
The rugs look very neat and pr-itty
if they have a solid middle of some
plain color wilh a contrasting border
The middle may be of the hit and
miss and the border of a plain color
I saw two very handsome rugs recent
ly. One had the middle of a solio
green with a rich dark red border
The other had a blue center with 3
striped white border.
White and faded cotton pieces caD
be colored any of the bright shades
with the diamond dyes for cotton arm
the faded woolen pieces with the dyes
for wool. The woven rugs are much
easier to make than any other home
made nig, all that is needed is to cui
the rags evenly, sew and wind them
into balls, and for a few cents a yarn
the carpet weaver will do the rest.—*
Prairie Farmer.
HOUSEHOLD SUGGESTIONS.
If alum is added to the paste used in
covering boxes with paper or lor scrap
books moths or mice will not invade
them.
Ink and fruit stains may be removed
from white linens and cottons by soak
ing them for a few hours in kerosene,
then washing in hot water.
Allow a shorter raising for bread to
he cooked by steam, since the dough
will rise during the cooking because of
the lower temperature employed.
You can free a moth-infested closet.of
the "creatures,” larvae and eggs, by
pouring hot vinegar into a red-hot iron
or tin ran set upon hot bricks in the
closet. Shut the door as soon as the
vinegar hisses upon the heated surface
of the pan and don't open again that
day.
In shaking blankets care must always
he taken to catch them about s foot from
the selvedge, otherwise a risk is ruu of
tearing them.
Skewer baked fish with thin slices of
F lit pork or bacon. Fresh f-h will he
improved in flavor if fried in fat used
previously for the same purpose.
Coffee and tea stains, if rubbed with
butter and afterward washed in hot
soapsuds.- will come out, leaving the
tub'e linen quite white and fresh.
To have one's kitchen free front
smoke or odor wh< n frying griddle
cakes try adding one teaspoonful of
molted lard to the batter and do not
grease the griddle.
If you susoect that pickles have been
co’ored with copper, you ran satisfy
yourself with a very simple test. Fut
some pieces of the pickle into a vial
containing a mixture of enttnl parts of
ammonia and water. If there is any
copper present .the liquid will become
blue ir. -olor.—Chicago Daily News.
Rice Croquettes.
One cupful rice, one quart milk, one
tablespoonful chopped parsley, yoikf
of four eggs, salt and pepper to taste
Wash well the rice, put on to boil in
a fauna boiler with the milk, or use
cold boiled rice, and set to boil with
the milk after pressing through a
sieve. If the rice has not been cooked
let it boil about an hour, if it has
been already cooked 20 minutes will
suffice. When quite thick take from
the tire and beat until smooth, mak
ing all the grains. Then add
well beaten yolks of the eggs and cook
eight or ten minutes longer. Add he
parsley and seasoning, using ‘ac
white pepper. Take trom the fire and
mix well, and turn out in a plate ana
let it cool. Then form into pretty
cylinders about three inches long and
one and one-half broad. Roil these
In beaten eggs, then in bread crumbs
and fry in boiling lard. Drain and
serve with any meat cooked wi h
gravy.
Japan’s Catholic Church.
The Nippon Sel Kokwai. or ho’y
Catholic church in Japan, includes all
the missions of the American Protest
ant Episcopal church and the Church
cf England. In this church there are
now more than 12.000 baptized mem
bers, of whom 5,985 are communicants.
The growth of the church has beeD
very rapid, 1,600 baptisms, two-thirds
cf them those of adults, having been
recorded in a single year.
Bread Pudding.
Use two cups of stale bread
crumbed, two cups milk, one cup
flour, one cup sugar, one cup raisins
a tablespoonful of melted butter
three eggs, two small teaspoonfuls
baking powder and a half teaspoonful
e:;;h of common allspice and cloves
Boil for two hours in a well-buttered
mold. Serve with meringue and drops
of currant jelly on top.
Sweet Potato Fritters.
A pint of hot mashed sweet potn
toes, two eggs, a cupful of flour, into
which has been sifted a teaspoonful
of baking powder, salt and enough
milk to make a batter. Drop the bat
ter, a tablespoonful at ai time, in
deep fat, smoking hot, and cook to a
light brown. Tomato sauce may ba
served with the fritters.
An Old Story.
"Did you ever experience a change
of heart?” asked the kind old lady.
"Well, I should say!” laughed the
girl. “I’ve been engaged four times.”
--Detroit Free Press.
IQ THE SOUTH POLE!
'
EXPEDITIONS AFOOT EXPLORING I
ANTARCTIC BEGION.
.
Problems '.Vhicli Explorers Are Try
ing to Solve in the Interests
of Science and Human
Curiosity.
Three, if not four, expeditions, are
expected to ue in the anue.xtic area
again within dip next i3 months. '1 he
six expeditions, from Capt. Geriache,
if Belgium, to Dr. Charcot, of Frame,
that spent the past few years in the
for south discovered new lands and
penetrated far Inside of one long:
stretch of coast, but failed to ascer
tain whether these ljinds are ail bound
together, forming a continent.
Capt. Scott made his way up the gen
the ice slope for JO0 miles into the in
terior of Victoria Land, but was not
able after all to snow whether he had
marched into a continental mass ,.r
only a large island Every expedition
that is going to this field hopes to
shed light on the question of the south
ern continent.
The problem is to be attacked on the
American side of the antarctic by
Lieut. Michael Barue, of the Discoveiy,
who is preoaring to go to Graham
Land, about 690 miles south of South
America. Explorers have been up and
down the east and west shores of Gra
ham Land, aud what they have found
of it is about 430 miles long and from
50 to 100 miles wide, but it widens
rapidly toward the south; they do not
know yet whether it is a large Island
or a promontory.
If, as some of the students of the
antarctic problem conjecture, the ex
tent of land in the south polar regions ■
Is about 3,500,0(i0 square miles, these
lands are about as large as the United
States, including Alaska. Human u
riosity will never be satisfied till the
whole extent of the land is laid down
on the maps, end the geograoh-:s ,
know now that for the next 20 years
this field will be the scene of the
largest exploratory activity.
it is strange mat tne mysterious
south land which long before the dis
covery of America was marked on the
maps as Terra Australis should be the
last and greatest problem of geog
raphy to be solved in the twentieth
century.
The statement has been published
several times recently that no investi
gations are now in progress :n the
antarctic. This Is slightly inaccurate.
The Argentine government has jrst
established a meteorological and mag
netic station at Wandel island, far
south on the west coast of Graham
Land. So ihe antarctic regions are
at present not entirely deserted by
explorers.
LIKE A CARGO OF SNOW.
Steamer Brings in Load of Salt from
Sicily Which Looked
Wintry.
Looking down over the high hatch
way combing into the after held of a
steamer discharging at an East river !
wharf up by the Grand street ferry,
a waterside stroller saw in the hold
below what seemed to be a cargo of
snow—an odd cargo for a vessel to 1
bring, says the New York Sun.
Tbev had already got out the bulk j
of it from immediately under the
hatchway and almo.-t down to the ves
sel's floor, but all around still arose
white banks of it reaching up almost
to the vessel's decks; and half way
up one of these steep snowbanks a
man was at work with a pick, dis
lodging masses of it to fall to the
open space at the center, where stood
men with scoop shovels piling this j
snow into great iron tip buckets,
which, as fast as they were fill d,
we-e hoisted up to be dumped into a
chute running down over the steam
er's side, this chute emptying into
carts on the wharf.
From the steamer's forward hatch,
at the same tme and in like manner,
they were discharging front ttie same
snowy cargo, but over the other side
of the vessel, the cargo from the after
hold going across the wharf into a
warehouse, while that from the for
ward hold was going into lighters
alongside, a customs officer at each
point noting the weights of it as the
stuff was hoisted out.
It was salt, the snowy white cargo
with which from stem to stern this
steamer was loaded; a cargo of 3,500
tons of salt, brought from a place in
Sicily where they make salt by the
evaporation of sea water from arti
ficially made ponds of about 20 inches
in depth.
To one whose ideas of salt were
confined to the trifling quantities of
it that he saw in shakers and salt
cellars on the table this cargo of
thousands of tons seemed like a lot
of salt; really like something curious
and interest'ng and remarkable. Asa
matter of fact in the various uses to
which it is put salt is used in enor
mous quantities, and to those ac
quainted with salt and the salt trade
salt In full cargoes, large and small,
is something quite familiar.
Artificial Storm at Sea.
The inhabitants of Aboukir, near
Alexandria, were recently treated to
a wonderful spectacle. It became
necessary to destroy some 16 tons of
powerful dynamite, and the explo
sives—sufficient to blow up a town_
were taken to sea and placed beneath
the water. Something like a subma
rine earthquake followed the explo
sion, which was heard for miles
around. A waterspout shot into the
air to a height of about 2.000 feet, and
fell back in dazzling spray. Simul
taneously the sea became a whirlpool
of seething water, as if agitated by
a hurricane.
She Was Forehanded.
A wealthy Parisian, tired of sup
porting his nephew, determined to get
him married off and settled. He
called upon a matrimonial bureau and
looked over his album of candidates
for husbands. To his horror he found
the picture of his own pretty wdfe.
He reproached her and demanded an
explanation. “I do not deny it,’" she
said, "but it was last year, when, a3
you know, dearest, you had been given
up fat all the doctors.’’
BURNING MINES OF UTAH.
Veins of Coal That Have Then Afire
Since They Were Discovered
by White Men.
Through a,long line of cliffs fr.
Colorado to central Utah, and i:. :
southwest toward Arizona, extensive
beds of teal are found, and recent r i
iogieai in, esilgali;n into this coai
formation of tue tar west has devel
oped what nuty be termed burning
mountains, or coal beds, a flic with
surface indications of constant com
bustion for ages past.
These coal Acids of Utah are some
what widely separated, and even Un
known fields have been comparatively
little explored; therefore very little i»
known of their productive area.
The edges of these beds come to the
surface in tnese cliffs nearly 1.0 t te t
above the bordering desert, and in
ages past this coal has burned into
tne mountain cliffs until smothered by
the accumulations of ashes and covei
ing of superincumbent rocks. In
p.aces the heat of this burning coal
lias been so intense as to melt tbe
rocks.
From surface appearances the fin s
have gone out in these cliff's, but at one
point in the canyon of Prince river,
where the coal is being mined, the
rocks are found to be uncomfortably
hot and the miners were compelled to
retire for fear the fires would again
break out.
Other coal fields lie in the desert
west- of Green river. At two places
near tributaries of the Fremont rivet
the coals are burning, and have been
without cessation since they were dis
covered by the earliest explorer. The
origin of these fires has been the sub
ject of much speculation.
Three explanations are commonij
heard among the Mormons, who in
habit this peculiar country where the
mountains burn.
One explanation i= that lightning has
hy chance struck the edges of these
coal beds at various times since these
mountains were lilted up.
Another is that forest fires raring in
the mountains came in contact with ex
posed coal. 1 he more thoughtful point
out that the forests in this desolate re
gion are too sparse for forest '.res to
occur.
btui another ant! more common ex
planation is that the Indians built
their campfires under the protecting
ledges of the mountains against the
coal, and it was thus ignited. They
point to the iact that there are ruins
of the habitations of cliff dwell*r? her.
and that in their day the coals began
to burn.
THUNDERBOLT SHEATH.
“Lightning Hole” Made by Descent
of Shaft Into the
Earth.
The following is one of the in'erest
ing and valuaole bHs of information sc
often to be found in the Scientific
American:
“Did you ever see the diameter of a
lightning Hash measured?” asked a ge
ologist. “Well, here is the case whicE
once inclosed a flash of lightning, fit
ting it exactly, so that you can jusi
see how big it. was. This is called a
•fulgurite,’ or ‘lightning hole,' ano
the material it is made of is glass. I
will tell you Itow it was manufactured
though it took only the fraction oi t
second to turn it cut.
"When a bolt o." lightning strikes a
bed of sand it plunges downward into
the sand for a distance, less or great
er, transforming simultaneously intc
glass tlie silica material through wnich
it passes. Thus, by its great heat,
it forms at once a glass tube of precise
ly its own size. Now and then such
a tube, known as a ’fulgurite’ is found
and dug up.
"Fulgurites have been followed intc
the sand by excavation for nearly :1G
feet. They vary in interior diameter
from the size of a quill to three inches
or more, according to the bore or tbe
Gash. But fulgurites are not alone
produced in sand: they are found also
in solid rocks, though very naturally
of a slight depth and frequently exist
ing merely as a thin, glassy coating
on the surface. Such fulgurites oc
cur in astonisning abundance on tli6
summit of Little Ararat, in Armenia.
The rock is suit, and so porous that
blocks a foot long can be obtained, per
forated in all directions by little tubes
filled with Dottl° green glass formed
from the fused rock.”
ACTING OF THE AMATEUR.
Illustrative Instance of the Work of
Ambitious But Incompetent
Beginners.
It is surprising to discover how very
iifferently people who have played
mrts all their lives deport themselves
before the footlights, writes Richard
Viansfield, in Atlantic. I was acquaint
ed with a lady in London who had
Seen the wife of a peer of the realm,
who at one time had been a reigning
seauty, and who came to me, longing
for a new experience, and imploring
ne to give her an opportunity to appea?
iV>on the stage. In a weak moment I
consented, and. as I tpas producing a
iiiay, I cast her for a part which I
thought she would admirably suit—
that of a society woman. What that
woman did and didn’t do on the stage
passes all belief. She became en
tangled in her train, she could neither
sit down nor stand up, she shouted,
she could not be persuaded to remain
at a respectful distance, but insisted
upon shrieking into the actor’s ears,
and she committed all the gaucheries
you would expect from an untrained
country wench. But because every
body is acting in private life, every
one thinks he can act upon the stage,
and there is no profession that has so
many critics. Every individual in the
audience is a critic, and knows all
about the art of acting. But acting is
a gift. It cannot be taught. You
can teach people how to act acting—
but you can’t teach them to act. Act
ing is as much an inspiration as the
making of great poetry and great pic
tures. What is commonly called
acting is acting acting.
Sad Measure.
Friend—Hpw many lines has a son
net?
Poet—All mine appear to have had
23.—N. Y. Sun.
