Loup city Northwestern J. W. BURLEIGH, Publisher. LOUP CITY, - - NEBRASKA. The Importance of Rats. With the exception of the famous Piper, nobody has yet found a success ful method of getting rid of rats. . Ways and means we have all seen ad vertised in the street cars and news papers, and yet other methods we have now and then heard pleasantly carrated in the course of polite con versation. But these deal with the rat •s an individual—with our personal rat, so to speak; and invention has yet to find the way of annihilating en tire communities. For such a solution . of the “rat problem!’ the department it- of agriculture has recently stated that it would liberally reward the inventor. The rat, individually, is a nuisance; the rat, collectively, an actual drain upon the legitimate profits of Ameri can agriculture. Reduced to probable figures this yearly tax, levied and suc cessfully collected by a countless army of rodents, reaches a surprising total. Board and lodging for ofce rat for one year is estimated at 50 cents; and it may be fairly enough assumed that the farms of the country support at least one rat for every cow. horse, pig, or other useful kind of live stock. If this is true, even allowing that one half of the sustenance of the rats is waste matter, the boatd bill counts up in cereals to something over $50,000, 000. In France the loss yearly sus tained through their existence is offi cially placed at $40,000,000, which indi cates pretty clearly that the figures roughly estimated by our own investi gators are far below the actual. Who ever can find a way to destroy the pest in large numbers will therefore not only earn the rewards of tlm de partment of agriculture, but will con fer a blessing upon practically every living agriculturist. Nor, adds the Boston Budget, need he be debarred by sentimental reasons. The rats now living on the country without giving anything in return for it are aH de scended from stowaways who came over without paying any attention whatever to the immigration laws. One of the Yale professors has been making a study of the occupations of Yale graduates by classes. He finds, among other things, that a constantly lessening number are entering the ministry, and a steadily increasing number are studying law. The law now claims more than twice as many as any other profession. Next to it eomes finance. Less than one-twelfth of the graduates enter the ministry, In spite pf the fact that one of the purposes for which Yale was founded was “to train godly young men for the Christian ministry.” But, side by side with these facts, it is also noted that charitable ''and philanthropic work— the giving both of money and of serv ice—is yearly claiming a larger share of the interest of educated men and women. Perhaps that is where the “godly young men” of to-day are going. A bill was recently presented in the Italian chamber,of deputies providing for a $200,000 lottery, with the pro ceeds of which it is proposed to carry •ut excavations at the site of the Ro man amphitheater at Benevento, the town founded, according to tradition, by Diomedes. and possessing Trajan’s triumphal arch, which resembles the arch of Titus in Rome, and is the finest and best preserved of all the Roman structures. The amphitheater at Benevento is lying almost intact under a number of old houses occupied by poor people. Benevento is the capital of a province of that name, and Is situated 34 miles northeast of Na ples. In the Middle Ages it was the seat of a Lombard duchy, and in 1806 it was given by Napoleon I. to Talley rand, who took the title of prince of Benevento. What is Preaching? One of the most notable utterances from the Unitarian brethren comes from the Rev. Dr. Thomas Slicer, says Boston Herald, who deplores the habit of some of his brethren of the cloth in ^treating of economics, politics and civics in their pulpits, instead of preaching the gospel. In Dr. Slicer’s opinion, this isn't preaching at all. It 'is lecturing, instead. A great mapy ’churchgoers will agree with this view. There may be special occasions when sermons on texts from Holy Writ may appropriately yield to some temporary exigency, but as a rule religion, pure and simple, is the preacher’s best theme and most acceptable to his con gregation. - .. . . » On a trip through Iceland the trav eler sees thousands of mountains cov-' ered with eternal snow, outrivaling the Alps in grandeur; great geysers and innumerable hot wells; waterfalls, *> one of which—the Gtillfoss—is second only to Niagara ih size and beauty; erystal streams and lashing rivers; lava beds of fantastic figures, covered with moss that glistens in the sun like hoar frost, and, as a crowning glory, the' atmosphere is so brilliant that objects over 50 miles distant ap pear close at hand. Now that the new heir to the Span ish throne has been regularly enrolled In a Spanish regiment his nurse ought to have an easy time with him. Sol diers don’t cry in the night and make sleepy people get up and walk the floor with them. ^ Kuroki distributed several hundred dollars in “tips” before he left Chica go. He probably did it as a mark of his esteem for the bellboys and porters who were able to call him by niune without waiting to be introduced. At the National Capital ' Gossip of People and Events Gathered in Washington “RUBBER” LECTURES JAR NOTABLES OF CAPITAL WASHINGTON.—Official Washing ton—that is, the top layer of it —is up in arms against the lectures of the ‘ Seeing Washington" automo biles. It is all very well to be presi dent, or an ambassador, or a cabinet officer, and there are times when it is not unpleasant to feel that the eyes of the multitude are centered upon one; but to be pointed out to rubberneck visitors as an object of interest is a little disquieting to one's sense of dig nity. For instance: 'There upon your left, ladies and gentlemen,” says the lecturer, “you see the Hon. William Howard Taft, secretary of wai«—the large ger^eman walking rapidly with the folio under his arm. Mr. Taft always walks. He is accounted! one of the handsomest men in Washington and one of the biggest in more ways than I care to mention, and he has been chosen by President Roosevelt ‘to be his successor.” This is unpleasant enough to a ' oddest and retiring personality, but when a little girl on the sightseeing iwagon calls out in a shrill voice: “Oh, .mamma, he walks just like Uncle ;Tom,” the blow is almost too hard to bear. If 40 pairs of eyes are fastened ion your legs and 40 minds are mak ing notes of Uncle Tom's pedestrian mannerisms, it is no wonder that your feet seem to be tangled and your knee joints refuse to bend. Or suppose you were George Bruce Cortplyou and were pointed out as a man who wore his hair pompadour, or William Loeb, Jr., and heard it an nounced that you weren't as serious as you looked; or if you were an am bassador and were standing on the front stoop of your embassy, looking up and down the street for your dog, and heard a man telling about you through a megaphone, wouldn't it jar you? Since he became famous, even Pete, the White House bull terrier, has cut and run whenever a sight-see ing automobile hove in view. However, these are but mere inci dents or illustrations. The thing that has brought the top-notch officials to bay is that some of the rubberneck lecturers have taken to pointing out members of the families of prominent men when they go abroad in car riages. Officials say that the lecturers know the carriages by the coachmen, but are frequently mistaken as to the identity of the occupants. It is veity annoying and embarrassing, they as sert, and sofnething will have to be done to stop it. MONEY ORDER5|Jg < Vi POSTOFFICE EXTENDS THE MONEY ORDER SERVICE OF the 64,000 postoffices in the country at any one of which reg istry business may be transacted only 3S.000 (inclusive of 4,000 stations) are authorized to do a money order busi ness. While doubting the feasibility of extending money order facilities to all postoffices, Postmaster General Meyer, to meet as far as practicable the needs of the business public and promote its convenience in the trans mission of money through the mails recently issued a sweeping order, which said in part: “Recognizing the fact that there is a demand on the part of the public for this extension, the department ex pects to be aided in carrying out its policy in this respect by the earnest cooperation of its employes and of postmasters and all others connected in any way with the postal service. “It msst be understood that the de partm>nt will not brook interference on the part of its officers or employes with the policy above outlined, and it is enjoined upon all connected with the service to use every effort to pro- i mote the use of postal money orders for remittances by mail. Failure on the part of any postmaster or post office employe to adhere to the re quirements of this order will endang er the official position of the delin quent.” Postmaster General Meyer will rec ommend to the next congress that legislation be enacted providing for the introduction of postal notes for sums not exceeding $2.50, or perhaps $5.00, which may be issued without the filing of a written application or the sending of an advice, and be obtainable, not only at all money or der post offices, but at many of the smaller post offices, where it may not be feasible to issue money orders. WAR ON WOOD BEETLES STARTED BY GOVERNMENT FOR centuries, ami in -many lan guages, has the “powder post” wood beetle been discussed and plan ned against. Many government ex perts of many countries have studied this pest of seasoned woods, but little progress has been accomplished to wards its destruction. Our own gov ernment is now taking a hand in in vestigating the “powder post” beetle. The beetle attacks seasoned wood only, especially the white or sap por tion, and S9 alarming has become the ravages that makers of furniture and vehicles are at great annual loss ow ing to the silent ami steady boring and bedding in the dry material. Hick ory, oak and ash are the woods gener ally most affected. These beetles are silent fii’es tearing down the fences, and barns and homes of men. They feast in the polished furniture in the parlor, and gnaw at the coffins in the undertakers’ warehouses. They eat away the chair that we rest in to-day and the piano sounding forth the sweetest melodies is *in the death grapple of the “powder post” beetles. The treatment for the pest, so far as studied out, consists in destroying by fire. A piece of lumber may be affect in one end only. Saw that end off and burn it is the cure. The beetle has been killed in valuable pieces of lumber by putting the material in a close room and subjecting the lum ber to as hot a steam bath as possi ble. Other means of destruction con sist in kilning the lumber and giving it as much dry heat as possible. FORESTRY CHIEF TURNS DEAF EAR TO SOCIETY ONE of the interesting young bache lors of the present day now very much in the public eye is Gifford Pin chot. chief of the bureau of forestry, department of agriculture, now on a pilgrimage in the weSi., instructing all who will come to hear on the wis dom of the administration’s land poli cy. Mr. Pinchot, the “G. P.” of ‘the department, to whom all important questions pertaining to the public do main are referred, the intimate per sonal friend of the chief executive and member of the White House ten nis board, is one of those rare spirits in love with his profession who works for love and glory rather than pub lic applause and the coin of the realm. On accepting his position in the de partment at a salary of $2,000 a year, he built himself a $200,000 house on the most fashionable block of Rhode Island avenue, where he gives one large reception each Beason, in honor eft the agricultural forestry conven tion. The rest of the season his mother, Mrs. James W. Pinchot, of New York, entertains the smart and the great at a succession of dinners and receptions unsur]iassed by any hostess in Washington When he built this home Gifford Pinchot was engaged to be married, his fiancee, like himself, being young, earnest, wealthy and of New 'York Four Hundred. The death of his sweetheart under most pathetic cir cumstances turned young Pinchot to his profession with redoubled fervor, and since then he ban j turned a deaf but polite ear to society and the al luring attention which would natural ly be bestowed upon the most eligi ... * / ■ '-i'i. P , ' # H ■ - . ''it-- 1 b ■■ V ’ ~ - ble American bachelor in Washing ton. The independent fortune mak ing a 1200,000 house possible on a $2,000 salary is a part of this young man’s inheritance from his maternal grandfather, Eno, the founder and once famous proprietor of the Fifth Avenue hotel. Panama Canal Tolls. It will be some time before the ques tion of tolls for passing through the Panama canal will become one of cur rent interest. It is impossible, how ever, not to see that making the Suez canal free would have a very Impor tant bearing upon the management of that across Panama. That waterway is meant for the benefit of our com merce and that of the world, and it is equitable that the parties benefited should contribute to the expense of construction and management. It is not intended as a money-maker for the government, but, on the other hand, it is not intended as a subsidy to in ternational trade. The rates ought to be reasonable, but that is very dif ferent from saying that there should be no charges at„all. Nevertheless, if the Suez canal were to be made free to British trade it would fumiBh a precedent for making the Panama canal free to American tradfe, and oth er governments would then be asked to do the like for their subjects that use the canal. Advanced. Benevolent Old. Party—Well, well, but you are a little fellow to he play ing In the afreet Can you talk yet? The Little Fellow—Naw, but I kin swear.—Puck. HERE’S ONE ON THE "ROOKEY." Gets Sentry Call Twisted When Das zlsd by Commander. A drummer sometimes gets his or ders twisted, but never quite so badly as the "npokey” I saw down at Chick amauga when the troops were being mustered in for the Spanish-American war, says a traveling man in the St Louis Post-Dispatch. This, boy, fresh from St. Louis, was on the way to the front and proud of it. He had his first assignment to guard duty and he had been carefully instructed as to calling "Who goes there?” The officer in command of the di vision was a dignified martinet. The "rookey” had never seen him. About midnight the general came home from a reception in town. He was all fixed up in his dress togs and he was the swellest thing the new guard ever saw. As the general passed his post the boy gazed at him open-mouthed. Just in time he remembered he was expected to say something. So he gasped: “There goes who?” INSURANCE INVESTMENTS. How One Company’s Assets Are Dis tributed in the South and West. In connection with its withdrawal from Texas, along with many other companies, rather than to submit to the new law which requires that 75% of the reserves on Texas policies shall be invested in securities of that state, which securities shall be deposited in the state and subjected to heavy taxa tion, in addition to the large tax now imposed on life insurance premiums, the Equitable Life Assurance Society has made public the distribution of its assets, at the end of the second year of the new management. The Equit able now has 110,958,000 invested in Texas, which is twice as much as the new law requires, but the manage ment decided that to submit to the additional taxation would be an injus tice to its policyholders in other states, which impose no such penalty on the thrift of their citizens. The Equitable’s report shows that more than 37% of its total reserves are now invested in the southern and western states, while only 35% of its total insurance is carried in these states. Its investments are distributed as follows: Ala., $3,099,000; Ariz., $974,000; Ark., $4,038,000; Cal., $5, 142,000; Col., $5,222,000; Fla., $4,924, 000; Ga„ $4,048,000; Idaho, $5,197,000; ill., $12,617,000; Ind. Ter., $443,000; lnd., $6,836,000; Iowa, $3,690,000; Kan sas. $11,637,000; Ky„ $2,631,000; La., $3,054,000; Md„ $2,207,000; Mich., $6, 009,000; Minn., $2,065,000; Miss., $767, 000; Mo., $8,197,000; Mont., $1,890,000; Neb., $7,526,000; Nev., $640,000; New Mex., $1,376,000; N. C., $1,649,000; N. D„ $677,000; Ohio, $11,634,000; Okla., $1,006,000; Ore., $1,158,000; S. C., $975,000; S. D„ $1,305,000; Tenn., $1, 909,000; Utah, $2,134,000; Va„ $6,592, 000; Wash., $1,202,000; W. Va„ $5,523, 000; Wis., $2,342,000; Wyo., $3,367,000. BATHING IN THE DEAD 8EA. By No Means a Pleasure, According to One Traveler. "No sooner has one plunged into the water than one is whipped ofl one’s feet and goes bobbing helplessly about like a wretched cork,” says Rev. Haskett Smith of bathing in the Dead sea. “In the effort to regain one’s footing and to get back to shore, one’s feet and shins are barked by the jaggetf stones and pebbles, and when at length one does emerge from its treacherous bosom, with the lower limbs bleeding and torn, one becomes aware of a horrible tingling and burn ing sensation in eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth and almost every pore of the skin, from the brine and bitumen which have penetrated everywhere. "Unless great care is taken the bather in the Dead sea is liable to an eruption, which breaks out all over his body, and which is commonly known as the ‘Dead sea rash.’ The best antidote to this is to hurry across as quickly as possible to the river Jor dan and take a second plunge therein. The soft and muddy waters of that sacred but dirty stream will effectual ly remove the salt that has incrusted the body.” Riddle. “What is the difference between a chauffeur and a surgeon?” asked the every ready joker. "Give it up,” answered the man who was bored. “The chauffeur runs people down and the surgeon cuts them up.” Hastily boarding a passing street car, he made a safe getaway.—De troit Free Press. COFFEE COMPLEXION. Many Ladies Have Poor Complexions from Coffee. “Coffee caused dark colored blotches on my face and body. I had been drinking it for a long while and these blotches gradually appeared, until finally they # became permanent and were about as dark as coffee itself. “I formerly had as fine a complex ion as one could ask for. “When I became convinced that cof fee was the cause of my trouble, I changed and took to using Postum Food Coffee, and as I made it fcell, ac cording to directions, I liked it very much, and have since that time used it in place of coffee. “I am thankful to say I am not ner vous any more, as I was when I was drinking coffee, and my complexion is now as fair and good as it was years ago. It is very plain that coffee caused the trouble.” Most bad complexions are caused by some disturbance of the stomach and coffee is the greatest disturber of digestion known. Almost any woman can have a fair complexion if she will leave off coffee and use Postum Food Coffee and nutritious, healthy food in proper quantity. Postum furnishes certain elements from the natural grains from thq field that Nature uses to rebuild the nervous system and when that is in good condition, one can depend upon a good complexion as well as a good healthy body. “There's a Reason.” Read, “The Road to Well vine,” in pkgs. - j WON BYACAMERA By Catherine S. Long • (Copyright, by Jos Hepburn lighted his ruby lamp and sat down before his developing tray. He was an enthusiastic student of photography. “This settles it,” he declared with emphasis, as he removed the last plate from the box. “I sha'n't buy any more supplies of Sanford when I get back to the city. There's a limit to the demands that can be made upon friendship. Here I've been buying plates of him ever since I begin to take pictures, and what have I got to show for whole dozens of them but just such crazy things as these? I’m afraid Sanford will never be a busi ness success.” He shook his head dubiously, as he placed the twelfth plate in the hypo. Photography is a capricious mis tress, and has a fashion of springing surprises upon her devotees. Hepburn was soon aware that there was some thing about this plate quite different from any that he had ever tried to develop. Slowly the image appeared, but there was a clearness about it, coupled with the evolution of unfa miliar outlines, that puzzled him. There Was the picture of the mill pond, clear, yet soft, a negative such as he had often dreamed of making. But back of this picture was another. It was—oh, strange and entrancing sight!—that of the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. Hep burn stared hard. Hepburn almost trembled as he carefully washed the plate, and set it on the rack to dry. After breakfast next morning he sauntered out as usual with his camera. He had no appreciation whatever of the scenes through which he wandered, when, turning a bend in the path, he came quite unexpectedly upon a scene of such wild and roman Towing the Senseless Woman to the Shore. tic beauty that it at once appealed to his carefully-fostered artistic and pho tographic sense. The little stream, j he;*.; running swift and deep, crept I into a sheltered cove, over which the j foli*ge drooped in long and graceful ! festoons, and its slender current was 1 spanned by an old moss-grown log. “Beautiful!” murmured Hepburn, looking about him critically. "Why, this is just such an arrangement as I've been looking for ever since I j studied ‘Pictorial Effect in Photog- ! raphy.” Even as he spoke a woman emerged from the forest and began to cwss the mossy log. She hesitated before she had taken many steps, and re mained standing in what was an un conscious, but what would seem a wre meditatedly beautiful pdse. Hepburn could have shouted with delight “Perfect!” he exclaimed. “Now if I can only get it before she moves farther. Absolutely perfect!” While he was preparing to take her picture a blood-curdling scream smote his ears. Turning quickly, he was horrified to observe that the support for the wedge had disappeared, and instantly he surmised that the girl had fallen into the water. Hepburn did not hesitate, but sprang forthwith into the stream. The girl once more arose to the surface and promptly wound herself about him, to tally incapacitating him as to the use of all his members. “Let go!” he yelled, “or you’ll sink us both!” But the girl continued to twijje and clutch. Then Hepburn did a cruel and ungallant thing, which only the exigencies of the occasion could excuse. He grappled with the girl. Partially disengaging his left hand, he attempted to thrust her away from him in order to get a hold upon her untrammeled by her grasp, but he only succeeded in dealing her a terrific blow in the face with his el bow. The woman of the double nega tive, stunneiTinto unconsciousness, re laxed her hold, and with a gasping sigh went down again. After that it was easy. Hepburn was not ei prac tised swimmer, but he had no difficul ty in towing the senseless woman to the shore only a few strokes away. Arrived there, he lifted her carefully up the bank and laid her on the grass. Then he regarded the still white form ruefully. The water streamed from her clinging draperies, mingled with the blood which had be gun to run down her face. Soon the girl opened her eyes. She fixed item meditatively upon him for a moment, then 3he sat up. She looked