rap'nsv The Commoner. 12 The World Struggles for Gold and SHrer. 'A History of tho Precious Metals, from the Earliest Times to the Present. By Alexander Del Mar, M. E. Sec ond edition revised. 488 pp. Cam bridge Encyclopedia Company. Mr. Alexander Del Mar is a man of set ideas; ho is also an indofatigable worker, a political economist of the flrst order, a brilliant numismatist, and a faithful student of history. Knowing exactly what he wants to provo and possessing to the tips of his lingers the facts connected with his subject, his narrative is clear, concise, and to the point, not to say elegant and attractive. The title of his work furnishes also a palpable proof of the Inborn modesty of the savant, of the "erudite." This "History of Precious Metals" was begun in 1858, published in London in 1880, and attracted a good deal of deserved attention. This second edition gives to the public an up-to-date history, full of documentary evidence of indisputable value for the solution of the money question, which "will 'have to be debated upon much higher grounds than any which have hitherto been advanced in the conten tion." ''That 1b to say, it will have to bo argued not by appeals to ignor ance and passion, but by appeals to re ligion and patriotism, to fraternity and equity." Mr. Del Mar gives successively the hl&tory of previous metal 3 from the remotest times in all quarters of the globe. This I'Jstory is one of blood, slavery, and plunder, and the author seems to be amply justified in assert ing that the "desire for the precious metals, rather than geographical re searches or military conquest, is the principal motive which has led to the dominion of the earth by civilized race3." The facts are substantially re lated in the chapters on ."Plunder of Europe by the Romans," "Plunder of Africa," "Plunder of Asia," "Plunder of India," and "Plunder of China," ending with the looting by the allied armies commanded by Count von Wal dersee. The revelations on the Trans vaal are particularly interesting. From a carefully guarded report of the chamber of mines (a British organiza tion) for 1896, is gathered evidence to show that "the Transvaal mines (most- COFFEE COMPLEXION Many Ladies Huvo Poor Complexions From Cofl'eo "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 complexion 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 Cereal Food Coffee, and as I made it well, according to directions, I liked it very much, and have since that time used it entirely in place of coffee. 1 am thankful to say I am not nervous any more, as I was when I was drinking coffee, and my complex ion is now as fair and good as it was years ago. It is very plain that the coffee caused the trouble. Please omit my name from public print." Mrs. , 2081 Ogden Ave., Chicago, 111. The name of this lady can be given by the Postum Cereal Co,, Ltd., Battle Creek, Mich. Most bad complexions are caused by some disturbance of the stomach and coffee is the greatest disturber of di gestion 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. The food coffee fur nishes certain parts of the natural grains from the 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 goneral healthy condition of the body, ly owned by British capitalists) have been worked from flrst to last by na tives who were entrapped and forced into them against their will; that they were bought from contractors at so much per man, bound, strapped, made drunk with rotten liquor, and thrust naked into pits which avarice has dug and hypocrisy has covered over' Throughout his book Mr. Del Mar contends that the precious metals cost more to produce than they are worth. He shows in support of his contention that in the Transvaal mines, for in stance, the salary of the free miner averages only $1.50 per diem, conclud ing that "it is quite evident that with out forced labor, without slavery, and without working the mills on the Sab bath, the industry could not have been maJo to pay." Referring to the coinage of precious metals as money, Mr. Del Mar believes that there is an evolution of money far more important than that of its sub stance, the growth from a statical to dynamical mechanism, and the con comitant growth in the methods of exchange. In other words, a dollar now performs, in the same interval of time, several times the amount of work in facilitating exchanges that it was previously capable of perform ing; so that Time, whose influence upon Price was until recently imper ceptible, now clearly and unmistak ably enters into its composition. In the opinion of the author, "the gov ernment instead of Individuals should retain control of the monetary meas ure; otherwise there can be no real religion, no real liberty, no real na tional life. The basis of national life is political equality. There can be no equality so long as an unjust measure continues to rob the many for the benefit of the few." The work is re plete with statistics carefully revised. Literary Digest. STOPS THE COUGH And Works off the Cold. Laxative Bromo Quinine Tablets cura a cold in ono day. No Curo, No Pay. Price 25 cents. I SECURE A YEAR'S I I i ' H I SUBSCRIPTION FREE I Fmm - --I MMBHN ""MM Ml MMMOT MM W-W --i-i CHICAGO, ILL., and SPRINGFIELD, MASS.. ONE OF THE BEST AND MOST PRACTICAL FARM AND FAMILY PAPERS PUBLISHED. Believing that every one of our readers should have at loast one good agricultural and family journal, we have perfected arrangements whereby wo can send that practical and in structive journal, Farm and Home, on remarkably liboral termas given below. Lack of, space forbids but a orief de scription of the contents of Farm and H6me, which is unequalod for variety and excellence. Prominent among its many de partments may bo mentioned the Farm and Garden The Apiary The Poultry Yard Market Reports Talks with a Lawyer The Question Box. Fruit Culture Around the Globe Plants and Flowers Plans and Inventions Livo Stock and Dairy The Veterinary Fashions and Fancy Work Household Features Farm and Home is published somi-monthly, thus giving you 34 numbers a year the whole making a volume of over 500 Pages, teeming with all the latest ana most reliable information that experience and science can supply. No bettor proof of its popularity can bo offered than its enormous circulation, which extends into every state, each numbor being read by no less than a million people. By Special Arrangement, We Make for a Limited Time THE FOLLOWING OFFER Some Rhythmical Gymnastics. There is a familiar jingle written by Thackeray which runs: If I were a cassowary On the plains of Timbuctoo, I would eat a missionary, Hat and gown and hymn book too. Other famous writers beside Thack eray have busied themselves discov ering rimes for unusual and out-of-the-way words. A correspondent of the New York Commercial Advertiser (October 2) illustrates their efforts by some amusing examples. He reminds us that Butler, in "Hudibras," was guilty of the following: And pulpit, drum ecclesiastic,, Was beat with first instead of a stick. Also, And the philosopher Read Alexander Ross over. He tells, too, how Byron sings of "continent" and "one tenant," of "big amy" and "twig am I," and he re members that Browning linked "can know" with "piano." He proceeds to cite other illustrations as follows: "Henry J. Childe of 'Our Boys' fame was incorrigible. Tho yachtsman's woes contained the following: The crow began to quarrel and their language was immoral, And they said of mo, we don't want that there cove aboard. We wore having tea and coffee, sir, when Bosh, the second officer, Grabbed me by my pantaloons and pitched mo overboard. "Zj. another skit he speaks of 'a clever anaconda who's been reading D. Deronda and a frisky hippopotamus (great Jamrach kindly got him us).' He reveled in rare rimes, "Mr. Anstey is good at it, also. In his 'Burglar Bill' he has a i)oem in which a child empties an automatic machine by means of a penny tied to a string. The fraud was perceived, but tho child was relieved, Any reader of THE COMMONKR who will send one new annual subscription to THE COMMONER at our regular subscription price of $1.00 will recoive Thb Fabm and Home one year free of charge. The regular subscription price of Farm and Homjb is 50c per year. Got your neighbor's subscription for Thk Commoner, and thus extend its influence and securo for yourself the Fabm and Home, which is ono of tho largest and best papers of its kind published. Subscriptions to Tim Commoner aro -payable in advance, and remittances should be made by P. O. Money Order, Express Money Order, or Bank Draft. All Subscriptions Must be Sent to The Commoner Lincoln, Nebraska. Having never intended to cadge his treat, But B-32 Baid 'I'd recommend you To reserve your remarks for the magistreat.' "Gilbert comes in with: I'm not a common mountebank, I've money in the county bank. "A workingman sees a vision which promises to reform him; he remarks: To work in 'heavy boots I comes. Will shoes henceforward decorate My little toddle-tootsicums? "In 'The Pirates of Penzance' we find the following: In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy, You'll say a better major-general has never sat a gee. Literary Digest. Points About People F. W. Cunningham of Richmond, Va., estimates that ho has sung at 10,000 funerals. Anton Dvorak, the famous musician, has been made a member of tho Aus trian house of lords. Cassius M. Clay of Kentucky is pre paring his autobiography. He is up wards of ninety years of age. Pierre Loti, whoso real name is Viaud, is seriously ill at Chifu. He is a captain in the French navy. The Princess Louise has opened a hospital for invalid soldiers. It is located on her husband's estate. The czar of Russia is a confirmed cigarette smoker. He rolls his own cigarettes and uses tobacco especially imported from Syria. Dr. Howard, entomologist of the de partment of agriculture, estimates that the annual damage done to crops by insects is $300,000,000. President John H. McCracken of Westminster college, Fulton, Mo., is said to be the youngest college presi dent in the world. He is 25 years old. The Rothscilds have just purchased the largest copper mine in Mexico, pay ing $2,000,000 for it. The mine fur nishes employment to a large number of men. All told the Rothschilds now employ 27,000 men in their various copper mines. Dr. Miles' Anti-Pain Pills. A quick, safe, and sure relief for sick or nor voui Headache, Backache, Stomach Pains, Neuralgia, Nervousness, Irritability, Sleopless. ness, Rheumatism, Sciatica. Contain no opium or morphine, and leave no bad alUr-effeot. 25 doses 25c. At druggists. m 2 i LA i - lil .v . n it A &L, A , -. 1 ,.-?..:.-i- iSL'