"FW-lip,-.,T.1p,T .
HOVEMBKR 18, JSM
The Commoner.
3
(TOPICS
i r"s ?Sw - w iiid J '!. 'Tsar " ' "N.
THE United States supremo court on November
7 affirmed the decision of the supreme court
o: the state of Wisconsin, in the newspaper boycott
case arising from the alleged business combination
of the Sentinel, the News and tho Evening Wis
consin, all published in Milwaukee, against tho
Journal of that city, affecting advertising rates.
Tho opinion was delivered by Justice Holmes and
uphold the validity of tho Wisconsin anti-trust
law so far as it applied to this case.
THE Washington correspondent for tho New
York World, referring to this case, explains:
"The case came bofore tho supremo court on writs
of error to set aside convictions and sentences of
A. J. Aikens, Albert Huegln and M. A. Hoyt, pub
lishers of tho threo newspapers in tho combination.
, The ground of tho writs is that the proceedings
violated tho rights of the plaintiffs In error under
tho fourteenth amendment of tho constitution of
the United States. The . lformations were brought
under the Wisconsin statutes of 1898 which im
pose imprisonment or fine on 'any two or more
persons who shall combine ' for .the pur
poso of wilfully or maliciously injuring another in
his reputation, trade, business or profession by
any means whatever,' etc."
THE plaitliis in errc wore severally charged
with unlawfully combining together with the
intent of wilfully and maliciously injuring tho
Journal company by agreeing as follows: If any
person should agree to pay the Increased advertis
ing rate charged by tho Journal company, then ho
should not bo permitted to advertise in any of
tr-i other threo newspapers except at a correspond
ing increase of rate; but if he should refuse to
pay the Journal company the increased rate, then
he should be allowed to advertise in any of tho
other three papers at the rate previously charged.
It way alleged that this conspiracy was carried out
and that much, damage to the business of the Jour
nal' company ensued. Construing the statute, Jus
tice Holmes7 said: "We interpret 'maliciously in
juring' to import doing a harm malevolently for
the sake of harm as an end in Itself, and not mere
ly as a means of some further end legitimately
desired. Otherwise i,no phrase would be tautolo
gous, since a wilful injury is malicious in the
sense familiar to declarations and indictments,
where indeed the word means no more than fore
seen, or eyen less than that."
WHY do tempting dishes make the mouth
water? Tho Kansas City Journal gives the
following explanation: "In the Journal de Psy
chologie, an. Mayer treats of the influence of the
c mind on bodily secretions. We know that a tempt
ing morsel of -ood makos the 'mouth water,' and
that storhs or memories can 'bring tears to the
eyes. Observations on dogs have shown that o
nature of the saliva secreted at the sight of food
depends on lue nature ox the food. Tho stomachal
secretions of ie dog are also excited by the sight
of the food. Some dogs, however, of a 'cold, posi
tive temperament,' not illusioned by chimeras or
what is out of reach, patiently wait until the food
comes to 'Ir gullet before their mouths water
or the gastric juices are provoked. It is assumed
that what holds for dogs probably holds for men.
The observations appear to show ho importance of
eating food ..hat pleas'es and avoiding what dis
pleases or aisgusts. They also run counter to tho
psychological theory of the emotions, according to
which tho psychological phenomena aro caused by
organic changes. This max be the caje with some
'emotions, for example the feeling of hunger, but
for emotions properly so called, it is rather the
other way about."
v -
THE Countess Cassini, the adopted daughter of
the Russian ambassador, has received tho
highest order of the Russian Red Cross. The
Kansas City Journal says: "Tho highest order of
tho Russian Red Cross has been conferred upon
the Countep Cassini, tho adopted daughter of the
Russian ambassador, and .Mme. Boutakoff, wife,of
the -Russian naval attache, for their servicesin
raising axconsiderablo-sum of money for the Rus-
slan Red Cross society. A personal letter from
tho czar of Russia to the Countess Cassini accom
panied the decoration. Very few persons possess
this order, and tho fact that it has been con
ferred on Countoss Cassini and Mme. Boutakoff !h
considered in the light of a great honor not only
to the recipients, but to the Russian arabassndor
as well."
ANEW fuel has been inventod by Jacob Smith,
a glass worker, and it has passed a satis
factory test. Speaking of this article, a writer In
tho Philadelphia Record says: "It is said to pos
sess more heat units per pound than eithor coal
or wood; it can bo manufactured and sold at a
profit for half tho cost of coal and it does not
smoko except when a strong draft is used. Its
success as a fuel for domestic uses was determined
several weeks ago, when not until this week, when
it was used beneath an engine boiler, was its
value for manufacturing demonstrated. Tho fuel
is made largely from the refuse of tho pulp mills,
of which there are a number about Muncie. Each
mill turns out thousands of tons of refuse annually.
The refuse, a combination of soda and lime, Is
mixed with crude oil, and tho finished product re
sembles putty. It may be cut with a spade and
thrown into a furnace or beneath a boiler. No
kindling is necessary, for a match touched to it
will light readily, the material burning with an
intense heat. There are no clinkers, and tho ashes
remaining after tho fire has burned down may be
made into a new compound, for which Mr. Smith
has another use. A bushel basketful of the fuel
beneath a 16-horso power engine, at a local factory,
kept steam up for eight hours. It is manufactured
as a plasterer makes his mortar. The government
patent office has called it tho 'Smith fuel.' "
JAPANESE heroism is a subject of world-wido
comment at the present time. A striking in
stance of their disregard for personal feelings is
given by an officer writing in Leslie's Monthly.
That writer says: "I rushed by a fellow who was
down; his left leg was shot away. Ho was bleeding
copiously. Through the din of the rifle firo and
machine guns which gave us a mantle of smoke
and fire, I shouted to him: 'To the roar, to tne
field hospital, and bo quick about it.' Tho fellow
looked at me, and upon his face was a marked
sign of supriso. His lips quivered in a half smile.
Tho expression of his face was at once an interro
gation point and a mild rebuke. Then he began
to wiggle himself forward through tho bodies of
his fallen comrades. I repeated my order, which
seeing that he could not walk very well with one
leg, was a very foolish one I was somewhat ex
asperated at the evident indifference on his part to
the order of his superior officer. Ho raised his
face in my direction wh, tno same old half smile
and said to me: 'Lieutenant. I have lost one of
my legs, but don't you see I have two hands? They
ought to be enough to strike at the Russians.' "
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, after all his years
of writing, left only five of his signatures.
The Boston Transcript, referring to this interest
ing fact, says: "These are appended respectively
to tho purchase deed of a house in Blackfriars,
dated 1G13. which since 1831 has been in the Guild
hall to a mortgage deed relating to the same
house in the British Museum, and to STiakespeare's
will. There are besides, of course, many books
purporting to have trustworthy signatures. Most
notable of these is the 1603 edition of Montaingne'a
Essays bought in 1638 for i0 pounds by the Brit
ish Museum, after Sir Frederick Madden had un
equivocally attested the genuineness of the sig
nature Many students, probably a majority oven,
now regard It as no better than an eighteenth cen
tury forgery, hdwevcr. One hundred and two
pounds was paid at auction six years ago for a
Philosophical work printed in Venice, 1565, with
two Shakespeare signatures on the vellum cover,
Sir P Madden again having given his opinion that
they were trustworthy. Tho history of the book
waS'tracea back to 1811; thirteen years thereafter
it -was sold forGd; in 1845 for 21gnsi"
REFERRING to a copy of tho holy scripture
which Ih said to bear tho slgnnturo of tlibi
great author, tho Transcript writor furthor says;
"Tho Blblo now to bo sold, part of tho library of W,
Sharp Ogdon, Ruaholmo, Manchester, wa discov
ered by t-o owner's grandfather, William Sharp,
a collector of books and prints, near Manchester
some fifty-four years ago. Ho rave a fow pounds
only for it. but lator rocolvod an offor of 150
pounds. On tho revorso of the title to tho Now
Tostament la 'William Sbakospoaro, 1614 and on
tho end co-cr 'Wlllm. Shakoupearo off S. 0. A.
(Stratford-on-Avon) his Bible, 1013 Tho Inscrip
tion on tho final cover, ohn Fox off Warwick was
tho owner of this Blblo Anno Bom. 1633 proven
it to have boon in tho Shakespeare country soon
aftor tho dramatist's death in 1C1C. In 1666 It
belongod to William Brrdshaw, in 1727 to Thomas
Hall. Shakespeare's daughter, Susanna, married
Dr. John Hal; of Stratfcrd, but there Is no ground
so far as wo know for associating the one HaU
with tho other."
AN "OFFICIAL cup of coffee" Is the latest thing
at tho office of tho sccrotary of agriculture.
Kiiiuui.ine of this Important innovation a writer In
tho Kansas City Journal says: "By direction of
tho secretary of agriculture tho bureau of plant In
dustry is to take up at once exporimonts to dotor
inino the best manner In which to brow a cup of
coffee. To this end, Mr. F. L. Lewton, a specially
trained, oxpert, has boon engaged. Tho view of tho
department Is that a cup of coffee Ih good because
of tho manner In which it is brewed, rathor than
from tho quality of tho bean from which tho bov
erago is made. It will bo appreciated by all per
sons acquainted with tho art and mystery of coffee
making that various conditions, apparently trivial
in themselves, have to bo taken Into consideration
in producing the beverage. For instance, In tho
process of roasting tho eans may .. c more or less
damaged by being under or over done, and tho
flavor ot the coffee thua impaired to a correspond
ing degree. Hence tho necessity lor ideal con
ditions in roasting. Again, tho effects of water at
various temperatures upon tho ground coffee and
tho proper period for Infusion will, for tho first
time in the history of coffee making, be thoroughly
and accurately ascertained. The retention of caf
feine, tho active principles of coffee, to which it
owes its stimulating effects, and the elimination nf
tho caffeotanic and caftelc acids, which aro not
only injurious to health but communicate an un
pleasant, bitter taste to the beverage, will be of
course, the rrinclpal objectjj."
IT HAS been discovered that the republic of
Franco has not "Great S'eal" of its own and
an order has just been Issued for one. Tho West
minster Gazette saya: "There are, however, six
Great Seals of one sort or another In the museum
of the French foreign office, representing not only
tho-proylous republics, but also the regimes of tho
Bourbons and the Bonapartes. The most interest
ing is that of Napoleon I, which is mutilated. Tho
mutilation was effected with a chisel by order of
Louis XVIII. who feared lest It should bo stolen
and treacherously use! against him. His own
seal boro the date 1795 the year of tho death of
his nephew, Louis XII, in the .temple. Ono of
Danton's services to the republic was to give In
structions for tho designing of a seal. The Idea
which ho communicated to the artist was 'a
Hercules knocking down a king.'- This design,
however, though approved by a committee, was
never executed."
THE largest piece of cut glass in the world is
now on exhibition at tho St. Louis fair. It
is as large as a man and is said to be as brilliant
in every part as the fine t small piece on exhibition,
at tho fair. The Boston Budget describing thin
beautiful piece of work, says: "The largest piece
of cut glass in the world, a vase as al! as a man.
and as brilliant in every part as the finest small
piece, ifl at tho St. Louis exposition. Tho vase f3
G feet 6 3-4 inches in height, and every inch of it
is perfectly worked in sunbursts, chrysanthemums
and headed and notched effects that shed-pria-
ytj
.r....- . .m. WMiitiMiasi m'itUguAifmpmi
i
