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tho United Stales. Tho government proposes
following tho same policy In Panama."
A NATURALIST at Boston recently criticised
Mr. Roosevelt because of his hunting trip,
and contended that the president Bhould not slay
any beast, particularly at this season of tho year
when nearly all the natives of the wild had young
dependent upon thorn. Tho school board for tho
District of Columbia Issued an order May 2t pro
hibiting the circulation among school children
of a juvenilo publication dealing with kindness to
animals and edited by this Boston naturalist. Tho
Washington correspondent for tho Chicago Rec-ord-IIerald
says that this was done as "a slap at
the president's critic."
IN HIS message to congress, December 1904,
President Roosevelt said: "I am of the opin
ion that at present it would be undesirable, if it
wero'not impracticable, finally to clothe the com
mission (tho interstate commerce commission)
with general authority to fix railroad rates." Re
ferring to this statement tho New York Sun says
that it is very different from the statement made
by Mr. Roosevelt in his Denver speech.- At Den
ver, Mr. Roosevelt said: "I have spoken of tho
policy of extending the powers of the interstate
commerce commission and of giving them particu
larly (he power to fix rates and to have the rates
that they fix go into effect practically at once.
As I say, that represents in my mind part of what
should be tho general policy of this country."
VETO recently made by Governor Higgins
of New York is .lust now attracting wide-
, spread attention. The story is told by the Albany
correspondent for tho Chicago Tribune in this
way: "A bill introduced to legitimatize a child
born out of wedlock, which caused considerable
comment but little opposition In its passage
through the legislature, was vetoed today by
Governor Higgins. The measure is entitled 'An
act for the relief of Adelia Queenie Barker,' and
recites that she is tile illegitimate offspring of
Charles Bell Barker and Adelia Gertrude Stringer.4"
Governor Higgins characterized tUo-Wlf as 'an
insult to every faithful wife' and' to womanhood
itself.' Tho father al-'lno time of tlie birth of
tho childaa-tue governor, 'had and now has .
, rr aJUuwfflfwlf o living. He and his paramour, with
brazen imnudenco ami -ntto.v rifaiocrniti f
rights of the lawful wife and the rules of morality,
A
unite in a petition to tho legislature to legitima
tize tho issue, of their lawless love. If this bill
should bo approved a legal status would be given
to a semi-polygamous relation and concubinage
would become an honorable estate.'"
BECAUSE of his devotion to his sick, comrades
a federal prisoner at Ft. Leavenworth has
been released. A Washington correspondent for
the Chicago Tribune explains as follows: On
President Roosevelt's order a telegram was sent
today from the department of justice to tho war
den of the federal prison at Fort Leavenworth,
Kas., instructing that official to release Dr. John
F. Tubbs, who has been serving a five years' sen
tence since January, 1903. Dr. Tubbs was a resi
dent of Timbo, Ark., and was known as an edu
cated and refined man of more than ordinary
professional attainments until tho time of his
conviction oh the charge of counterfeiting- About
a year ago there was an unusual epidemic of
pneumonia at Fort Leavenworth. Drv Tubbs lost
no opportunity to make himself useful. For a
time he was practically in charge of the hospital;
His devotion to his patients -.was remarkable.
He contracted the dread-, d disease and his life is
now despaired of.
.
TYPHOID fever strikes high among deadly dis
eases. A writer in the "Chicago Tribune
says: The deaths from it in the United State's ;
in the last census year, 1900, numbered 35,379, be-'
ing more than were caused by diphtheria, scarlet
fever, and appendicitis ' combined. Nor is pre
vention of typhoid the only beneficial result
gained by improving the water supply. Pure
water is an aid to healthy digestion. Impure water
causes several internal, disorders besides typhoid
and aggravates many diseases that it doesMiot
cure.
A GREAT many people will und. ibtedly regret
to learn that the report that the president
no longer accepts favors at the hands of the rail-r.oads'ls-tfot
correct. Walter Wellman, the Wash
ington correspondent for the Chicago Record
Herald says: "It is not true," as has been published
that President Roosevelt has -decided to pay ull
the expenses of his trips about the country, in
cluding the private cars and othe. conveniences
furnished by the railroads. Mr. JRoosevelt simply .
follows the practice of his predecessors in the
presidency. These courtesies are extended by
railway companias, not to tho individual, but tn
tho office. The president probably will start on
his southern trip about tho last of September and
roturn to Washington by tho middle of October
.when it is expected the special session of con
gress will be called. After he has completed his
trip of next autumn the president will be able to
say that since he came to the White House ho
has visited every state and territory in tho union
Florida anal Arkansas are the only two he has
not set foot in, and he intends to visit them both
this year. After that he means to . stop touring
and settle down to hard work."
GEORGE BUNNER, one of the veterans of the
Mexican war, and his twin brother, Wil
liam Bunner, celebrated their eighty-first birth
day March 22nd, at the residence of George's
grandson, Arthur Bunner, of Elmwood Place,
Cincinnati. The -Bunner twins were born near
Blue Richmond, Ohio. George belonged to tho
. first company of the First regiment of the Ohio
Volunteers, and rendered his first services in tho
Mexican' war at Vie battle of Monterey. Tho
Bunner twins are wonderfully well preserved.
They are said to be the oldest twins in Ohio.
Four generations of the Bunner family participate
' ed in the celebration of March 22nd.
THE following table shows-the mileage of the
government railways, together with expendi
ture, tonnage, etc. The mileage of government
railway track open" for traffic increased from
2,212 miles at the 31st of March, 1901, to 2,235
miles on the 31st of March, 1902, and the capital
cost from 17,207,328 in 1901, to 18,170,722.
The total earnings amounted to 1,874,58G,
against 1,727,236 in the previous year, and tho
total expenditure to 1,252,237, against 1,127,848
leaving a net profit this year of 622,349, against
599,388 the previous year. The net revenue is
equal to a return of 3.43 per cent on the capital
invested on the open, lines, and of 3.19 for the
total capital, 19,496,553, invested in opened and
unopened lines:
1899-1900. 1900-19U1. 1901-1902.
Miles 2,104 2,212 2,235
Expenditure 1,052,358 1,127,848 1,252,237
Tonnage ; 2,422,019 3,339,687 3,529,177
Parcels, horses, dogs.. 662,655 675,849 720,134
Cattle, sheep, pigs 2,624,899 2,536,118 2,983,477
Passengers 5,468,284 6,243,593 7,356,136
Season tickets -63,335 82,921 100,779
THE BLIND MAN'S PRAYER
Four men of varying ages were rambling to
gether in Nebraska fields. Among the birds and
flowers, the growing grain and the life-full trees
men aro -apt to grow communicative. .Creation's
wonders are never so interesting and so produc
s tive of thought-as in the springtime, and thought
concerning the mysteries of fields leads, very often
and very naturally, to thought concerning tho mys
teries of men.
While the members of this, little party were
resting under the shade of a 'tree the younger
one, although free from serious want or perplex
ing care, registered complaint ajalnst his lot in
life and protested very bitterly because of the
burdens he was required to bear. One of his
companions, a gray haired man whom we may
well describe as tho philosopher of the party
and whose career had been marked Ly" struggles
and tribulations such as the young complainer
had nover known, advised his companion to look
about him and, observing the sorrows of others,
understand how much reason, after all, he had
for congratulating himself. . .
These men halted at a farmhouso for the
noonday meal. Summoned to the dining room
they found already seated at the table a gray
haired man with form bowed and bent with the
weight of years, and with remarkably large eyes
from which the sight had long since departed.
The mistress of tho home called upon the
aged-man to pray and the listeners heard:
We thank Thee for Thy abundant love
and mercy; for the privilege Thou hast given
us to labor in Thy vineyard where there is
so much work to be done in Thy name and
for the good of Thy creatures. Accept our
Dvu.vUl ucuuubu ui me pain
and grief we have been spared, and our clad
th'atiks forithemanifold blessings ,that ,have
been showered upon us. Make us strong
hear whatever in our human view may seem
to be undue affliction and bring us to a full
appreciation of the opportunities and happi
ness ever at our hand. Comfort with Thy
great power and Thy enduring love those who
- are less fortunate -than we and help us one
and all; to educate ourselves for the higher
and hotter, life that has been prepared for '
us.
At the conclusion of the prayer the philoso
pher of the party cast at the young complainer
a look, the significance of which was evidently
grasped in that quarter. When the visitors left
the farm house the philosopher addressing his
2 young friend, asked: "Compared with your own
condition could you see in the condition of that
much afflicted old man any reason why he should
give thanks for the 'manifold blessings' showered
upon him? '
"I was never so much impressed with a praver
as I was with that blind man's acknowledgement
said the young man, "and I believe that after aU
I have many reasons to be thankful. If a sight
less and decrepit man can be grateful for his
privileges, I can, at least, find balm in Gilead."
"Every furrow in that old man's caree-" rim
the philosopher, "is sown with the seed 'of thank-
fulness, and every one of his more fortunate
fellows in the world might well be grateful fo?
- the opportunity of looking upon Ms Suction
and listening to his psalm of praise.'' amiction
of i?h,e yunS complainer had learned his lesson -at
the knee of the sightless man. It was a esson
slmilar to that which, in the long aeo hSd I w
taught to one who skid "I once comnlai ll h
cause my feet were bare and 1 Ld n0P monL to
buy shoes; but I met a man T without feS2
became content." runout feet and
Someone Jias written, "If raate . 0Ur it
' Mention -on. what-we have, rather than on wh
we lack, a very little wealth is sufficient." Put
v in another war : If we fasten our attention on tho
sorrows, the trials and tho .calamities we have
escaped," we need find no great difficulty in being
grateful for our privileges and contested with our
lot.
A few years ago the sight of a black cloud did
not strike terror to the hearts of men, but in
tnis day the .coming storm is closely watched and
orave men and courageous women are not
ashamed, at the first gust of wind, to seek safety
in the cellar. As the young complainer learned
Ms lesson in the presence of a sorely afflicted
yet wholly grateful .man, so throughout the world
lation communities may nnd cause for congratu-
nWe .r?ad of calamities falling all about us;
h f ? d f t?ese terribl affairs ln wIlicl1 the
SiTSL? lntnocent1men women and children aro
ELwL '' Ye, hear of terror stricken human
?hi ; me driZen t0, the asylui and others to
the very verge of insanity; we learn that property,
. rlati0n f.years of toil Privation, is
hfuft X ? SWept info nthingness; tht towns
SSJJS cl,vidual strSgle have been destroyed; that
n ?vJ Lna Pl,enty have' In the twinkling of
that ym?2 rePlaced by Privation and' penury;
S?L wwn"1? .dlSease stalk triumphantly in
Snd FhPiSX t bS a moment before a was i lifo
no" mnS nh ? the ?resence of these awful facts
be S!, $e so rigidly, practical, no man should
be aSw t0 the chase for the dollar, as to
odeSShSS 2iJ? PaUS?. and make Sto ackriowl
thf Sf! i,t??; t0 ,Goa or to his own destiny, for
imnn ? old sings" that are showered even
" 5S S iSSble? member of a community that
romp? Lyil. the Pat:hway of the storm and
comes not within the courses of the flood.
. -. ' RICHARD .L. rMETCALFE,
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