THE INFLUENCE OF HEREDITY ,
That there 5s in each department o :
life a tendency to reproduce its owr
marked peculiarities is well known ,
There is scarcely an intelligent farmei
who does not believe the axiom thai
"like begets like. " immediately or re >
motely. In the animals they rear foi
money , or for that pleasure which is
only another form of profit , breeders
see constantly the evidence of the
power of that law. Even in the seem
ing failures that have led the disap
pointed to declare that breeding is a
lottery , wiser ones see the operation ol
hereditary influences. By skillful man-
management these influences have been
made to do much to add to the creature
comfort of man ; but , because of a gen
eral neglect of the aid they offer , they
, have done very little directly for the
elevation of man himself. By his skill
of mating animals having desirable
characteristics , man has developed the
obese porker of to-day from the gaunt
and grizzly wild boar. The lank , flat-
ribbed wild ox of vast horns and
viciousness has been changed into the
substantial bullock of juicy roasts and
much docility. The shaggy pony of
the crags , the hardy courser of the
desert , and the sleek horse of fertile
plains have been molded by man's art
ful use of nature's forces into the spir
ited flying racer , the sturdy hack , and
* the massive draft horse of surpassing
strength and gentleness. In mating
birds the breeder's art has produced re -
suits wonderful in the variety of form
and size and color they display. Many
of the established breeds of the age
exhibit no trace of their origin.
No man can show the limit of the
changes the breeder can make by di
recting the mating of animals under his
control. But his power does not end
with the mating , for , while the influ
ence of heredity does much to form and
to govern the development and action
of the animal , that development and
action will be greatly modified by the
conditions surrounding the animal :
Breeding , which is another name for
hereditary influence , may give to the
" ox a tendency to grow big , and fat , and
gentle. With abundant food and water
die will become the embodiment of
lordly ease and prosperous content ;
but turn away the well-bred calf to
"rustle" .for himself upon bleak hills or
sparsely-grassed plains and he will be
come a tough , skinny and loose-jointed
beast , having vast capacity for consum
ing food and making little return there
for. Send the corpulent and lazy
porker of high degree from his well-
filled trough , give to him the joys of
freedom and the choice between starva
tion and working for his subsistence ,
and he will ere long be'as gaunt and
fierce as were his distant progenitors.
Yet the animal having in his veins
good blood retains the power and the
disposition to respond , far more satis
factorily than the ill-bred can , to good
treatment.
The life of every child is a stream
made up of converging currents of here
ditary influences. They come almost
. of necessity where so many races
mingle as in America , from many dif
ferent sources. Some may be turbid
from dirt , torn from the soil of base
passions to cloud the new current ;
some may become polluted "by long
turnings in the swamps of sin , an3
s'hame , and crime , to poison all with
which they mingle ; and others may be
pure , sparkling streams flowing
brightly through the world , making
fertile every lield through which they
Bass , refreshing with their own pure
life every drooping plant they touch by
the way , sweetening and beautifying
every scene in Ayhich they appear.
Whence these streams come and what
they are few have cared to inquire in
time and with purpose to prevent the
mingling of the impure in the new cur
rents to be created. The fancy of the
. another that is to be is caught by the face
and form of some playmate , and , if so
aiuch of his uniformed character as ap
pears to view will satisfy the easy re-
quirements of the Mrs.Grundy of her set ,
3he is .accepted , and they marry. Neith-
P has risked whether the blood in the
Feins of the other is that of beggars , of
saints , of scoundrels. Neither has giv
en a thought to the influence their mat-
Ing will have upon the world ; neither
has questioned whether the inherent
tendencies they bring together will give
to the world demons or angels. Parents
do little better in this respect than they
do for themselves. Almost the only
question asked about the man is , "Has he
any money ? " If he have enough they
are content By the masses not even
so much as that. is demanded. The
.young are allowed to follow the fleet
ing fancy of the moment , without a
single restraining thought of the tre
mendous importance to the human race
of the contract they make. How shall
they be expected to consider the effect
of influences of the existence of which
they1 have never been told ?
Carefully prepared , beautifully illus
trated , and expensive books and period
icals arc published in great number to
teach the breeder how to turn to ac
count the forces of heredity ; but little
or nothing is said or done to teach the
world how to apply the same great
forces to the elevation of humanity ,
physically , intellectually or morally.
Many are the , physical , mental and
moral weaknesses and diseases result
ing from-or perpetuated by ignorance
or disregard of the lawl of hereditary in
fluence. Is it greatly to the honor of
this age that man studies more thor
oughly the breeding and character of
*
theanimals he proposes coupling than
those of the persons whom the un-
guided fancy of his children lead them
to wed ? Breeders so manage their
stock as to avoid reproducing defects ,
and to secure desirable "points. " They
assert that the skillful breeder can , in a
few generations , develop almost any
desired type of animal. Shall princi
ples so long and successfully applied to
the improvement of the lower animals
remain unused for the development of
their master ? Shnll not at least as
cmirh 'b done for the improvement of
, -iitnkiml by the stduy. development ,
' Ami appl'cation of the laws of heredity
'to tliat imrp'jsoas ha * been done by
their aid for the .mrovcment ; of tue
beasts of the field ? Is man less wortli
the effort than they ?
Most parents love their chjldrer
dearly , and intensely desire their ad
vancement in all that is good. Hdre-
tofore the world has been content tc
accept children as chance or unguided
impulse created them often sadly
handicapped by inherent evil tenden
cies they could not successfully resist
and then to surround those children by
such favorable conditions , educational
or other , as were within the means oi
the parents. Teach the world the truth
about heredity and it will quickly apply
this great power for the production ol
men and women superior to those oi
to-day , and in due time will demand
that the same laws shall be observed tc
prevent the perpetuation of the evil
daises. Hereditary influences will yet
become the study of , and their proper
application the great aim of man. The
momentous truths have long been un
heeded by most races , but they should
be proclaimed to the world until they
shall have electrified and aroused all
mankind , and the rapid march oi
progress shall have been everywhere
begun. By making universal the
knowledge of the operation of these
powerful influences that control to a
very great extent the life of every be
ing , much will be done. By inducing
general observance of the laws of
heredity what may not be accomplished ?
The physical powers may be so
strengthened and developed that sick
ness , deformity and insanity will be as
rare as they are now common. The
moral character may be so purified and
fortified that temptation will no longer
tempt , and tho tide of dishonest } ' that
threatens to overwhelm the nations will
be turned aside harmless. The mental
powers may develope until each suc
ceeding generation be composed of in
tellectual giants , towering high above
those from whom they shall have
sprung. Then artists with brush , or
pen , or chisel , or sound will be in trutli
born , not made born with talents so
enlarged and intensified that they shall
discern beauty and truth more clearly
than they were ever before seen , and
shall interpret them aright to the
world. Since civilized man was a sav
age brute , thousands of generations ago ,
he has made but sorry progress in the
the march of improvement. Through
natural selection that was not far re
moved from chance he has gained more
than by conscious design. All this
weary time he has been climbing up
two steps and been slipping back one.
Frequently he has aparently lost sud
denly , by the introduction "of destruc
tive blood elements , all he has gained
by fortuitious circumstance.
Is not the teaching of truths so preg-
inant with the good of the highest kind a
mesion worthy of the noblest minds ?
Can a life be devoted to a more Leneficeut
cause than that of showing man so to
use this natural force at his command
that he will quickly elevate all to a de
gree of culture now unknown an even
uninmagined ? Is it not better that a
man be born aright at first than that
he be born again ? Is there not in these
truths a gospel which , if studied as
earnestly and urged as zealously as the
'
grand truths taught by 'Christ have
been studied and urged , will at least
hasten greatly the regeneration of man
kind ? E. W. Perry , in the Current.
It Is Girl Nature.
Now the propensity for wading which
is deeply implanted in the female bosom
is inexplicable. Unless a girl has the
influenza or a bunion she can not resist
the temptation to paddls about in the
salt water and get her clothing uncom
fortably wet. This is a subject full of
interest to me from the casting aside of
: he shoes and stockigns to the'r resump
tion. It is afact pretty generally
known in male circles that lad ics prefer
sitting on the ground when pulling on
ind off their stockings to occupying a
jhair or bench. But having my doubts
is to the inflexibility of this rule I had
ieterniined to convince myself by ex
periment After the setting of my
; raps to wit : the benches I had not
oug to wait. A bevy of young ladies ,
me or two of whom I recognized , came
; rooping down the beach , chatting and
.aughingmerrily. They evidently won-
lered who had been kind enough tp
place the benches there for their ac-
lommodation , took possession of them
it once gleefully , confessed that they
, vere just too delightful for anything ,
ind seemed perfectly and unrestrain-
jdly happy. I was rejoiced at having
lisproved a moldy theory , but alas , my
satisfaction was short-lived. When my
quests made up their minds that it was
, ime to wade they sprang from the
aenches , sat on the beach , and tugged
iway at shoes and stockings in the old
'ashion. The following day. resolving
o give my experiment every chance , I
lad my hireling bathman strew a quan-
; ity of broken bottles , . empty oyster
: ans , and rubbish of various kinds
ilong the beach and sat under my um-
jrella and watched. The girls came
lown about the same hour , seemed a
ittle dismayed at first , but rallying set
x > work industriously , and soon had a
: lear space upon which they squatted ,
not taking the least notice of the
3enches this time. Then I put up my
imbrella and moved sadly away. Eye
must have sat her fair form down in
ifae garden mold of Eden adjusting her
irst garment from the historic fig-tree ,
ind left the habit as an inheritance .o
lier daughters for all time. Santa
Barbara ( Cal. ) Letter.
A Serious Mistake.
Minister ( to tailor ) "You have cut
the vest wrong , Mr , Misfit I wanted
it to button close about the neck. Tlrs
is the style that any gentleman wears. "
Mr. Misfit "Yes ; it's my mistake.
You wanted a minister's vest , and I've
and cut a gentlemans's vest But
Eone I can fix it. " Neio York Sun.
Carl Pretzel's Philosophy.
Firtuo vas alvays ready to go to a
party. You alvays saw her mit her
Sunday close on.
Tide dond got eny time to vait on der
female vimmens.
Every feller dot dishblays some
abundance of cheeks vns hafe a bsrson-
al blemish. Carl Pretzel's Weekly ,
t
Above the Clouds.
One mountain X particularly desirei
to climb. It is a splendid mass of rock
treeless , high and promising an outlool
of 30,000 or 40kOOO miles from its sum
mit. Viewed from our camp , it doesn1
look so bad. With me , to wish is t (
will , and to will is to do some easj
things. I wished to climb the moun
tain and I chimb it I don't know hov
to spell it , but 1 did it A smooth look
ing mountain , with terraces of lov
green bushes and easy ledges of rocl
looks well enough to a blind man acres :
the lake , but when you essay to slide'i
under your feet , it becomes roughei
than a pig's back. I stepped on lira
looking logs that were rotten as
politician's promises. I was precipitat
ed down great pits so deep that I coulc
look up and see the stars , just aftei
reaching bottom. I got lost in briai
patches that shred my raiment from me
in great shreds from Shredville , and
lacerated my inmost feelings. I Ipsl
my hat I dropped my alpenstock
down a hole that extended 400 feet up
inside a mountain in China. I broke
my knife cutting another stick. I took
oft'my coat and laid it on the inaccess
ible top of ail unapproachable rock , in
tending to get it as I came down , 'and
now , the entire United States Geo-
grahphical Commission couldn't find
that rock in a million years. I pulled
the sole off one buot and tore the up
per off the other. I ate a handful of
strange red berries before learning that
they were poison. I stirred up a nest
| of hornets in the dead thicket of a fal
len pine tree , and heaven and earth
came together in six or seven places at
the same time before I could climb a
perpendicular cliff eighty feet high to
got away from them. But I did it
When I saw the boss hornet disappear
within his workshop a minute and then
come out with an arm full of scythe
stones , which he began distributing to
the strikers , I could have climbed the
north pole.
I got along a little faster after this
interview with the hornets. The view
from the mountain top repaid me.
Thirteenth Pond was a gem , a dainty
sea of crystal , laughingm : its setting of
mountain , woodland , cliff and meadow.
Bennett's farm and the Van Dusen
place were emerald stretches of fertili
ty and Reed's Maple Cottage and out
tents glittered like snow drifts in the
meadows. It was all so beautiful I
stayed upon the mountain top to see
the sun set. It set on time , as usual ,
with a fine display of meteorological
scenic effects. Then it occured to me
that I had to go down that mountain
in the deepening shadows of the gloam
ing , 'emitted one of the groans for
which I am justly famous you must
have heard that groan in Brooklyn
and prepared to descend. As I slid
down the first incline , a little rush of
200 feet over an abrading surface of
garjiel' rock , I brought up against a
fine old stump , about half petrified ,
and noticed a bear , full weight , all
wool , sound in wind , limb and condition ,
walk around the stump and look at
me. My heart bounded with a joyous
sense of great relief. "Major Ursus ? "
I said , and the bear bowed. "Major , "
I said , "I am glad to meet you. I have
been up in the mountain to see the sun
set , although I could see it set from the
meadow. I am now going down. I
don't know just where , but I have a
presentment that I am going down. If
you h ve not yet been to tea , would
you be kind enough to cat me ? " "No , "
sa.d the bear , coldlv , "I never cat
fools. "
If There's anything I do hate , it's a
bear. Well , come up , before the sunset
season is over. It's just the kind of a
place you'd like , and you are just as
safe in the woods as you are at home.
I was going to tell about a big trout I
caught but I see I haven't time. Bur-
detlc , in Brooklyn Eagle.
Tlmiider-Stunus.
From certain meteorological sta-
iistics recently published in Germany
ive learn that thunder-storms in that
country have , during tho last thirty
rears , been steadily increasing , both in
requency and severity. The number.
) f deaths per annum from lightning
las increased in a far greater ratio
han that of the increase of population ,
[ n the present state of our knowledge
) f the whole subject of atmospheric
ilectricity , the cause of the phenomena
) f thunder-storms is confessedly ob-
icure. It is , however , very possible
, hat some light would be thrown upon
he question by a comparative study of
he frequence and severity of storms
luring a lengthened perios and over a
i wide geographical area. The German
iavants incline to the opinion that the-
ncrease is to be attributed to the enor-
nously increased production of smoke
ind steam which has taken place dur-
ng the last three decades. But al-
hough we may admit this to be to some
jxtent a probable vera causa , yet when
ve consider the very local character of
; hunder-siorms. we should naturally
jxpect to find that it would follow that
; he neighborhoods of large cities , and
ispecially of manufacturing districts ,
ivould suffer the most severely. But
, he statistics referred to show distinct-
y that the very reverse is the case.
Che number of storms attended by
'atal results from lightning is far larger
n the agricultural districts than in the
owns. Upon the other hand , we ought
o take into consideration the protective
iction of lightning conductors , with
ivhich the prominent buildings in the
; owns of German } ' are well provided !
Scientific American.
[ t Could Have Been Done For Less.
A well-known lawyer once came into
i room where Judge Lake and several
jthers were seated. He was not in a
jood temper and they asked him what
: he matter was.
"Well , I defended a fellow for mur-
ler. He was convicted. I took him
; o -Supreme Court , back again to
; he Supreme Court , and the Supreme
Court confirmed the judgment and
* ave him ten years. 1 charged "him
53,000. Lake , do you think that was
: oo much ? "
"Well , " said Judge Lake , "I think ,
tie might have been convicted for less. "
San Francisco Chronicle. .
THE POET SAXE.
ManVlio Has Boon Sorely Af
flicted Ills Qulot lilfe In the
City of Albany His Pa-
vorlto Authors.
In a large and luxuriously furnishec
rpartments in a four-story brown-stone
touse on State street , in the City of Al-
( any , and almost within a stone's
brow of the great capital , sits , or walks ,
> r reclines throughout the day a mat
X ) years of age. With hair that is sil-
rery white , a full beard that is graj
ehite , a form that is bent and emacia-
.ed , a step that is slow and tottering ,
ind a cheek that is pallid and shrunk-
: n his blue eyes yet full and lustrous
lone indicate the strength and pride
> f other days. The man is John God-
irey Saxe , the poet. It is only a few
rears since tho verses of Saxe was
sngerly accepted by the leading periodi-
tals and his-services as"a lecturer were
jverywhere popular. In his day he was
i bright member of many a literary
gathering , being known personally to
ill of tho most prominent of con-
emporary poets and prose writers. He
ras the nation's wit and humorist ,
ehose delicious rhymes brought to
timself fame and a competence and to
siany a household tho cheerful smile or
.early laugh. Even across the sea he
ras known as "the Thomas Hood of
Lmer.ca. " . . . The beginning of the
aid was the poet's dreadful experience
, nd remarkable escape from a revolt-
ug death in the western railway disas-
er in the spring of 1875 , while on his
eturn to Brooklyn at the conclusion of
if a lecture tour in the south. The
leeping-car in which he had a berth
vas thrown down a steep embankment
ind he was rescued therefrom by the
nerest chance. As he lay wedgtAl in
etween the broken timbers , stunned
.ml bruised , a fellow-passenger who
tad escaped bethought' him of a sum
if money which he had left behind
urn. On returning to the car he slum
ped upon the insensible poet. The
atter was thereby discovered and res-
uctl from what would inevitably have
eon death and destruction by fire as
he sleeper in which he wus found , after
brief interval following his rescue ,
lecame a mass of seething llame. His
lesh was bruised , but no bones were
iroken. Outwardly he appeared to
ave escaped with slight bodily inju-
ies. Not so. A grievous hurt was
here deep , insidious , and lasting ,
hough at the time it was unseen and
tnfelt. The poet's nerve system had
ccieved a shock from wh ! it never
allied. Exhaustion set ,1 ; slowly but
urely the consequent weakness over-
pread and undermined his whole
> liysical being. He bega i to experi-
luce a greater degree of bodily and
nental fatigue than had been usual
vith him. U'orst of all was its de-
> ressing influence on his exuberant
pirits , which became mere and more
ubdiied , until at last his mind had lost
ouch of its wonted buo } ancy. Other
\ffliclions were yet in s.ore. During
he year just prior to that , of the rail-
vay"accident he hud interred his
laughter Laura in Gr nwood cem-
; tery. Five years later d-ath again m-
aded his Brooklyn honv , the second
ictim being his daughter Sarah. Bare-
y another } ear had elapsed when the
nother of his childrden.a noble woman ,
vas put tenderly away in dreamless
est Early in the year of 1881 the
lark reaper for the fourth time laid his
: ruel siclcel at his door , this time cut-
ing down Ualtie , the poet's only re
naming daughter. He had yet two
ons living in Albany. Turning his
flournful steps thither in June , 1881 ,
ic sought rest and reiugo from his
orrows with his eldest son. John Theo-
lore. Once again the inexorable hand
if fate was laid heavily u oa him ; death
natched away the sou ere the father
tad been a month beneath the hospita-
le roof. The son's who had died nine
reeks before. Here A\HS a daughter
.ml a son's wife and tho son himself
11 three cut down within the brief
icriod of two months. Thus for the
ecoud time was broken up the poet's
ionic. Then he turned to his } oungest
on and only remaining child , . Charles
r. , with whom he has aince lived , and
, rho with filial tenderness and solicitude
jiuis.lers to the poet's simple daily
, -auts.
The old poet is now much changed
i form and feature , Ltng merely a
hadow of his former sc .f. During the
rst three years of his i esidencn in Al-
any he spent some hour j each pleasant
ay in strolling about the beautiful
ark near by , or tranquilly sitting there
i a shady arbor , , watching the children
t their play. But during the past two
ears no public eye his su n him , for in
liat long interval he hu , of his own
hoice been carefully &eHtided in his
ooni. He neither ride- , norwalks
broad. The apartment in which he
pends his melancholy d j. s consists of
suite of three rooms , located in the
ear end of the house on the third floor ,
nd overlooking the nobJ : ; Hudson to
be south. Here by a window he whiles
way much of his time in u-atching the
tisy river craft and in contemplating
he picturesque landscape. Of street
ttire he no longer has a need ; indrcss-
ag-gowu and slippers he paces the floor
, rith slow and trembling steps , seldom
r never going beyond the confines of
is own rooms. He prefers to have
erfect quiet about him , and oftentimes
islikes to be disturbed even by a mem-
er of his own family. It is a long
ime since he last consented to receive
stranger or even a friend or acquain-
ance ol former days.
' lean not bear , " he said with pathos ,
'to be forcibly reminded of what I
nee was of the days of , my hope and
trength , when the world had chaims
hat now are dead to me ; before sick-
ess had deprived me of my health ,
ud death hid robbed me of my loved
nes. "
In 1881 , on his first coming to Al-
iany , the eminent physicians whom his
amily consulted in his behalf , pre-
icted that he would not survive for
wo years longer. He goes to bed be-
vveen the hours of 9 and 10 o'clock in
lie evening and rises at about 6:30 in
he morning. He complains much of
asomr.ia , and during the day is often
cry rtatlcftS , suffering from neuralgia
u the Lbad. When not sitting in an
easy chair or moving leisurely about
his room he reclines upon a conch. He
eats often , but very sparingly , and par
takes of the pla'.nest food , indigestion
being one of his principal bodily il's. '
Of his valet , a middle-aged colored
man who by reason of prior service
with eminent people at Washington
and other places is more than ordinari
ly intelligent and entertaining ) , the poet
is very fond , chatting with him now
and again with a more than usual de
gree of interest and animation. Until
quite recently he devoted a good share
of his time to a perusal of tlie standard
poets and the leading magazines , those
of the latter , to whose pages lie was
once a valued contributor , being still
sent him regluarly and unsolicited by
the publishers thereof , in kindly re
membrance of past services. For
some years he has not read the daily
papers , and evinces little or no interest
in current events.
"It pains me , " he said , "to meet
with the details of so much crime and
so many casualties. "
Indeed , he reads comparatively little
of any kind now occosionly a page or
two maybe , of one of his favorite prose
authors. That mainly consists of Haw
thorne , Dickens and Thackeray , judic
iously selecting therefrom matter of
cheerful tone and subject When un
disturbed he is much given to musing ,
but at times will converse willingly and
fluently , displaying thereby a power of
memory that , in view of his feeble con
dition is quits unlooked-for , recently
surprising his sou not a little by re
peating verbatim one of Charles
Lamb's longest essays. His thoughts
often revcr to his irreparable loss of
wife and children , speaking of each
tenderly and regretfully and manifest-
mg a keen interest in the proper care
of their graves ever dwelling on the
domestic afflictions which have broken
his heart and enveloped his once bril
liant intellect in a brooding and incur
able melancholy. Brooklyn Magazine.
EDUCATING SERVANTS. ,
How They Can He Taught Habits of
In most of the new houses it is notice
able that the servants' rooms are much
more attractive and belter arranged
than the rooms or servants' quarters in
old houses. Once a corner of the un
finished attic was thought sufficiently
appropriate for the servant , and there
was no inducement for even a tidy
niaid to take pride in her domain and
have pleasure in imik.ng it neat and
pleasant. No\v , the rooms are well
painted , prettily papered , furnished
with a closet , and made as homelike as
possible. If the servants are disorderly
the housekeeper is apt to protest that
she is not responsible for the results in
the servants' own apartments , for sha
has furnished pretty rooms and can not
be expected to detect their possessors
in untidiness. Although the result may
be tho necessity of expensive renova
tion upon each change of occupant , the
mistress has no thought of educating
the new servants to greater neatness.
A writer in Good ± Iousekee > iing has
made some excellent suggestions upon
She "Don't for-
the subject says : -
jet each day to allow a servant some
little time to make and keep order
in her room. Insist from the
first on the extreme care of the bed.
Never allow .soiled clothing to be hung
.ip in a bedroom tll a convenient t me
: omcs for washing it. Toll the girl to
keep her door open when she is out , of
; he room. Thrsw rul-3 are excellent ,
ind if the mistress ib able to control
icr servant , as she should , her dircc-
.ions will br > educative and oi great
ralue upon the character of tao ser-
rant Many mistresses will be often
liscouragcd. A In.who ; received a
Bright Canadian-French girl , who was
xccustomcd to field-work instead of
iouse-work , was surprised to find the
; irl's bed had not been used , after a
s-eek had passed. Upon questioning
ihe found that the girl had slept upon
lie floor each night , because she had
lever slept upon a bed. The educu-
ing of such servants to habits of per-
ioiial neatness is most difficult Some
English housekeepers advortisa for
icrvants with "no bangs , " and many
American housekeepers are obliged to
iiake rules upon dress , some having
Iresses and aprons made for their ser-
ants. The insisting upon cleanliness
ind order of tho servants' apartments
s one of the most delicate tasks of the
nistress , but its necessity is imperative
or the comfort of the household. If
he girl is bright she unconsciously be-
lomos more and more refined by simple
issociatiou with a cultivated family ,
md when she begins to imitate tho
oxing ladies of the family a natural
iourse of education will progress rapid-
y. Uoslon Journal.
Wait for Recess.
Congress really accomplished very
ittle that is of benefit to the country.
L'he principal reason for this is that
here are so many men in Congress
rho do not go there with the intention
if doing any work. They are very
nuch like a little girl who was ques-
ioned by a lady friend of the family as
o how she liked school.
"Etumu , what do you do in school ?
) o you learn to write ? "
Emma shakes her head.
"Do you icnd ? "
Another shake.
"Do yon c.j.hcr ? "
"No , ma'am. "
"What do you do ? '
"Wait for recess. "
Congress is full of men who do noth-
ng but wait for recess. Texas Sif tings.
Not Her First Appearance.
Lawyer ( to timid young woman ) . i
Have you ever appeared as witness
11 a suit before ? "
Young woman ( blushing ) "Y-yes ,
ir , of course. "
Lawyer "Please state to the jury
rhat suit it was. "
Young woman ( with more confidence )
'It was a nun's veiling , shirred down
he front and trimmed with a. lovely
ilue , with hat to match ' '
Judge ( rapping violently ) . "Order
a the court ! " .Veto York Sun.
A SUBTERRANEAN MYSTERY.
Tho Theories ResartHnartheOvornovr.
1'laliio , Icrvvn.
l * : lnj : AVell at Bello
A DCS Moines correspondent of TJit
Chicago Times writes : So far but little
has been said to account for the phe
nomenon of tho great flowing well al
Belle Plaine. A state university pro
fessor has visited the well , and has
hazarded the guess that it is fed from
Lake Bonton , Minnesota. This is in
genious , and has some basis of proba-
bilit } ' . But it is just as well to consider
some physical facts in connection with
the well.
Take a pack of playing-cards and Jf
push them so that an edge of each will
lap past its upper fellow. This will il
lustrate the rock formations of Iowa
when looking west from any point in
northwest Iowa. The lower card rep
resents the Trenton limestone , whilii
half a dozen cards above it can stand
for the lead-bearing and Niagara series.
Cottar Rapids rests well toward the top
of the latter group , while Bello Plaine ,
thirty-five miles west , probably lies on
the thin layer of Devonian rock , which
is sca'ntily exposed in Buchanan county.
It can be stated as a fact that tho Ni
agara rocks aro full of fissures and
small caverns. Whether this be tru
of the rocks underlying Bello Plain * !
can only be inferred on the action o !
tho various artesian well at that place ,
but this would seem to be competent
evidence that the cavernous condition if
of the rocks still prevails at that place.
According to tho chart of the Iowa
railway comm'ssioners Bello Plaine.
station is 851 feet above the ocean leveL
Tho surface surroundings of the placo
do not warrant the hypothesis that thu
source of supply of its great well ia
near at hand. "But by reference again
to the railway commissioners' chart il
will be seen that the Iowa river , whicli
rims not far from Belle Plaine , has a
long and tortuous course nearly to the f I
north boundary of the state , and th *
Milwaukee railway station at Britt ,
where the Iowa slips over the prairie ,
stands in altitude & 59 foot higher than
Bv-IIe Pla n * .
But the Ik-lie Pla'no well is said to be
185 feet deep. Probablv , if it could bu
piped , the water would rise say two
hundred feet above the bottom of the
well. Now , if tho well is fed from Lake
Bcnton , Minnesota , as tho Iowa
City sc entisc asaimies , according to * a
well-known lavof hydrostatics the
Belle Plaine people would have more
worry even than now , for Spirit lake ,
Storm lake , : md Lako Ucntou all He ap-
pivsximatply l,50l ) feet above sea level ,
or , say 750 feot above the bottom of tlio
Bello Plaine spoutcr. Hence , instead ol
merely gushing out , the water would
have a geyser-shoot upward of hun
dreds of feet The Iowa City theory
does not work any better than the cone
that went into tho well Sunday.
The only tenable theory in the light
of present faets is that tho Belle Plaiue
well is fed from a leak in the Iowa riv
er or possibly from tho Cedar for that
malti'r. And if it is water from the
Iowa that has found a long fissure af
fording a subterranean waterway under
Bjlle Phiino it has found that fissure
somewhere in Marshall county , which
satisfies the conditions of tho cose. For
tiio Iowa river has a fall of about 85
feet between Marshalltown and Belle
Plaine. Add this 85 feot as u pressure-
lier.d and it will , after allowing for
waste by leakage and friction , supply
[ he power that pushes the water into
Belle Plaine streets. But if it is the Co-
iar that is leaking at such a rate
through tho well tho weak spot is some-
ivhero above Charles City , say about
ihe state line.
It might be urged that the leakage
from showers conveyed through the
soil would answer the conditions , and
n connection it would be said that the
rravel beds along Iowa streams , all ol
.vhich lie above the Belle Plaine well ,
vould afford the great supply spurting
Hit. But if this were truo the manner
> f the origin of the well would be the
same considered scientifically.
It is but fair to mention whilo dis-
: ussin < r the latter view that southwest
iVisconsin affords some wonderful
prmgs. A single spring : runs a flour-
n < r-mill at Springville , Wis. . whilo six
nilesiway in early times another.noble
oimtain used to run a saw-mill. These
prings burst out within three hundred
eet of tho highest altitude between the
.lississippi . and Wisconsin rivers , and
he watershed for their supply is very
[ arrow. Fayette county. Iowa , affords
oiiie wonderful springs with quite as
irnited areas of supply as those in Wis-
onsin. All these springs certainly de-
iend on the molted snow and rains ,
ut they bubble gayly all the year
' "
round , with little 'variation in"the
mount of discharge. These springs
ustify the view that the water runs
liroiigh rock fissures , and so the view
; here fully maintained that the bed oi
lie Iowa river needs patching in Mar-
hall county , and when patched the
lelle Plaine folks will get their well
ndcr control.
Signs From the Sun.
Signs of Jiain , from the Sun. Sun
ising dim or waterish ; rising red with
lackish beams mixed along with its
ays ; rising in a musty or muddy color ;
ising red and turning blackish ; settin"
nder a thick cloud ; setting with a red
ky in tho east Sudden rains never
ist long : but when the air grows thick
y degrees , and the sun , moon and stars
liino dimmer and dimmer , then it ia
kely to rain six hours usually.
Signs of Wind , from the Sun. Sun
sing pale and setting red. w th an iris ;
> ing large in surface ; rising with a
nl sky in the north ; setting of a blood
jlnr ; setting pale , with one or more
ark circles , or accompanied with red
: reaks , seeming concave or hollow ;
jemiiig divided , great storms ; parnelia
r mock suns never appear but they
re followed by tempest
Signs of Fair Weather , from the. Sun.
-Sun rising clear , having set clear tho
iljht before ; rising while the clouds
3out him are driving to the west ; ris-
ijj with an iris about him , and that irig
earing away equally on all sides , then
cpect fair and settled weather ; rising
! ear and not hot ; setting in red clouds.
: cording to tho old observation :
The evening red and raorlng gray ,
Is the sure sign of a fair day.
.1
