OPINIONS OF GREAT PAPERS ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS
Menacing Niagara Fads.
HE disturbing announcement is made by the
Commissioners of the New York State Preser
vation of Niagara that the operation of power
companies and the construction of commercial
and drainage canals threaten to diminish the
total overflow at thfc Falls to a serious extent ,
characterize the danger as not merely
theoretical , but measurable and substantial. The Ameri-
c h power companies remove from the Niagara River
ndarly 8,000,000 gallons of water a minute , or C per cent of
the total flow over the Falls. The diversion of the water
of the Great Lakes from their natural outlet , the St. Law
rence system , by the Chicago drainage canal , which is to
remove from Lake Michigan 000,000 cubic feet of water a
minute , by the projected canal from Lake Michigan to the
Mississippi across Wisconsin , and by numerous Canadian
canal and water power projects under construction or In
contemplation , must contribute importantly to the impair
ment of the Falls. The Commissioners regret that the
N6w York Legislature and the Canadian Government have
granted the right to withdraw a large volume of water
from the Falls. The Canadian authorities are criticized for
allowing the companies to erect unsightly constructions in
Victoria Paik , in full view of the American and Canadian
reservations.
The Commissioners say that , aside from its educational
and aesthetic Importance , the Niagara Falls reservation is
& valuable asset of the State. It has beeoi a profitable inv -
v stmeut , "and has afforded a practical demonstration in
this country of a principle long acknowledged in European
cities and countries , that the preservation of the beautiful ,
the picturesque and the historic pays. "
It is too late to prevent the partial despoilment of the
Falls by companies whose rights have vested. The de
struction of the great natural curiosity by the artificial ex
haustion of the water supply may be remote , but its ex
tinction is evidently regarded as something more than a
possibility by the Commissioners. Philadelphia Ledger.
Loneliness.
HE most hideous state imaginable is that of
solitude. Man is made fo'r company , to act
with others , in his interests , his amusements ,
and all features of his life.
In this country success is measured usually
i/Jby / money , and in this country the loneliest o'f
men.vuu one possible exception , is the richest of men.
He sits high up on his pile of money , and there are few
friends , or none , near him.
Hr is so high up du his pile of gold that he cannot tell
a true friend from a false one. And it is hard for him to
believe that he has any real friend. He looks down and
across the country to the miserable tramp plodding with
his luii"e and his sore feet along the dusty road ; he
aluir.st fi els that he envies that miserable creature , vague
ly spi'cul.-iiing about his next meal.
± lu iniit ines the human failure to be free from care ,
and Uierel'ore happy. He envies him his good digestion ,
his good appetite , his sound sleep , and the fact that he is
not surrounded by hypocritical pretensions.
The tramp looks up at the thousand-time millionaire
with the sauie feelings of envy.
He thinks what he would do if he had all that money.
Ho plaus , as he trudges along , all sorts of banquets , all
sorts , of revenges on those who have ill-treated him , all
sorts of rewards for the small kindnesses he may have
received. New York Journal.
Ths World's Railways.
archiv fur Eisenbalmweseu shows that in
the first year of the present century the world
for the first time exceeded 500,000 miles of rail-
fjway. At the end of 1901 the world's total
je was 507,515 miles. At present it is
_ _ 532,500 miles. At the end of 1901 the dis-
trSbutipn vras : Europe , 1SO,70S miles ; Asia , 41,814 ; Africa.
14,1S7 : North America , 220,503 ; South America , 28,034 ;
Australia , 15,019. Indiu is the chief contributor to Asia's
mileage , though Russia's railroad enterprises are sensa-
SAM PATCH , THE JUMPER.
-Who Mtule Fa i > in kcap Lies in
. . * Unmarked Grave.
The lettering upon a rough pine
r erected in the little cemetery at
Cliar.ottij by rfteve Marshall , an old
lake c.j > Uan , uway back in the ' 30s ,
.afier'tiie body of the ill-fated juniper
hud , bee ' taken from the Genesee river
and buried in the village cemetery
Tvitlioat- ceremony of au3T kind , was as ,
foilows : .
* -tia in 'Patch Such' Is Fame. "
Tius Doardstood at the head of
r cL's caVe until the semi-centennial
. brSCii in Rochester , N. Y. Then
were laid upon it The
rc > . < iy tewn slab was exhibited. Aft-
. ; , o\'tebra ion it was not replaced.
t \ , . . -either lost or seized upon b.v
: ruc hunter who cherished it in
, e Marshall's hand raised that
. ; one lias ever taken the trouble
. /k tie grave iu any way , says
: -hvter Post-Express. Old resi-
. . .uoHe ! knew "of the loca-
t -\n . old stumps , but within
. . , , . , - , y.arg these have rotted
. 'iijfe gmve is "now unmarked.
biack1) rry bushes. are matted
' lie spot. "
tfnue of feaui Patch , such as it
JiaS probably penetrated farther
titan t&at of 'any other person who
Rochester his abiding place.
ts of Sam were seized upon
In a' lxx > k of nursery
\vUUih will be remembered by
, although long out of print. The
itaere doggerel. Many will
Haul's reputed first jump , as
described in tbo book. It was from
xthe ototelMM' house roof at his home , !
an < l 8am landed plump on the back
of a goose. The motuer of Sam was
saUl to have l eeM greatly grieved over
1l e damage to the goose , but joyful.
over ttie escape of her son. Here are
two lin s from this "poem : "
Ooine to "me , my pride , my joy. '
Utoose for dinuer , ' cried the boy. '
- Ijt tfee mi wl's eye of the uninformed
' hV4 o fcecn .pictured as an athlete of
ji-U tig height JUKI proportions , keen
c . , : and st'Jiitly of nerve. Historians
of uue.-tioned : ; veracity aver that
tional and attract more attention. British India , according
to the Railroad Gazette , had 25,373 miles at the end of
1901 , while Russian Asia , including the Chinese seizures ,
had only 7,323 miles. Even fn the past four years India
has built more than Asiatic Russia. Strategic railways to
meet supposed Russian schemes account for part of In
dia's mileage.
Of European couatries the German Empire leads In
mileage , with 32,753 miles ; but it is followed closely by
Russia , with 31,945 , and the latter will doubtless soon take
the lead. Great Britain makes but a modest show in the
list under its own name , having but 22,100 miles in Eu
rope ; but it has more railroad in India than in Europe , ha ?
two-thirds of the railroads in Africa , and with those of it ?
colonies in America and Australia counts up an aggregate
of 91,845 miles , which may be compared with the mileage
of 210,000 in tht. United States at the present date. North
America has more railroad than Europe and Asia together :
the two Americas , more than all the rest of the world. The
aggregate of capital invested in railroads the world over
is $30,850,000,000 a tidy sum to be invested in any one
thing in seventy-five years. The wealth the railroads have
created or developed many times exceeds this vast amount.
The rapid development and utilization of the resources of
a country are made possible only by a network of rail
roads. Baltimore Sun.
Commerce and Wed.ock.
MONG the great enterprises of the year be-
Sjsides the railway in the Uganda in Africa to
I the sources of the Nile , is Scotland's great
' "canal , which will save hundreds of miles of
'y carriage , and will cost $50,000,000.
This new ship canal will extend from the
Firth of Forth onthe east of Scotland to the Clyde on the
vrest coast The canal will tunnel the Highlands near
Loch Loaioud.
When tKs canal is completed vessels and steamers will
cut through the is'and instead
of going around England or
Ireland. The sailing distance from the Clyde to ports on
the east of Scotland will be reduced 529 miles , while from
other connections the saving will be all the way from 150
to 487 miles. This ca'nal will cost as much as the Nicaraguan -
raguan canal.
The more the world is cut up territorially the more
fertile it will be , industrially and social. Every internal
or external improvement that makes trade more economic
and commerce more swift is an agent of peace and of good
will in being an agent of industrial promotion.
The cheaper a barrel of flour is landed in the pantry ,
other things being equal , the more mouths , big and little ,
will there be to consume bread.
President Eliot should not overlook the intimate rela
tion there is between cheap wealth and early marriages
and between economic civilization and the productivity of
the. race.
Every new facility in commerce and trade , every god
speed given to traffc is godspeed to population , quality as
well as quantity considered. As wealth is cheap , men and
women are dear. Boston Journal.
Back to the Lend.
T is sometimes forgotten that all the world's
wealth must come out of the ground. There is
not an article of food , of dress , of luxury , not
a ship or a cannon , not a book , nor a news
paper , nor a printing press , not a cottage nor a
P jteS = ypalace ! , not even the money that we use in
commerce which is not drawn from the earth , and the
magnet that draws forth the material and shapes it is
human intelligence. If the land of Ireland is deficient in
coal and metallic ores , it has still the germs of other fruitfulness -
fulness only needing strenuous cultivation. If attention
is given to chemistry and natural science by the farmers
of the country and by those who should actively promote
the scientific education of the farmers' sons , 'the world
may see before a second generation has passed a complete
regeneration of Ireland , fitting it to compete with success
in the struggle for prosperity with all other lands. Irish . .
Times. .
Sam was short and fat and not afraid
of iiagons of any size. In the age in
Avhieh he lived he was regarded as
"shiftless. " He would now be termed
a "hobo" and legally a "vagrant. " 'ifcs
borne was no more in Rochester than
elsewhere , but he claimed the Flower
City as his own.- After the death
glorious" be gained a standing 'he
never attained in life.
Patch's reputation , or notoriety , was
not all gained in Rochester. He made
a jump at Patersoii , N. , T. , and later
jumped into the Niagara river from
a ledge of rock projecting from the
bank at a point more than half the
height of the cataract He is said to
have had a habit , pronounced when
he was in his cups , of saying : "Some
things can be done as well as'Others. "
He followed out this idea in his jump
ing , and it cost him hfs life.
On Nov. S , 1SJ9 , accompanied by a. !
tame bear , Sam jumped i'roni a ledge
into the Genesee river , a height of"
ninety-six feet. Both came out alive. .
Sam longed for greater heights of
fame , and distributed handbills an
nouncing that on , Nov. 18 he would
leap from a scaffold s.t the precipice.t " *
The scaffold was built twenty feet
higher than the brink of the falls.
An immense crowd . .gatiiered to wit
ness the leap. Sam , prepared for'the |
occasion with liberal potations. He
mounted the .scaffold and harangued 1
the crowd with all of the drunken j
gravity of which he was capable. . lie ! '
felt himself iif need of a stimulant , j i
and he took one. He then gave a !
run and "took off. " His body did not | |
fall feet first , but made a half turn. *
He struck the water with a force of j I
4,000 pounds , as figured by a local sta
tistician at the time. He did' not rise.
The crowd waited until dark and then
went home. That was the last of Sam
Patch in Rochester. The body was j \
subsequently discovered in the river
at Charlotte and given burial.
Oltl Public Libraries.
Though.it is the popular idea that
public libraries are of modern origin ,
there is proof that the Anglo-Saxon
kings of England were disposed to
erect them.and works were brought
from Ireland , where sciences had been {
much earlier cultivated than in Great
Britain , says the Chicago News. But
the invasion of the Normans stopped
the spread of libraries , and the first
in England after the' conquest was es
tablished at Oxford , in Durham ( now
Trinity ) College , ia the thirteenth cen
tury by Richard de Bury , who pur
chased from thirty to tforty volumes
of , the "Abbot of St. Albans for fifty
"pounds' weight of-silver. Before that
time books were kept in elaests and
not in a room styled a library. At
the end c/ the seventeenth century
there were only six public libraries in
Great Britain. The first-
firstcirculating li
brary \Yifs founded by Allan Ramsay ,
iu 1725 , wbsiice he diffused plays and
works "of fiction among the people of
Edinburgh. ? o successful were Rani- '
say's efforts that it is said that with
in seventy yeArs nearly every town
and large village possessed n library.
The first in Lcnclan was started by
Botlio , a bookseller , in 1740. Birming- c
hum obtained its first circulating library 1)
1)C
brary , in 1751 ; The .next step was the 1)h
free library Manchester * h
, , pos qsaing
.tbe first , in 1850 , belriff quickly fell - .
l vetL byLiverpool , Birmingham and
'other large towns. >
Cant
"If your daughter keeps practicing. .
she will bewwie'ftn accomplished must-
cian , " said the' teacher. t :
' t'l don't care for that , " said , Mrs.
Curnrox. "We are having Muriel'take'
music lesson from you beeaiise you-
were recommended as the most cxpen-
sive teacher in the city. 'If ' she learns' ,
Ho'play too well some people who don't j .
know us misjht think she makes her ?
living that way. " Washington Star. '
* Philippine Service. [
Experience seems to be proving ,
says.the Sun Francisco Bulletin , that
not only is the Philippine service at
tractive to sodlors ! who have never
been there , and are anxious to cross ,
the seas to see what dreams may come
in the laud of adventure that our [
Oriental possessions have become , but
also those who have been theresome ;
timeuilready are eager to remain.
Pessimists are people who .go arouiid
looking for thorns to sit on. t
- . _ * -
THE PASSING YEAR.
Across the shadows of the night
There conic to my expectant ear
Thf twelve deep notes that tell the flight
Of yet another passing year.
Its limits reached. Its work Is done.
Its record sealed and sent on high ,
Unknown lo all and seen by none
Except God's own all-seeing eye.
Ah , me ! those years , those vanished years ,
In memory , but beyond recall ,
How filled with foolish doubts and fears.
How stained with sin and blotted all !
What can we ask of thee but grace
To make these failures of the past
The beacon lights by which to trace
Our way to thee , O Christ , at last !
Farewell , Old Year ! There have been days
Of grief and 111 so , too , of peed ;
And for them both we give Gotl praise.
Though at the time misunderstood.
Ills wisdom measures all our needs ;
He knows the weakness of our frame ;
Kis love our hhjlust thought exceeds ;
He calls us By his own dear name.
So pass the years in solemn state
Beyond our ken ; we count the sun ;
They come and go , we watch and wait
Until our own set time shall come.
God of the years , from out whose hand ,
AVIth all our precious gifts , they come ,
Give us the grace to understand ,
And make them helps to lead us home !
Christian Work.
.AN . OLD MAN'S ' FIRST CHRISTMAS.
BY HOPE DARINQ.
YES , I will do it. It's the only way I
can be sure of making n fair profit
next year. My workmen must under
stand that I run the mill to put money in
my own pocket. "
There was an ugly frown on Gilbert
Bentley's brow as he sat in his shabby
little study , communing with himself. He
was a small , stooping man of G5 , with
searching blue eyes , and a cold , forbid
ding expression.
"I'll do it at once. One week from
to-morrow I'll announce a cut of ten per
sound of footsteps and voices in the hall.
The door of the study was thrown open ,
and a sweet voice cried :
"Grandpa , are you here ? "
Before Mr. Bcntley could speak , Simp
son , his old English housekeeper , enter
ed. In one hand she held aloft a lighted
lamp , thus showing Gilbert Behtley his
unexpected visitor. She was a slender
girl of sixteen , a dimpled , blonde free
lighted b.c- sunny blue eyes.
"Why , don't you know me ? I am
Florence , and I am glad so glad to see
you ! "
She was at his side , both arms round
liis neck , and her lips uplifted for his
kiss. As in a dream he listened as she
told how she had grown tired of spend
ing her vacations at the school.
"You know , grandpa , that it is dread
ful to have no one of your very own to
be glad with , and I've come to spend
Christmas with you. "
The girl was so sure that her grand
father was glad to see her that he could
not tell her she was unwelcome. An hour
later they sat at dinner. The old man
looked across to where the girl's golden
head gleamed in the lamp.
She chatted gnyly. When they rose
from the table she went with him to the
study. Sitting on a stool , she told him of
her school life.
"I am happy there , grandpa , but I will
be glad when school is finished. Then I
can keep house for you. It has been so
kind in you to do without me so i could
be educated. "
He made no response. They parted
without the words being said that would
send Florence back to school. Mr. Bentley -
ley resolved to say them at breakfast the
next morning. There lie found himself
confronted by that smiling face , and was
obliged to hold his peace.
Florence stayed. Simpson , the maid ,
and the man all delighted to serve her.
A few simple changes were made in the
dreary old house. Mr. Bentley chose
some new furniture. He ordered that
good fires should be kept up and bade
' ; stood open. He noted the vnse of soar-
let carnations , ordered from the city , in
the center of the table. Upon a quaint
old sideboard was a basket of oranges
nnd pale green grapes and n plute of the
nuts over which Florence loved to .linger
while he drank his coffee.
The old man's face softened. He1 sat
down before the fire. He was s en
grossed in thought that he did not * hear
Florence enter.
"You precious grandpa ! " Again her
arms were round his neck. "I found
your gift , and I thank you a thou&and
times. But grandpa , I want to askyou ?
for something more. It is a part in your
work I want you to give me. And I
want to give you my help myself. It
is a wonderful position you hold so
much wealth and so many people whom
you can help. On this best of all nights
the birth night of our dear Savior , 1st
us give ourselves anew to the work you
have been doing alone. "
"Little girl , you don't understand. I
have not been what you think I kave ,
and "
Her dimpled hand closed his lips.uYo .
are not to malign my dear grandfather.
We will work together , will we not ? "
"Yes , dear. "
In those two words the old maa re
nounced his greed and selfishness. Oa
the morrow his workmen should receive ,
not a reduction of their wages , but an
assurance of his good will and interest
in them. For this child's sake he would
learn to know and do his duty.
"it will be our first Christmas to
gether , " Florence said dreamily , her
cheek pressed against his.
"Yes , little girl. It will really be my
first , my very first , Christinas. " Horn *
Monthly.
The Porto liicnii ( . hristinafl.
Christmas in Porto Rico is a church ,
festival of much importance and the cele
bration of it is made up chiefly of/ re
ligious ceremonies intended to commem
orate the principal events in the life of
WAJTINfi FOR SANTA CLALS.
S&SfeWfti 'fe' ' ! i > r' > . * -i
mm-
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fttJp R .4ilVW - -
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rfj i figM. " ' < 3 > * + w- . . ' - * * - ? f ' ' ' . " ' '
* 3&.y. . ' : t'-'i ? : ' - ' &SM ---------r- > "
IWW * ; \ : > : : ! ' -s v " vjM S : "Sfflbr
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' ' ' " "
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: --i' - : 'v ; - ' " : : ' ' : >
J - - - ; - . V-V , V ! - : x
{ A
i
: ent on all wages. One week that will
) e the twenty-fifth. - Why , that will be
Christmas , a d the men must have a
lolidny , Chrislm'as ! As if that old super
stition ms < 5e anj difference with the
.Vorltl to-day ! " '
The frown on his brow deepened. He
enaed back , staring from a window. He
rouid see the hms ? , low buildings of the
Beutley Lupx'oer Company.'In the back-
jrouu-'l was the ieafiens forest.The. . sun ,
tvjs setting find the sky , above the tree
ops. < was -tinged with a rosy glow.
Gilbert Beutley had spent ten years
n eJiat lumbering village. In that time
ie ha < l doottesi his capital. Now , owing
lo a genera ! depression , his profits were
small.v To continue his business through
.he whiter would m'enn very little profit ,
jul doubtless the spring would bring a
hauge. Weil , he would not wait for
spring.
Money had aiw ys been Gilbert Bent-
CV'R g'd. He lind begun life a poor boy
nu < l hn < l workeil his way upward , un-
His life had been too busy forTe
To be mire he had married.
Liis wife lived only a few years. There
iv ; ! a chil'l. Harold had grown up. high
spirited mid proud. In early manhood
lie married against his father's wishes ,
estrangement hsd followed. Harold ami
liis wife died within a few months of
s.-.ch other. leaving a little daughter.
Pritle prompted Mr. Bentley to pay the
sirl's .bills at a good school , but he never
saw her.
The door-bell rang and there was-the
. Simpson - see that the table was well
I spread.
Gilbert Bentley was powerless. Flor
ence would ihink the best of him. She
would think that the loved her and WAS
glad to 'hiA-e her there. She would be-
! Heretfcat he shared her own love for hu-
i mrnity rnd her reverent trust in God.-
She went with him to the mill rnrl
throntjli the village. There her mistiken
idea of his character showed in a strong
light.Many of bis workmen were living
iu poverty. She knew he wa doing all
he conltl for' them , but was there not
some way she co'uM help ? What was he-
goingti > do for the ihen ami for the
Hum-lies of the town for Christmas ?
Tiu-n they must remember the little chil
dren.
dren.Christmas
Christmas Eve came. Mr. Bentley
had Shamefacedly ordered Simpson to
provide a "regular Christmas dinner. "
He had never made a'Christmas gift in
hs life , but now "well , Florence would
persist in talking as if Christinas meant
as much to him as it diu to ner.
He was thinking of this as he walked
home tb-it evening. It was snowinsr. nnd
the wind buffeted him as he mounted the
slope. The next day the mill must stand ,
idle , but on the following morning the
men should be notified of the reduction.
in their wage.s. How angry they would
be ! Gilbert Bentley's lips closed in a
firm , cruel line. He had looked out for
himself ; others must do the same.
He reached the house. As he passed
through the hall the dining room door
the Savior. Beginning -with the cele
bration of His birth at Christina * time ,
the feast days follow one another la
rapid succession. Indeed , it may justly
be said that they do-uot really com * to
an end until Easter.
Smltlvn and. Surprising.
"What do you most desire for
mas. Miss Mabel ? "
"Oh , George , this is so snddenj"
"Wh what do yon menn ? "
"Why , of coarse , I want you' " .
Very Easy.
Pat Whey is th * owld year loike a
wliet towel , Xora , darlint ?
Nora Whey ?
Pat Because they always rinj it
