7
WAfi IN THE PAR EAST
PROGRESS OFTHE GREAT STRUGGLE -
GLE UP TO DATE.
Conflict Not Four Months Old nnd
Russia Has Received Blows Which
Have StaffKcred the BJR Empire
Land Battles Expected Soon.
The war in the far East is not yet four
mouths old and Russia has been dealt
"blows which'have given rise to a spirit
of black pessimism throughout the big
empire. Primarily the Czar's forces ex-
liibited an udprepareduess for strife , considering -
sidering the aggravated nature of the ne
gotiations between the two powers ,
which has drawn on the Russian authori
ties the ridicule of the world's military
experts and summary punishment from
the duped , gentle-mannered autocrat. Nor
is this yet the worst. Taken by surprise ,
.tire squadron at Port Arthur was given
.a terrific drubbing , which left two of the
[ fleet of formidable battleships disabled
land the morale of the fort's defenders
jconsiderably diminished. Since that first
isivo blow the Japanese , whom the
Lssians had derisively termed "barbar-
, ians , " have demonstrated a sustained
Ability and strategy which strained to the
In-caking point the spirit of their phleg
matic foe. At practically every point
liavc the Muscovite arms been baffled or
defeated. At the beginning of hostilities
the Czar's fleet at Port Arthur numbered
? * evtiii stanch battleships , as many well-
' , "built cruisers and a horde of smaller
"MAP OF THE THEATER OF WAR ;
LOCATION OF TROOPS OF CONTESTANTS
, No attcmPt has becn made to estimate
the numbers of troops assembled iu the
TOWMVT ri ° s points Indicated on the map. Information -
TBOOR3 formation as to the sizes of the Russian
nnd JnPincse armies and detachments
hs , ) een too mcagcr to permit of Qvcn a
Vix PLACES roughly accurate estimate.
Chicago Tribune.
.craft. TJiis force , by the persistent ham
mering of the Japanese , has been reduced
to two undamaged battleships and two or
three cruisers. Moreover Admiral Mak-
nroff , whose aggressive methods had re
vived hope in the Russian breast , has
fallen a victim to the enemy's lure , and
paid for his error with his life. On land
the Japanese triumphs , while negative in
their nature , have been none the less
.positive in effect. With little or no fight
ing the Russian custodians have been
-almost completely driven out of Korea ,
the disputed territory , and the Japanese
outposts , burn their canipfires fearlessly
I on the banks of the' Yalu , ready at the
'proper moment to cross that fateful
istream and precede the invasion of Man-
i-churia , possibly Siberia.
The next move of the little brown peo-
iple is problematical. A few military au-
Ithorities hold that the Japanese armies
should penetrate to Harbin , depriving the
enemy so effectually of a convenient base
of operation as to render a repossession
tof the lost ground technically impossible.
Other experts advocate a forward movement -
, ment only as far as Mukden , believing
that should the Japanese become tangled
in the wilds about Harbin they would
'l ' > e forced to a retreat as disastrous as
, 'wns that of Bonaparte from Moscow.
Meanwhile the Russian Baltic fleet ,
which is the sole remaining inspiration
'of ' naval Russia , is preparing to leave
via the Suez canal for the far East , em
ploying a devious route which will leave
the Japanese undisputed masters of east
ern waters for at least two months. This
.in a nutshell is the situation.
Ivouropatkin Supreme.
Gen. Kouropatkiu , it is believed iu tlie
highest military circles , is destined to be
come commander in chief of all the Ein-
-peror's forces , both military and naval ,
in the far East.
Admiral Alexieff may remain there
for some little time as viceroy , but his
reign , is considered practically ended. He
will not be humiliated , but in order to
.effect harmonious relations a way will
be found to secure his elimination. It is
said that the Emperor , replying to Vice
roy Alcxieff's application for leave , has
telegraphed his refusal , adding thivsfc he
hoped the viceroy would be able to send
good news soon.
The Japanese are stated to be laying
, a new sort of automatic mines floating
just below the surface several miles out
* f.rom Port Arthur.
WAR DURING THE WEEK.
"Little Sea FiKhtlnB-Hnsela Now Un
able to Prevent Japs Landing : .
There was little sea fighting during
the last week. The Japanese have been
feinting up and down both sides of the
Liaotung peninsula with transport fleets.
According to tlio Chicago Tribune's strat
egist , they mean tp bewilder the euemy
as to their eventual landing place , an'd ,
if possible , to weary him by inducing him
to shift his troops rapidly from one point
on the coast to another.
The Russians will be unable to prevent
a landing. They cannot fortify and garrison
risen the entire south Manchurian coast.
They will have to permit the landing ,
and thereafter try to make the Japs
sorry they ever came off the water. The
only naval exploit performed by the Rus
sians during the week was the blowing
up of one of their own lauuches , together
with its crew of twenty-one men. The
launch was laying mines in Port Arthur
to destroy the Japanese. The battleship
Pobicda , which was struck by a mine a
few minutes after the sinking of the
Pctropavlovsk , turns out to have been
hopelessly damaged.
The map gives a rough idea of the
present positions of the hostile armies.
The main Japanese force is now at
Wijn , spreading eastward a considerable
distance. It is believed by the Russians
that a Japanese division is approaching
the middle reaches of the Yalu with the
intention of crossing there. The Man
churian country opposite is much less
hilly than to the west. The position of
this putative division is indicated on the
map with a question mark after it
It is believed that not over four Rus
sian regiments remain on the Yalu oppo
site Wiju. They will try to make the
Japanese crossing as bloody as possible
and then retreat The Japs have seized
the islands in the middle of the river ,
which at the beginning of the week were
in the hands of their enemies.
The Russians have fortified the line
from Liaoyang to Tenguangcheng. It is
a strong position , both tactically and
strategically. Lying in the hills behind
intrenchments , it will be difficult to shove
the Russians away from this line. On
the other hand , it would be strategically
dangerous to leave them there unmo
lested and proceed across the Yalu southwestward -
westward toward Port Arthur , hugging
the seacoast Such a maneuver would
leave a strong force in the flank and rear
of the advancing army. On the other
hand , the advancing army would not be
in danger of having its communications
cut , since its base would be the sea. But
the Japanese want to hold Korea at all
costs , even if they are beaten in Man
churia. If they advanced across the
Yalu southwestward , with the Russians
intrenched in the hills obliquely to their
rear , they might be cut off from a return
to Korea and from making their defen
sive stand there.
The Japs have a fortified Hue from
Gensan across to Chinnampo , behind
n hich they meant to stick at all hazards ,
even if they had bad luck in the battle
fields to the north.
The main Russian concentration is
now supposed to be at Liaoyang. If the
Japanese forces divide into two or more
armies , operating in separate parts of
Manchuria , Kouropatkiu might have a
chance to throw his Liaoyang army first
at one then at the other of his enemy's
'
segments , beating each in turn. On la'nd
the Liaoyang concentration gives the
Russians the benefit of interior lines.
Cossack outposts have advanced unin
terruptedly to within eighty miles of
Gensan. on. the eastern coast of Korea.
This shows that the mysterious Japanese
army which landed at Gensan did not
march north , and that the reported land
ing at Possict bay was either a myth era
a feint. There are certainly no Japanese
soldiers in that vicinity at present.
Several American financiers are now in
Paris. One of the most prominent said
that a Russian loan probably would be
made before long at 5 per cent , for three *
years , the bonds selling at between 97
and OS. The total amount is understood
to be between $150,000,000 and 5175-
000,000.
Short Notes.
The Pawnee City opera house , which
has been closed since the first of the
year , has been reopened.
A number of bridges and culverts are
reported wj ? hed out cast of Hebron dur
ing the recent heavy rains.
The Tectiniseh military band has reor
ganized for the season and is practicing
for the open air concerts to be given each
Tuesday evening during the summer.
The Modern Woodmen of America of
Pawnee City are organizing a drill team
which , according to present plans , is to
represent their order at the St. Louis ex
position.
The senior class of the Tecmuseh high
school includes fifteen members , four
boys and eleven girls. The graduating
exercises will be held at the opera house
Friday evening. May 27.
The Boat rice Gas and Mineral Com
pany has received word that land owned
by the company in Kansas is oil-produc
ing. The stockholders expect to push the
work of prospecting as fast as possible.
Prof. M. S. Calvin , for the Isist twenty
years at the head of the musical depart
ment of the Beatrice public schools , has
tendered his resignation to take effect
at the close of the present school year.
. Henry Byars. the man arrested at Pa-
pillion for entering houses and making
advances toward women , was released
from jail , it being determined that he
was not of sound mind. He will be cared
for by relatives.
David Littlejolm , residing about fifteen
miles northeast of Beatrice , was badly
injured in a runaway accident at his
farm. lie was thrown under the wagon ,
which passed over 'him. breaking three
ribs and bruising his body.
The daily interests of Ansley are going
to make great progress this year ; fully
50 per cent increase will be made over
1003 , when $40,000 was received and
paid out for cream at Ansley and a
like amount at Masou City.
Miss Clara Stoltz of Stella , was open
ing a fruit jar with a butcher knife
when the instrument slipped and cut a
deep gash in her arm above the wrist ,
just missing an artery. It required three
stitches to close the wound.
As a result of trying to have a drunk
upon bay rum , Walter Dunning , a pri
vate in Company A , Thirtieth infantry ,
lies dead at Fort Crook. Dunning was
company barber and drank the liquid , not
realizing its probable effect.
William Holme , the 17-year-old son of
Air. and Mrs. Henry Holme of Sterling ,
has been sent to the reform school. Mr.
nnd Mrs. Hohne came into the county
court of Johnson County and declared
they could no't control the boy.
The eighty-fifth anniversary of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows was
observed at Sidney Tuesday. In the af
ternoon a parade , headed by the Sidney
brass and cornet band , passed around
the principal thoroughfares of the city.
Thos. Adams and other parties have
leased a lot at Fremont and will at once
begin the construction of a new hotel ,
designed especially for railroad and
transient trade. The building will be
two stories fii height , about ninety feet
deep.The
The District Association of Independ
ent Order of Odd Fellows' Lodges ? com
prising those in Clay and south part of
Hamilton Counties , met at Sutton Tues
day to celebrate the eighty-fifth anniver
sary of that order. A large number were
present from adjoining towns.
fcschuyler people are pleased that it has
been determined that the state declama
tory contest of the high schools of the
state is to come to Schnyler on May ( > .
and nothing Hint can be done to make
the occasion one of satisfaction to all
concerned will be left undone.
The board of count } ' commissioners of
Cass County has adopted a resolution au
thorizing the enforcement of the "scav
enger act , " and directing County Treas
urer Wheeler to proceed to collect all
delinquent taxes or those which are de
linquent May 1 in Cass County.
Samuel T. Tappan , whose home was
at Minden , was killed by a train at Han
over , Kan. When the train was leaving
town Tappan started over the train to
go to the head end , and that was the last
seen of him alive. It is supposed that he.
lost his footing in some way and fell be
tween the cars , his body b'eing cut in
two.
two.John
John O'llara , a fanner residing seven
miles northwest of Grand Island , while
returning home from the city Wednesday
ni.cht was badly injured iu a runaway ac
cident , his horses throwing him out of
the vehicle , striking his head against a
fence post , resulting in concussion of the
brain. He has ever since been uncon
scious.
There are three cases of scarlet fever
under quarantine in Columbus and there
has been one death , a 2-year-old son of
Mrs. aiid Mrs. Louis Zinnecker. The
cases are said to be of a very malignant
form , but every precaution is being tak
en to prevent any contagion. One case of
smallpox two miles from Columbus is un
der care of the county board of health.
At the last meeting of the Columbus
city council the rules were suspended and
the ordinance forbidding the use of giant
firecrackers and toy or blank cartridge
pistols was read the second time. No
firecracker over three inches in length can
be used for celebrating purposes or even
offered for sale , and any violation is
punishable by a fine not exceeding $100.
E. M. Morsema-n , secretary of the Ne
braska Telephone Company , has filed
with County Assessor Galley at Colum
bus a statement of the business done
and property owned by the company in
Platte County. He gives the grand total
value of all property in the county as
$10.108. The report also shows that
there are ninety-eight miles of toll wire
in the comity and sixty-two miles of farm
wire. The company owns 220 instru--
nients iu the c'junty. and of this number '
372 are located in Columbus. The total
receipts.for the Columbus office last year
is phu-t-d at $8.104.82.
Owing to the continued cold , wet
weather about Columbus , many of the
early . ' .own oats have rotted in the ground \
and reports from several parts. of the
county say these fields are being plowed
up and replanted. Oats sown later have
not been affected. Winter wheat is said
to be looking very good. .
C. C. Tabor , a workman at the Bur-
iington coal sheds at Ansley. was dan
gerously hurt by a chunk of coal falling
some thirty feet and striking him. For
a time it was thought his back was brok
en , but later this proved untrue. . At the
present time he is not expected to get
well.
Opinions of Great Papers on Important Subjects.
7 *
* § * § < s | * f | < i * i < ftiftyia ijy
The Russian Power.
HE Russian power appears to be a huge , por-
tentious bubble , which the courageous Japan
ese have pricked. Russia has an enormous
army , but where is it ? How can it be got to
gether ? An army that cannot be concentrated
is no fit object of terror. To be sure , we have
had a few weeks of war , but that has been
time enough to cripple and bottle the Russian fleet in the
East , and the Baltic fleet and the Black Sea fleet dare not ,
or cannot , leave their stations , while one gunboat refuses
to leave the port of Shanghai , and two larger ones have
been hiding themselves in a French port of East Africa.
The Japanese are masters of the China seas. And the
Russian mighty land army of four million men , where has
it vanished ? A paltry hundred thousand men , or possibly a
hundred and fifty thousand , are scattered along the Man
churian railway , or split up between Port Arthur and the
1'alu River , unable anywhere to offer an equal front to
the Japanese advance. Even the rumors that come from
St. Petersburg are all of Russian losses , and most reason
able they are , for it is impossible for Russia to hasten along
its ill-built railway three sleepers to a rail the needed re
inforcements , or even the food and stores for those -who are
spread along the front. Japan Avas "blufling , " they told
the Czar. It is Russia that has been bluffing the deluded
world. However it may be in the West , it is sure that
there is nothing to fear from her in Asia , either on the
Manchurian or the Indian border , if any other Power will
only pluck up courage to resist her. This the New Japan
has dared to do , and the black bear is utterly demoralized
before the swarm of yellow hornets. It looks as if Russia
would have to put off for a century , which means forever ,
her ambition to have four capitals St. Petersburg , Moscow ,
Constantinople and Pekin. New York Independent.
School Teachers' Salaries.
SUMMARY of the'salaries paid to the school
teachers in the chief European countries ap
peared recently in several American newspa
pers. This report showed that the salaries of
teachers in England range from an average of
$350 for men to50 , or even as low as $200 , for
s women. The lowest annual salary paid to a
full-fledged teacher in Belgium is $192. In Denmark city
teachers begin with $230 and village teachers with $182.
The average for a country or village teacher in Prussia is
$218 per year , although Berlin teachers receive from $315 to
$650 ; women are paid from $140 to $400. France has an
irreducible minimum of $220. Holland $1GO , PortugalipOG
for the country and $108 for the city , and Sweden and Nor
way $130 for men and less than $ GO for women. The
average salary in Switzerland is $340 for men and $275
for women. Greece divides its teachers into classes , those
in the first receiving a maximum salary of $26 per month ,
those in the second $16 , and those in the third $13. Teach
ers' salaries in Spain vary from $100 per year in the villager ;
to ? 4SO in Madrid. Montreal
Labor as Joy or Curse.
T is worthy of note that all the.great historical
religions of the world whether of the millions
of Egypt toiling under the lash to build the
pyramids at the wages of a couple of onions
and a piece of dry bread a day , or of the mil
lions of India working in the rice swamps amid
swarms of pestiferous insects , or of the millions
of the Semitic race whose traditions-have been gathered
together in the story of Eden and of the fall in the Book
of Genesis all have been rooted and grounded in the prob
lem of the common doom of man that he must eat his
bread in the sweat of his body , and the sweat of his mind.
None of these religions affects to treat the issue flippantly ,
rhetorically or with commoplace platitudes , but with awful
seriousness. The enormous overweight of the burden of
the work in comparison with the strength , spirits , interest
and reward of the worker is what oppresses the minds of
these teachers and prophets and brings them to the common
ominous conviction that this must be the outcome of some
WHALEBONE WHALES.
Their "Baleen" the Most Valuable
Product Obtained from "Whales.
Another group of whales have no
teeth , but the mouth is provided with
several hundred closely packed horny ,
flexible plates or slabs suspended from
the roof of the mouth and hanging on
each side like a curtain , so that when
the mouth is opened as wide as pos
sible their ends are received within
the lower jaw. These plates , which in
some whales are nine or ten feet long ,
have pointed , frayed extremities , and
are lined with long , stiff hair. This
peculiar substance in the mouth of
whales , which is called baleen , or
whalebone , although it is not bone , is
now the most valuable product which
is yielded by these creatures ; and to
obtain it thousands of men brave dan
gers of the seas , of the Arctic ice ,
and of the chase , killing the whales
by hurling harpoons and shooting ex
plosive bullets into them from a small
boat.
Among the various kinds of whale
bone whales is the right whale , which
reaches a length of GO feet and yields
200 barrels of oil and 1.000 pounds of
long , valuable baleen ; the humpback
whale , which is sometimes 75 feet
long , but has short bone and little oil ;
the finback and sulphur-bottom whales ,
of large size but comparatively little
value ; and the bow-head , Greenland , or
polar whale. The last is at home
among the ice fields , and is now the
most sought of all the whales on ac
count of the excellent quality and
large quantity of its baleen. The max
imum length is 65 feet , and its bulk is
immense ; the huge head represents a
third of the length , and the tail is 16
to 20 feet across. The largest bowheads -
heads produce several thousand pounds
.of bone worth $5 or $6 a pound , and
6,000 or more gallons of oil worth 40
cents a gallon.
In feeding , the baleen whales drop
the lower jaw and swim forward rap
idly , and all kinds of small floating
animals fish , shrimp , winged mollusks -
lusks pass into the yawning mouth.
primeval curse and of some stupendous moral catastrophe ,
redemption from which is the end and aim of all higher
spiritual hope. * * *
Labor may be either joy or curse. All turns on whether
it .is encountered with freshness , spontaneity and zest , or
whether it is draining to the dregs the springs of life. Once
for all , out with it. fair , square and plump ! There is no
more dignity nor elevation in mere labor than in a mechan
ical pump-handle. What it lifts from the living , central
springs beneath determines all. Our joy must be in this
living water welling up , as we ourselves quaff its refresh
ment or extend it to the thirsty lips of others. For this
sole joy that is set before us must we endure the cross and
despise the pain. We think the poets exempt from this
moil , pure children of inspiration. Never the weary pump-
handle for them , but only the leaping geyser. But hear
what Milton has to say : "No worth } * enterprise can be done
by us without continual plodding and weariness to our faint
and sensitive abilities. " Boston Herald.
The American Husband.
N American young man does not as a rule look
forward to marriage nor prepare for it by sav
ing any considerable portion of his ante-nuptial
income. When he marries it is usually on short
notice , nnd because he has fallen very desper
ately in love with some one and cannot find it
in his heart to wait until cold caution declares
the venture advisable. Even when an engagement is a long
one he usually squanders so much on gifts and entertain
ments for his fiance that there is only a very moderate
amount to begin housekeeping on. Thus before his mar
riage the young American of the middle class begins to
give evidence of what is to be his chief national character
istic as a husband his unfailing , unselfish and almost im
provident generosity.
The middle class husband In America rarely interferes
Yith the affairs of the household. He hardly knows the
cost of staple articles of food. As a rule he does not make
his wife a regular allowance either for household or per
sonal expenses , but gives her as much as he can spare ,
freely , but with a lack of system that is not conducive to
the best outlay of their income.
The young American husband is also very indulgent to
his wife's fondness for fine clothes. He would far rather
have an extravagant wife than a dowdy one , and although
he grumbles occasionally at a millinery bill , in reality he
glories in the resplendent appearance of his wife in her
fine feathers. The American husband is rare who does not
concede his wife's right to expend a much larger sum with
her dressmaker than he does with his tailor. Indeed he
often leaves his tailor altogether and cheerfuly repairs to
the ready-made clothing house In order that his wife may
have more money for extravagant finery. London Tele
'
graph. . /
The Evil of Worry.
'OUBTLE&S there has been more or less worry ,
since Adam hid in the bushes , but it is a curi
ous physiological indeed , it may be a psycho
logical fact that real worry , the worry that
has a definite cause , Is not so wearing as the
imaginary worries that we persist in taking to
bed with us. We cannot rest and be busy at.
the same time , and it is not hard to guess what will happen
to the brain that insists on fretting and worrying when it
should be enjoying the serenity of repose. There are doc
tors who can examine jour eyes and tell you whether you
have kidney disease , but how much better it would be if
some specialist could arise xho can locate worry and pluck"
it out , as it were , by the roots. It is a baleful source of
poison at best , and at its worst , it is ruinous. Happy the
man who is able to take the measure of his worries and
troubles and value them for what they are ! Happy , thrice
happy , is the man who can present to their attacks the im
penetrable armor of serenity ! His years shall be long and
full of charity. His head shall be in the sunshine , and !
there shall be no shadow about his feet Old men will fol
low him , and little children shall be his companions. At
lanta Constitution.
SIX CHANGES IN WOMAN'S
FIGURE IN FORTY YEARS.
"Well , I'll have to give up and just adopt that hopeless style of figure
described as a pillow with a string around it , " announced the woman - wheat
at 56 was the proud possessor of a shapely figure , and who had just learned
on good authority that tight lacing was coming into fashion again. "No less
than six times in the last forty years I have completely changed the. outline
of my figure , and I am afraid I am no\v getting to an age where comfort is
almost as much of a consideration as appearance.
"I well remember when I was 16 how pretty the fashionable figure vras
with its neat , small \viist in the place where -waist ought to be. How trim
and dainty we were. But I'm afraid a little tight lacing was needed to get
the desired effect.
"Next we had those short -waisted shapes "which brought the squeezing :
away above the natural waist line. Absurd enough they would look now ,
but we thought them charming when they were in fashion.
"Then came those long , slim figures of the ' 80s with the bust unnaturally
high , the waist compressed as far as possible into the hips. Pert , smart , and
saucy they looked , and they were only acquired at the expense of a good
deal of squeezing all along the line.
"In the 'OOs we had a genuine hour glass figure , girt tight around the
waist and bulging above and below. I always thought it stupid.
"The low bust and sudden hip effect which came in next was thought to
be free and natural , but was realb * decadent and the little girdle corset
then worn could be drawn as tight as any ofher.
"The straight front wide -waisted fashion bless it ! is the only one I
know which combines comfort and style. O , why can't it last ? " Exchange.
When the lower jaw is closed , the
plates of ualeen are forced upward
and backward , the water rushes
through the sieve formed by the hairs ,
the food is left behind , and is swai-
lewd by the aid of the tongue.
Some of the baleen whales are said
to attain a length of more than a hun
dred feet , and there are authentic rec
ords of examples measuring between
90 and 100 feet. The largest species
of whale , and therefore the largest of
all living animals and , the largest crea
ture that ever existed , so far 'is
know , is the sulplrurbottomwhale of
the Pacific coast. One of these was 95
feet long and 30 feet in circumfer
ence , andweighed
-weighed by calculation near
ly 30Q,000 pounds. The sulphur-bot
tom whale is further distinguished by
being the swiftest of all -whales and
one of the most difficult to approach ;
it glides over the surface with great
rapidity , often displaying its entire ,
length : and when it respires the im
mense volume of vapor which it throws
up to a great height is evidence of its
colossal orooortions. St. Nicholas.
V