10 THE OMAHA DAILY BEBjSUNDAY , MAY 5 , 1805.
A \
SEVEN SSThe . 'Glacier Takes the Cake CARPETS , RUGS AND MATTINGS ,
REFRIGERATORS. Although crowded to our p.ves hv thn rush nf htisi-
THIS IlUPniOKHATOIl. plain front- * f.48
10-plcce KnKlllh Dcroruted Dinner SettCfi . Kf )
lirmvn or blue. Drlce iiJvy.uv
This Hciuity only S'00. ' > .
ij y /
We'll sell you an Ice Box as low as § 2.75. ness , we have not yet disappointed a customer.
A Refrigerator as low as § 4.75. Where but nt the People's Furniture natl C.upat Co. cau you pot
But we advise buying a GLACIER , the only abso- Moquotsnt 87c a yard , with border ? .
I utely cleanable Refrigerator in the market. Prices
The best body Brussels nt 87c & yard.
no higher than other dealers ask you for trash.
We The bast Tnpastry Brussels nt G2o ynrd.
are selling
A peed } 10 ItKKUiaiSUA. The bast Velvet C.trpat at 87c yard.
TUIt for
A for JI2.00 HKKIlinUllATOll . r\f - ) Our Carpet Dcpt. lias bsen a revelation to close buyers.
A for { 11.00 R12KUIGKIIATOR $1O.OO
A $16.00 RKKIUOnUATOH 2 . 0 O RUGS.
for .
A J18.CO HKl-'Ittat-MlATUlt 'R14OO
. What is cooler for summer and in complete taste for a bedroom
A $20.00 $13.OO
for and ? will 'do it.
floor covered with matting Japanese Rugs $7.50
We can sell you a good Japan Rug , oriental pattern , for $5.00 ;
Lxamps. large si/e , 6x9 , for $9.5O.
We have 150 Smyrna Rugs , size 30 inches , which we will clean
the finest and
We have largest assortment
out at SI 98 each. These are worth $3 50 each.
sortment of lamps in the city , embracing
AND SHADES
GRAPERIES
ing Library , Hall , Table , Vase Lamps ,
and Banquet Lamps. The Banquet $6 oo Chenille Portieres , per pair , for. . . , . $3.48
Lamp , from a fad , has grown to be an $9 oc Chenille Portieres , per pair , for $4-78
abiding feature. Our prices are lower $12.00 Chenille Portieres , per pair , for $7.48
than any other house in the city. $1.50 Lace Curtains , per pair , for 98c
$2.00 Lace Curtains , per pair , for $1.20
Crockery. $3 ooLace Curtains , per pair , for $2.00
Don't buy a cheap white common Dinner Set when $4 oo Lace Curtains , per pair , for $3OO
you can buy of us. 55.00 Irish Points , per pair , for $3.0O
A HANDSOME 1JKCOHATED I1LUK OIl < f K f\ ,
brown 100-plvce Ilnvllantl Shape l'lnnerf O.i\B J
k - * v * * v
Set for only
we have in stock 85 of these sets. They wont last long Chenille Curtain , like
e t S2-95
-
Baby Carriages- Fringed with diido Our Terms are Very Liberal.
top" and bottom.
A look at our stock and variety will convince you Cash , Weekly or Monthly Payments.
that we have the only complete line of IJaby Carriages $10 00 w.rth. . $1.00 down , $1.00 wac'i , $4.00 $ month
in the city. We don't keep 'em ; we sell 'em. Write for catalogue of $20 00 worth. . $2.00 down , $1.00 wock , $ i 00 month
$ r.oo CARRIAGES- & 8.OO Baby Carriages , Refrigerators $30.00vorlh \ $1.50 YLCJ ! , $5.00 month
? E ' " 1 Z " $1O.OO raters , Gasoline Stoves , $50.00 worth $2.00 ok , $7.00 nnnth
$2000 CAinUAGKS- & 12.0O Parlor Goods. $75.00 worth $2.50 wie'i , $5 00 month
j.oo CAIUUAGHS- . $100.00 worth $2.50 week , $10.00 moU
for . ' $15.OO OPEN SATURDAY AND $200.00 vnrtli $4.00 week , $15.00 moati
SJO.OO CAUUIAGiS
$1S.OO
for MONDAY EVENINGS. TfiUMS FOH LAHflB AMOUNTS.
j WE ABE THE LARGEST HOUSE FURNISHERS IN THE WEST. WHATEVER. OTHE&3 ADVERTISE YOU WILL FIND OUR FHICES LOWEH ,
HIE HARDY ALPINE GUIDES
Instances of Their Bravery nnd Remarkable
Endurance.
PERILS OF M3UNTAIM CLIMBING
Taught nnil TraluoU from Infunry to Sciilo
the KtiKKC'il UulKhU .Men of Uroilt
ctli , IiitloiuUnblo lour.igo
anil.Implo llulilte.
{ Cop > right. 1M5. )
Some years ago an English clergyman
Rov. A. Q. Glrdlestone wrote a little book
to prove that mountaineering without guides
was not only possible , but pleasant. It is
an exceedingly interesting volume , but as It
transpires In the course of Its pages that
Mr. Olrdlestono has never carried through
an expedition of first-rate dlfllculty , but has
In the courai of his unassisted Alpine pil
grimages fallen Into a licrgbchrund , and
been benighted on the face of a precipice , and
courted destruction by silting down to lunch
In the track of an avalanche , the lesson that
most people will draw from it is hardly the
lesson Intended by the author. On the con
trary , the great majority \vlll Infer rather
that. If they wish to climb difficult places
without perils to their necks , they cannot
afford to dispense with the aid cf these
hardy pioneers , to whom giddiness Is a word
without a meaning , and who always seem to
know , as It wereby Instinct , when and
where an avalanche will fall.
Yet , though the truly great guide , like th
post , Is born , not made , he will have , before
he can be great , to train himself almost as
attentively as though ho wished to bo a
circus gymnast , or a university professor.
Allow me , then , to take the case of a
typical , though purely Imaginary , guide , and
sketch his career frcm the beginning.
BEGINS AS A HOY OP TEN.
And first or nil let us picture the raw ma
terial at the age of 10 or thereabouts. You
ar9 on a walking tuur , tramping , let us ray.
from Staldcn up the Saas-er-Thal. You have
just patbed tonic malodorous hamlet on the
wayside , and you bi-como aw are of a small
boy running after you an I offering to relieve
you of your knapsack. Ho Is probably an
ugly boy , for the Swiss arc not a hanlsomo
race. His manner of walking Is ungainly , for
the dwellers among the mounta'n * Invariably
acquire a lumbering gait , llut you notice
that ho gees well. Alter a ten miles' trudge
and much of It up hill ho has hardly
turned n hair , and all the way he prattles to
you merrily. Ho has been up the Halfrln. ho
tells you on affair of more than 13,000 feet.
IIli father tcok him there at the beginning
of the season. Ills father Is a guide , and
ho , too , means to be a guide when ho grows
up. And EO , no doubt , he will , but drat ho
will have a lot of things to learn.
He will begin in the humble character ol
porter a carrier of blankets and provisions
and It may be of a camera. He wlll-cagerl >
look out for the chance to serve as portet
under some guide , like Mclchlor Andercgg or
Entile Hey , who Is an admitted master of
the craft. When such a chance occurs he
will not stand out obstinately for the ( arid
fee , but will cheerfully suffer the head guide
to deduct from It any commission that he
likes. Sometimes he may even go so far
as to volunter his cervices without any
fee at all. For he knows that It Is only by
taking part In difficult expeditions , so di
rected , that ho will be able to learn the things
be needs to learn the best way of cutting
steps , the signs by which a man may detect
yio tracks of avalanches , and the lay of con
cealed crevasses , and determine whether the
snow on which he U about to walk will hold
Its place , or crack and slide away with him
down Ice-slopes Into cavernous nbyiscs. Al
Jbefi IWJ5' ! S'JI ' yoonir porter will gradually
Ifart , WdTpftsViiUy TaWTfc pro&ioledti
serve aa second guide where two are taken ,
and later he may even lead a party that It
trying to find a new route up the Dent
Blanche. Uut , before he does that , he will
have to go to school and pass examinations ,
and obtain certificates ot bis proficiency.
A SCHOOL OP GUIDES.
For they bavo a tchool of guides at Slon ,
the capital of the Canton Valals. It holds Its
classes at times of the year when guides
and porters are mainly unemployed ; and our
sulde will have to pass through It with the
est. The actual practice of his craft , we
nay presume , he knows already. He has no
actual need to join the glacier parties formed
to study step-cutting , nnd the use of the
rope , and the passage cf difficult ssracs. But
here are theoretical classes which are very
iseful to him. He learns the topography of
Switzerland from the large official maps ,
le has the oppwrtunlty of learning such for
eign languages as English and Italian , and ,
inally , whatever degree of efficiency he may
mvo shonn , he gets an official testimonial
jearlng witness of It. This he will have
mstcd Into a little book , which will also con-
aln a printed list of the different fees which
IB Is permitted to charge , or the various ex
cursions and written recommendations from
tils various employers ; and thus equipped he
will go dally Into the mountains , carrying
ils life In his hands.
Courage , devotion and great physical
strength these , together with discretion , are
the great qualities that are required from Al
pine guides ; and many stirring stories are
recorded of their prowess at the needful hour.
AVOIDING A PALLING BOULDEU.
Here , for example. Is the story of a ? reat
deed done by the brave I'etor Knubel on the
Lyckamm.
GIIEAT DEEDS DONE.
The Lyskaiim , It should be remarked , la
one of the most disagreeably dangerous
mountains in the whole of Switzerland. Most
of the route lies along : a ridge of tnow with
a deep slope on one side of It nnd a precipice
veiled from view on the other. The ascent
on this occasion had been made In safety ,
but during the descent an accident occurred ,
The party , of course , were secured together
by the rope. One of them slipped. The
Impetus ot his fall dragged his nearest com
panions from their foothold and the whole
weight of the three falling men came upon
I'cter Knubel. He knew that he could nol
withstand It , and he had or.ly a fraction ol
a second In which to decide what he would
do. On the Initant , before the rope had time
to tighten , be threw himself over the preci
pice , crashing through the cornice , and hung
suspended In mld-alr , balancing his com
panions and checking their fall long enougt
.to enable them to get their Ice axes intc
play and cut themselves fresh steps anil
haul old Pet.'r up onto the ridge again.
It was a gallant deed , but It docs nol
stand alona In the gallant history of Alpine
; .lventurSl P tcr _ K bcl' . . famouj Jeap tooj
place In 187L in 18SO ulrlch Aimer tavet ]
a party In exactly the same fashion , by i
leap exactly similar , on the Ober Qabelhorn
and other guides have done the same thine
In later years , both on Monte Itoia and or
the IMz Uernlna In the Cngadlnc , This lat
ler story , Indeed , has a special horror ot Iti
own which makes Its recital In the smoklnf
room ot the nitfelbaus or the Zermatter Ho :
even moro thrilling than the others. For
in this ca-e the three men who floundered
on the Ice slope had all lost their Ic = axes
as they fell So the guide whose body
swung on the face of the prectp.ce , balancing
them , shouted :
"Thero Is only one chance for us. I am
going to throw my Ice ax over to you. Look
out for It and catch It , for If jou miss It wo
are lost. Now , are you ready ? One two
three.1"
And then he threw It , aid one of the others
caught It and their lives were saveJ , though
the man who save ! them had got Injuries
from the strain from which he never after
ward recovered.
INSTANCES OF GREAT ENDURANCE.
These are typical anecdotes to show of
what stern stuff the Alp'ne guides are made.
One or two may also be recounted to show
to what extent their physical power and en
durance ROCS. The hero of the first story Is
Michel Poyot of the village of Les Moussous ,
near Chamonlx , and the narrator Is his em
ployer , Mr. James Ecclcs , for whose benefit
he exercised his strength. Mr. Ecclcs and Ills
smlde were going over the Col du Tour to
Argentlere , when Mr , Eccles was suddenly
taken 111.
"Several times , " he writes , "dU Michel en
deavor to Impress on mo the urgent necessity
of getting over the Col du Ttur , anil as I
gave little attention to his entreaties , ho
lifted me on to my legs and tried to lead me
along. Ills efforts were quite useless ; my
legs refused to work , and I sub Idcdd on to
the snow. It was half past 3 o'clock and the
petition was serious. Descent by the Glacier
dc Trlent was not even to be thought of , and
the distance to the Col was yet considerable.
At last ho cried out : 'It Is absolutely neces
sary that I carry you , ' and carry me he did.
First , taking knapsacks , ropes airJ Ice axes tea
a distance of about 100 yards , onward , ho
laid them down and returned to me. Then
ho put mo on his back and carried mo about
the same distance beyond the knapsacks , for
which he returned , after putting me In my
turn on the glacier. These operations were
repeated until we had passed the Col , and
descended a const lerablc distance on the
Glac'cr du Tour , when I began to recover ,
and with many halts and descending very
slowly , wo arrived at last at the village of
Lo Tour , after nightfall. "
DARING EXHIBITION OF STRENGTH.
A strong man that ! Yet , here Is a story
of a stronger a man , too , who was never
famous , and whose name even has escaped
my recollection , though his wonderful
achievement dwells there readily.
It happened on an ice slope eomewhcre In
the Engadlne. The guide was cutting his
way up to It , with a single tourist roped to
him. Presently the guide reached a huge
stone , Imbedded In the Ice , and to all ap
pearances so firmly fixed that It might be
safely trodden on. He stepped on It , and to
his horror it began to move , rolling down
the slope In the- direction of his companion
and threatening to sweep him from his foot
hold Into the abysmal crevasses of the
glacier below. It seemed as though nothing
but thf cutting of the rope could cave them
both from being carried to their destruction.
But the guide was equal to the emergency.
He put his foot back Instantly into the'step
he bad quitted , and standing firmly on his
left foot , grasped the rope with his right
hand and jerked his companion from his
place. Like a weight at the end of a pendu
lum the man swung , hanging from his
guide's waist , far out of the way of the
falling boulder ! Then , when the stone had
past , he swung back again , arrested himself
with his axe , and once more got Into his
steps.
SKILL IN FINDING HIS WAY.
Another charactetlstlc of great guides Is
the wonderful skill with which they find
their way through dlfllculty and doubtful
places , and ot none ot the guides Is this
more true than that ot the Illustrious Mel-
chlor Anderegg , whom expert Alpine opinion
has pronounced to be the greatest of them
all. His passages through unknown and In
tricate eeraca have been compared to that
of an Indian chieftain through primeval for
ests , and his unerring Instinct does not for-
blm when be quits the mountain for the
r"t3i 5i 2 fcv. rX vP NaWYcs * ,
"Five and twenty years ago , " writes his
old friend and employer , Mr. C. E. Mat
thews , "ho came to England on a winter
visit to some of bis old friends. He arrived
at the London Bridge atatlon In tbe middle
of a genuine London fog. He was met by
Mr , Stephen and Mr. HlnchcllfT , who accom
panied him on toot to tbe rooms ol tbe latter
gentleman In Linctln's Inn Fields. A diy or
two later the same party found themselves
at the same elation on their return from
Woolwich. 'Now Melcholr. ' said Mr. Hlnch-
cliff , 'you will lead us back horn' . ' Instantly
the skillful guide , who had never seen a
larger town than Berne , accepted the situa
tion and found his way straight back with
out any dlfllculty , pausing for consideration
only once , as If to examine the landmarks at
the foot of Chancery Lane.
PERSONAL PECULIARITIES.
Doing so many doughty deeds , the greater
guides may be forgiven If they are a little
touched with vanity ; and when they have
the vice they display it with an unconscious
and refreshing naivete that almost makes
It an attractive quality. Once , for example ,
the late Prof. Tyndall said to his favorite
guide , Bennen , who afterward perished In
an avalanche on the Haul de Cry : "Sle slnd
der GarlbaUl der Fuhrer , Bennen ; " ( you are
the Garldaldl of guides. Bennen ) , and Bennen
simply answered : "Nlcht wahr ? " ( Am I
not ? ) , as though the flattering proposition
were one cf those solid truths that no one
cares to argue. And then there is the story
equally pleasing after Us fashion of the
great Courmayeur guide , Emlle Rey. I tell
the story In the words of Mr. C. D. Cun
ningham.
On ? morning at the Montenvert , we were
watching the arrival of the 'polyglots' as on
Ingenious person once christened the crowd ,
composed cf nearly -every nationality , who
may dally be seen making their toilsome pil
grimage from Chonlx. Among them was an
Englishman , who had just provided himself
with green spectacles , a veil , and socks to
go over his patent leather shoes , and who
only wanted a guideto complete his prepara
tions. Going up to Rey and pointing first
to the Mer do Glace , and then to the
chapeau , he Inquired : 'How much ? '
" ' monsieur ! ' taking
'There , replied Rey ,
off his hat and indicating with his left hand
a group of rather poor specimens of the 'So-
cletc des Guides , ' 'there arc the guides for
the Mer de Glace. I myself am for the
Grande Mcntagm. ' "
MEN OF SIMPLE PIETY.
Last among the characteristics of the
guides It is pleasant to be able to record
their simple piety. Not all of them , It Is
trup , are equally pious ; nor Is the piety of
any allowed to Interfere with the pastime
of shooting chamois at times and seasons
fofbidden by the law. In many cases again
piety is no restraint upon strong language
when the state of rocks or snow provokes
It. Yet , at heart , more especlallly In Ger
man-speaking Switzerland , the guides are
rich In true religious ostntlment. They will
not climb on Sundays ; that Is a rule that no
bribe will make theni.ibreak ; and they take
a frequent part In , the public offering of
prayer and praise. To Illustrate this side
of their character. 1 klll end this article
with an anecdote whlcb Mr. G. S. Barnes
tells of the guide Joeefjlmboden.
Josef Is a great traveler. He has been
all over Europe ; and bo has climbed the
Himalayas with MrGraham ; and once , In
1877. he led a search < party after an accident
on the Lyskamm.
"When the bodies had been recovered , "
writes Mr. Barnes , VHnboden , signed to the
guides to kneel down.In a circle round them.
Then ho tatd a lltaar , while they chanted
the responses. The 'lovely snow field , the
thickly falling snow.uthe black rocks of the
Dent Blanche , from lime to time visible
far above , and then chant of the kneeling
guides heard through the gale , formed a
solemn and Impressive scene never to be
forgotten. When the guides killed In this
accident were , a few days later , burled at
S. NlklauB , a stranger asked the name of the
guide who so carefully ordered the funeral
procession and was sb attentive to every
detail. He was told It was Josef Imboden. "
FRANCIS GRIBBLE.
THE OLD Tl/.V/i
Eugene Field In Chicago Record.
From out a windless realm It flowed
Fragrant and sweet as balm of rose ;
Upon Its breast soft sunlight glowed ,
And still It glides where the jasmine blows ,
An old sweet tune of other days !
Full of the tints of the autumn time ;
Scents of russets and August haze
Gathered and fell like thoughts In rhyme.
May never again that once-loved tune
Fall In my heart as a stream that Haws !
Let It run aa It will like a vine In June
Fragrant and sweet as a summer rose.
A NEW EPOCH IN SCIENCE
Discovery of "Argon , " the Tnird Element
in the Atmosphere.
MADE BY TWO MEN SIMULTANEOUSLY
Interesting HUtory of tlic Preliminary
Kxpariinrnts of I'rof. ItiuiiRuy and Lord
i Pcrnotmllty anil I.ubor-
utory of the I'oiincr.
( CopyrlrlitHl , 1E93. )
LONDON , April 26. ( Correspondence. ) If
you will walk In nt the gates of the Unlver-
s'y college , London , and take the first path
to the left , push open the huge oaken doors ,
turn sharply to the right and open the first
door to the left , you will find yourself in the
private laboratory of Prof. William Ramsay ,
one of the two authors of the recent impor
tant discovery that In addition to the long
familiar oxygen and nltrogan , the atmosphere
contains a third element , which the discov
erers have named "Argon. "
The large bottle that stands close to the
retort , with a glass tube leading out of Its
neck , Is the one. The bottle Is half full of
water and half of argon. The argon Is the
half that looks as though It contained nothing.
Any one can see for himself that It Is argon
Insomuch as he cannot sea anything.
When I walked in I found the professor
In charge of a photographer. The discoverer
of argon was trying , In response to many
fervent appeals , to look pleasant. The photog
rapher had him up In a corner of the labor
atory securely ringed by the most delicate
glass tubes , bulbs , and bottles , so that the
slightest movement of protest on his part
meant serious destruction , and a professor
of * chemistry looks upon broken glass much
as a mad dog docs upon water. Bottles ? I
had never seen so many good bottles put to
base uses. There was a total absence of that
fine golden leaf that caps a proper bottle
with a crown of glory. Not even a highland
man In kilts , with a far-reaching background
of loch and mountain , on one of them. They
all show a bilious blue , which Is entirely for
eign to the nature of a properly brought-up
bottle. The professor was Instructed to look
still , wink pleasantly , and keep natural all
of which he tried to do. It was an Ideal posi
tion In which to catch a subject for an In
terview.
PROF. RAMSAY IN PERSON.
Tall , 43 ( he does not look more than 35) , a
Scot ( speaks without a trace of the land of
his birth ) , black of hair and whiskers ,
kindly eyes , frank , plain-spoken , painstaking ,
accommodating. To lie sure , he Is geniality
Itself , for all his days have been spent with
his bottles and pipes.
nut there are two subjects on which the
professor will talk. These are argon and the
University college , London. Unfortunately
of the first there Is yet but little , to say ,
for the clement has only been discovered ,
and , like a new-found continent , It has to be
explored , and Its features traced one by one
before the world can properly understand It.
Already a swarm of sharp-witted investi
gators are at work upon the gas. Indeed ,
Prof. Ramsay has so many applications for
"samples" ot the newly found element , that
he has had to give a wholesale order to a
glass blower for suitable receptacles to carry
the gas to his fellow workers In the corners
of the earth ,
I'tof. Ramsay was born In Glasgow just 43
years ago , and bis parents , being well-to-do
people , were able to give their son a sound
education. First , In hli native city , where
ho attended the university , and later at
Tublnger , In Germany , he pursued his studies
with great Industry and Intelligence. ReturnIng -
Ing to Glasgow he wan at once appointed as
assistant to Prof , Ferguson , and In that
position he labored for six yean , However ,
the authorities at Drfstol University college
having marked Prof. Ramsay as a coming
man , appointed blm professor of chemistry In
their college , and before twelve months bad
passed ho was installed principal of tbe
college. In this position he continued again
for six years and at the end ot that period
he received from tbe University college ,
London , an invitation to take tbe chair of
\2
What is the "yiiick Meal" Stove ?
A stove Hint Hull's like
A sto\o Hint inak no stnok" , "inell or
sicH.
A siiftutovo. . An oroii 'tnlrnl ' stpvi > 1
A sto\o tli.it jequlr H no cklll to opt into It.
-
, , ,
- .
N
You
willl
have
meals
on
time
ifyou
you
use
QUICK
MEAL
Stove.
The Hest Looking The Host Cooking
The Hent WoikliiK Th Hffct Unking.
The Stiongest nnd Safest.
Mori1 Iinpri ved thnn the Hest.
AtnotiK nil Gasoline Stoves
The " Quick Meal" is the Best.
v-k
chemistry. So he came Into the London
atmosphere In 1SS7 to discover argon.
HOW ARGON WAS DISCOVERED.
It came about In this way. L nl Rnylelgh
took to weighing nitrogen , one of the then
supposed two elements forming air , and he
noticed a strange tiling. Natural nitrogen ,
that Is , nitrogen extracted from the air , he
found to weigh perceptibly heavier than
manufactured nitrogen. He puzzled over this
seemingly unwarranted discrepancy In the
weights of two examples of the same gas , but
was unable to account for the phenomena.
At length he communicated his Ideas on the
matter to Prof. Hamsay and they discussed
the situation. I'rof. Ramsay asked rerml gljn
to Investigate the discrepancy In weight be
tween the natural and the artificial , a per
mission which Lord Raylelgh readily gave ,
and the two celebrated chemists set to work
experimenting and analyzing. That air con
sisted of two gases oxygen and nitrogen-
was an axiom oC chemical knowledge. Uut
adopting the position that one never can be
too sure of being sure , the researches were
begun , This was In April of last year. In
July Prof. Ramsay sent Lord Raylelgh three
ounces of newly discovered gas , argon. As
It turned out , Lord Haylelgh himself had
extracted some from the atmosphere. So the
finding of argon , like many another revolu
tionary discovery , was made by two men
simultaneously. That It works an epoch In
science there can be no gainsaying , although
It does seem strange that men should claim
to have discovered that which since the be
ginning of the world has been In everybody's
mouth.
NEW ELEMENT AS YET LITTLE KNOWN.
Uut what Is Argon more than a third con
stituent of the atmosphere ? What arc Its
uses , virtues , propensities ? What part does
it perform In the economy of nature ?
Most of these questions have yet to be
answered.
That there Is such an element In the atmos
phere ; that It Is not a vague fraction of the
bulk of the whole , but as one Is In 125 of
the bulk of the air ; that In every room there
are pounds of It , gallons of It ; and that It Is
monatomlc , Is about all that Is known of the
gas up to date. However , now that It has
been discovered , and a hundred scientific
eyes are squinting at It , and as many scien
tific nosjs Investigating Its parts , any use that
It may bo put to , and the functions it per
forms , wll | not long escape detection.
Argon Is now being sent to chemists the
world over by parcel post , from the labora
tory of University college. This , to be sure ,
will only be done for a short time , an every
one will soon be able to catch his own Ar
gon.
gon.It exists wherever the atmosphere exists.
PROF. RAMSAY'S COLLEOB.
Although It is a fact that a great discovery
reflects Its light sharply upon Its discoverer ,
still a not Inconsiderable ray of the reflection
strikes upon the Institution with which the
discoverer Is associated , and where he has
pursued his investigations Into the unknown.
University college , London , the working
house of Prof. Ramsay , la well entitled to
the distinction conferred upon It by Its fa
mous professor.
Scientific men , chemists , and such like ,
may venture to plume themselves on this
discovery , and say to the world , "You see ,
you went blundering on In Ignorance , swal
lowing gulps of Argon only twenty times a
minute , until one of us discovered the nature
of what you ore Inhaling. " This Is true only
In a degree. Literature Is entitled to a large
share of the credit of the find Insomuch as
It was a poet and general literary genius
who was primarily Instrumental In the foun
dation of University college , London. Away
back In 1825 , good , patriotic Thomas Camp-
hell , author of "Yo Mariners of England , "
"The Ilattle of the Baltic. " and kcorca of
other stirring poems and ballads , 'which the
charming poets of the present day have
somehow failed to eclipse , not having the
fear of the tchool board before his eyes ,
communicated with certain estimable and In
fluential gentlemen , to-wlt , one Isaac Lyon
Goldsmith ( afterward Sir Isaac ) , and one Mr.
Urougham ( afterward Lord Drougham ) , call
ing these gentlemen's attention , who In turn
called the attention of other gentlemen to
the great need there existed In London for a
university which should be open to all per
sons , irrespective of religious creeds , and In
which oo religious teaching of any sort
should find a place.
The result of these communications was
the founding of such an institution , v.lth a
capital of 163,000 , anJ In 1827 the Univer
sity of London was founded , with Henry
Brougham as KB first president.
In 1831 a petition for a cbartcr of lucor-
poratlon was approved by the law offlccrs
of the crown , but eventually defeated by the
opp < ltlon of the universities of O.\fo-d nna
Cambridge , who desired that the new unl-
\ersity should be restrained from granting ;
dtgrrcs. Consequently , the University col
lege , London , remains degreeles to this day.
This fact docs not , however , prevent It
from being a. most useful and withal popu
lar clucatlonnl Institution.
More than 1,000 young men and women
uio today receiving sound higher education
within Its walls and many an old pupil ot
the college hax after going out Into the
woild attained high positions In arts ami
sciences , for the college nobly bears out the
words of ItH charter by affording at a mod
crate expcnbe the means of eJucatlon la
literature , science and the line arts and In
the knowledge required for admission to the
medical and legal professions. Connected
with the college is a school in which close
upon COO scholars arc taught , and over the
way Is a splendidly equipped hospital with
200 beds ; this hospital has now become in-
tUequatc to the needs of the college. Plans
for one double the size of the present buildIng -
Ing have already , been prepared and the
work of removing the old and substituting ;
the new Is to begin at once.
I'HOF. HAMSAY'S CLASS. I
In Prof. Hampay's class arc120 students ,
the great majority of them over 20 years of
age. For these roomy and well 11. ted out labora-
lories are provided and a peep Into one of
the homes ot experiments and explosions
shows that the students appreciate v. hat has
been provided for their advancement nnd that
they take full advantage of their s ilendld
cpportunltle . The discoverer of Argun hau ,
indeed , a cosmopolitan class. Among his
pupils he numbers Turks , Austrl.ms , Germans -
mans , Greeks , Hindoos , Americans ; but , oC
course , a large majority of the stu.enta are
Londoticni , born and bred.
There are also In the class a round dozert
of lady pupils , and of these the professor
speaks In glowing terms. They are pains *
iaklng to a degree , he says ; careful , studious ,
hard-working and absorb a wonderful
amount of knowledge In a remarkably short
time. As acaln&t this , the professor does
Tiot deny that his lady pupils lack Initiative.
However , ho has two ladles at present engaged -
gaged In Investigating new subjects , I'nil
they are pursuing their research with energy ,
skill and considerable penetration. One ot
these ladles Is preparing a paper on hen
subject , to be read before a scientific society.
There would , doubtless , be a greater num-
her of young ladles as students In the Unl-
vcrslty College Chemistry class for the scl-
cnco of chemistry appeals to the fcmlnlno
mind were It not that there are so few
openings for ladles to follow up this sclenco
after they have once mastered the subject.
Those who now attend the classes are
mostly studying with the Intention of laklne
medical degrees or becoming competent
nurses. ST. GEOHGE ODLUM.
l.V 11XTKKMIS. {
- i
May nili-y Smith.
While children lean their checks In dio\va9) )
prayer
Against their mother's luiecs , and nil the
nlr
Is sweet \vlth vesper-bell , /
See the fpent Day against the sunset
Btund ,
Her smouldering torch down-drooping from
her hand
In token of farewell. ,
With vague regret I watch each cbblnt ;
grace.
Come , Twilight , gentle nun , before her
face .
Bhnll cold and nsticn be ; I
Kohl thy gray veil above her OH she lien , ' '
And fprlnkle her with Incense from thlnO
eyes :
She liatli been kind to me. ]
- i
I'roKprctlve Army Ileilrenirn'i' .
In the five years ending April 1 , 1000 , there
will be 130 retirements for age In the arm/ .
The lift Includes one lieutenant-general , two
major-goneraU , seven brlgadler-genoralfr ,
forty-four colonels , teventecn lleutenant-coloi
nel , twenty-five majors and thirty-four cap *
tain ; . The different branches of the servloa
are represented as follows : General offlcerf ,
five ; adjutant-general's department , flve )
Judg9 advocate-general's department , ony !
quartermaster's department , nine ; subsistence ,
eight , medical , fifteen ; pay , erven ; engineer * *
corps , live ; ordnance , Including two stor -
ko p'r. , fcur ; post chaplalni , four ; cavalry ,
Ixte n ; artillery , ten ; Infantry , forty-on ,