Hope Republican, Volume 1, Number 34, Hope, Bartholomew County, 15 December 1892 — Page 3

GOSSIPS ABOUT GEMS. How Ensrnvers Workcil in thoOlden Time—Princely Jewels, Keystone. Stones were engraved in the days of Horace. They wore largely done by hand with diamond • noints, like glaziers’ diamonds; the deeper and larger parts of the work were executed with a drill. Emory powder was used, but the wheel anil lathe did not come into use until the time of the Byzantine epoch. It has been conjectured that the artists,in executing minute work, used lenses, or, more probably, globes filled with water. In the time of Francis I., Matteo del Nassaro, of Vienna, cut out the Crucification on heleotrope, so that the red spots seemed drops of blood issuing from the wounds of the Savior. Jacomo da Trezzo (15117), was the first to engrave on diamond, though the honor has been disputed with him. A noted head of Nero was engraved on a diamond by one of the Castanzi in 1790. The earliest instance of an engraved gem is the emerald ring of Holycrates, 740 B. C. Classic history informs us that Helen, Ulysses and Pythagoras wore engraved rings. The father of the latter, Mnesarchos, was a noted engraver of gems. Orestes, in the tragedies, was recognized as the son of Agenjemnon by the engraved ring which he wore.

Gems, to be used as seals, were engraved at an early age of the world. A quare signet of yellow jasper, engraved about 1450 8. C., in the possession of the British Museum. It has engraved upon it the horse, and the name and titles of Amenophis II. Hereodotus informs us *that the Ethiopians engraved signets. In Judea the breast plate of the high priest was adorned with twelve precious stones, with the names of the twelve tribes engraved upon them. Strange to say, however, no Hebrew engraved gems older than the fifth century are known to exist. The Bactrians and the Hindoos are the other Oriental nations of antiquity that engraved gems. The Chinese, early in their history, used gems, soapstone and porcelain for seals, with devices in relief. In old times the engravers selected stones that harmonised in colors with their designs. Bacchanalian subjects were engraved on amethvsts, marine subnets on beryls, rural ones on jasper, warlike ones on oarnelians, sards and red jasper, and celestial ones on chalcedonies. In modern times as high as $4,000 has been paid to an engraver of celebrity for one cameo. The ancients placed an immense value on their gems. In looking up the subject 1 find the following quotations: The pearl given to Servillia by Julius Caesar was valued at over $21,000; the gems on the scabbard of Mithridales were valued at $37,800; the value of the pearl swallowed by Cleopatra is placed $25,000: the gems worn by Lollia Paulina, wife of Caligula, were valued at $1,600,000. It is snid that the Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar owns the most perfect collection of jewels in the world. The finest emeralds belong to the house of Austria. The finest and largest torquises and pearls are in the crown -ewels of Russia, and the finest sapphires known are among the crown jewels of England. Among the crown jewels of Bavaria is a parureof pink diamonds that would command a fabulous sum.

Princely gems have been bestowed at royal weddings. The gifts presented to Mile. d'Albe, niece of exEugenie, were valued at $1,600,000. The Earl of Dudley presented to Miss Moncrieffe, while yet betrothed to him, a bracelet of fifty precious stones and a diamond diadem which was worth $30,000. On their wedding morning he presented her with a necklace of five rows of pearls of enormous value. Mile. Lejeune, on her marriage to the Prince of Chimay, among other jewels received a necklace with an outer circle of forty large brilliants, with inner circles, each of which contained thirty-seven brilliants, a magnificent emerald forming the medalion, and three superb brilliants the pendants. When Murat took refuge in Corsica, after the battle of Waterloo, he had two diamonds worth $10,000 in his pockets, while the diamonds in his hat band were worth $17,000, and those on his epaulets were worth $10,000. Making Cider Vinegar. In the early history of the country vinegar was regarded as a kind of bye-product rather than, as now,one of the important articles of manufacture or of purolv agricultural production. Then when cider became too hard or too abundant for drinking purposes, it was allowed to turn into vinegar j,now not a few of the largest orchardists make no cider at all for a beverage, but use the entire product of the orchard that is not desirable as fruit in making vinegar. As soon as enough apples have fallen to furnish a sup ily,these are ground Up in any kind of a cider mill and tin juice may he pressed out at once and loft to ferment and sour ; but it

is better to keep the pomace in open vats or casks until it has thoroughly fermented, when the juice will be more easily and completely separated from the pomace than if pressed at the time of grinding. After the pressing is over, the sour liquor is put into open casks to settle and is afterwards racked off into barrels not quite full, leaving the sediment in the bottom of the casks. To got the benefit of the warm Fall weather, these barrels should stand out in the sun, but be covered with loose boards to protect the cooperage. On the advent of cold weather the barrels ought to be removed into the vinegar house, where there should be a stove or some good arrangement for warming the house that will keep up a mild and even temperature through the] winter. Many who have no such convenience put the barrels into the cellars to prevent freezing and bring them out again in the spring, ! but when the liquor can be kept above ground and in a warm and dry atmosphere the souring process will go on much better. *

Experience has shown that keeping the liquor in packages of barrel size will secure the desired acidity sooner and better than when stored in large open tanks. Throughout the whole process, until the vinegar is made and no greater acidity is desired, the barrels should remain unbunged, with a small piece of netting tacked over the bunghole to keep out insects. The barrels should be iron hooped aud be kept thoroughly well painted. Some dilution is often necessary in the manufacture, as, where there is an acces» of saccharine matter in the juice, it will bo too slow in turning to the acid condition without a proper addition of water. All the varieties of Summer, Fall aud Winter apples may be used together indiscriminately in making vinegar. During the process the chemical changes eliminate from the juice everything that could identify it as the product of any particular variety. Making vinegar by the natural process will require at least one year, but it will continue to grow stronger and better the longer it is kept. In the first stage of the making the sugar in the juice is turned by fermentation into alcohol and car bonic acid. The acid being gas, bubbles to the surface and escapes while the alcohol is retained. The richer the juice is in the sugar the more alcohol it will contain after fermentation. To brake vinegqj- the alcohol is changed by oxidation into acetic acid, and when this is accomplished the vinegar is made. But when alcohol exists in liquids in large proportions it will hinder or entirely jjrevont its own change into acetic acid. Thus, when a small amount of water is added to whiskey it simply weakens the proof, while if the amount is large the whole will turn to vinegar. So apple juice too rich in sugar may remain after fermentation in the condition of hard cider for years, unless it is diluted with water, for the reason that it contains too much alcohol for a speedy change. Making vinegar may bo hastened by running it slowly in a small stream from one barrel into another a few feet distant, exposing it more fullv in its divided form to the action of the atmosphere or by trickling it down through beach chips, shavings or corn-cobs.

Meteorological Item. “Cool weather is coming on,” remarked the wealthy young man. “Yes, it is beginning to be quite chilly,” responded the editor. “I believe I’ll go and pick me out a winter overcoat. Have you bought yours yet?” “Mo buy a winter overcoat yet? I never did such a thing since I have been connected with the press. Do you know what the difference is between my summer and my winter overcoat?” “No; what is it?” -$0if “In winter I run." The Alternative. Truth. Old Lady (anxiously)—Does this train stop at New York citj'? Brakernau—Well, if it don’t, ma’m, you’ll see the durndest sraash-up you ever see. - A Difficult Post. Little girl (reading from History of England)—His ability and learning soon raised him to the highest post in the kingdom. Small girl (sympathetically)—And was he.always obliged to st.aa.don a post. Miss Smith? Catering to the Public. Friend—Why do you dump all that dirt idto your soap kettle? Soap Manufacturer—If folks don’t find the water dirty after washin’ they think the soap is no good. Almost Incredible. Larimer—I've been reading about Alaska. Bellcficld—Ah? “The Yukon river is 2,700 miles long, and at Fort Yukon, 1,600 miles from its mouth, it is 15 miles wide. “Amazing! Yukon hardly believe it. ’ •

RAILROADS. Annual Ronort of t'.ia Interstate Commerce Commission. A Good Showing—tho Number of Itllleo Number of KoaiU, Number of I*as. sonifArs,. Ktu. . Tho fourth .statistical report of their.’ terstate Commerce Commission, prepared by its statistician, Mr. Case, which has just been submitted, gives aocomplclo epitome of railroad progress in tho United Slates for the period covered. Railway miles in the United States on June 30,1891, (not including double tracks) was 1G8,403.74 miles. Connecticut had to every 10C square miles of territory over 30 miles ol track; Delaware, l(j miles; Illinois, IK; ■ Iowa, 15; Massachusetts, 35; New Jersey 37; Now York. 10; Ohio, 19, and Pennsylvania 33. The increase in railway mileage during tho year was 4,305. This Is less than the average for several years past, Tho greatest activity in railway building seems to have been In tho States lying south of the Ohio and oast of the Mississippi. There were 1,785 railway corporations, of which 889 were Independent companies for the purpose of operation, ami 747 were subsidiary companies, the remainder being private linos. There wore forty-two companies, each of which controlled mileage jn excess of 1,000 miles, and nearly onehalf of the mileage of the country Is the properly of these forty-two companies. The total number at locomotives used by tho railways was it),131), showing an increase of 1,999 (luring tho year, and the total number of cars, the property of railways, was 1,315,011, showing an Increase of 45,94i during the year. The number of men employed on railways in the United Slates during tho year covered by the report was 748,343. Tho extent to which organized Industry has increased tho efficiency of laCor is shown by the fact that railways have during the year, on an average, carried 310,3.6 passengers one mile. Tho total capitalization ol tho United States railroads was $9,839,473,015, or $G0,913 per mile of line. The report shows that casualties during the year were greater than in any previous year reported to tho commission. The total number killed was 5,035. and the number injured, 33,£81 Of these totals the number of employes killed was 2,050, and the number injured was 30,140, Thu number of passengers killed was 393, and the number injured, 3,973. This report emphasizes tho recommendations of previous reports of legislation compelling railways to adopt air brakes and automatic couplers, Tho large number killed and injured in collisions also brings prominently into notice tho necessity of some extensive use of <he block system In the handling of trains and a more perfect application of the principle of personal responsibility in tho case of accidents. An investigation Into tho manner of handling trains Is recommended, it is recommended that express and water carriers, engaged in interstate carriage, be required to make reports to I he Interstate Commission similar to those now made by railways, and that persons, companies, or corporation owning rolling slock used on interstate traffic, should bo obliged to make annua; reports so far as may he necessary for a complete statement of tho kind of rolling stock used by railways. ROTHSCHILD'S PLAN REJECTED. Because America’* Hepre-entativc* Would Not) Support It. In the International Monetary Conference at Brussels on the fill, Mr. James B. McCreary, of the United States delegation, proceeded to point out the difficulties and perils of the existing situationXIo said that, whatever was the cause, the fact remained that a remedy was Imperatively needed. Hr. appreciated the attention which Mr. Do Rothschild had given to Ilia important business of tho conference, but ho could not •npporfctho Rothschild pian. In concluding, Mr, McCreary said: "I believe the best aim of the conforence to bo the general remonetization of silver and the unrestricted coiling* of ( gold and silver Into mosey of debt-paying i power, with a permanent international j ratio of IV-.' o; ifi to 1, and 1 prefer tlia i latter, This, in my opinion, is a system that would give stability to the value of money, amt would furnish tho best remedy for the existing evils frptp-whicfl ail civil- i izcd nations are siuTtrlng" Mr. I> Rothscl-.ilc followed Mr. ! McCreary. He said that us America i Vronld not support !ii» p<oposi lions. ho i jons’.dered that It would ho moat In ac j romance with tho respect due to the con . Terence to withdraw thorn. - i Colonel A. L. Conger, of OI:io 1 pays that in IS9I! McKinley will be more popular than ever. Ex-Governor Tames E. Campbell, of Ohio, denies the. report that he intends to remove to New York. Pearls worth $50,000 were in three years’ time, during the last century, taken from mussels in the Tay. Scotland. The long talked of hot water fountains have been placed in the different wards of Paris, and are meeting with deserved success. Mr. James H. Carletou, of Haverhill, Mass., has purchased the birthplace of John Greenleaf Whittier and presefated it to that city lor preservation.

j POSTAL SERVICE. Pastxnaster-G-enaral "W annamaker’s Report. Operation* of the Department and What I* Needed to Bring It Up to 111* Ideal, The Poslmaster-Oenorars annual report to the President was made public on tho5th. At the beginning Mr, Wannamtiker incautious Die chief develoremeats of the year as follows: Five million dollars added to the gross revenue, the deficit reduced nearly fl.(XH),000; money order offices Increased twothirds, or from 10,070 to 10,089; elghty-two cities supplied with free delivery; 3,700 now offices established, 303 offices advanced to Presidential grade; 10,700,000 miles of additional service: 1,598 now mail routes olisnew mail service established,embracing 8, 0) miles of now service; ocean mail service extended, and six pneumatic lube services introduced. It appears that in the last four years 5,(51 new mail routes have been established, traversing 39,090 miles that the number of postodices has grown by over 8,090; tho number of money order offices over 8,300, and tho number of free delivery offices lias almost doubled Tho report discussed at length the foreign mail service, the t:0 per cent, increase In money order offices, tho 50 per cent, increase In free delivery offices and various other advances that nave b ten made. On the free delivery tho Postmaster-General says; “The experiments have related to villages, but it lias been a daily service and it has cleared u prolit. It Is easy enough, therefore, to say that the free delivery should lie extended furl tier and further; and it ought lo lie done whether It pays a profit to the department or not. f believe fully that great advances could bo made in the direction of country free delivery by an evolution of the star-route service, and wo would see free delivery to persons living along tho highways traversed hjvhe star-route contractors witu little if any Incrnased cost-to tho department in a very few years.” In the matter of I lie collection of mail from letter boxes at house doors,Mr. Wannamaker says: "in Washington City, where the test of (Am of those boxes was made for a month, an hour or more per day was saved to the carrier, and in St. Louis, where the* test of another one of these boxes was purposely made as hard as possible, it was found that there was actually no loss of time, and tho postmasters of St. Louis and Washington promnt'y and unqualifiedly declared that thecollec tion of mail from houses could be undertaken by the present carrier forces. The work of introducing tho honse letter box is now vlgoro isly under way.” The report closes with the following: "My ideal for tho - merican postal service is a system modeled upon a district plan, with fewer offices,and those grouped around central offices ami under thorough supervision. By this means at least twenty thousand offices can he abandoned thiu produce nothing to tho department. In the place of every abolished non-monoy-order and non-register office might be pm, an automatic stamp selling inacli nu and a letter* box to receive mail. With the money saved should he instituted a system of colloct'oii and delivery ify mounted carriers, bicycles and star route and messenger contractors, and gradually spread the free delivery all over tlie country. The classes of postage should be reduced to three, and t he sale of postage to tho world over to one cent for each half ounce, for the average weight of a letter p 4 I10 ' v threc-o'girths of an ounce, I would indemnify to tho extent of $10 for every lo t registered letter. “Tho organization of the department should lie permanent, except in the cases of the Postmaster General and the fourth assistant, and I would add three now offices—a Deputy Postmaster General to lie stationed at New York; a'i opnty Postmaster General to bo stationed at, San Francisco, and a controller to be stationed at tho department in Washington. All postmasters, presidential and onrth class, and all employes in all branches of the departmontshonld have a spocHic term of four years, on good behavior, and their reappointment should be subject to the controller of the department, whoso judgment should he bused on records. I would unify the work, hold it up by a strong controlling hand, reduce tho hours of almost all Banalize and advance the pay. make tlie promotions in every branch for merit alone, and retire old or disabled clerks, perhaps on a pension hind to, ho provided bv an annual payment of ohohalf of 1 per cent, out of each month’s tala ry. “Postal telegraph and telephone service, postal savingsdeposilories. pneumatic tubes-or some electrical device between city sub stations and main offices, ferries, railroad stations and central offices in all largo cities should bo employed without delay. The erection of immense costly buildings for postoffices ought to be stopped, and the department ought to ho allowed to e-pernl a fixe I sum of from $1,000,000 to $5,050 099 each yrar in the erection of buildings upon a lixed plan, sncli as Postmaster-General Vilas recommended. I would grant larger discretion to tho head of the department to experiment with postal inv. nt.lons and flx Mated periods in tho order of business of llin House and Senate postoffice committees to call upon the Postmaster-General for information and censure alike, at which time too, bo could have an opportunity, within right limitation, to present postal subjects. It. would modify the system of lines and deductions upon railroads, and establish a system of compensation based upon speed—twenty, thirty forty, fifty, sixty mile an hour rates. By tills means railroad compensation would not. coat any mere, and wo should soon ho running mull trains between New York and Chicago in fifteen or sixteen hours, and lie tween New York and Boston in four hours. Mail trains tuny move faster than anv other trains. The question of pay is ail that is to bo considered.”

EdiHon’p Answer. You nsk mo about the future of electricity. It is tho coming motive powor. It will be used on all railroads some day, but the point is to got an economical engine. My theory is tc have immense dynamos located all along the Una of the road and have the electricity convoyed from these stationary engines to tho locomotives by wires through the rails. For example, I would put two big engines between New York and Philadelphia and enough power could be furnished to whisk the limited at the rate of 100 miles pci hour. The stamp-window of any posl-oflica 1» a sort of Lick observatory.

KENTUCKY COLONELS. How It Happens that They Are So Numerous In the Bluo-Grass State. Tt is somewhat hard to r an outside bar barian to understand why “Col. onels” are so plentiful in Kentucky. In the first place Kentucky furnished i great ’ many soldiers, both to tho Northern and to the Southern armies, during the war, and naturally somoot those soldiers are sure-enough colonels by r rank and service. Others who were minor'officers, or perhaps high privates, aro now dubbed colonels by way of courtesy. Then wo have a very few colonels who hold over from the Mexican war, and there aro other colonels of militia, like tho Louisville Legion, who come by their titles honestly. The .Governor of Kentucky has the privilege of appointing persons on his staff with the rank of colonel. These colonels are expected to look pretty ind martial at the Governor’s ball and to ride horseback when tho Governor heads a procession. The last duty frequently gives them great pain and' anxiety. There are scores and scores of these Governor-staff colonels in this proud old commonwealth.

Some executives have been more lavish than others in the distribution jf those gilded honors. That kindly old gentleman, Gov. Luke Blackburn. M. IX, was fond of creating' colonels. During his term he made some sixty colonels in the city of Louisville alone, if I remember the figures correctly. There arc various reasons which entitle a man to this gubernatorial complimont. Col. Will Hays is a colonel iecauso he is such a gifted poet, while Col. Albert Diotarnan was given his title hy Gov. Knott because ho was th« greatest business manager on earth. I trust the facts will make it somewhat clearer to the wondering Northerner why colonels are ao plentiful in Kentucky. But there are other reasons. Many prominent citizens ara honored with this complimentary title simply ts a recognition of their merit by the iommunity. Thus every man who conducts a large distillery is ipso facto i colonel; for instance. Col. John M. 'Uhcrton./or Col. Tom Sherloy. Every orominent railroad officer is also a colonel: for instance, Col. Milton H. Smith. Every congressman is a colonel. as Col. Asher G. Carulh. Every man with a government office is a colonel; as Col. George Du Relic. Every groat editor is a colonel, like Col. Henry Watterson. The chief of the police department is a de facto colonel, ai Col. Wood. Then there other gentlemen who are colonels because no other title fits them. But the law on the ■subject is a little vague and has neve 1 : oeen formulated by the legislature. If a man has been a captain in the war, never call him captain; call him tolonel. He is entitled to this promodon twenty-four years after the war closed. The only men proud to be railed captain are the commanders of steamboats, the captains of fire comnanies, the conductors of railroad trains and the officers in a Salvation army. The title of major is comparatively rare, and. therefore, is really more of a distinction than colonoi. Only prominent people who have seen actual service wear the title; for instance, Major Ed Hughes and Major J. Washington Wann. But still if you call a major a colonel he is not likely to get mad at you. By the observance of theso few rules I have jotted down, the stranger can get along in Kentucky without committing any serious breach of etiquette.—Louisville Post-

IN TWENTY-SIGHT BATTLES And Can Freely Say That He Never Got “Used to It.” Colonel James M. Thompson gave tils opinion as follows: “The quality of courage in battle I regard as being to a large extent a physical attribute. I have he rda good deal of talk about the nonchalance of men in action and their ease and composure after the first gun was fired, but I never took much stock in it. I went through the war in the army, and it was my fortune to be in a portion of the service in Virginia, where there was a good deal of hard fighting to do, and there wasn’t any creditable way to got out of it, either. I saw service in twenty-eight battles and I can freely say that I for one never got ‘used to it.’ I never wont into a fight without an all prevading sense of <1 .ngor and was always glad when it was over. Of course moral courage, high patriotism and the military spirit kept the great majority of men right up to the mark, but there were notable instances of men whose physical natures simply failed to respond when called on. They could not possibly go into a fight. A clear head and a full conception of the enormous consequences of cowardice to themselves failed to spur them to the staying point, and on the first whiz of a bullet their signals of distress were visible to all in sight. A well known New York colonel, a perfect gentleman, a scholar, a patriot, and a x’eally noble fellow, was so weak in point of courage and his humiliation so great at really being afraid to face danger that he was forced to retire from the army, went to Washington, pined away and died in a few weeks. I knew another prominent officer whose friends, out of consideration for his well known failing, used to manage, on one pretext or another, to keep him out of engagements and thus shield him from exposure. Men like that are to bo pitied, not blamed. They want to light, but their bodies actually refuse to obey their will.”—St. Louis Globo-Domo-orat