Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1891 — Page 3

TAXING AN INDUSTRY.

THE PIANO MAKERS AND THEIR BURDENS. flow McKinley Taxed a Flou.-lslilnjj Ini dustry—Greed of tbe Makers of Keys, , Strings, Fins, Felt and Actions—How These Men Frey Upon the Piano Makers. Pianos were first manufactured in this country nearly one hundred years ago. The industry has grown rapidly, the production last year being double what it was ten years ago. Last year we made about 72,000 pianos, and it is estimated that since 1820 we have made 1,210,000. It is estimated that we now lave 200 factories engaged in turning out pianos or parts used in them —such as keys, wires, actions, etc. The estimated capital of these factories is SI ,- 000,000, employing 10,000 workmen at wages of ® 6, 500,000 a year, using $9,000,000 worth of material, and turning out a product worth $18,00),ooa New York alone has about two thirds of the factories, Massachusetts ranking next. McKinley’s dealing with the piano industry affords an excellent example of liow protection to minor industries may become very burdensome to more important industries. Our piano makers are so successful that they care nothing for protection for themselves; but they have a just grievance against McKinley for the great increase of duty which he placed upon the parts of pianos which are bought ready-made by many of the manufacturers. Such parts are the ivory keys, the wire used in making strings, the tuning pins to which the strings are fastened, the felt used in making hammers, and the actions which transmit the strokes of the fingers to the strings. There are only three establishments in this country engaged in making ivory piano keys, These establishments import their elephants’ tusks free of -duty. Under the oid law the duty on piano keys was 30 per cent. McKinley raised the duty to 40 per cent., and already it is said that a set of keys costs the piano manufacturer one dollar more than last year. The wire used in making piano strings is made almost entirely by Washburn & Moen, of Worcester, Mass. By one of the familiar tariff tricks, the McKinleyites made it appear that they had reduced the duty on piano wire from 3% cents a pound to 2% cents on one size, and had made no change on the other «ize. But at the end of the wire schedules a paragraph was added placing a -duty of 45 per cent, on all iron ana steel wire worth more than four cents a pound. Now piano wire is worth from thirty to forty cents a pound abroad. Thus the -old rates of duty, equal to an ad valorem of 11 per cent on smaller wire and 14 on the larger sizes give place to a 45 -cent, rate, which means increasing the rates over 300 per cent, on the finer and over 200 on the coarser wire. Where the piano manufacturers paid 2% cents a pound duty under the old law they now pay over 8 cents, and where they paid 3 cents they now pay over 12 cents. These higher duties were at once taken advantage of by the dealers. Ju s t as soon as the McKinley *jw went into effect they changed their lists, and wire which had been sold to the piano manufacturers at 50 cents per pound was advanced to 70 cents. The firm of Washburn & Moen, the principal beneficiaries •of the increased duties, were the moving spirits in the recent organization of the barbed-wire trust, they holding valuable patents which gave them a monopoly before the trust was formed. It is currently reported in the piano trade in New York that a large sum of money was corruptly used to secure the advance of duties on music wire.

Tuning pins bore a duty of 25 per cent, under the old law. Although they have never been manufactured in America, this duty did not satisfy the McKinleyites. The makers of piano actions came forward with a loud demand that the duty on “actions and • parts of” bo fixed at 50 per cent. These men did not make tuning pins, but in drawing up their paragraph they made thb language so sweeping as to include everything used in piano making. McKinley gave these men 40 per cent protection, but the Senate struck out the paragraph and tuning pins were made dutiable at 45 per cent. Immediately After the duty was increased the price of tuning pins was raised from ’#3.40 per thousand to 53.20. Another important item is the duty on the actions themselves. The old duty was 25 per cent., but the twelve actionmakers clamored for 50 per cent. Against this increase there was a vigorous protest from the smaller piano manufacturers, who do not make their own actions. In their petition to McKinley they said: “The undersigned pianoforte makers •of the United States would protest against such an advancement of duty as being unjust, obstructive and fatal to the piano-making industry of this country. There appears to be no.good reason for a higher rate of duty on pianoforte actions, since the manufacturers of this article in this couqjry have been .highly successful, having made large fortunes within a comparatively short time under the present protective duty. To raise the duty on piano forte actions would simp,y mean to create a monopoly for a few action-makers at the expense of hundreds of piano-makers.” The action makers, however, got nearly all they asked for. Their protection was raised from 25 per cent, to 45 per cent. Thisincrease was made despite the fact that only a very few actions are imported, and gives a complete monopoly to the domestic makers, two of whom manufacture one half of all the actions used here. A beautiful tariff trick was performed in regard t to the felt used in making piano hammers. There is only one factory engaged in the production of piano felt in the United States—that of Mr. Alfred Dolge, of Dolgeville, N. Y.—the annual production of which, according to Mr. Dolge, is about 300,000 pounds. The only piano felt imported into the United States comes from Germany, and amounts to from 25,000 to 30,000 pounds per year, so that only one-tenth of the lelt used here is imported. Under the old tariff law piano felt was taxed as “manufactures of wool not .otherwise provided for,” at 35 cents a pound and 40 per cent., this double duty being equal to 67 per cent The duty in this paragraph in the McKinley 1)111 was made $4 cents a pound and 50 percent. When, however, the bill was in the conference committee of the House and Senate, Mr. Dolge. acting through Senator Hiscock, had the thiee little Words, “felts not woven,” put into the readymade clothing paragraph, bearing the highest duty of all the manufactures of wool—49)s cents a pound and 60 per •cent By this little trick Dolge’s protection • . *%

becomes complete. Under the old tariff the duty paid en 100 pounds of felt was 8122; under tbq McKinley law it is sl9Jj Some importers have already raised the prioe of foreign felt one dollar a pound. The greedy Dolge had two objects in view with his tariff trick: (1) To shut out all foreign competition, and (2) being a manufacturer of hammers also, to drive out of business all the manufacturers hero of piano hammers who have been using imported felt. The result is that he will be free from all competition whatever in the American market At the same time he will continue to export felt to Germany as he has done in the past, on all of which felt drawbacks of duties will be paid by the United States Government. To compensate the piano manufacturers for having thus offered thorn as a prey to the greed of the makers of actions, keys, felts, and strings, McKinley raised the duty on piapos themselves from 25 to 45 per cent. As the piano makers nqvpr ask,ed for apy protection at all, McKinley’s gift to them is but a shallow pretense. The piano industry is independent of foreign competition, as our manufacturers export their instruments to the most musical countries of Europe. McKinley’s duty on pianos can therefore do them M> good, while his duties on wire, k?ys, felt, and tuning pins can only serve to increase the cost of manufacture, and to strengthen and enrich the monopolies engaged in making these articles.

PROVING THE PUDDING.

CLOTH EXAMINED UNDER THE MICROSCOPE. A Tariff lesson—Cloth Made by High Tariff Manufacturers and by Free Wool Advocates High Tariff Makers of Shoddy Goods. The New York Dry Goods Economist, a protectionist trade paper which wants free wool, has hit upon a novel method of carrying on its agitation against the wool tax. There is in Philadelphia an organization called the Manufacturers’ Club, which is devoted to the high McKinley tariff with its high duties on wool. In New England is another organization called the Wool Consumers’ Association, a body of wool manufacturers who want the wool duty removed. The Economist ha 3 undertaken to analyze the cloth manufactured by prominent members of these two organizations to see if it can discover any reasons why they should differ so radically on the subject of the wool tax. The result of this examination is very interesting from a tariff standpoint. It shows that the men who want a high tax on wool use a large quantity of shoddy and cotton in making what they call woolen cloth, and that the free wool men make good, honest woolen cloth with only a slight mixture of shoddy. The first examination made was on the goods manufactured by Thomas Dolan, the President of the Manufacturers’ Club. The Economist said that one fabric of this manufacturer, which was sold at $1.50 to $1.75 per yard, was found to be “composed of a worsted warp made from delaine wool, which entirely composes the face of the.cloth and constitutes 28 per cent of its weight. The filling makes the balance of 72 per cent., and is entirely cotton and shoddy, in the proportion of 92% per cent of cotton and 7% per cent, of shoddy. “We have also before us,” the Econo a mist goes on to say, “a finer fabric of the same order in a fancy trousering selling at $2.42%, to all appearances a solid worsted fabric, both face and back. An examination, however, proves these appearances are deceptive. The fabric is Of a class known as a filling cord stripe, having a slight mixture of silk twist between the cords. The worsted is of three-eighths and delaine stock, yet every alternate pick of filling is cotton, as is also the warp between the filling cord and the back warp. Thus we have a cloth which every one but an expert Would call an all-wool worsted cloth, yet contains 21 per cent of cotton and 79 per cent, of worsted. Tlio production of this mill is much superior to most of the cotton-filled worsteds that are c-n the market. ” Over against this is the report on the goods manufactured by Jesse Metcalf, one of the most prominent manufacturers of the Wool-Consumers’ Association. Two fabrics of this manufacturer were examined. The Economist says: “The low-priced fabric, at $2.25 less 5 per cent., contains 73 percent of delaine worsted, while 27 per cent, of carded wool yarn containing a small percentage of shoddy is used for barking. “The high-priced fabric sells at $2.75 less 5 per cent., and is a similarly built cloth to the lower one, but made of a somewhat finer grade of wool. The delaine wool is mixed with Australian, and of a worsted made from this blend the fabric contains 78 per cent, of its total weight. The backing composes the balance of the 22 per cent, and is made of a somewhat finer stock than the $2.25 grade.* Another examinatiou was made of the goods of the Camden woolen mills and the Weybosset mills. The treasurer of the former, mill is John T. Bottomly, who was appointed by the Manufacturers’ Club to assist in arranging the wool schedule of the McKinley law. Mr. Bottomly was so successful in getting high duties put on wool that he was banqueted by Kis club. After examining the goods of High Tariff Bottomly the Economist says: “An analysis of these goods brings us to the conclusion that wool is oniy used in a limited quantity. It is a safe assertion to make that the production of heavy-weight woolen goods of this mill contain at least 70 per cent, of cotton and shoddy." Another specimen of fancy cassimere twill was found to contain 71 per cent, of cotton. William B. Weedom, of the Weybosset Mills, is prominent in the Wool Consumers’ Association. The goods of this manufacturer are reported to be “as well and honestly made as goods can be. * “We have not come across a fabric in which a particle of cotton is to be found." “Such an analysis,” says the Economist, “is one of which any mill may be justly proud, and is an analysis that should entitle the mill making such goods to a voice and a very loud voice in the framing of any legislation pertaining to woolens. ” This Is a striking tariff lesson. The manufacturers who clamor for a wool duty are clothing the people with cotton and shoddy; those*who want free wool are making solid woolen cloth. Choose ye whom ye will serve.

To Quit Growing Hay. *

In his attempt to bamboozle the farmers last year McKinley doubled the duty on hay. The old duty was $2 a ton, and McKinley changed it to $4. The benefit thus far derived from this item in McKinley’s farmer’s tariff

amounts to absolutely nothing. Indeed} the farmers of Genesse County, New 'York, are reported as plowing np many of their meadows and planting them, the reason given being the unusually low price of hay. And this in the first year j of McKinley’s protection to farmers! But how can any duty, however high, ! affect the price of hay, either to raise It |or lower it. We produce annually about | 45,000,000 tons, and last year we imported just 124,000 tons. In other words, we raise 362 tons to 1 ton imported. Shut out that one ton, and does any sane farmer believe that the 362 tons will vary appreciably? Moreover, we are exporting a larger and larger quantity of hay every year. Last year our exports rose to 36,000 tons. Whero we are able to export a commodity, competing successfully in .foreign markets, a duty canthavo no effect whatever in raising prices. Do the McKinleyites suppose that our farmers are so benighted as not to understand so selfevident a truth? Clearly, the farmers of Genesee County, N. Y., who are plowing up their meadows, rate McKinley’s hay duty at its true value. They consider it among the things which are stale, flat, and unprofitable. Query—ls this is true of the hay duty, is it not still moro true of the duties on all our great agricultural products, like com and wheat, which are exported in such vast quantities?

Killing Commerce.

The protectionists are continually putting forward the preposterous claim that tariff duties do not restrict and cripple trade. A practical answer to this claim has recently been found in the fact that the steamship company doing business between New York and Bordeaux, France, will soon sell its steamers at public auction and retire from business. The reason assigned for this act is that tho company was doing business at a lo?s as the result of the increased duties of the McKinley law, and tho higher French duties on our grain which went into effect nearly a year ago. Not along ago it was announced that large distilleries in Bordeaux and other points in Southern France had closed their doors as the result of the duties on American corn. Between the McKinleyism of America and that of France tho Bordeaux company found that the exchange of goods between the countries was declining. The stockholders of the company were unwilling to continue doing business at a loss, hence they decided to retire from business. Tariffs clearly hinder trade.

Praising Free Sugar.

The simplicity of the Republican organs in persistently pointing out the advantages of free sugar is beautiful to see. The Cleveland (Ohio) Leader says: “Every one of the 175,000 grocers In the country and their 350,000 clerks are to-day informing their customers that sugar has dropped one-third in price ‘because the McKinley law abolished the sugar on April I.’ It is a big thing for the country—about $65,000,000 a year—and a big thing for the McKinley law. And the reduction will go right on advertising the beneficence of that measure until the Presidential election of 1892.” In other words, the one strong, redeeming point in the McKinley law is where it gives practical free trade! But how is that going to make people believe in protection? This organ points out that the removal of the duty On sugar lowers the price. But the familiar protection doctrine is that increasing duties lowers prices. How can the removal of duties have the same effect?

Graceful.

The ready and graceful wit of the Abbe de Voisenon once enabled him, in a truly discouraging social difficulty, “to pluck victory from defeat.” His courageous effort to escape from an embarrassing situation certainly deserves success. The Abbe accepted an invitation of the Prince de Conti to dinner, but forgot the date, and at the dinner his chair was vacant. The next day a friend said to him: “Monseigneur was very angry with you yesterday.” The Abbe felt that he had been remiss and attended the Prince’s next reception to offer a humble apology. His highness, as soon as he perceived his discourteous guest, turned his back. But the undaunted Abbe exclaimed: “O Monseigneur, you overwhelm me with gratitude. I had been told that you would nevermore have anything to do with me; but I am happy to see that I have been misinformed.” “How?” asked the Prince. “Your highness has turned your back upon me, and I know that is not your custom before your enemies,”— Youth's Companion. ' New Yobk and Brooklyn both spent less money on new buildings during 1890 than they did during 1»89, while Chicago’s expenditures for new structures were greater than ever. The frontage of the new houses built in Chicago during 1890 is fifty-one miles and the structures cost $60,000,000. The boom of Chicago is chronic and continuous.

In these days when reductions of wages are so frequent, cases where wages are Increased stand out in lonely prominence. One such case-of higher wages has been reported recently in Ohio —but It was not in a protected industry. It was that of the trackmen of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. Protection Is not doing much in these days in the way of raising wages. They were sitting quite In dark Where the waning hearth-fire spattered. “Life is but a vital spark,” In an undertone he uttered. “Mebbe,” with a sigh said she— Darker grew the room and darker—- “ Mine ’ud be worth more to me Es It had a vital sparker.” The rolling mill recently organized at Beading, Pa., has been taken into the “Beam and Channel Combination,” usually known as the Steel Beam Trust. This trust is one of the greatest money making trusts now-in operation. It is protected by a duty of $20.16 per ton on structural Iron and steel Adam and Eve had no wealth, few clothes, no diamonds, no education, no ancestry, didn’t edi,t a paper, did not use Haviland china, and ate with their fingers, yet they were one of the first families. Thebe is a rumor that a new weekly paper to be called the Philadelphia Life is to be started. The leading feature will be the publication of epitaphs from that quaint Aid oemetery.

JUST TEN MINUTES

- , TTfi-*, ' "-r,.yy— ■■ ■ ■— _ r , WITH THE NEWS OF THE STATE OF INDIAN ’ *" "* it" Henry Keller Sulelrtert at Fort WaynnHenry Albright Killed by Yamlalta Limited Kipreta at Keelsvllle—lndiana Fatenta—State Board of Health to Enforce the Law— Deaths, Accidents, Etc. Patriarchs Militant Meeting. At a meeting of the Patriarchs Militant in the State at Warsaw, called and presided over by Charles W. Gruesbeck, assistant Adjntaut-General of the Department, tko following elections were made: First Regiment—Colonel, F. H. Foster, Pierceton; Lieutenant-Colonel, G. W. Dowswell, F< -t Wayne; Major Second Battalion, Frcman Crosby, Valparaiso. • Second Regiment—Colonel, J. E. Bciline, Indianapolis; LieutenantColonel, George P. Graft. Knightstown; Major First Battalion, M. H. Chappol, Knightstpwn. Third Regiment Colonel, W. W. Canador, Winchester; Major Third Battalion, Daniel Moyers, Columbia City; Major Second Battalion, J. G. Stober, Wabash. Fourth Regiment—Major Second Battalion, W. H, Northcut, Now Albany. Minor State Items. —The Salvation Army Corps has advanced on Seymour. —Terry Owens, of Wostport, was'killcd by a fall from a wagon. —Alfred Farrington, jr., of Jerome, drank concentrated lyo and died. —A paper has boon established at Bainbridge by'Morrison & Scott. —The delinquent taxes of Montgomery County amount to nearly 920,000. —The residence of William Bales, near Martinsville, was destroyed by Are. —New men have taken the places of the striking DoPauw glass-workers; —The Jeffersonville town council has adopted standard time for that city. —Mrs. Sally Matsen aged 93 years, died of physical exhaustion at Amo. —The Seymour Street-car Company will employ steam as a motor power. —II. S. Winters, of Terre Haute, was drowned while fishing near Martinsvillo, 111. —The new breeders’ association at Greencastle, will build a mile track at once. —Kokomo is to have a distillery with a capacity of 3,000 barrels of whisky daily. —Jerry M. Floyd has driven the Paoll stage 122,520 miles in the past fourteen years. —The city High-school of Crawfordsvlllo will hold fiold-day exercises on May 21. —James Parker, at Tipton, has disappeared, leaving a simple “good-bye”.note to his wife.

—lsaac Kuncrine, engineer, was killed in a wreck on the Clovorleaf Railroad at Kokomo. —Harry King, of Carmel, got a verdict for 91 damages against the editor of the Westfield News. —Asher Cullom, living near Mooresville, was fatally injured by a falling apple-tree limb. —John Schmidt, of LaPorto, was killed by his horse taking fright at a runaway team and failing on him. —A six-ton roll has been cast at a New Albany foundry for the Premier steel-works, Indianapolis. —Putnam County has been losing school-houses by fire at the rate of oneeach month since January. —L. S. Lafferty, the C., W. & M. brakeman, who was struck by a bridge at South Bend, will recover. —Charles D. Tillo, of Fort Wavne, has been appointed a member of Gov. Hovey’s staff with the rank of Major. —John Johnson, of Peru, got a year in the Penitentiary for stealing a bushel of potatoes, for which he received 95 cents. —Mrs. Margaret Tilford, of New Albany, compromised her 910,000 damage suit against the L., N. A. & C. Railroad for 94,500. —John Edwards, a boarding-house-keeper, at Crawfordsville, lays claim to 91,000,000 of the Edwards92oo,ooo,ooo estate in New York.

—John Langford. a Harrison County farmer, returning from Palmyra, fell unconscious by the road and died soon after a scarching party found him, —Six tramps in jail at Crawfordsvillo, refuse to work on the stone pile until fed with potatoes and cake for dinner. Their regular fare Is bread and water. —The festive animal, “the town cow,” in the absence of contrary laws, continues at large in Peru, much to the detriment of shade trees and lawns. —Joseph Combs broke jail at Brownstown, fled, fell through a trestle, sustained severe injuries, returned to give himself up to the Brownstown authorities, was tried at once and acquitted. —John O’Donnell, a miner, was found dead in shaft No. 8. belonging to the Brazil Blockcoal Company. It is supposed he was caught between a bank car, loaded with coal, ant} the roof. His neck was found to have been broken. The deceased was unmarried and lived at Perth. ,

—The cheese and butter factory at Wilkinson is now receiving 3,000 pounds of milk per day. Thus far the company has not been able to keep np with the orders from various places for their giltedged butter and fine cheese. —The Jay County Agricultural Society has let the contract for building an art hall on thclfai# grounds. The officers are determined that the annual fair shall continue to be the best countyfair in the State if anything they can do will assist it. t

—Jacob Rosen bourgor’s planing-miH at Marshall was burned. Loss, 92,000. —Two industrious ptSßdlfll'S- have been selling pounded f harcuAl,, dona up in little bags, to La Forte liougawives, with the explanation that no lamp containing one such sack would ever need refilling. —Grant Phinney, while fishing near Muncie, had his hand and arm shatiored and maimed by an explosion of nitroglycerine which he was handling in a bottle.

—A Jouesboro dyspeptic had his wife and most of j his relatives arrested on warrants for attempting to poison him, and then admitted that ho had committed perjury in so doing. —The government depot, Jeffersonville prison, school board and shipyards have all refused to conform to the Jeffersonville Council order adopting central standard time. The difference is about thirty minutes. —lt is said that Gen. Lew Wallace’s paten t-applied-for, double-jointed, aluminium fish-pole contains divisions designed for carrying lunch and guttermilk, as woli as matehos to light a pipe, and a copy of the latest novel. —Mrs. Meredith, the esteemed wlfo of tho minister of the Friends’ Church, of Moorosvillo, fell into tho firo while suffering from an epileptic fit. Nono of the family was near enough to rescue her, and she received burns from which, it ih thought sho cannot recover. —Three miles from Muncie resides a farmer, Marion Wilson, with his family. Their 11-year-old daughter had her infant sister In her arms, when sho accidentally dropped tho baby to tho floor. Its skull was fractured, and tho child has since died of Its injuries. —Recently one of the small bones In tho leg of Andrew T. Conner, of New Albany, snapped as he was walking along the street, and before that reunited another one was brokon. Mr. Conner then discovered that ho was alllleted with chalky deteribiatlon of tho bones. —Sohn Schneirer, a young man 22 yoars old, attempted to board a freight train on the Wabash railroad noar Delphi, and missed his hold. He was thrown under tho train and so badly injured that both legs have been amputated. There is little- hope of his recovery. He was a miller, living two miles oast of tho city. —Henry Albright, a farmer near Reelsville, was killed by the Vandalia east-bound limited express. Ho was walking on the track with a basket of eggs, on his way to market, and did not seem to hear the usual danger signals, sounded repeatedly. When picked up his faithful dog was standing guard over his mangled and almost unrecognizable remains.

While engaged in plowing now ground, about four miles north of Danville, Jason Thompson and Nathan Thompson unearthei:! clghty-ono stono Implements, relics of a race Jong since extinct. Some twenty foot away they plowed up what had evidently boon an Indian’s fire-place. Tho farm has long been noted for tho number of arrow heads found on it. but this is tho largest single discovery made. , , —Patents have been granted Hooslor Inventors as follows: Hiram Brooking, assignor of one-half to J. Ulory, North Manchester, spark arrestor; Charles E, Darrow, Kokomo, nut for axle spindles; Franklin Fulkerson, Russlavllle, fence; John Jones, Elkhart, railway crossing (reissue); Samuel McDonald, Dunkirk, holdback for vehicles; Seymour Rouse, Indianapolis, pump cylinder; Nathau(pl G. Stadcr, Columbus, molding flask. —Near Roachdalc, Dlclc Adams, a former saloon-keeper, was fired upon by would-be assassins while in bed, and probably fatally injured. Four shots were fired through the window at him, one taking effect In his left breast, perforating the lung. Adams has long been regarded as a desperate character, but tho causes of the midnight assault is a matter of conjecture ‘fjhly. Great excitement prevails In tho neighborhood. No arrests have been made, but suspicion rests on certain known enemies of Adams.

—Frank Lake, a well-known farmer residing in Tippecanoe County since the days when boats came up the Wabash, was killed by lightning during the storm recently. He had been to Stockwoll, and was returning home with his team, when they were driven by the violence of the thunderstorm to seek shelter beneath a broad oak that stood by the road. The tree was split from the top to the earth, part of the trunk being smashed to splinters. After the storm had passed over, both Mr. Lake and his team wero found dead.

—Mitchell has a youthful band of White Caps, whoso members seem to bo doing their work thoroughly. John Grubb, a lad about 12 years old, who Is the son of a hard-working widow, has been in the habit of loafing about the streets all day and until late at night. He continually disobeyed his mother, who needed his help. One night recently, while returning at the usual hour, he was met at a dark corner by several masked boys laying in wait. They seized him, and, taking him off the street, administered a severe whipping and admonished him to mend his ways. He n.,s profited by the discipline, and is not seen on the streets after dark.

—Mrs. Anna Borkenheim, of New Albany, aged 83 years, is dead. She had resided in that city for more than a half century and was greatly respected. —At the examination of applicants for a teacher’s license, at Crawfordsvillo, eight young ladies were detected secreting books from which to iret the answers. The superintendent at once marked their papers “not passed,” and did not even examine them. At the previous examination forty-four person failed to pass out of seventy applicants. • -v , ... V

MISSION WORK IN FIJI.

Bishop Vidal Has Had Nineteen Arduous Ji Year* of It. * B£mof> Juliefi Vidal, of the Fiji Islands, spent a few weeks in this oountry on hi&nvay to France, where he goes in Bearch of financial aid and more missionaries to continne the work of christianizing the South Sea Islanders. He has spent nineteen years in the work, sixteen in the Samoan group and three at his present post, since his appointment as bishop. Bishop Vidal is in the prime of life and of powerful physique. He is of medium height; and his face, which has been tanned by the tropical sun, is made yet darker

MGR. VIDAL.

by a thin black beard whioh he wears. His thick black hair is spotted here and there with gray, but the years have evidently dealt kindly with him. Speaking to a San Francisco Chronicle reporter of his mission he says: “Twelve years ago the Fijians were cannibals. At the present day tho Solomon Islanders, among whom I intend to go, are cannibals. Bishop Epalle was killed by them three years ago. This cross I wear belonged to him. In the Fiji group are 200 islands, about eighty of which are inhabited. One island is 122 miles long and 110 miles wide, and another is of about the same size. There are 135,000 natives and 1,000 Europeans in the group. In the capital, Suva, there are 700 EuroSeans, and at Levuka about two hunred. There are about two hundred Irish Catholics in the group. I have eighteen missionaries and nineteen sisters. Fifteen sisters are engaged as teachers in the native schools, in which there are about four thousand native children, and the other four are in the white schools. There are fourteen churches on six of the principal islands. We have about eleven thousand native oonverts and 180 native cateohists. We have prayer books, catechisms and hymns printed in Fijian, and I am about to print the vespers and gospel in Fijian also. This work is done by the missionaries, all of whom speak the native language. The printing is done on a small forty-pound press I took to the ißlsnds. The language is not hard to learn and a missionary can learn to speak it well in six months. We instruct the ohildren in their own lanf guage and teach them some history, geography, and the four rules of arithmetic. The geography is a general idea of the countries of the world and we have about forty pages descriptive of Oceanioa. We also Instruct! them in the history otf the ohurch since Jesus Christ, “We have a few catechists, who we expect will assist us greatly in ouxi

A FIJI WARRIOR.

■workupon the Solomon group. About one thousand,Solomon Islanders go to Fiji to work on the plantations there, and we have baptized some of them. We expect that they will live in villages together, to which the missionaries wuj. go and from which, with interpreters, they may go out to work among the natives. I want about seven more missionaries, who will make the number twenty-five in my diocese, which covers nine degrees of latitude, from 12 degrees south to 21 degrees south, and 5 degrees, of longitude. The Samoans are far superior both physically and intellectually to Fijians, bat the Fijians, being of a more zealous nature, make better converts. The Vijians are of a far more warlike nature than the Samoans. The Solomon Islanders resemble the Fijians more than the Samoans. The Fijians live verv simple lives, their only care being to have enough to eat. Their dress, which is merely a skirt from the waist, troubles them but little. They dress the hair in many fantastic fashions. They have no use for money. The - converts devote much time to prayer.* ‘'Pnorasaoß VAC&ffN, of the Ann Arbot University, has manufactured a lymph for the cure of typhoid fever upon the same principles as Koch’s, lymph. He has experimented with the, lymph upon small animals. He will try it upon human patients as soon as he has thoroughly tested the Koch lymph, 1,000 injections of which have been received at the University.