Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1892 — Page 4

DEMOCRACY CAN WIN.

EMINENT MEN POINT THE WAY TO SUCCESS. Prominent Democrats at the Reform Club Banquet Give Their View* on Leading: Issues— Tariff Bill* that Should Be Introduced. Talks at the Banquet. At the annual dinner of the Reform Club in New York, William F. Vilas, Senator from Wisconsin, responded to the toast “The Presidency of 1892.” He said the subject was being considered by millions in the streets and the columns of the press. The speaker scored th 3 Republicans for what he termed their specious schemes. He recommended organization, the use of all proper means, the enlistment of all justifiable influences. He deprecated impractical methods, and said that Democrats would always be outmatched in fraudulent acts by Republicans. Mr. Vilas told of many ugly things for which the Republican party was responsible. The Democratic party would be false to every principle of life if it be not truly of the people, standing for the common good, bending to no man. The way to win the national government is the good, old-fashioned Democratic way; of honestly deserving that trust at the hands of the people as their wisest choice for their own good and the unerring public judgment will best discover that deserving in faithful adherence to the Democratic party. He concluded as follows: It is for the Democratic party to win if it ■wllL We do not look upon the Democratic party as the be-all and end-all of endeavor, but as a great Instrumentality for the benefit of our country. We want no platforms for the sake of words. We do not care to formulate a policy merely to win an election. But we want to win an election to execute a wise policy- The Democratic party must lead and win those reforms or years of despairing will pass over our heads. Now is the day and now is the hour. Men and brethren of New York, it is upon you in this hour of national exigency to decide whether the Democratic party shall go forward to a great end, to true prosperity, by the establishment of justice and the equal rights of aIL I believe, 1 feel. 1 we shall not lose patriotism, and determin- j ation will subdue differences, repress am- ! bitions, guide our obvious counsel, and we : may justly hope to see the Democratic party true to its name and origin, sincere in heart and strength, in purpose wisely gathered, In harmonious co-operation, behind a leader, loved and trusted by the people, to go forward to the deliverance of labor, the promotion of our true prosperity, the country’s honor and glory, by the establishment of justice and equal rights for all, and we shall see the fifth century of the new world begin with a firm, advancing step by the great republic in that path of human progress where with flashing orb the queen shall head the grand procession around the world.

< Mr. Springer was the next speaker and began his remarks by pointing out the difference between the Wavs and Means Committee of the House of Representatives and the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Commons of England, continuing in substance as follows: I presume, however, tnat you are not concerned so much about the history of the Ooaamittee of Ways and Means in this country and in England as you are about the opinions and purposes of the Democratic members of that committee in the present House of Representatives. 1 hare bo authority to speak for them, nor can 1 state what measures will be reported by the committee hereafter. No definite action has been taken by a majority of the committee up to this time. They will' at an early day bring forward for tbe conslderation of tbe House such measures In referereacc to the tariff as will in their judgment best meet the requirements of tbe situation and respond to tbe demand of the country for a genuine reform of tbe tariff. Any measure for the reform of the tariff, as j this is a political question which would pass the House of Representatives, would in all probability fail in tbe Senate, or if it flwld pass the Senate, would be vetoed by the President. A general revision of tbe tariff therefore, by this Congress is utterly Impracticable. Tbe position of the Democratic party in reference to tariff reform is scarcely a subject of doubt. What the Democratic party would do if the lawmaking power were in its control is well known. It will be the duty of every Democrat and tariff reformer of tbe United States at the ensuing election for President and Representatives in Congress to use every effort to secure a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress. If this Issue is kept steadily In view and is made paramount to all others there can scarcely be any doubt of the result In fact, upon this issue success Is already assured. The question which most concerns the Democratic majority

in the House of Representatives, and tbe solution of which Is especially Imposed upon the Democratic members of the Wavs and Means Committee, Is what can be done during this session which will Improve our chances of success, and if possible bring some immediate relief to the people. It Is my opinion, and I speak for mjself alone, that much good can be accomplished by the Introduction and passage through the House of separate -bills having for their object the enlarging of the free list, the securing of free raw material, and the cheapening of the mauy necessaries of life to the great mass of the consumers of the country. Something should be proposed also which would more clearly defino the position of the Democratic party on the subject of reciprocity. Our party is in favor of that kind of reciprocity which will bring reciprocal benefits. If free trade with some countries, or lower duties upon some articles of commerce is desirable, why not extend the principle to all countries alike situated, and where important results ■nay be anticipated. I would favor the admission into this country of all the products of the soil and mines of Canada and Mexico and all the products manufactured in

either country from tho products of each country or the United States or of materials which might be imported into the United States free of duty if similar products of the United States could be admitted into those countries I do not know what position will be taken on this subject by the Committee of Ways and Means, or by the House itself, but I am confident that some measure will be proposed which will be more in harmony with the views and policies of Democrats generally than that which is contained in section three of the McKinley act, nor can I state what measures generally will be adopted, by the committee and reported to the House for its consideration. Every member of the committee in my judgment earnestly desires to do that which will best promote the public weal. They are all genuine tariff-reformers and will do that which they deem best to promote this great reform. They may differ among themselves and with others upon methods, but there is no difference among them, so far as I know, npon tho great question which has become a cardinal principle of Democratic faith. I am proud to be associated with gentlemen so distinguished for their ability. for their patriotism, and their devotion to the cause of tariff reform. They will not disappoint their constituents who are looking to the Democratic party for relief from tbe burdens of high protective tariff. I ask of all true Democrats and tariff-reformers that our motives may not be impugned, and that criticism upon our acts and upon the measures which we will bring forward will be reserved'until our work is done, and when it is finished I hope and believe it will receive the approbation of the people and be ratified at the polls November next by the election of a Democratic President and a Vice President and a Congress Democratic In both branches. Bepresentative Breckinridge, the next speaker, referred to the elections of 1891, and declared that the only issue was the -question of the tariff, and though but State officers were to be elected the question of tariff kept Democratic success up to the high mark of the year before. Mr. Breckinridge next referred to the depleted state of the United States Treasury, and made a comparison between the revenues and disbursements, and showed that $30,000,000 of last yew's appropriations had not yet been paid. Relative to the MoKinley bill and the time it had been in force, he said: Onr ai porta have exceeded our Imports,

presumably an evidence of profit, by nearly 9130,000,000. Yet the commercial failures for the last twelve months are roundly $198,000,000, compared with $176,000,000 for the rnuch-talked-of hard year before, an increase of 13 per cent., and for the same period the failures have Increased 10 per cent Congressman Warner said: It is tlio essential of the tariff tax that it is levied on consumption and not on wealth —that it is paid In the increased price of whatever the citizen finds it necessary to have. It is a tax which stands by the cradle, and as every babe enters tbe household vigilantly and pitilessly Increases fts father’s share of public burdens, but which sleeps unmoved while bond Is piled upon bond in the strong box and broad acres are added acres outside Is it fair thus to bar tbe necessities of the poor and leave untouched the accumulations of the rich? Is it fair thus to burden the unfortunate In proportion to his wants and thus to let the miser go free in proportion to his stinginess? Is it fair thus to discourage the rearing of children and lliua.to encourage the breeding of dollars? There is no reason why self-supporting men should heed the shrill clamor of those who croak disaster. You will recall how when Coeur do Leon escaped from his Austrian prison and the news came westward to his kingdom, his people, devouring courtiers that stood about the usurper, Joha, turned pale and passed about the word: “The devil is broken loose.” But through the length and breadth of England the same news was passed as a holiday benediction from village to village and church to church until to the humblest subject it came as a glad cry. “The true king Is coming again to his own.” And so the general downfall of the protective system, which the obstinacy of its beneficiaries is fast preparing, their startled cry, “The free-trade devil Is broken loose,” will be lost in the glad answer of a re-enfranchlsed nation. The people are coming to their own.

Harrison as an Importer.

A dispatch giving an account of a recent reception and luncheon at the White House contained the following statement: “The new service of cut glass was used for the first time, and it was the intention to use the ‘new china also,’ but the formalities of the custom house could not be complied with in time to make this possible.” Hew is this? Doe 6 President Harrison import china, made by the pauper labor of Europe, for use in the White House? The alluaion to custom-house formalities forbids any other conclusion. And yet this is the same Mr. Harrison who in his late message remarks that, “in view of the somewhat overcrowded condition of the labor market, every patriotic citizen should rejoice” at the result of the McKinley policy, which has given employment to labor by excluding foreign products. It is the same Mr. Harrison who, in the course of his journeyings last spring, repeatedly described the "ideal condition” as one in which the farmer would swap his corn and potatoes over the tailboard of Ids wagon for manufactures (china included, of course) made by his near neighbor in the same county. Such is the difference between Harrison in theory and Harrison in practice. In theory his heart overflows with sympathy for the American workman standing all the cheerless day in the overcrowded labor market. In practice he buys his china abroad and leaves tbe American to stand unemployed. As the official head of the party of "homeindustry”and“idealcondition,” Mr. Harrison should be more consistent. In his next and last annual message he will have an opportunity to explain why he does not conform his practice to his theory. In the. meantime the “pror tected" workman in the overcrowded labor market may think that American china is good enough for a patriotic protectionist in the White House. At the same time Mr. Harrison may improve the opportunity to state whether It was he or the foreign manufacturer who, in complying with the formalities of the custom house, paid the til) per cent, tax on that china; or, if the china was paid for out of the contingent fund, whether it was the foreigner that paid the tax to the Government, or the Government that paid the tax to itself, as provided by the McKinley act.—Chicago Herald.

The Producers' Need.

The cotton crop in the South the past season, like the wheat crop of the country, was one of the largest, but thera was no cotton famine in Europe, and the prices have ruled so low as to leave the planters little or no margins on the cost of production. The superficial view is that there has been too much cotton grown. In touching on this subject recently, Mr. Mills finds that the great need of the cotton growers is less ob- i struction to traffic abroad. He estimates that a reduction of the tariff to 25 per cent, above the revenue basis would so increase the demand abroad for cotton as to raiso the price several cents per pound, and add $150,000,000 to the receipts of the planters. If English goods are shut out, they will have less use for American cotton. In ordinary years the same effect will be had upon tho demand for grain and meats. The farmers in the AVest need more than a home market for their products. A famine in Russia and short crops in other countries cannot be expected to come very often. The great consuming nations of Europe will prefer to buy their breadstuffs of the countries that invite their barter most liberally. There will be hard lines for the Western farmer when he is shut in to the home market, however large his crops may be.

They Continue to Come.

Nebraska Democracy has a new convert whose position and ability will render him a great help in the redemption of that State and the permanent establishment of its political virtue. This is Gilbert M. Hitchcock, editor of the Omaha World-Herald, Mr. Hitchcock is the son of the late Senator Hitchcock, of Nebraska, a life-long Republican. The young man naturally began life with Republican tendencies and for many years he has been conducting an independent paper. But McKinleyism, Thayerism and prohibitionism were too much for him, and on the recent anniversary of Andrew Jackson’s victory at New Orleans he threw both hands and in the presence of Gov. Boyd and many other enthusiastic banqueters declared his conversion in earnest and eloquent terms. • Readers of protection organs know that tin-plate mills are springing up all over the country like mushrooms; still the operators insist that the present tax of $16,000,000 i 6 not enough to get the infant on its feet. They would have Congress raise the tariff wall about onehalf higher. But that sort of thing is becoming obsolete. There was but one spot on the North American Continent, it is said, of which there is authentic account, where maneating people dwelt, and that dark spot was withtng the geographical limits of what isnowthe Statesof Indiana and Illinois. These horrid rites were performed by the Miami Indians even where Chicago now stands. . A circular being sent out to postmasters intimates pretty clearly to the officials that their positions will be safer if they send $5 each to the Republican League to aid in the diffusion of political literature. Of course, Mr. Wanamaker does not know about this. Ex-President McCosh, of Princeton College, has undertaken a very ambitious literary work. He proposes to Issue a full set of volumes on the various departments of the human mind, and is at present writing a little book on ethics to begin the series.

IN FASHION’S GLASS.

WHAT TO WEAR AND HOW TO WEAR IT. Don’t Depend Too Much on the Dressnteker—A Handsome Gown, Becoming Wrap, and Stylish Hat, Are Often Originated by the Wearer. Onr Fashion Letter.

HERE is no more I dangerous fallacy ’ I than the prevalent one that all a Ipv woman has to do, BY \ in order to be well Pp: I dressed,is to make [A J choice of a sashWiri l° na b 1 e dressrW maker, and give yj her full power to Mw act i n the premWJb ises, as the lawlijl vers say. One t if] might just as well !! jjl expect to regain }WJ health by merely b calling in any i| popular physician, I J :Bays our fashion 1 1 writer. True, he f t might effect a cure, .JJ and so the fashion- ’ x able dressmaker fylr might occasionally turn out a gown

which would suit your style exactly, but in neither case will it do for you calmly to sit down a'nd fold your hands. You must co-operate; you must burden your mind with details; you must study out questions which your dressmaker, in the natural rush and hurly burly of the commercial side of her business, has not sufficient time to solve for you. The young dude, who puts his whole mind on his tie, accomplishes a result anyway. And what is life without results? A handsome gown, becoming wrap and stylish hat are all results of somebody’s hard work, and pretty generally the hardest falls upon her who wears them. Y'ou can’t unravel a woolen stocking and knit a silk purse out of the yarn; and even admitting that your dressmaker should send you home a handsome party dress your dressmaker can neither get into it for you nor wear it for you. AYhat I want to prove is that this matter of dress is largely personal, and without the personal contribution it can never be made entirely effective. My initial illustration presents rather

FIGURED SURAH DESHABILLE.

a unique reception dress. The jacket bodice has a front and basques of crepe de chine, with a transversal arrangement of velvet ribbon cutting the bust diagonally. The lower sleeve is also of crepe do chine, with ribbon band and bow. This gown may be made up in plain silk for the bodice and figured for the skirt, tho ribbon being of the same shade as the dark figure in the skirt. A refined and elegant deshabille is appreciated by every woman, and I think it would be difficult to design a garment of that class more likely to please than the one pictured in my second illustration. It is made up in a surah with Pompadour figures, but I should add that it may be made up equally well in crepe or other soft and dinging material. It should be cut princess, and have a Watteau pleat, made up of the very full back. It lias hooks part of the way down the front, and is sewed the rest. The fronts have one gore. In order to prevent the train from rolling up, you must make the side breadths longer than usual, and cut them on the bias. The Watteau pleat is gathered and fastened under the collar to the adjusted backs. The turn-down collar, doublepointed on each side, is surmounted with small lace ruche and set off with a tulle bertha. The tulle fronts are scalloped and draped as indicated. Galloon ceinturo with long ends hangs down in front. Bouffant sleeves trimmed with wide lace cuffs. ■ The Watteau pleat remains in high favor and is applicable with equal grace

LONG WRAP IN GRAY CLOTH.

to many different kinds of costumes. It may either be made to take its rise at the cut-out, from a yoke or from the waist. In the last named case it Is well to make one large hollow pleat in the middle with two simple pleats on each

side, an arrangement which produces a superb square train. And, speaking of trains, Just you try to get a dress without a train nowadays, and see if it’s possible. You will find it isn’t. The more second-class and the cheaper the dressmaker, the surer she is to prove herself "just right” by giving you a train. Oh, husbands and fathers, sweethearts and brothers, be easy on us. Once more hear the sad, sad truth. We are not to be blamed for our high collars, our small waists, our long train. It is the inexorable dressmaker who drives us to folly. We may direct her as strictly as we will —the dress comes home cut to suit her fancy, not ours. And what are we to do? We can’t, as husbands and fathers peremptorily direct, send it back. For one reason, we need it to wear; for another, it’s just so much money. Wear it we must, pinching our waist, cutting our throat, sweeping the streets, and, worse still, bearing the sarcasm of all our male relations and the cruelties of

SILK MUSLIN PEBFRINE.

such common-sense women, as we know, who make their own clothes. A handsome long wrap is both a luxury and a necessity at this season of the year, and the one which I present in my third illustration is an extremely elegant garment. It is made up in gray ribbed vicuna and consists of the two parts composing the sleeves, and of a pointed plastron, front and back, embroidered with steel and braid. At the collar this cloak lias a garniture of gray feathers which extends down the fronts. The portion which makes up the sleeves is much gathered at the shoulders and makes a large hollow pleat at the back. This being the season for dances and evening entertainments, I contribute something appropriate in my fourth illustration—a very charming little pelerine in silk muslin, folded over in the direction of the width, so that the muslin will be double. The ruche is also made up double and gathered. The pelerine is pleated Severn 1 times at tho top, diminishing to suit the size of the cut-out. In front, lengthwise, the pelerine falls in jabot style. This pretty garment may also be made up in tulle, veiling, or ajiy other light material. For the small dances now so popular, there are some new materials which are extremely delicate In color, and soft and pliable and well adapted to successful draping—a sort of crepe gauze, running in all the delicate tones so suitable for evening wear, to wit, pale pink, pale blue, cream, etc. They must be made up on silk foundations, and are in all respects the ideal dancing dress. Embroidered tabliers are much affected for ball dresses. Silver embroidery on silk muslin produces an exquisite effect, with which there should be a higli flaring collar of silver embroidery, thoroughly lattened so as to keep its shape. The ceintures in filagree have long ends. Fur will naturally hold its place as a garniture till the season closes. You see it everywhere and sometimes where you don’t oxpeet to see it, as for in-

A NOBBY, TAILOR-MADE.

stance on a dinner dress. In former times it would have been deemed sadly out of place there, but this is an age which,\Jike a spoiled child, is bound to have itftown way. In my last illustration you will find a suggestion for a neat street dress, tailormade, with men’s coat buttons and braided ornaments on the cuffs and collar. An exquisite dinner dress in tulle with Pompadour figures lately attracted my attention. It was made up on a silk foundation. The corsage was in velvet and laced up at the back and was outlined with a basd of pink feather trimming. The short upp>er sleeve was of the velvet, outlined with the feather trimming, and, in addition, there was a bouffant little sleeve reaching to the elbow. The figaro, which composes part of the corsage, may either be made up with the corsage or worn over it. A strange freak in the matter of feather fans for bull toilets is the addition of flowers, the flowers being tied on one side with a bow of ribbon and a sprig running out over the fan. It is certainly a peculiar but none the less effective combination. But after all, this question of dress depends largely upon the Individual. If a young woman makes up her mind that her mission in life ia to “smile sweetly, dance lightly, coquette gracefully and dress daintily," then she has marked out a really easy course for herself, but her more earnest sister, who desires to give expression to her character by outward symbols, viz., by dressing as she thinks and believes, that is, in a manner as far removed from the frivolous as possible, will find that she is setting herself a difficult task. Dress has a certain power of expression, but fashion doesn’t care for this, and rides rough-shod over sentiment. Hence, the fashionable woman must forever nnd always appear to be more or less frivolous. The coldest spot on the. earth Is at Werkhojansk, in Siberia, where the thermometer his registered 81 degrees below zero. Tie soil there is frozen to a depth of 400 feet

FOR OUR LITTLE FOLKS.

A COLUMN OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO THEM. What Children Han Done, What They Are Doing, and What They Should Do to Paae Their Childhood Day*. The Rudder. Of what are you thinking, my little lad, with the honest eyes of blue. As you watch the vessels that slowly glide o’er the level ocean floor? Beautiful, graceful, silent as dreams, they paas away from our view. And down the slope of the world thdy go, to seek some far off shore. The seem to be scattered abroad by chance, to move at the breeze’s will. Aimlessly wondering hither and yon, and melting in distant gray. But each one moves to a purpose firm, and the winds their sails that fill Like faithful servants speed them all on their appointed way. For each has a rudder, my dear little lad, with a stanch man at the wheel. And the rudder is never left to Itself, but the will of the man is there; There is never a moment, day or night, that the vessel does not feel The force of the purpose that shapes her course and the helmsman’s watchful care. Someday you will launch your ship, my boy, on life’s wide, treacherous sea,— Be sure your rudder is wrought of strength to stand the stress of the gale. And your hand on the wheel, don’t let it flinch, whatever the tumult be, For the will of man, with the help of God, shall conquer and prevaiL —St. Nicholas A Small Boy’s View. Small boy—The cat is eatin’ one of her kittens. Mother—Oh, I guess not. “She’s got It by the neck, and is bitin’ it hard.” “That is the way the cat carries her kittens.” “Hum! Mothers never care whether they hurt their children or not, do they?”—Good News. He Knew His Dad. * Schoolmaster—Tommy, supposing :that your father had three barrels of Iwine in his cellar, each barrel conItaining fifty-two gallons, and he’ drank one gallon a week, how long would they last” Tommy—’Bout a month, sir. Schoolmaster—l am afraid you jdon’t know much about arithmetic, Tommy. Tommy—No, sir; hut I know my dad.—Brooklyn Life. He Thought Ahead. Little Jake was involved in the difficulties of learning to dress himself and regarded the buttons 'which [had to be fastened behind his back as So many devices to torment small •boys. One morning he was informed of the arrival of a baby sister, and later 'in the day was allowed to steal into his mother’s chamber to look at the baby as she lay asleep. Jake regarded the small creature with much interest: and the nurse, wishing to know what his thoughts were, asked him softly: “Well, how do you like her? Isn’t she a darling?” “I don’t think she looks much good,” answered Jake with uncompromising frankness. “How soon will she be big enough to fasten my back buttons?” Papa Ate It AU. Coming home to dinner and learning that his wife was out making calls, the head of the house notified the servant that he would have his dinner at once and alone, presuming that his small boy, aged 4, would dine with his mother. The small boy had a different plan, and, acting on it, climbed up into his high chair and waited to be served. The father, supposing that the young man was simply keeping him company, gave him nothing to eat. With a puzzled expression on his face, the boy saw the meal disappear—soup, meat, and vegetables—his own plate all the while empty. As the servant brought in the dessert, the boy’s anxiety greatly increased, although he said nothing. But when the last morsel of cherry tart had gone out of sight, the little chajTbroke down completely. Throwing himself back in his chair, he cried out to the servant: “Oh, Mary, Mary, papa has eaten the whole business!” New York Times.

Pleasure In Giving. The three Carey sisters were objects of envy in the school. Each of them had a somewhat large allowance of money, which was intended to cover her personal expenses. It was the first year in which the allowance had been made, and at the close each of the girls found herself with a little sum in hand. “We can do what we please with it!” exclaimed May. She ran for her hat, and, hurrying to the eandyshop, laid in a dainty supply of confections with which she treated all the girls in school. Jane said nothing, but she spent no money in candy. A day or two later a quaint old Japanese bronze appeared on her desk. “What are you going to do with your spare money?” she asked of Sophy, the youngest of-the sisters. Sophy grew red, but did not answer. May laughed. “Sophy has an ambition to do good in the world,” she said. “She intends to spend her money for a half-dozen instructive books, which she is going to lend to the poor boys in the alley. ” “If I could make them good men it would be better than candy or bric-a-brac,” said Sophy, earnestly. She bought the books, gave them to the boys, and went to their houses several times to explain and talk to them about the stories and pictures. One day, when the sisters were together, Jane asked: “What became of the books, Sophy?” Sophy shook her head. “The boys tired of them in a week, and took no notice of them afterward.” “I have my bronze still,” said Jane, triumphantly. “It is a pleasure to me whenever I see it. Your candy did not last long,” she said to Mav, significantly. “It made us all happy while it did last,” said May, laughing. Sophy sat thinking when she was left alone. Her little effort seemed to have been wasted. The good books had made the boys no better. It had been useless as water spilled upon the ground. Why not buy cap-

dy next month with her spare money; or a pretty bronze? And yet She loved those bad little fellows so much since she had tried to help them! And they ran after her now to speak to her—to shake hands! Her color rose, and the tears came into her eyes. “I will keep on my own way. I like it better than bronzes or candy,” she whispered to herself. —Youth’s Companion. Youthful Replies. One of our school commissioners inspected a down-town public school the other day and examined several girls. Commissioner—Now, I will ask you to tell me the parts of speech of some words you have just read. What part of speech is “Mary Ann?” Little Girl—Noun, sir. . Commissioner—What kind of noun? Little Girl —Common noun. Commissioner—Pray, why do you call “Mary Ann” a common noun? Little 'Girl —Because there are so many Mary Anns, sir. The commissioner smiled and observed to the teacher that the answer ought to pass. On another occasion the commissioner inquired: “You say that all the rivers flow into the sea. Why, then, does not the sea become too full and overflow with all the waters from all the rivers?” The youth addressed eagerly replied: “Because the Ashes drink the water, sir. ” —Comic. Her Idea of It. She was a sturdy little woman of 8 years or thereabouts, comfortably but poorly dressed and carrying a big market basket on her little arm. Her face was pressed close to a window pane, inside of which were Christmas dolls in their holiday finery. A lady who was noticing the little one inquired: “Would you like to have one of those dolls to play with?” “No’m,” answered the child, after a moment’s consideration. “Why not?” “Shouldn’t have time to play with it.” “What can a little girl like y*u have to do?” “I takes care of baby and does the marketin’ for the family.” “Then you wouldn’t care for a doll?” “No’m. It can’t qurril an’ make up like a real baby. 1 like to look at ’em in there best.” The unconscious hit of wisdom in the child’s answer had been voiced by a greater philosopher who, when he looked into the shop windows, accustomed himself to say: “How many things there are that I do not want!”

Home and Foreign Insurance

The Are insurance companies have experienced an exceptionally bad year, according to all accounts. There have been no sweeping conflagrations, hut small fires and incendiary fires have been unusually numerous, and the aggregate losses have been above the average, while rates at the same time have been below the average. Some forty companies have in consequence been driven 'out of business, and the shares of the joint stock companies of New York have shrunk over $1,000,000 in value as compared with five years ago. These latter companies have been forced by the existing demoralization of the business to advance rates, and the turning over to an English company of the business of the Armstrong companies has helped to strengthen the situation there. The Boston companies are preparing to follow suit. Meantime the business here of the foreign and particularly of the, British companies has been rapidly increasing, until it is estimated that they carry fully one-third of the fire risks assumed in the United States.— Springfield Republican.

Blind Tom's Sister.

Speaking of the insanity of Blind Tom’s sister, a special from Columbia, Ga., says: “She early displayed a positive aversion for music. She is the antithesis of her brother. The sweetest melody and most entrancing harmony cause her to rave. The notes of a cornet drive her to desperation, and she entertains such a hatred for pianos that she cannot restrain herself whenever she sees them. She has tried to ruin several pianos, and, as for violins and flutes, she smashes every one that comes within her reach. She is perfectly sane when she hears no music, but the moment melodious sounds cause her tympani to vibrate, her brain becomes heated and she is transformed into a raving maniac. A phrenological examination shows that there is a depression where the organ of tune should be. In Blind Tom’s cranium there is an abnormal development there. Scientific men are puzzled to explain tho phenomenon, and they advance some curious and diverse hypotheses. ”

Steamboat Racing in the West.

The Columbia River and Puget Sound have become the steamboatracing waters of the United States, and great is the rivalry among the boats that ply between Seattle and Tacoma. The Hudson steamer City of Kingston, which was a fast craft in its day and is now one of the sound fleet, has been easily distanced by the new racing boats. The best of them at present are the Victorian and the Flyer, both of which are screw propellers With powerful engines. Now and then the word goes round that there is to be a race, and the demand for tickets forthwith becomes tremendous. All decks are crowded with people of the rival cities, the boats sheer out from their wharves, and the fun begins. There are no snags to be feared, the water is smooth and deep, and fast time is always made. Two years ago the trip between the cities took as many hours. The time has now been reduced to one hour aud fifteen minutes.

Curative Power of Water.

The hypodermic injection of pure water can exert an anaesthetic local effect sufficient for preventing pain of minor operations, and Bartholow gays: “So decided is this effect that there are physicians who hold that the curative effect of the hypodermic injection of morphine is due, not to the morphine, but to the water.” One point more for the hydropaths.— Foote’s Health Monthly.

INSTINCTS OF CATTLE.

Why They Are Excited by the Color Red —Experience on the Pampas. When we consider that blood is red; that the smell of it is, or may be, or has been, associated with that vivid hue in the animal’s mind; that blood, seen or smelt, is, or has been, associated with the sight of wounds and with cries of pain and rage or terror from the wounded or captive animal, there appears to be some reason for connecting these two instinctive passions as having the same origin—namely, terror and rage caused by the sight of a member of the herd struck down and bleeding, or struggling for life in the grasp of an enemy. I do not mean to say that such an image is actually present in the animal’s mind, but that the inherited or instinctive passion is one in land and in its working with the passion of the animal when experience and reason was its guide. But the more I copsider the point the more am I inclined to regard those two instincts as separate in their origin, although I retain the belief that cattle and horses and several wild animals are violently excited by the smell of blood for the reason just given—namely, their inherited memory associates the smell of blood with the presence among them of some powerful enemy that threatens their life.

The following incident will show how violently this blood passion sometimes affects cattle, when they are permitted to exist in a half-wild condition, as on the pampas. 1 was out with my gun one day, a few miles from home, when I came across a patch on the ground where the grass was pressed ■or trodden down and stained with blood. I concluded that some thievish gauchos had slaughtered a fat cow there on the previous night, and, to avoid detection, had somehow managed to carry the whole of it away on their horses. As I walked on, a herd of cattle, numbering about three hundred, appeared, moving slowly on toward a small stream a mile away; they were traveling in a thin, long line, and would pass the blood-stained spot at a distance of seven to eight hundred yards, but the wind from it would blow across their track. When the tainted wind struck the leaders of the herd, they instantly stood still, raising their heads, then they broke into loud, excited bellowings, and finally turning they started off at a fast trot, following up the scent in a straight line, until they arrived at the place where one of their kind had met its death. The contagion spread, and before long all the cattle were congregated on the fatal spot, and began moving around in a dense mass, bellowing continually. It may be remarked here that the animal has a peculiar language on occasions like this; it emits a succession of short bellowing cries, like excited exclamations, followed by a very loud cry, alternately sinking into a hoarse murmur and rising to a kind of scream that grates harshly on the sense. Of the ordinary “cow music” I am a great admirer, and take as much pleasure in it as in the cries and melodies of birds and the sound of the wind in trees; hut this performance of cattle excited by the smell of blood is most distressing to hear.

A VERY RARE PLANT.

It Has Bloomed in England lor the First Time. There has just bloomed for the first time in England a plant whose blossoms have hitherto shed their fragrance only on Lord Howe’s island, a tiny spot of green in the waste of

ocean to the east of the Australian continent. The plant belongs to the iris family and is known as the wedding flower, says an exchange. The blooms, which are pure white, save for a golden-yellow crescent-shaped blotch at the base of the alternate or outer segments, measure each over four inches across. They last only one day, but once the flowering season begins it extends over a long period. The specimens at Kew Gardens reached England twenty years ago, but the lack of the subtropical conditions to which they were accustomed kept them from displaying their natural beauty until of late.

Hamburg’s Finances.

For the first time in its history there is a deficit in the budget of Hamburg. The ancient Hanseatic city, it must be remembered, is one of the Federal States of Germany, and is represented in the Bundesrath, or Federal Council, by a man proud of the glorious traditions and history of his native city. In the budget for 1892 the State income is estimated at 83,321,555 marks, while the expenses are estimated at 87,539,651 marks, leaving a deficit of 5,218,100 marks. To cover the difference the Senate has decided to add 20 per cent, to the income tax of all inhabitants enjoying a revenue of more than 1,500 marks. As Hamburg is a wealthy city, every twenty-eight out of one hundred men will be called upon to assist in getting the financial car in motion.

Two Customs.

Bohemian children listen anxiously on Christmas Eve for the chariot and white horses of the “Christ-child” as he comes flying through the air with his krippe full of presents; but the Italian children go gravely with their parents to churches and cathedrals to see the Bambino, or saint, who presents them with their Christmas gifts.