Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 August 1896 — NOTES AND COMMENTS. [ARTICLE]

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Three years ago. when the tax on bicycles was first levied in Prance, the number of wheels In the country was 120.000. The number was exaetiy doubled last year, and this year the total is 322.000. The British authorities in India have been obliged to discontinue the bounties on dead snakes because the natives went into the business of breeding the reptiles on a large scale in order to secure the reward paid for their dead bodies. “It is beyond question,” says the Chicago Times-Herald, “that the average farmer enjoys more of tlie creature comforts of life, better health aud greater independence than the average business man operating on a like capital in the city.” Mulhali, the great English statistician, alleges that at the death of Augustus Caesar the population of tbe earth was but 54,000,000. That of Europe before the fifteenth eeuttiry did not exceed 50.000,000. The world’s population is now estimated nt 1,479,720,400, that of Europe being 357,879,000. This is a great fruit year in this country, aud under existing conditions of cultivation every year, the New York World thinks, ought to bo a great fruit year. In addition to supplying our owu demands we can build up a large fruit-export trade which will be a valuable addition to our resources. The sale in London of the second of the season’s cargoes of California fruit Is reported ns an improvement on the first one. There is a rich future for an industry which has as yet not been considered worthy of recognition.

The Now York Tribune believes that a considerable saving of time will be effected by the new method of discharging and distributing foreign mails which has just gone into operation. Fast tugs now meet the mail steamers at Sandy Hook and receive the mails, which are assorted on the tugs anil distributed to the various railroads without passing through the New York post office. New York continues to be llie grent receiving point for foreign malls, but a gain of several hours Is made in sending them over the country. Every gain of this kind Is appreciated by the people at lnrge, and especially by the business community. The economy of municipal ownership of gas and electric light plants Is proposed us a subject for Joint Investigation by the National Department of Lnbor and the Bureaus of Labor Statistics in the several states, the agents of the national bureau to confine their Inquiries to slates which have no bureaus of statistics. The Inquiry will be made In nil cases upon uniform blanks and according to uniform methods. This will add greatly to the value of results and their convenience for Investigators, because It will make it possible to make easy und exact comparisons. Every electric and gas lighting plant in the United States which Is owned by the municipality will be reported upon, and a sufficient number of private establishments to afford a basis of comparison between the two classes. A Rochester (N. Y.) horseman says: “Farmers are again beginning to raise horses in tills country, und more Aril bought and sold now tliuu there were twa years ago. The cause Is that wo are finding un English market. The English are much slower than the Americans to adopt the new transit system, and they still make great use of the old tramcars, drawn by horses, it lias been the custom of the railway companies to buy tlielr horses in Scotlunil und on the continent. They linve lately discovered that they can get better and cheaper horses on this side of the water. At the same time the American farmers are finding llie same thing out In many localities, and they are raising horses to meet the demund. Horsemen say that tills de mand is increasing each yonr Instead of diminishing.” A Los Angeles man tells The Washington Times that Los Angeles may soon become the largest city in California, “San Francisco,” he says, “lins been steadily retrograding, while the population of Los Angeles lins been as steadily increasing. Los Angeles lias tbe whole of the Interior back of It. while Han Francisco, being situated on a narrow strip of land backed up by mountains, has no place to spread and no country from which to draw supplies. In 1890 the population of San Francisco was 330,000, while to-day it Is only 285,000. la>h Angeles’s population In the same year was 85,000, while to-day It Is 175,000, so you see we are steadily pulling up on them. In my section of the country we know nothing at nil of the hard times that exist in the rest,of the States. Everything Is on the boom.” The British Government has recently prohibited n peculiar game called Barsa Ka Salta, which is popular in India. It consists in making bets on rainy days on the quantity of rain which will fall, and the method of playing it is thus described in an English Journal. Upon the terraces or roofs of many houses in India there is a water tank provided with a waste pipe. Through this tube tbe water escapes if a certain amoufit of rain has fallen. The point of the game is to try and guess when a rainstorm is approaching, and at what time the rain water in the tank will be so high that the waste water will begin to flow out of tile discharge pipe. The natives devoted themselves to the game with such passionate interest that frequent fights occurred, which in some cases itave even taken the shape of actual riots. The children of the State of Tennessee are erecting a building for the Centennial Exposition, to take place next spring at Nashville, and some very unique Ideas are being carried out. All exhibits will be for children and by children, showing children's work. Children’s organizations of the whole country are invited to contribute their ideas and valuable specimens of any sort. Little Miss Lizzie Fearcy, thirteen years old, daughter of tbe United States consul to Colon, suggested a very unique idea which is being carried out. She proposed writing to every United States consul at

foreign ports of the world, over 300 ha number, and asking them for sonao typical toy or doll belonging to that country. Responses have come by scores, and the collection of dolls promises Jo be a most surprising one and of great value. Some very valuable toys have already been received. Discussing tlie suicide of a California millionaire the Salt Lake Tribune says: "The habits of the coast and the climate of the coast barf much to do with bringing young men to such a culmination. The old race there was a generous race. Children were petted beyond all account. Wberea child in the East would have been clad to have n 25-cent doll the child In California expected a S2O piece. 8% they grew up with extravagant idea* in every way, and then the climate supplemented the weakness or the carelessness of the parents. It gave them bounding life and imposed no duties such as are placed upon children in other countries. The three-year-old colt in California Is as large and strong as the four-year-old InKentucky, but the California colt wins all its triumphs before it is five year* of age, and it looks as though the race of men there Is moving under the same condition.” According to a lady who has lived in Jerusalem for forty years, the Jewish population of that city is Increasing. ‘'Twenty-two years ago,” she says, “there were only between 15,000 and 20,000 Jews in Jerusalem. In those days no houses were to be found outside the magnificent walls, the gatea of which were closed at night. Since then many changes have taken place, and the Hebrew population—mainly on account of the Increase of the Jewish immigration from Russia—now stands at between 00,000 and 70,000. Whole Btreets of houses have been built outside the wails, on the site of the ancient suburban districts, which for hundreds of years have remained deserted. It is not, however, only in Jerusalem Itself that tlie Jews abound; but throughout Palestine they are Inlying farms and establishing themselves in a surprisingly rapid manner. Ia Jerusalem they form at present a larger community than either the Christian or the Mahometau.”