Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 182, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 August 1910 — Page 3

FIJIAN COMMUNISM

NATIVEB OF THE ISLANDS HAVE ALL THINGS IN COMMON. Dr. Basil Wilson, on the Staff of Brlfc ish Government Physicians, Talks Interestingly of the People, Their Habits and Customs. Accounts of a primitive communism in actual present working are brought by Dr. Basil Wilson, who is on a visit to Montreal. Dr. Wilson comes direct from Fiji, where he has lived for the last seven years, and reports that the natives of those islands still have all things in common. “The land is held by the comrnuhity,” he told a representative of the Family Herald, “and each man has his little patch given him to work. Then, whether his crop is big or little, he draws his share out of the common produce. The chief gets a larger share than the other members of the tribe, but each has a right to his share, which is settled by tribal cuotom. “Nor i 3 this the only form of communism at work. Not all the land is held by the natives. They are able to sell and have sold land to white men aqd to natives of India, who reside in Fiji in large numbers. In such cases the land Is sold by the tribe and the proceeds of the sale are divided among the tribe as is the produce of their lands.” Dr. Wilson stated that the native population of the islands was about 120,000, while there are 35,000 Indians and four or live thousand whites. The Indians have come over from India under indenture to work the sugar plantations. They are indentured for five years and then are free to stay in the islands or return, as they wish. After spending five years as free men in Fiji they are entitled to a free passage back to India, but comparatively few avail themselves of it. They find life so much easier in Fiji that they prefer to stay. They go into gardening and small trading chiefly. Their success in trading has given rise to some feeling, against them on the part of the small white trader, but there is no "such problem as has arisen in South Africa in this regard. Dr. Wilson is a member of the farflung line of the British government service. He is one of a staff of government physicians who are charged with the care of the natives and the indentured Indians. They are also allowed to practise privately among the white and free Indian population. There are at present only two private physicians in Fiji; they live ,in Suva, the capital, where the white population is large. The period of service of the government physicians is Beven years and Dr. Wilson is now on his way home on a year’s furlough.

Carnegie’s Daughter.

Margaret Carnegie, daughter oLJLiu drew Carnegie, is an almost constant companion of her father. She is bright and vivacious, thoroughly unspoiled, and is excellent company for the multimillionaire on his strolls In Central park. She is so strong and healthy now that she no longer gives her parents any worry, but instead is full of animal spirits and strength. She has been trained after the manner of the Scotch and is thoroughly unaffected. She has her father’s keeness of mind. Several years ago she gave her parents much worry. She sprained her ankle in Skibo castle and for more than a year she was compelled lo wear a brace. It was feared she might be a cripple permanently. That trouble, however, was cured and the girl who Borne day may inherit more than SIOO,000,000 now is thoroughly strong.

Holds Record for Titled Suitors.

Always at the feet of the. lovely Miss Marie Gebhard kneel princes and dukes, each Imploring her to bestow on him her hand—and Incidentally her great fortune. She Is the daughter of the late William Gebhard of New York and first cousin of Mrs. Frederick Wilson and Frederic Gebhard. Miss Gebhard and her mother have lived in Paris several years. Admiring rumor has It that she has rejected more titled suitors than any woman of her native country or, Indeed, of Europe. Actually she has been compelled to take long journeys to escape the noblemen attracted by her beauty, wealth and wit.—Now York World.

The Chorus Girl.

Antionotte Berton contributes tc Harper’s Weekly an account of her in vestigation of the chorus girl. “It takes all sorts of girls to make a chorus,” says one whom she Interviewed. “You have girls from ’most every state of the Union and from nearly every country of the globe, You have lively girls and scholarly girls, Improvident girls, and girls who save —girls who are fond ol autos and champagne, girls who are drudges and never go out. The average chorus girl is a hard worker —she has to be —and she Ib, as a role, a good f! Irl, although she may be careless in her speech and enjoy a good time..'*

Sweet Peace.

"Mrs. Naggett,” said the doctor, “your husband needs a rest. He must go to Hastings for three months.” “Oh, splendid!” she exclaftned. ‘Til be delighted to go there.” "Very good. You go there, for three months after he comes back. That will give him six months’ rest.”—Tib Bits.

CARRIES BIG LIFE POLICY

Prince Henry of Prussia Said to Have Insurance Amounting to $10,000,000 Against Assassination. In appearance Prince Henry of Pruasla, who is one of the clevereßt and possibly one of the most distinguished of Queen Victoria’s grandsons, bears a striking resemblance to King George V., and, like his majesty, is the sailor of the family. Hfs first love of the sea was acquired under somewhat curious circumstances. In 1871 the Crown Princess Frederick took her two elder boys for a change of air to Wyk\ a primitive little bathing place on the Schleswig coast. The interest of the young princes was aroused when one day a small yacht anchored off the villige, and they appeared to have a keen desire for a closer Inspection of the vessel. The owner became aware of this and offered to conduct them over his yacht and to take them out for a sail. Their mother graciously gave her consent, with the result that before the trip was over the younger had fully decided to become a sailor. It is said that Prince Henry holds the unique distinction of being the only man—royalist or commoner—who is Insured against assassination. He has an insurance of a sum approaching $10,000,000 against being killed by the hand of an assassin. Some years ago, when the prince took command of the German fleet in Chinese waters, this policy was taken out. The risk is believed to be held solely by German' companies. An ardent motorist, his imperial highness’ passion In' Ibis respect is exemplified by the following story: While out driving with a friend one day they noticed ahead of them a slow-moving goods van, the driver of which appeared absolutely regardless of the approach of the motor car. Presently the prince’s car sped past. "Yer fathead!” exclaimed the man, “you might as well ’ave asked me to make room for you.” The prince immediately applied his brakes and the car came to a standstill. After a moment’s discussion his companion returned to the complacent van driver and inquired, “Did you mean his royal highness to be a fathead?” “But,” stuttered the other, “I- —I didn’t know!” “His royal highness Is sure of that,” said, the prince’s companion. “Take this,” he added, handing him a gold coin, “as a present from his royal highness, because you are the first man who has called him a fathead!”

Climate Affected by Deforestation. That the stripping of trees from a country has a bad effect on the climate Is indicated by the following account by a traveler in the interior of China: “Kansu is the poorest of all the provinces of China and the most Inaccessible by reason of its defective communications. Devastated by Mohammedan insurrection in the years from 1861 to 1878, It has never recovered from the ravages to 'Which it was then subjected. The ruins everywhere of what were once thriving towns and villages impress the traveler with a sense of the horrors of insurrection in China. Insurrection means extermination of the vanquished •—no quarter to old or young, to man or woman. Loss of life during the great insurrection amounted to millions, and even in the short insurrection of 1896 the destruction of life was appalling. The province now needs repeopling, but in the absence of communications the work is difficult. It is a treeless province. There has been universal destruction of timber. Even the fine avenue of willows and poplars planted by Tso Tsungt’ang between the two capitals is fast disappearing. Deforestation is profoundly affecting the climate, When rain falls it falls with such violence that it scars the face of the country, which is everywhere covered with soft loess (clay) of varying thickness, with no vegetation to bind the soil together.”

America’s Wine to the Rescue.

If there Is one thing more than another that Europe prides, and plumes herself- upon and crows and brags about to prove her undoubted superiority to America In land, blood and brain, that thing is surely wine. Every European regards his vine and Its wine tree as a sure sign from heaven that Europe Is the world's only real true man’s land, saying America is a harsh land and inhospitable, where the grape can never, never mellow Into the true bliss of a perfect wine. American grape vines are the salvation of the wine industry of this whole world, and without them Morgan or Rothschild or King William for all the world’s power and wealth could not take one Bip of champagne, Johannesberger, Hock or Liebfraumllch and be assured of having It from year to year.—New York Press.

Purified by Trial.

He that can apprehend and consider vice with all her ba}ts and seeming pleasures, and yet abstain and yet distinguish and yet prefer that which Is truly better, he is the true warfaring Christian. I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexerclsed and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race, where that Immortal garland Is to be run for, not without dust and heat Assuredly we bring not Innocence Into the world, we bring Impurity much rather; that which purifies us is trial, and trial is by what is contrary.—Milton.

Two Sides.

Author —iij books sel) like hot cakes. »Critic—’Yes, and they are Just about aa hard to digest—Judge.

SPONGE FISHING

AN OLD FISHERMAN

IN THAT eager search for the secret of life —never more zealously prosecuted than in our day, and never with more startling and baffling results—the lowest forms of living organizations take on a new interest as apparently leading us nearer and nearer to the narrow portal in that thin partition which separates the things that live from all others. The claims which have been made that science has been able to compel inert substances to pass through this portal and to live are yet to be verified. In the capacious and sheltered bosom of the deep sea Is found the home of very many of these mysteries, and may perhaps be found their solution and the beginning of living. Meanwhile, without inquiring too closely into their genesis, practical man has laid violent hands on many of these humbler brethren and made them subject his daily needs and luxuries. Chief among these are the sponges, “perhaps the very lowest of the Protozoa.” The long controversy as to whether they were animal or vegetable has been terminated by assigning them to the higher rank; but they betray a surprising number of points of resemblance with the plants, both in life and death. To begin with, they effect reproduction of their kind by gemmation, or budding, and by true ova or eggs. The United States government has recently published a learned little pamphlet by a North Carolina professor on the feasibility of “raising sponges from tfie eggs.” It seems that the two sexes are found combined in one individual. The eggs, In great number, are discharged through the large apertures, called oscula, on the surface of the sponge, and swim off into the big world as larvae, propelling themselves fcy the slender hair-like processes of protoplasm or cilia, with which their solid, oval little bodies are covered. In size they frequently attain the length of a millimeter; one-lwenty-flfth of an inch. W T hen bred in the laboratory this wandering existence lasts only a day or two; the infant navigator soon anchors himself to some firm basis, loses his cilia and his oval farm and flattens down into a minute incrustation on the rock or other base, spreading out into an irregular shape. ■This becomes a true sponge in fundamental structure, but without reproductive organs, and the length of time required to reach the adult stage is not yet known. If a living sponge is cut with a knife Bud the severed portions placed together, even in a new position, they speedily reunite; but if the portions are of different species, no such union, it is said, ever takes place. If the individual sponges are brought together they also coalesce into one, than which nothing more confusing in the case of an animal can be conceived. Ou the other hand, the strong ammonia cal odor of the dying sponges on the decks of the fishing vessel would the decks of the fishing vessels would serve to convince beyond doubt the least sensitive nostrils that this was Indeed animal life.

In the Levant fisheries, on the coasts of Canada, Barbary and Syria, the depth of the water necessitates diving, the diver maintaining his connection with the boat by a cord attached to a flat, triangular piece of stone which he takes down with him. These eastern sponges are much superior in quality to those from the West Indies and the coast of Florida. The Greek fisheries of the Morea use a flat five or six pronged instrument, and generally Injured their sponges by tearing, it Is said. 1 The American Sponges are classified as follows by the spongers and buyers: Sheepswool, yellow, grass, velvet or boat, and glove, with a few other unimportant varieties. The average value per pound in 1900 was $2.67 for sheepswool, B 9 cents for yellow, 23 cents for grass and 37 cents for all others. The total yield of the sponge fishery for this year was 418,125 pounds, with a total value of 3567,685. This yield is not sufficient to meet the demand, and lafge quantities are imported every year, the greater part coming from the Bahama Islands. Cuba, Haiti, Greece, Austria-Hungary and Turkey. During 1900 there was

an exportation of 71,642 pounds of domestic sponges, valued at $32,199, mostly of grass sponges, for which there is very little demand in this country. It is probable that the progress of science and the enormous increase in all kinds of sanitary and antiseptic precautions will largely diminish the use of sponges, as has been already the case for hospitals, toilet purposes, etc. When received by the buyers the sponges are still far removed from a condition in which they can be placed on the general market. It is necessary to clean them thoroughly, so that no foreign substances remain in them, and to trim off the rough edges to give a symmetrical appearance. This work Is carried on in the large warehouses which the buyers maintain at convenient places along the coast. Unfortunately, other processes are-also employed, such as loading, to increase the weight, rock salt, glucose, molasses, lead, gravel, sand and stone being all used, according to the government’s official report. These substances are mixed with water in water-tight bins and the sponges immersed in them until they are thoroughly soaked. They are then run through a nordlnary clothes-wringer or laid on an inclined rack and allowed to drain Into the bins. The more conscientious buyers are obliged to resort to these measures in order to compete with their less scrupulous business rivals. The bleaching is done at the large wholesale houses or by the jobbers in the trade, and as lime and acids are used, this process weakens the fiber and shortens the usefulness of the sponge. A perfectly harmless method of bleaching employed by the spongers gives a white or golden tone for specimens or presentation sponges. This consists merely of washing them in soapy water, and, after covering them with soap-suds, hanging them on the masts of the bqats or on poles on the. shore. The action of sunlight and of the nightly dews completes the work. For transportation the sponges are baled in burlap, each kind by itself, the bales representing a net weight of sponge of from 15 to 50 pounds. For compressing them, sponge presses, very like those used for 'cotton, are employed.

Notwithstanding all these transformations, the usual sponge of daily use will give us a very fair idea of the structure of the original living animal. In general, the lower orifices may be taken to be the oscular or cloacal openings, through which the waste particles are the ova pass out, though there is in some species but one of these openings. The inhalant pores, which take the place of mouths, are much smaller, and through'them i 3 introduced the water, carrying with it both air and the organic particles for the support of life. Communication between these exterior openings is established in the interior of the mass by a system of ciliated passages or canals connected with minute chambers. This fibrous mass is supported by a species of skeleton or calcareous or Bilicious spicules, all sponges being divided by scientists into two orders, Calcispongiae and Siliclspongae, according to the nature of these skeletons. Though the scientific investigation of these animals has been carried very far by careful investigators, there are still some important matters to be elucidated, as may be inferred from a passage in the latest edition of the “Encyclopedia Britannica:” . . . . it is becoming increasingly apparent that the term mesoderm cannot be applied with propriety to the skeletogenous parenchyma of sponges, and that they can no more be characterized as ‘Mesodermalia’ than can the Alcyonarians.” ARTHUR HEWITT.

His Opportunity.

“You never saw a man more delighted than Flutterby is!” “What’s the cause?” ,- “He’s going to‘get a public hearing for his poems at laßt.” “In print?” “Not exactly. He's been sued for breach, of promise and all his poems are to be read in Open court.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer.

SHORT METER SERMONS

New truth comes through obedience to old. Doing nothing Is learning to do wrong. No man is brave until he has faced ridicule. In some churches cold facts would make a hot sermon. A store of unpractised piety in the heart soon paralyzes it No man can be faithful to divine ideals who dodges daily duties. Some hope to cure the tiger of biting by filling his teeth with gold. The endeavor always counts more for one’s happiness than the success. A man soon gets tired of his religion when he does not work at It It’s a good deal easier to seem fit to die than to be fit to live with. The less a man thinks about his sincerity the more he is likely to have. It’s no use looking in lonely places for men who are really walking with God. The most harmless amusement is poisonous when it is the only food your heart gets. The man who lives by the golden rule never has to talk to his friends about his piety. To be guided by the senses alone is as though one should let the compkss Bteer the ship. One of the worst things about exposing the wolvos is that the sheep will turn and try to rend you.—Chicago Tribune.

RULES FOR THE WIFE

If your husband comes home tired at night, and wants to throw himself on theij sofa after dinner and rest, don’t let him. Insist on his putting on evening clothes and going somewhere He needs a change, not rest. Encourage his buying new clothes In every way in your power. This will always furnish you with an excuse to do the same. If you have an engagement to meet him at a given place at a given hour, remember that promptness is an invaluable asset and never be more than twenty minutes or half an hour late. _ Do not burst into tears ever, unless you feel that It Is absolutely unnecessary. Have a scrap with him at regular Intervals, in order not to let the good old home traditions die out. It you have passed middle age, and have lost the charm of youth, always insist that your husband kiss you when, after a visit away from home, you alight from a railway train. If he has some little Imperfection which annoys him, the rule is to remind him of it six times, in quick succession, then stip three, then six, and so on.—Life.

IT IS SAID:

Woman is like a honeycomb—full of cells. Bee ware! The nails on amputated fingers continue to grow. \ Grass widows are not green. Man is rarely willing to die for his love, but woman frequently bleaches for hers. Vegetarianism in the tropics causes beri-beri. It is difficult to appreciate the generosity of the man who gives you away There are 12.G0G saloons in London. It is the ugly baby that makes the handsome adult But do not, oh this account, go about telling young mothers how homely their babies are. A brown tongue means a bad liver.

SAYINGS OF THE SAGES

The only true conquests—those which awaken no regret—are those obtained over ignorance. The most honorable, as the most useful, pursuit of nations, is that which, contributes to the extension of human intellect — Napoleon.> The chronic mofd of looking longingly at what we have not. or thankfully at what we have, realizes two very different types of character. And we certainly can encourage the one or the other. —L. C. Smith. Absence destroys trifling intimacies,, but it invigorates strong ones.— Rochefoucauld. Get to work! diet to work! Be sure ’tis better than what you work to get—Browning. The friend shows me what I can do, the foe teaches me what I should, -—Schiller.

CURRENT VERSE.

The Horses of Indra. Up from the grUen sea valleys ~ r ~~. That the wild, white horses range. Up from the ocean pastures That the foam-steeds ravage aaß change, ■ ----- -— : — t . —■■ The Storm-God gathers his cloud-hetg And drives them away at his wilL The wild white horses of Indra. That have stooped and have drank their fill. He herds them up heaven’s steep hollow Aslope from the low, sea-marge. And the sky is filled with their thunder And the terror of their charge— Is filled with the sweep of squadrons. The shout of the Storm God’s Ire. And hoofs that strike from the skyway The spark of the levin fire. Beneath them their white sea-brotbera : Run raging with tangled mane. To the cal] of the wild winds warring Through the serried ranks of the rain. 1 But lo! in the east it is dawning. And.clear and blue Is the sky. i And green and peaceful the sea-plain ! When the storm-herds have swept by. —Martha W. Austin, in Scribner**.

Not in Vain.

If I may help some burdened heart His heavy load to bear; If any little song of mine May cheer a soul somewhere: If I may lead some grieving one To know that loss Is gain. Or bring some shadowed soul to light, I shall not live in vain. If I may help bewildered ones To find life’s grandest clue; If I may steady faltering feet. Or help some heart be true; If I may bring *a tender touch To spmg k>ne couch of pain, Or whisper words of love and strength I shall not live in vain. If I may give disheartened ones The Impetus they need; Or rescue the oppressed from hands Of cruelty and greed; If I may bring concord and love 1 Where strife and hatred reign. Or be a friend to friendless ones I shall not live in vain. —Frank A. Breck, in Ram’s Horn.

Sun Magic.

The mist wreaths curled and swirled d'el the crests of the lilac hedges. And the apple boughs were blown and the cherry branches tossed; And the roses seemed to grudge to open their crimson pledges. And the silvery lances of rain slanted, and then were lost * The very visage of grief—tremulous, tearful, tragic; Niobe’s look of woe—sorrow without ad* loy! When, lo! a rift In the clouds, the glamour of gold sun magic. And all the garden shone with the radiant face of Joy! —Clinton Scollard, in New York Sun.

The Modern Way.

I freighted them with hopes and fe&ra To sail across the foam. And vainly have I waited since To see my ships come home. But, ah, my ships were far too tight For crests they had to brave. Too deep the seas of destiny, Too towering the wave. T - _, ’ 1 ! i"- f' ■- 1 ■; And. oh, my ships drew too much draught For waters that were charmed. Too shallow was the stream of chance To bear them on unharmed. When seas are filled and streams are My ships may safely float. Bo I must wait till powers make The tides to fit the boat. —McLandburgh Wilson.

The First Kiss.

Dear, do you mind you of that glorious night. Star-sown, in June, when ws .beneath the trees— Far from the city's din—a gentle breess Cheering the silence—sat in long delight Near, near together? You were aU in white. Carnations in your hair; a bunch oC these Scarlet and fragrant lay upon your knees; Sheer Joy thrilled in our hearts and filled them quite. No wonder that our spirits, those sweet hours Grew closer in communion, came to feet How much without each other they, should miss! So, at the parting, as you gave the flowers, Few words were spoken, but as if tw seal Vow unexpressed -you gave me that first kiss. Carlo BenedettSk

Compensation. Ruin! That’s all tomorrow— Grdund in the dust! what then? To crawl, to beg. to borrow; Our lot. Well, wherefoee sorrow? Are we not God-made men? Is Hope a gaud, all glitter? Is Fate a common cheat? No; any faith were fitter! Think, if life’s cup prove bitter. How death will taste more sweet! j -Harry F. Bowling, i i ’ I Thy Life. Just live thy life in full content: Do all thy best with what is sent Thou but recelvest what Was meant. Just live thy life. Just live thy life. Be not in fear. The strength of wrong shall disappear. And right is ever drawing near. Just live thy life. Just live thy life. Seem what tl»o« art. Nor from slmpUclty depart. And peace shall come upon thy heart. Just live thy life. —4. Ij. Stockton. Poverty. "The people call him rich: his lands Stretch very far and very wide; They call him rich, yet viviere he stands 111-clad and bent and hollow-eyed. •The people call him rich: his gold Is piled in many a yellow heap. But he Is all alone, and old, , And when he dies no one will weep. •They call him rich, but where he dwells The floors are bare, the waHs are bleak; They call him rich; he buys and sells. But no fond fingers stroke hi# cheek. •They call him rich; h% does npt knew The happiness of standing where 3weet winds across the meadows blow And toss the verdant billows there, “They call him rich, but he Is Wind To beauties of the earth an&aky; , Distrustful of all humankind., . They call him rich—l know *iot •whyV • a K. Kbieq