Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1914 — Page 2

Strange Dances of Pueble Indians

STRANGEST of all the Indian dances are those that take place in secret lodges under ground. No outsider is ever permitted to witness these and their character can only be surmised from the dances that take place in the plazas. Dr. Herbert J. Spinden, of the American Museum of Natural History, has recently returned from a four months’ i- 'sojourn among the Pueblo Indians of the Upper Rio Grande. He was especially interested in the Tewa Indians, as his studies on this trip were almost wholly ethnological, and the rich mythology of the Tewas offered -him a mine of material. ' ~ Not All War Dance*. “Most persons think of those dances of the Indians which were really war dances as being the only ones which were practised,’ 1 said Dr. Spinden. “As a matter of fact there are numerous dances, extremely interesting and yery old, in which women as well as men participate and which have nothing to do with warfare. Few of these are wholly social, although some of them have that element. Practically all of them have a religious origin and today retain a religious significance. “The Tewas are a simple, agricultural people and their homes are doubtless the oldest of any in the United States. “When the Spanish came they converted the Indians to the Roman Catholic religion, and nominally these Indians are still fstftoHri ” But while many of the Tewas retain many of the beliefs and ceremonies of the Catholic religion, they combine with them many of the myths and observances of the religion that antedated their acceptance of the Christian. It was because of the early opposition of the Catholic priests to this adherence to the old rites and customs that the people sought secret places under ground in which to practice them. And, although (he necessity for the secrecy has passed, they still hold these secret meetings, have dances that no white man has ever eben and keep up other traditions with a constancy and seclusion incomprehensible to men of a different race. Some white men say they have penetrated to these underground lodges and have seen what was done there, but Dr. Spinden does not believe that they have ever been present at the carefully guarded ceremonies. The most that they have done iB to see the vacant room or perhaps some dance of no great significance. So cautious are they that when there is to be one of these important conclaves at one of the villages an Indian is sent with a roll of cloth to cover the windows and doors of the house in which the teacher, who is much loved and respected, lives in order that she may not see anything that goes on. Of course Bhe Is not permitted to go out of the house. Formerly some one was left on guard, but they trust her now sufficiently to content themselves with fastening up her house. Any stranger who whs In the neighborhood would be jealously watched lest he should get any inkling of what went on in the underground room. Wear Masks. These lodges always contain an altar, and although most of them seem to have no connection with the outside world except the obscure entrance, they have a splendid system of ventilation. The participants in these underground danoes are always masked. While the American (whom they call the red neck, not the white man, by the way) may not penetrate to the underground chambers and witness the most sacred dances, he may see in the plasa dances of great variety and int«e*t, deeply' significant, each one a

little drama in Itself. The Tewas, being an agricultural people and depending largely upon the amount of rain that falls in a given time for the success or failure of their crops, put their heart and their skill into the dances which they perform in the hope of drawing the benefleient moisture of the heavens ‘down to earth. One of the dances takes its name, tablita, from the curiously shaped “little tablets” which toe -women dancers wear on their heads.

These tower high above the straight hanging black locks of hair, the ends being tipped with soft feathers simulating clouds. The men wear very little clothing, the women appearing in the customary black dress, sometimes ornamented with some bright beadwork or embroidery. The dancers scarcely lift their feet from the ground,. but keep them moving rhythmically in time to the music. The most of the motion is confined to the knees, hands and arms. In their hands they hold fruits, leaves or flowers, a favorite branch being that of the sacred pine, which is reputed to have grown in the underground world. There are many dances representing animals, that of the eagle being especially dramatic. The man who is to take the part of the eagle is wonderfully made up.

Over the head is drawn a sort of sack of black cloth that covers the hair and is pulled forward to form a beak. A red line running around the mouth and curling up on each cheek gives the mouth of the eagle. On the body there is little clothing except a short apron and patches of eagle down attached by a gum to the flesh. The arms are made into wings by means of a cord strung with long hanging feathers stretched from hand to hand across the back and a bunch of feathers at the back make a tail. His hands are painted yellow to look like claws. He is lured forth by the dropping of corn, and as he follows this trail he uses his arms as toe eagle does his wings, and with his entire body he sweeps and moves like the bird he is picturing, but always in time to the music. In another dance a man represents a . dog. He is made up to look as much like one as possible, and is led forth by an Indian maiden who has tied her sash about the body and leads him forth as a woman does her poodle on a leash, except that they are both keeping time to the steps of the dance.

Activities of Women.

In Budapest women guides and interpreters wear a different colored ribbon for each language they speak. it is estimated that 25,554,754 women over twenty-one years of age in the United State* want the franchise. Although she is blind, Mrs. Emma McKinsey of Kokomo, Ind., has made Sy great success as a storekeeper. Mrs. Catherine Haverty is at the head of the Haverty Taxicab company in New York, which operates 60 taxies. Mayor-elect Mitchel of New York M in favor of women suffrage, and it Is most likely that be will appoint several women to Important positions in the city departments of “Gotham.” In Japan the big coal barges are manned by women, who remove the coal to the ships. The girls stand on the rungs of a ladder and pass the buckets to one another over their heads. . . i *■!

Retort Courteous

He —did you see where some women In New York, whose husbands objected, to a boycott on eggs, gave the poor fellows overripe hen fruit? > She—Yes, but likely they didn’t notice the difference, for so many of the husbands are bad eggs themselves.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

RAILROAD’S GOOD IDEA

UNION PACIFIC’S SUGGESTION TO r * EMPLOYES INTERESTING.

vyould Havp All Those Working for the Line Refer to ft as “Otir" Company—Keen Wisdom Be- / hind the Plan. .

One of the big western railroads —the Union Pacific —has recently issued a very interesting suggestion—one that could profitbly be issued by many other institutions —in effect that employes, from office boy up to the highest official, use the expressions "our,” “we" and "us" when speaking of that particular railroad. This is a step in the right direction, and its good effect in interesting all employes in the company affairs will be far-reaching. When one pauses to consider that it is the employes of a corporation, or any business, who: make success possible, the plan adopted by the railroad in question is better appreciated. That great financier, J. Pierpont Morgan, once said: ‘‘l do not want anyone in the eniploy of any company I am interested in who is not with that company in the fullest sense of the word, and who will not look out for the company’s interests without being asked to do so.” John Wanamaker put it this wayr “When I see a young man watching the clock near noon hour or evening juitting time I lose faith in him.” Both of these men of finance taught their employes to speak of the business as “omc” —They did it to lnterest the employes and cause them to take proper concern in the affairs of their employers. The employe who Is able to flay “we will give your order prompt attention”; “our respresentative will call and take the matter up with you”; “our company is always quite willing to rectify any error”; or “we appreciate your patronage,” is building bet- : he or she knows. —Omaha World-Herald. '

FOOTWEAR FOR RAILROAD MEN

New “Safety" Shoe Will Prevent the Catching of the Foot In a Switch. - ‘ ' ■ —-

The number of times railroad men have lost a foot by having it caught in a switch when a train was approaching has caused a French inventor to design a shoe having a removable sole and heel. The inner sole and heel of the shoe in question is provided—with two Bteel-lined Tgrooves into which little steel rails of corresponding size and form, attached to the outer sole and heel, slide, holding the two firmly together. Should

“Safety” Shoe With Removable Sole and Heel.

the foot be caught in a switch, the trainman quickly and easily gets out of trouble by jerking his foot forward, leaving the outer sole and heel behind. —Popular Mechanics.

Statistics on Railroads.

Statistics are usually considered very dry and uninteresting, but the following, are striking and simple enough to have the attention of any citizen proud of his country’s progress. These figures are the latest available and may be depended on. During May of this year the railroads of the United 'States received for their services to the public an average of $8,230,000 a day; it cost to run their trains and for other expenses of operation $5,920,000 a day; their taxes were $341,500 a day; their operating income $1,972,322 a day for the 220,897 miles of line reporting, or at she rate of $8.93 a day for each mile of line. Thus for every six dollars of their earnings which remained available for rentals, interest on bonds, appropriations for betterments, improvements and new construction and for dividends the railroads had to pay more than one dollar in taxes. All these amounts are quite substantially greater than the same returns for May of last year. They include over 96 per cent, of the mileage and earnings of all the railroads of the country.—Popular Electricity.

Kidnaped by Locomotive.

“The wild ride of Jim Phelps”— Jim almost wishes he had done it for the movies now —was told the other day. Phelps Is a farmer living five miles northwest of Momence, 111. Driving along in the rain; in a closed buggy, he was suddenly snatched from a soft seat In the rig and deposited on a precarious perch on the pilot of a rushing locomotive. He hung on for ten miles, to Solllt, 111. He has not seen his horse and buggy since. He had only a few minor bruises. The engineer of (he train, a Chicago ft Eastern Illinois freight, did not know a collision had occurred. —Chicago Dispatch to the Philadelphia Record.

Mirror Aids Inspection.

To enable a track Inspector to Inspect rail joints while''standing erect there has been invented an Instrument carrying mirrors.that fit down on each side of the rails. r

SOLVES MOVING OF DRAWBAR

New Truck Has Many Advantages Over the Methods That Have Heretofore Been Used.

Locomotive drawbars are, at best, unwieldy pieces to handle. Owing to their irregular shape and weight it is difficult to balance and carry them, even on a heavy shop truck, and when necessary to move them from shop to shop* the task is indeed tiresome. liie sketch shows a drawbar trncK that can be made of 1-in. iron pipe

Details Showing the Construction of a Locomotive Drawbar Truck Made of Pipe.

and two light cast or wrought-iron wheels. One of the drawbar-pin holes in the bar is dropped over the horn at the front of the truck, and the remaining length of the bar is held by the U-shaped piece at the rear of the truck. The bar, being balanced in this manner, is very easy to wheel, one man transporting the heaviest bar with but little effort—Popular Mechanlcs. ——r-^—^—

THOUGHT ONLY OF HIS TRAIN

Fatally Scalded, Engineer Applies Air Rrakea awrt Stop* Flyer Before H* Losses Consciousness. By great bravery and presence of mind William'A. Carr, sixty years ol<J, an engineer on the Pennsylvania railroad, saved the Philadelphia-New York express when the boiler flues blew out, filling, the nail with steam and scalding him so severely that physicians say he will die. *

The express passed Millitone Junction, N. Y., at 60 miles an hour and had reached a point half way between the station and Metuchen, when there Came a terrific roar and the engineer’s side of the cab was filled with steam.

Carr, although half blinded, new another train Was ahead of him and that he must act before he became unconscious. With one hand he closed the throttle and with the other he shot the air brake control full over, setting the brakeshoes against the wheels until they slid squealing along the rails. Trainmen and passengers ran torward and found the fireman lifting the limp form of his engineer.

Railroad Time by Wireless.

The Compagnie du Nord of France is the first railroad of the world offlcially to adopt the regulation of its timepieces by wireless, time signals. Railroads ordinarily regulate the star tion clocks on their lines by means of signals that are transmitted over the telegraph wires. This method frequently interrupts the regular telegraphic service, and is open to other objections. Wireless time signals, on the other hand, cause no Interruption of the regular service. They are received each morning at 17 of the principal stations on the line of the French railroads from toe national bureau in the Eiffel tower. The receiver, which is a small and portable apparatus, is connected with a very simple “aerial” made up of one wire or two parallel wires 150 feet or more long, stretched between two ordinary telegraph poles.

Palatial Railroad Car.

What is conceded to be the finest private railroad car in existence has been constructed at Altoona for President Rea of the Pennsylvania failway. Such things as a fireplace, show-er-baths, and special heating plant are features. It is steel, mahogany finished, the lining sheet being covered with ceilinlte for insulation. From an ordinary vestibue a corridor leads past the kitchen and pantry to a dining-room nine feet square, seating eight Another corridoftleads past two state-rooms, with two berths each, and two drawingrooms with beds and showers, into the parlor, 9x14 feet, furnished with fireplace, desk, tables, and chairs. The car is 82 feet 3% inches long, 10 feet 2 Inches wide, and 14 feet 3 Inches high, weighing 75 tons. Mr. Rea designed it himself.

Postal Tube Railroad.

Much interest is being taken in engineering circles In the proposed postoffice tube railroad. The trains in which the letters and parcels would be conveyed would be electrically operated and controlled from the stations, no drivers being employed on the trains. The prevention of accidents would be Insured by the übb of elec-tro-automatic safety controlling devices, the speed at which the trains would be run being about twenty-five miles an hour. The stations would b* frilly equipped with lifts, automatlo conveyer systems, etc., for the rapid handling of the letters and goods.— Casßier’s Engineering Monthly.

To Pick Up Mall Bags.

Automatic apparatus has been pew fected to enable trains running at higfc speed to pick up any number of mall bags without injuring their contents and to deposit others gently in troughs beside the track.

HER LITTLE MIRACLE

By ANNA 8. RICHARDSON.

It was pretty generally understood that the Billy Daltons %ere drifting apart There waa no particular reason for this state of affairs, save the lack of something better to do. . You see, they had. Just enough money *6 that Billy did not have to work, nor Janet to worry about making both ends meet They had danced their way through- several seasons into a lazy, good-humored and comradelike engagement, thence into matrimony. After that Billy had continued to lead cotillons and Janet to dance them —but generally with other partners. Matters between jthem had reached the'' point where tne rumor-laden society papers had suggested covertly that when Billy went to England and Scotland, where he had nothing in particular to do, Janet would probably take up her home in Nevado, or South Dakota, there to remain until Norman Stanley returned from Africa, where he was fighting ennui by hunting big game. It was even whispered that Billy Dalton had insinuated to Stanley that It was rather better taste to stalk big game than another man’s wife, especially when the other man was perfectly willing to make it clear sailing for hiß wife if it would make her any happier. *Of course this sounds a bit strong on paper, particularly to the old-fash-loned folk who still believe that marriage is a contract for life and not a mere episode. In the set to which the Billy Daltons belonged the aquation was accepted as a matter of course, and when Janet asked a lot of people down to their Long Island place for the automobile races and the weekend, no one thought of refusing just because the Daltons might separate within a fortnight after the gathering.

Such was the situation when the Dalton car broke down on the Jericho Turnpike, and its occupants, Janet, Mrs. Greenwalt, Joe Jeffreys and “Marsh” Huntoon, decided to cut through the woods to toe Dalton place and leave the car for a farmer to guard until the mechanic who handled the Dalton garage could be dispatched to the scene of the accident.

Perhaps it was not entirely impatience which led them to take the short cut through the woods, but the call of a hundred autumn voices, in rustling leaveß, rich, warm colorings and the chatter of squirrels laying up winter stores. And thus it was that they suddenly stopped in their tracks and listeded to a sound that was not of the woods, but of toe nursery, the plaintive wail of a child. Janet it was who found it —a bit of whitefaced, staring-eyed humanity rolled up snugly in .a great shawl of Iceland wool. * she held the baby in her arms a nd tried to silence its wails with uncertain and awkward little pettings, the quartette held a conference. The child was too young to have walked there. Mrs. Greenwalt said it was not a day over two months old. It was too far from the road to be heard by passing travelers. Ah—there., yas the answer—a wisp of pa>per, tied to the end of the shawl. “Please take care of little Elsie, ft was not her fault that she came into toe world —and I can do no more.” “I’ve always said that the government ought to regulate the question of marriage among the poor,” remarked Mrs. Greenwalt severely. “Here is a case in point.” “You are jumping at conclusions,” said Huntoon dryly.. “Let’s take it to the town marshal —’’ “And what then?" asked Janet, without lifting her gaze from the child’s face. The baby had clutched her finger with its tiny fist and settled down as if it had found anchorage. “Oh, there are asylums and homes for youngsters like this. You’d better hurry along home with it before it begins to howl. One of your men can take it to town before dark. Shall I carry the little beggar for you?” “Oh, no—she’s not a bit heavy and she is quiet now. She might cry if we changed her position.” They trudged on through rustling leaves and soft Indian summer haze, three of the party chatting gayly; two, the young wife and the baby, looking into each other’s eyes as If searching for a new key to the problem of life. Sometimes Janet wished that the child would close.its eyes. She did not like to meet their trustful, clear-eyed gaze. “Have you disposed of the youngster?” asked “Marsh” Huntoon, as they sat down to dinner that night. Janet started and looked across the table at her husband. He lifted his eyebrows inquiringly. "What? Don’t you know that our party was Increased by one during our ride this afternoon? Rather a small ‘one,’ but, my! what lungs it has.” Janet drew ifi her breath sharply. ‘1 wish you would not talk any more about it -at present, good people,” she said trying to speak lightly. Tve started inquiries in a quiet way. I don’t want to* s>ing to * et into the papers—because if no one elaims little Elsie, I .think I —l shall keep her.” “Keep her!” gasped Mrs. Greenwalt. "Why, my dear girl, the place for s child without a name is a foundling asylum.” Janet spoke very softly, yet every word was heard, so complete was the silence. “I shall give hey a name, because — onco —just once—l saw a line of chilArea walking, rp*» and rows, by twos,

from an asylum. J can’t send her there.” - Mentally, she saw again those clear* trusting, blue eyes. “And I know you will all be kind enough to keep this very quiet until —” there was Just a slight, tense hesitation, “until we decide what shall be done.” Naturally, it was talked about, however. In boudoirs and at clubs thequestion was raised as to what name little Elsie would acquire. Was it not bad enough to be facing a divorceresidence in the far west without acquiring an unnecessary incumbrance at the crucial moment? Within the Dalton bungalow onLong Island stranger things were happening. No clue to the baby’s parents, had been found. When Billy Dalton dropped down occasionally, as he had been doing for a year past to keepup appearances, his first question was “Anything new?” and this always meant “anything new about the baby’s, history.” And little Elsie would look up at him with reproachful blue eyes, sb if asking: “Why do you care?"' And the worst of it was that Billy Dalton began to realize that he did care. Janet had changed, and, with an odd sort of jealousy, he realized that it was little Elsie and not he who had brought about the marvelous and altogether desirable change. She wa* no longer bored. How could she be, with Elsie cutting a new tooth every few days, and such wonderful hampers of clothes to be bought, all fipe handkerchief linen, narrow Val and convent embroidery? A more fastidious customer had never entered the shops which specialize on layettes, and, with her own hands, Janet made covers for down pillows, Bilk-tufted afghans and other,- foolish things—while the tongue of gossip wagged gayly over the whole absurd episode.

One frostly December afternoon Daitnn ran down to the bungalow and found Janet standing at the window. The low spreading evergreens on the west side of the house were powdered lightly with snow, and Janet turned to Lira with kindling eyes.” “Uilly, I shall have a Ghristmas tree for Elsie. She is so bright for her age. I do believe she will notice it.” j “Quite likely,” responded Billy with assumed carelessness, as she laid aside his storm coat. “But in making your plans you seem to have overlooked one important fact. As yet Elsie is not really yours. The law —” Janet turned on him sharply. “She Is mine by right of —everything. I found her and I love her." “Yes —but you must formally adopt her. I thought perhaps you’d better see to that before I leave. I’ve changed my plans a bit I’m going to meet mother and Grace in Rome for Christmas. The mater has not been feeling very fit. I am not fond of England in winter —and —” Janet crossed to his side and her hand rested lightly on his arm. “Don’t you think you’d enjoy much more seeing Elsie have her first tree? And—-and I think I need you—more than your mother does!” Something rose in Dalton’s throat and threatened to choke him. It was a sensation he had never felt before — not even during the good-natured, lazy run of his wooing. Janet wanted him! He thought had not cared. Now he knew that he had cared all along. But It was characteristic he did not express his fierce joy in words. He held Janet very close and whispered: “Well, I rather did hope you’d give the little beggar the name of Dalton. It’s a pretty good name, after all, eh?” Norman Stanley heard the new* when he landed in London. He sent a lion’s skin, capflired by his own hand, for little Elsie to roll upon. Then he went to the Nile country for the winter. (Copyright, 1913, by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.)

MUCH MONEY AWAITS HEIRS

City Chamberlain of New York th* * Custodian of Large Bums That Are Unclaimed.

There is a place in New York city where unclaimed fortunes lie; hundreds of them, ranging from $1 up to $125,000. They are waiting there for heirs who have never appeared, for those whom litigation has enriched all unknowingly to them. The fortunes remain in the custody of the city chamberlain, for 20 years; then they are turned over to the state. And.there they ate held forever, hocumulatlng year by year, until somebody with an incontestible right appears to claim them. But hardly anyone does appear. In spite of the fact that in 1910 the city chamberlain turned over to the state $246,510.06, and this year $54,772, and that there is about $200,000 being held there now, it is a rare occasion when a contestant does put in hip claim.

Learn Our Games.

Filipinos are taking to American sports so rapidly that chicken fights are fast losing favor in the Islands. Baseball, of course, is the fancied sport in the islands, as it is bound to be in any place that is under th* influence of the United States army and navy, a* well as that of college men who fare forth as civil service employes, teachers and uplift workers, but the American national game dot* not possess a monopoly of Filipino popularity. Tennis, football, and even golf find favor In the eye* of th* far east, and another game played widely and much admired there is volley ball. There are more than 4,000 volley ball equipments in the Philippines, and they are pretty widely scattered. It le aJUve\y game, and one In which the natural quickness of th* reformed head hunters 1* * useful a*< set