Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 127, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 May 1916 — Page 3

SALONIKI: AVIGNETTE

TIER upon tier of crowded eastern roofs rise from the blue bay up to the old Mohammedan town. There on the summit delicate minarets and cypresses stand out against a lemon sky. One’s ey® turns gratefully from the clamorous Greek boatmen and jostling porters •which crowd boat and quay to the lovely lines of the sailing boats, which bring back from the past many an old classic tag. In just such a boat did the old Greeks set forth on their adventures, perhaps even to the quest of the Golden Fleece, writes Constance Brooke in London - Graphic. And what a contrast they must have been, those grand men, to the modern Greek •with his supple fingers and voluble tongue, and anxious efforts to compromise! The luggage is at last extracted from the hubbub by force. A very small boy wheels the barrow under a stream of instructions from a rabble, who would not lay one lordly finger on it to help, but find huge delight in directing the weak one, and, shouting chaff and information to everyone we meet, convey me to the hotel. Soft voices pur in my ear. “You go Delphi? I good guide." “Slrree your boat gomorre? Where come from? Engleesh? Yes?” "Hotel Rome, good hotel!” “You come Paris hotel me!” A persistent shoeblack backs in front of me the whole way like the lord chamberlain, pointing to my boots. Who that has been there does not connect Salonlkl with shoeblacks and long-robed, stately Jews? At every corner, from every alley, there darts out a small alert figure, pointing its accusing finger at your feet. “S-s-s-t, S-s-s-t!” And, indeed, for the sake of peace it is better to resign oneself, or there. is, indeed, no peace from these gadflies. While dust rests on your shoes that figure will rise up, that finger will point, that hissing whisper sound in your ear. I have been haunted by my recollections (somewhat willingly, I must confess) of a Turkish boy with a winning smile, bare feet for an artist and a red sash round his waist. I defy anyone to resist his pleading brown eyes and that flashing smile —certainly I cannot. This was, or is, his mode of business. He first wiped the dust off with a rag. He then smeared on liberally, from a bottle, a very greasy oil, and then proceeded to polish, while still soaked in oil, with some unguent out of a box. Therefore is one’s boot a most cunning dust catcher and the role of shoeblack a profitable one at Balonlkl! I myself used to give my boots ten minutes’ respite; but this was according to the attractiveness or otherwise of the shoeblack. Still a Tubkish Town. Saloniki has only been in Greek occupation a couple of years or so, and is still a Turkish town. The richer Turks, not liking their masters, migrated to Turkey; only the poor ones, not allowed by the Greeks to leave, ’ etill remain. The lower part of the town is a maze of tangled streets and of hurrying foot passengers. Only the stately Jews are unhurried. They are bearded, and wear long black robes, fur-edged (for it is winter), and black or fur caps on their heads, and most are singularly good looking. Their •womankind seldom seen —has picturesque head dresses of emerald green silk, with long streamers flowing out behind, covered with Hebrew characters. I loved the Turkish eating shops open to the street, their counters filled with pyramids of fruit, dated and a gray-colored sweetmeat •which looked like putty. Strange odors of cooking came from' the inner regions. - . The bazar is cobbled underfoot and glass-roofed above. It is full of Greek money changers (where you also buy tobacco and stamps), bootshops and the usual open shop® of the East A strange mixture of West and East, neither fish, flesh, fowl, nor good red herring. Here in the bazar you see only Greeks and Jews. But go farther up th® hilf toward the old town and the country roads, or rather tracks, and you will see Macedonians In white caps drawn over their ears, a knife in their red sash, or Albanians striding disdainfully along in tljeir native dress, like all upright - and stalwart ———r—One day, in a quiet street, I earner upon a country cart drawn up In the shade of a great wait Its wheels had z been roughly sawn out of the trunk of a tree. The two magnificent black oxen had red, tassels and red cloth on tbeir harness. Under great spreading horns their beautiful eyes gazed

wonderlngly all ways (and upward) as they waited, chewing the cud. To add to the picture, their driver, a Turk, leaned gracefully against one of the glossy beasts, lazily rolling a cigarette. Besides the fez, he wore the short white coat embroidered in black of the country, loose white trousera,and leather slippers. It was hot, and the color, light and shadow were sharply defined. Here and there in the town, turning out of some narrow street, are small market places, full of stalls and baskets and sorrow-stricken donkeys, where girls from the country wear handkerchiefs wound over their heads and thrown gracefully round their chins, and small boys lie chattering In the shade. I shall never forget one figure which came clattering out upon me from the shadows —a crouching figure smothered in white sheepskins, a white drapery over his head, beneath him a poor little donkey, staggering under the added load of many sacks and baskets. (Oh! the cruelty of this Near East to animals! an .ignorant, unheeding cruelty.) Flashing eyes peered at me; a strange wild figure, which one would rather not meet if alone on a hill path. In the Mohammedan Quarter. Waiting one day for the Greek boat, which may come today, or in three days, or in a week —who shall say?—l wandered up the hill to the old Mohammedan town. Such a strange quiet drowses here, after the hurrying, chattering crowd below! The narrow road, worn by the rain, winds between high blank walls and latticed windows. As the hill steepens, broken steps help the traveler here and there. Not a dog, not a living thing is to be seen, only a funny little tub of a boy standing at my feet, peering up at this queer woman, so unlike his own womankind. A great wide red sash holds his fat little person together, and his trousers are so wide I wonder why he does not catch one leg in the other. He has kicked off his funny IJttle slipper, and rubs one foot against his leg, wondering whether to run or to cry. So I give him'a lepta (Greek sou), and he decides to smile; and we sit down together under one of the delicious aromatic cypresses, on a square platform of what were the old fortifications. He sucks his thumb, and I look out dreamily over tangled roofs to the blue, blue Aegean, and watch the pigeons circling round a minaret above my head. The sound of clattering slippers makes me turn to see two Turkish wbmen veiled in black from head to foot, accompanied by their servant, basket on arm, going to shop in the town below. Two or three Turkish men, going home, no doubt, or to the case for food, come lazily up the hill, their sashes, -red trousers and tarboosh making a lovely bit of color against the yellow walls. There are hills outside the .town; a year ago they were covered with tiny delicate lowers, now, alas! I fear, destroyed by the Camps and trenches of the allies. The consulates are in the aristocratic suburbs of Salonlkl, where wide roads and pretty gardens abound. Here the Greek merchants, too, have their'villas. Beyond these, again, on the left of the bay, hills and greensward stretch out to the sea. The large villa out here where Abdul Hamid was Interned until his very sudden death, must have seemed a ceH to that poor thing, accustomed to great _palaces. And -the garden, beyond which Ke wasi not allowed to stir. is small for ordinary mortals. Greek women drive out to these open spaces to take, the air, and the bourgeoisie go to a well-known case to eat giaourtl (sour milk) or the delicious sheep’s milk cheese of Greece.

Prosperity In Japan.

Japan’s golden tide from the manufacture and sale of war munitions and supplies continues. The foreign trade of Japan for the second ten days of February, it is reported, was valued at 111,117,500 worth of exports, and 18,953,500 imports, a balance of $2,160,000 in favor of exports. Compared with the corresponding period of last year, exports have increased by $7,260,000.

The Family Favorite.

“I hear that you have been mentione as a favorite son.” “Yes,” replied Senator Sorghum; “but being a favorite son generally means that you’re expected to be polite and not act too greedy when th® pie is beinj passed.” .

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

Common American Birds

Robin (Planesticus migratorius) • .Length, ten inches. r . 'Range: Breeds in the United States (except the gulf states), Canada, Alaska and Mexico; winters in most of the United States and south to Guatemala. Habits and economic status: In the North and some parts of the West the robin Is among the most cherished of our native birds. Should it ever become rare where now common, its joyous summer song .and familiar presence will be sadly missed in many a homestead. The robin is an omnivorous feeder, and its food Includes many orders of Insects, with no very pronounced preference for any. It is very fond of earthworms, but its real economic status is determined by .the vegetable food, which amounts to about 58 per cent of all. The principal item is fruit, which forms more than 51 per cent of the total food. The fact that in the examination of over 1,200 stomachs the percentage of wild fruit’ was found to be five times that of the cultivated varieties suggests that berry-bearing shrubs, if planted near the orchard, will serve

to protect more valuable fruits. In California in certain years it has been possible to save the olive crop from hungry robins only by the most strenuous exertions and considerable expense. The bird’s general usefulness is such, however, that all reasonable means of protecting orchard fruit should be tried before killing the birds.

Crow Blackbird (Qulscalus quiscula) Length, twelve inches. Shorter by at least three inches than the other grackles with trough-shaped tails. Black, with purplish, bluish, and bronze reflections. Range: Breeds throughout the United States west to Texas, Colorado, and Montana, and in southern Canada; winters in the southern half of the breeding range. Habits and economic status: This blackbird is a beautiful species, and is well known from its habit of "congregating in city parks and nesting there year after year. Like other species which habitually assemble in great flocks, it is capable of inflicting much damage on any crop it attacks, and where it is harmful a judicious reduction of numbers is probably sound policy. It shares with the crow and blue jay the evil habit of pillaging the nests of small birds of eggs and young. Nevertheless it does much good by de-

stroying insect pests, especially white grubs, weevils, grasshoppers, and caterpillars. Among the caterpillars are army worms and other cutworms. When blackbirds gather in large flocks, as in the Mississippi valley, they may greatly damage grain, either when first sown or when in the milk. Jn winter they subsist mostly on weed seed and waste grain..

Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) Length, about eleven inches. Brownish red above, heavily streaked wltife black below. Range: Breeds from the gulf states to southern Canada and west to Colorado, Wyoming and Montana; winters in the southern half of the eastern United States. *■ Habits and economic status: The brown thrasher Is more retiring than either the mocking bird or catbird, but like them is a splendid singer.

interesting inform mation about them supplied by the Bureau of Biological Survey of the States of

Not infrequently, indeed, its song is taken for that of its more famed cousin, the mocking bird. It is partial to thickets and gets much of its food from the ground. Its search for this is usually accompanied by much scratching and scattering of leaves; whence its common name. Its call note is a sharp sound like the smacking of lips, which Is useful in identifying this long-tailed, thicket-haunting bird, which dbes not much relish close scrutiny. The brown thrasher is not so fond of fruit as the catbird and mocker, but devours a much larger percentage of animal food. Beetles form one-half of the animal food, grasshoppers and crickets one-fifth, caterpillars, including cutworms, somewhat less than one-fifth, and bugs, spiders, and millipeds comprise most of the remainder. The brown thrash-

er feeds on such coleopterous pests as wireworms, May beetles, rice weevils, rose beetles, and figeaters. By its destruction of these and other insects, which constitute more than 60 per cent of its food, the thrasher much more than compensates for that portion (about one-tenth) of its diet derived from cultivated crops. -

Bobwhite (Collnus vlrglnianus) Length, ten Inches. Known everywhere by the clear whistle that suggests its name. Range: Resident •«in the United States east of the plains; introduced in many places in the West. Habits and economic status: The bobwhite is loved by every dweller <in the country and is better known to more hunters in the United States than any other game bird. It is no less appreciated on the table than in the fluid, and in many states has unquestionably been hunted too closely. Fortunately it seems to be practicable to propagate the bird in captivity, and much is to be hoped for in this direction. Half the food of this quail consists of weed seeds, almost a fourth of grain, and about a tenth of wild fruits. Although thus eating grain, the bird gets most of it from stub-

ble. Fifteen per cent of the bobwhite’s food is composed of insects, including several of the most serious pests of agriculture. It feeds freely upon Colorado potato beetles and chinch bugs; it devours also cucumber beetles, wlreworms, billbugs, clover-leaf ■weevils, cotton-boM weevils, army worms, bollworms, cutworms, and Rocky mountain locusts. Take it all in all, bobwhite is very useful to the farmer, and while it may not be necessary to remove it from the list of game birds every farmer should see that his own farm is not depleted by eager sportsmen. <

Slightly Repaired.

As the tourist walked along a quiet Highland road he saw a cottager chopping wood with a very ancient looking If. "That’s surely an old hatchet you have there,” he began. “Ay. it is," replied th® cottager, paysing in hie labors. "Aince it belanged to the great Blr William Waliace hlmsel." "Indeed!" exclaimed the tourist in surprise. ”1 should not have thought it was as old as that” "Aweek” came th® cautious reply, “ye ken it's had twa new held® and tower new haunlas sin then.’’—Answers, London.

Uncle Sam’s O. K. Now Required of Travelers

Blank passport of the type now Issued by the state department showing the minute description required. To the right of the picture appears a canceled passport, folded, issued for travel In Germany.

Before the European war, Americans who desired to go abroad just went—and that was all there was to it. But now it is different. Before the war no countries except Russia, Turkey and the Balkan states required American travelers to present formal credentials from the United States government. Now all the belligerent countries and most of the neutral countries of Europe require passports of Americans. ' • And just any card of identification will not do. You may not sail unless you have Uncle Sam’s express permission. You must state the full details of your business, the why and the wherefore of the journey, and, if then It is decided that your business is real business, you are equipped with a most elaborate set of papers. To obtain these you must upon oath declare your American citizenship and prove your right to the claim by witnesses. In giving your reason for going abroad, you must submit documentary proof of its truth. . When the passport is finally issueci, your full description is entered thereon in minute detail —height, weight, general proportions, the color of your hair and of your eyes, the style of your mustache and so on. In the upper left hand corner there must be a clear photograph of your front sace — one containing a very good likeness — and upon the photograph must be

BANK DEPOSITS GAIN

Increase of Two Billions Shown in National Institutions. Conditions at Close of First Year’s Operation of Federal Reserve System Are Reviewed by Comptroller of Treasury. The comptroller of Uncle Sam’s currency, reviewing the condition of the national banks of the country, after the first year of the new federal reserve system, says: “During the first year’s operations of the federal reserve system the deppsits of the national banks of this country increased $2,081,530,164. "During the same period the loans and discounts of the national banks Increased $917,450,502. ‘/The Increase in deposits was sl,164,079,662 more than the increase shown in loans. “The available cash resources on November 10, 1915, Including balances with ..the reserve banks, reserve agents, other banks and bankers, exchanges for clearing houses, specie, national-bank notes, federal reserve notes, and legal tenders Increased $862,000,000, as compared with October 31, 1914. “The increase in the capital, surplus, and undivided profits of the national banks this year exceeded $17,000,000. "The liabilities of the national banks for bills payable and notes and bills rediscounted during the year shrank $59,000,000, and the reduction In liabilities on account of borrowed bonds was $51,000,000. "The national-bank holdings of bonds and stocks .during thls period (exclusive, of federal reserve bank stock) was reduced from $1,530,000,000 On October 31, 1914, to $1,383,000,000, a reduction of $147,000,000. ■ ' “Specie, legal-tender notes, nationalbank notes, exchanges tor clearing bouse, and other cash items and bai-

stamped the seal of the court or the agent of the department; of state to whom you applied for the passport. There are numerous other requirements. If your business require that you go to one or more of the countries of the allies, to those countries you will be permitted to go, but to no others. Likewise the journeys to Germany, Austria, and Turkey. Except on diplomatic business of a highly important character, no American is allowed to go from one of the warring nations into an enemy country. Before the war, the passport bureau of the state department had a nice sleepy, easy time of it. The special requirements of the governments of Russia, Turkey and the Balkan states necessitated the issuance of about 24,000 passports a year. The formalities connected with their Issuance were not nearly so complex. Now, with passports required to all the principal countries of Europe, even though the total number of travelers Is much reduced, the number of passports annually issued is amounting close to 40,000. The extra demands upon the labor and time of the state department officers charged with issuance of passports is obvlou/. Seven clerks served to man the passport bureau before the war began, with one office in Washington, D. C. There are now 25 clerks and a branch office in New York city.

ances with the federal reserve banks Increased >470,000,000. "Despite the fact that the national banks had on deposit with the federal reserve banks on November 12, 1915, >359,000,000, against nothing the previous year, the balances which they were carrying with the approved reserve agents on November 10, 1915, were >895,000,000, or >261,000,000 more than they had on October 31, 1914, before the opening of the federal re serve banks; and the balances which they had to their credit with banks and bankers other than reserve agents on November 10, 1915, were >707,000,000, an Increase during the year of >140,000,000. Total increase in balances with reserve agents and other banks, >402,000,000.”

WOOD BLOCKS FOR FLOORING

Material Already Used Extensively in Street Paving Now Being Employed in Construction Indoors. Creosoted wood blocks, already extensively used as paving material for city streets, have been eoming into use as flooring for the last four or five years, according to Uncle Sam’a forest service. Its durability, noiselessness under heavy traffic, and sanitary properties are its chief advantages for paving .and also give it special value for making floors, especially for use where heavy trucking, the moving of heavy machinery, or other severe use makes the maintenance of floors a serious problem. Its rather high cost is its chief disadvantage. Wood block is now widely used for flooring in factories, warehouses, machine shops, foundries, various types of platforms, wharves and docks, and for such miscellaneous purposes as hotel kitchens, hospitals, laundries, and slaughter houses. Possibly one* of the oddest of these uses is for the floors of wild animal caged »ad runways. Notwithstanding the recent facrease in the use of wood block for these purposes, It is believed that the growth of this industry will be even more rapid in the future. These floors are well liked by the workmen be-, cause they are easy on the feet.