Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 March 1888 — Page 6

TMB LOST CHILD. VJ - , ‘ . , * V-. \ v : : ‘' r ’4 : I’v« loiit • child—Oh, tell me did yon mc«( My little darling In the tunny atreet. With wind-bloarn heir, brtftu eyce end flying fcet Ukeawiftwingel bird*? • How large wee ehef Why ju«t k tiny thing. ’Tieawoh eabort tiaieeinoe 1 uvxt tatinj lx>w sleep? aongi end feel her toft arm* ding About-mv peck. ’ How old ia ahcP' Why, really 1 forget; Jualold enough to love an) kit* and pet. Only a marry Utile maid, aad yet Not quite a child- \ , It aecmi) hot yesterday I taw her go . leading her playmates ia a laughing row; - If you had met her yon would sure’? know Ber smiling iare. You thought her older, more than twelve you say* That canuot be uutll another May Open* the bud* and brinrs the happy day That gave ber life. “I* that the child? almost a woman grown She holds her girlish head high as your own . Sony one will find ber though she goes alone „ You ueed not (oar,'*’ I know she's tall and cares no more f nr toys— That's Harry with her. luakltig all tlil» nntae. ' Why don’t he go and play with other boys I’d like to know 'Ti* Are years since her twelfth birthday', was given Wftn tender leaves .and ail the iiohTHl li.-tween Have slippfd away till she is seventeen The child la lost:

HOW JOHN PROPOSED.

Chicago Mail. “Dear me, I know he ia just ready to say it, and I can’t see why he doesn't eay it” And nretty Mary Branwood pnekered tip her lips into the eweeteet of all pome, and plied her needle more rapidly than ever. “It does aeem »o me ▼crv strange,” ahe added after a brief panae, “that a great bur nun should be eo timid about saying he loved a girl. Dear me, it’s enough to aggravate a url into taking advantage of—” And Miss Mary blushed rosily add finished the sentence with a hyßterical laugh. - r

Mary Branwood was jnst at this moment thinkirg of John Walker, who for the past two years liaJ been her escort upon every possible occasion. For a long time each had looked npon the other with exprestive eyes, and, though the gossips of that part of Harlem looked npon the ending of their courtship as a settled matter, John had not a*ked the all important question. Mary’s womanly intuition prompted Hie thought that he had been trying to voice the love he had so often displayed, bat his natural bashfnlnees seemed an iosnrmonntable barrier. Bo Miss Mary sat that February afternoon in her chair, briskly rocking to and fro. The afternoon was nearly gone and the girl was impatiently wailing for eight o'clock, when the bashful John would arrive to take her to the class in vocal music at the chiirch. Her heart beat faster as the moments sped. Her rosy cheeks flashed more deeply as her mind dwelt npon the possible form of the question that she felt must soon be asked- She knew there would be nothing romantic about John’s asking her, for she was sure he would do so in a blundering way. The thing that troubled her moßt was that after he really did master ap sufficient courage her long knowledge of his purpose would prevent her showing a proper amount of surprise and embarrassment. She knew she would blnsh, but she hoped it would be so deep a blush that John could not fail to see it. She started suddenly and her face flashed with a feeling that there was a tinge of immodesty and hypocrisy in her train of thoughts. ‘Bhe felt guilty of being immodest in thinking of proposing herself and of hypocrisy in hoping she would blush as though she had not expected the question. Her thoughts annoyed her, and failing to drive them away as she sat eewiug she laid down her work and busied herself cleaning qp

the room. ' When both hands of the clock reached eight the light ring of the door bell told her of John's arrival.could be seen that though his youthful lace was suflased with blaßhes there was an unmistakable air of manliness about him. When his brown eyes looked into Mary’s she felt so strong and confident that her kalf uttered thoughts during the afternoon oi taking advantage of the season to render a little assistance came to her, and a moment later she was oppressed with the thought that if he had asked her she really would not have blushed. Then she tried to drive away the thought vyith a mighty effort as her old feeling of immodesty and hypocrisy came to htr and the crimson flash covered her face as Bhe saw that John was trying to sav something. A few minutes later the two were carefully walking along the icy sidewalk in the direction of the church. They discusied the weather and everything in cmntcion with the singing school until they reached the church and then they both in the exercises. Mary sang exceedingly well, John was equally tuccessfnl until they sang the strain: We share our mutual woes. Our mutual burdens bear. Then it suddenly dawned npon him ' how easy it wonld be to him to say, ‘‘Mary, let ns share oar mutual woes,” and he couldn’t dir miss it from his mind ail the evening. Every now and then, to nis great embarrassment, he got out of tone. To make matters worse the professor noticed it each time, and in a kindly tone, offered a suggestion which

increased John’s confusion. There was no one in the class gladder than John when half past nine came and he and ! Mary atepped out into the moonlight to go home. They picked tbeir wav along the sidewalk slowly, cautiously and in silence. John did not speak for two reasons. He was opr reseed with the thought that he had been particularly stupid daring the whole evening, and he was repeating the sentence, “Marv, let us share our mutual woes,” so that when they stood beneath the light in the little par or he could put his arm aroum? her, and say it without blundt r rg. Mary was silent with expectation.' How brief a sentence would have made them supremely happy! John's absent-mindedness strved to distract his attention from the icy walk more than he sbonld have allowed, and no less than half a dozen times Mary’s feet slipped, but each time she found herself borne up hv. her sturdy lover. Each slip was accompanied »r,h a little shriek, and when she was again safe

her soft laugh was music to him. A group of boys pulling a sled turned the corner ahead and dashed past them. Mary turned her head to glance after them. Her foot slipped, a little shriek and she was down. But she wasn’t alone. In falling she had managed to knock John’s feet from under him, and he had fallen too. Each scrambled to rise quickly and their heads came together with a sound bump. John was in the ihroesof mortification upon his awkwardness, when Mary said naively as he helped her to her feet. “We seem to be sharing our mutual woes.”

He was amazed. The very sentence had beeD saving for under the gaslight! Before he could take advantage of his present opportnnitv, however, Mary seemed to realize that she had been immodest, and 6he talked incessantly as they walked on, as if determined that he sbonld reap no advantage from her remark. John made several efforts to recall the opportunity, but was baffled •very time. Then be determined to wait nntil they stood beneath the gaslight, but when they reached the parlor the light seemed to burn more brightly than ever before, and his courage departed. Once he made an effort, but the first word that passed his lips was “woes,” and the consciousness that he was blundering censed him to blush and pause before trying again. But a sweet “What were you going to sav?” completed his embarrassment, and he answered “Nothing,” and in despair prepared to go. A moment later, as they stood at the parlor door exchanging the last words, and as John’s hand was on the knob, Mary turned.her blue eyes to him and said withalangb: “You’ll be sure to get home without falling, for you’ll have no one to drag you down.”

John’s face crimsoned. He was about to protest she hadn’t dragged hiin down, when he thought of his lost opportunity after they had fallen. He had a feeling that the sentence he had been trying to say all evening would be singularly inopportune now, but he was determined not to lose another chance. Despite that feeling and in sheer desperation he gasped: “Mary, let us woes our mutual shares always?’’ Mary looked puzzled. For a moment she didn’t grasp the purport of the misquoted sentence. When it pawned npon her a flood of crimson passed over her face, her eyes fell and she whispered “Yes.” And John, with newly acquired coarage, put his arms around her and drew her to his breast. Then John was at peace and Mary perfectly happy. The question had been asked and answered and she had fittingly blushed, besides Brother G&rclner and Darwin. Detroi l F rec Press. ; “I hold leah in my hand,” said

Brother Gardner,as the meeting opened, “a letter from Cincinnati axin if dis clnb believes in de Darwin theory. Da Secretary will reply dat we doan bheve in nuffin’ of the sort. It’s agin de Bible, as well as good common sense. - Dis club aims to size np a man about as follers: “1. His great gran sadder may hev bin a babooq, but will he lift his eand de log? **•-' “2. His great gran’mudder may hev biian alligator, bat does he eat wid his knife?

”3. His uncle may hev bin a buffalo, but will dis candy date pay his dues promptly? , *'4 All his back relasbums may hev had wings an’ bin called buzzards, but does dis pusson buy his own tobacker? ‘‘When we enter a street kyar we am not trubbled about whar the hoes cum from, or in what State de driver was bo’yi, or who made de kyar. De only queshun wid us it: Will de sad-eyed driver manage to elucidate dat quinine to oar destinashun? It is de same in regard to men. We doan’ ask if a candydate’s sadder dfiv a mule or owned a warehouse. De qneshan is on de candy date hiaself.” PENSTOCK BOBS UP. “Misser Chairman,” said tke Rev. Penstock as he bobbed up like a released bed spring, *T move dat de records be corrected.” “In what perticknlar, sah!” , “De chair made use of de expreshnm: ‘Elucidate de qninine to our destinashun.’ It wasaslip of de tongue. He ■ “ • -----'

meant: ‘Agitate de equine to our destination.' i move to correct” “Ar’ dat moehun supported?’ demanded tne President as he looked around him. It was not. “Brndder Penstock, sot down! Fur de past six weeks you hev bin spekin’ ty make yerself as disagreeable as possible, an* you hev finally reached de limit I shall now fine you $6,000 an’ coats!” “What fui?” “Fur your middlin’ presumpshnn, sab!” “But de chair said, elucidate’ fur agitate,’ an’ ‘quinine’ fur ‘equine.’” “When dis cha’r said: ‘Elucidate dat quinine to our destiuashun,’ be meant just what he (aid an’ nobody in dis room but yoti misunlei stood him. De fine agaipt yon will stand, sab, an’ if you doan’ sot down I’ll double de amount!” Seeing that he was without support Penstock sat down, but he privately informed Pickle Smith, who had the stool beside him, that he would carry t..e case to the Supreme Court if it coßt him a million dollars.

POLYGAMY VANISHING.

Judge Baskin. Says that the Edmunds Law Has Started a Boom. Washington Special. “1 venture the prediction,” said Judge R N. Baskin, of Salt Lake, this morning, “that within ten years polygamy will be practically ex'inct in Utah Territory. What will do this? you ask. Why, simply the enforcement of theEd-munds-Tucker law. We, gentiles in Utah think the law ought Ao be more eevere than it is. However, it is effective enough, and through its operations the power ol the Mormon priesthood has been destroyed forever, unless Congress should be so foolish 'las to admit the Territory as a State.” ‘ What has been the practical effect of the'law?” Judge Baskiu was asked. “The practical effect has been to give Utah a boom such as Colorada has been enjoying for years, and which we would have enjoy ed, too, but for the political power wielded by the Mormon Chnrcb. This power had been need so autocratically by the dominant party as to make unsafe the investment of money within our borders. The result has been that Utah lagged superfluous on the stage, while younger communties like Colorado and Nebraska far outstripped her in the race. As soon as the present law became operative, about a year ago, our boom began. “Where we had two real estate agents then we have fifty noW> City lots era selling four miles outside of Salt Lake. Capital is pouring in frim ever/ direction. New mines are being opened up almost weekly. Money is plentiful and our future isbright beyond our expectations. If the i resent tide of immigratien continues, we—the gentiles, as all who are opposed to Mcrmonism are called —will, within a few yearj, controlthe politics of Salt Lake. When this, their great sirmghold, passes;rem their band?, their powi r will rapidly crumble away. Apostacv to the faith, which the church can then no longt r punish, will sfet in (we see evidences of it already, in fact), and from that time the extinction of Mcrmonism will follow as surely as the night follows the day.”

Bismarck’s Position. Dr. Pretoria?, editor oi the Westliche Post, St. Louis, said in an interview: “There is known to be a very decided antipathy between Bismarck and the Crown Prince’s wife, as well as between him and England, and it is by no meanß certain that it the Crown Prince should take the throne Bismarck would not at once resign, for re is too great a man tw obey the mandates of an English Princesp, even though they should come through a German Emperor. Bismarpk is in favor of ruling England out of the lißt of first-class powers, and it is an open Becretrthat'Bheis no kmgerapo werf ctl nation. Her army is so scattered aB to make it practically powerless. There is not enough of it in England to resist the stuck of one corp of the G erman army, and Germany has twenty corps. Bismarok would be friendly with France rather than with England, for he believes the French and German peoples have more in common than the English and Germans. If the Crown Prince is notable to ascend the throne and Prince William is declared regent, Bismarck will.not allow any aggravating measures toward England nntil alter the death of the Crown Prince.”

Tbe Boy Knew Him.r A physician who lives in the northern part of the eity is noted for his extreme leanness. He is very tall and thin. Several days ago. during his absence, a match boy called at the house, was admitted, taken into the back office, and the doctor’s wife bought part of his stock. The money was in a closet in company with an articulated skeleton, which was disclosed as soon as the. door was opened. The boy took one look at the grinning horror, and fled from the hoose,leaving both money and matches. This was related to the doctor, and several days afterward the same boy was seen passing the house. On the doctor’s attention being called to the fact, be went to the door and beckoned to the lad to come in. The match boy shouted out: “Not much, you big old skeliington. I know yer, even if yer have got on yer clothes.”

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

■ MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. The people are very apt to underrate the importance of mnnieipal elections. Because the salaries of the officers to be eiecied are small the voter thinks the office is of little or no importance. A more grievous mistake coaid not be committed. To the people the office of Township Trustee is of more importance than that of Governor. The Governor can not levy a penny of taxee or disburse a dollar of th 9 public funds, while a Trustee, in his sphere, is a little autocrat. A clever neighbor or a fairly good citizen will notalways makeagood Trustee. Many of the Trustees are called upon to handle large sums of money, much larger than they have ever had of their own. The Gffice is one that calls for the t xercise of sound judgment and a good deal of business capac ty. No man who has not displayed saccesefal business capacity in the management of his own affairs is competent to fill the office. The ballot and the public schools are the dearest interests we have. The Trus ee,~in a large sense of the word, has control of both. He is by law the inspector of all elections held in his township, and as such inspector has control of the tally-sheets and returns of the Board. What dishorn st or incompetent inspectors may do in such cases was fully demonstrated at the election in Indianapolis in 1886, when the boldest kind of forgeries were committed. Had Hisey and Schmidt been careful and competent inspectors their tally-sheets never wonidhave got into the hands of Coy and his gang. A fraudulent change of a dozen votes in a township may change the result in the county and rob the people of the right to choose their own officers, yet a dishonest or incompetent Trustee could readily permit such a change to be made.

An incompetent Trustee may ruin the schools of a township and thus injure all the children of such township. He ievies the tax and expends itandispractically responsible to no one. It is the taxation for local purposes that proves the moßt burdensome. The salary is very small, but yet men have been known to expend quite large sums to even secure the nomination from their party. But a few days ago a man expended SSOO to get the nomination on the Democratic ticket in a township with a voting population of less than two thousand. Every man must know that he could or would only do that" with the expectation of making it hack in some way and that way would be at the expense of the taxpayer. An election for township officers is soon to take place,and on that day there should be no stay at home voters. It is a striking fact that Republican townships are, as a rule, more economically and better governed than Democratic. In the schools a better and higher grade of teachers are employed; the tax levies are lighter and the improvements are better made. Let them be oompared in any county in the State. Ifthiais eo, what does it prove? It proves that as a rule the Republicans nominate a better and more competent set of men. As a sample of the difference in the administration of the two parties, and this only one out of hundreds that might be cited, let ub refer to a townshio in Jackson county. For six years it wss under Republican control. In those years new school houses were erected, bridges built and roads constructed. The average tax levy was forty-four cents on the one hundred dollars valuation. It then passed under Democratic mle and so remained for the following six years. No school houses were limit or other improvements made, vet the avitiVage tax levy was seventyfour cente. Almost every county will show a similar instance. Let the people think of these things when they go to cast their ballots on the 2d of April.

MATTERS AT INSANE HOSPITAL. Dr. Harrison, President of the Benevolent Boards, has since hiß appointment drawn annually out of the funds of the Bute the sum of $1,600 for services under a law which specifies that his salary ebould be S9OO and no more. He caused to be paid to Gapen his cotrustee, otft of the funds of the SUte, salary for services which were npt performed daring the year in which Gapen had abandoned his duties. Although he well knew that the discount returned by Mellen &Co , had been embezz’ed, took no steps to recover the money dueto the State or to secure the punishment of any person for the commission of the crime. Even after the adjournment of the last General Assembly he purchased the Hon. Franklin Landers, a large quantity of hogs, tongues, an article not suitable to be used as food for the insane, and insisted that the same should be accepted by the Superintendent and used at the Asylum in violation of an order passed bv the Board of Trustees, to whichrhe himself consented. The Trustee guilty of these acts at the time of his appointment was a man whose character was bad in the opinion of many of his fellow-townsmen, a man against whom charges of immorality, drunkenness, dishonesty and professional misconduct had been made which were believed by a large part of the community in which he lived; a man who, according to his own testimony, had snrreptionsly and illegally appeared before the Grand Jury of his county to protect himself from indictment for criminal mal-practice— a man who,just before the Senate investigation, had been seen drunk npon the public streets of Lebanon, —a man who confessed under oath the willful and fiaudit lent adulteration of goods *invoiced by him for sale.

These facts, and many others of like import, or shown by an overwhelming mass of proof; by the records of the Asylum; by the testimony ot witnesses of unquestioned veracity; by the confessions of these Trustees themselves, and in the evidence attached to the findings of the Benate committee which of itself shows the mendacious character of their report. In common with all good citizens we rejoice at the change in the management of the Hospital which will remove the Insane from each custodians as Dr. Harrison snd Mr. Gapen. Bat we wonld remind tbe people of Indiana that a reform depending npon the mere removal of one person and the substitution of another, will prove but a temporary and inadequate expedient so long as the eorrupt system of partisan control remains, of which the past management is merely an illustration. Even if the present untried appointees prove to be competent and faithful men, they

can do but little to eradicate the inefficiency of their subordinates so long as the latter are appointed upon political grounds, while any administration if chosen for political reasons is likely to repeat the experiences of the pne which has just been superseded. Abases and mismanagement are certain to appear at shorter or longer intervals so long as placeein our Benevolent Institutions remain part of the spoils of party success. Permanent reform can only come when appointments to positions therein are to demand upon the proved qualifications of the applicant, nnder a system of fixed regulations and qaite irr. spective of political considerations. Wo invite the co-operation of all patriotic citizens in our efforts to accomplish this reform, which will not on'y permanently parity the State Institutions themselves, bat will remove much of the incentive for that political corruption which is engendered by the hope of I lace.

STATE FINANCES. Shall we go on, as a State, borrowing money forever? This is a pertinent question just now to the tax payers of Indiana. The books show tnat the State debt-has ever increased nnder Democratic administration. • The utter recklessness of the methods of the Democratic party is well exemplified in the financial government of the State. In 1883 three new hospitals for the insane were ordered erected. They were to be very costly buildings. It is not necessary now to discuss tbe question as to whether they were needed or not, or whether the State could not have got along with a less number, or that greater economy might not have been used in their construction. The State has never been niggardly or mean in its charities, but the people have ever stood ready to pour out their monev like water to help the helpless and afflicted, and who is more helpless and afflicted than that one on whom heaven has laid its hand so heavily as to deprive him of his reason? The Democratic legislature was willing enough to order the construction or the additional hospitals but its recklessness is shown in the fact that it refused to make aDy provision to meet the ex-* penses of building. It was a well known fact that the income of the tstate was barely sufficient to meet the current expenses, yet out of that insqme, without increasing it they soughtro expend additional millions At that time the»e was a temporary loan outstanding,-which bad been renewed from time to time for ten years. The State bad been unable to save a dollar from its incOine to pay that temporary loan. All these facts are well known to the Democratic legislators, yet they went ahead and ordered the expenditure of m ore than a million dollars. They knew also that the current expenditures were yearly increasing while the income was growing less, and that unless something was done there would be an annual deficit. Ia 1885 they found themselves about run ashore. What did they do? Oh, the oredit of tbe State was good, bo they ordered another temporary loan of $l,lOO 000. They knew that even that large loan would not furnish money enough to complete the hospitals, but it was enough for the hour, and that was all they were looking after. They borrowed the money, but made no arrangements to raise funds with which to meet the loan when it should become due. Nor was that ail, but they even failed to make provision to meet the interest on the loan. The first interest that fell due the State officers managed to meet by exhausting the treasury and by calling on the counties for an advance. When it rgiin became due the treasury was empty and there was no money due from the counties, so the State officers had to go into the market and borrow $340,000. To eke out the fund for current expenses which had been exhausted an additional $60,000 was borrowed. To-day they are advertising for another loan of $340,000 with which to meet the next interest nay meet. Thus, in twelve months the State has been c impelled to borrow $680,000 with which to pay interest. Compounding interest is a ruinous business and yet that is just what Indiana is doing. How long can it last? Our debt is increasing at the rate of three quarters of a million yearly with nothing to show for it.

The new hospitals are completed but there is no money in the treasury to furnish and operate them, nor can any money be obtained except by borrowing, for some years to come. Tbe General Assembly does not meet until January of next year, and a new tax levy cannot be collected under eighteen months after it is made, so that unless the money is borrowed the new Hospitals mast lie idle until 1890. This state of affairs is wholly dne to the blundering stupidity of the Democratic legislature. To the people of this State this question ~igTme tfaat-ontrankganyt>r-aB-crrtlreisp-called national issues. Let every honest, conscientious voter compare the financial administration of tbe two-par-ties. 1f he will do so he be forced to vote to return the Statfi to Republican rule. INGALL’S SPEECH. Milwaukee Sentinel. __ The Republicans are very well satisfied with Senator Ingalls’s speech. In truth, they are somewhat enthusiastic oyer this speech, to which justice was hot done hv tbe telegraphic reports. He toid some wholesome truths in a wholesome way—truths which the people of this country should carefully consider. There are no Republicans who do not feel cheered strengthened by Ingalls’s vigorous kssault on the thimole rigsjing Democracy. Sofarfroha alienaimg the svmpathy of Republicans, Senator Ingalls has gained a warmer place in tbeir esteem and increased the regret that his residence in Kansas imnairs his availability for a nomination. Ingalls is a thorough-going Republican of the right sort, and he has the cheers of all through going Republicans everywhere. Hurrah for Ingalls! »

• Strong Circumstantial Evidence. The Epoch. 1 Husband—Wasn’t it very late last night when young Bampion left? Wife—Yes, very. Husband—And Clara is not up yet? Wife—No,poor girl; I thought I would let her sleep. Husband—l wonder if that yonng man really intends to propose to Clara? Wife—l think he has done so already. I noticed this morning when I came down that one of tbe easy chair in the parlor was broken.

MEXICO.

I‘ennliar I*ha»ea or Life in On,r Sister Republic. Kxtructs from a letter. To give you a fair idea of what class of Americans we meet in Mexico, we can truly say sally one-naif of them are drunken, and of the worst. of morale; they get drunk, go into bad company, gamble, and do everything that is bad, disobeying the laws and customs of the country. Many of the Americans here were compelled to come this side of the Rio Grande to keep away from the penalty of their bad acts in the Statee; no wonder that the” people h ere. who see all these Americans who care neither for law of God nor man, should form a bad ( pinion of the American people. The against robbing on the highway is death. Even an attempted robbery is punished with death. Any one in any way injuring therailroad frack, or firing a pistol in a car, or throwing a stone through a car window, or in any way endangering the lifeorpirson in a car or public conveyance, is by law subject to be immediately shot; and we can assure our readers the law is not a dead lettsr, but is executed promptly. Woen an accident happens here on the railway every one has to show it was not his fault, or he must suffer in i ctordauce with the character of the accident. With such strict laws many American railroad men who are careless and drunken find great fault,” and often haveto leave the country in a harry, and then make verj false statements whep ihev get to a place of safety, I People are not bothered about recompared to what is reported. Of course, this is a country intensely Catholic, and all know that all Catholics are opposed to Protestants; but the law here says that all shall have a right to worship as they please. Still, at several times and places, mobs have attacked churches. When missionaries have carefully gone on and minded their own business, they have had very little trouble—not a tithe of what has been reported—and in time there will be no trouble, we hope, T wenty years ago there was no chance for the arranging of Protestant churches here; but now we see very little trouble. It is hard work to change people from Catholics to Protestants, and where good men are sent they have very little trouble; but, we are Borry to say, some very poor material is sent to Mexico for missionaries.

There are many petty thieves here, but their thievery is only in a small way. Grand robbery and house breaking is almost unknown. We have never heard of a case ol house breaking by* a Hex;cm since we have been in Mexico, and there have only been three cases of stage robbing that we have known of, and only two cases of train robbing. Stealing by servants bears no comparison with what has been our experience in the States. The train robbing in both cases was mans gad and guided by men born and reared in the United States. The Bafety of people here on the road and in crowds of people is ten times greater than it is. in the States. The people of Mexico, as a class, are poor. At a fair estimate, we think that there is not more than one man in fifty who is in fair living circumstances. The population inabont 9,000,000, of these, about 5 000.000 are under the age of twenty, and of the adults about threefourths are women; or, in other word*, there are about three adult women-to each man. We are often called on to say why this is. Well, a few years ago this was a country of revolutions, and

the men were killed off; but with pesce, under such rulers as the present President Diaz ior another twenty years, this difference in the sexes will be greatly changed. The land of the country is in the hands "of the few, and the poor or peon class work for them at from 121 to 50 cents a da;; and this can never be changed. Way? Well, these poor people are wholly Indians and will not work if they have money. Give one of them SIOO, and he wiil spend $5 for food, $lO for a fine hat or shawl, and the other SBS will be played away at monle or other modes of gamoling. In fact, this one habit is a ruling one among all classes and ages. We know a mine owner whose mine paid him for several years $500,000 each year. He spent about SIO,OOO in his house and on his family and friends, and gambled away all the balance.

The people, almost without exception, are extremely polite; kind and lovipg to their family and friends. Children obey their parents and care for them when old. The family tieß here seem to be more, strong than we have ever seen anywhere else. The old grandmother or g -andfather takes (he seat of honor at table, and is never left in poverty or the poor honse when the son has money.

Raising Money in China. The Argonaut. « Raising money for public works in China is no joke to Celestial officials. The late terrific floods in the empire having been caused by a breach in the Yellow rivtr, 20,000,000 teals (about $32,500,000) most be spent on repairing the damage, so, to provide the necessary lands, all provincial officials’ salaries will be stopped fer a year.