Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1894 — New Use for the Telephone. [ARTICLE]

New Use for the Telephone.

"It is not pood to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.” An Indianapolis divorce was attended by the entire family of ten children who sat in a row and listened to the details of the trouble between their parents. A verdidt rendered by such a juvenile jury would bo unique and interesting. The Government report indicates that the supply of corn in the farmers’Kands March 1, in the United States, was 589,000,000 bushels, or about..thirty-six per cent of the crop »f 1893. Of this amount the States of Ohio, Indiana,^fllinots.; Towa, Missouri. Kansasand Nebraska held sixty-one per cent. The price throughout the country is at the maximum lowest point. The census of 1890 shows that in 1890 that there were employed in the various manufacturing institutions of Indiana 2.968 children of both sexes under sixteen years of age, whose annual earnings aggregated a total of $375,257. In the United States the total number of Buch immature laborers was 104,471, and their earnings aggregated the vast total of $14,699,217.

Many city residences are now fitted up with outside Venetian blinds, wire gauze fly screens inside of the.outside blinds, cambric drapery, inside and next to the windowglass, folding or sliding window blinds inside of the cambric drapery, rolling shades inside of the folding blinds, lace curtains inside of the rolli ig shades. And yet the wail of the unemployed goes up in an unceasing appeal for more work and the down trodden washerwoman swells the chorus with her wrongs. The United States Navy is to be reorganized. Secretary Herbert has given to the Congressional committee appointed for this purpose a basis to proceed upon. The number of officers of higher grades is to be increased. There will be sixty captains instead of forty-five as at present. One hundred commanders instead of seventy-five as now. If reorganized according to the plans laid down by the Secretary there will be twenty rear admirals, sixty captains, one hundred commanders, seventy-four lieutenant-command-ers, two hundred and fifty lieutenants, seventy-five junior lieutenants, and as manyensigns as are.necessary for this force of officers. Promotions wifi be much more easily obtained than in the past. All this will increase the-expense Df the navy, but not to an alarming extent, estimates placing the increase at $132,090 at first. r

There is a scheme on foot' in Chicago to remove the Ferris wheel into the center of Garfield Park, and the Park commissioners will be asked to donate the site. The Inter Ocean vehemently opposes this action, and holds that if they grant such privileges to one they may as well to all who might desire to embark in the show business. “It’s none of our funeral,” but the point is not xvell taken. The Ferris wheel is an extraordinary attraction that Chicago can not afford to lose if it can be retained by reasonable concessions, and the authorities in charge of public grounds will hardly be called upon for contributions to anything at all approaching it in interest or magnitude. Even if Such should be the case, they would be justified in taking such action as will keep the great revolver rolling some place in Cook county.

Politicians and patriots in Cen tral America, who organize rebellions and revolutions “while you wait,” ostensibly from motives the reverse of mercenary, and who often pose as benefactors of the ignorant and degraded natives of that part of the world, if latest reports are trustworthy, are turning out to be very much like ward heelers and “bosses” in our own enlightened land. They are “not in it” “for their health”, and “freeze” to all the 'swag" that the mad waves of internecine strife may cast at their feet. The President of Nicaragua, in his recent war on Honduras, gave the world to understand that he engaged in the conflict from a purely chivalrous desire to give the conquered commonwealth a better government. The President of Honduras, seeing that he was beaten, looted the treasury and escaped, leaving nothing for the conquering hero. Thn President of Nicaragua now demands pay, and says he will stay at the conquered capital until

ho gets it. The only way that he I can get pay is by the Confiscation of the property of the unhappv citizens whom he “saved” from a Ayrant’s. clutches. Accordingly the Honduras rebels, under the direction of the President of Nicaragua, are seizing everything they can lay their hands on. The war may be reopened. Evidently the poor people of Honduras have “jumped out of the frying-pan into the .fire.” Their rebellion was successful,, but they will have to pay roundly for it, besides enduring all -the evils of a bloody war. Evekybody knows ‘hat there is nothing small about Chicago, but everybody does not know that one of the biggest of all the gigantic enterprises, that go to make up the colossal total known as the World’s Fair City, is the reorganized Uni- . versify of Chicago, which has of late years been moved from the site long occupied in the neighhorhood_of-the-Douglas monument, and endowed with the millions of John D. Rockefeller. The advantages offered by such an institution in the heart of the Mississippi valley should not be treated lightly, as is the disposition evinced in some quarters. In fact this great University is destined in time to outrank all others in the United States. Its equipment is already superior to Yale or Harvard. Its picture gallery, its library, its museum, its great telescope, its scholastic course —all attest the far reaching sagacity of its great benefactor who is quite as well qualified to equip a college as be is to squeeze the millions out of the oil trade wherewith to carry out his laudable ambitions.

The very latest phrase resulting from the constant evolution of slang is “the fellow wears rubbers,” and it is synonymous with saying that a man is a low down sneak. It originated in police circles on account of the almost universal habit of sneak thieves, who wear rubber sole shoes in order that they can approach their victims without being heard. Another “up to date” expression is, “he doesn’t cut any ice,” and it means that he is “not in it.” “Not in it” means that he “don’t get any of the swag.” “Swag” means “boodle” and “boodle” means profit in a general sense. Trusting that we have made ourselves sufficiently clear for the “gumption” of the average reader, we will “come off” until the progressive and irrepressible American population shall find it necessary to cast the foregoing “out of sight” into the junk heap of forgotten phrases, and substitute for them more mystifying and expressive ejaculations wherewith to “knock ’em silly.” “We are no hog” and “don’t has to” rob any one of the credit of adding to our already limitless vocabulary, and hope our readers will kindly “catch on” and “give us a rest” till wc “hear from New York.” :

Harper’s Yor.nr People. Here’s a story of the telephone as it is used or abused in Russia. The use of the instrument to intimidate prisoners is the invention of a police inspector at Odessa. A man was one day brought into the police station, charged with having committed a serious robbery. The inspector had some difficulty .in proving the case and had recourse to an ingenious stratagem. He went to the telephone in an adjoining room and asked the clerk at the central office to speak into the instrument the following words in a solemn tone, “Istno Smellanski, you must confess the robbery; if you don’t you are sure to be sentenced and your punishment will be all the more severe..” He then sent for the prisoner and questioned him, threatening to appeal to the machine to get the truth. The thief burst into a laugh, but the inspector held the telephone to his ear and gave the preconcerted Signal. The result was as expected.. The rogue, terrified by the warning uttered by the uncanny “machine,” at once made a clean breast of it.