Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 August 1896 — Page 6

THE FAMILY STORY

A BLESSED MORTGAGE

Mrs. Munroe was in esetasies of delight. She had secured a new cook at the most ridiculous wages. Of course, •he had not told the new girl, but it was finite true that she paid her not half what she had been compelled to pay dhe cook who had just left her. But twlien Almira Pollers, a fresh, pleasantfeatured young country girl, had ap<9tied for the place and had accepted 'Mrs. Monroe’s offer of $2 a week to •tart with, her new mistress did not think it necessary to mention that the ®roffered sum was very low indeed. “Of course, you shall have more as upw improve, Almira, but you know so JUtle about fancy cooking I scarcely feel able to pay you mere at the start.” •Mrs. Munroc had, smiling sweetly on !Almira, who did not know that very little fancy cooking was ever done in that •household. And so Almira took up her harden, and for the first time In nineteen years of her life began to earn •wages. The Pollers had always been farmers and owned their own place, but Almira’s father had somehow managed to get behind and a mortgage had been fastened upon the farm. The man who -held the mortgage.was very well satisfied to receive a good interest every year and renew Peter Pollers’ note, but it came to pass that it was bard to pay oven the interest. This particular year the crops had mostly failed. It lacked Ant a few weeks until the interest was due, when Almira, the eldest of the flock—there were ten in all—made up •her mind to go out ”to service.” Her determination created a great commotion in the family. None of the Pollers women had ever worked out, and the Idea was very distasteful, but Almira •ventually carried the day. Had her •duration been thorough enough she would gladly have taught school, but the little Pollers had appeared at such frequent intervals that Almira was obfiged to stay at home most of the time •to assist iter mother, and her edueartion was limited. , So. not without some inward struggles, she had decided that the only way she could help along would be by exercising her chief gift, cooking. Mrs. Munroc's advertisement in the Week'ljy Gazette had caught her eye. and uhe was very happy when she secured the situation. The wages were not ~ targe, but slie eould save ail the money for her father, and there would be one less to feed at home. That counted stir something. ‘ ", } Mrs. Munro’s family consisted of herself and a brother. Mr. Monroe had died several years before and his wid* •w was qjjite \tbalttiy. Her home, situated in an aristocratic suburb of tlie city, although small, was handsome and well appointed, and she had sufficient income to keop it up well. Mrs. Munroc liked to call herself economical, and we cannot deny slid was in ■ some things. She dressed elegantly and gave largely to her church, but there never was a closer woman in some respects than she. The shop people dreaded to see her come in, for although she always purchased the best, site invariably haggled at the price •util she got the goods for less than their marked price. At the groceries it was the same way, and woe to ths servant who wasted a scrap of anything or presumed to eat more thau the mistress thought necessary. After the first table Mrs. Munroc removed any delicacies she considered unnecessary for a servant’s coarse appetite without the slightest compunction. Her brother Tom, who paid a handsome sum for the privilege of sharing her home, once saw this performance and remonstrated with her, but to no avail. “It would be casting pearls before •wine." she remarked to his intense disgust, as she replaced a dish of lemon jelly in the closet and substituted a aancer of molasses. Tom Birney was one o,f those big hearted convivial fellows who. left with more money than they needed, succeeded in getting rid of it in different and unprofitable ways. He was

mot really bad. but be drauk a good bit and never bad done anything useful in bis life. lie bad been put in Bis father’s office, but he was extreme weak in his arithmetic, and suceeeded in mixing up the figures so •Badly that ’it took an esport to untangle them. After that his father Bad not tried to make a business man «f him, but said"that as Tom had been cut out for a gentleman he should be «ae, . „ But this was exactly what poor Tom was not cut out to be—that is, if we agree to the accepted meaning of the word—a man of refined manners, tie Bived horses and enjoyed the society •f horsemen; liked better to hear a nob list German girl sing funny songs at the garden than to hear Ttftti at the Grand. If he ever to his aister's importunities to accompany Her to a dancing party he was sure to atep on his partner’s toes, to tear their dresses by his awkwardness, and drink too much champagne at suppef. In tort Tom, although kind-hearted and Honest, was very 11l at ease and out •jT place at society, and ttt last, after making himself very conspicuous at a Sew York dance, his sister vowed she would never ask him t(j go with her again. She told him ibis-very emphatically the morning after me ball, as •he left him to eat his late breakfast alone. Tom was feeling very badly and Indulging in a severe case of “fcatzei* Jammer,” the result of too frequent vis. Its to the punch bowl, but looked up when Almiru came In with his breaking nnd l Ttottfeed that she was looking ■ale. “IThiv Is the matter, Alnjira?” he •** pd - . ' ■ < 4i “Nothing, Mr. Tom,” replied Almira, wieriug toward the door quietly. sqjr there is something wrong} •at with It, Almira,” continued Tom? wishing to help her If she was in Irou-

ble of any kind. Almira made no reply and Tom sprang up and obstructed her way. “Say, you're working too hard, and Sister Eleanor pays you beastly small wages. I'll be bound. “ Maybe it's a new gown or a bonnet you're grieving after —eh, Almira? Here, take this aud get it.” And before Elmira could speak the impulsive Tom had plunged his hands into liis pockets, brought out a lot of c-oip and flushed it into nor hands. “How dare you?” she demanded, so choked up she could scarcely articulate. “Have I ever given you any reason. Mr. Tom, to treat me with such disrespect?’’ “Disrespect?” repeated Tom. very red and astonished. "Do you think I meant any disrespect to you, Almira? I swear I respodt you more than any other woman I know; r only thought you were pining for some of the pretty things most girls like, and why shouldn't I do some good with my useless money?” Almira saw that lie was honest in his speech and was appeased, but when he asked anxiously, “If it isn't a gown or hat. what in heaven's name is- it?" she burst into tears, and forgetting that she was Mrs. Munroe's servant-girl and that Mr. Tom was her brother and a rich man, forgetting,, all save the trouble that was wearing on her and making her pale and thin, she poured out her woes into his sympathizing ear. She told him abont the mortgage on their farm, how it had been renewed from year to year when the interest was paid. They had grown so accustomed to flint they hud never thought' of losing the place until Mr. Boilers, on taking: the interest so hardly earnedand increased by Almira’s Savings, had been inforpied that liis creditors needed the money and must have it on ihe farm. 1

The blow lmd fallen like a clap of thunder from a clear sky. The thought of leaving the old homestead was insupportable, and yet Where could Peter Pollers expect to raise the money to cancel the mortgage? Almira told her story, punctuated by sobs, pud Tom listened attentively. When she had finished, he asked, “Is it a large sum. Almira?” “Oil, yes, Mr. Tom, $2,000’.” she said, sadly. “Hunt!” said Tom, pulling liis mustache aud looking very hard out of the window. “Couldn’t your father get. some one to pay the man and take up the mortgage? “Suppose—suppose—T take it up. Almira?” ventured Tom, still lookipg out of the window and getting very red again. Astonishment and rapture appeared on the girl’s face at liis words. “Do you mean it, Mr. Tom? Oil, you are too good!” she cried. “Bosh!” said Tom, brusquely. “It's siuinlv a good investment. Don't accuse me of being good, Almira; I'm incorrigibly bad, I am., But” (hearing footsteps approaching), “run on. I’ll drive out and see your father to-day and get the mortgage.” And without giving her a moment to express her thanks, he hurried on. Mf6t long after this Almira noticed that Tom was drinking steadily. He took what meals he ate at home alone, Mrs. Munroc declaring she would not and could not lend him .her countenance. The girl, as she waited on him, felt a great deal of pity for this man, who seemed so alone and was wasting health and fortune in dissipation, and at last one morning when lie was looking unusually used up and liis hands were trembling so that lie could hardly hold his cup she again forgot the difference in their stations and spoke out. “Mr. Tom,” she said, “I'm sorry for you.” “What! Sorry for me? What do you mean, Almira? I’m having a jolly good time. A short life and a .men*}- one—that's my motto. Almira shook her head and looked at him steadily. “Do you never think how much good you might do instead of throwing yourself into little better than a beast?” “Humph! That’s pretty strobg language. I must say,” he growled. “But it’s true. Mr. Tom, if you keep on you’ll sink lower and Viwer—oh, it’s dreadful to think of it.” Almira shuddered as she picked up her tray and left the table.

" llold there,” said Tom, “you don't understand it, Almira, it’s got sueli a hold on me. How can I shake It off? I’ve got no one else to help me if I try.” and, weakened and unnerved as he was, the tears started to his eyes. “Tell me what to do!” “You can get down.and pray to God to help you,” said Almira, solemnly, “and you can go to the cure. They say it's wonderful what they can do. Be a man, Mr. Tom, and try it,” she urged. Tom sat irresolute for a moment, then rose and grasped her hand. “I will try,” he said, “and If I come out ahead It will all be owing to you. But it will be hard, iUmlra. I know, for 1 tried on<*>, only I couldn't stick It out. But I’ll try again, if only to show you ” He stopped abruptly and rung her hand and rushed out of the room. If Mrs. Munroe had known that her brother set such value on Almira Pollers’ good opinion she would have been horrified. She reported that brother Tom had gone to a sanitarium because she. had lectured him into it. and was quite satisfied as the weeks'lengthened into months and Torn still remained there. , In truth he was having a terrible fight with the demon who had so nearly claimed him as his own. But at last he “came out ahead,” as he -himself explained It. , When be returned heme he walked straight through all the handsome rooms down to the kitchen, where Almira was alone at work. The look on his face even before he spoke, told her that Us had conquered.

“Oli, I'm so glad,’* she faltered, putting her toil-worn hand into the one he holdout. “I knew- you eould do it.” “You liAd faith in me, did you, Almira ?” he asked, still holding her hand and looking curiously at her beaming face. Almira nodded assent. i “Well, I’m cured now—wouldn’t touch a drop of it if there were gallons aud gallons of the very finest flowing around me. But will it last? I can’t tell, and TVc got to have somebody, to helpline if that dreaded thirst copies, on again. I’ve got to have a wife who will love and believe in me and keep ■me from falling. You're the only one who had faith in me, Almira, and you're the Only one I want for a wife. Say yes. Almira.” *' g • “0«i, Mr. Tom,” she c-riqdljtrying' to draw her band away, “you can’t mean it—why—l'm—pnly your sister’s cook.” “That has nothing to do with the ease. .You’re the noblest girl I know, and I want you and only you. i Can’t you try to love me enough to marry me. Almira? I'll try to be a good husband. I swear.” , “How can I help loving you," murmured Almira. “I've nearly worshiped you since you lifted that heavy load from my poor father’s shoulders, and if. you thmk I am good enough for ' you ” “Put on your bonnet right away and we'll find a license and a parson. Mrs. MunrOe might say some things—unpleasant things—to Almira Pollers that she would not dare to say to Mrs. Tom Birney.” And lit spite of Almira's remonstrances she waH marched off. and so expeditious was Tom that inside of an hour they Were married. Mrs. Munroc, when she was notified -of the happy event, gave full sway to her rage in the privacy of her own room. When kind friends offered condolence she sighed and wiped a few imaginary tears with her handkerchief. “Brother Tom was always the black sheep of tjie family.” she said. “We never could make a gentleman of him., I suppose we should be thankful heD done no worse. The girl is really quite capable and rhay be able to keep him straight.’ 1 ' The usual order of things was reversed when Mrs. Tom Birney on her wedding day made her father a present, and it was nothing less than the mortgage on liis farm. And Almira said, ns they all drew around the fireplace and watched it turn to ashes, that it, was a blessed mortgage after all, for it led her indirectly to her Tom. —Toledo Blade.

ALMOST CERTAIN DEATH.

The Gunner in the Tower Will Be in Great Danger. In that Opining nayfl 1 battle between the steel fleets of. two first-class powers, to which nautical authorities have been looking forward ever; since modern battleships became tile mighty engines of problematical forces' that they are, the military mast and fighting top will play a deadly part and be the station of dinger and heroism? ■ . ■ w— — As .everybody knows, the old mast,, the mast of yards and sails, has vanished-. from the modern ship of war The Newark is the only modern ship in the United States liavy .which has sailcarrying masts. The place of the mast that was greeted for sail-carrying purposes is taken oil the modem warship by a steel tower, which rises from the deck to support one or maybe three or four circular galleries, where rapid fire or machine guns are placed, which,,in time of action, pour their hail of bullets at the decks and ports of the hostile ship. ' ~ —• The object.is to kill the gunners, for it is self-evident that the most powerful gUn is powerless if its crew is dead. Take the twenty rapid-fire guns distributed along the superstructure of the Indiana. Prom a fighting top such a storm of lead could be driven upon these great guns as would make it impossible for men to work them. Therefore it will be one of the first duties of a warship to shoot away with its heavy guns the military mast of its adversary. ' <- As one well-directed shot will send the mast tumbling, it is not probable that any ship will come out of an engagement with its military mast standing, The shooting away pf the mast will, of course.,Jliean the death of every man in tile fighting tops. Men sent there will know as they climb the dark ladder to their stations that they go to almost certain death, and will have only one duty before them, to kill as many of the enemy as they can before the crash conies. Men Who in turrets- and below are handling the great guns have overj- hope of life aud victory before them, but the meu in the tops go to their duty with no such hopes and expectations. To man the fighting tops in •action will be a kind of martyrdom especially hard to endure. To perform devils of valor in the face of contending armies or to suffer with fortitude in the gaze of admiring thousand* is one tiling; to climb up calmly inside a steel post and work away at such an unpoetical mechanical device as a rapid-fire or machine gun until Such time as it may please the enemy to blow one into “kingdom come" is quite another thing. , Yet the modern man-of-warsman is enthusiastic over the advantages of the military mast, and would obey an order to nlan a gun In the fighting top as read ily as lie would the bugle call which suni\ mons him to by meals.—New 1 York, Press.

Soldiers Have a Right to Vote.

In some of the European countries the line between the soldier and the citizen is very sharply drawn, the former not being.allowed nny of the rights or privileges of citizenship. In our own land of freedom a citizen is none the less so from the fact that he is serving his country inthe army. Any soldier, on complying with the registration laws and In other ways fulfilling legal requirements, has the same right to vote as though he were following the business by which he made his living before be enlisted. -> “Do you have a telephone in your house?” “Noj I sometimes have .to work at the office at night, and if f~liad a ’phone at home my wife would call me up every thirty minutes to see if I was there.”—Chicago Record. On board steamship Brace up. old boy. be thrown off If you, only think so. Simpson—D9 you —see —any one—throwing It pff— faster than—l am?—Detroit Free Press.

WOMAN HOME

IS MRS. CLEVELAND'S PROPERTY PRESIDENT 'Cleveland rides' in Mrs. Cleveland's carriage at Gray Gables. H-is coachman is not liis at all, but his better half's. From the handsome pair of bays, the carriage the chachman, down to the very harness, the entire outfit is hers. It is sai.l that her ownership does not stop at tlio Contents of the stable, but the entire estate is hers ns well; but, if this is t-ue, there is one tiling in which the man of the house is permitted to assert his supremacy. The President pays rhe taxes. The assessors of the town of Bourne have- Mr. Cleveland on their little list, and do not recognize his wife as a source of financial relief to the town treasury. The President is good enough for them. He accepts the de eree of values of the Monument Neck estate and settles with the ta? collector without a murmur each year. Mrs. Cleveland's new pair are light bays, and much better matched thau the pair she drove IfiSSt summer. They arc by no means small, but in good proportien to the t-wo-seated, canopytopped carryall to fvhich they are nearly always att&ebed. Mrs. Cleveland's horses’ harness is black leather throughout and somewhat elaborate. It is silver mounted in a new*pattern,’ and on the saddle pad in either side, on the blinders and on each rosette of the bridle are these three letters in a monogram: “F. F. C;“ Frances Folsom Cleveland, they stand for, aud are the evidence that the equipage throughout is the personnl property of the wife of the President. These initials are raised letters of polished silver of a peculiar, elongated, very English pattern. Miss Lillie B. Pierce, Miss Lillie Pierce, who read the declaration of independence at the opening of the national silver convention, is one of the ablest and most charming of the young women in St. Louis who have devoted themselves to elocution. St. Louis prides itself upon the number and the quality of its female professors of elocution, and Miss Pierce occupies a place in the forefront of that profession. Her great power of declamation began to show itself when she was a mere tot. At the tender age of (. she electrified her teacher by declaiming, with marvelous force and expression, Mr.* Eddy’s great oration on the decline and fall of the North Amer

MISS PIERCE.

lean Indian. When she had reached tne grammar grade her recitation 'of Ricnzi’s address to the Romans and of Marco Bozzaris’ death wore famed throughout the city. As she grew older Miss Pierce set her wing to higher flights and heavier 1 performances, and successfully coped with Spartaeus’ outburst concerning his intention of' mak'ng Rome howl and other gems of tragic Import. It is said that her reading of the declaration of independence is a stirring effort. Iler voice is remarkable for its volume, and her attitudes are' said to be art itself. Miss Pierce is pretty, cultured, and might have made a success “Upon the stage had her ambition led her that way. Chances of Marriage Spoiled. A mother who has brought up-both boys and girls is strongly opposed to the higher education for her gentler offspring. She a girl usually does not get out of college until she is 22 or 23, and “by that time her ehanees of marriage are sensibly diminished.” But there are a great many who hold that a girl’s chance of happiness is really increased by a college education. On the other hand, a girl is flung into society, immature and half-educated, with no future before her except in matrimony, and her ignorance of the world is such that she is likely to make a match which will prove unfortunate. On the other hand, the college girl has learned how to extract pleasure from books and pictures;' and she can earn her own living and does not depend upon the chance of some man offering her a home. In fact, she is not so prone to take the first chance that offers, and while it is probableithat “a girl’sclia of matrimony is sensibly diminished by a higher education,” it by no means follows that the higher education diminishes her chance of happiness. Symbolical Marriages In Ind'a. A curious custom prevails in certain parts of India which may be called a symbolical marriage. In families where theire are several daughters the younger may only marry after ihe elder sister,is married. That, of course, is not always the case, but the obstacle can easily be surmounted if the elder sister declares herself ready to marry some tree or a large flower or some other lifeless object. In this way the disagreeable consequences of disregarding the time-honored , custom may be avoided and the younger sister can safely be wedded to her living choice. Cnltivate Ease and Repnae. “In your own person you must live up to what the social world asks,” says Ruth Ashmore, In an article addressed to young girls „in the Ladles’ Home •Journal. “Achieve the stillness of form that is the great charm of the English

woman. Learn to be quiet,of body, d« not jerk, do not wriggle, dd not mov« from chair to chair, do not restlessly pick up first one and then another of the trifles on the table and toy with Ithem, do not bite yonr lips, do not set your jawsias if you were going to tight a battle, do not tap your foot, and do not show, by moving your: hands backward and forward, that the enemy of flood form, restlessness, is controlling you. Then, when you talk, avoid all those little smart speeches that seem to you so clever, but which are very apt to be coined at the expense of •somebody else." Mrs, Thomas C. Platt. While everybody knows something of Thomas G. I’latt, the great Republican bos3 of New York, little is generally known of Ills wife, and yet Mrs. Platt Is hardly less Interesting than the boss himself and is the virtual power behind the throne. She takes an active and intelligent interest in the affairs that interest her husband and is well posted on the politics of the State and nation. Her husband's triumphs have

MRS. THOMAS C. PLATT.

been hers and his disappointments have been harder on her than on him. In appearance Mrs. Platt Is tall, with dark hair, tinged with gray, and dark eyes that look at one lyltk a very-di-rect, penetrating glance. Her features are small and exceedingly well formed and her manner is cordial and dignified. One of Mrs. Platt’s greatest, charms is her voice, which is exceedingly rich and musical. She dresses yith taste, Inclining now to grays and Micks, with much tine lace. She la thoroughly feminine in dress and manner. Mrs. Platt is now anxious that her husband should abandon politics, fearing that the strain is greater than he can continue to bear.

Skirt Grips of Jeweled Gold. With the wide skirts came in novellii's in jeweid skirt grips, and safety pins of gold owed Their popularity to the blouse, whose belt they hi stoned down securely to the jupe. Grips resemble handsome pins or clasps, and have si strong gold eye attached to the reverse side, in which the hook that is usually sewed on the band of a skirt is fastened. Some of them are plain, but substantial; others are a mass of delicate filigree work, ami studded with jewels. They are useful articles for holding up a heavy gown.. The Irish Joan of Arc. Her remarkable beauty no less than her sweet womanliness and patriotic fervor has made Miss Maud Gonne a successful worker in the eafise of freedom. She is called the Joan of Are of Irish politics. The daughter of the late Col. (tonne, who was Irish by birth but anti-Irish in sentiment, she was reared in a circle which was strongly opposed to home rale for the green isle. Her father was attached to the vice regal court, and here she was the reigning belle. But when, upon the death of her parent, she declared her sympathy for the Irish people she was

MISS MAUD CONNE.

frowned upon and had to seek new friends. Then came a determination to work publicly for her country men. She went on the platform as a political speaker and toured England for the Liberal party in the last elections. She has also lectured in France and Belgium. Forecasts for Aatnmn. The sack or box coat will be much in evidence this fall. Braiding and sets of braided garnitures are to be popular. Yokes are universally worn, but a short, stout figure will look better in a long Y\ Next winter will be a winter of broad-brimmed huts and ostrich Illumes. The coming season promises to be a fur reason, and the long-haired kinds will be in especial favor. New skirts for autumn wear have their fullness flowing farther to the back and sides and the front less flaring. This fall very few plain materials will be worn. The advance wool goods are in plaids, checks, Persian effects and mixtures. Ombre, or shaded, ribbons and alpaca ribbons, which shed tlie dbst, au-e the coming ribbons for this fall and next spring’s wear.. One feature by which the very latest made‘^own may be recognised Iqby its high cincture, or girdle, of black satlq tlbbon, accompanied by a short bolero.

ENGLAND'S VOLCANOES.

Ttaccs of the Old Reichert Seen in Many PI: ces. , i Sir Archibald Gcjke, !•’. K. 5.,4n a lecture before the Glasgow Geological Society on ‘‘The “Latest Volcanoes in the British .Isles,” says that i >vasDue which had occupied him closely sos the last tweniy; years, and more especially for the last . seven years. These islands of ours were specially fortunate "in the wonderfully complete record which they had within their borders of the history of volcanic action. He supposed there was no area of equal dimensions on the surface of the earth where the* story of volcanic action had been recorded so completely and with such wonderfully voluminous details. From the earliest geological times they had an almost continuous record of volcanic eruption along the western border of the European continent. There were once'aetive volcanoes along the great valley between the Outer Hebrides on the west anil the" mainland of Scotland on the east, and they Extended from the south of Antrim through tlie lino of the Inner Hebrides far north into the Faroe Isles, and beyond them Into Iceland;,’-The present leelandie-vol-cauoes were the lineal-descendants of those which were in action in this country in oldbl-tertiary times. ® The story of volcanoes in this gauntry was to be found by theDide of thE volcanoes in Iceland, and one of the most prominent features of the modem volcanoes in that country was that they •lid not form mountains like Etna or Vesuvius. Their dominant feature was tlie production of great rectilinear Assures,inn there were also cones. Everyone who had sailed aldng the shores of the Clyde was familiar with tlie-dikes that rose up sometimes with singular prominence along the shores of Arrau, Bute, and the Oiimbraes—great wall-I.ke Masses of black rock through the sandstone; These dikes marked some of the fissures produced during the timer of the early tertiary volcanic eruptions. Tito eruptions appeared to have begun with the formation of these fissures. They had Them In Autrim. Mull, Remu, Sauna. Sunday and Skye— The Inner Hebrides were merely fragments of what may have been originally a volcanic plateau extending from Antrim in the south to the north of Skye. The successive outflows of basalt could be. traced In layers in old river channels, and these layers had been repeated at least four times in tlie history of the plateau, as shown in the Islands of .Ganna and Sanda s .v. From the beginning of the story to tlie end the production of fissures seamed to have been the fundamental fact. There was great difficulty in fixing tlie age, but within tin* last few months, in tlie cdurse of their work in the Geological f*arvey. they had come across the evidence which would enable them to spell their way among tlie dikes 1 of the whole Western Highlands. The voleanoes, however, belonged to a very-re-cent period—to a time actually younger than the soft clay on which London is built. That clay wag s .there before tlie volcanoes began to blaze forth. 11l closing, Sir Archibald-referred to the subject of denudation or waste, which fie described as outs of tlie most fascinating departments of geology, and one which gave valuable aid in enabling ■ lieni to detenuino the ago of different strata; and there was. in* said, no place where tlio geologist could study that subject with more profit to himself and benefit to science than along the north shores of the. Faroe Isles, where there were, the finest sen cliffs in Kilfope, some of them ".000 feet in height.— ..Edinburgh Scotsman.

Chinese Make Slow Progress.

In these times, when we can put a circle around the world in seventy days, this globe of ours scorns a small enough place. But who conceives its real extent? Who can compass in his mind such a realm as China? Penis Kearney used to tell us the Chinese were "mOon-eyed lepers.” My old friend Bret Ilartc clubbed them heathens. Our enlightened government proscribes them ns things accursed. Y'et in tlmt marvelous nation lias gone on for Immemorial years a civilization and an industry which were brilliant when Europe was a t en peopled by savages and America an undreamed of wilderness. They had a literature before the Egyptians, aud a wise one, too. They had printing when the, European world was a chaos. They had art when It was an unknown thing, except, perhaps, to the Egyptians, aud to them only ill a primitive way. They were the inveiffors of glass, and centuries upon centuries before a European ship penetrated to the Indian ocean their junks traded glassware to the ports of the Persian gulf. The Arabs, with cutting tools procured from the Chinese, engraved this Chinese glass with Arab emblems, and so stole the claim to Invention. AVheu the Chinese commenced to make pottery is unknown. From pottery to porcelain, from porcelain to glazed porcelain the progress went on. They cut jewels with miserable tools, which uow almost baffle the niechnnical Ingenuity of Amsterdam. They made coral a jewel when Italy was unknown. They carved jade, an apparently worthless mineral, intractable and brittle, into the most ingenious of artistic forms. Their silks were the silks of the world, for there were no others. And through all these aeons, with all their capricious changes of dynasty. they have remained the same people* perpetuating the feudal system of Europe, a nation of lords and serfs. But of late years, the vassals having been ground down so fine, the conditions having changed so much since a new world has grown up about them, the-lords reluctantly part with their treasured heirlooms under the pressure of necessity.—Collector.

Home Made Baseball.

A very, good home-made ball may ho evolved by taking a good-sized cork and cutting it down to the size of a large marble. Cut pieces of woolen cloth in narrow strips aud wind them around the cork until you have a ball of the required size. Cut a pair of old gloves, dogskin, buckskin, or Suede, in four quarters, shape to the ball, and stitch together wjtji a waxed linen thread.— New Y'ork Evening Post. The great trouble with a sinner la that he ha sto oe saved every or four months.

The Library Corner

At a sale in Frankfort four letb-ira. by Beethoven brought SI,OCK) anil fourteenjefters by Goethe brought $1,400. The last thing written l)jr Mrs. Stowe was a grateful acknowledgment to the public.of the fond remembrances sent ' iiCT on her Ssth birthday. Baron Rothschild includes in his "Personal Characteristics” the Reply of the Marquis de Bievre to Louis XV: "I hear that you make jokes on every subject; well, make one on me.” “Your Majesty is not a subject.” A complete list of the “fadazine” periodicals of the Chap Book order shows just twenty-five of them, scattered from one end of the country to the otherChicago' has only one—the best of the lot—while New York City suffers from seven. The Bookseller and Newsman of New York tells a country bookseller that cap be gained in transferring a small account from Chicago to New York; Chicago Is fast becoming a leading recognized center for book manufacturing.” Elbert Hubbard contributes to the “Little Journeys” brochure series an enthusiastic essay on Walt. Whitman, whichJb e concludes thus: “There are men who are to other men as the shadow of a mighty roclc in a weary landsuch is Walt Whitman.” Robert Louis Stevenson’s personal estate, in the United Kingdom alone, has just been taxed at a sworn valuation of about SST,O(K). The quite general impression that lack of money forced Stevenson to write at times when illness made the effort a torture was hardly waranted. One a glimpse of Raskin's thoughts on the subject of Ilia health .when he wrote tips to an old friend: "No matter how foolish one may liavo been, one can’t expbet a moth with both wings burnt ,ptf anil dropped- into hot tallow to sing psalms with what is left of Its antennae-’-'

Rev. Mr. Kellogg, the author of “Spartacus,” who is without an ache or pain at four-score, used to do such things as jump in the winter ocean on a wager. Last summer, contrary to expostulation, he stood bareheaded in a pelting rain storm while a Lewiston (Me.) Journal artist took his picture. Thomas Hugos, author ,of “Tom Brown at Rugby,” was once commissioned to write the life of Peter Cooper. Tire book was written and tlie manuscript" sent to Mr. Cooper’s family, whq, after reading it, locked it up. The manuscript was put in print, but the book was never issued to the public, e Aubrey Beardsley, though his art has been much laughed at, is said to have made an income of $20,000 a year since -he appeared on the horizon, two or three years ago. He was born at Brighton of poor parents, who intended that he should be a musician, and his first pictures were shown when lie was 20 years old. It was thought last year that book collecting had ran the full length of madness when Poe’s “Tamerlane” was sold for $1,045, Walton’s “Angler” for $1,225, for $1,050, and CroimvelPs “Souldier Bible” for $1.000.. Blit these prices are said to bo totally eclipsed by some of the rarities on the market this year. Ilea dors of Crane’s “Red Badge of Courage” at first thought the writer was a war veteran. Now those who have read his “Maggie” have a Strong •suspicion that the young man must bo a Bowery rounder. But tlie admirers of his “Black Riders” have proof positive that he is acquainted with the interior of a lunatic asylum. A Tsalter printed on vellum in 1459, for the Benedictine monastery of Sank! Jakob, at Mainz, tlie third book from tlie Mainz pmss and the second printed book with a date, is offered for sale In Mr. Quarltch’s liturgical catalogue for $20,250. When last sold. In ISB4, tills copy brought $24,750. No other copy lias appeared in the market for almost a hundred years. It Is far rarer than the Mazarin Bible, the first book ever printed.

Invention of Circular Saws.

The circular saw lias come into such general use that it is accepted as one of the indispensable mechanical instruments and few ever give any thought to the inventor. In tracing the history of saVt’s back to the origin, _C. A. Dunham finds that the circular saw was invented in America about the year 1770 by a combmaker of the name of Hartshorn. He found the old-fashioned method of using a common handsaw to saw out the horn between the teeth of the comb rather slow. He therefore took a copper penny, known locally as a “Bungtown copper,” filed it down somewhat thinner, drilled a hole through its center, squared the hole and cut the teeth In its outer edge. He then placed It upon a mapdrel and put It In lathe. On that he sawed out his com lx*, , The new saw worked so wdlthiit hp cut up his handsaw and converted that also Into circular saws for making combs. He lived and died in Mansfield, Conn., “where the wooden nutmegs come from.” He was also the inventor of the screw and lip auger. He never took out any patents, claiming that If he had done anything that was of benefit to his fellow men they were welcome to it.—lnventor.

Very Consoling.

The festivities at the coming of age of the present Lord Hopetoun Included a service at the parish church, which was filled With members of the great Hope family and also members of the Hope clan. The feelings oMlie congregation thus composed can be imagined when the minister began bis discourse with the words: “My brethren, the world 1b full of blasted hopes.*

Flower Names.

The spelling of the popular names.of our wild flowers sometimes obscures their etymology. Thus “foxglove" ,a leaTly a mistake for “Folks”—the fairy “folks-glove”—and has no connection with the fox, far less with “fuchs” or “fuCbias.” A woman’s definition of a good doctor Is one who has a tender voice and sympathetic eyes.