The Syracuse Journal, Volume 4, Number 7, Syracuse, Kosciusko County, 15 June 1911 — Page 2

Syracuse Journal r W. G. CONNOLLY, Publisher. RY RAGUSE, ■ “ INDIANA. frFiE PERFUME OF LONG AGO |«Balm of Gilead” Is an Ointment Distilled From the Amyris, and Now I | Extremely Rare. ■i For many years the Nile nation was the world’s premier market for perfumes. It was to a company of Ishjmielites, come from Gilead with ■spicery, balm and myrrh, that Joseph’ was sold; and the perfumers were (among the richest merchants of those (remote times. (The storied “balm of Gilead,” then scl common and now so rare that only tile sultan can have all he wants, is -distilled, from the amyris, a bush that on co upon a time covered the mountains of Gilead. In vain today might Jeremiah cry out: “Is there no balm In Gilead; is there no physician there?” The ancient Hebrews made wide use of perfumes—first in their religious ■ceremonials. Indeed; their love of sweet odors was on a par with their hove for gold and precious stones; and las certain of the latter had to be used for the adorning of the high priests, sb were certain perfumes set aside for the service of the altar and the inner temple. J . The Jews perfumed their beds, scented their hair and beards and wore alabaster vials filled with musk, attar of rose, balsam or costly spikenard of the sort with which the woman bathed the feet of Jesus of Nazareth. And it is a significeht testimonial to their high regard for perfumes that of the three offerings borne to the infant savior by the wise' men two were of perfume—frankincense and myrrh. 1 The Talmud directs that One-tenth of each bride’s dowry be spt aside for the purchase of perfumes, and the queen of Sheba was long remembered in Judea for having introduced there a.delightful odor known as the) “balsam of Mecca,” which gained grdat popularity. It is now grown in only' one place—a certain Arabia plantation — and the total annual yield ,is threat pounds. Old Books and Values. Such a sale as that of the Hoe collection, which attracts widespread no- , tice by reason of its spectacularism, always has the unfortunate) effect of producing exaggerated ideas among many people concerning thp value of bld books. It is hard to explain to such people when they submit a volume a couple of hundred years old, and are told that it may be worth in .the market anywhere from nothing to one -dollar, how it is that some old •books are valueless, while others are priceless. An ignorant irbagination, stimulated to accounts of fabulous sums' readily paid at auctioh sales for old books, is not easily convinced that though the rules of book prices are sometimes subtle, still there are rules. And thus, whether the price at the big book auctions are or are not absurd, they are certainly productive of absurd ideas with people who have in their possession a dogeared volumeter two which belonged to great-great-grand-father. John Bull's Loac|. IThe figures of the British national revenue for the financial year which has closed amount to ~ 203',850,000. In addition to collecting about £204,000,000' for public supplies, they yearly raise, in England and Wales alone another £100,000,000, which is spent by . local authorities, who have incurred ” besides a debt of nearly £ 500,000,000. •To these figures must be added the local debts and expenditures of Scotland and Ireland. y A British paper says: “It is quite wrong to calculate, as statisticians do, how much this vast oppressive sum comes to per head of the population. The weight of it is not spread throughout the entire people. It falls lightly on some thousands of rich men, and very heavily on a few million hardworking bread-winners.” For Sleeplessness. A sufferer from insomnia states that she was cured of sleeplessness by the simplest means, that of eating a raw onion sandwich just before going to be]d. Less disagreeable to some people is another sandwich cure which has been vouched for by an enthusiast It is made by buttering thickly two thin slices of bread, then sprinkling them with cayenne pepper. These sandwiches should be eaten just before getting into bed, and sleep is said to quickly follow. The hot water treatment is advocated by many people. It consists of putting the feet into water as hot as can be borne before going to bed, also to drink a cup of very hot water. Unfitted. Henry E. Dixey, at a supper at Delmonico’s, condemned a Broadway pro? duction wherein the hero’s part was 111-cast. "Footlite is a good actor,” said Mr. Dixey, “and in this part he does his best, but, by Jove, doesn’t he remind you of a man trying to play a Tschaikovsky symphony on a type- , writer?” , The Real Trouble. The Duchess of Blankshire (who bas made a poor drive) —A little too much to the right, I’m afraid. Obsequious Professional (who Is Instructing the duchess) —Ob, not at all, your grace; the hole has been cut too much to the left. —Golf Illustrated,

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N the estimation of most people, in this country at least, who take an interest in the subject of home ornamentation by means of lawns and gardens there is nothing more attractive and appealing than a colonial garden. That this method of displaying nature’s bounty appeals to people who have the means and facilities for indulging a

taste for any sort of ornamental gardening is eloquently proven by thefact that a colonial garden has been a conspicuous feature at the White House for a number of years past. Mrs. Roosevelt had this garden laid

out just south of the presidential mansion, and immediately -underneath the windows of her private apartments, and Mrs. Taft was so impressed with its beauty when she became First Lady of the. Land that she not only continued the garden but had it extended and Improved. By a colonial garden is meant, it will be understood, the form of flower plot that was the approved and accepted fashion in the days of our great - grandfathers before the R e v o 1 ntionary war. In many respects a colonial garden is not so very different from an equal area of flower beds of the

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average sort, inasmuch as most of the flowers that have place in a colonial garden are of the old-fashioned hardy sort. There are, however, some features of the lay-out of the flower beds that render the colonial garden distinctive, and particularly is this the case with the neatly trimmed little hedges that serve as borders for the various flower beds and in many instances supply screens and boundary markers for the garden. ' In the case of many of the older gardens all or a portion of these hedges are formed of the richly tinted and sweet scented box. ’ indeed it Is the presence of this shrub W’hich is likely to distinguish a genuine colonial garden from the newer sort of floral setting. For be it known the box la very difficult to transplant successfully—some say impossible—and it is of very slow growth. So much so, indeed, that a handsome hedge of box is more likely than not to represent the fruits of a century or more of care and attention. Withal the box will grow fairly well it left to itself and only given time, but the watchful care of a gardener Is required if ft is desired to restrict it to certain limits, as, for instance, the borders of flower beds. In the days preceding and following the Revolution there were colonial gardens in all the thirteen original states, but the finest of these were located ip Virginia. Nor was this to be wondered at, for the Old Dominion was at that time the seat of the most notable country seats in the new world. History tells of the magnificent estates maintained by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and other prominent Virginians of that period, but there were dozens of other wealthy landed proprietors who, though perhaps not nationally as prominent, lived in the same baronial style on their expansive plantations and had the slave labor that contributed so much to the development of such estates. A colonial garden was not only an Inevitable adjunct of a Virginia estate In those days of lavish living, but it was in many ■ Instances the special pride and hobby of the lord or mistress of the manor house. Now, strange to say, a surprising number of these old colonial gardens retain to this day much of their old-time splendor. We say surprising, because it must be remembered that when the devastating tide of our great Civil war swept over Virginia it played havoc with many an ancestral estate and it would be too much to expect that the gardens should not suffer as did the mansions. Furthermore, many of the old Virginia families have been in greatly reduced circumstances since the war and have not had the means to maintain the old gardens in the manner that their ancestors did. That in spite of these conditions the colonial gardens in the state known as "The Mother of Presidents" retain so much of their beauty and fascination is a tribute to the advantages of this form of gardening. There are some formal gardens in old Virginia, but for the most part the gardens are what are known as Informal, or suggestive of nature’s own arrangement rather than masterpieces of the fancy gardener’s Ingenuity. Only in rare instances do we see the box or other hedge shrubs ,trimmed and fashioned into fantastic shapes to

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England and elsewhere. Whereas this form of horticultural sculpture is lacking the Virginia gardens are embellished by many an artistic touch. For instance, the grassy or flower-banked terraces which can be rendered so effective have been introduced whenever the character of the site seemed to render it advisable, and fountains, stone garden seats, etc., are to be found just as in the gardens laid out in more precise fashion. The gardens of the Old Dominion also disclose a wide variety of pergolas, arbors and summer houses. Some of these are of rustic construction and almost all of them are unpretentious in character compared with the ornamental buildings to be found in twentieth century gardens where money has flowed like water, but* for quiet repose and the charm of sylvan solitude and as trysting places for those who desire to exchange confidences in a sympathetic though secluded environment it Is doubtful if there is in the entire country anything to compare with these vine-covered nooks. Perhaps the Ideal time to visit an old Virginia garden is in the spring or early summer when the prim box hedges have tips on every branch, giving them a new coat of soft green and imparting the touch of feathers when the hand is passed over the soft surface. Rose time is bound to be a favorite season because roses were ever one of the most cherished charges of the old-time gardeners in this favored clime, and here one may find in all their glory a number of beautiful varieties, such as the Nelly Custis, which will not be encountered elsewhere unless they have been transplanted from Virginia soils But in reality it is injustice to praise the rose season above other intervals In the prolonged blossom time. The chief ambition of the owner of a colonial garden In the Old Dominion has ever been to so select and arrange the flowers that the garden will be a continual mass of bloom from the advent of the magnolia, the snowball and the lilac in the early spring until after the passing of the Virginia creepers, the jessamines, the passion vines and the hardy chrysanthemums of the waning season. The amount of care necessary to keep a Virginia garden in proper condition would be likely to surprise a resident of a more northerly state not familiar from experience with the rapidity with which things grow in this'favored clime. Even the box hedges—perhaps two hundred years old—must be trimmed back every year if they are to be kept less than shoulder high so that they will not prevent visitors to the garden from obtaining general views of the labyrinth of greenery. The average colonial garden which has been maintained in anything approaching its old-time glory has a greenhouse attached in which plants may be given a favorable start early in the spring and later transplanted to the flower beds. Many of the old gardens also have in one corner of the plot a tiny ornamental building used as a seed house and tool house, whereas in not a few of these ancient floral domains the time-honored sun dial has been made the central object in the garden and the flower beds have been arranged around it as a pivot At many of the estates in Virginia, particularly those which were the homes of men of na-

counterfeit walls, arches and even miniature castles such as is common in the famous formal garIdens of England and which has latterly been copied in some of the newer estates of our multimillionaires in the vicinity of New York, in New

' - .r niMm ■ JU / MAGNOLIA PLANTED AT MOUNT VURNOH 0Y LnTAYtTIf tional* prominence, it was the custom a hundred years ago or more to invite distinguished guests to plant trees, shrubs or flowers as mementoes of their visits. We see the fruits of this custom in the historic plantings which have been perpetuated at Mount Vernon—the trees planted by Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson and the rose bush planted and named for his mother by Gen. George Washington. It is the outgrowth of this same custom which has prompted many of our presidents and distinguished foreign visitors to plant trees in the White House grounds at Washington. Attached to the flower garden proper on many an old Virginia estate is a series of terraced beds which were used in the old days, if not at present, for growing small fruits and vegetables for the use of the-sfiousehold. In many instances these kitten gar-

in most every instance surround or overshadow the space allotted to flowers —the limbs trimmed to a sufficient height from the ground to allow the entrance of plenty of sunshine. Such trees are, alike to the box, only to be attained as the heritage of time and consequently they are lacking in many a newly established garden upon which money has been expended without stint All the summer houses, the trellis, etc., which one sees in these old Virginia gardens are of frame construction, the wood usually being painted white, and the garden walls which on some estates supplement the hedges are of brick. The gardens were established too long ago to admit of the introduction of the concrete products which have done so much for the embellishment of the latter-day garden. Almost without exception, however, garden structures are so heavily vine clad that the material of their construction makes very little difference in appearances. Outside the strictly tropical vegetation there are few flowers or trailing vines that will not grow luxuriantly in the Icindly Virginia climate and this fact accounts for the variety of vegetation in the old gardens. J * | Paris Siege Bread | A collector of curiosities in Boston shows with pride a piece of bread that was baked in Paris during the siege. Os course, it is now harder than a brick, and looks unpalatable. Emile Bergerat, the son-in-law of Gautier, is writing his memoirs—and the first volume “Souvenirs d’un Enfant de Paris Les Annees de Boheme,” has just been published. Recollecting events of the siege he has much to say about the bread. “I think some persons must have kept theirs, for 15 years afterward I saw pieces of bread in a glass case. I was stupefied for two reasons. In the first place, in the severest days and after January 15, there was for each month only a mouse’s ration, 300 grams. This was utter starvation. The Parisian, as is well known, is a gi'eat bread eater; he can deprive himself of anything else, but ordinarily he must have at least his 450 grams.” Bergerat, in the second place, does not believe that the substance could survive the armistice. Chemistry could do nothing with it. Berthelot assured Gautier that he ate the bread without understanding it. “This bread was Dantesque and not to be analyzed. If I had been Jules Favre at Ferrieres, I should have simply thrown a biscuit on the table in front of Bismarck and said: ’Smell it. The city is yours.’ ’’ No one knew what this bread was made of, says the Bakers Weekly, or if anybody knew he did not dare to tell the secret. The animal kingdom supplied material after the vegetable was exhausted, and the mineral succeeded the animal. In the bakery once kept by Bergerat’s father a blacksmith forged bread. Buyers broke their teeth on nails. The report was circulated that bones from the catacombs were at last used. A SIMPLE SYSTEM. "How did Brown come to be so highly esteemed as a weather prophets “By his optimism. When there is a drought he keeps predicing rain, and when it’s raining he says it is going to clear off."

TRAP FOR RIVER HORSE One of Many Methods Used by African Natives in Killing the Hippopotamus. Cape Town, Africa.—The natives have various ways of killing the “river horse.” On occasion, they will attack it with harpoons, to which are attached lines ending in floats. The wounded beast, its position marked by these floats, will then be followed up in canoes, and finally speared to death. At other times they will arrange great pitfalls; at others, some such device as that here illustrated. This particular method calls for the use of a strong spearhead fixed in a - fj/f PWIWE 71 - Killing a Hippopotamus. heavy block of wood, which is hung f rom a line passed over a branch of a Tee in the animal’s path. The cord by which the spear is suspended is made to run across the path, a few nches, above the ground, and is so •anged that when the beast stumbles against it the spear shall be released to fall and strike it. f Well knowing that their quarry, bough badly wounded, may yet take to the water and the natives attach to the wood holding the spear a long line which ends in a float; thus the great beast can always be located, whether it be alive or dead. The hippopotamus (s generally inoffensive, but when pursued in boats by hunters it is subject to fits of rage and is dangerouh. That the hippo is rapable of Joeing tamed and of becoming much attached to man has been proved in many instances where the animals have been kept in captivity. The hippo appeared in the ancient Roman spectacles and is supposed to be the behemoth referred to in the book 3f Job. The hippopotamus is rapidly disappearing from its old haunts in Africa, as Colonel Roosevelt discovered in his recent hunting tour. The flestr is highly esteemed by the natives and the fat, of which there is a thick layer Immediately under the skin, Is a fa? vorite African delicacy and is known as “lakecow bacon.” THE CRADLE OF METHODISM Movement Has Recently Been Started to Preserve Barratt’s Chapel in Frederica, Del. Wilmington, Del. —Barratt’s chapel, which is located near Fredericia, Kent county, Delaware, is to Methodists what Independence hall is to Americans. It was in this chapel Bishops Coke and Asbury first met in America, held a council with 11 preachers and arranged for the organisation of the u i m "ifil h J||[ MJsjjj Barratt’s Chapel. Methodist church as it exists today. Now it is proposed to raise an endowment fund of $50,000 and preserve forever the cradle of Methodism in the United States. During the year 1780 the chapel was erected on ground donated for that purpose by Philip Barratt, a member of the Delaware assembly, and great-great-grandfather of Judge Barratt of Philadelphia. Philip Barratt was one of the men who entertained and protected Asbury during the revolution. Because of its associations the chapel Is held sacred by Methodists and the present movement, to place it under the care of the Church Extension society seems bound to succeed. Dead Crane Comes to Life. Lake Charles, Id.—Carrying a crane he believed to be dead, Henry Ackers was walking to town from Coon creek, where he shst the fowl, wfien it suddenly came to life and began pecking pieces out of Ackers’ face with its bill. It tried for its captor’s eyes and nearly succeeded In getting them. The crane was of the sahdhill variety and measured seven feet ts tip to tip.

dens w e r h screened with box and the gravel walks were neatly bordered with the same rich-hued shrub so that the general effect was almost as pleasing as that of the po» sey beds themselves. Not the least of the factors that go to make up the beauty of a colonial garden in Virginia is found in the stately old trees that

WESTERN CANADA BEYOND THE PIONEER STAGE Liberty-Loving People Have All the Liberty the Heart Can Besire Under Canadian Laws. , The New York Commercial of April 19th contained an interesting article on conditions in Western Canada. The ‘ following extracts will prove instructive reading to those who contemplate moving to Canada. The writer speaks of land at $8 to $lB an acre. As a matter of fact, there is very little land that can be had now at less than $lB per acre, but when one considers the productive qualities of this land it is safe to say that in two years’ time there will be little available land to be had at less than S3O an acre. Already the free grant lands in the open prairie districts are becoming exhausted and the homesteader has to go farther back to the partially wagged areas. This is no drawback, however. Some prefer this land to the open prairie. A recent publication, issued by the De partmenr of the Interior, Ottawa, Canada, and which is forwarded free to applicants by mail by any of the Canadian government agents throughout the United States, says of the newly-opened districts: • Water is always abundant, wood and fuel are plentiful and the soil that can grow the poplar and the willow as well as the rich grasses that are to be found there can be relied upon to produce all the small varieties of grain with equal success. The New York Commercial article referred to deals more particularly with condl- ( tions along the line of the Grand Trunk Pacific, but what is said of one. line of railway may with truth be said of the land and tho conditions along both the Canadian Northern and the Canadian Pacific. The article says: "It would be no exaggeration to say that practically all the land along the entire distance traversed by the Grand Trunk Pacific system is capable of furnishing homes to those who engage in farming. The lands are of three classes. They may be designated, first, as having special adaptation to the production of grain ;i second, as having such adaptation to mixed farming, of which live stock will form an important feature, and third, as being mainly adapted to the production of live stock only. On the third class of lands the area is not very large, of the second It is much larger and of the first it 18 i by far the largest. “As soon as mixed farming shall be generally adopted, land that may now be obtained for from $8 to $lB per acre, and even lands open now to free homesteads, will sell for SSO to SIOO per acre. This is not an extravagant statement. In natural fertility these lands fully equal those of the American corn belt. In vari-‘ ety of production they excel them, and yet the latter sell for SIOO to S2OO per acre. In addition to the grain crops now grown of wheat, oats, barley and rye, much of the land will grow winter wheat when properly prepared. Eighty per cent, of the land will grow clover and alfalfa. A still larger percentage will grow field peas, and the entire tillable area will grow good crops of the cultivated grasses, timothy, brome grass and western rye grass. With these elements what can prevent this region from becoming the main source of food supply of the Empire and Imperial dominions?” fepecial stress is laid upon the edii cational conditions. The writer says: “The foundation of the social fabric of the agricultural country may ba said to rest on the efficiency of its school system. Liberty-loving people have all the liberty the heart can desire under Canadian regard Western Canada system of education based upon the best that can be obtained from the United States or Eastern Canada. Its school system and regulations are second to none. Every! boy or girl has a school house brought to his or her doorway. The government is most liberal in its support of higher education. In Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton are to be found excellent colleges and universities, so that the problem of higher education is solved. The provincial agricultural schools, located at Winnipeg and Saskatoon, give practical courses in scientific farm- « ing, preparing graduates to take up the responsibilities of farm life. ■ “The newcomer settling in this favored section will find the social conditions far beyond a pioneer stage. He will find helps on every hand. Instead of his going to the ‘jumping-ofl place,’ as is often supposed when thinking of Western Canada, he will find himself surrounded by wonderful opportunities for social advancement In a new country fraught with promise.” " ‘ The happiness of our lives depend! much I<ss on the actual value of th® work done than on the spirit in which we do it. —Prince Leopold. Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing syrup for Childrej teething, softens the gums, reduces inflammar - tion, allays pain, cures wind colic, 25c a bottle But few novels are written for think Ing people; most of them are written for the entertainment of women. Garfield Tea corrects constipation bj arousing the digestive organs to their m tended activity. Composed of Herbs. A halting speech may be the result of a lame excuse.