Evening Star Newspaper, August 2, 1890, Page 9

THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D.C.. SATURDAY. AUGUST 2, 1890 «WHAT MAN IS MADE OF Not of Sugar and Spice and Every- thing Nice by Any Means. NOR THE WOMEN EITHER. The Elements of Which a Human Being {2 Composed in a Sories of Glass Jare— Daily Physical Income and Expendi- ture of a Man, ——— HAT makes a man? One eastern maiden—her experience long ago rendered immortal in story— imagined that she had discovered the secret when she asked her indulgent father to buy for her in town a hundredweight “ ofsugar, twenty quarts of perfumed waters, thirty-two pearls, two very large sapphires and ® number of other expensive ingredient. She mixed them all up ina tub, and, through the ageucy of a fairy grandaunt, the figure of a charming youth into which the mixture was modeled took life and was transformed into the most fascinating of lovers, Up to that time it had not been supposed that the male human creature could ever be composed of such pleasing constituents. Unhappily, science declares that man and woman are made up of much more commonplace materials. In an @ut-of-the-way corner of the National Museum ® Sran reporter was shown the other days number of receptacles containing in accurate Proportion the various elements necessary to the construction, physically speaking, of a gen- tleman weighing 154 pounds—such being the average weight of « man of Anglo-Saxon race. THE ELEMENTS COMPOSING MAN. In one compartment the man is divided into the primary elements of which he is composed. ‘These are oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, chlorine, fluorine, phosphorus, sulphur, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. There are ninety-seven pounds of oxygen in a man who weighs 154 pounds, and this amount of that gas would take up, under ordinary at- mospheric pressure. the space of a room ten feet long, ten feet wide and ten feet high; in the human body it is somewhat condensed. you see. In the corpus of the same man there are fifteen pounds of hydrogen. which, under the same conditions, would occupy somewhat more than two such rooms as that described. Be- fides, to get along with, the man must have THIS 1§ A MAN. three pounds and thirteen ounces of nitrogen, nearly allof which is combined with certain other elements to make his flesh. The amount ofcarbon that enters into his physical econ- omy is accurately represented under the glass case by A” one-foot cube of or- dinary coal weighing 31 pounds, Thia repre- sentation is not perfectly correct, because coal is not pure carbon. If the museum could afford to exhibit for the purpose a diamond of One-foot cube—diamonds are absolutely pure carbon—complete accuracy would be attained in this particular. Of chlorine a bottle con- taining 4 ounces is shown, such being the amount of that element contained in the body of a man weighing 154 pounds; hkewise 314 ounces of fluorine. Clslorine in the body is almost all found in the shape of common salt, while the fluorine enters into the composition of the bones. The next jar in order contains 1 pound 8 ounces of phosphorus—a yellow waxy substance which combines with limo to make phosphate of lime in the bones. Another jar olds THREE AND A HALF OUNCES OF BRIMSTONE, otherwise known as sulphur,s bright yellow substance that goes toward making up the bones and the teeth. Next comes a glass vial containing steel wire to the weight of one- tenth of an ounce—that form of iron being chosen because it is the purest produced. Such is the quantity of iron that enters into the make-up of @ man or woman weighing 154 pounds. Iron, it should be understood, is the Most important constituent of the red coloring matter of the blood; also itenters into the bones and other parts of the body. Whena sufficient quantity of it is lacking ople take it in the shape of a tincture for medicine. Calcium appears in the next bottle, three pounds and thirteen ounces of it. It is a metal so valuable that the amount contained in one such human body is worth, at the present market rate of $300 an ounce, 218,300. Few of our fellow-citizens realize that they are worth yo much.independently of their bones and their beaks. However, calcium does largely enter into the composition of the bones. There is plenty of the metal around loose in the world; im fact, it is the basis of limestone, and every chalk bed is a mine of it. The difficulty is to separate it fromthe elements with which it 1s found combined in nature; the expense of the necessary processes is what makes it cost so much, Asmall jar containing a little less than two ounces of magnesium indicates that the body of a man weighing 154 pounds contains exactly that amount of this metal, which photographers ase in a powdered state for their flush- ight pictures, It is a substance of silvery wite- aess and can be set fire to readily with a match 80 as to burn with great brilliancy. Of sodium and potassium also the body contains some- thing more than five ounces, nearly equally divided. Further remarks will be made about them later on. WE ARE ALL TWO-THIRDS WATER. So much for the chemical elements that com- pose aman. More interesting still is the dis- play in another glass case of the actual sub- stances of which he is made up. To begin with, there is an enormous jar of water con- taining 46 quarts or 96 pounds. A printed tard attached teils you that the bones are nearly one-quarter water, the fat alittle less, the nerves more than one-half water and the skin nearly three-quarters water; the brain, muscles. lungs and heart are three-quarters water, while the blood is more than four-fifths water. A curious thing it is that the flesh of a fat person contains less water for its mass than that of athin person. Ninety-six pounds of water, therefore, form the main constituent of the body of person weighing 154 pounds. Next to the great water jar is another jar, con- siderably smaller, coutainmg 13 pounds of white of egg. which represents the amount of albumenous substance in the body. Adjoining the latter isa third jar filled with 9 pounds and 14 ounces of pure glue. Were it not for this glue it would be impossible to keep body smd soul together. The next jar contains tag pounds of fat of the ordinary sort, put several little jars close by it bold 12 ounces of various peculiar fats not to be confused with the common sorta. Eight and one-quarter pounds of phosphate of lime appear in still another jar. It ix pure white substance and makes the chief constitu- ent of the bones, though one pound of carbon- ste of lime—shown in 4 separate jar—combines with it and small fractions of other materials to-make up the osseous structure. Chalk and marble are almost pure carbouate of lime; but hosphate of lime is nowhere found in any- ing like, pure state save in the bones of snimals. osphorus, you will observe, goes in with lime ‘to form phosphate of lime; catbon does the same to make carbonate of lime; fuorin ters in with the carbon to form car- bon fluoride, and in that sort of way the differ- ont chemical elements mingle in the body in shapes that seem, offhand, mysterious to per- sons inexperienced. Add to the elements slready mentioned three ounces of sugar and starch, seven ounces of fluoride of calcium, six ounces of phosphate of magnesia, s trifle of chloride of potassium and just a little ordinary table salt and you have the complete make-up physical of » man weighing 154 pounda ‘MAN 18 VERY COMBUSTIBLE. Curiously enough no less than four of constituents of the human body will take by spontaneous combustion. Leave a of phosphorous lying about on a table will be likely to catch fire of its very quickly and burn up. Take sodium, which looks like lead when with a knife, only brighter, and thro’ basin of water. At once it will burst into rosy flame and swim about violently on surface of the water until it is burned Potassium is not unlike sodium in ite bustion, though more violent. Upon water it bursts into a similar rosy like fireworks, of ks though only e vory small piece at it | ° 4 Be & oese EG i HTL majesty’s own fuel. In truth, the gentleman down below ought to find plenty of material for burning the sinners he desires to touch a match to. The very economy of the body de- pends upon combustion, the after products of digestion being taken up by the blood and passed through the lungs, where they come in contect with the oxygen in the atmosphere and are burned up by a process, though chemical, resemb! ‘y burning that is accom- panied by flame. The only aifference is that the sort of combustion described is slower. Having found out precisely what a man of average weight is made of itis next worth while to determine how be maintains a uni- form weight by balancing his daily expenditure of wastes with his daily income of food, &c. This is shown in another glass case. To begin with, such a human being needs a daily income of 24 ounces of nutritive substances, 71 ounces of water and 30 ounces of oxygen. ‘The nutri- tives include albumen, fat, sugar and starch. Albumen makes blood, muscle and and sugar are consumed as fuel to body warm. BALANCING THE ACCOUNT. All this is exhibite's in a series of glass jars, the first of which contains the necessary four and one-fifth ounces of flesh-forming albumen, represented by that much white of egg. The next jar con two ounces of pure fat— enough to make s fair-sized candle. So much of that material your system must assimilate each day. In 9 third jar are 173¢ ounces of sugar and starch. A little vial holds four-fifths of an ounce of the needed mineral matter, such as common salt and phosphates of sodium and potassium, &c. Such matter is contained in yarious foods which one ents, In still another {* are two quarts of water, wi ions of oxygen required are represented by ope one-thousandth part of that quantity of the gas na receptacle. In a glaes case adjoining the corresponding daily expenditure of the man is shown. First, there is ajar containing two and one-third quarts of water. This seems surprising, inas- much as only two quaris were taken into the body; but the difference is made up by water derived from the decomposition of foods in the body. Itis an interesting fact that nearly one- half of the water a is taken into the system in shape of foods, 37 ounces of it being drunk and 35 ounces eaten in bread and other things. Other jars in the case contain a rep- resentative fraction of 150 gallons of carbonic acid, which is nearly all made by the oxidation of carbon in the Inngs and is expelled in the breath; alsoa small quantity of white crystal- lized substance called‘-urea,” and the same old four-fifths of an ounce of mineral matter. NUTRITIOUS FOOD. Colored picture cards in these last two cases show the amount of nutritive properties contained by various food. From them one is surprised to learn that eggs, a single one of which 18 popularly supposed to contain as much nutriment as a pound of beefsteak, are 40 por cent less nutritious than the latter article, pound for pound. More surprising still, beef sirloin is 25 per cent less nutritious than beans and peas, while chicken and turkey are actually a trifle ahead of these two vege- tables, being thus the most nutritive of foods known. Fresh mackerel or shad is avout as nutritious as sirloin steak. Oysters are just one-balt as nutritious as ezgs, pound for pound, and milk one-third as nutritious, quantity for quantity. Toexactly supply what he needs the man of 154 pounds weight should eat ench day a 20-ounce loaf of bread. an 8-ounce slice of beefsteak, 30 ounces of potatoes and 1 ounce of butter, washing all this down with a tritle over 1 quart of water. sep at AMATEURS IN THE BUSINESS. Potomae River Deck Hands Who Buy and Sell Olé Clothes. HERE was an unsteadiness in the gait of the man with the silk hat that betrayed over-indulgence in alcoholic stimulants. Moreover it was evident from the watery look of his eyes and the tremulousness of his hands that he had been on a somewhat prolonged spree. His clothes, recently new and of fashionable cut, were soiled and bore the marks of having been slept in. Over one arm he carried a coat and waistcoat, and it was not without a preliminary hiccough that he addressed a colored deck hand who sat ona barrel among the freight of the steamboat, saying: “Cuffy, what do you want to give me for these things?” The negro projected a stream of tobacco juice over the rail of the vessel and thereupon proceeded to examine the coat and waistcoat with as much gravity and attentiveness as any second-hand dealer, spreading out the garments for the purpose on a couple of convenient trunks. “One dollar, sah,” he said finally, “Ob, come now, Cuffy,” replied the inebri- ated one, “don’t take advantage of a fellow being’s necessities, but give me something like a fair price.” “Tse a po’ man, sab,” rejoined the deck hand, “and can’t afford ter pay city prices fer clo’es nohow. It’s a heap er trouble sellin’ 'em, aud dere’s no tellin’ what I'll git fer’em. But, see- in’ dat yo’ want der cash so bad, I'll say 25 cents mo’ “A dollar and » quarter for that coat and waistcoat! Why, I could sell them for at least —hic—€5 in Washington. But I'm ina hole, and if you'll call it $2 you can have them.” “I ain't got no euch money, sab,” said the negro. “but mebbe a dollar-fifty—" “Very well,” responded the man in tho silk hat, hastily. “You are an infernal shark, but take the things and give me the money quick, for I’m dying for a drink.” The final consummation of the deal was ac- complished with dispatch, the seller of the ar- ticles pocketing the money and hurrying away in the direction of the bar room. “So you do an old clothing business in con- nection with your regular trade?” said a Star reporter, who had been watching the transac- tion to the deck hand, ns the latter was folding up his purchase carefully with an air of satis- faction. “Yes, sah—jes a little,” was the reply. “Mos* of us men on the steamer earn a lectie extra money that way. You, see, sah, dere’s a good many gents a trabblin’ to and fro in the sum- mer time dat gite off on jamborees and spends ebbery cent they've got in spreein’. P'raps dey are off on vacation trips and can’t enjoy holiday widout gettin’ full and stayin’ so. When de money's all gone and they have nothin’ left but a ticket home they start back to de city. "Bout dat time they git wantin’ sumpin’ ter drink awful bad. A man in dat way has got ter have it or go crazy; he ain't got a cent and ie must sell sumpin’. If he hay any spar’ clo’es he tries to sell dem; s'poin’ he has none to spar, sumpin’s got ter go just do same, if it’s de coat off'n his back. One feller wanted to sell me de pants he had on fer de price ob a drink one time.” “But why should persons in such a predica- ment come to you or your fellow deck hands to sell things?” “Who else kin dey go to, sah? Do cap'n ob de steamer ain’t goin’ ter buy second hand clo’es, nur de passengers needer. comes to us wid whateLer dey have to sell, and ob cose we gits de things mighty cheap, ‘ease dey want de money so bad, to keep do snakes off ‘em. Some ob de clo’es dat I buy I wear myself or sell to friends ob mine, but most ob ‘em I take to de second-hand shops in Washingtdén or Norfolk and git good prices fer ‘em.”” ee The Danger of Too Much Exercise, From the Providence Journal. Dr. Patton, chief surgeon of the National Soldiers’ Home at Dayton, Ohio, said in an in- terview in Pittsburg the other day that, of the 5,000 soldiers in the Dayton home, “fully 80 per cent are suffering from heart disease in one form or another, due tothe forced physical exertion of the SS And he made the prediction that as ‘ge & percentage of the athletes of today will be found twenty-five years from now to be victims of heart disease, resulting from the muscular strains that they force themselves to undergo. As for the likeli- hood of exercise to prolong life, it Ce te said that according to the statistics of M. de Solai- ville there are more people living in France to- day who ‘the age of sixty than there are in Engiand, the home of athietic sports. And there is probably no nation in Europe more adverse to muscular cultivation for its own sake than the French. Great athletes die young, and # mortality list of Showed thats comparatively sul pocceatane ows t @ com! iy of them lived out the allotted lifetime. Dr. Jastrow has demonstrated in some = a al ee, ee aE ee RG OS ES AMONG THE BOLIVIANS A South American Republic and How It is Governed. NATIVES AND THEIR CUSTOMS Where Indians Outnumber the White Poopte Three to One—How a Presi- dent Changed His Cabinet—Something About Bolivian Laws. From Tux Stan's Traveling Commissioner. Bourvia, July 15. HIS interior division of South America was originally part of the old Spanish province of Peru, and arrived at the dig- nity of aseparate republic through the efforts of the Venezuelan liberator of the continent, Simon Bolivar, and hence its name, Bolivia, Since Chili has taken off a corner ot it the republic now contains 52,280 square leagues, making it about twice as large as France and three times as large as Spain. As nearly as can be approximated in a country where the census is never taken and many of the natives remain to this day uncounted, its population is about two millions, hardly one- fourth of which number ake whites. There are several varieties of the native and mixed races, from the cholos (half breeds) and civilized Quichuas and Aymaras of La Paz and other cities, to the still unconquered aborig- ines that prowl about the upper waters of the Amazons. Little is known of these savage tribes beyond the fact that they wear abso- Intely no clothing and lead as nomadic lives as the Arabs of the desert. So far they have suc- cessfully resisted all attempts to coax or corral into the habits of civilization, and until a re- cent period they were extremely hostile to any white people who passed their territory, either in boats by the river or through the tangled forests, HOW THE NATIVES WERE PUNISHED. The story goes that their active hostility w: checked by an accident that happened in this wise: A few years ago when the Bolivian gov- ernment was making a survey of the Madeira riveracamp was cstablished on the bank of that stream near its celebrated falls, Soon after its location one of the men came down with smallpox, and of course he was imme- diately isolated from the rest of the party, shut having been built for him halfa mile farther into the forest. Though carefully at- tended by the camp physician recovery was impossible, and one day while the good doctor was bending over his dying patient the hut door was suddenly darkened by half a dozen naked denizens of the woods bent on deadly mischief. ‘Ihe physician munaged to escap but the sufferer was assisted in his exit fro this world by the thrust of a wooden spear, and the Indians carried off in triumph his gar- ments, bed and everything portable about the hut. They carried off also more than they Were aware of in the shape of the white man’s most dreaded disease, and soon nearly the whole tribe died of black smallpox, The sur- vivors regarded the occurrence as a direct punishment from the Great Spirit and have since let the pale faces religiously alone. POISONED ARROWS. ‘These savages and others that inhabit the almost unknown Amazonian frontiers of Peru and Bolivia kill their game with tiny poisoned arrows blown through reed guns ten or twelve feet long. The arrows are made of a species of iron wood or tipped with a bit of flint poisoned at the point. Strange to say, though the merest scratch of one of the arrows causes death in less time than it takes to tell it, the flesh of the animals killed thereby can be eaten with impunity, as the poison acts only through the blood, producing paralysis and instant death, but is comparatively harmless when taken into the stomach. South American In- dians kill more birds, tapirs, jaguars and even larger animals with the blow-gun than the most expert hunters of other lands can bring down with the best rifles, and when these p2i- soned sticks become weapons of warfare they are more to be dreaded than grape and can- ister. The deadly weapons are perfectly noise- less and cannot be distinguished among the dense foliage when in the bands of a savage perched like a monkey in the branches of a tree. SECRET OF THE POISON. The secret of the poison has never been re- vealed, it being kept within the knowledge of afew “medicine men” of each tribe, and handed down from the father to the son. Sir Robert Thornburg, who bas made poisons a life study, says that it is probably distilled from the sap of the strychnos toxifera. a shrub resembling that which supplies the “Quaker button” of commerce, from which strychnine ismade, Others assert that it is taken from the poison glands of venomous serpents. More terrible still to contemplate 1s the possibility that itis derived from the putrefaction of human corpses. A recent writer states that the dead bodies after a battle, and often those of prisoners taken in war, are devoted to this diabolical purpose; being stuck full of arrow points and left in the sun for weeks or months, until the flesh is all decayed and the arrows thoroughly saturated in putrefaction, After being subjected to that process, even those who prepare the arrows must handle them with the greatest caution, as the slightest puncture or graze of the skin means quick and horrible death by a poison for which there is no anti- dote. instances are known where arrows of this sort wiftch have lain for many years in museums haye killed those who carelessly han- died them, THE MOUNTAINS. Scarcely one-fourth of Bolivia’s area isunder cultivation, # large portion of it being occupied by sky-piercing mountains. The great Andean system, that extends from Panama to Patago- nia, here divides in| distinct ranges; that running nearest the having but few peaks of extraordinary height, while the eastern range, knowa as the Cordillera Real (Royal mountains, a name well deserved), divides @zuin into five separate parallel chains extend- ing north and south, All the principal peaks as well as the various ranges bear local names of a jaw-breaking character, with most of which I need not trouble you. The third range, counting from the sea, is enlled the Portugalate, and in it are some famous silver mines and a considerable town, all of the same name. Potosi, with its ex- haustless treasures of gold and silver, is also among these mountains and Choralque, a peak nearly 20,000 feet high. Near Potosi the great Cordillera Real scatters off into four minor ranges, the first three of them spreading out near the center of the republic and surround- ing the fertile valley of Ccchabamba, Farther northward these four parallel rows of moun- tains reunite with the main range and form what is known as the Nuda de Cochabamba. Thence they all run on together in five unbroken lines away deg Cuzco in central Peru, a distance of more than 700 miles, and all the way north from Cochabamba the mountains are continu- ally covered with ice and snow. In this repub- lic the Andes present their most bleak and for- bidding aspect, as well as their grandest views, Between La Paz and Sorato there aro more than s hundred peaks, among the highest of which are Illimani, over 26,000 feet, and Illi- yapa, which attains an altitude of 27,690 feet, ‘THE CITIES, Though Sucre, or Chuquisaca, is the real capital of Bolivia, as incorporated in the con- stitution by the first republican congress, the constitution also says that congress may be called either at La Paz or Oruro, according to the exigencies of the occasion. Sucre is sit- uated exactly in the center of Bolivia, 127 leagues from La Paz. The legislative power is composed of two houses, senate and chamber of deputies, They convene but once a year, the ordinary length of a session being sixty days. There is supposed to be one deputy for every 40,000 people, as nearly as the number of inhabitants is known. Each de} ent of Bolivia sends the senators, a nt” about the same as a state in United States, Every de; mt is divided into three pro’ and each province has a capi- tal city. In each of these cay tals resides a municipal governor, assisted by a local fect, wi oftice ids somewhat to that of mayor. Both prefects and governors at Se ee the pis, De it often happens that the president elects men who are bound to serve even though he oe down strangers from juli, congress shall settle the matter by its Le The truth is, however, that should such an emergency arise, the adherents of each party would get w revolution against the others; and the can: who would command the most money, and soreeeey the most men, would seat himself, whatever congress might have to say about it, ELECTION. Since all things political are controlled by the leading few there is rarely but one candi- Gate in the field; his election is a foregone con- clusion; and except by means of revolution the people have no means of voice in the matter. A president is elected for four rs, and can- not legally serve two consecutive terms; but in this part of the world, where might is right, a president may succeed himself for an indetinite period as long as he can maintain control of the army. On the other hand it sometimes oc- curs that two or three revolutionary leaders make themselves presidents during the term allotted to one man; and it is not impossible that the present incumbent, who has yet more than half his term to serve, may soon be ousted by the rebel leader, Gen. Camacho, who is now at arms against him. That was a wise president 1m the past who, having learned that his cabi- net were conspiring with certain revolutionists for his overthrow, gave a grand state dinner, to which they were tifinvited, together with sev- eral leading malcontents. In the midst of the banquet in stalked a squad of soldiers, and at @ given signal each shot his man; so that on the morrow a new cabinet had to be appointed. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, No matter what congress may legislate, nothing becomes @ law without the president's signature, According to the revised constitu- tion capital punishment has been abolished ex- cept for two crimes, assassination or rebellion against the government. Though the barbarism of hanging up men by the neck until they are dead is not perpetrated here, they are shot as traitors on the slightest pretext if inclined to differ with the powers that be. That blessed fable, the constitution, also says that there can be no confiscation of property for any offense; that letters are inviolate, guarantees civil lib- erty and equal rights to all and mvites the eople of all nations to come to Bolivia and be appy. hase can vs oo sree thing asequal rights in @ country where three-fourths of the popula- tion are kept in subjection by the remainder. After the struggle of 1925 human slavery was abolished in al the South American republics, but that men and women are bought and sold today may be inferred from an advertisement in a late Boliyian paper, to the effect that a chincona plantation was to be disposed of at public auction, and among other goods and chattels enumerated for sale to the highest bidder were 180 peons or Indian laborers, THE CIVILIZED INDIANS of this country, especially those located on the vast estates, are slaves to all intents and pur- poses, as much as were negroes in the United States in ante-bellum days. For constant and arduous labor they receive the merest pittance, barely enough to keep body and suul together, andit one of them has the temerity to rebel the whip is brought into requisition until he is thoroughly subdued, Most of them were born to their present condition, their parents and grandparents having gotten into debt with the owner of the estate and given himself, that is, the labor of his hands, as security for pay- ment. Once in debt there is no getting out of it with the scanty wages an Indian receives, So he takes the woman who would be his wife, if he ever had money enough to pay the mar- riage fee, and goes to live in a cane or adobe hut near the scene of his labors, Their chil- dren grow up around them, in due time taking their places in the fields, the mines or as house servants, and all are known as Senor So-and- 80's peons. ‘Thus it goes on from goneration to generation, neither debter nor creditor, master nor mau showing any desire to chango his re- lations toward one another. WISE LAWS, There are some wise laws as well as foolish ones in that constitution, and among the for- mer is one that prohibits interference with any useful industry; another, which gives to every inventor the exclusive right to use his own inventions, unless he wishes to sell it, for a period of fitteen years. Everybody who in- troduces new machinery (for example, like the smelting work and diamond drill of the young Bostonian who owns the “Empresa Titi- caca,”) gets the exclusive privilege of working them from three to ten years, according to the amount of capital invested. Whenever the Bolivian congress passes a new law or the president issues an edict it is published in the official newspaper, although the vast majority of the population never sees it, and could not readitif they did) When there is occasion for especial haste in the matter a regiment of soldiers is sent out, pre- ceded by a band, who stop at every street cor- ner, where the commanding officer proclaims the law in a loud voice, CHILI AND BOLIVIA, After South America gained her independ- ence from Spain and the republics were being mapped out Bo''via was given a little strip of land between Chili and Peru in order that she, being inland, might have a pathway to the sea, It lay between the 23d and 25th parallels, and was recognized as belonging to Bolivia on all the maps of Chili, as well as those of other countries. It was a barren and waterless desert, supposed tobe worthless in every respect, un- til some years ago rich deposits of silver and nitrate of soda wore discovered therein. When this became known Chili suddenly ascertained that under some ancient grant this strip of land belonged to her, and kindly offered to divide it with Bolivia, but in such a way that all the silver and nitrate were left on Chili’s side. Of course Bolivia resisted, and having a treaty of offense and defense with Peru, ehe called upon the latter nation to assist in the defense of her rights. This was the real cause of the late disastrous war, which took away all Lolivia’s sea coast and utterly ruined Peru. Chili's ostensible excuse for her part in it was that Bolivia charged too much export duty on nitrate—10 cents per bundrod- weight; but, now that Chili has secured the territory, $1.25 per hundredweight is charged for export duty at the same place. No treaty of peace hae yet been made between Chili and Bolivia. It is believed by some that the former will restore the stolen territory if a treaty is made; but it is more probable that the ageres- jive little southern republic, which has no “back country” to boast of, but extends, a lon; and narrow strip, between the mountains ani the sea, will march up here some day and gob- ble all the rest of Bolivia. As to Bolivia's credit, it is not tobe wondered at that her currency is below par and the coun- try so poor when we remember that President Arce owes to the national bank $1,000.00, his redecessor owes it another million and a num- Ber of the present cabinet owe half a million more. Fansiz B. Warp, ————--e0e______ A BAPTISM IN HELIGOLAND, From the Pall Mall Gazette. After service un Sundays, when an infant is to be christened, @ small silver basin is placed on the brass lid; there is no water in it, but presently the Heligoland children, babieszof two and three years old, flock in, each carrying in its little hand a cup of water, which is emp- tied into the basin, and the new-born islander is baptized with the water brought for that purpose by his future playfellows. Behind the altar the light falls through the purple window panes upon an old, old hour glass, placed in the dark ages before the invention of clocks and watches before the clergyman when he began his sermon, It is s marvelous church, this holiest spot on “‘holy island,” and on the 4 when Lord Salisbury’s gift is finally han over to Germany one of our most interesting historical monuments will be ours no more. The graveyard round the church is near! full, and when the last corner in it has recei its sleeper the difficult question will arise as to where the Heligolander of the future will find hia last revting place. The soil in the present weyard covers the rock six feet deep. but re is hardly another spot on the island where more than four feet of earth covers the stony foundation, —_____-ee______ Hereditary Tufts of White Hair. Every one who knows Mr. Whistler knows Mr, Whistler's white tuft, which is as much part of the man as his butterfly is part of his writings. ‘Attention may be drawn,” says the British Medical Journal, “to e remarkable ex- ample of asimilar peculiarity which was pub- lished last year by M. E. Pascal in the Univers Tiustre. In an old Limousin with THE GAME OF POKER, Some Prominent Individuals Relate Their Experiences. BILLY FLORENCE RECALLS SOME EXCITING MO- MENTS—DE WOLF HOPPER LOSES FAITH IX @RUMAN NATURE — MR. BALTON's STRAIGHT rLUPa—somE WERVY PLATERS. From the New York World. No game is likely to succeed the great Ameri- ean game of draw poker, and at this season of the year it serves to while away an idle hour on the rail, in the mountain camp, on the deck of the becalmed yacht or in the dull watches of the seaside hotel. If all the good poker stories that have been told could be collected and put in book form the result would be a volume of absorbing interest. “THE ONYX KING’s” STORIES. Senor Cooper, the Mexican onyx king, says: “Poker is a seductive game and so I never Play it. Still, I know the fine Points of the game. One time I was going to E ina Steamer and witnessed a remarkable game of Poker. Some men are born cautious and kee cool under trying circumstances. A well- known lawyer, noted for his scientific way of betting at the poker table, was one of the Principals in the game on this steamer. Three other men, supposed to be gentlemen, but one wai ional gambler in disguise, were er the game. It was one of those five- doliar ante games with no limit, A one-hun- dred-dollar bet on a pair of trays or deuces was not uncommon. I knew the lawyer and wanted to tell him that I suspected he was playing against one sharp at least, but I could not get the opportunity. On the afternoon of the first day of the poker game a group of interested spectators stood around the table. Iwas behind the lawyer's chair. The betting was lively and the lawyer won 22.000 in ten minutes, and chiefly from the sharper. I saw that the gambler was losing on purpose to brit the lawyer and make o big winning. Tho gambler deait the cards and the lawyer got three aces, He drew one card and got an- other ace, iz “Only the five-dollar antes were up and the lawyer sat there with four uces in his hand, the biggest hand that could be dealt except a royal sequence flush, which they had agreed not to play when they began the game. The other players Passed out and the lawyer carelessly t 85. A little hesitancy on the part of the gambler and he coolly went $2,500 better. The lawyer suspected trickery, but where could it be? He held four aces, an invincible hand, and yet the gainbler evidently knew what he was doing to bet so large acum. It was a try- ing situation. No one spoke. The lawyer counted out €2,500, but did not put it up. He paused and carefully looked at his five cards again. In an absent-minded way he skinned the five cards through his hand, when lo! the trick was exposed. The lawyer had been given six cards by the sharp. The sixth card was carefully glued to the fifth card and, as the cards were made of fine thin linen, the double thickness was scarcely noticeable. "Any player having over five cards when hands are called loses or forfeits all of his rights, even if he has put up all of his money. Well,’ the bler's tour-ace trick was exposed and the game closed by the lawyer denouncing him as a blackleg and cheat, It takes nerve to keep from betting four aces, Only a shrewd lawyer would have detected the trick.” DE WOLF HOPPER HAS BEEN THERE. De Wolf Hopper, the comedian, says: “It there is any game that will bring out one’s true nature it is draw poker. I do not speak asa coy neophyte for I have dallied with the gol- den possibilities of jack pot until my betting nerves have almost shaken like areal aspen tree. “The opera company I was with last season was en route for city out west, and a few of us whiled the tedium of the journey away by playing draw poker. Five were in the game, Eugene Oudin, Stevens, my manager: Cripps, Digby Bell and myself. The betting limit was 22,andIcan just tellthe uninitiated that it doesn't take long to lose $50 or 2100 at a §2 limit. Oudin knew nothing about the game. He knew when he had pairs, but he did not know their betting value and so when he would pass out we breathed easier. Itis hard to bet against a green player. He is liable to show = a big hand that would paralize the scientific player and upset all calculations. A green joker player is like a mule—you never know feat when or how hard he is going to kick you, wat sooner or later you get kicked. “‘As the cars with their incessant rattle, rat- tle and dumpety dump, dump. rushed ‘over miles of the tracks it became more and more apparent that Oudin was ono of the most colos- sal verdant players that ever schuffied a card, Imagine how Stevens, Digby and I felt playing with an amateur that upset all of our scientitio calculations, Yet we played and Bell was a loser. Naturally he was champing on the bit, anxious to get a big bet and retrieve his los. ings, The copeeseniey came soon. A hand was dealt and the small antes put up. All of us passed out except Bell and Oudin. The for- mer drew three cards to two aces, and got two more aces. A perspiration of delight gathered upon Bell's brow and jocularity almost bubbled from him, #0 secure be felt in being able to win back a large sum from Oudin. Bell gathered up a number of chips, put them down as if he were uncertain whether to bet or throw up his hand, and finally, in # nonchalant way, pushed up a two-dollar chip ass hit. His face assumed a serious look, s serio comic cari- cature study for an artist as he watched Oudin, His idea was that Oudin would raise him and he (Bell) would keep coming back until he completely swamped Mr. Oudin. The latter put down a brand-new two-dollar billand said: ‘Icall you.’ Bell arose, throw- ing his four aces on the table, and as he did so Oudin placed his hand in view, revealing a king full, and on the king full Oudin had called Bell's two-dollar bet I's voice rose to a high pitch as he made blue streaks in the at- mosphere of the car. Four dollars won on four aces, Talk about hoodoos and Jonahs, there are some men who can’t sit ata poker table without queering the cards. I could tell a tale—but I hear my cue and must go on the stage to serenade Angelique. Poker is a rela- tive game—wo all have our antes. Good-by.” HENRY WATTERSON'S NERVE. J. M. Hill of New York city says: “I never play cards on general principles, Still, I know what s game of poker is if I should sccident- ally stumble on one, Now. as to rattling good players who bet in # Napoleonic way, that fairly lifts the hair on a novice’s head, I sup- pose Henry Watterson of Louisville, Ky., would take the premium. He is breezy and has a dashing way that no one can resist admir- ing. I heard of a game of poker he played where he was sadly caught on a big bluff. He was at the tavle with Mr. J. P. Dongherty, whom everybody in this city ought to know if they do not, and several other first-class play- ers, The mere fact that Watterson was in the game Was sufficient to indicate that big stakes were now and then placed on the table. It was jack-pot poker, and now and then the pot be- came alarmingly large. But Watterson did not ee! dizzy, and he bet with cavalier sangfroid. ‘he fact is the great editor's poker nerve is the admiration of thousands of —— His face does not change no matter if he is betting high on a bobtail flush. Some one med the jack pot and Watterson and Dougherty came in, each drawing three cards. When it came Wat. terson’s time to bet he coolly ~ up $100. The jack pot contained several hundred besides, and no one wanted to give up at once. But the assured way in which the editor put up his bet caused all to drop out except Dougherty. “He saw the bet and raised it another hun- dred. Watterson never hesitated, but went ene to Hegeot air be “via os feel sorry for Doug! , for they imagined that the editor had a big winning hend and was drawing his opponent on. After three $100 bets had been Dougherty, to the astonishment of those present, called Wat- terson.. The latter a hand on the table and showed that he been betting on a = of deuces. Dougherty raked in something $1,000 with spate ofsevens. Every one pres- ent admired editor's bluffing nerve, but it was bestowed upon Dougherty for is unl confidence ins pair of sevens. No one can tell when Watterson is blufting or betting on » big hand, and that is one reason why he is such a great player. ‘MR. BOLTON'S STRAIGHT FLUSH, A big game of poker was played on St Simon's Island, Ga., a few nights ago. The principal players were northerners who came over from Savannah for a day. After an hour or so of with scarcely aetecere {3 £ H E E i E E i i fi { 6 i H i ! 4 fej fis i t F ue | 8 E i ° | Ti j i i i iF i E SIXTEEN PAGES. “Five thousand more,” said Mr. Merritt, “Fifteen thdtsand more,” Mr. Bolton re- torted. pa thousand more,” responded Mer- Bolton deliberated a minute, threw an “LO. U." to balance the pot and said, “I call.” “Four queens,” said Merrit, a for the stakes. “Not so fast, if you please—a straight flush,” said Mr. Bolton. Mr. Merritt's face fell and Mr. Bolton pocketed his winnings, something over #45.000 on that baud mad BILLY FLORENCE HAS “AN EXPERIENCE.’ “While poker 1s considered a national game I must confess,” said Billy Florence, the actor, “that I have seen it played chiefly in an inter- national way, ie., on board | —— carrying Americ: only play cards en route to haus _— away the time—notbing else, and then I do not gamble. Once, some years ago, I was playing # theatri- cal ehgagenent in Louisville, Ky., and I was invited to visit and participate im a late supper after the performance was over. Among tl who were to be at a supper was Henry V son. The theatrical performance was very long and it was near midnight when I reached the bachelor apartments. I bad no sooner ar- rived than I noticed some little excitement among the gentlemen present, It seems that agame of draw had ended and acount was being made of moneys. I had no alternative but to wait developments and they came soon enough. A big dispute arose across the table and in an instant Watterson was on his feet. pistol in hand, and trying to aim at his antag- onist,a well-known gentleman. Iknew that blood was going to be shed right there, so I jumped up and threw my arms around the edi- tor. Others caught his arm and kept it up so if the pistol were discharged it would only dem- age the ceiling. “The other gentleman was ferocious, and although he was held by strong men I thought he would break loose every second and fire right into us. Great beads of perspiration stood out upon my forehead. I pleaded with the Kentuckian not to shoot; that he would re- gret it. The more I pleaded and tried to keep his pistol arm up the more he attempted to break away. Every instant I expected to hear the crack, crack of revolvers and to see the reeling form of a man perforated with a large bullet. I pictured the direfal consequences andthe blame. The latter would partially, at least, rest upon me, because I was the guest of the evening and the gathering was in my honor. In onr struggle to keep the two men apart ta- bles were overturned, chairs were knocked down and the money on the table somehow disap- peared like magic. Finally I caught Watter- son’s pistol in my hand, and then the lamenta- ble truth flashed like an electric shock through me, to wit: Iwas being guyed and the whole fight was concocted to fool me. The pistol was nothing but a bootjack, one wl when folded resembles the shaj was completely taken in, and say the ‘smiles’ were on me, most exciting game of poker that | e' dulged in.” HEAV ON EARTH. A Land Where Piano Playing Must Be Done Behind Closed Doors, From the New York Journal. A curious system of fines obtains in Ger- many. People are fined for every curious little alleged offense. An estimable lady went out for a walk last week in the old part of Hanover. Wandering about in the quaint, narrow streets she lost her way, and being unable to speak German or to find a cab she meandered wildly hither and thither until at last she found her- self in # remote suburb quite in the country. Seeking to make # short cut back to the city she started across au open field, but was speedily overhauled bya native, who implied by histones and gestures that she was com- mitting a grave offense. To make a long and harrowing story short, this estimable lady was ultimately compelled to pay a fine of three marks for trespassing upon the private prop- erty of a suburban farmer. Boys are fined for playing games in the streets; to throw a snowbail at any person or anything costs 75 cents. Whistling upon the streets is a finable offense, so is dropping nut shells or fruit peelings upon the pavement. If your neighbor keeps poultry and the cackling disturbs you a complaint to the police results in the immediate abatement of the nuisance. When the young woman of the family prac- tices upon the piano the windows of the room must be closed in order that the neighborhood shall not be pestered. The Aerophor. From the London Times. In weaving sheds a humid atmosphere is of equal importance, otherwise there is a continual breaking of threads and other prejudicial oc- currences, The necessary diffusion of mois- ture has hitherto been secured at the expense of the comfort, and even the health of the fac- tory hands, by the projection of steam into the osphere and by dampening the floors with water. In either case damage is caused to the machinery and buildings, while an unhealthy atmosphere is created’ in which the operatives are obliged to work. In order to obviate all this the aerophor has been invented by a German engineer and is largely in use in Germany. The aerophor is an apparatus for dis- tributing moisture in the form of a very fine water cloud, which may be either cold or warm. The apparatus, which is not large, contains no movable parts, and @ single-pressure pump can work any number of aerophors. ‘The contri: vance, which is fixed just undor the ceiling given points, consists of two separate nozzles, one for propelling the air by creating an in- duced current, and the other for moistening it, A jetof water under pressure is projected! through a horizontal nozzle into a casing’ in which there is a vertical nozzle. The jet from the horizontal nozzle causes the induced cur- rent of air to act upon the water entering the casing at its upper part through the vertical nozzle, The water is d_into the atmos- here in the form of a fine diffusive cloud, the large drops of water being caught and retained by the apparatus, The aerophor will only pro- ject into the atmosphere suc: eyes of water ag are capable of being absorbed immediately, so that to the machinery or fabric is impossible. Inthe same way, the atmosphere not being super-saturated, there is no injury to health, Cucumbers Not Noxious. From the London Hospital. Many people are under the impression that cucumber is very indigestible, and when they eatit theydo sounder protest, and with ap- prehensions of possibly dire consequences, How this delusion can have arisen it is difficult to say, unless it be that cucumber is often eaten with salmon and other indigestible table friends. It is not the cucumber, however, but the salmon that sits so heavily upon our stomach’s throne. Cucumber, in fact, is very digestible when eaten properly. It cannot, in- deed, be otherwise when it is remembered that it consists mainly of water, and that those parts which are not water are almost exclu- sively cells of a very rapid growth. In eating cucumber it is well to cutit into thin slices, and to masticate them thoroughly. Even the vinegar and the pepper that are so often added to it are of service to the digestion if not taken in excess. The cucumber, as every one knows, belongs to the melon tribe, but in our some- what cold country it does not grow to any very large size, and therefore it is firmer and looks less digestible than its congener, the ———~+2-___ The Hearse Driver’s Panic. From the Bangor News. Anold gentleman who was relating tome sometime ago reminiscences of his youthtul days gave me this story, whose outlines may appear familiar to our ‘old settlers" There used to be seen around Bangor in former days sidewalk capitalist, of somewhat the same turn of mind as our illustrious cotemporary “Dan” Thom; He went by the euphonious name of “J: Hoevagetengc = fey hed been supported ba town. But he always chose own ping places. Jabe disap- one evening when was keen and was not the melon. | F i i r F 3s 5 i ! i f i : iH ; | i i i R ti i i | BEE Ni & Bes 9 ENGLAND’S ROYAL WOMEN, Their Reputation for Good Looks is Said to Be Undeserved. London Letter to the Phisdelphia Timea Whata fiction it is to talk about the beauty of any member of the English royal family! There could not be a more commonplace lot of women. The Princess of Wales is slender al- most to emaciation; her eyes would be dull but for the make-up which surrounds them; her chesks are rouged and © wig always covers ber head, which, Iam given to understand, is completely bald. She has little if any bust, she limps a she walks and she is almost stoue deaf; #0, one way and another, it is rather seckening to read the mass of gush that is to be read daily in the British newspapers about the beanty, &o., of England's future queen. She is, no doubt, an accomplished, amiable, virtuous woman, but im appearance she ® an absolutely commonplace and altogether uninteresting person. , All three of the Princesses of Wales have indifferent teeth, bad complexions and wretched figures. Nobody would look at them'twice bi for their exalted position, The daughters of the Princess Christian are equally plain look ing, and there is no promise of beauty in the young daughters of the Duchess of Edinburgh, As for Princess May of Teck, who hus 0 often been described beauty, all she can claim to possoss isa passable figure and good eyen, Her face, however. wm spoiled by the way im which her upper lip protrudes and by a nose which suggests an Hebraic strain somewhere or other m the fainily. Of the many vaunted beauties of London society only the Duchess of Leinster would perbaps piss asa lovely woman ali over the earth. Lady Londonderry also comes under that head, and #0 does Mise Wolsc young daughter of Gen. Wolseley, who her debut this year, Lady Dudle pletely passee and isas much made up as an opera bouffe prima donna. All the duchesses are plain-looking women; even the two Ameri- can duchesses, Mariborou, are too tar beyond their youth to o tion with Venus, The Duchess of Portland looks like a well-fed dairy maid and the Duchess of Newcastle bears a marked resemblance toa younger edition of Mrs. Cleve The dowager Duchess ot Mon- trose wa sight for the gods, with her flaxen wig and canary-colored garments, not to mene tion her enormous proportions. She reminds of the better-half of a # riched German brewer from Chicago, rtainly would not be permitted to enter a fashionable New York hotel until her rank bad been ex- plained. The Duchesses of Rutland, Leeds, Cleveland and Richmond She are old while tho Duchesses of Abercorn, Hamilton, Argyll and Westminster are absolutely plain and undis- tinguished. saith ote ONYX. Something About its Working and Its Use in House Decoration. From the New York Sun Onyx is coming into general use for deco- rative purposes. With the formation of a ayn- dicate to work the Mexican mines and with the discovery of onyx in other places, its use hag extended until it is becoming one of the most fashionable decorations in New York. Onyx is a peculiar formation caused by drippings mixed with mineral and earthy substances under beat and pressure. This is not an exact geological definition of it, but it tells what it is, Onyx is usually discovered in caves or other natural openings and in a mineral neighbor- hood. The most bewutiful kind of onyx is formed by various kinds of minerals running through it in streaks and tints. Onyx is the same improvement over fine mar- ble that marble is over ordinary stone. It also costs as much more, These are two reasoné why people who are putting up fine houses im this town are beginuing to use it. It differs from marble in taking ona higher degree of polish, in being harder, with « greater reflee- tion, a firmer grain, more retined and delicate tints and prettier streaks. ked marble is not popular because it is usually not streaked ima way to add to its decorative effec ia onyx the delicate green fern, reddish and brown streaks, appear beautifully on an ivory background. Onyx is got out in as large blocks as it can be quarried. The quarrviug has to be done with wedges and saws, as it cannot be blasted or dug out with safety.’ The grain and streake are so delicate that a blast might spoil thou- sands of dollars’ worth. One cave of onyx was ruined by the use of powder. Th owned the cave started to get out t the slow process of saws and wed, a out several car loads, when the thought strack him that he could teke ail the onyx out of the cave at one blast. So he put bis men to work and drilled around the cave, «rra his blast so that he would have ©40.000 or of onyx to be shipped at once. were charged and th None of the onyx ww mosaics and such work. sound bit four feet |, taught the other onyx mi shocks and blasts or detouat), are allowed in the cave or in the neighbor! i for tear that the onyx may be cracked or that some small cracks may be enlarged. Onyx is worth in the rough from 83 to reubie foot. The price i not steady, rede 3 on the demand and the length and shape of the block got out as well as the ap- pearance of the onyx. The market for onyx is something like the market for meerschaum, only less regular, Aman who buys « block of onyx takes it to some extent on speculation, He does not know how it wili saw and polish, There may be cracks inside of it which bo does not sve, and the grain apd streaks on the outside may not be carricd through. ded, The onyx in its rough state looks like other stalactites and stalagmites, though it migt be taken for marble by any one not in the busi« ness, It is worked much as marble is, by saw= ing and polishing. except that more care has to be exercised and that the polishing is more dif- ficult, When it is worked up it will sell for €L to @5 a square foot, according to its appearance and size. Some dealers make onyx up in mantels, but even though an onyx maute! is costiy, the dealers do not like to make it up in that shape, as they say that it vuigarizes the onyx and will endin cheapening it, Onyx is beautiful for tables, mirrors aud paneix, There are only four or five dealers in it now in } York, but when the new syndi begins shipping here steadily ouyx will be pushed. It is no more rare now than the finer marble used to be. soe — Why Dinner Was Very Late That Day. From the Louisville Times. Here is one on Thad Spindle which, thongh it happened some time ago, has not been told: Thad went home one evening some time ago and found that dinner was not ready, The groceryman had not sent his basket of market= ing. which he had ordered on his way down town that morning. The cook had expected it every minute and this caused the delay. In no happy frame of mind be weat to the grocery, some blocks away, aud wanted*to know why his market basket had not been sent out home, Regrets aud apologies were ample. It would go atonce. Now, Thad doesn't mind carrying a market basket when be ix in a good bumor, but he left still im high dudgeon and scorned to touch it, leaving it for them to send, If there is one thing that he likes better than his dinner, itis hunting, soon the way home he stopped to talk gun to his friend, the doctor. He did not hurry, as he knew the dinner had to be cooked before it could be served. Finally he noticed that there was an exceedingly Giminutive darky with an exceedingly large market basket sitting on the curbstone just out of earshot from him and the doctor. The darky lookei very much like one he had seem in the groceryand the market basket looke very like his own. “What are you doing there?” y hoe “W'y,” stammered the nodding little sleepy bead in black, as be started up, “W'y, sab, ‘Mise Dora, she fo’ me to follay ‘the gem'man, and I'se follab’n yo,’ sab.” ein earn ast a ntl Agriculture in Africa. ‘From the Pali Mal Gazette within its borders will find their task a slow and often disheartening one. The administrator of the British colony of Gambia on the west coast et HG H ti i j & q ft ct ri oF t ¥ eke Bie. <> ke am,