Evening Star Newspaper, November 14, 1891, Page 8

8 tl THE EVENING STAR: Wore * WASHINOTON D.C. et ae? 14. 1891—SIXTEEN .PAGES. ROUND THE WORL BUT NOTIN EIGHTY DAYS. NOTES BY THE WAY. No. L ‘Editorial Correspondence of the Evening Star. Sreawen Ourna, Pactric Oceax, September 26, 1891. ROUND-THE-WORLD TRIP IS NOT exactly a globe-trotting affair, as it is ‘undertaken mainly to get the benefit of the sea voyage, and the circuit, therefore, will be thade largely by water. The principal land travel will be from Washington to San Francisco and from Calcutta to Bombay through India. The incidental excursion travel in Japan China and Egypt (up the Nile) will also be a good deal by water. and the voyage from Exyp or Palestine to London is likely to be pretty much of « water trip, by way of Malta, Gib- raltar and Spain, to avoid going over familiar ground on the continent. So my trip promises to be more like water- feooting than globe-trotting. For the same reason that the voyage is intended to be a lazy, loafing affair it is not Proposed by the writer to take the “shop along,” or to write more than off-hand notes, that can be scribbled anywhere and anyhow, serving asa sort of “log” of the journey, that may be of some use or interest to proposing travelers. Ileft Washington September 17 by the 11:30 for Chi- cago, due in Chicago at 11:25 a.m. of the next The train, however, was not on time, but still left some ten hourson my hands to see the Chicago of 1891 before leaving on the am. Baltimore and Ohio “limited” aay. 10:30 p.m. train for San Francisco. One visit- ing the “Windy City” (as styled by jealous New York) at intervals of afew months finds a twelve-story wonders in the way of tall buildings of a year new Chicago. The eight and or two ago are low-down affairs compared to the sixteen and twenty-story structures now Up oF going up. So long as there is no law to Prevent the erection of these ugly monstrosi- ties there seems to be no reason why the com- petition to build the latest tallest should not result in fifty-story structures, or even sur- passing the Eiffel tower in height. Of course I visited the Auditorium (3,000 audience ca- pacity) and the Auditorium Hotel (400 guest rooms) and the Auditorium tower (twenty stories high), where the smoke prevented us from seeing anything bat the tops of the sixteen and twenty-story houses, but where an able- Bodied Chicago guide told visitors all about the Chicago greatnesses concealed under the smoke pall, adding casually that Chicago is 9434 miles long, 1434 wide and has a total area of 175 square miles. This is considerably more than the area of London, but the guide would not take off a single square foot. Six miles from the Auditorium by cable or steam cars is the site of thacoming GREAT AMERICAN COLUMBIAN CHICAGOAN EXPO- sitios. ‘A good deal has been done on the grounds in the way of grading and the frames of some of the buildings are beginning to mount up, but there does not seem to be any adequate prog- ress yet to indicate a readiness for the opening in 1893. Still, the Chicagoans are hustlers, snd if “anybody kin, they kin.” At 10:80 that night I took the “Pacific lim- ited,” going through via the Union and Cen- ‘tral Pacific without change of cars and reach- ing San Francisco at 9:15 a m. September 22, ‘thus making the journey from Washington to San Francisco in a little less than five days, or, deducting the time spent in Chicago, in about four and one-half days. ox THe PACIFIC. Saturday, the 26th, at 3 p. m.,T left San Fran- ¢isco by the Pacific mail steamer China for | Yokohama. On board the China I met my fel- } Jow travelers of a Cook's round-the-world party, with whom I go as far as Egypt. Our party is under the experienced guidance of Major J. O. Hutchinson, who is now on hi twelve persons, mostly Mr. Mrs. G. L. Smith and Miss Smita of Provi- jew England people: dence, Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Ball (of Block Island Hote! fame), Mr. A. Bena of England, Mrs. F. L. Cutting and Miss Cutting of Boston, and the writer. Ther seem to be pleasant, in- telligent people, and the prospect is that the party will get on exceedingly well together. The cost of the all-round tickets is $2,100, For the portion of the tri cludes first-class transportation, hotel accom- modstions, fees for sight seeing, &e., and pro- vides for a stay in Japan of about five weeks; # trip through the famous Inland Sea of Japan, characterized as “the most beautiful sea voy- age in the world;” and on to Hong Kong end up Pearl river to Canton; thence to Singapore, Ceylon (and an excursion through that island), then on to Madras, Calcutta, Dar- jecling and the Himalayas, Benares, Luckno Cawnpore, Agra, Delhi, Jeypore, Bombe: then through the Arabian sea and the Suez canal toCairo and its adjacent sights. Leaving the Cook party at Cairo, my personal pro- gram contemplates a trip up the Nile, occupy ing about three weeks « trip to Jerusalem and thereabouts, and thena course homeward to be For the Nile trip I determined upon later on. pay $245. AX INTERESTING PORTION OF OUR PASSENGER LIST fe group of missionaries, twenty-three in wumber, whoare on their way to China and Japan. The larger portion go to China, most of them to the districts where the late anti- riots occurred, and the promptitude with which they are hurrying forward to the dangerous ground shows that the old mission- ary zeal which sent men and women out to every field of peril and hardship throughout the heathen world has not died out in these faithless days. Of these the Baptist missionaries sent out under the foreign mission board of the South- Rev. T. W. Greene ern Baptist convention a and wife of Wake Forest, N. C., to Canton, China; Miss Nellie Miner of Richmond, Va., to Chinkiang, Central China; Rev. L. W. Pierce of Rev. W. HL Sears and wife of Prairie Hill, Mo., to Tungebow, North China: Rev. W. D. King of Sa- forth China, under adoption of the Fifth Baptist Church of Wash- ington, Dr. .C. Meador, pastor. This church provides all expenses of outfit, traveling and salary. There are some four or five Christian Chinamen in the stecrage. Le To, a member Savoy, Tex., to Chinkiang, Central Chit vannah, Ga., to Hwanghie of the Tenth Baptist church of Oakland, Cal. Feturne to his home land to work as a mission- ary under Dr. R. H. Graves at Canton. ‘Two Methodist missionaries, under the Meth- dist Episcopal board north, H. L. Canright, M.D. and wife of Battle Creek, Mich., go to Chungking, China, about 2,000 miles into the interior, as medical missionaries. ‘Three Congregational missionaries, under the American board of commissioners for for- eign missions, go to Japan: Miss Elizabeth Wilkinson of Lawrence, Mass., to Sotorri as ‘Miss Helen C. Frazer of Toronto, Can- feacuer, girls’ seminary Annie ixth round-the- world trip. Including the major it numbers nd Mrs. J. F. D. Paine of Boston, Mr. and I take, from San Francisco to Cairo, the cost is $1,625. This in- equipped for- practice among the women of China. Rev. B. C. Patterson of Virginia, Rev. G. Hudson of Texas, Rev. A. R. Haden of Louisiana and Miss Dr. Houston go to China, and their location (not yet settled) will proba- bly be at the large cities of Kahing and Changchow, on the Great canal. The senior of the Presbyterian party, Rev. Hampden C. DuBose, and wite of South Carolina went to China nearly twenty years ago and are returning from a year's furlough in the United Staten When they went to Soochow the people were in utter ignorance of the simplest tenets of Christianity. The first ten years there were two or three Americans in the city. There are now some fifteen or eight- een. The people of this section are wonder- fally accessible and come readily to the street chapels, which are opened daily, and congre- gations can be obtained either in the churches or on the streets any time of the day or even- ing. Now for forty or fifty miles around the people generally know some little of what the foreigners teach about religion. As paper and printing are cheaper in China than in any other country, Bibles and tracts have been sold in quantities. 1 AN INTERESTING SISSIONARY FIELD. The Southern Presbyterian Mission is one of the smallest in China, numbering thirty-two, but as recently new men and women are an- nually sent out it is probable that in three or four years its numbers will be doubled. It occupies the four cities of Hangchow, Soochow, Chinkiang and Tsingkiangpu, each 120 miles apart, and all on the Grand canal, Out to the right and left are hundreds of broad canals, runing to every city, town and village—a well- watered region. To the south there are 100 lakes, The travel in this section is altogether by boats, and it is cheap and comfortable. Between Hangchow and Soochow is the silk | district, the garden spotof China. The mission expects this year to occupy Kabing, in the center of this region. They also hope to oc- cupy Nantsin and Huchow. Nantsin is the residence of the silk merchants, and many of thent have built little palaces for their homes. It controls by telegraph the markets of New York and London. In the great lake in this vicinity (50 by $0 miles wide) the: islands twenty miles long, and fine groves of fruit trees. Hangchow and Soo- chow are cities of 500,000 each, and very cele- brated in Chinese history and literature. They have a proverb, “Above is Heaven; below is { Soochow and Hangehow.” Chinkiang is at the junction of the Grand Canal and the Yangtse river, is located at the foot of a range of hills, has a population of 300,000, and is destined to be one of the most important marts of China. The mission at Tsingkiangpu proposes to occupy the cities to the ncrthwest. Yangehow is a city of 400,000, The peninsula between the Yangtse and the Hangchow bay teems with fine walled cities and populous towns, and will in the future, asin the centuries pa doubt exercise @ great intluence upon the na- tional history. q THE LATE ANTI-FOREIGN RIOTS. Tt was in this Yangtee valley that the anti- foreign riots occurred last summer. It is very hard to find out the secret springs which move the hands of the Chinese clock, but these riots have becn thought to have beea instigated by the Kolaoaee, oné of the numerous “veterans’ (old soldiers’) associations” of the Middle King- dom. ‘The rapidity with which the movements were executed proved that there was a con- trolling power which directed the rioters. The motive has been thought to be that of embroil- ing the Manchu emperor with foreign powers, and so make an opening for overthrowing the Tartar dynasty, but it bas not been definitely settled that this is the case. The missionaries, both Catnolie and Protestant, have been the target in this movement, but this is simply for the reason that civilians of the different na- tionalities resideat the “Twenty (treaty) Ports,” whereas the missionary establishments are scattered throughout the eighteen provinces. ‘As these are in bands of from two to twenty in cities of two or three hundred thousand people (or more) their position is an exposed one. All the testimony seems to be that the riots are anti-foreign—not anti-missionary. The first were around Kinkiang, 500 miles west of Shanghai. At Wusuch, which is s port of call for vessels, an American missionary and a customs officer (English) were brutally murdered, their heads being ground to pulp between stones. The rioting then broke out at Wuhu and Nanking. At the latter place one of the foreigners with a pistol held the mob at bay for two hours until the officials arrived. In the course of a few days some of the chapels down the Grand Canal, around Changchow, were burned, and also the great cathedral (Catholic) at Wuseil, where there are®,000 adherents. A few hours afterward hostile demonstrations were made at | Foochow, the capital, and the missionary ladies were removed to Shanghai. ‘At-Hangchow St. Bartholomew's day was fixed upon and the hour named for the massa- cre of the foreigners, but the Mandarins pa- trolled the streets and the day passed quietly. At the other cities the Chinese officials were prompt in putting down the least signs of riot- ing. The emperor’sdecree of protection marks an epoch, snd it is said that the riots have had the effect of awakening the Chinese mind to gen- eral inquiry. A DAY Lost. October 7, 1891. Five minutes ago our date was Monday, October 5. It is now Wednesday, October 7. ‘This is all because we have just crossed the 180th degree ot longitude, half way rouné the world from Greenwich, and the point where a lip. A few hours later the vessel in struggling through these knock-down seas entered upon series of gymnastics that tumbled the passen- gers from side to side in piles like so many tenpins. ‘& REVENGEFUL PIANO. At one time in these lurches the upright Piano in the social hall broke loose from ite stout fastenings and came crashing down upon the people prostrated beneath. One lady was caught under it and dragged with the piano, as it dashed from one side to the other with the rolling ship. Nobody expected she would come out alive, but when she was finally rescued it ‘was found that the keyboard had protected her from being crushed or materially hurt. Another escaped wonderfully by being pushed under a seat against which the piano struck. It is needless to say that the antics of the wild piano caused a precipitous clearing of the room. There appeared something almost human about its actions. It seemed bent on getting revenge for all the pounding and mal- treatment it had received in its miserable ex- istence, and it was observed to follow up with special vindictiveness some of the lady key bangers who had been tormenting it and their victims all the trip. It required s long chase and the united efforts of the ship's offi- cers and a dozen of the deck hands to capture the infuriated instrument and lash it down to the floor on its back. Seeing the havoc made by this vagrant piano and the difficulty of dealing with it, one could believe in the verity of Victor Hugo's graphie description of the deadly career of the loose gun on shipboard. ‘The gale held on furioualy all day. The en- gines were run slowly or stopped altogether at times to avoid ploughing into the heavy head seas, and we made only sixty-five miles that day. SMOOTHING THE SEA WITH OI. During this storm the application of oil to smooth the water was made with good results. Bags filled with oakum saturated with oil were hung over the sides of the ship and the oil al- lowed to filter slowly through and drip into the sea, The effect was very marked in preventing the big “‘comper" waves fron: reaching the ves- sel and brenking over its decks. The China, which bore us sefely through all these rough knocks, 18 a fine, stanch boat, ad- mirably ofticered, from Capt. Seabury down; but, alas! it carries the English flag, though its officers, most of ite cabin passengers and its freight are American. But an American world- rounder must be prepared to sce the flag of his country conspicuous by its absence everywhere except in the Hawaiian seas. The crew of the China ure Chinese. They make good sailors, under the charge of a Chinese boatswain, who employs,them and is responsible for their con- duct. The waiters are either Chinese or Japa- nese, and the attendance is the best I have seen on any ocean steamers, with the possible ex- ception of the German Lloyd line. We have seventy cabin passengers, including four oF five Japanese, and three hundred Chinese steerage passengers. It is characteristic of the two races that the clannish Chinese, rich and poor, herd together in the steerage, using chopsticks and wearing the same costume they wore thousands of years ago, while the Japanese, who can afford it, seek cabin passage and conform to European eustoms of eating, dress, language and civilization. October 13. For the last day or two we have been in the warm “Japanese current,” the Gulfstream of the Pacific, which, getting heated up in the Indian ocean, comes sweeping around by the Japan coast and so on northeast to the Alaska region. We are now (6a.m.) in sight of the Japanese coast and expect to reach Yokohama in a couple of hours. Stately snow-clad Fujiama, the sa- cred mountain of the Japanese, lifting its height of 18,000 feet directly from the level of the sea, dominates everything. The scene as we go up the bay is full of animation. The water is crowded with vessels of curious build, pro- pelled in all sorts of odd ways; and the contrast between this and our lonely course across the Pacific, where we saw only one sail (a Canadian steamer) in all the 4,600 miles, is great. c.8.N. cHow-cHow. A Yearly Culinary Struggle Which House- wives Go Through. Miss Meandes in Boston Gazette. The suburban housewife about this time loses all her individuality and independence of spirit in her struggle with chow-chow. She {s de- termined to make it a little better than last year. It needed sométhing last year. She can't tell what, She mixes and stews this year with an ambitious but trembling hand. She passes some on a spoon to the cook, who says, “It's illegunt, mum, illegunt, saving the want of alittle more spice, mum,” and upon her protested inability to say what kind of spice the housewife sends upstairs for Aunt Martha, who used to bea famous cook. Aunt Martha tastes and smacks her lips, looks up at the ceiling and down on the fluor, and says: ‘More salt.” More salt is added, when Johnny comes in from school. Johnny tastes, looks out of the window, under the table. cocks and says: Tain’ is added anda neighbor drops in. A little is carried up into the parlor. She touches her lips to it, raises her veil resolutely and tastes again; looks under the piano, and thinks wildly fora moment; takes offs glove, and tastes again; then, with a hesitating nir, ‘says: “Too much salt.” "Aunt Martha is upbraided, cook is ordered to chop more tomatoes an onions, housewife gives up going in town to matinee. Cousin Susan comes out from Bos- ton; says she never can taste of it; it will give her dyspepsia for a week. Is finally prevailed lay is dropped in the adjustment of time in making the cirenit west. Really only twelve | hours’ time has been lost, and the full day would only be dropped on reaching Greenwich, the initial point in the circumference of 360 degrees, but for convenienco say the 190th degree has been fixed upon asthe point to strike out anentire day. The why and wherefore of all this is the cause of much disenssion and ex- planation, and several days are likely to be lost in settling just why this one is missing. Another puzzling problem is the nintter of “great circle sailing,” by which the Canadian steamers, going from Vancouver, in latitude 50, have a 450-mile shorter course to Yokohama,in latitude 35, than that from San Francisco to Yokohama, only two parallels of latitude apart. Also why oursteamer leaving San Francisco, in latitude 37, makes a wide circuit up ten degrees north to latitude 47 and then down twelve de- grees to latitude 35, at Yokohama, in order to shorten the distance between San Francisco and Yokohama. It requires a vast deal of ex- planation and illustration us to the flattened condition of the earth at the poles and its bay- window bulbousness at the equator to show why this (apparently) longest-way-round northern course is really the shortest way across. Some of the seasick passengers, dis- gusted with the cold weather and stormy seas of this northern route, fail to grasp it yet. THE PACIFIC WAEN IT Is NOT PACIFIC. It seems, however, that the cold head winds, gales and storms we have encountered on this trip are ur.asual this early in the fall, and that later in the season, when they are expected, a more southerly but longer course is taken. For the last week we have had a succession of head winds, culminating in a gule that made things quite lively for a time even on our big, steady- going steamer. One sea was shipped that stove some of the boats into kindling, broke through the skylights and deluged gome of the state rooms so as to bring ont the occwpants in a panic, thinking the ship was going down. ‘The wave was so enormous in height and vol- ume as to dash over the bridge, twisting and knotting the heavy brass railings as if they had been fine wire. One sailor had » leg brokea and others were badly bruised. An oil tank broke its fasten- t avd wife of Bich- | suffered mach damage from the oil and some of to Japan Miss Davidson of | them had their outfit for a term of seven years | © at ruined. It was pitiable to sce the R. Houston, | havoc made with the choice things, the Ya., is @ graduate of the tins. ite, Ac. Sh young eseaian ems we febool and goes well! they bore it bravely ase pert of the sacrifices upon to taste; scowls and makes a peck at it Hike a crow: ‘makes bad face and says: “Heavens, how sweet!” Housewife begins to scold; says it's all Johnny's fault; sends Johnny back to school with a cold Iynch. Mixes some more. Daughter comes home from city school, tastes. “Oh, ma, its too flat. You want more cloves ‘and mustard in it." More cloves and mustard ut in. The neighbor comes back to say she Bas thought what it needed—"more allspice.” More allspice is added. The cook tastes once more ‘says, vaguely: “Me cousin, now, that cooks for the Lawrences, could tell in a jiffy now.” Latchkey ia’ heard in door. Cook and mistress in chorus: “Do you sup- pose he'd know?” when a voice of innocent masculine inquiry demand t are you making your pie meat so early in the season for?” Housewife falls to weeping; cook pro- ceeds with the dinner; chow-chow looks out for itself; comes out all right and will be all eaten up before December. Found Him at Last. ‘Frou the Detroit Free Press. ‘She had been away all summer. The moun- tains had felt her stately tread; the sea had taken her to ite ever-changing bosom and folded her in its billowy arms. She Rad flirted with everything in pantaloons from Old Point to Bar Harbor, from Mount Mitchell to the Adirondacks. She had tasted the sweets of hope; she had drained the bitter oup of disappointment. Now sho is at home again. oe jome, the Mecca of the weary pilgrim; Canaan beyond the wilderness; theslter around which we all kneel in thankfulness; the dear walls which take us to their loving embrace and hide us from the comfortless world with- ou hr THE MUSIC OF NATURE Instruments Which Give Forth Pleas- ant Sounds, THE ORCHESTRA OF INSECTS. ‘Musical Sands and What Causes the Tones— The Singing Statues of Memnon—Notes From Running Brooks—Vibrating Wings of ‘Bees and Mosquitoes—Theory of Music. Written for The Evening Star. HE AIR 18 FULL OF sound. Even on the stillest night when not a breath of air seems to move there is sound audible by closest atten- tion, but not noticeable, because the ear has been so accustomed to loud, every-day confu- sion. The air is full of minute sound waves, coming from every di- rection, and nature is constantly engaged in producing them. Were this not so, were there absolutely no sound which wo are ayare of without deteeting it, the silence would’be ab- solutely intolerable. Perpetual sound is as much a constituent of nature as light or heat, and like them it is being produced, incessantly set in motion. There is s tremor and with it asounding over all creation. It rises into the uppermost air; it is in the caverns of the earth. It comes from every forming frost erystal, from every gossamer wing and tiny trumpet, and, once rent forth, goes on and on and never ceases. lieally, there is a great noise in the silent night of ‘which we would be well aware were it suddenly to cease. MUSICAL SANDS. The ear. though wonderfilly delicate, is, in respect to these small and distinct sounds, ex- ceedingly coarse. A sound that can be made ‘obvious to the eye by delicate ap- is, at least ao far as discrimination ton thecar. And this is why we are rent quiet while al is sounding about however, of what we hear from na- weet. All have heard the clear, mu note of dry snow under the foot on cold wi ter night. The sharp ring of ice as the «pit rune along it is familiar, and is produced on same principle as that of 2 musical instru- ment. Musical sands have attracted much at- tention from the enrious circumstance no less than the beauty of their tinkling notes. Those eands are found in occasional patches along the sea shores, of which there are said to be forty-seven in the United States and many others in different parts of the world. Musical sand hills are found in some of the deserts. At Studland Bay, England. there is a patch @ few hundred feet square that gives out @ clear ringing note as high as A and F altissimo. It is ao clear and well defined that its place in the scale may be definitely determined. It is a singular circumstance that these sands are in spots or patches in midst of vast stretches of the same kind, ap- rently, which are entirely non-musical. ‘he material, quartz, is highly sonorous, like glass, and needs only to be properly rubbed to give out a musical note. When one walks across these sands the tread of the foot causes friction among the grains, millions in number, and this friction causes a singing jtst as and on the same principle that a tinger bowl re- sponds to the rubbing of a moistened finger. h grain sounds, but aloue could not be heard, while the myriads of sounds in unison may be plainly heard even at a considerable distance. ‘The sand, to produce this offect, i supposed to be entirely free from foreign sub- stances and the smooth surfaces in contact to rub together. On the anks of Mt. Sinai there is a sead hill of similar kind, where the downpouring of the cand causes @ sweet tinkling music, which the Bedouins, disrogarding the true source, ut- tribute toa wooden gong struck at the time of ers by the monks in some under earth monastery. ‘The winds of the desert replace the sands, which gradually pour down again at an angle of some thirty-one degrees, keeping up the perpetual resonance. ZOUIAN HARP. The wolian harp, though constructed by man, is played upon by nature. Steel wires ‘are strung over a thin slab of rock placed over a slight excavation in the ground, thus forming the strings and sounding board of th 0. There is, however, this difference; the wires are fastened very firmly and may be ten to fif- teen feet long. ‘They are keyed to true notes e wind sweeping over them vibrates ac- corning to ite strength, one or another octave. "Thus the music varies greatly, and in Italy, where it is most in vogue, there is something weird and exquisitely beautiful in the sounds proceeding from some sylvan retreat. STATUES OF MEMSOX. Another instance, famous in antiquity, was the singing at sunrise of the bug Momnon on the Nile. The Egyptians believed the water to be supernatural; the Greeks in their skeptical way believed it to be imposture, while the undisputed fact of tones being emit- ted has been lately explained by the irregular expansion of the upper parts of the fractured stone, first touched by the rays of the sun, and grating aguinat the lower courses. However, st fs said to have boon a series of beautiful tones that greeted Apollo at his rising, and the priests made the most of the circumstance with the people. FROM BROOKS. The exquisite music of brooks or running ang plashing water has becn the subject of cateful and interesting inquiry. The first im- rossion is that tho music of running water is Bats mediey of rushing sounds, whereas it is give forth distinct musical illustrates what has been affected without found that they notes. This eo ear ‘aid pleasurabl: Home again, and a had come to her sing whet i( hears uatil express and oare- she had never known since she had gone out in suslreieg Se WU sareed te no cuhiont ond veeee June as the birdlet from ite nost. itis the music heard m_ the of the rush- At the front door her dear old father, who| ine that makes it what it i had been at his desk ten hours daily all the icate re. Itis now known that the while she was away, met her. sounds are caused by the bi “My daughter,” he said, holding out his arms to her. Likea tired wanderer, foot sore and heart sick, she came to him. ‘Trustingly, confidingly, restfully, she laid her soft white face, in its frame of golden hair, upon bosom. ‘At last,” she murmured, Pa! last I have ‘eitad the dear old faitor’ fe the temaltaoes r, tl joy of having his darling didn’ catch on. Christmas Hints.—Already the little es insinuate ol he a t that you gaveme « five-dollar Fd maak ve} Pella sone oll se of collectively produce « discernible and pleasing tatues of | UrAble of a series of bell ginsses Kaigh poten” dteeerevelve to notes, These revolved pro: by a treadle, the lower edges dipping in water in the tank below. The performer. using fingers and thumbs of both hands, touched tho moi ‘as they revolved, thus produc- ing « tune. ie vibration of glass gives an ex- ¢zptionally pure tone. 1S CAVERSS. Of ali the sounds of nature none are said to b> more awe-inspiring than that heard in the vast caverns of the Island of Hayti when oc- casionally in its dark recesses some piece o- rook falis fiom the roof. There the sounds, un- able to escape and become dissipated in the outer air, go on reverberating through halls and passages, broken into a thousand echoes, disappearing and returning again and again, with suggostions of Stygian horrors, ‘THR GRASSHOPPER'S VIOLIX. Akin to the efforts of men is the orches- tra of insects. Thiv instrument is similar to the violin. The inner surface of the bow is covered, on the legs of the grass- hopper, with barbs, as shown. When he wants to perform a’ solo he bows the lower edge of his wing, whieh is provided with a some- what harder lining, while the remainder of the wing affords a sonorous membrane not dis- similar to the belly of the violin or the sound- ing board of a piano. ‘THE LOCUST'S WIND INSTRUMENT. The seventeen-year locust, however, plays on a wind instrument, or rather on several. Over each air aperture is stretched a membrai having longitudinal ait, which 8 muscularly controlled so as to hold the lipsof the covering more or less closely together. The air rush- ing Abrough under one or the other condition of © membrane makes a variety of musical his contains the principle of wind in- struments having a vibratory tongue. The Greeks treated the cieada as_an instru d confined it near the couch at night fo play them to sleep with ite tiny pipings The scrap of wit they enjoyed was in calling it “the happy,” because ite female is dumb, and the bit of romance is that when a cithara player ina contest for « crown broke a string the cicada perched upon the instrument in place of the string and by its music enabled the player to win the prize. THE [NSECT'S WING, But the most beautiful of all instrumentation innature is that of the insect wing. It in usually a membranous tiseue that in flight vibrates ax the tongne of a flageolet or other pipes. It vibrates with extreme rapidity and gives out a hote, the pite beiug high oF low accordin the ‘vibrations are more or less rapid. The pitch of the mosquito's buzzing is higher than that of the house fly. ‘The bee's _ wing vibrates at 440per second and that of th bumblebee at 880, or twice as rapidly, and gives an octave higher, or Aaltissimo, ‘The ‘rapidity in different insects has been ascertained by studying the pitch of their note, compared from the tuning fork. It will be remembered that ali_ musical tone is produced by tho periodic vibrations of a sonorous body, the rapidity giving the note or pitch at.d the amplitude of vibration giving the volume or loudness of the note. This ie well illustrated by sounding glasses or the finger bowl, when the moistened finger running around the edge praduces a clear tone. By filling the bowl more or less with water we shorten or enlarge the vibrating part of the glass and so increase or diminish the rapidity of vibration, and raising or lowering the pitch. Dr. Franklin, in his sleepless fertility in scien- tifie research, invented a harmonica on this prineiple. The sonorous glasses of different sizes revolve in water and the fingers pressed against one and another glass result in quite a musical production. A STAGE INSTRUMENT. What is true of size of vibratory surface in glasses or metal as affecting the high or low tate is likewise true of the height of the air column in a wind instrument. In this instru- ment the man standing blows across the open- ing of the hollow box, while the actor sitting on the stage works the plunger that lengthens or shortens the air column; in other Leta gr 64 the tune. One is really the bellows and tho other the performer. ‘Twenty vibrations to the second produce the lowest audible note, while they may increase to 40,000, which may still be heard as a shrill, penetrating whistle. WHAT CONSTITCTES MUSIC. Now, it is this vibration, imparted to the air which breaks in little waves upon the ear, that constitutes musi hink of it as a succes- sion of sweet tones; succession of differ- ent length vibrations. It is a familiar fact that when a note is sounded on a violin the piano string of the corresponding note begins to vi- brate. ‘The violin makes the piano respond in sympathy, In this lies the whole secret of listening to music. The auditory nerve in the ear consists of a bundle of minute fil each of which ends in what might be called a little sounding buard. Each fiber is tuned to a sep- arate tone, and when the violin plays the samo thing happensto the carasto the pianostrings— each vibrates in sympathy to the note to which sieee and is a perfect reproduction of the in. ‘There is in Germany an old legend of a mu- sician who boasted he could destroy a heavy: stone bridge without touching it. Challenged, he took his violin and sounded on one string, and kept this up continuously until the arches began to tremble and at last fell in. The con- stant vibration of one tone, sympathetically re- sponded toby the stone arches. pushed on them, eo to speak, until they tumbled down. Believe it or not, the principle is true. A vibration that is irregular in the number of beats to the second produces a discordant noise; one that is Ce yor or periodic produces a musical tone, and it is this regularity which, for some reason in our nature,we know not why, causes a pleas- sensation. TRE PARTIAL TONES. There isacurious fact in this connection worthy an attempt to observe. Accompanying each tone there are what ars known as partial tones, above and below. They always occur. One listening closely may hear with the given note a corresponding tone one uctave above, another the fifth note above that, still another two octaves above, and so on. They are at best scarcely audible, though they have their value in tonic effect,and finally becoming leas and less F from our meaus of detec- we may not be able to separate and disti them. ‘The National Museam bas bad pre; catalogue of musical instruments which now numbers 4,000 names. Not that there are that many distinct kinds of instruments, but in forms used by diffe Berrunsoid Soe Seg aera is ‘two “Chubb™ variety of that is said to be i i ==/ROADS OF THE WORLD How Various Countries Build Paths for Commerce and War, LINKING NATIONS OF MEN. Facts Collected on the Subject by the Depart- ment of State—The Ancient Roman Keads— Koads of Modern Europe—Sonth American and Fiji Roads. T= DEPARTMENT OF STATE HAS JUST issued a volume of 500 pages comprising re- Ports from United States consuls all over the world respecting the subject of roads. Lest it be conceived off-hand that there is nothing interesting about roads let it be re- membered that since mankind constructed society and became distributed over the world roads have been necessary to the existence and Progress of the rac. From the time of Moses there have been royal roads. First the Egyp- tians, afterward the Israelites and then tho Greeks called their lines of travel that were not used for special purposes “royal roads” or the king's highways. In Groece the royal roads were inspected and cared for by the senate at Athens. In Lacedemonia, Thebes and other states they were under the supervision of the most eminent men. Their roads, however, were not the best of the ancients’. It was re- served for a commercial city, Carthage, to build the first paved roads. THE ROMAN ROADS. The Romans followed the example of the Carthaginians, and their great highways, which connected Rome with its provinces, were tho most renowned and durable ever con- structed. All over Europe, Asia and Africa, wherever their emperors raied, they built roads that have been supposed by the vulgar of different ages to be of supernatural origin. ‘This is attested by the names applied to them in Italy, England, France and Spain. In the last mentioned they have been known by such appellations as Calzada del diablo (road of the devil), Calzada de las gigantes (road of the giants), do According to St. Isidoro the first paved roads of Spain were built by the Carthaginians, and the came authority states that the Phoenicians opened (and left to their successors) a road across the Pyrenees and the Alps many centuries before the Chr‘stian era. ROADS MADE BY AUGUSTUS. The most ancient Roman road ontside of Italy was in Spain and led from Carthagepa to the Pyrenees, where it connected with others that led across the Alps to Rome. This road was traveled by the legions of Scipio the Less. The reign of Augustus is renowne? for the roads then completed. This emperor made the system of communication so complete that little else was left for his successors to do than to care for the roads alresdy constructed. The Romans divided their roads into military highwa; Wie also eonsular or pretorian thoroughiares, and local vias. The first were built to facilitate the marehing of armiesand to connect the capital with the principal cities and strategic points. The second Were the routes of commerce and connected towns and trade centers. It is not difficult to perceive how these great roads, constructed in the interest of war and to move armies for conquest, became the terror of natious. Even in the ocean-surrounded islands of Britain, far from imperial Rome, the roads of the Cwsars entered aud so terror ized the public mind that it was not until long after the middle of the eighteenth century that turnpikes were first authorized, and were even then inaugurated against the vigorous protests and prejudices of the common people. SOME STILL EXIST. The continued existence of some of these wonderful roads thousands of years after their completion has proved the skill and greatness of the master minds which planned and built them. The Roman via Appia, the via Aurelia, the vin Flaminia, the roads to the Rhine and’ the Danube, and the 4,000 miles of road from the Wall of Antoninus in Great Britain through Rome to Jerusalem still re- veal lessons of construction worthy of the study of the road builders of the nineteenth century. They were accurately divided by milestones, and ran in a direct line from one city to another, with very litte respect for the obstacles of nature or private property. The middle part was raised into a terrace and con- sisted of several strata of sand, gravel and cement, and was paved with large stones, which, near the cupita!, were of granite. ROADS AS CIVSLIZERS. Adam Smith's assertion that “the constrac- tion of roadsis the greatest of all improve- menta,” and the saying of the Abbe Reynal that “wherever we shall find no facility of travel froma city toatown or from a village to a hamlet we may pronounce the people to be | th barbarians” have long, expecially in Europe, been accepted by mankind. Hoads are the acknowledged civilizers of the world. A road ‘Darkest Africa” ia fast ending human slavery and introducing light. A good road through Bad Lands would largely settle the question of indian warfare. Americans who find themselves in Europe are struck with astonishment at the enormous loads drawn by hotses and dogs. One glance of the eye from the loads to the roads and half the wonder would be accounted for, because the roads have almost everything to do with it. The ancients knew and appreciated the import- ance of good public roads. Many roads built by the ancient Romans and @iveled by the proud Roman conquerors remain to this day. This is particularly the casein Turkey, where they have, ever since the Roman era, been in use, with little or no repair. EUROPEAN ROADS. Roads in Europe are quite usually flanked on either side by two and sometimes four rows of shade trees, which add much beauty to the country through which they run and froma distance are particularly picturesque where several ronds intersect. One can mark the roads in their windings sometimes as far as the eye can reach by these fresh green shade trees, which, with the various teams of horse and dog laden with the products of farms, nines and shop. conspire to make a very pretty scene. The public roads of Belgium enter into success- ful competition with the railroads, so much so that a man who has bis team does not by any means consider himself forced to send his products by ratl. Ono can mount his wagon at the English ecbannel and drive through the breadth of Europe (except in time of snow), or its length, without sinking as deep as the fellies of his wheels in mud, in any weather or at any timeof the year. The roads are so firm that rain does not soften them; they are so thick that frost does not break them up. There are no sloughs to wade through, uo periods when the factory and the farm aze cut off from the rest of the world by an impassable sea of mud. The loss in break-downs of vehicles, of breakage in hurness, in time to Inbor, in shortened li ‘thored and formulated. Rauroads, also, are Girecuy interested in good Whatever opens up the remote farm lot for easy hauling to the railway fan additional acre of arable land nearer to the | v city, cheapens the market for the {neteases tbe volume of trade and for all. ‘THE BOAD SYSTEM IN FRANCE. ‘The modern road system of France gurated by the first Napoleon forward to ite superb conclusion emperor, Napoleon IIL The roads of are now practically all built, They which they afford in the hands of weapons mobs daring periods of riot. NO PART OF TME SYSTEM XBOLECTED. No part of the road system is neglected: the Poutes are divided into sections of half « mile to three miles in length, according to the im- ee of the road, each of which ix con- ded to a man or number of men, so thatevery foot of the roadway is inspected’ daily and is kept in thorough repair. Bat - this France has suffered by her greatness in Teepect. When the Prussian forces crossed ‘the frontier in 1870 the fine military roads were found more advantageous to the invaders Innster work of their aaprowive’ mcigubore ir aggressive neig! The roads afforded not only direct, but ex- French capital. The bigh- y80f France are remarkable for their dura- than the invaded. cellent routes to the on Y, evenness and cleanliness. swept and watered every day and ki scrupulous order. ¥ are immense and cultivation. Louis XIV had several fine roads made in the environs of Paris for bis laid out from simple ostentation and yp only im the center for the roy Shortly after the construction of 1 roads the nation began to appreciate th vantage of paved ways, as the use of vehicles | was becoming more general.aud the commence ment was then begun by the French people o the magnificent network of public roads to be seen covering the whole of not equaled by any other country world. The roads of Lonis XIV were m the king by the peasants. At the present timo | they are for the peasants by means of subsidie and beavy taxes exacted from the governmen and the public, GERMAN TURNPIKES. In respect to construction the German road making is identical with that of France and Switzerland. Every important road is graded macadamized turnpike, with culverts ther side and Generally lined with trees, either poplar, syca- ple which obtained in Saxony formerly was that the ob- is depended on d duty ou them. cause in ig over insecure | cl or thinly settled districts were escorted by armed knights, who levied this safeguard duty in return for their ‘of massive stone, ditches on more or linden. The gencral princ ligation of keeping up the the levying of foll'an This specics of toll was so called former times travelers pa roads leading through. fo services. RUSSIAN ROADS BADLY BUILT. Russian highways are as a rule badly built and continually in process of mending. When Alexander Dumas returned from Russia, which he had been visiting, he was asked how Delikedt In winter they were covered in summer they were always be- the roads in that country. He replied: never saw any. with snow an ing repaired. _In no country in the world is the eonstruc- tion of roadways carried out with more scien- tific skill and thoroughness than in Switzer land. The mountaing the consequent dif of easy communi of providing mean tion between points and th: severe tests to which roads are subjected by the violence of storms and the sudden swelling of water courses, have from the earliest period r den paths, amid a marvelous landscape of verdure onal use and plcgnure. | They wore very wide, probabls so nature of the country, SORCEREY BY REAL sORCERERS — { Dn. W. 3. flotinan Performs Some Feats That Astonish the Nathves N EXWIBIT ILLUSTRATING INDIAN +% sorcery is to be made at the world’s fair by the bureau of ethnology. One of the mostex- pert wizards in the business is regularly em- ployed by Uncle Sam. He hos just returned to Wasbington froma meeting of the shamansor “mystery men” in the Menomoni tefbe, where be took part in the performance of many won- derful feats of magic. For twenty-four eon- secutive hours he shook the sacred rattle, in- voked the spirits by incantation end vied with his fellow jugglers in the production of miracles. He has brought back with hig quantity of the garapt Thie gentleman, Dr. W. J. Hoffman, fete garded by adepts in such matters among the Tudians as a sor of remarkabse ability. He copper-colored wiz look pon lim ting to Few paged to their For exam sorcerer squats on the | Sround at o the medicine lodge with | a blank front of him. Lying y a the further mdeof the bluwkes ” * | carved out of * a chante uve, © 3 « wu image and at the the magician, the cord imposture: but tiomte AL Uae grass gr ver t pate rt themselves in a { WitnONMe from gene both Leing surrounded ast At the recent M, i mystery meeting % with applause Dr. Hoffman, after witnessing ats of rival w . who produced onished ail precedented water. Phe ip of the acid on th “i the sugar and po esult, of Course, was combus- mounced that this » two tumblers, one h was partiy filled with sulpho-cyanide of potash, while the tained a weak selu- tion of the ture of chioride of iron. Leth ’ rendered the subject of rond building one of |100ked eaactiy luke water, but, when poured Fears importance to the dwellers in the Alps. | tegether, the mixiure at once became of a dark be modern roadways of Switzerland and of mmediately threw it 2 Europe generally originated with the Roman . lest anyone ascertain by engineers in the last 2entury before Christ. was not real gore. Another Constructed in the first instance for the march ective was done by throwings of armies and the postal service of the empire, | bit of pur mm into water, whereupon they were promptly occupied by the tributary mk fire, round violently and @x- commerce which poured into Italy with aug- th aloud re ‘The #pontaneeus mented volume as the dimensions of the em- % of phosphorus was aleo made to pire increased. In the breaking up of society | *F¥e miraculous purposes. pry tye) ~ invasion of the barbarians HOW TO TREAT AN ULCERATED STOMACH. an of the ewpire, the Roman roads.al-| The sorcerers make thoir living by ee use, fell out of repair and | their powers for the relief of the sick. Dr. Hef HEDGE-LINED ROADS OF ENGLAND. ayy 4 One of thegreatest charmsof English scenery FB gg ~ to the American visitor is the beauty of its cantations, took the hedge-lined, stone-bedded roads. Much, of y—a section of it England's scenery would be ng without end thrast it du them. The country road# “eater peated this operat materially from comparisor Abe or four such bones bac England and Wales. but as swith the: ~ yond average country rod in the United States they | PTOJeeUug trom his cod im cen: seom to approximate closely to perfection. Bact with | the | sick body and The course described by the country ronds in | Fucked. violently. be Ireland is most irregular and even tortaous, | 0%, from Mis | mouth the apparent purpose being to avoid the points | ®Rumber of dead field us of the compass, but they are none the less * stomach, and be beautiful on that account. aice, ‘That one i In South America there are hardly any roads He said tins worthy of the name. Communication between tient was very towns where there are no railways to the in- er did dic a few terior 18 by water in small boats or canoes, or by bridle paths on donkeys, mules or horse- back. Togo ina carriage of any description five, ten, twenty, forty or any number of miles, few or many. into the interior, is a thing un- heard of and unknown, In Brazil thirty do: are often required for traveling distance o SCIENTIFIC ROAD BUILDING IN JAPAN. The subject of scientific road building in Japan is one that has only of recent years re- ceived attention. Previous to the opening of the country to foreign intercourse nearly all was coniued to the backs of coolies and pack horses, and in spite of the introduction of railways and jtnrikishas such is, to a very great extent, still case. thift deserve the perailel of the inland travel and carryii e In Fiji there are no rondh name. h magisterial district fs at making a dirt road by eutting two ditches and throwing the dirt ra be: tween the two, more to employ prison labor ‘than to build roads for tradic or pleasure. The main streets of the cities are made of broken by the sea, which is u very for the purpose, but not very ting. The traffic of the islands is all done by water; consequently roads are not required. tit ec coral washed u; material FLOWERS GOOD FOR EATING. Blossoms of Various Sorts That Are Useful for the Table. LOWERS MAY SOME DAY ENTER MORE largely than at present”into the list of foods for human consumption. Already, as is Temarked by a recent writer, they are much more widely employed for purposes of dic! than is commonly imagined. Artichokes are immature flower heads, and caulifiowers are « sort of flowers. The common cabbage,a rare wild plant in nature, furnishes under culti: tion the cabbage, the turnip eabbage, the cauli. flower and Brussels sprouts, according as the leaves, roots, or flowers of the plant have been specially developed. Brussels sprouts are buds | ° which have not reached maturity. Another variety of the cabvage, called “broe- oli,” is grown on alluvial soil that has been re- It is @ distinctively maritime plant,and to secure for it eustenauce as claimed from the sea. nearly as possible like its natural food star. fishes are gathered on the besches for manure. ‘The crop is put into casks which have e: tained wines of Burgundy or bordeaux, agreeable aroma bei the brocali comes to Pickles or chow-chow. Yellow pond lilies make delightful preserves. 2 in this way added. Finally table in the form of vent for the ps surgeon at the last m he requested him to eut open his corp the remaining mou: some peace In tbe us THE TOWE! t ‘The Grucsome Pinces Where the Parsess Dispose of Their Dead. Correspondence of the Deuver News, The Parsces, a peculiar sect living in Bom- bay, were formally from Persia; they are Gre worshippers, and give the bodies of their doxd, to be devoured by vultures. Receptacles for this purpose are built resembling round towers about twenty-five feet in height, the interior arranged in three se) arate rows around the en- tire inside, varying in size to receive the bodiea of men, women and chil are roofless, the edies of vovered with vult feed on the borlics o In Bombay these eminence, 3 leading to U and ferns grow in p an the walis, the carriag flight of eighty stone steps, at the top of whic isa great yellow and white gate or archway. On the rigut side of this entrance is a large marble sinh, with the large letters in gilt, which reads: “None bus Parsees can enter bere.” We were, bowever, allowed to cater and were met by a venerable ‘old Parsee, who served in this quiet garden for nearly thi years. He bade us follow bim, which, with terror i= our hearts, we did, he leading us through the labyrinth of that immense aud lovely garden, U are continually who w Parsee dead. wore ore on the beautifel the sides of the rond walled, flowers t beautiful in every sense the word, with flow- ers, ferns and trees of tropical growth, down to the wails where we could view the great five white towers, on the « flopped the great vulture - | were filled thene i moved about restic necks as ifto catch of feet, which we of which sat er their great of the tramp drawing new er aud wep hill with the n but » few days before were iveming with Jife and mortality and the dearly beloved of the Parsee household, now to them a thing ancican borne om the shoulders of a despised sect to be placed im one of these dreadful towers, the proy of those fearfully greedy carrion birds that in one-quarter of an hour will have stripped the body of every inch of flesh and left the bones bl icrumble in te scorching uu. Only Parsee men follow the ins of the dead to this jast receptacle, save who ts the dast te look That, according departed. The flowers of the Judas tree are mnde into | to the Parsee creed, will take the soul stragt fritters, with batter n or mixed with | 0 heaven. thi Near the tower a sign is “Stop here.* sartiaee Boren weplckied | coe mourecrs ture back while the dead fe Every on hhas seen and man > haveesten vio- lots, jasmine. et..0 im the form of placed inside the tower, while the birds in thei rapid tight blacken the air as they swoop down upon tueir prey ‘The eyes of the mourners stream with tears, the heart sickens and the knees tremble, while nce like # pall iails upon the but ‘the | awful garden, as for the moment the cou- as a | Ceives the scene oF greed within the walls @ the tower of silence. ———— ~ree ——_- ‘One Sad Day. on ay, hem the sun's gold crows, ¢ a} Jeweled and c ren. These towers ,