Evening Star Newspaper, February 16, 1895, Page 17

iva COREAN REFORMS Disputes in the Royal Household Over the Harem. NEW COREAN MARRIAGE LAWS A Visit to the Market Where Dog Meat is Sold. QUEER MACHINERY (Copyrighted, 1896, by Frank G. Carpenter.) HAVE JUST RE- ceived letters from Seoul stating that the Japanese have imaugurated their re- forms, and that the Corean government is rapidly changing. Lines of railroad have been planned, and the greedy and barbarous officials are being deprived of their offices. Salaries are to be fixed by law, and rank is, to a certain extent, to he done away with. The queen's family, which embraces the worst of the nobility, is being driven into the background, and the King is taking all matters into his own hands. It is an open secret in Seoul that for years the king has been a henpecked husband, and I heard many stories of the queen's jealous disposition. His majesty had a number of beautiful dancing girls, who were now and then, as is the custom, called in to dance before the court. The king, who is a rather lively man of about forty-odd, has now and then singled out one of these and paid her special atten- tion, much to the disgust of the queen. He has also carried on some intrigues of this kind unknown to her majesty, and the quarrels between the two on this account have been frequent. Just before I left Seoul one of the high officials connected with the court was caught by the queen carrying notes from the king to one of his Dog Meat for Sale. * favorites, and she at once sent him on a Jong mission to southern ea. He was connected with important public works, and all of these had to stop on this ac- count. The latest news {is that the king has cut entirely loose from-his wife's apron strings, and that he ts now going to estab- lish a harem in the palace, as was the custom in Corea in the past, and as is the custom still in nearly all eastern countries. The emperor of China has hundreds of beautiful women, and he has the right to any of the noble Tartar girls over twelve years of age. He takes the pick of the country between the ages of twelve and eighteen, and he replenishes his stock every three years. The King of Siam has the most wives, perhaps, of any Asiatic monarch, though the queen Is his own half-sister. He also has the right to any and all of the girls of the king‘om, though the laws provide that he cannot marry h mother or his mother-in-law. The Empe- ror of Japan has a number of noble ladies inside of his palace grounds, and he has a sort of a harem, though the Japanese try to keep the matter secret, and no gossip concerning it ever gets into the news- papers. It is the same with other Asiatic and Indian rulers, and the action of the King of Corea is not surprising, especially as almost all of the Corean nobles have their concubines. New Corean Laws as to Marringe. Whe king’s intended reforms include a number of new laws regarding marriage, and this in the favor of the women. One provision is that men shall not be married under twenty and girls under sixteen. Heretofore boys could be married at four- teen, and I saw boys who were under this wearing the hats which are the badges of matrimony. Girls are now married at thir- teen, and are often engaged at seven. The custom of the country is such that widows Egg Peddling. cannot marry again, and pretty widows are carefully watched, and if there is anything forward or bad in thelr actions they are sometimes kidnaped by the officials and held as concubines The new laws which are now pr ed will take away tnis re- striction, and all marriages, whether of maids or widows, are to be left to the volition of the parties concerned. ‘They also provide that there shall be no more buying and selling of human beings, and fathers will not be able to sell their daughters. The customs of mourning a to be modified, and other changes which tend to the leveling of the classes are to be enacted. In the meantime, there is @ decided opposition to all reform, and a great many of the people think the coun- try is going straight to ruin. There is a woeful lack of confidence in the Japanese, and the pro-Chinese feeling is strong. The East Const of Coren. I want to tell you something about the east coast of Corea. This is but little known, and most travelers have confined their visits to the ports nearest China. ‘The peninsula ts in the neighborhood of 200 miles wide, and in crossing it I travel- eded rorthwest through the mountains and came at Broughton bay, or the harbor of Gensan. This is a magn harbor, and it Is much coveted by Russians, because it fs open all the y round. Their harbor on the Pacific is tha of Viadivostock, on the lower edge of Siberia, which I visited after leaving Corea, and of which I will write in my next let- ter. Viadivostock Is frozen up for about six months of the year, and the Russians want & winter outlet to the sea. They are watching Gensan, and the Trans-Siberian railroad will probably have a branch run- to it. The Russian trading and beth the Russian and the Japanese ships stop there en route to Siberia. There is already a thrifty Japanese city there, of several thousand people, and these are engaged in shipping and trading. Their houses are of wood, with heavy tiled roofs, and their tewn is clean and well kept. The Corean town is ga@ape twice as large, but it is a | THE EVENING STAR. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1895-TWENTY PAGES. 17 dirty settlement, made up of little one- story thatched huts. The people are poor and shiftless, and queer, and they are like their kind all over Corea. The old Corea will probably soon pass away, and the curious things of which I have written may become a matter of his- tory. The whole of the country is so strange that I have only been ablo to par- tially describe it. On this trip across the country I saw all sorts of queer customs. Our eggs, I remember, we bought by the stick, and in Corea eggs are stacked up Going to Work. like cordwood, or rather, kindling wood. ‘Ten eggs are laid end to end, and they are then wrapped about with straw, so that they stand out straight and stiff, and look more like a club than eggs. In the stores these sticks of eggs are piled up crosswise, and the price is about three cents a stick, or about three-tenths of a cent per ¢gs. Chickens are peddled about in crates or baskets made of string and wood, and fish are often eaten raw. I saw many black hogs on the trip, and these were usually tied by strings or ropes of the size of clothes line, which ran through holes in the tops of their ears. The cattle we saw were very fine, large animals, but they are used almost entirely as beasts of burden. They pull rude bul. leck carts, and carry packs on heav wooden saddles. The saddles are badly made, and they rub off the skin, and my heart was sickened again and again by a bull as stately as any worshiped in India with two great raw spots as big as your hand on each side of his back. A Visit to a Dog Butcher. There are dogs all over Corea. They are of a snowy white variety, and are al- ways snarling and barking at foreigners. The poorer classes sometimes use dog- meat as food, and during the hot dog days I was told that the flesh was @ preventive against ague, malaria and other sickness. At this time thousands of dogs are killed, so “General” Pak told me, all over Corea. In ordinary times only the poorest of the people eat the flesh of dogs. I visited a dog butcher one day in the Corean capital and watched him kill and dress one of the curs for the market. He killed the dog in a curious way. He caught him as he ran through the door of the house by throwing a slip-noose about his neck. The dog was a rather nice animal, of about the size of an Irish setter, and his fur was as gray as that of a wolf. He seemed to be aware of his danger, and he tugged at the rope, which soon tightened on his throat. And then the bare-armed butcher swung him off of his feet and whirled him about in the street at the end of the string till life was extinet. He next laid the dog down on the ground and stabbed him, as we stick a pig. He then hung him on the wall of his hut and cut him up into dog steaks, soup meats and roasts. He asked me if I did not want to try a tenderloin, and dished up a bowl from a pot of dog soup, which was cooking outside his hut, and asked me to taste it. It did not look at all appetizing, and I thanked him and left. Hew Corean Women Iron Clothes. Among many queer Corean customs there is nene stranger than that of troning. ‘There are no better dressed people in the world than the Coreans. They wear im- aculate gowns, and the prevailing cos- tune is white. The common dress of the men is made up of a long, full cotton gown, full white pantaloons and wacded white stockings. These are as clean as the hest work of a Chinese laundry, and they are washed in cc water and irone! with a cold club. The women do all the washing and ironing of the land. They wrap the garments around a stick, which is laid on the floor, and then cne or two women squat down beside it and pound on the cloth with round, smooth wooden clubs ull every fiber has the polish and gloss of our best laundries. This does not seem to Ironing With a Cold © hurt the cloth, and the clothes have a wonderful whiteness. It takes a long time to iron a garment, and the rat-tat-tat of these clubs is to be heard all over Corea. You hear it morning, noon and evening, and at nearly ail the hours of the night, and it may be called ‘The National Song ort “Corean Song of the ‘The women tap out a tune as they play, and the most oftheir time is taken up in washing, ironing and sewing. All things in Corea are strange to foreign- ers. The thimb used are of cloth and paper beautifully embroidered. There are no buttons nor pins, and the garments are tied on with ribbons. Soap is sold in the form of a powder, and the only matches are shavings tipped with sulphur. These have to be put into the fire to light them, and the flint is used to strike a light. The markets of Corea are full of strange things. There are regular market days over the country, and the different towns of a district have markets in rotation, and the people for miles around come to buy and sell. The markets of Seoul are very geod, and all kinds of fish, vegetables and meats are peddled out by these queer peo- pie. Game is plenty, and both the beef and the veniscn are good. The people are early risers, and the best time to mar- ket in Seoul is between 5 and 6 a.m. Two hours later the stands are all cleared away, and you have to rely on the retail stores or little shops scattered all over the city. The market scenes are interesting. You see pompous swells in long gowns and high hats, poor wornen by hundreds with green cloaks over their heads and hoys by scores carrying all kinds of vegetables and wares. ‘There ere servants in livery and coolies with hats as big as umbrellas. There are bullock carts and porters, merchants and slaves all pushing and fighting over the things they are buying. The market is near the big south gate of the city, and there are thousands here every market merning. Among the curious articles which I noted found a ready sale was Corean ginseng, the root of which is good for all kinds of eases; red pepper, which was Jd in paper parcels about the size of a cigarette for about cne cent apiece, and tol .o, which was dried and peddled out by the leaf. The grain market was equally queer, and the chicken and bird markets were full of interest. Corean Machinery. Here and there over the country I saw rude machine! of one kind and another. ‘Shere were water mills fof the pounding out of rice and the crushing of grain along many of the streams. The mills were all on the principle of the old seesaw or teeter board. A long beam of wood was swung on a pivot and on one end of this was a heavy hammer or mallet. This fell into a mortar, in which the rice or grain was placed. At the other end of the beam was @ sqvare box, holding, perhaps, a barrel of water, and this box hung right under a pipe, which was fed by the stream. As soon as the box was full the water end of the beam sank down, the water rushed out and the mallet, which had been raised high in the air, fell on the grain. This is the “patent reller process’ mill of Corea. 1 nther mills, and those in Seoul were nes of the Scripture, and were hand. I saw some millstones, op of another, which were w went about like a The most of the millers the capital were Chinamen, and they were by nd means polite. The brass works which make the cooking utensils for these 12,000,000 Cored of the rudest nature. ‘The furnaces are le ovens of clay, and little eruci i size of a tin cup, are used. st cast, and then polished by of a lathe, which the workman manipulates with his feet, sit- ting in the end of a trench as he does so. ‘The brass shines like gold. and it takes on a beautiful polish. I bought a dinner set, and it cost me $3. It consisted of about a dozen brass bowls, from the size of a wasa n down to that of an egg cup. The silversmiths work the same way, and some of their work ts very artistic. In the past the Coreans were, in fact, the greatest artists of the far east, and Japanese art ia aaid to have had its birth in Corea, Within the past half dozen centuries, however, the Coreans have been going backward, and the Japanese have greatly improved in every way over their Corean instructors. The Future of Corea. The indications now are that Corea will steadily improve, and fortunes will cer- tainly be made by some of the foreigners who get in at the right time, and who have the proper influence. The Asiatic market is one of the biggest in the world, and Corea has many natural resources which will command a ready sale all over the east. The matter of coal is a most import- ant one. The Chinese have plenty, but the most of their mines are in the interior, and they are undeveloped. The temper of the Chinese is such that foreigners cannot get at them, and today the chief coal mer- chants of the Western Pacific are the Japanese. They have mines of vast extent, and in the western parts of Japan there are great mines which have fifty miles of tunnels running right out into and under the sea. These are at Nagasaki, and the mining must be very expensive. The mines about Pinyang, Corea, lie right on the sur- face, and the coal can be dug out with a pick. ‘The river is at hand for carrying the coal to the sea, and a great industry ought to spring up here. The gold mines are, I am told, fabulously rich. I was told there were great mines on the east coast, and gold is to be found all over Corea. These mines will be opened with the settle- ment of this war. The railroad accessions will be extremely valuable, and this coun- will surely form the outlet for the Siberian road. This is already begun at Vladivostock, and is being built at dif- ferent points between that point and rope. A branch line running down through Corea will bring it within a day’s sail of Japan. In addition to these things, there are other valuable concessions and enterprises which will spring up. The situation is such that the king has to have money, and he can get it only by borrowing from out- siders. He owes both China and Japan large sums of money, and a foreign loan is an immediate and an absolute necessity. His majesty has no available assets out- side of his mines and concessions, and Japan will insist upon an immediate settle- ment of his Chinese obligations, or that he be freed in some way entirely from China. The result is that the country will be ex- plored, and it will probably have a boom. A most interesting scientific expedition could now be organized to go through it, and its geology, its flora and its other natural resources will pay investigation. The king would undoubtedly permit it, and the explorers would have some exciting tiger hunts, and at the same time might get some valuable concessions. FRANK G. CARPENTER. ag ‘TEST OF MEMORY. A Curious Hiustration of a Theory About Mental Impressions. Rey. Cyrus Hamlin, who as a missionary resided for more than forty years in Tur- key, and was the founder and first presi- dent of Robert College in Constantinople, has collected a number of interesting inci- dents connected with his residence in that country. Among them is one which has an interesting bearing on the question of mem- ory. It is a familiar contention among psy- chologists that an incident once thorough- ly presented to the human mind cannot be effaced fromi memory. But for many years Dr. Hamlia thought he had proof of an ex- ception to this law. After he graduated from the theological seminary, and had de- cided to devote his life to missionary work, he visited Philadelphia on business con- nected with his work, and while there was introduced to a gentleman, who being much interested in missions, generously rendered Dr. Hamlin financial assistance, which en- abled him to carry on his work to much better advantage than he could otherwise have done. it was thirty years before he again visit- i during which time he had and a family of children had grown up around him. None of these ever having visited the father’s native land, they were naturally curious to learn all he could tell them of this country, and were, of course, especialiy interested in incidents connected with his own life. Among other stories he very often related the one con- cerning his patron, but curiously enough, he found it impossible to recall the gentle- man’s name. Every incident connected with their interviews, even to the street and the number of the house in which he lived, was as plain to him as if it had been but yesterday the events occurred, but to save his life he could not think of the gen- tleman’s name. As time went on this lapse of memory became so persistent as to cause him serious annoyance, and he adopt- ed all sorts of expedients to bring back the name. He would take the letters of the alphabet one at a time, and think over all the surnames he had ever heard, but to no avail. Then in his imagination he would start down the street where his kind friend had lived, enter his house, go through with the ceremony of introduction and repeat word for word, as nearly as he could re- member, the conversation which had taken place between them, but still he could not recall the name. When after thirty years he returned to his native land on a visit, he took the trouble to go to Philadelphia, in order to settle the question which had been puz- zing him for so Jong. He visited the house, but found only strangers, who could teil him nothing of the people who lived there so many years before. So, finally, Dr. Hamlin abandoned the search, think- ing that here at last was a case where something had been thoroughly presented to the human mind and as thoroughly ef- faced. One night, when he had returned perma- nently to this country, he attended a large dinner, where were present several dis- tinguished psychologists. During the even- ing the conversation turned upon the sub- ject of memory, and the well-known sci- entific principle was discussed. This was too good an opportunity to be lost, and Dr. Hamlin proceeded to relate his exper- ience at length as an example of the op- posite view, namely, that incidents could he thoroughly effaced from memory. He was, of ccurse, listened to with great in- terest, and as he approached the end of his story, he said with great impressiveness, “Gentlemen, there was an incident pre- sented to my mind more than forty years ago, and I have not’been able to think of the name of Capt. Robinson from that day to this.”” When his climax was greeted by a hearty burst of laughter, the worthy doctor look- ed around in great astonishment, for he thought he had told a pretty good story, and could see nothing in it to provoke mirth. It was some time before he saw that he had been “condemned qut of his own mouth. ee Grip is African Fever. From the Springfield Daily Republican. Up two flights of stairs under the roof of a double tenement house on Catharine street lies S. John Kuno, African pioneer and missionary, sick with African fever. ‘After a four years’ experience of mission- ary work under the tropics, he has return- ed with the usual missionary reward—a consciousness of duties well performed, a troublesome and ineradicable disease, and a large wad of photographs. The African fever is really a cross be- tween malaria and influenza. Your head splits, you shiver and roast by turns, and when it is through with you you are so weak that you generally die as a matter of preference. The doctors claim you can’t have it in a temperature less than 52 de- grees, but Mr. Kuno says he knows better. He has had it this week. Moreover, he goes further and advances a new theory for scientific consideration. The grip, he says, as far as he can learn, is nothing more than the African fever in a mild form. What is more, the disease stavted a few years ago, just after a lot of African missionarieg returned home, and he is personally convinced that African fever was among their baggage. The African disease, he says, the doctors know nothing about, and ho thinks we treat the grip too mildly, being too much afraid of quinine. The dose for African fever in the medical books is two grains at a time, but in Africa the old hands take as much as 120 grains at a crisis, putting it down lit- erally in handfuls. He himself has taken so much that it has permanently affected his hearing, a continuous buzzing going on in his head like a spluttering telephone, SS They Took All. From the Chicago Inter-Ocean. “In the last church fair did the young ladies take part?” Mr. Slimpurse—“Great Scott; no; they took all.’ oo Misconstrued. From the Philadelphia Inquirer. Mrs. Houser—‘‘You come here and ask for charity with a red nose. Lane Walker—“Excuse me, mum, I asked for it with my lips.” SEA POST OFFICES Divers Will Seek for the Letter Bags of the Elbe. WILL BE EXAMINED IN THIS CITY Experiences of they’Mail Clerks on Ocean Voyages. TO REDUCE THE POSTAGE . Written for The Evening Star. WENTY- FIVE thousand letters at the bottom of the sea. No fewer and possibly twico that number w down with the Elbe. Of these at least a cou- ple of thousand were registered, and per- haps as many more contained money or other inclosures of value, thongh not registered. The dam- age and distress involved by the loss of those two hundred and twenty sacks of mail matter may hardly be calculated. Hew often do life and death hang upon the prompt arrival of a written message? The delay of such a communication for a week may cause the failure of a firm. Drafts and other papers representing large sums are in some of the missing ietters. Only the other day 2 man wrote from Germany to the Post Office Department at Washington inquiring about a missive con- taining 34,000 in greenbacks, which he had sent by post te this country. Fortunate- ly, it had already been returned to him, the address being defective. Divers will seek for the mail of the Elbe. Presumably only a part of it will be re- covered. The ship sank in water not so deep as to make the quest for the missing letter bags a hopeless one, but some of them are not unlikely to drift away with the currents of the tempestuous North sea. When the Oregon went down in the harbor of New York, skillful men in div- ing gear had no difficulty in fetching up from the wreck two hundred an1 fifteen of the bags of mail which she carried. There were five hunared and ninety-eight sacks in all, but most of them floated off and out to sea. They were picked up dur- ing the next six months at various points along the Atlantic coast from Portland, Me., to Cape Hatteras. Such mail as may be recovered from the Elbe will be forwarded immediately to New? York, where it will be examined with a view to its delivery to the addresses at the earliest possible moment. Much of it ll be rediced to the condition of papier mache: wrappers will have disappeared, and addresses will be yond decipher: ing. What cannot be fe out will be for- warded to Washington, where it will be treated by experts who have had exper- ience in this sort of business. complished wonders with the s brought up from the Oregon, the letters recovered falling to reach their intended recipients. The letters were first dried by furnace heat, while the packag and printed matter wane out in the sun. { Smuggling ThroqgW the Mails The Oregon disaster océurred on March 7, 1886. All but one hundred and thirty- four of her sacks of mail were saved by divers or recovered as flotsam and jetsam. Incidentally to their ipspegtion of the wa- tersoaked stuff, disfovered that the smuggling of je and other dutiable articles in newspapers was being carried on to an extent previously unsuspected. Laces, fine handkerchiefs, and more ps ticularly gloves, were being sent across the water in this fashion in enormous quanti- ties evidently. No doubt the same sort of practice goes on today, for the post office authorities can do very little toward p venting it. It is not possible to examine every newspaper and parcel of printed matter for contraband good Further- more, the mails from abroad address Chicago, St. Louis and other citi made up on board of the steamships and fo straight through to their destinations without undergcing inspection in New York. Another great loss of mail curred in 1892, wh January, the stea off the Isle of Wight. § hundred and eighty-seven sac stuff, none of which would have saved probably but for the heroic behavior of William H. Hall, the postal cleri in charge. While the vessel was sinking and all was confusion, the passengers taking ihe boats and anxious only to presi their own lives, he stood at the post of duty and got out the mail bags, all of which save forty-seven were safely landed. For this act Hall received a testimonial from the German government. The Sen Post Offices. Two postal clerks lost their lives on board of the Elbe. The men who do this kind of service for Uncle Sam have no easy life. They are chosen from the railway mail service, or sometimes from among the clerks who have had experience at post offices in the handling and sorting of for- eign letters. The space allowed for them on board ship is usually ill ventilated and too small for comfort—a room over the screw or opposite the steerage kitchen. Perhaps the quarters will measure twenty by ten feet, with a case of sixty boxes for distributing mail at either end. Every ship that carries the mails across the ocean has a completely equipped post office. Though crowded into small space, it is provided with everything of import- ance that is to be found in a post oftice on land. The clerk in charge is the postmaster of the sea post office. He must be proof against seasickness, and it is preferred that he shall be unmarried. On an average trip he has to sort 75,000 letters, and in ad- Gition the contents of perhaps fifty bags of. printed matter. With plenty of room and better facilities he could accomplish this task in a day or two; but, conditions being unfavorable, more time is required. The sacks, on being placed aboard the ship, are put in the storage rooms, from which they are brought by the deck hands as they are wanted. ‘The sea post office on board of a ship of the North German-Lloyd line, such as the Elbe, has two clerks, one an American and the other a German. On the voyage to Europe the post office is called a United States German post office, and is under the direction of the American clerk. On the way back it is termed a Deutsch-Amerik post office, and is under the charge of the Ger- man clerk. The latter is quite an impres- sive personage, wearing a uniform of blue, with brass buttons anda sword. The American clerk has no guch distinctive costume nor regalia, but only a regulation cap. c if at sea Bist day oc- Life of a Sea Clerk. The Elbe on her ill-fated voyage carried mail not only from Germany, but also from Norway, Sweden, Denmatk, Russia and Austria. The British Stuff was not to be taken on board until the ship reached Southampton, and thus it escaped. It was the business of the clerk, Hall, to sort all of the letters and othér material, making them up in packages for the various cities, so that they might be forwarded express by fast trains without delay as quickly as the steamer should arrive at’ New York. By the adoption of this method from two to fourteen hours are saved in New York city, and the mail is received at many western and other distant points from two days to a week earlier. Merchants in Chi- cago and St. Louis are often able to reply to letters from abroad by the same vessel on her return trip. To make the connec- tion between railway and steamer as close as possible, outgoing foreign mails at New York are not closed until ten minutes be- fore the time of sailing, and up to the very moment of the ship’s departure a mail clerk stands at the gangway, with an open pouch in his hand, ready to receive contributions. ‘The clerk of the sea post office must get along with a berth in the room where he does his work. The bad air is made worse by the smell of the mail, some of which is not overclean. He must sort his letters crag ent, when the ship is rolling and pitching so that it is difficult to maintain his footing. On the other hand, his toil is less hard than that of a railway postal clerk. He has excellent food, and may partake of five meals a day if he wishes. There is plenty of jollification on board, if he chooses to take part in it. Every even- ing there is a concert and a dance. At New York and at the European end of his voyages he has from five days to a week of leisure, and during this time he does nothing except dodge telegrams, which might convey orders for extra runs. If employed on the Hamburg-American iine his board is paid at a hotel in Hamburg while he ts there. Uncle Sam makes big money by sending letters to foreign countries. The business costs him only about $600,000 per annum, and he gets $1,700,000 for the postage. It is very likely that the tariff will be re- duced to two cents an ounce before very long; it is five cents now. An odd point about the international postal system is that registered letters may be recalled by the senders at any time before they are actually delivered. Not long ago a German bank sent securities representing a large sum of money to a firm in New York city. Soon afterward the bank learned that the New York firm was ingolvent and on the point of bankruptcy, the news being re- ceived by cable. A cable message was sent without delay to intercept the securities on their arrival at New York, and the regis- tered letter containing them wasf returned unopened to the bank. Great Britain, how- ever, does not permit this privilege, hold- ing that when a person has mailed a letter it must be considered as the property of the addressee. a SPIDER CRABS. Queer Long-Legged Crentares That Are Found in the Ocenn'’s Depths. Mighty little about spider crabs was known until quite recently. When, a few years ago, the first attempts were made at dredging for living forms in the depths of the sea, the scoop nets brought up many crustaceans which astonished the natural- ists. Commonly they were. covered with spines, and many of them seemed to be almost wholly composed of legs. One species, to which the name ferox lithodes, or “ferocious spider crab,” was given, is the most formidably armed animal in ex- istence, being so extremely prickly that it is a difficult business to handle even a dead specimen. Every small boy who has had a chance to go wading in the shallows of bays and estuaries near the seashore is familiar with the plain everyday spider crab. Take that creature, magnify him largely, fur- nish him with spines some inches in length, and you will have a typical sea spider of the depths. You cannot help admiring his arms, each two feet or more, perhaps, in length, and provided with a claw that is to all intents and purposes a hand. From his hiding place beneath a rock or in a crevice the animal is able to reach far out and grab whatever prey comes near. The arms look somewhat like the arms of a human skeleton, and they are so made that a bend from the joint at the elbow brings the claw exactly to the mouth. rhe biggest of the known deep sca spiders is found in Bering sea and cl: where in the North Pacific. It wei about twelve pounds when full grown. The natives of the Aleutian Islands eat it, and so do the fur seals. The latter feed extensively on crabs, though most par- ticularly on a species called the “horse crab,” which has a soft shell and is not a spider crab. Another very large species of sea crab, having a stretch of about three feet, has been caught at a depth of nearly a mile and a half off Cape Cod on the continental slope. The slope of the continent, as it descends quite precipitously to the floor of the ocean—its edge is not marked by the shore line, but is far out in the sea— is bathed along a narrow strip by a warm current. On this strip animal life flourishes abundantly, and from it have been dredged many new species of crabs, as well as queer fishes and other creatures. One odd point about the big spider crab just men- tioned is that when an infant it is covered spines far longer and more formidable han those which adorn the adult. A kind of spider crab found in Japanese waters is so prickly t it is called the “rosebush crab.” It weighs three or four pounds when of full size. More appro- priately it might be named the “chestnut bu to which it bears a very close re- semblance. A sea spider that belongs in the neighborhood of Alaska spends its life in floating about on seaweeds; the casual observer would mistake the animal itself for a piece of seaweed. Another kind folds itself up in a compact shape, so as to imi- tate a rock, having no spines. The de- ception is helped by _barnacles, which grow upon the creature. But the queerest of the spider crabs is the “‘cryptolithodes,” which bears on its back a shield that wholly con- ceals it. The shield looks like the shell cf a mollusk. This protective contrivance re- minds one of the device alleged to be adopted sometimes by lion hunters in Africa. The hunter is provided with an enormous convex shield of rawhide. He throws his spear at the lion, and, when the latter attempts to spring upon him, he crouches close to the ground, covering himself with the shield. The lion cannot get at him because the shield is slippery and resists his ws. When the hunter gets a chance he jumps up and throws an- other spear, collapsing again at once be- neath the shield. This is continued until the lion falls dead or goes away. One is at liberty to believe this story or not, as he chooses. ———.—__. GOOD GOVERNMENT CLUB. What is Accomplished in the Line of Municipal Reform, From the New York Thaes. The Gobd Government Club man is a wonder in the eyes of the machine politi- cian. Prior to the 6th day of last Novem- ber the machine politician supposed that the Good Government Club man was a harmless dude who attended pink teas and spent his leisure moments theorizing con- cerning the downfall of Tammany Hall. The Tammany man put him down as a “re- former.” He looked at him as a theorist who would forget when election day came. He did not for a moment suspect that the Good Government Club man had what he called ‘sand.’ But on the 6th of last November several thousand Good Government Club men dem- onstrated to the entire satisfaction of the machine politicians in both parties that they were not dudes, They made it very evident that they had not forgotten when election day came. They gave proof posi- tive that they had “sand.’’ They forever cleared themselves from the charge that were theorists in certain municipal matters. The Good Government Club men were in ence as an organized body for the t time on that day. They had taken the trouble previously to inform themselves very fully as to the rights and duties of citizens and officials on election day under the existing ballot law. They numbered, all told, in the city, from 5,000 to 10,00 and they knew they had the backing of all those elements in the city which believed in decency in municipal affairs. Moreover, they had any quantity of muscle, which they were willimg to use if occasion re- quired, and they were in constant tele- phonic communication with certain well- informed attorneys whose principal busi- ness it was on that day to secure evidence vhich might send violators of the law to Sing Sing for a period fixed by statute. This combination of “sand,”” muscle and legal intelligence had a remarkable effect on some of the worst districts in the city. For the first time in its history, so far as there is any present evidence, there was a beautiful illustration of the clubman in politics—that is to say, in practical politics, which is after immediate net results. ‘There argabout twenty-five Good Govern- ment Clubs in the city, and it is almost necessary to ‘leave the number indefinite because at the rate they have been grow- ing lately a new one may be formed at any minute. Their total membership now is about 10,000. They are named up to the letters of the alphabet, and almost the en- tire alphabet has been run through. Two years ago there was only one club. One of the striking features in the organi- zation of these clubs is that, while they are very much like a political party, care is taken not to let too many people belong to them. The club idea is followed out to the extent that an applicant may be black- balled. Every one who joins must pay an initiation fee and dues. Every one must also subscribe to their principles, which are set forth in the following six short propo- sitions: First—Honest and unbiased primaries. Second—True ballot reform. ‘Third—The complete separation of mu- nicipal from state and national elections. Fourth—Complete separation of municipal from state.and national politics. Fifth—The nomination and election of candidates for municipal offices upon mu- nicipal issues only. Sixth—Home rule 2. bu. ie FROM THE POLPIT. Paine’s Celery Compound Has Made Us Well! We Advise the Sick to Take It, Say the Clergymen. Be Prepared for the Danger Season of Spring. Aggressive Christianity is Possible With Health. Pastors of All Sects Preach It East and West. RACTICAL work distin- guishes the pulpit. Doc- trinal sermons today are at a discount. Ministers of the gospel, as if by a well-concerted plan, are now putting tremen- dous energy into the cause of good govern- ment and public health. Aggressive Christianity seems to be the pride of every denomination. Flat-chested, —_sallow- checked, weak - legged, watery-eyed — clergymen are scarce; strong, vig- orous, clear-headed, manly fellows are entering the seminaries. ‘That a well man is a better man than a sick one is no longer heresy. Public baths, fresh alr excursions, open parks, sunlight, physical training and proper medicines for the sick are all contributing to the work of home missions. All sects appear to be entering with unusual ac- tivity into a practical reformation. Last week in Boston one of the greatest of its pulpit orators preached upon clean streets; in New York the churches have been breaking up political corruption. from the contrition boxes is going into Many 2 young clergyman today takes a year or lore, not ina trip to Europe to } and stndy cathedral architecture, and * Lis edacation,”” but in a pl -of-fact medl- cal school to learn anatomy and hygiene. Most pro; in every denomination today are recommending to their péople the great remedy that makes people well, earnestly indorsing the work of Dartmouth college's generous scientist kly Tending their influence to that of the ‘sick ing generally the use of jery, compound now that the “danger sea- * is near. proprietors of this best of remedies now fur- quantity of testimonials from clers ate, and almost every elty and te in the country, from which the foHowing are taken at random: Rev. Charlies C. Bruce. From Somerville, Maxs., Boston's wealthy suburb, Charles Cromber Bruce, one of the ablest young pastors in the state, writes “Iam nearly 38 years of age and weigh normal- ly 158 pounds. At present my weight is 148%. My sickness took me down to 1341g, so that you t Iam getting back to myself, and, 1 soon be there. y sick man, but owing to the s of the supreme powers I am now ou the road whose end Is perfect health. ‘After 20 years of excessive labor in studying prexchin; s clected to.a position in a hich in Boston, but work told on 1 w ill. ‘The illness lasted for about a ye: if. But now Iam so that I can see the A more thankful man you never saw. A who lived near me began to use Paine's celery compound and it built him up. I thought of this and soon I was led to use it, and it bas brought me cut all right." St. Theresn’s Acndemy. Mother Theresa, writing from St. Theresa's acad- ve given ang near I , I, says that they h compound a thorough all that is claimed f its use and a! emy, trial, it. recom- to be . Stauffer. ‘The following testimonial from a man so widely known and beloved as Rev. T. F. Stauifei stor of the Faith Reformed Church of Lincoln, is a most positive proof of the wonderful medicinal aine's celery compound and its great over ordinary sarsaparillas, tonics and or nearly a year down. My nerv ing worse; I had si ind was troubled a a. T felt that s at times with pust be done, ry compound, gan to improve, much better now. Indeed, I feel f once more. All symptoms of theuma- isappearing sleep well, my ner- nving, ‘und I'believe a Paine's celery com- and T can cousci ous system ts rapidly radical cure is being effected. pound is a splendid remedy, tously d it to the su! I forthe ie in time it would say I have never used a rei Its promises so well ani S Lditor of the Georgia Baptist. Rey. W. J. White, D.D., editor of the Georgia Baptist, says: “My wife was in poor health, I think it a sort of general debility, which caused severe attacks of heart palpitation. She was fa- verably impressed with Paine’s celery compound and procured it at once. She felt benefited from the first bottle, and I see a decided improvement ich ifs We have spoken of this medi- cine to several friends, and sgveral bave already used it upgn our recommendatton. Rector of St. Anne's, Nashville. Rev. T. F. Mortin, rector of St. Anne's church, at Nashville, gives bis people confidence in the great eurative powers of Paine’s celery compound. “During the Tenten season last year, which, on account of multiplied services, 1s very trying and laborious to a clergyman, I became so run down that I fear not be able to bold out to the end. ing seen accounts of the efficacy of Paine’s celery compound in similar eases, [ con- cluded to try it. T soon delighted to find that it gave me new vigor, and by the use of one bottle I wus enabled to get the most laborious part of the season, including ter day, with e: and con relief io Paine’s celery compound of it on hand, and whenever T have a return of feeling of exhaustion from unusual labor I take a ee duses, always with a pleasant sensation of re- lief.’ I attribute my I keep a bottle The Upper Iowa Conference, Among the many very able ministers in the up- per Towa conference none is better beloved by his cbureh then Rev. B. F. Berry. Read of the great good that Patne’s celery compound did him: r three years I have suffered from indigestion, stipation and. bilion: I have taken three elery compound and tind myself I feel rested now mo: in, y tired and stupid fe: re no longer T take great delight in elery compound to all sufteri mumending from these The Vencrable William A. Smi Rev. William A. Smith of well and active. roton, Conn., after He writ nu in health a d at one time to tal suffering, I broke yspeptic, being ob am now 83 vei and during my long life have suffered dyspepsia, torpid liver, constipation “a at thes thinking i should die for almy sleep, and it is a wonder to me that I am alive today with all that 1 haye been ,through. “I have tried an end s amount, of medicine, but lately I have been taking Paine’s celery com: pound, and have all faith in its merits as adapted to my case. By the use of several bottles I so far recovered my health as to consider myself a well man for my age. Tt regulates the liver, stomach and bowels without any question. My appetite is now good, my sleep is refreshing, my liver active and bowels regular, and iny crutches not needed, as I can walk without a staff. I am daily in: creasing in strength and improving generally, and hope that my y on be renewed so that I can work as urprised People are Wd activity York City Clergymen, Interviewed by a reporter in that city the other day, a large number of clergymen expressed the heartiest indorsement of Paine's celery compound. ‘The interviews were published in the World. Here are a few of th . H. I. Granlicnard, pastor of the French rian charch, who ‘lives at 143 West 16th st., said: “I have frequently been relieved of ner- Yous affections by the use of Paine’s celery com- I think it a most reliable remedy and commend it wherever I have an oppor- | RD. Winn, pastor of the Abyssinian chureh, said: ‘‘My career as a minister of (he gos- pel haS been hatmpered by have suffered from nerv eral specialists, who treated my case for but I must say that during the past few w I have received more benelit from one bottle of Paine's celery compound than from all the other recent indorsements of the Rev. Fr. A. Ouellet, Rev. Mr. prominent divines have so recently been published that they are fresh in the public mind. Rev. G. A. Emery. Rev. G. A. Emery of Pittsfield, Vt., writes: “Paine’s celery compound is the best medicine to be found, and I very cheerfully recommend it to all who are in a run-down or exhausted condi- tion. I have twice used it with most satisfactory results. For five years my work bas been very heavy, especially so during the last two years. My conviction was that unless I found something to help me I must give up my work a minister, but I took Paine’s celery compound and last year came out all right, without a vacation of so much as one Sunday. I’ recommend it to all as a won- derful nerve restorer.”” Rev. B. S. Crosby. Rev. B. S. Crosby of Brushton, N. ¥., says: “It gives me great pleasure to add my testi- mony to the effect of Paine’s celery compound. For eight years I have suffered great pain in my back. Last April I was so weak and nervous that I arranged to go to Montreal for treatment, but three days before I expected to go a friend of mine urged me to take Paine’s celery compound. I went that y and bought a bottle and com- menced to tal it, and before I had taken the first bottle I was free from pain in my back and (ould sleep sound, and am able to preach every “I will gladly answer any one who: may write to me about it. I trust your business will con- anes) a faa 4 — afflicted ones of the en- nation sh "t i compound be revitaliz rape aid =~ Was Caused by Grip. Rev. Dr. J. F. Hall of Mountville fs one of the best known ministers in southeastern Ohio. Mrs. Hall, whose life was despaired of, was restored to health by Paine’s celery compound. She writes: “The grip made a wreck of my natural good health: I suffered from continual headache, which nothing relieved, and from nervousness, which vented sleep and caused me to have palpitation of the heart when startled by any unexpected noise or sound. I bad distressing pains in my back and Was constipated, bilious and sallow-complex- |. My pulse was very changeable, sometimes quick and at the others scarcely perceptible, appe- tite poor, with a feeling of languor and weakness at times’ almost overcoming me. It seemed as if every orgau in my body was diseased, and I was in despair of ever being well again. At times the stave seemed very near. I can never describe my terrible sufferings, and it would have been a great relief to have exchanged worlds, but, like every juother, I would look Gpon my baby boy and cling 0 1 “Not having much faith in advertised medicines, it was with reluctance that I began to use Paine’s celery compound, but after the first dose I slegt Well. My improvement was rzpid. I took six bottles and gained between 20 and 25 pounds in Weight, and now Iam fleshy, ruddy cheeked and clear complexioned, the wonder of all my friends. I do my own work and assist my husband in his wie as pees of sed gespel. I always tell e sick and sufferi what this the sick apd suffering grand cowpound For All Sufferers. Rev. Percy T. Fenn, rector of St. John’s, at Boonton, N. J., write “It gives me great pleasure to commend the use of Paine’s celery compound to all those who are suffering from nervous troubles. I had suffered for two years with nervous prostration bronght on by ove. work and excessive study, and during this time had tried almost everything 'in the way of medi cine, besides being treated by an eminent speclal- ist In nervous diseases, but nothing helped me until Tused Paine's celery ‘compound. | This remedy bas ren of great benefit to me, and I recommend it to all sufferers.”” Renesas The fact is, Paine’s celery compound makes peo- ple weil. it and be convinced. Closing Out Sale. Fine Shoes AT A SACRIFICE AT A. L. Hazelton’s, 423 7TH ST. N.W. $1.95 $2.00 $2.25 $2.75 $1.75 ya and Glazed 3 95 $5.00 Ladies’ French Kid Button. $6.00 tig) Ear, Bi be $4.00 Ladies’ $4 & $5 Ladies’ Fr.and Don. Kid 53 & $4 ‘Opera Toe. Sizes 1&2 $3.00 Ladies’ Cu Glazed Kid Button. Ladies’ Common-sense Hand Welt...... Kid But ue $1.50 roates Kia Oxford Ties... “75 $2.00 reais’ Kia Ostora ties.... $1.00 $2.50, $3 & $4528 ne $2.00 $1.50,$2,$2.50 “ter Sur $1.00 $2.50 “iis Pa on LOS $2 & $2.50 MS" a hea $1.00 Men's Calf Bals. and Congress... $4, $5 & $6 $2.50, $3 & $3.50 Men's ale Dale. and Goneres........, D200 $5 & $6 25, Sta $2.00 $2, $3 & $3.50 Pe enc hme S100 One lot Ladies’ Kid Sup and Oxford -75 ‘Tes—§2 and $3. $10 Burt & Mear*s Fr. Calf Hand- $5.00 A. L. Hazelton, $3.00 423 7th St.cN.W. f43t MARRIED? COT A FAMILY? IF SO, PERHAPS YOU WILL APPRE- CIATE WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO SA¥. YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS THAT CALL POR CASH— CASH THAT’S GOT ‘TO BE COUNTED OUT ND LAID RIGHT DOWN ON THE COUN- TER. THEN THERE ARE OTHER THINGS —LIKE FURNITURE AND CARPETS—THAT YOU CAN BUY 0} CREDIM IF YOU BUY THEM OF US—YOU CAN TAKE YOUR TIME PAYING THE BILL— AND THE PRICE WILL BE JUST AS LOW 3 COULD BUY FOR—CASH IN HAND COME UP TO THE STORE IT OVER S INTEREST—ONLY MONEY WEEKLY OR MONTHLY. 2 AND LAID FREER E FOR WASTE IN OR HAIRCLOTH PARLOR CHOICE, $22.50. ) ROOM SUITE, $13. B0c. PER 3 RELIABLE INGRAIN CARPET, 35c. PER YARD. MADE AND LAID FREE OF COST. SOLID OAK TABLE, $3.50. 40-POUND HAIR MATTRESS, $7. WOVEN-WIRE SPRINGS, $1 ATING AND COGKING TANDARD MAKES. IRS LOR A PROMISE TO PAY. GROGAN'S MAMMOTH CREDIT NOUSE, 819-821-823 TPH STREFT NORTiWEST, Between H and I streets. STOVES—ALL 112-844 497 Penn. ave., adjoining 3 Horse Blankets and Lap Robes at tow prices, ocl6 “The Ralstons,” $1.50. ‘The “latest” book—by Merion Crawford—a sequel to Kather ine. Lauderdale -- our price, $1.50. . Pursell, 418 oth St. 114-84