Evening Star Newspaper, April 16, 1898, Page 20

20 THE EVENING CHAPTER XVI. The Cage of Death. An hour later the attack commenced at the chosen points of the double wall, one of them being the southern gate. In front of the advancing columns were driven vast numbers of slaves, most of whom lad been captured or had surrendered in the outer town. These men were laden with fagots to fill the ditch, rude ladders wherewith to scale the walls and heavy trunks of trees to be used in breaching them. For the most part they were un- armed and protected only by their burdens, which they held before them as shields, and the arrews of the warriors of Ithuba}. But these did little harm to the defenders, who were hidden behind the walls, whereas their shafts rained on them trom ahove, killed or wounded the slaves by scores, and when they turned to fy they were driven onward by the spear points of the savages, to be siain like game in a pitfall. Still, some of them lived. and, running under the shelter of the wall, began to breach it with the battering rams, and to raise the scaling laaders till death found them or they were worn out with excitement. Then the real attack began. With flerce yells the threefold column rushed at the wall and began to work the rams and scale the ladders, while the defenders above rained spears end arrows upon them, or crushed them with heavy stones, or pour- ed upor their heads boiling pitch ond water, heated in great caldrons which stood at hand. Time upon time they were @riven back, with heavy loss, and time upon time fresh hordes of them advanced to the onslaught. Thrice, at the rcuth gate, were the ladders raised, «nd thrice the heads of the stormers appeared above the level of the wall, to be hurled, crushed and bleedirg, to the earth beneath. Thus the long day wore on, and still the defenders held their own. “We shall win,” shouted Aziel to Metem gs a fresh ladder was cast dewn with its weight of men to the death-strewa plain. “Yes. here we shall win, be:ause here we fight,” answered the Phoenician, “but elsewhere it may be otherwise,” and, in- deed, for 2 while the attack upon the south gate slackened. Another hour passed, and presently to the left of them rose a wild yeil of triumph and with it a shout of “Fly to tne second wall. The foe is in the fosse.” Metem jooked, and there, 360 paces to their left, a flood of savages poured toward them down the great ditch. “Come,” he said, “the outer wall is lost.” But as he spoke cnce more the ladders rose against the gates and flanking towers, and once more Aziel sprang to cast them down. When the deed was done he locked behind him to find that he was cut off and sur- rounded. Metem and most of his men, tn- deed, had gained the inner wall in safety, while he, with twelve only of his bravest soldiers, Jews of his own following, who had stayed to help him to throw back the ladders, were left upon the gateway tower. Nor was escape any longer possible, for both the plain without end the fosse with- in were filled with the men of Ithobal, who advanced also down the broad coping of the captured wall. “Now, there-1s but cne thing that we can do,” vaid Aziel, “fight bravely till we gre s As he spoke a javelin cast from the wall beneath struck him upon the breastplate, and, though the bronze turned the iron point. brought him to lis knees. When he found his feet again ke heard a voice call- ing him by name, and, looking down, suw Ithobal clad in goldea harness and’ sur- Founded by his captains. “You cannot eseane, Prince Aziel, the king. “Yield now to my mercy. Aziel heard, and secting an arrow to his bow. loosed tt at Ithobal beneath. He was a skilled archer, and th> heavy shaft pierced the golden heimet of the king, cut- % his scalp down to the Sone. ‘That is my answer,” cried Aziel, as Ith- ebal rolled upon the ground beneath the shock of the blow, but very soon he was ing his commands from behind hield hedge of his capta’ cried Let the Prince Aziel and the Jews with him be taken alive and brought to me,” he shouted. cattl ‘I wil give a great reward in io those who capture them unharm- if any do them hurt, they them- s shall be put to death.” The captains bowed and issued their or- _ders, and presently Aziel and his compan- fons saw lines of unarmed men creeping up ladders set upon every side of the lofty tower. Again and again they cast off the ladders till at length, being so few, they could stir them no more because of the Weight upon them, but must hack at the heads of the stormers as they appeared bove the parapet, killing them one by gne. Tn this fashion they slew many, but their arms grew weary at last, and ever undef the eye of their king the brave savages crept upward, heedless of death, till, with @ shout, they poured over the battlements and rushed at the little band of Jews. Now, Yather than be taken, Aziel sought to throw himself from the tower, but his compan- fons held him, and thus at last it came about that he was seized and bound. As they dragged him to the stairway, he look- ed across the fosse and saw the mercenartes flying from the inner wall, altnough it was still unbreached, and saw also the citizens of Zimboe streaming by thousands to the narrow gateway of the temple fortress. ‘Then he groaned in his heart and struggled no more, for he knew that the fate of the ancient ‘town was sealed and that the Prophecy of Issachar would be fulfilled. A while later Aziel and these with him, their hands bound behind their backs, were led by hide ropes iled about their necks through the army of the tribes, that jeered and spat upon them as they passed to a tent on the plain, above which floated the banner of Ithcbal. Into this tent the prince was thrust alone, and there forced upon his knees by the soldiers who held him. Before him, upon a couch covered with 2 lion skin, lay the great shape of while physicians washed his P- reeting, son of Israel and Pharaoh,” he said in a mocking voice. “Truly, you are vise thus to do homage to the king of the world.” * answered Aziel, glancing held him down; “true nom- age is of the heart, King Ithobal.”” “I know it, Jew, and this also you shall give me you are humbi Who taught you the of the bow? You shovt well,” and he pointed to his blood-stained Beimet, which was still transfixed by the upswered Aziel, for my arm was weary. @ string “I shot but ill, When next I draw ocr breast, King Ithobal, Z promise you a straighter shaft.” “Well answered the king with a laugh; “but yeu know, dog of a Jew, that now it is my turn to draw the string—how, I will show you afterward. Have they told yeu that the city has fallen, and that my captains hold the gates, while the cowards of Zimboe are penned like sheep within the temple and on the cliff-edged height above? They have fled thither for safety, but I tell you that they would be more safe on yonder plain, for I have the key of their stronghold, a certain passage leading from the palace of the Baaltis to the tem- we; you know it, I think. Yes, and if I ad not, very soon hunger and_ thirst would work for me. Well, Jew, I have won, and with less trouble than I thought, and now I hold the great city in hostage, to save or to destroy, as it shail please me, though that arrow of yours went near to robbing me of my crown of victory.” “So be it,” answered Aziel, indifferentiy. “I have played my part; now things must 60 as fate wills it.” Yes, Jew, you fcught weil till they de- gerted you, and the doom of cowards Is Kittle to a brave man. But what of the Lady Elissa? Nay, I know all; she has taken refuge in the tomb of Baalt!s, has she not, with poison In her bosom and steel at her girdle, to be used against her own life shouid they lay hands on her to give to me. And all this she does for the e of you, Aziel; for the love of you she i a refuses to become my queen, ruling over that city which I have conquered and all my unnumbered tribes. Do you guess now why I caused you to be taken living? I will tell you: That you may be the bait to craw her to me. To kill you would be easy; but how would that serve, seeing that then.she herself would chooge to die? But, perchance, to save your life, she will live also—yes, and give herself to me. At least I will try it; should !t fail—then you can pay the price of her pride with your blood, Prince Aziel.” “That would I do gladly,” answered Aziel; “but, ch, what a hound you are who thus can seek to torture the heart of a helpless woman! Have you. then, no raan- hood that yeu can stoop to such a plot?” “It is because ef my manhood that I stoop to it,” said Ithobal, angrily. ‘“‘Doubt- jess you -hink that a foolish fancy and taught else drives me to the deed, but it is not So, although in truth my heart chooses this wornan to be wife and none other. That fondness I ht conquer, but look you, of all things living this lady has dared to cross my will, so that today even the savage women In the kraals tell each othef of how Ithcbal, the great king, has seen laffied by a gir! who despises him because his blood is not all white. Thus I am be- come a laughing stock, and, therefore, 1 will win her, cost me what it may.” “And I, King Ithobal, tell you that you will not win her; no, not if you torture me to death before her eyes. “That we shall se id the king, with a laugh. Then he called to his guard and added: “Let this man and his companions be taken to the place prepared for them.” Now Aziel was dragged from th2 tent and thrust into a wooden cage, such as were used for carrying slaves and women from place to place upon the backs of camels. His soldiers, who had been taken with him, were thrust also ito cag>s, and with him- self were laden upon camels that were waiting, two cages to each camel. Then a cloth was thrown over them, and, rising to their feet, the cam2Is began to march. happens upon this mount must be very good indeed,” answered Metem, with mean- ing. “Now, can you guess why you were brought here, Prince Aziel?” “Is it that she may witn2ss our sufferings under torment?” he asked. Metem nodded. a “How will they deal with us, Metem?’ “Wait and see,” he answered. As he spoke Ithobal hims2If appeared, followed by certain evil-looking savag2s, and, having greeted Metem courteously, he turned to the Hebrew soldiers in the cages and asked them which of thzir numoer was most prepared to die. = “J, Ithobal, who am their leader,” said Aziel. “No, prince,” replied Ithobel.with a cruel smile, “your time is not yet. Look, there is a man who has teen wounded. To put him out of his pain wouid be a kindness. Slaves, bear that Jew to the edge of the rock, and as the prince will wish to study a new mode of death, bring his cage also. The order was obeyed, Aziel being set down upon the very edge of the cliff. Close to him a spur of granite jutted out twenty feet or so from its edge. At the end of the spur of granite a groove was cut, and over this groove, suspended by a thin chain from a pole, hung a wedge of pure crystal carefully shaped and polished. While Aziel wondered what evil purpose this stone might serve the slaves had fastened a fine rcpe to the cage containing the wounded Hebrew soldier and secured its end. Then they set the rope in the groove of the gran- ite spur and pushed the cage over the edge of the cliff so that it dangled in midair. “Now I will explain,” said Ithobal. ‘This is a mode of death that I have borrowed from those followers of Baal who worship the sun, by means of which Baal claims his own sacrifice and none ate guilty of the victim’s blood. You see yonder crystal— well, at hung as x ing through it cause the fibers of the rope to smoke and smolder till at length they ATTACK ON THE WALL BEGAN. STAR, SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1898-24 PAGES, - and knockéd upon the brasen bars handle ofvhis.eword. troubles me now?" said a voice within. i Cats “Lady, it te I, It! who, as I promised by Metem, the a, am come to learn your will ag, to ithe fata of Prince Azsiel. Already he .,. ‘3 above the gulf, and within one shert four, if you so de- cree it, he will falleandibe dashed to pteces, or if you so decree*lt, He will b2 set free to return to his own x “At what price be set free?” King Ithobal?” Desay “Lady, you know the price. It is your- self. Oh, I beseectt; you, be wise and spare his lifs and your jwn. Listen. Spare his life and I will spare this city, which lies in the hollow of my hand, and you shall rule it with me.” f “You cannot bribe me thus, King Ithobal. My father, whom I loved, is dead, and shall I give myself to you for the sake of a city = would have betrayed me into your anés?” “Nay, but for the sak2 of ihe man whom you love you shall do even this, Elissa. Think, if you do it not, his biood will be upon your head, and what will you have gained?” harness, with the “who “Death, which is dear to me, for I weary of the struggle of my days.” “Then end it in my arms, lady. Soon this fancy will escape your mind, and you wilf remain one of th: mightiest queens of Elissa returned no answer, and for a while there was a silence. “Lady,” said Ithobal at length, “the sun rises, and my servants yonder await a signal.” Then she spoke, like on? who hesitates. “Are you not afraid, King Ithobal, to trust your life to a woman won in such a fashion?” “Nay,” answered Ithobal, “for though you say their fate concerns you not, the lives of all those penned-up thousands are hostages for my own. Should you by chance find a means to stab me unawares, then tonight fire and sword would rage through the city of Zimboe. Nor do I fear the future, since I know well that you who think you hate me now very svon will learn to love me.”” “You promise, King Ithobal, that if I yield myself you will set the Prince Aziel free; but how can I believe you who twice have tried to murder him?” “Doubt me if you will, lady. At least, you cannot doubt your own eyes. Look, kis road runs beneath “this rock. Come from the tomb and take your stand upon it, and you shall see him pass; yes, and should ‘you wish, speak with him in fare- well, that you may be sure that it is he, and alive. Further, I swear to you by my head and honor that no finger shall be laid vpon you till he is gong by, and that no pursuit of him shall be attempted. Now, choose.” Again there was silence for a while. Then Elissa spoke in a broken voice. “King Ithobal, I have chosen. Trusting to your honor, I will stand upon the rock, and when I have seen the Prince Aziel go = =e Vhen they had covered a league or more Ncaround Yaziel learned from the motion of the camel upen which he wes secured and the blows of its drivers that they were as- cending some steep place. At length t ey reached the top of it and w>re mmoeae: from the beasts like merchandise, but could see nothing, for by now the night had fall- an. Then, still in the cages, they were car- ried to « tent, where food and water se given them through the bars, after whic! so weary was Aziel that he fell asleep. At daybreak he awok:, or, rather, was awak- ered by the sound of a familiar voice, and, looking through his bars, perceived Metem standing before them, guarded but un- pound, with indignation written on his face and tears in his quick ey3s. “Alas,” he cried, “that I should have lived to see the seed of Israel and Pharaoh thus fastened like a wild beast in a den, while barbarians make a mock of him. On, prince, it were better that you should die rather than endure such shame.’ “Misfortunes are the master of the man, not man of his misfortunes, Metem,” said Aziel, quietly, “and in them fs no true dis- grace. Even if I had the means to slay my- self, it would be a sin. Moreover, it might bring another to her death, and therefore I await my doom, whatever it may be, with such patience as I can, trusting that my sufferings and ignominy may =xpatiate my crimes in the sight of Him I serve. But tell me, how come you here, Metem? “I came under the safe conduct of Itho- bal, who gave me leav2 to visit you, doubt- less for some ends of his own. Have you heard, prince, that he holds the gates of the city, though as yet no harm has been done to it, and that ite inhabitants are crowded within th> temple and upon the heights above; also that in his despair Sa- kon has slain himself?” “Is it so?” answered Aziel. ‘Well, Issa- char foretold as much. On their own heads be the doom of these devil worshipers and cowards. Have you tidings of th: Lady Elissa?” “Yes, prince; she still sits yonder in the tomb, resolute in her purpose, and giving no answer to those who come to reason with her.” As he spoke the guard let fall tha front of the tent, so that the sunlight flowed into it, revealing Aziel and his twelve companions, each fast in his narrow prison. “See,” said Metem, “do you know the place?” The prince rose to his knees and saw that they were set upon the top of a hill built up of granite boulders, rising eighty feet or more from the surface of the plain. Oppo- site to them, a distance of about a hun- dred pac>s, rose a precipice, in the face of which could be seen a cave closed with barred gates of bronze, while between the rocky hill and the precfpice ran a road. “I know it,” he said. “Thera runs the path by which we traveled from the coast, and there is the tomb of Baaltis. Why jave we been brought here?” “The Lady Eiissa sits behind the bers ef yonder tomb, whence her view of all that part and—Baal takes the sacrifice. Should a cloud hide the sun at the appointed hour, then, Baal having spared him, the victim is set free. But, as you will note, at this seagon of the year there are no clouds. What, prince, have you nothing to say?’ For Aziel had listened in silence to the tale of this devilish device. ‘Well, learn that it depends upon the Lady Elissa yonder whether or no this fate shall be yours. Send now and pray her to save you from it. ‘Think what it will be to hang as your ser- vant does over the yawning gulf of space, waiting through the long hours till at last you see the little wreaths of smoke begin to curl from the tinder of the cord. Why, before the end found them I have known men to go mad and tear with their teeth at the wooden bars like wolves. What? You will not? Then, Metem, do you plead for your friend. Bid the Lady Baaltis look forth today at one hour before the noon and see the sight of yonder wretch’s death, remembering that tomorrow that fate shall be her lover’s unless she foregoes her pur- pose of self-murder and gives herself to me. Nay, no words. An escort shall lead you through the lower city to the gateway of the tomb and listen to your speech. See that it does not fail you, merchant, unless you also seek to hang in yonder cage. ‘fell the Lady Elissa that tomorrow at sunrise I will come in person for her answer. If she yields, then the prince and his compan- ions shall be set free, and with you, Metem, to guide them, be mounted on swift camels to carry them unharmed to their retinue beyond the mountains; but if she will not yield, then—Baal shall take his sacrifice. Begone!” Having no choice, Metem bowed and went, leaving the caged Aziel upon the edge of the cliff and the Hebrew soldier hanging from the spur of the rock. Now Aziel roused himself from the horror in which his soul was sunk and strove to com- fort his doomed comrade, praying with him to heaven. Slowly the hours drew on,“ till at length, upon the opposite cliff, he saw figures whom he knew to be Metem and his escort approach the mouth of the tomb, and heard him call through the bars of the gateway. Turning, he glanced at the rope, and watched the spot of light borne of the crystal creep to its side. Next he saw a ttle wreath of smoke rise in the still air, and bade his comrade close his eyes. Then came the end, for suddenly the taut rope, eaten through, flew back and the cage with the man in it vanished from his CHAPTER XVII. ~ “There is Hope.” It was dawn and Ithobal, the king, stood without the gatas of the tomb of Baaltis, the gray ght glimmering faintly on his! by in safety, then, since you desire it, you shall put your arms about me and bear me whither you will. You have conquered me, King Ithobal; henceforward { am yours and no other man’s. Give the signal, I py, you, and I will come forth from the tomb.” Aziel hung in his cage over the abyss of air, awaiting death and glad to die because he was sure that Elissa had refused to pur- chase his life at the price of her own sur- render. There he hung, while the eagles wept past him, making his prayer to heav- en and waiting the end, till presently, from the opposite cliff, came the sound of a horn blown thrice. Then, while he wondered what this might mean, the cage in which he lay was drawn gently over the edge of the precipice and carried down the steeps of the granite hill as it had been carried up them. At the foot of the hill the covering was taken from it, and he saw before him @ caravan of camels, and seated on each camel one of his own comrades. But one camel had no rider, ang Metem ied it by a De. wet The servants of:#thobal took him from the cage and set’ upon the camel, though they did nottégsen the bonds abou: his wrists. roe “This is the commana of the king,” said the captain to Metemy/ “that the arms of the Prince Aziel s! remain bound until you have traveled!faf six hours. Begone in safety, fearing ing.”* “What happens;,.0@w, Metem,” Aziel, as the camala @trode forward, “and why am I set free*iwho was expecting death? Is this som®°Grtifice of yours, or has the Lady ElissVand he ceased. “Upon the word, gfjen honest merchant, I cannot tell you, pri . Yesterday I was forced. I gave thé. je of King Itho- ‘onder in the’ tomb, tame only one thing: that if we could sca#e we should do so, and that you must: halve no fear for her, since she also hads @ means of cscape from Ithobal, and ld certainly join us upen the road.” is As Metem spoke the camels round the hill on to the path tant tan reese the tomb of Baaltis, and there, standing upon the rock, some. ty feet arove them, was Elissa, and with her, but at a dis- tance, Ithobal, the 4 be “Halt, Prince Agziel,” she called, in a clear voice, “and hea to my farewell. I have bought your Jife and the lives of your companions and. you ere free, for. the can overtake the in Zimbdoe. Go, therefore, and be PY. forgetting no werd that has pessed my lps, for al my words are true, even.to a certain promise which I made you lately by the mouth of Met hich I now bthe earth. you,” and with one swift spring she hurled herself from the clif€ edge to fall crushed upon the road reath. Aziel saw, and in his agony strained so flercely at the bonds which held him that they burst like rushes. Then he lea) from the camel and knelt beside her. She Was not yet dead, for her eyes were open end ber lips stirred. she murmured, and ve kept faith,” srit passed. Aziel rose from beside the corpse and looked upward. There upon the edge of the rock above him, leaning forward, his eyes set wide in horror, stood Ithobal, the king. Aziel saw him and a fury entered into his heart that this man, whose evil doing had bred such woe and caused the death of his beloved, should still live upon By him was Metem, who, for orce, had no wards, and from his hand he snatched a bow and set an arrow on the string. “This gift, King Ithobal, from Aziel, the Israelite,” he cried, as the shaft rushed upward. It rushed upward, it smote Itho bal. between the joints of his harness, 8: that the point of it sunk through his neck. For a moment the great man stood still, then he opened his arms wide and of a sudden plunged downward, falling with a crash on the roadway, where he iay dead at the side of dead Elissa. “The play is played .and the fate ful- filled,” cried Metem. “See, the servants of the king speed yonder With their evil tidings. Let us away, lest we bide here with these two forever.” “That is my desire,” said Aziel. “A desire that cannot be fulfilled,” an- swered Metem. ‘Come, prince, since we cannot go without you, and surcly you do not wish to sacrifice the lives of all of us as an offering to the great spirit of the laGy who Is dead, for it is one that she would not seek.” Then Aziel knelt down and kissed brow of the dead Elissa, and went wey, seying no word. That night when the darkness fell sky behind them grew red with fire. “Behold, the end of the golden city. said Metem. “Issachar was a prophet in deed, who foretold that it should be so. Aziel bowed his head, remembering that Icsachar also had foretold that for Elissa and for him there was hope beyond the grave, and as he thought it a soft voice seemed to murmur in his ear: “Be of good courage, beloved, there is hope.” And so he set his face toward the sea cf life, and passed it, and long ago, at nis appointed hour, ga-ned the further shore. te be welcomed there by her who wat for him. And thus, because of the loves of Azicl, the p-ince, and Elissa, the daughter of Sakon, 3,000 years ago, fell the ancient city ot Zimbce at the hand of King Ithobat and his tribes, so that today there remains of it nothing but gray towers of stone, and beneath them the crumbling bones of men. (The end.) oo the his the CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR NOTES The subject for consideration at tomor- row’s Christian Endeavor meetings is “Les- sons from Great Missionaries.” Rev. F. E. Clark, president of the United Scelety of Christian Endeavor, reports that 6,034 Comrades of the Quiet Hour have en- rolled themselves on his books. The topic for April meditation is “Obedience.” The Christian Endeavorers of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church conduct a meeting at Fort Myer on the second Sun- day of each month. The meeting of last Sunday was in charge of Rev. E. Lawrence Hunt, the assistant pastor of the church, and his theme was “The Flag.” The pa- triotic spirit of the meeting culminated in the singing by the soldiers of “America.” Special Easter music was rendered by a quartet. Major John W. Thomas, the Christian president of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis railroad, for his own and the Louisville and Nashville railroad has sub- scribed $10,000 to the seventeenth interna- tional Christian Endeavor convention fund, This week the tithe givers enrolled in the Tenth Legion 8,415. The Endeaverers of the neigfboring state of West Virginia have decided to hold their next state convention at Huntington, June 23 and 24. Fifteen Christian Endeavor societies are now reported in the Transvaal, South Africa. Following are the officers of the Inter- mediate Christian Endeavor Society lately organized in the Vermont Avenue Chris- tian Church: President, Herbert Parker; vice president, Alice Van Arsdale; secre- tary, Edw. Keeling; treasurer, Orville Drown; superintendent, Miss Susanne Moore. This sccleiy numbers about twenty- five and is already taking active, prompt part in all meetings. The Y. 8S. P. C. E. of *Ryland M. Church paid a fraternal visit to the Y. 1. 8. C. E. of Mount Vernon Place M. E. Church South at the business meeting ot the Jatter society on last Tuesday evening. A short program foliowed the transaction of business, and light refreshments closed the evening's pleasure. ‘The Easter “Evening With the Choir” at First Congregational Church last Sunday evening was attended by the largest crowd ever in that church. The headquarters of the District of Co- lumbia Endeavorers at the Nashville con. vention will be Moore Memorial Presbyte- rian Church, and most of the delegates will be located in private homes near the church, which is in one of the finest sec- tions of the city. ‘The principal sessions of the international Christian Endeavor convention at Nash- ville, July 6-11, will be held in the build- ings of the Tennessge centennial and inter- national exposition at West Side Park. ‘The Auditorium, newly christened as “Audito- rium Endeavor,” and the minerals and for- estry buildings, henceforth to be known as E. COAST DEFENSES Major General Miles’ Views on an All-Important Subject. UNTOLD WEALTH LEFT UNPROTECTED Our Cities at the Mercy of a Hos- tile Fleet. AS A MEASURE OF PEACE (Copyright, 1898, by the International Literary and - News Service.) = Written for The Evening St UR GREAT CITIES, though not always governed as we could wish, may be called the “jewels of the nation and in them is gathered the ac- cumulated wealth oi 300 years of industry, enterprise and econo- my. The great labor centers and the cen- ters of wealth are one and th? same, especial'y in times of Prosperity. Those centers are almost in- variably adjacent to des) water; and one of the great causes of the appearance of a s2nse of insecurity 'n this country at the present time ts that of a liability from their unprotected condition in case of war to be laid under tribute or redized to ashes by a hostile fleet. Here are th2 factory, the foundry, the sbipyard, the workshop and the savings bank, as well as the accumulate‘ results of former enterprises; the homes and buildings of the rich and poor alike. The protection of all thes? is of vital importance to all, and especially to the laboring community. 1f these be destroyed, the laborer is with- out fvod, without shelter, without occupa- tion, and driven back upon a cheerless and inhospitable country, becormes a part of a wretched and homeless peu We as a nativa wish to live at peace with all the world; and the immortal Washing- ton sought to impress upon the people of his day that to be prepared for war is one of the most effective ways of preserving the peace. On this subje>t the New York Commercial Advertiser said editorially: At the Mercy of a Fleet. “It seems like an insult to the reading public to discuss so paipable a fact as the unprotected condition of ‘he great seacoast towns of the United States, as if it consti- tuted a matt>r of doubt and dispute. Ac- cording to competent authority, not less than $10,000,000,000 of destructible property located in the principal seaports of this country lies totally at ine mercy today of a fleet of foreign warships. In this commun- ity alone the value of such property amounts to $$,000,000,000, n2arly all of which would be within range of hostile guns trained from warsaips in the upper bay. Some defenses have been erected here, but they are so inad-quate as to be little better than none at all.” Samuel J. Tilden sai “While we may affcrd to be deficient in means of offense. we cannot efford to be defenseless.” Ex- President Clevelard in one of the messages of his first term used the following lan- guege: “The defensciess condition of our szacoast and lake frontier is perfectly pal- pable; the examinaticn made must con- vince us all that certain of our cities should be fortified, and that work on the most im- pertant of these fortifications should be ecmmenced at once. The absolute neces- sity, judged by all standards of prudence and foresight of our preparation for the effectual resistance against the armored ships and steel guns and mortars of modern construction which may threaten the cities on our coasts, is so apparent that I hope effective steps will be taken in that direc- tien immediately.” A Proper Safeguard. No man of intelligence can by any stretch of imagination see danger to the liberties of any class of the people in the construc- tion of proper protection for our great cities. The American army has nothing (o do with the question of capital and labor. Its business is net to promote or to pui down strikes. It is of men are t ns, put to de: and unlawful! . defy the civil laws—that the legally con uted f > of city, coun- ty, state or nation is used to restore the supremacy of and crder. That is the duty of every civil magistrate, and he is to his aid every able any nmunity where You might a: force, on the empowered to call in bodied _ citizen svch distur’: well dismiss y ground that it is a to labor, wih in f: it, like the iy, is only a men to law breakers—men who would defy civil law and break down the barriers of civil government. As a matter of fact, it will be found that the fortificauon of our country are invariably placed as far away from great cities practicable and where it would be impossible to reach the labor centers with our own guns, if such an un- “Hall Williston,” will be the two meeting! Warranted 2nd impossible use for ihem places. “Auditorium Endeavor” seats 8,009 | Were desired. people and “Hall Williston” 9,000 people. The “Parthenon” will be used as state headquarters and the “history building” as press headquarters. —— LUMINOUS BLOSSOMS. Plants That Shine With Un Brilliancy om Dark Nights. From the Buffalo Commercial. Nearly ev2ry one is.familiar with the glcw which is given out in the dark by va- rious kinds of fungi, but the fact that com- men, every-day blossoms frequently gleam in the right ‘time is not so well known. The ordinary nasturtium is a simple illus- tration of the peculiar irregularity. The marsh lily, which grows abundantly in tha murshes of South Africa, presents the same pecullarities. A Swedish naturalist, Hag- gren, so thoroughly believed in the property of luminosity belonging to some plants that he employed a night watchman to roam his garden to report to him any and all cases of glowing blossoms. The scientist, after a good deel of study, announced that the plants shine with especial brilliancy after a sunny day, while there is no light after a rain. The light increases in intensity dur- ing July and August, and appears half an hour after sunset, vanishing at dawn. Hag- gren went so far as to subject th> nastur- tium to a microscopic examination to dis- cover if any animal life were responsible for the phenomenon, but no foreign sub- stance was found on the plants he exam- ined. Lat2r scientists have discovered that the glow extends to the nasturtium's leaves 28 well as to the petals. The common mari- gold has been seen to glow brilliantly, the light sceming to play over the p2tals with quick changes. The fraxinella, of which there are three varieties in our gardens, the white, the red and the purple, s2ems to excel all other plants in the quality of lu- minosity. This plant secretes in abundance 4n essential oil which in times of great heat spreads in a thin layer ov2r the sur- face of the petals, where it volatilizes, im- pregnating the surrounding atmosphere with its vapor. This vapor possesses the property of: becoming luminous in dark- hess. jaual one Fox Scalps and Religion. ‘From the Cincinnatf Enquirer, The Kentucky senate today went into @ committee of the whole to hear Repre- A Guarantee of Peace. In our great towns are thousands of mil- Mons of dollars’ worth of destructible prop- erty, and such incomplete defenses as may have been erected are not sufficient to guarantee safety. These facts are well known at the seat of every first-class pow- er, and we deceive only ourselves in wit! holding the truth from our own people. Al though at the present moment we have ap- parently no enemies, recent events and the dubious entanglements which may grow out of our foreign relations are full of dan- gerous possibilities. Adequate seacoast de- fenses would furinsh a guarantee of peace, Whoever heard of a poor country or a well- protected country being overrun and plun- dered? It is the rich country occupied by an ignorant or indifferent race that is the victim of the avarice of the powerful Much is said of the affiliations of blood between the United States and England, and the consideration ‘and affection which should be the outcome of such relations. We as a nation have the best of reasons to know the real strength of such ties. Our nation had its birth amid a flow from kin- dred hearts; the battlefields of 1812 were christened with blood from kindred sources; while our civil war made crimson the soil of our own country with fraternal blood. Every war of principle we have had has been with people of our own ancestry. It is gratifying to observe that the experience of the past is not likely to be that of the future. ‘= “Friendship, Events of recent occurrence have led to the utterance of sentiments in marked con- trast to those that often found expression in England during our civil war. The Lon- don Spectator said not long ago: “To a very large body, nay to the vast majority of Englishmen, it is obvious that * * * Americans seem utterly unaware of the strong feeling of friendship felt here for their country—a feeling rising in many minds to something approaching passion. The ordinary untraveled Ameri- can has clearly never realized that the old country looks with intense pride and sym- pathy on the splendid daughter—State.” In this connection it is well to remem- ber that the whole expense of the forti- impregnable to foreign less than one hundred milltons ‘at- levy contribution of any sum she might name. Backing Up the Navy. tion is as dear to the American on the prairies of the west as of Broadway. Nor is the hon- or of the country only at stake. Any, financial misfcrtune that befalls a sca- coast eiiy would heve a direct effect on every inland city and every inland com- munity. A navy is essentially offens and the logical order in which to develop the military resources of a nation is first to provide for the protection of what that nation already . 4 The above was written one year ago, yet the conditions have not materially| changed, except that good progress has been made by Congress in appropriating moncy and in the construction of a lim- ited number of batteries along the Although but partially done, the work | still progressing as rapidly ‘as the funds appropriated by Congress will admit. ‘ELSON A. MILES, Major General Commanding United St Army. ——_ +e. RARELY RECOGNIZED. But Few of Our Millio to the Pu Frem the New York Press. It ts one of the delights of George Gould’ life that his face and figure are so wh- familiar to the public that he can go any- where almost without attracting the gur- ious attention that is invariably bestowed upon a known celebrity. This is not be-) cause of snobbishness, as some might im-! agine—in fact, whatever else he may be,’ Ge a ob—but rorge Gould ts not a sn ut simply | from @ natural disinclination to be 8 au 1 As it is, he can travel from end to end of his elevated railroad lines without on chance in fifty of being spotted as thi president of the road, and one of the most talked-of young plutocrats in Ameri: ag! uy { boot. More than that, he can trav and down the elevators of the Western’ Uaion building itself without attracting, special attention, and more than once has been highly amused by the comments on himself that have been passed back and forth by his fellow passengers. On one or two memorable occasions, however, he h Been {identified by some one in a public place, and the word has b-en passed’ around, to his great discomfiture. This happened once, when, for some rea- sen, he decided not ‘co lunch at the res- taurant in the Western Union building pro- Vided for the officials and directors of the, Gould corporations, but at an eating house on Lower Broadway. Mr. Gould entered the place with a friend and the two sat down, gav> their orders and began their meal without af= tracting any more attention than any ther lunchers. Bat when they had about half, finished a man who was going out whis-' pered semething in the ear of th» cashier,’ at the same time glancing significantly gt Mr. Gould and his friend. The next cus-' tcmer to pay his bill asked the cashier who the two men wer> and why they had been pointed out to him. “The young fellow is George Goul plied the cashier. i The customer marched straight over to the table and extended his hand to the mil- re- licraire. “Mr. Gould, I believe.” he said. m) Proud of the opportunity of speaking to you.” + Gould was taken aback, but returned the greeting civilly enough and resumed his lench and his talk with his fri-nd not destined to fintsh unmolested, howev: for a moment later another man approac! ed and scraped acquaintance, saying should never forget the courtesy wore he allowed to shake the hand of Western! Union's chief owner. j Then the waiters dropped to the situa-! tion and began to neglect their work to stare at him, forming a wavering, irregu-| lar semi-circle about his table. A litt later a white-aproned employe of the re: taurant kitchen elbowed his way through! the throng and expressed his delight at be- ing privileged to gaze upon the features of} 80 fabulously rich a man. 4 That was quite as much as Gould could, stand. He called for the bill, paid for; what he and his friend had already eaten} and departed without more than half fin-! ishing the meal. i It is probable that George Gould would be much better known than he is were he to become active in Wall street; but that is likely never to occur. In his younger days his father was much better known, though for the last ten years of his Ife. at least, he was able to go almost every where without being recognized. It w: his custom at times, when lving up the. river, to come and go between his home end his office on his yacht. Quite often, however, he used to ride to and fro on the elevated read and the sub- urban extension that runs to Yonkers, and it was seldom indeed that he was recog- nized on these trips. And bec short stature nd una. generally suffered his ting at the hands of the Jonn D. Rockefeller is not much better known to the pubbe, efther: and, he often sces to his office by L” road, he i ver annoy stares of! Sage is another muiti-millionaire » is not readily recognized in a crow and he has many umes turned this ci “Aside from the ty in the regular co urs It track of some an I otherwise o it, too. enables me to keep! branches of my, i : A retail is wishes to borrow money. money to lend and he comes to me. cou: I get the customary his affairs, but I do mor in at his place, circulat tomers and ta or reports upon numerous and of prosperous rance; that the salespeople are alert, are ; obliging and attentive; that the prices are! reasonable, but not too low, I feel pretty | well satisfied that the loan ‘will be a safe, one, and, if the report is satisfactory, do not hesitate to make it. “If, on the other hand, I find the con-} trary conditions prevailing, the customers! few, the goods ill-displayed and a general lack of discipline prevalent, I invariably | decline the loan. Of course I could not! arrive at nearly so correct an idea of the! facts if I were personally better known 10; the people.” 1 / ! when necessity for it. If men only knew it, they could almost any extent on through and into old age, if they would only care little common sense Sif these ttle things they meglest’ Dp. the sppetic Leen, digestion and coats: got ax acecs sosaay be the oes blood-maker and flesi-builder, ‘It if the naps lgty agin ying pat Medicine dealers sell it and have nothing