Evening Star Newspaper, April 30, 1898, Page 23

SUBMARINE WARFARE History of Its Development From Crude Beginnings. ——— LIEUTENANT CUSHING’S BRAVE DEED Marvelous Example of Coolness and Professional Skill. oe OF DESTRUCTION ENGINES Frank H. Schell in Leslie's Weekly. Gen. Sherman's dictum that “war is hell, and everytning is turned loose,” has its best illustration in torpedo warfare, against the practice of which chivalric natures always rise in protest. Admiral Farragut, our dauntless hero of the old type. believed in “wooden ships and iron hearts," but when he ran up against the unseen enemy lurking beneath the waters of Mobile bay the prac- tical side of his nature asserted itself, and he wrote from before Mobile: “Torpedoes are not so agreeable when used on both sides: therefore I have reluctantly brought myself to it. I have always deemed it un- worthy of ~ chivalrous nation, but it does not do to give your enemy such a decided superiority over you.” This hs the become the epted verdict of and the terribly destructive has come to stay while war exis Bushnell of Conne he invention of the torpe experiments he at nations, id Britis y York harbor and e mpt the British in the Delaware, by setting adrift might have been but i to escape the ice then form- ing, had been hauled into the docks. The British, much alan: fired from the wharves with artill musketry at the s surmounting the floating kt id incident was the occasion of a » Battle of the Kegs,” by Francis of the author of spent several rfect the torpedo t legitimized in naval warfare experimented ¢ of France ! on the Ex coast in in 1864, In 1810 he was au- to experiment on the ff the New York i y ar Argus ship w booms, nets, that Fulton met w he abandoned his € Early Experiments. ineffectual -mpts were made war of 1SIZ to destroy English line of torpedoes was stretch- by Commodore h signal fail- cperiments. ral is the Cr ed across the narrows to protect New York if menaced by the enemy's fleet. In 1829 Samu , the inv: the revolver, u torpede e Fulton d on the rjous Fourth,” in d tremendous patriotte ex- blowing up the old gunboat and in 1843, on the ed his masterpiece ion by blowing to piece iling five mil an hour river, Cong having to witness show Then. h usted the congressional appr torpedo Wet tion of the Colt also s: veloping. nstadt, the port red a serious 2 Napier, commanding th the Bal 5 » by th in the Danube, and by the French waters, but our war of the opportunity to the torpedo to re nition, to sp k, with 4 pected and disastrous ¢f- i doubt and cavil were biown winds. as the novel and devastating erted itself in uifold shapes he vast traversed a of coast v navigable stre nd of territory exposed to of ms necess tting their t by the in the con- antage in that re f all the ingenuit ising plans of defense by plosiv: and much was the Ingeruity developed nd terrible the first time of the beut the until the clo le harbor in 18¢ asualties from torp: Monitors and elevea totally destroyed nst_ confed ports, while a gre ber were damaged—some permanently, Others temporarily. The David. » torpedoes were of great variety—the structing a shallow chan- ing and electric ies, and the "—all_ successful equally de- The “David,” the progenitor of tval operations in have the record Oo prac other nd the Holland boat, furnished an opportunity fe heroism in co! ard-like operator on shore the button ile “hell did the Was a very small boat, with a » giving motive power to a tiny Propelled her about seven her tor} was rigged to a bow. The given her who roduc navy with the life boldly hip in the dark josion and jumped sea, engineer and crew follow- The engineer subsequently got into relishted her fires, and got her safely to Charleston. On the night of Feb- 17. 1864, the sloop-of-war Housatonic totally destroyed David" while sto of Charleston, arly d crew being saved notwithstanding the great « © of our naval officers, by the improve ‘ontinually being made nuity, the destruction on progressively, 1 led to counter- ing duty out of her officers a this time 1 dilige ees on thi of the gc ment of these was the employment of « simple steam launch, with a spar-rig- at the bo david" fashion, Barney. a gunboat in the hoisted at the stern by of a buoyant torpedo, which ndous fountain of dirty water & from her depressed bow r of her crew, who perished. Not me spot the Commodore blown to fragments by c ng 2.000 pounds of pow the western rivers Admiral Por- t Was suffe: the loss of gun- the subaque while at S were pre- 1 of the At- ads. The yhody knows. . was blown up hands of the r great succ to prevent her falling in Union nav Cusl ing’s Perilous Task. While the werk of torpedo destruction was ing se successfully prosecuted put th th, the . roughly constructed on the Roa- thre rebel ironclad came out into Albemarie sound ized our wooden fleet there, sink- ing the Southfield by ramming, exploding the boilers of the Sassacus and raising Cain y- It was necessary to get rid of and to Lieut. W. B. Cushing, « Bmooth-faced, long-haired young officer who i performed several daring exploits, was allotted the perilous task of destroying her. ‘The Albemarle was moored at Plymouth, on the Roanoke river, a stream about 5u0 feet wide, on the night of the 27th of Oc- tober, when Lieutenant Cushing, with seven picked men, started from out the sound in his steam launch, towing a boat with thirteen men. Silently the little boats entered the mouth of the Roanoke for Ply- mouth, eight miles away—an hour's run. The enemy's army, numbering thousan:ls, @ccupied the town and forts, and the nar- to float down with the ebb tide |. row river was well picketed, a guard being stationed on the unsubmerged deck of the sunken steamer Southfield, a mile below the town. Fortune favored the brave, and, successfully passirg the river guard with- out discovery, Cushing cast off his tow opposite the ironclad, while simultaneously with a large fire which suddenly blazed forth from the river back came a hot fu- sillade from the ship and men upon the shore. By the fire's light Cushing saw a guard of logs surrounding the ship, boomed out thirty feet from her side, but, un- caunted, he turned so as to hit the booms at a right angle, and in the face of the fir- ing ran square upon and over the shiny logs, and with headway nearly gone, as the firing temporarily ceased, answering nonchalantly the captain's hail with a joke, he found Fimself just where he wanted to be, nearly under the ram’s quarter port, ten feet from the ugly muzzle of a one- hundred-pounder rifled gun. Coolness and Bravery. Holding in the right hand the “heel-jig- ger’ of the torpedo and in the left the ex- ploding line, he stood calmly near the bow, the personification of cool, courageous heroism, as he gave the order to lower the boom, while the slight remaining motion inch carried the torpedo under the rhang—then, a strong pull of the detaching line, a moment's pause for the tising of the torpedo under the hull, a slight pull by the left hand, just as it was cut by a bullet—the explosion, simultaneous with a discharge of canister from the hun- dred-pound rifle ten feet from his left ear, crashing into and splintering the launch, biinded with the thick, sulphurous smoke- cloud, drenched with the mass of water thrown up, his clothing with many bullet holes—and the last of the Albemarle! ‘There is not in naval history such a mar- velous example of coolness and professional skill, says I. R. Soley, as was shown by Cushing in this exploit. His adventures, after jumping from his disabled boat under a volley of musketry; chilled while swim- ming for the opposite shore, wandering and crawling through swamps and hiding in the day, swimming at night, avoiding pickets, finally capturing a little flat-bot- tomed boat used by the pickets, floating behind and pushing it away from him, finally getting into it and faintly paddling his way to the fleet in the sownd—ail these incidents ud make a thrii story of themselves. The nation has shown a just ation of his serv naming the speedy torpedo boat Cushing his mem- ory. The culmination of confederate torpedo triumph was during the last naval opera- tions in Mobile waters, where the waiers sulfed the monitors Tecumseh and Osage —the latter during a heavy easterly blow, while shifting her position to prevent foul- ing other vessels. Many other vessels were destroyed or damaged by submarine agen- cies during these operations, which our limits will not permit to narrate. 7° SPRING IN VENICE. The Queen of the Adrintic Pleasant in the Rain. Frm Cclier’s Weekly. Here in Venice I doubt if there are many English residents nowadays who concern themselves much with home affairs. who live here all the year round are quite alienated, unless I err, from their native land; and these, when summed up, are relatively few. I should think it would be, all in all, a most urpleasant winter dwell- ing plac The gondolas, in December, January and February, must freeze thelr eceupants, who have no other mode of transit except they choose to take the Httle steambeats which oniy traverse one iway of the town. As for in Venice, it comes tardily, and at the verge of middle March, the fluent sunshine still necessitates a t overcoat. Since I came here, is Not great liquid hig spring rew, night cr me ago, much fallen, ‘This, however, they cail »ptional year; but when, atter the weath nm other than expecting and in truth ther stematically di utation for good behavior. is nothing is its rep- is not such a great stretch further south on this comparatively small pe ula, and yet I found her, just two yea as her Arno sparkling bland to y of tenderest charm. A friend of mine once told me that he reached the Vale of Cashmeer to find there four or five snow, and when I wateh it rain e 1 know precisely how he ius: Gray lights and tearful heavy in Ver have felt. do not become the queen of the Adriat fhe 1s apt, then, to show her worst wrinkles, and it must be admitted that she hes many. N r, I imagine, is she row so dismal as in carnival time, and this year I lighted upon her when that effete festivity was backgrounded and en- compassed by dark nights and drizzling 8. The Roman carnival has grown vul- gar encugh of late, but the Venetian one is coarseness untold. All the more somber does it now seem besides when one recalls the splendors of its past. Noblesse of either sex once took part in it, and even the doge himself. The square of St. Mark blazed with perpetval rainbow-tinted revel. Flowers and confetti we tossed from gondola to balcony, from balcony to z0n- dola. Picturesqueness rioted. Intrigue whispered its witcheries behind masks of Velvet and satin. Gold was flung to the poor by prodigal illustrissimi. Flowers, lights, music, passion, poetry, the very quintesence of all romanticism, wove toxicating spells. But now? A few troupes of the commonest loafers and hoydens go hing about in cheap masquerade gear, elling strident songs, pushing their impu- dent noses into trattoria and cafe, as be- tinseled and okatic and bawdy and rowe the % o'clock a. m. output from some Bowery ball. —--—_-+e-+ THE RUSSIAN SOLDIER IN ASIA, He is a Serious Problem for the Eng- lish to Solve. tional Review. “ I have hed the opportunity of seeing a great deal of the Russian army of central Asia, and the more I have seen of it the less pleased have I been at the prospect of cur Indian army having to encounter it. I ve never feared the issue, because I am that at the last we shall pull ourselves together, and with a mighty effort repel the Russians. But the cost, the labor and the strain will prebably be terrible, and the nearer they approach to us the more diffi- cult will become the task. I once held the Rus: in supreme contempt, and, like lishmen, believed that we could short work of them or of any other But the conviction has since slowly steadily been impressed on my mind army is, for fighting pur- y respect equal to ours, and Ss weuld have an immense From the } ntage over us in the fleld. The men are all of one race, are stronger, more hardy, and healthter than ours; there are no native followers; they require less t nd fewer luxuries, have stible reserve, are nearer home, port and supplies. an ineshau ete. I have visited Transcaspia on elght sep- arate cc jons, have seen the Russian sol- dier on and off parade, and have traveled with him for weeks together in trains and in steamers. It is, indeed, chiefly on board ship that I have amused myself by study- ing him. And I have arrived at the conclu- sion that he Is the most docile, good-tem- tered (till you scratch him), pig-headed creature on earth, as hard as nails, and generally of superb physique. He is stupid and ignorant, perhaps, but he has appre- hension enough to shoot straight, and to understand when he js told to advance or not te Guit a post ai and he never dis- putes an order or complains. And that, I take it, is sufficient for a fighting machine, He has had no school board education, and is, therefore, content with his lot and no lawyer. putes ae Almost a Mile-a-Minute Elevator, Frem the Oakland Times. Ed H. Benjamin returned the other day from a visit to the big mines on the mother lode in Amader county. “I took a fast ride,” he said, “in the Oreida mine. This company has just put in a new hoisting gear which beats any- thing on the Pacific coast, and there are only one or two mines in the country which have machinery to equal it. I came up 1,500 feet in the shaft in twenty seconds. ‘This is at the rate of almost a mile a min- ute, and by comparison the swiftest ele- vetors in the tall buildings in-San Fran- cisco are slow coaches. When the mine is in regular operation the cage will be run at the speed of thirty miles an hour in lifting ore. This remarkable hoist was mannfactured in San Francisco, and seems to embrace no new principle—just.a very large drum and the- usual cable,” The Future Queen is the Idol of All Her Subjects, She is a Diligent Student and Ap- preciates the Duty She Owes the Nation, From the Ilustrated American, WilhzImina, the queen prospective of the Netherlands, is the ido! of her subjects. Her youth, good serse, charming ways and rare beauty have won completely the sym- pathtes of all the low country provinces, and inspire a more kindly regard for the House of Orange than has been felt since the days of her grandfather, William I, possibly since those of William the Silent. The pleasing anticipations of the illus- trious and Lappy reign of the prospective queen are, above all, due to an excellent mother‘s influence. All of the sweet nature of Queen Emma is inherited by the youth- ful sovereign, with none of the evil quali- ties which marred her father’s name and oned disrespect among his people. des the usual woman's accomplish- ments, Wilhelmina is a well-skilled mu- sician and clever artist. But the course of study generally pursued by girls of her age is but a tiny part of the young queen’s edn- cation. Wilhetmina has carefully studied statecraft, the law of nations, constitu- tional government, history and the legal and moral relations of a sovereign to her people. These studies, which would cause most girls to shudder, the young queen has pursued diligently, realizing her duty and iheir necessity to the proper equipment of the ruler of u nation. Wilhelmina is espe- cially fond of out-of-door spcrts and recre- a and is an expert horsewoman in the nd with reins in hand driving a The crisp winters and abundant wa- terways of Holland encourage skating, and the queer joins her people in the enjoy- ment of this natignal pastime. An aviary and menagerie contain many pets of which she is espectally fond. A modesty and al- nost +4 bashfulness has led Wilhelmina to prete e royal country houses Het Loo, in Gelderland, Soestdijk, or the “house in tre woods’ just out of ‘The Hague, to the court life at either of the capital cities, Amsterdam or The Hague. Yet that the young queen has a mind quite her own, and is ready to express it, was demonstrated quite recently. F Her probable husband has been a mattér eture in every royal household in jligible suitors have been numer- s is the custom in Europe, the of state took a hand in selecting, as they suppesed, the future companion of their queen. For state reasons it seem- ed destrable that her husbend should come from Germany. A seemingly desirable princeling from one of the German states Was found anxious to become the consort of the sovereign of Holland. Matte howev were rot conducted as the minis. ters of state had arranged. Wilhelmina— the sixteen- lands—promptly to marry the p those who wer id Queeh of the Nether- nd emphatically refused neeling, and announ interesting themselv choesing a hvshand for her that she should ntil she wa crown of Holland i self, without heart. ptember next ‘ome eighteen y > to wear the crow st wait wu: ed the select istance, a husband Queen Wilhelmina ren Victoria when sland’s throne. The ceremonies will take plac jam of pomp and sndor. are already prepar- ing for g) RES upon the oecasion of their young queen taking in own hands the reins of government. That this coronation will attract a large throng of velers cannot be do: d. AS a pacity to rule as queen conte ical principle of the fitnes: of her possessing full i and powers, the coronation of little ded as an object A Former Captain General of Cuba Not Over Scrupulous. From the Argonant. As the question of Spanish good faith is prominent in the press these days, this pertinent anecdote of the civil war will be timely. It is told in Bullock's ‘Secret Service of the Confederate States.” Cap- tain Bullock tells of the exciting incidents concerning the freeing of the rebel ram Stonewall from the international compli- cations attendant on her release from the French shipyard where she was built; how she was watched by the agents of the fed- eral government; how she was followed to Denmark, whither she went under the Danish flag; how she was again followed to Ferrol, Spain, by the United States ships Niagara and Sacramento; how she eluded them there and sailed for the coast of the United States with the evident intent of attacking the federal ships, for any one of which she was more than a match, being thtn the most formidable iron-clad afloat. But when the Stonewall, under com- mand of Captain Page, reached Havana in May, 1865, Page learned of the surren- der of General Lee, and soon after of the capture of Jefferson Davis. Page's funds were exhausted. The confederacy had col- psed. The position was perplexing. Cap- ain Page opened negotiations with the Spanish authorities at Havana for the sur- render of the ship to them, if they would advance the money to pay off the crew. Captain Page sent Lieutenant Carter to the captain general to make the arrange- ments. Carter reported that after fi minutes’ conversation the captain general asked him what sum was required. Car- ter replied, ‘$16,000. The captain general sald, “You had better make it $100,000,” Carter replied that his orders were to ask $16,000. The captain general then turned to an official and bade him write a docu- ment, and then,turning again to Carter, sald: “Shall we not make it $50,0007" But Carter obeyed orders and accepted only $16,000. It is quite evident that this high official, the captain general of Cuba, was attempt. ing to get the confederate naval officer to ask for $100,000 to pay off his crew, when he needed only $16,000, the difference to. be divided between them. When the confed- erate officer obstinately refused to accept either $100,000 or $50,000, but only the exact sum needed, it is evident that the captain general concluded that the American was a fool and charged up $100,000 to the Span- ish government and put $84,000 in his pock- et. This throws a strong light on Spanish financial honor. ——+e+—_____ LANGUAGE OF THE ESQUIMAUX, Spoken by Inhabitants of More Than 10,000 Miles of Coast Land. From the Forum, The Esquimau language, which ts spoken at the extreme north of this hemisphere, is ‘also found in the north of Asia. The people have been called orarians— that ts, “dwellers on the shore.” They in- habit a rarrow strip of country around the margin of Greenland and to the west of Baffin's bey, around all the great islands and down the coast shore of Hudson bay and about the bays and straits to the north; then to the west around Alaska, and still further along the arctic shores of the eastern continent. They thus extend along the winding island and mainland coast for more than 10,000 miles, inhabiting a nar- row fringe of country by the sea and ob- taining their livelihood therefrom. More than 10,000 miles of coastland are occupied by a people who speak ong language. But in ‘wfoundland there are tribes which speak another tongue mixed with the Esquimau, while on the southwest coast there are other tribes speaking mixed tongues; and the same is true of tribes in- habiting the northern coast of Asia. If we call ail these tongues Esquimau, then the principal tongue is still homogeneous and a common medium for the communication of tribes occupying, as I have said, more than 10,000 miles of the most difficult coast known to menkind. While there is inter- communication, it is infrequent because of the difficulties and perils of arctic naviga- tion. Thus, in all that stretch of country thepe’ is but one language. ——__--+e0e______ Too Much for Him. From the Chicago Record. “That botany professor has lost his. mind.” “War excitement?” “No; he couldn't classify more than fifty of the flowers on his wife's spring hat,” oar —_ Fleet. Evening Star by Elizabeth Worth- Written for ‘The Ingion Fiske. Sea Eagles, pinions Plume’ and polsed, that fret- ted long for fight, * Held hooded by a strépger'hand, a patient nation’s might, wo is We slip your leash! |We bil you go, white-winged, resistless fleet, » Where valor hopeles3,; fampe fetl, hold grim their by ocean a furious bate!" > Where dark Spain's banners flaunt their folds in mockery of fate! Not thirst for conqaest points sour prows—in holy war ye fight! The lust of land, the greed of gold—such cause were poor and slight! Not for revenge ye buste, treacherous wrong Might well have uerved a people's soul to strife relentless, long: We send our noblest bird upon each consecrated crest, ‘The tly.vers of peace and brotherhood—knew knight more sacred guest t Prayers fll" these sails, our chining eyes shall watch our banner true. Fair ty the flags unfurled for right! Our Red and Waite and Blue! - altho’ one deed of Lough, waters of the tranquil bay; stanch fleet to ancher swing! Hozza! from hostile heights the guns of Morro thundering! Starved hands outstretch them from the sbore and spectral firms shall glide, The olive. cheeks grown whit saviors oe'r the tide. Lo, from the deep your brethren slain, that kuew no bell nor bier, Stir mighty at the signal sounds! Flug so near! Can ye not hear, above the din, their hollow voles say, “Comrades, all hail! Our chance was first! thrice welcome to the Bay!” » to greet their to know the © hoary power, whose restless foot has compassed- Jand and main! Hieart prompt to dare, hand hard to smite—take theu cur warning, Spain! From age te age, ve'r prostrate forms thy ruthless course we track— © lips that kiss the crucifix! O hands that ply the rack! raditnt, clear-eyed, Freedom stands! can’st thou bar her path? Thy steel shall shiver at her touch! pride, thy wrath, Lest One shonld sweep thee utterly, with outworn things, away, And in the depths, with Lucifer, there hide thee from the day! Sty eee Io, and Renounce thy The Brave at Home. The maid who binds her warrior's sash With smile that well her pain dissembles, The while beneath Ler drooping Jash One starry tear-drop hangs and trembles, Though Heaven alone records the tear, And Fame shall never know her story, Her heart has shed a diop as dear As wer bedewed the field of glory! ‘The wife who girds her husband's sw Mid little ones who weep And bravely speaks the cheering word, What though her heart be rent asunder, A nightly in her dreauws to how as ce Ss poured upon ghe field of Lattle! dom's fi THOMAS BU wee Fate, HANAN READ. is clouded, thé rocks are bare, the wWinpest 1s white in al he whids tre out With the waves at pl And I shall not teiupt the sea today trail is narrow, the wood Is dim, panther clings to the arching limb, And the Tion's whelps ary abroad at play, And I shall not Jofnin fie chase today.” “Th a But the ship sailed safely over the sea, And the huutery came fram the chase in glee, And the town that was buil m a ck Was swallowed up in the eart'juake st ~—BRET HA —— War. From the Hymnal. © Lord of Hosts! Almighty King! Behold the sacrifice we bring: ‘To every arm Thy strength impart; Thy spirit shed through every heart, Wake In our breast the living fires, The holy faith that warmed our sire ‘Thy band hath made our ngtion fre ‘To die for her is serving Thee. Re Thou a pillared flame to show ‘The midnight snare, the silent fu And when the battle thunders loud, Sull guide us in its moving cloud. God of all nations! Sovereign Lord! In Thy dread name we draw the sword, We lift the starry flag on high ‘That fills with light our stormy sky. —_—.__ Forgiveness, Annette Lyons, in Londen Figaro, ‘They loved each other well, they swore, And so to wed thes wildly hoped; Wh-vefore it wasn't long before They Iuughed at Iccksmiths and eloped, Her pa forgave, as papas do; Her mamma, ‘too, forgave and blessed} Tiis ma and pa forgave them. too, brothers, sisters—all the rest. And only two could not forgive; ve not forgiven to this day, n't, as long us e’er they live— can't forgive themselves, they say. ———+-o+—____ Loyalty. ‘Two friends I have, long loved, end tensted long. One, turning ever toward Hife’s fairer side, And fearing lest it slip bis grasp, would hide From fils soul's inward eye all sight of wrong; Brings me the world's ntcomprehending praise As frievdship’s highest tribute; secs in shame Of mine, or willful blunder, naught to claim Deep-felt repentance: but in courtless way Finds pardon for me ever and again. Becausc—I am no wora2 than other men, The second, looking up teward heaven's light, Yet works in stifling fog and clcse-drawn fray, doubt, selfish greed. where men must y, As, groping, they seek on lost gleams of right. Scanniag my Ife with leve's clear eyes, he secs ‘My flimsy talents, old mistakes, low ends, And when I wear earth's laurels, but commends With stern, “Thou canst do better things thay esc.”” 2 © keen soul-reader, Judge me of these two; Which, think you, is the false friend, which the true? —Ruth Huntington Sessions, in the Century, Sg pe Ait of The Fing. H 1v To! in a night dry rods have bloomed In flowers of red and: white and blue; On ev'ry staff the: dawu’s illumed + The glorious batiner' waves anew! No blossom this, to Go) and fade In sulph’rous srt belching guns} Its roots were set; fte’tints were lald In the best blood of Freedom's sons. Across its hues the.e¢s of men Flush each to edeh serth patriot fire, And heroes press its sacred stem ‘To lps that smile, agithey expire. ae) ‘The sluggish blood, by ommerce chilled, Leape to Its fouit wkh sudden pride; And children with bosoms thrilled, At this their heritage: and i BOYLAN, —GRACH) DUFFIE om es From the Argosy. : { Savages Are Tempted to Laugh Only When Some One is Hurt. It is a Characteristic of Civilized Man to Be Able to Enjoy : a Joke. From the Boston Pest. The laugh, which is now so closely asso- ciated with good humor and kindly feel- ing, originally implied nothing of the sort. It expressed almost the reverse; it was the crow of triumph over a fallen foe. Such is its nature still among savage and barbarous peoples, and its unexpected manifestations are occasionaliy very start- ling. Dancing on the body of a prostrated enemy is to them hilarious business; the writhing of a victim under torture is the funniest thing imaginable; a new device for torment is a clever jest; the inflicting of a ghastly wound as some poor wretch runs the gauntlet makes them yell with glee. The things that shock or horrify or disgust the civilized man are about the only things worth laughing at from a savages point of view. With the excepticn, therefore, of rough practical jokes, which may possibly wrin- kle his stolid features with a momentary grin, the barbarian has no appreciation of civilized humor; he can’t see where the fun comes in if nobody is hurt. This was cu- riously illustrated not long ago, when a considerable number of Chinamen went to a New York theater to see a burlesque per- formance. When the American part of the audience laughed, the delegation from Chi- natown sat with faces absolutely blank; but the moment any hint of brutality, tra- y or tears appeared on the stage, their avy features lighted and were wreathed in smiles. It was a strange thing to wit- ness, but it was all in perfect keeping with the cruel instincts of their race. Even the knowledge that he is himself to be the next victim does not spoil the fun of a cruel spectacle for a barbarian thoroughbred. Here is an instance: A number of Siamese, who had been en- gaged in a bloody revolt, were captured red-handed and sentenced to military ex. cution. A platoon of soldiers was drawn up with loaded muskets before whom the doomed men were led out in squads of five or six to be shot, while thuse who were waiting their turn stood by under guard, looking on. When the first volley was fired, the victims, torn by the storm of bul- lets, leaped into the air with violent con- tortions and fell dead. And this, to the poor wretches who were about to go through the same experience, seemed £0 fine a show and so excruciatingly funny that they were fairly convulsed with laugh- er! Such is the humor of savages, and such, doubtless, the world over. Strange as it may seem, there are mary hints of this barbarous origin in the fun of the most highly civ- ilized. We no longer laugh at really tragic occurrences, it is true, for other and more humane emotions are ‘too strougly excited. But if we chance to see a idiculous mis- Fap which does not quite rise to the dig- nity of traged an accident by which some one is great! convenienced and annoyed withdut being seriously injured—the rem- nant of the savage breaks loose in us and we laugh till the tears come. Why else are we d see a well dressd man thrown spi ng in the mud or delug- ed with dirty wa from an upper win- dow or driven up a tree by a cross dog or an ugly bull? Instances might be multi- plied without limit. It is noticeabie that children often laugh at things whi do net nuse adults, but the /, shock and pain them. the child’s fine sibili- as yet imperfectly develope still near the savage stage. Th very prevalent ntiment to the contrary, but th the fact. in proportion as men Lecome truly civil- ized, however, their sense of humor be- comes refined, id they revolt at any sug- gestion of brutality. Yet ic is wort hy of re- mark that the gentlest among us are fre- quently amused at a picture er a story rep- resenting things the actual oceu rence of which would shock us greatly. Even here cur fun shows a faint reminiscence of its cruel origin. All of which goes to show that nothing betrays the latent savage in us like a laugh. +e CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS, Their Indifference to Suffering and Their Business Honesty. From the Contemporary Review, The Chinarran is not wantonly cruel, but he is marvelously indifferent to the suf- ferings of others. The cook will cover a rat with kerosene and set it alight, not to enjoy its sufferings, but because he believes its screams will scare its fellows away. A magistrate will fan himself gently on the execution ground on which a yelling male- factor is being gradually cut to pieces, not because he enjoys the spectacle, but be- cause it is all part of his day’s work. A crowd of spectators will watch a child drown because it is no one’s special busi- ness to save it, and because to interfere in what does not concern you may give rise to trouble. From what has been already sald as to the keen interest taken by the Chinese in money matters, it may be surmised that they should be, par excellence, a “nation of shopkeepers.” And so they are. To their cfedit be it said that they have thoroughly realized that bargains ure binding. The tea merchant may endeavor in every way to get the better of his European confrere, but, once the mystic words “putte book’ that is, enter it in writing—have been ut- tered, the latter may rely on the transac- tion being faithfully carried through. This -comparatively high standard of commercial morality naturally results in an elaborate system of credit, greatly to the advantage of both contracting parties, and, though the “squeeze,” or perquisite, emers into every arrangement, it is not sufficient to stop the wheels of commerce, though undoubtedly it frequently clogs them. To go back on your word in a business transaction, or to fail to meet your lia- bilities, causes a Chinaman to “lose face,” and this is to him unbearable. The sacri- fices which he will make on the approach of his new year to enable him to avoid being posted as insolvent are as extraordinary as they are admiratle. Nor would it be right t> omit all reference to the fact that to their justice they frequently add gener- osity. I well remember a case in which an American, who had failed after years of labor, was supported during the remainder of his life by his “compradore,” as the na- tive employed by European firms in their dealings with Chinese is termed. LIVERPOOL’S DOCKS. They Are Accounted One of the Won- ders of Modern Commerce, From Cassicr’s Magazine. The Liverpool docks, justly ‘accounted one of the wonders of modern commerce, extend along the Mersey a distance of six and a hulf miles. They afford a spectacle unrivaled in the world, and leave upon the visitor a lasting impression of what the commercial and maritime supremacy of Great Britain really means, Nowhere else can there be found crowded together a succession of sights of such varied interest and activity. The great ports, London, New York, Hamburg and Antwerp, possess, each in its way, the fascination which attaches to scenes of concentrated activity and the picturesque attractiveness of crowded waterways and masses of ship- ping, but the great port of the pracrenesr arte north = midlands grande In many respects absolutely without - peer, Dot merely because of its noble whose tidal movement is feur times portance, indisputably the first in the world. This Bo fy reek etn’, trom the character of Liverpool Measured by the values of imports, the trade of Liverpool that Loni are about £200,000,000 a year, jadged by i, he can dealt with wall and London cotton, Eiachinery eve, Suk 5 of mut are, much less value than tea, silks wines, even. " To | i i were the beginnings of mirth. China and the east, which are concentrated et the Liverpool docks, is absolutely neces- sary, and is an experience at once interest- ing and profitable. The construction of the Liverpool over- head railway has rendered such a_ visit pleasant, expeditious and easy. Until the railway was built, in 1889, the only means of locomotion along the line of decks was by broad-wheeled omnibuses, which were specially built to run on the low-level dock railway, and were slow and cumbersome. That the overhead railway met a great want is proved by the fact that while the oid "bus service sufficed for about 00,000, Passengers per annum. the traffic on the overhead is now nearly 9,000,000, and is steadily increasing. —_——_.-__ A FRENCH PENAL SHIP. The Floating Prison Which Conveys Convicts to the Colonies. From the Atlaota Journal. The French transport ship Caledonie is an object of much curiosity. This grim sea prison annually conveys about 2,0) souls from th> land of the living—the gay French republic—to an enduring death on the Safety Islands. : The Caledonie is an iron ship of 4,009 tons. For the last ten years it has been in the employ of the French government trans- porting criminals from France and Alg=ria to the penal colonies on the Safety Islands, thirty miles off the coast of French Guiana. Four steel cages, each with a capacity of 150, are ready for the male prisoners as they come aboard, whil> a much smaller one, capable of holding only thirty-one per- sons, is sufficient for the female convicts. This latter cage is in the aft of the ship, and is widely separated from the others. The women are treated with a great deal more consideration than the men. They have regular berths and are given better fare. The men sleep in canvas hammocks and are given th2 ordinary seamen’s ra- tion, which is substantial if not elaborate. A very interesting feature and one hor- rible to contemplate is the facility with which the steam can be used upon the con- victs should they att2mpt to take posses- sion of the ship. Pipes are so arranged th: were such an attempt to be made it would be possible for the officers of the vessel to seald every prisoner to death in less time than it would take to count them. Capt. Dano never has had such a case arise on board his ship, but It often becomes neces- sary to give them a little steam to quell discontent. As a rul>, however, the eighty suerds who are regularly detailed for ser- vice on board are sufficient to keep the prisoners docile. Should an outbreak at any time occur a signal of alarm calls all hands to the mid- ship section of the vessel, and then all the ladders leading to the upper deck of this section are drawn up, the lower doors bar- ricaded, and the rightful commanders have a quickly improvised, but a strong, fort, which embraces the boil2r and engine room, the arsenal and provision rooms, the ofli- cers’ headquarters, the chart and steering recms and the bridge. The convicts can- hot come near enough to scale th: walls or to batter down the doors on account of the scalding steam, while from the fortress the guards and crew can shoot them as they appear, +o+--___. THE MIDDLE AGEs, Student Life of the Olden Time Pre- sented a Unique Spectacle. From Harper's Magazine, The student world of olden time presents a unique acle to the observer of the nineteenth century. When instruction was about to begin, a curious sight was exhibit- ed. Groups of students are pressing ward the university from every q Their bright dresses flash along forest ways. Now they form a part of a ravan of merchants making its slow way along the valleys. timidly to the projection; or .hey th slugeish German strear boat F day in. the cities through which they pass in feast their eyes upon the sights or they join themselves retinue of some knight for the at_ down in the t dull, king great jer to of a new world; they appear for a time amid the crowds at the y » they tell fortunes, or predict eclipses, or sell charms ry unfold t earn an honesi penny to ir way. Tonight they > court, and enjoy the hos- given to strangers; tomorrow a monastery gives them shelter and the wayfarer's food. They chaff the honest country people, and make love to the maidens with their gay manner and songs. They seem like the reckless Ss trou- badours with their jests making. The weathier studdnts ride on horsebac the nobles are accompanied by a retinue of attendants, the names of all of whom will be entered on the university books. The poor students, who hope by a drink from the mysterious fountain of Knowledge to improve their prospects in life, have no baggage. The others carry a pack con- taining a velvet or satin doublet, linen shirts, a diary, an album, a letter of intro- duction and some book, usually a Greek Testament, Terence, Ovid, Plautus or Pe- tronius. Most wear a sword as a part of their dress, and for defense as well, for the hot blood of these students constantly leads to broils. ——+o+—____ DURING THE GOLD FEVER. Ninepins Were Played With Bottles of Champagne in Melbourne. From the Pall Mall Magazine. Gold threatened to become as common as silver in the days of Solomen. In one year £12,600,000, in eight years 1,000, were wen. Some men at Golden Point made as muck as £400 each a day. Another excep- ticnally lucky party unearthed thirty-four pounds of gold in one day. No wonder that such “pockets” ere termed ‘jewelers’ shop: Occasionaliy a nugget worth £10,- 000 was unearthed. The result of this suc den influx of wealth almost without labo: and with risks which are infinitesimal compared to Klondike, was the tempora: demoralization of the population. Me bourne, in the height of the gold fever, been described by one who knew it well as “a fevered, drunken, delirious pande- monium.” The lucky ones—and there were thousands of them—squandered their riches in the most reckless fashion. Some of their fantastic tricks would scarcely be credited were they not attested by witnesses still living. The game of ninepins, are told, was played with bottles of champagne, for which he who broke least had to p: doz- ens of the same costly wine were cmptied into tubs, and drunk from tin pannikin: spirits and beer being added to give “body’ to the beverage; one man, in imitation of Caligula, shod his horse with gold; sand- wiches made of banknotes were devoured silver wrapped up in banknotes was threwn to popular actresses instead of flowers-—in fact, money was so plentiful that the reck- less diggers could not “knock it down” fast enough. They thought they only had to dig a few feet in the earth to get plenty more, and for a time it almost seemed as it this were so. Such were some of the characteristics of Victoria’s hot youth. ———_+e-+—___ Pecan Nut Industry. From the Boston Transcript. Perhaps the best of all nuts is that spe- cies of hickory known as the pecan. It is native to the United States, growing wild in the Mississippi valley and in Texas. The largest and finest nuts come from Louisi- ana, some specimens attaining a length of two inches and a diameter of three-quar- ters of an inch. Comparatively few from that state reach the north, however. In Bee county, Texas, pecans are grown with very thin shells, that may be crushed in the fingers. 5 In Texas the pecan industry has obtained . So long ago as 188) ds of the nuts were marketed in San Antonio. Of all the hickory family, more susceptible of im- SPANISH MISRULE Cause of Much Suffering in the Phil- . ‘i nao WHERE EXTREME POVERTY PREVAILS ae /n Administration That is Rotten From Skin to Core. BURDENS OF TAXATION Prof. Dean C. Worcester in the Indepe nt. The Philippines lie wholly within the tropics, reaching at the south to within four and half degrees of the “equator. Big and little, they number some six hun- dred, varying in size from Luzon, with its #000 square miles, to tiny islets handily worthy of the name. Extreme poverty is the rule among the civilized natives, and its cause is found in the heavy burden of taxation imposed upon them by their Spanish masters. Every person over eighteen years of age is ree quired to procure annually a credula sonal, or document of identification, charge for which varic the from $1.50 to $25, according to the me of the applicant. Should these sums seem insignificant it must be remembered that the average na- tive has litle or no opportunity to work for hire; that if he does succeed in secur- ing employment his wages are often 1 more than five cents per day, and that be is usually unable to disp of his farm products for cash, being 1 to ex- change them for other commodities. addition to this personal tax there is tax on cocoanut t a tax on beasts of burden, a tax on k “= anim: for food, a x for keeping a shop, a tax « mills or oll presses, a tax on weights and measures, @ tax on cock-fighting and so on to the end of the c At every urn the poor na- tive finds himself face to face with the dire necessity of paying tribute, and he frequently spends his life { ffectual effort to meet the obligatior us im- posed. vi lous Crucity. Delinquent taxpayers are treated with the utmost severity. The first step is usually to strip them to the waist, tle them to a bench or post and beat them unmercifully. ave seen Women subjected to this tre If this does not suffice, imprison- follows, while pressure is brought to bear on relatives and friends. Daughters not infrequently offere secure the liber expens: an opportunity ad of their own honor. § of th clive, deporta- of pro} the leaving of women and cht shift for th _J once saw forty-four men deported from Siquijor, because they owed taxes vary ying in amount from two to forty dollars. L Was informed t they would be lo return to their families if t them after wor out the thelr seve wag: them we nts per day. Was to be furnished them at a cost of tive nd they were to clothe ° themselves! In other word amo inted to ¢ pis tol ot uthoritie rged Wich the én- of the i The civil « and ga rouble of the worst type liberty again wit ly from pris criminals at large the fees of the would fall off. - Influence of the Friars, The great power in every is the padre, Village friar. lounging to or not allowed to hold pa: iskes in any other part of the world have no difficulty in securing them here cruite they are from the lower c in Spain, their igrerance is in many vases almosi beyond belief. T once four yself ia danger of a personal altercation with one of them because I insisted that th were at that time n than thirte in the Union! rned divine, in the course of his ¢ m, informed me that Philadelphia was near Mexico, and referred feelingly to the visit of Georgs Washington to Spain! A sharp distinction should be drawn be- tween the friars and th the Mohammedan fanatic isiands are to be found Je gaged in genuine mission carnot but admire their self-sa intrepid courage and their duty. So far as my observation weat their lives were above reproach; and It would be d thing for the Philippines should ever come when the friars wera driven out and their places taken by men like these. A Corrupt Administration. The governor general is surrounded by @ numerous corps of officials to aid him in the performance of his duties, while the ificing and devotion to islands are divided into provinces, over each of which preside a governor and a horde of minor officials. The whole admin- istration is rotten from skin to core. With few exceptions these officials haw from Spain with the deliberate and frankl: expressed intention of improving their cuntary status; and the means empl doing it would require for their enumera- tion more space than is allotted to me. A few years ago it used to be said that the gcvernor of a province who failed to be- come wealthy in two years was a fool. Certain it is that few Philippine governors grow wealthy out of their salaries. Hostility toward foreigners is intense. The extensive export and import trade of the islands is in the hands of foreign houses, to the great disgust of the Span- ish, who never weary in their attempts to come frame legislation calculated to result in the ruin of these money-making inver- lepers - Their Wretched Lot. All in all, it can hardly be said that the lot of the Philippine native ts a happy one. He constantly chafes under his bur- den, while the half-castes with their great sereitiveness and superior inteliig: are perpetually boiling with more or less well- concealed fury. Were arms and ammuni- tion te be had, Spain's rule in these islands would be speedily terminated. As it is, the natives, stirred up and led by the half- castes, have repeatedly risen against the gcvernment. Within the past twelve months they have been once “pecified” and have risen second time. Little news of happenings in the Philippines reaches the outside world; but we know that during the pres- ent revolt barbarities which dwarf those practiced in Cuba have been perpetrated by both Spaniards and natives. Naturally the Philippine native fs a peaceable, easy-goirg fellow. Under a de- cent form of government he would giye lit- Ue trouble. No one familiar with existing conditions can doubt that Spanish rule has been a curse to these islands, and it would be a happy day for them should some civ- ilized power take possession of them. Their largest cities are well-nigh defenseless, and could be readily captured unless defended by a powerful naval force. ——_- +04 —___ He Took a Fort, From the London Sketch, ~ In 1757 a man-o’-war's ‘man, Strahan by name, captured almost singte-handed one of the forts on the Hoogly. The fert, which was sirongly situated, was invested by the admiral, and Strahan during the time of midday repose wandered off “on his own”