Evening Star Newspaper, May 7, 1898, Page 24

ee ENGLAND'S POSITION! Realizes That We Are Fighting for a Just Cause. HER SYMPATHIES ARE ALL WITH US tas Still We Must Put Up With Con- siderable Criticism. NO RESPECT FOR SPAIN From the Lend or, April 23.0 Jf there was ever any doubt as to Eng- Jand’s attitude im regard to the war it 18 ° are glad to think, entirely over. ntured to predict jt must be, Eng- athy is with our own flesh and no doubt, because they are h and blood, but also because ion believes that America Je fighting for a just cause. no doubt, Englishmen gez ed as to the merits of the controversy Spec British is on the wh over Cu hear it daily shouted through th at all the best people in America are for peace, that only the jit. goes and the “wild men” support the War, and finally, that the war is the oui- « -jodbing intrigues and of plots formed capitalists who want to annex ploit it, and not unnaturally 1 to doubt whether the > are not being dragged nto a war of which taey rective of such a view policy of General Wey! y who wants to realize e of stox by the resulis of that policy look at the re Productions m photographs in Thurs ra Daily Mail—and the stubborn refusal pain, even after his recall, to grant to and even the rights which we give 2 crown colony. We not fill all the pests in Jama‘ with men sent out from England, and allow the native born berths unde No doubt ble, and un- elements in and have in the present ¢ri ut, taker it is not these el ments which have prevailed to produce the war. The Cause of Liberty. Looking at the ter broadly, we are {reclined to echo, with a difference, the words of Chatham—was it not?—about the great rebellion ere was oppression, there was ambition, there was sedition; but you shall never persuade me that it not the cause of liberty on the one and o' ny on the other.” There m: y be selfishness and one shall per- cause of ht nod government on the one Ic and age inep- pride ther. is in t a wholeso: Armenian massacres, oF loors. América may expect, and ust not be surpr eceives plenty of Asay 1 as a nat omment sh he terrible game be played. Wi criticism is a_habi iH eriticise with reetness th e of his ¢ z and grandchildren. B Americans ticism will b use They Respect Us. remember that ere in their ¢ this also more 5 e than in that of the Spaniarcs, not becans+ We ate less, but bgause we are more fav- erable to them than to their enez We shali require nd blood @ standard of ri aith and fair fighting"which we saoul! not Jemand from any oiher natioa. This may seem ut it is the let paniards Ives in the wron: ing ef our censure put thin be passe b with comparativ Netice as aetiens such as ar pected from for If the do ing whieh a ears to tal away from grace, public opinion here will be in a ferment. Fo mple, if @ Spanisk cruiser had be New York hari wn up in ances of the gravest course, an enc pre could i would azy of annoy When it Eap- tion was com- sorry, but cur more proof of will do when they grew mad w pride and ihe black Spirit of r To put it in a word, the use ¢ < not shock us among southe does among our own per ple Must Expect, €riticiam. America. then, as we have said, must be Prepared to 1 the fire of critic d will, we ance from th’ hope. s to realiz> its true nature, and to remember that it dees not show any animosity, but Merely the desire that America should ac- quit herself in a way beyond reproach. Let She Li momber, too, that if w+ were en: a in a war and America w anding out, her p»pie and press would tus to just - stream of dit ple andy A proof of what 1 in the sort of talk rd at dozens of clubs and Half the world has been y in which the Americans their quarrel Bpain. Th nt has b rlled we: d accuse not Knowing his own “yellow press” has been denounced ai to civilization. The Senate the House of Repr seribed as want ness. America is puiting herself in the wrong Yet if any whol-hearted and thick-and. thin defender of America’s action inte yenes—and there are always some of the in every gathering, whether it be assembled in a third-class railway carriage or a club smoking room—with the declaration that if Americt were to be attacked by Europe we t come to her aid, the whole company il protest with one voice that such is their unalterable opinion. “They are our wn flesh and blood, and we will stand by them in an instant if the foreigners join Sgainst them.” Always a Briton’s Right. That is the universal feeling, but the holding of it must not be allowed for a mo- Ment to take away the Briton’s inalienable Fixht to criticise and to suggest that this or that matter is being utterly mismanaged. Bre saying is that has b dinner partie carping at the w: have veen ne tatives have been de- % in dignity and serious- In a word, the talk has all been that wiil, of course, be one of strict neutrality. But neutrality is of many kinds, and must vary with new conditions. In laying down the conditions which will govern their neu- trality we do not ask that the wnment should do anything which will injure Spain in the struggle, but we feel that if a choice betaveen two courses has to be adopted, the government will be expected by ublic epinion here to adopt the course which will show friendliness to the United States. We shail refrain from taking either side, but if it is necessary to show a bias, the bias must be toward the states. There is yet another set of cenditions which must be carefully weighed. In framing the condi- ticns of neutrality our government must consider what are the conditions which we shall expect and require to be observed at sea if and when we get engaged in-a strug- gle wita a maritime power. We must noi blow hot and cold, and adopt a course now which we shall want to repudiate here- after. It is a complicated problem, and one which we cannot attempt to enter up- on here. We merely desire to insist upon the fact that the decision wil be a mo- mentous one, and also to express our be- lief that our aim should be to secure the maximum of freedom for commerce. If we are ever at war our only risk will be the cutting off, or rather the imperiling, of our tcod supplies by foreign cruisers and priva- teers. The main thing, then, is to secure freedom for neutrals to bring us corn and meat. THE PALACE OF GATSCHINA. A Sanctuary of Safety for the Czar of AH the Russias. From the London Daily News. The palace of Gatschina cannot be com- pared with such castles as Versailles, Sains- souci or Schoenbrunn. It has nothing of the artistic embellishment of the one, the historical memories of the other, or the landscape beauty and comfort of the third. Situated m the middle of a wide and des- ert plain, it has no pretty surroundings; and built without luxury its exterior does not make an imposing impression. Gats- china lies between ‘Tsarskoje-Selo and Krasnoje-Selo, and the roads from each of these piac s to the imperial palace, which have private court railway stations, are placed under particular supervision, and may not be used except by the court. A high wall incloses the park, in the center of which is the palace, and this wall is protected by patrols, which never leave the outer circle nor tne park itself for one mo- ment out of sight. Entrance is only per- mitted by special order. Though the super- intendence is so strict, it is said that the inhabitants of the palace are net, and must not be, aware of it. Their pleasures and comforts are not impaired by it; and ail the amusements that could be agreeable to the emperor and his family—drives, hunts, riding and rowing, evening parties, theatricl representations, ete.—can be par- taken of Adjoining the well-tended park is an extensive wood—like the park, sur- rounded by a wall and guarded. In the ark itself are two lake-like basins of r; the palace contains splendid saloons, and two colonnades which afford agreeable promenades in bad weather; all this aids in preventing the inhabitants from feeling anything of the anxious and never-tiring supervision held over them, and the want of more charming surroundings. Sometimes the royal family inhabit Pe- hof, but always return to Gatschina. terhot is more magnificent, Oran| prettier, but Gatschina is considered safer and quicter. For many years before the accession of Alexander II the palace had been unused; he caused it to be restored and comfortably furnished. It has been seldom spoken of and searce'y more was known of it than that the imperial hounds were kept there. The Gatschina race w: celebrated, and a dog from the imperial pack was very valuable, but people cared little for the castle and park. Still Gatschina has its his Peter the Great_made a gift of it to his favorite sis- ialie; Catherine II gave it to her te Orloff, who furnished it at great nd built additional edifices, by after the plans of the Italian archi- Rinaldi, it received quite a different After Orloff's death the empress re- family, and gave it to cho inhabited it for The palace forms a ch corner of which is a stately tower. The dwelling rooms are in three sto The colonnades run_along and the pillars are of Finland The rooms ly but are with valuable te tect, form. boughi it from hduke Pau ngth of til THE EVENING STAR, STUDYING MUSIC IN BERLIN Thousands of Americans Are There During the Winter. ‘Puke Possession of the Conservate- vies and Concert Malls—Where Living is Cheap. From the Kansas City Star. cans in Berlin every year who remain at least during the winter months, and it is | | There ate between 3,000 and 4,000 Ameri- | stures hermitage in St. Pete and sculptu: from the imperial purg, from the An- itschkew palace and from the winter pal- ace. The views are limited by the park and wood, which, however, have been beau- tifully laid out by the celebrated St. Pe- tersburg gardener. The Shah of Persia may be only in the ) cl in matters of diplomacy and he does net dare exactly to slap Queen Vic- toria or K; x Wilhelm on the back when the potentates chance to meet; but, so far as matters in Persia are concerned, when the shah makes a law it is generally en- forced to the letter. Persian laws, as tra- dition Informs us, ve always had a fash- ion of getting themseives obeyed and the habit has continued even through the nine- teenth century. A ease in point may be cited in the mat- ter of Per: n lamb skins. Persian lamb skins are and have loug been an article of staple demand in the commercial world. They © commanded such good prices that the supply was hardly equal to the demand. Consequently, when the shah one day ordered spring lamb with mint sauce, the cook was obliged to confess that the dish was beyond the command of the Per- sian treasury. Of course the cook was promptly beheaded, but the shah could not find another cook who would agree to fur- nish spring lamb whenever his majesty de- sired to indulge in that delicacy. ‘Its naturally irritated the shah. After ulting with three or four of his most advisers, who could see no way out of the difficulty and who consequently dis- appeared from their homes and society in a mysterious manner, the shah finally decided that the commerce of Persia was threat- ned by the extinction of Persian shi nd Persian lambs. Consequently, he made a decree that any person found wita lamb skins in his possession for purposes of trade or commerce weuld be fined heavily. Since then ce export trade in Persian lamb skins has stopped with a blunt and nauseating jar. Why He Wore Crape. From the Chicago Record. The elevator conductor appeared that morning with a bit of crape pinned to his hat and a look of respectful gloom upon his face. “Somebody dead?” one of the regular pas- sengers sympathetically inquired. Yes. Mr. Higgintl “HigginUy? Who's he? Brother-in-law?” “No. No relation. Used to have an office in this building.” “That so?) What was he in? Law?” “Wholesale cement.” “Fast friend of yours, I suppose?” No. Never spoke to him." ‘No relation? Why, that’s funny! Blessed if 1 understand why you're so sorry for his death.” “He was one man in a million—in fact, he was one man in 2,200,000. There was never another in Chicago like him. Maybe not in all the world, but certainly not in this old town.”” : “Why. I never heard of him. Did he write books in secret, or was he great as an orator? Or did he have an army ree- ord? Or was he a statesman? Or—” ‘That is a sacred privilege, to be as jealously Seed elevator Kia gertcsste looked at his meted « ny Jury or any other pak, | Westioner wearily L peacchaattienlteains mit emh Senile bpnsen ba ‘othing like that,” he sald. “Greater, Jadium of the constitution. It fs indeed to} scarcer “Wonderfuller. “He was Mowe this resolve to criticise at all costs which | man I ever knew who had sense enough to inust be atirtbuted so much of the ill blood | stop and wait for an levator without ring. ¢aus-4 during the war of the north and | ing all the electricity out of the belt? south. England was not really bostile to Be ee the Union, but she could ret forego the right of criticism. As we know now. Lord & Large Fawis. Jobn Russell was always at heart oa the | From the Scvannah News, side of the rorth, but that did not prevest | 14 the Basler Jura, on the sl S him and his colleagues nearly criticising pa Sage | oF the two co ehall do bett ries into war. No doubt we r than that this time; but, 23 we have said, criticism there will and must be. If America is wise she will not mind it, but merely remember that it is a charae- teristic of the race. We are not, and do not profess to be, an agreeably people, but wher a member of the-family is in a fight our hearts, not our tongues, are in the Fisht place. Attitude of the Government. ~ So much for te attitude of our people. Whe attitude of our government also re- res notice. Unlers and until, which !s ‘st unlikely, America has to face a con- Ueental coulition, our aititude as @ nation re nha A Mount Terrible, is a small village called Montavon. The government of the place is conducted by a president, vice president, three councilors or aldermen, communal steward, communal clerk and communal sergeant. The president's name is Joseph Montayon, the vice president, Victor Mon- tavon; the steward, Geo Mohtavon; the cierk, Joseph Montavin; the sergeant, Karl Montaven, and the three councilers, Peter, Juliys and Ernst Montavon. This curious circumstance arises from the fact that everybody in the place bears the name of Montavon. It is the name of a family 20 large that it has been vested with town rights by the Swiss government. safe to assert that fully two-thirds of this number are students of music. There are 120 conservatories for music in Berlin, besides an army of teachers, and these facilities for learning are supplemented by the eight or nine hundred concerts of all kinds which take place during the musical season—from October 1 to May L . The American student, particularly the girl, has taken possession of these conser- vatories and concert halls in a way that { does credit to our national enterprise and | perseverance. She is winning laurels and respect for herself and her: country in Ber- lin, as everywhere else in Europe. Although no one who knows the artistic life of the | German capital would recommend Berlin, any more than any other great European city, as a safe piace of residence for a | young girl depéndent upon herself, still it offers many advantages—not only the ex- ceptional opportunities for learning music, but the additional advantage of being able to live in fair comfort at a very. moderate cost. An economical student can reduce living expenses in Berlin to $25, or even $20, a month, without greater hardship than a little careful management. The male stu- dent has cne advantage. He can get cheap- er rooms in houses where a young woman could not live, but this is compensated for by the woman's greater uptitude in house- keeping. She can get many a nice little meal for herself where a man is dependent upon restaurants. That quarter of the town in which most ot the conservatories are located, and in which the musical student prefers to live, to save time and expense in going to and from lessons, is emineatly respectable, and contains entirely nice houses. There you can get a smali room for or $7.50 a month and a room quite large enough for two people for $10 a menth, There is a slight fee monthly for service and lights; firing is extra, but not expensive; that is, it. would be expensive if you attempted to aitain an American degree of warmth. You don't, however; you soon give it up in despair. A kitchen outfit of a little alcohol lam a kettle, a saucepan or two and the nece: sary dishes will enable you to prepare your st and supper at very slight cost; a month will cover this item, and you ill not live badly, either, if you are a manager. For this price yeu can allow yourself a gocd pitcher of nourishing cocoa, with rolis and butt for breakfast, while for supper you brown bread and butter, some kind of e or cold meat or eggs cooked in some way, with cheese, a salad now and then and an occasional bottle of beer or glass of milk, as you prefer. The cold meats and sage you buy in small quantities, deliciously prepared and ready for wu: at one of the fascinating delicatessen shops. It is cheaper and al- lows of more variety to manage in this way for two than for one, of course, but the figures given here are possible even for o1 person alone. Dinner you can get at a number of nice, quiet restaurants, at any price, from twenty cents up, if you are a regular customer. For the lowest price you have soup, meat and vegetables or a roast with Jad and compot; for thirty cents or cents you ean get a good four-cours cimner. You are obliged to order som thing to drink, but a glass of beer for three cents will do, or a glass of wine for ter cents, if you care -for it. A good way to dine is to go to some nice boarding house, where you can be taken on as table board- er, for dinner alone, at about twenty-five to forty cents a day. If you do not care to live alone in the manner just described, there are pensions where you can obtain room and full board from 320 a menth up. Some private fami- i tudents to board at about which can he a very nice y of living, if you have the good luck to nice peopl The tution fees are, of course, the great- est expense to be borne by the musical student. The great masters charge every where from $> to $10 an hour for private ons, but the corservatories are very sch lower in price. The al High chool of Music offers yearly several free scholarships, for which students of all na- tion: may compete. Concerts are a heavy item, too, for you must hear :hem, but they eap in Berlin, and students can aimost always get a reduction. A favorite meeting place of ihe musical colony, particularly of the American ele- ment, the Tues und Wednesday even- ing concerts of the Philharmonic Orche: tra. Pupils have tickets io these concerts for ten cents apiece, and here ihey hear the best music played by an orchestra of acknowledged excellence. There are no re- served seats at these concerts, and the udience sit about Hittle tables in plain street drees. They come here only to Lear the music, for no other purpose, and hardly one of the more expensive and elaborate orchestral concerts can show an audienc so rapt in attention, so eager in appl» and criticism. te Strong Legs. From Lippinestt's, It is true that the Greek soldier who ran eli the way from Marathon to Athens, to bear the news of victory and dropped dead when he had delivered the message, hal covered only twenty-six miles, yet he may have been worn with fighting when he started. On the other hand, Deerfoot, the Indian runner of the Cattaraugus reservs tion, who once held the record in England and America, ran twelve miles in fifty-six minutes in London in 1861; and extraor- dinary stories of his long distance running are told, Capt. Barclay of England walk- ed 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours, and W. 8. George, the world’s greatest amateur dis- tance runner, followed the hounds on foot. Henry Schmel, in June, 1594, walked from Springfield, Ill., to Chicago, 188 miles, in sixty-nine hours and fifty minutes. In 1892 Schneideit, an Austrian printer, finding himself in Calcutta without means, walked all the way home to his native town, Rathenow, traveling on foot for two years across India, Afghanistan, Persia, Turkey, southern Russia, Bulgaria, Roumania and Hungary, thence into Austria. But these instances, which might be multiplied, are for the most part feats ac- complished under special. conditions or stress of circumstances, or by picked men. In Apache land every Indian is a runner, asking no odds of earth or weather; and whether it be the peaceful Pueblo, trudg- ing to his irrigated lands, forty miles and back, or the venomous Chiracahua, tamed to do service for Uncle Sam, the man on horseback may well regard him with amazement. ———_—_+-e-+—____ How Cattle Were Once Acquired, From Longman's Magazine. A ranchman's cattle is what he looks to for by far the greater part of his in- come. Nearly all the work done on the ranch is for their use and benefit, and they have to repay him, To increase his herd as the capacity of his ranch increases i3 the ranchman’s idea. As long as a man has only a few cattle, say, perhaps, twenty-five cows, he can give them the best of care, and all the feed in the win- ter they can “iay to,” and the increase will reach a very high percentage. Quite likely every cow will bring a calf for the first year or two. As the numbers in- crease, however, the percentage drops; It is always much better in a new country and on a fresh range. Here is an oppor- tunity for industry in stock raising to show itself. In the early days, when large herds wer$ the fashion, the “industry” many men dis- played in securing a large “ealf crop” was gorcugh the medium of a branding iron. It to be a common saying on the prairies that a good rustler with a brand- ing iron would beat any man's herd of cows in planes of tbrgeaby By the word “rustier” was meant at energetic, One. ~ hear of a unscrupulous man. RANDOM-VERSE. Orr + a Sonietimes at close of pian forth the sun In {ts full splendor! Evy jpud has gown Before its swift surprisalypale and long "The day, has. dragged withsutlit—joy and song Have languished. in its aiajzhte; now “tis here When the least dreamed Of; and so may it fare With a whole life of hopesdaterred: at last Upon the soul's duli pat he east Some sweet revivifying a. as true ‘As the late sunberm thag.so foftly. threw Over the gray day its Lessing,’ and. the night Of phantom fear may fa@# Uf uew-found ¥eght! Eve. (April 23; 1898.) From the London Chronicle. America! dear brotherland! ‘While yet the shctted guns are mute, Accept a brotherly salute, A hearty grip of England’s hana. On thé’ Tomorrow, when the sulplurous glow Of war shali dim the stars above, Be sure the star of England's tove Is over you, come: weal, come woe. Go forth in hope! Go forth in might! ‘To all sonr nobler self be true, That coming times may sce in you ‘The vanguard of the hosts of light. Theugh wrathfal Justice load and train ir guns, be every breach they make ‘A gateway pierced for Mercy's sake, That Peace may enter in and reign. ‘Thon, shculd tho hosts of darkness band Against you, lowering thunderously, Flash the word “Brother!” o'er the sea, And England at your side shall stand Exulting! For though dark the night, ter with seud and rack, The hour that brings us back to’ back But harbingers the larger. light. se Good Children Street. There’ My heart turnest fondly teday Where tinkle of tongues and patter of feet Make sweetest the music of play; Where the sunshine of love illumines each face And warms every heart in that old-fashioned place. For dear little children go romping about With dollies and tin tops and drums, And, my! how they frolic and seamper and shout ‘Tiil bedtime too speedily comes! Oh, days they are golden and days they are fleet With little folk living in Good Children street. See, here comes an army with guns And swords, caps and plumes of ‘The captain rides gaily and proudly On a stick horse that prances and snorts! Oh, legions of soldiers you're certain to meet— ainted red, a Nice make-believe soldiers—in Good Children street. And yonder Odette wheels her dolly about— Poor dolly! Pm sure she ix il, For one of her blue china eyes has dropped out and her voice ts asthmatie’ly shrill. I observe she is minns her fect, "Tis so the dear childrer go: romping about With dollies and banners and drums, And T venture to say When are sadly put out Dilee conie, 8 chey nd days they are fleet With litve fol living in Good Children street. But when falleth night over river and town, ‘Those little folk vanish from, And an angel all white from the And snardeth the babies throug! ing her luliables tendet ‘To the dear little people In Good ¢ the n! d sweet is Though elsewhor IL to my lot, ion be alwa y trouble sm ugh pov Thongh a my share, Beggars, apis Ella Higginson in Lippincottts, Child with the huggrsreyes, The pallid mew: aud, b And the lifted, xgking hands, IT am. moe starved than thou, I beg not on the frec But wher: In sec th hast asked ef me, i thy downeast head, So hase 1 asked qf) Hi. So, tremblin > hawe dyplead, iG DY won c ut for bread, And I, lus! for,peaga, If thoughts were birds, And. they could dy From soul ts soul Across th sky To thee, my love, My thoughts would mov And they’ woul speed, Like Love's own dart, To gain the med Thy gentle heart; And gainiag It no’ more would ream, But make that blissful spot thelr home. I would my theughis Where winged birds, That they might besr My heart's trite words; hen, lke the summer swhllots’ fight, They'd circle thee—this lonesome nigh — +e + Revenge. Robert Lovyeman in the Independent. With burning brain and heart of hate I sought my wronger. early. late, And all the wre ed night and day dream and thought was slay, and slay. y better self rose uppermost, The beast within my bosom lost Itself in love; peace from afar, Shone o'er me radiant dike a star. I slew m: A deed of With kindne His soul with i made him bleed 1 filled for years tenderness and tears, 2+ —- Mocnlight ip London, Walter Hogg in the Spectator. Lo a monster moon on the borders of the city. Suddenly cast up through’ the mist of evening, Jooms, Goldtn, leaning low on the’ ridge of distant house- tops. Nodding like one drunken’ with the cloudy fumes, Turns a dro} eye like a weury queen of revels ‘On the lamplit streets and the crowd that saun- ters free, Where in din and splendor the city takes her pleas- uw Glowing like a sunset, tvaring like a sea. Lo the moon has silvered climbing up the reavens, On the topmost peak bangs lke a white blown | Newspap rose Oler the sleepiag city dim and weird and solemn, With vague munuurings yet In the depths of her repose, Given o'er to dreams; she, mistress of enchant- ments, Woodland charnis of might, on every dreamer there, Every shadowy street sends down her spella com- mingled . With her silver dew exhaled, dissolved in air. es Interpretation. Bertha Gerneaux Davis in the Cosmopolitan. He thought of all the heartaches. he had known, ‘ e world wi ear om ng On, And no one “ver anderstand,” be sald. a A thousand hearts grew hisht@ to bear the ‘Aud eyen that mocked They strained to see the And ‘smiling through th ban. By Long Distance Telephone. Isaac Bassett Choate in '¢hé Boston Transcript. Hello! over there on Cape Cléar, ‘Gra lingo that’s not tar odd, Right gladly your halting we heat, or We, tco, are looking abroad From this foreland fi God, by the Pilgrimsen’sandy Cape Cod. Yes, your hearing, that #302'K., For “Ktosma: ‘through the dusk, Ky pepe word; You have caught ‘the today, It’s plain, honest languagemmave heard: By the home-spoken board the heart of a hatin is Your answer comes hearty-end bluff In tones which our ancestor» knew, We ave sertaln the" teeling tue. To your friendly : toast, “The Old and the New. E Written for The Bventog "Sta? by Anna Gannon. a dear little home in Good Children street— es much sorrow #n Good Children street. ¥ cometh down ildren «treet. the world 1s o'erburdened with grew eott and Gus, rs claimed kin with f¢roa, in the sole fear of ot the th and the ‘of beagtl ““Halloat’" wa send over to you SATURDAY, MAY 7, 1898-24 PAGES, ARE SELDOM SENT BACK Right of Ownership in Borrowed Books Soon Disappears. A Human Weakness That is as Wide- spread as the Ability te Read. From the New York Thnce. The popular recognition of the fact that Umbrellas are common property has erys- tallized into the umbrella joke, a time-hon- ored and flourishing institution. But no humorist has taken up the kindred subject | of the borrowed beok—perhaps because it is felt to be too serious for jest, or else be- | cause a book is regarded as of less practical |} importance than an umbrella—surely not | because the rule is thought to apply less widely! There are to be recorded instances } of the revurn of a borrowed umbrella, but a book once lent is too apt to be lost to sight, however dear to the memory of the owner. If the latier attempts to recover his property, he is regarded as a disagreea- bly exigeant person, and usually in any case Goes not succeed, the book having been passed on in the interval to some one of the borrower's relatives or acquaintances. Persons who can distinguish between meum and tuum. in regard to other species of property are perfectly obtuse to any such } Cistinction in the case of a book. This failing is as widespread as the ability to read, church members in regular standin | being among the most hardened offenders, though, perhaps, literary people, so called, are the worst. Probably no person who beruses these lines can profess himself en- tirely exempt. He has (in common with the writer) a guilty consciousness of cer- tain volumes which, however long they may have dwelt upon his shelves, yet wear to his single eye the look of aliens, Per- haps he is still waiting (or alleges that he is) an opportunity to return them. Per- haps he has forgotten (in the case of those ret having the original owner's name written inside) whence they came. In such a case he is apt, provided the book is one that he does not care particularly for, to lend it to some cne else, in full confidence that he will have seen the last of an intru- sive souvenir. Here the owner has per- haps deserved the penalty of his careles s, though as a rule his name or even his bookplate will avail nothing toward the return of the wanderer. The writer has (or kad) 9 copy of a recent popular novel, legibiy inscribed, which copy in the past two years has progressed from hand to hand and from Maine to California, and is still traveling. The chances of its return may be calculated as one in seventeen mil- lions, and these ficures express very nearly the average ratio in similar cases. Public circulating libraries operate per- haps 4s a slight check. tending to inculcate the idea that borrowed books may be return- ed and to cultivate the habit of returning them. But these have to contend with an- other and much worse idiosyncrasy of book bcrrowers, to which the owner of private’: circulating volumes is less exposed, namel the disposition to annotate by marginal re- marks cr penciled interlineations of the text. Of which more anon, Let us say nothing of the habit of dog’s-earing, for this is by no means con- fined to the lower intellectual rank: Neither are crumpled pages or an occa- sional discoloration prima facie evidence of the culprit’s “low mentality. Among men of many books a delightful habit of read- ing at solitary meals and in hed ts very prevalent—(see Elia, “There is absolutely no such thing as reading but by a candle.” Further, proficiency’ in literature by s implies either personal tidiness, or, rtunately, any respect or care for the external, the body, of a book. So, then, there are excelient precedents for keeping books borrowed of one’s ac- quaintances, for dog’s-earing and otherwise maltreating books borrowed from a public brary. Was it net Lamb who thought Thoms ons” and ¢ Ss generally looked t a little torn and dog-eared? He certainly puts a premium on untidiness. “How beautiful to a genuine lover of read- ing are the sullied leaves and worn-out nee, nay, the very odor (past Rus- sia) if we would not forget kind feeling in fastidiousness, of an old circulating aes ‘Tom Jones’ or ‘Vicar of Wake- ie ‘ y well. The genercus lover of books can afford to see them creased and soiled thinking of “the thousand thumbs that have turned over their pages with delight. or of the devotee of the “dumb candle, who has read himself to sleep over them. at any rate imper- we say of the bour- geois who writes in books which do not belong to him, who underscores passages: which meet with his appreval, perhaps adding the marginal note, “How true!” Even Lamb could not defend this propen- sity of the hopeless plebeian mind (the lone seamstress, milliner or harder-working Mantua maker), It is an unmistakable mark of the lowest mental standing com- patible with th» desire to read at all. —— STRUCK AN EDUCATED CHINAMAN. The Mistake of a Green Reporter in Getting an Interview. Frem the Ycuth’s Companion. Numberless are the tricks which newspa- ber reporters play upon one another to re- lieve the somber “grind” of their calling. Two young men emplcyed on a morning paper in a large city were detailed one day to call upon the resident Chinamen and “‘in- terview” them respecting some immigration measure then pending in Congress. One of the two reporters was a beginner and the other, an experienced man, naturally as- sumed the management of the assignment. “Billings,” he said, after they had in ed several laundries without any impor: result, “here is a tea store. I wish you would go in and talk with the proprietor. I want to know what he thinks about China- men voting. I'll go and pull off an inter- view with the man who runs this cigar shop next door. Remember to use the very simplest English at your command.” The young reporter weni inside the tea Store, took out his notebook and thus ad- dressed) the proprietor, who happened to be alone af the moment: “Johny, how? Me—me—Telegraph, John! b—savvy, John? Newspape-—print things. Un’stan’? Me want know what John think about Chinamen vote, see? What John think—Chinaman vote—all same Meli man? Savvy, John? Vote? What think The Chinaman iistened to him with pro- found gravity until he had finisbed, and replied: “The question of granting the Tight of suffrage to Chinese citizens who have come to the United States with the avowed in- tention of making this country their pernia- nent home is one that has occupied the at- tention of thoughtful men of all parties for years, and it may become in time one. of Paramount imporfance At present, how- ever, it seems to me there is no exigency requiring an expression of opinion from me upon this subject. You will please excuse me.” The young reporter went outside and leaned against a lamp post to rest and re- cover from a sudden faintaess that had taken possession ‘of him. {1ls comrade had purposely “steered him against * one of the pone educated Chinamen ia the United tes. nt ABOUT CRESPO. Same Good Stories of the Late Presi- dent of Venexuela. From CcUler’s Weekly. In appearance Crespo was more Indian than negro, though he was very sensitive regarding his color, as the following amus- ing anecdote will show: A few years ago a young American, to whom he had taken quite a fancy, was invited to accompany. him on a ride over his estates near Maracay. The party stopped for lunch at the coffee hacienda ed that the visitor. had brought along a “kodak” he was wild with déligkt, and insited nm being photographed on his favorite ‘white es ‘The plate was a young ‘amateur—and a dozen photographs were handsomely mounted and sent to the president with a courteous note of thanks tor his hospitality. -isnagine the can's surprise upon. ‘Mrs. Crespo a few gays afte ty learn that the Dreisent Srophs: “the reason was not clearly Maled, of the cold. vates the brutal instincts, measure make the general's face = little whiter, for he was really not so dark as the pho- tograph showed. The young man at- tempted to explain that the exposure had been an instantaneous cne in the bright sunlight, and that the wide-brimmed straw hat had cast a shadow over the president's face. It was evident that the explana- tion was not satisfactory, for trom that day the artist beeame a persona non grata, was never again: bidden to “Santa Thez,” the home of the president. Another little Incident that occurred dur- ing the winter of 1896 showed Crespo's thirst for notoriety and theatrical display. Shortly after the episode with Great Britain there came to Caracas a traveling Ameri- can variety company. Among the per- formers was a young woman who did mar- yelous fancy shooting with a rifle. The news of the fair American’s prowess soon reacned the ears of the president, who invited her to give a private exhibition at “Santa Inez." She and her manager were not slow in accepting, and they reached the executive mansion one bright Sunday morning as the cathedral bells were calling the good people of the dreamy httle capital to the late mass, After the usual stock variety performance a number of glass balls were smashed with the rifle in every imaginable position. ‘Crespo was amazed, and, turning to the young woman, said: “Do you think you could hit one of those balls if I placed it on the top of my head?’ “I should esteem it the honor of my life, Senor Presidente,” shé gallantly replied. Mrs. Crespo and the entire cabinet were present and endeavored to persuade the | president not to do anything so foolhardy. It was all in vain, however, for, his hat and placing one of the upon his head, Crespo turned to the by- standers and’ said dramatically: “Tie United States kas been the friend of Vene- zuela, and I will show my confidence in the aim of an American. The president of Venezuela then took a position across the courtyard and from a distance of seventy-five feet the young woman smashed the target at the first shot, and Crespo brushed away the frag- ments with his handkerchief. The next day the little incident was the talk of Caracas, and many were the criti- cisms heard of the president's lack of dig- mty. No newspaper, however, dared make any comment. The young markswoman and her manager were quick to realize the great advertisement, however, and after leaving Venezuela they announced the epi- sode in display type. They even went so far as to y that the revolutionists had offered the woman $100,00) to accidentally miss her target and place a bullet in the forehead of the president, knowing well that Crespo’s bravado would make him suggest her attempting the shot. ais sesso ee HE NEEDED PUNISHMENT. But the Reason for It Was Not to the Traveler's Liking. From the Chicago Post. it was evident wher the man rapped at the door of the backwoods cabin that he felt he had a grievance. “Somethin’ wrong, stranger?” inquired the man who came in answer to his knock, noticing his excited condition. “Wron; exclaimed the __ stranger. “Wrong! Well, 1 should think there was. T met a boy about half a mile up the road that I think belongs to you.” “Long, gawky boy with a coonskin cap?” asked the man in the cabin. “That's the one,” returned the stranger. “He had a gun and was evidently out after squirreis.” “Big, old-fashioned, muzzle-loading gun?” Suggesied the nafive. ei a big gun about half a foot longer than he is,” answered the stranger. “I didn’t stop to see whether it was a muzzle- loader or not, but I guess it was. It didn’t it new enough for anything else. That was {ke all right enough,” said the Native. “What dye want of him?’ “L want him thrashed,” replied the Stranger, with emphasis, “I want him sd and hard, so that he'll have a purty big contract, the native doubifully. “He's an’ there ain’t any one licked him yet, except , Which is me.” "re the one that I want to s differ’nt. I tho: you Was goin’ to try it yourself. 1 don’t mind lickin’ the tar outen him when # needful, jest so’s to keep him in line teach iim that the ol’ man is som er'ble y What's he been doin’ hot at me as I came along the replied tho stranger. “Sure about that?” asked the native, doubtfully. “Sure? Of course I'm sure. He yelled out that I'd scared a squirrel he was after and he was going to wing me just to teach me to keep out of the way. Then he took deliberate aim and fired.” “An’ you're here to Kick about it! claimed the native. “Well, don’t you no more about that boy, stranger. him gocd and plenty, and don’t you fergit it. Aimed at uu delib’rate an’ never hit you, did he? Why. shootin’ like that'll dis- grace the hull fum’ly. Glad vou spoke of it, stranger. If you hear any yellin’ as you go down the road you kin know I'm teachin’ that boy of mine that he can't ruin the reputation of two generations without havin’ to suffer fer it.” -o+—__ Laziest People on Earth, From the New York Ledger. The laziest! and dirtiest people in the world have recently been discovered in th Caucasu: They live in an inaccessibi. mountain range between the Black sea and the Caspian sea, and as they were 2,500 years ago, so they are tod: Seen from without there is a certain picturesqueness about a Svanetian village, although it merely consists of miserable stone hoveis without any ztlempt at form er adorn- ment. Within the houses they are incon- ceivably dirty. They are filled with rags vermin and dirt of every description. Th<y possess neo fireplace or chimney. All the cooking, in fact, is done over a hole scoop- ed out in the middle of the floor. In these houses men, women and children are hud- dled together during the long winter months they are shut in for days at a time, cattle often sharing their quarters. every aperture has to be closen on account This long imprisonment is, perhaps, the cause of the degradation of the people. Horrible diseases result from it, which are aggravated by abnormal con- sumption of arrack, the strong distilled ht mebbe n ‘onsid- ‘orry I'll tan drink of the Asiatics. Besides this, it is an invariable rule to ¢ make four days a week holidays, with saints’ days as extras. Since they have adopted the holidays of every other coun- try with which they haye been .in contact, it is not surprising that the men find little time for work. Farming, bee culture and cattle breeding are the only industries of these people, while throughout their terri- tory there is not a single manufactured article. +o+—___ Bull Fighters Next to Royalty. From the Springfield (Mass.) Republican. A nation, therefore, whose great sport is buli figating must be said to linger still in remot2 and cruel times. And Spain is such a nation. Notwithstanding the great drain of the Cuban war, her people find plenty of means to support this amusement. No- bedy in the nation commands such an in- come from his daily effort as a popular bull- Stayer. Maazantini, ons of the most famous of these, earned 396,000 pesetas last year, it Is said, or over $79,000. He participated in 66 fights and killed 163 bulls. Another popular torero, Reverte, took part in 71 fights during the year, killed 160 bulls and 2arned 276,000 pesctas, or $55,200. These men stand next to royalty itself in the popular mind. No great singer, actor or orator approaches them. They amuse the people with spectacles of blood. That the sensibilities of such a people should b2 dulled to human as well as brute suffering can hardly be questioned. The bull fight, like the gladiatorial fight, culti- lates the value of human life, ard es men com- paratively cruel and insensibl2 to misery in ethers. We may thus turn to contemplate the atrocious policy of extermination by slow starvation adopted by the Spanish gow ernment in Cuba under the guise ith Uttle wonder. It has been immense 2h eres 3 ing influences af bull Aching” Snes scar, 4 ‘A PRIMITIVE PEOPLE: Principality of Montenegro is an Thy, teresting Country. National Costume is Both Picture esque and Elaborate. AUTOCRATIC GOVER) From the Providence Journ: Though bet imperfectly known in Amere ica, and for that matter in western Eu- Tope, the tiny principality of Montenegro ts a land full of interest, and destined, in the near future, to play no small a part in the history of eastern Europe. Modern Montenegro, the smallest independent state in Europe, after Monaco, Andorra and San Marino, dates from 1851 The government of the principality is an absolute monarchy, hereditary in the princely family of Petro- vitj Niegoche, by order of masculine prim- ogeniture. Notwithstanding the oft-repeat- ed pretensions of the Sublime Porte, Mon- tenegro has always refused every kind of suzerainty on the part of Turkey, and has remained to this day an independent state. In the hands of this autocratic prince, Nichola I, are concentrated all the politi- cal, administrative, judiciary and military powers of the principality. Prince Nicholas i, so often proclaimed by the late czar, Alexander LI, his only friend, is a man of fifty . & Prince Nicholas I has b ’ all those whe have come in contact with him, as an extraordinarily handsome man, v" tall, well built and jooking much older than he really ts. His forehead is wide and open, his hair and eyes nearly black, and the naturally soft, somewhat sad expression of his oriental e is ani- mated by a very sweet and frequent smile. On rising in the morning, the prin fer breakfast, goes at once to the “senate,” as the court house of Cettinje, the capitat of Montenegro, is termed, an over the dcliberations of the judges, in true patriarchal style. He often joing in the arguments of his judge accused prisoners and, at times, speaks for the the bar. After this, the prin 1 accompanied by guar stroll through th of his diminu- tive capital, lend! sy ear to the Prayers and suppli. s of his subjects whom he meets on t y. In the afte noon, the prince, as a rule, goes out rid- ing with some member of his family or of the court. In the evening, after din- ner, he retires to his private rument, and there re wish to consult him on In this manner the Posted concerning the principality. The National Costume. Whereas. s of Europe, ves any of his warriors who military matters. ps fully ate of the even in Switzerland ry and Russia, the former n; al ¢ umes have failen into disuse to such an extent that they now cnly exist as curiosities, the mountaincers of Montenegro have, so far, disdained the hunéred and one inventi of m fasnion, and faithful te immemorial tion preserve intact the picturesque dress of their forefath Nowhing is more characteristic of the Montenegrin than hig costnme. The dazzling an gated col- ers, the abundance of erabroideries and betray the old ioctatic tastes most aristocratic people. The i portance of a man’s dress in cannot be overestimated. to state that a Monte in- cluding his weapons, is worth on an aver- age $400, which, for a poor country, is sim- ply enormous. At the beginning of his reign, Prince Nicholas, fully aware of the ruinous consequences for his country, of Mont such luxury, so entirely in opr to the poverty of the country. to put an end to this extrav ance by only allowing certain state officials and court digniiaries te wear gold ideries on their dr But after a few years the force of habit got the better of these edicts, and so fer as dress is conc tenegrins are tocay in exa: t m condition as wece their forefathers in the middie ages. Tne principal part of the masculine attire in Montenegro is the gougne, a kind of loose tunic (with sleeves) going below the knees. Tiis tunic is open in front, so as to display, tn a Ie ner, the embroideries of the f, coat underneath. The ¢o similar to the old-fashioned Hungarjan tunic, and is supposed to date from the time of the ancient Servian monarchy. In Montenegro the tunic is invamably white, whereas it is black in Kungary. Am the wealthier Montenegrins the gougn: generally made of very fine and expen linen from Vienna; among the people made of coarse. linen of cotton. An e pensive gougne is worth from $25 to $30, but its price and value is enhanced 10 or 20 fold by the addition of golden embroid- eries. Some of these embroidered gougnes worn by wealthy Montenegrins are them- selves worth $300. Under the tunic is worn a djamadan, a kind of loose waisteoat, couble breasted, which is generally embel- lished with embroideries of various de- scription. This waistcoat is worth on an average $50. Fond of Firearms. As the Montenegrin never, by any chance, puts down his weape and a couple of murderous-looking pistols always rr is very hang by his side, these pistois are nearly always inlaid with silver. Be his fire- arms, the Montenegrin alw carries a The dress of the much resembles the Tork- a silk sk long dagger by his sid Montenegrin women very that of the men, excepting tha ish trousers are replaced by richly embroidered. ‘The women wear corsets, and, as a rule, lose figures at an early age, owing to the hard labor to which they are subjected by their lords and masters. The language exclusively spoken by the Montenegrins is a Slav dialect. The Mon- tenegrins were the first among the Slav races to print books. The honor of having published the first Slav work belongs to Georges Tsernoivitji, who, in 14%), built in his castle of Obod' the first-known Slav printing press, from whence came those precious editions of hymn and prayer books still to be found in Russia. Public education has made gigantic strides in Montenegro during the present reign, and today there is not a boy or girl of ten in the principality who cannot both read and write. Meontenegrins as Soldiers. The Montenegrin army is wonderfully strong for so small a nation, and consists of 24,000 men, divided into’ two division. of 12,000 each. Each of these divisions includes two brigades. Every Montene- grin brigade is formed of five battalions, splendidly armed with Minie and Thomas Sedert rifies. The reigning prince is the commander-in-chief of the army; under him is a chief of the staff, with two gen- erals of division and four brigadier gen- erals. The army consists almost entirely of infantry, with a small contingent of ar- tillery. To their great physical strength, marvelous agility and keen eyesight, the Montenegrin joins a remarkable knowledge of everything pertaining to the science of warfare. But what in particular charac- terizes the Montenegrin as a warrior and what makes him superior to any European soldier is his strong sense of individuality, his pride of independence, which enables him to perform the most wonderful acts of courage. Though small, the Montenegrin army, owing to the special characteristics of its soldiers, is a force that will play a leading part im the next conflagration in eastern Europe. —___+e- —_____ The British Empire.