Evening Star Newspaper, July 23, 1898, Page 23

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, JULY 23, 1898-24 PAGES. AMAZING IGNORANCE A Characteristic of the Spanish View of the War. : ——_+_— NO REALIZATION OF ITS GRAVITY The Lower Clases Feel No Interest in Foreign Troubles. FOR THE CARLISTS Mail nce I journeyed th seven weeks 5| in hot haste to Madrid w the popular feeling, not only in the capital, but also in the provinces, with regard to the disastrous and unequal war in which Spain is engaged. In England one has been told that the nation was stirred to its foundations; already begun; that eve: possible between a bloodless rev- nd a repetition of the horrors of ish commune. A few hours in amply sufficient to prove that ha been vastly exag- bulk of the popula- in the war with nd that the h they regarded merely as nsion or continuation of the colonial s which have plagued Spain and its and of which they so iN-tnformed that of their true grav- r for ighout ye: st six weeks excursions into the leading in- enters have re- ame indi felt In the do es in pst pre e war nish ty as is all newspapers in » discourage this indifference nd it may even be the the writers do conscien- their own sentiments and despair are They endeavor to their theory that the amount of mere behavior encounters and usiasm he nk they ar nt may be true quite clear that the allow his private opin- eidal folly of the war to ior in public. Classes in Spain, Roughly speaking, the population of Spain © usual three classes, sses can hardly be sai n the more important towns. a large proportion of niry districts is unable to »wledge of his 3 fined to a few . could hardly be ex- sely the fortunes present time. Indi- | y, simple folk, but the troubles of © at a loss to know ke you herland th. >u mean some silly j i all huxurte: have been used to that for generations. whose devotion to their is reminds one of feudal w employed in harvesting crops of unusual excellence and are in no mood to worry about troubles abroad of w have heard little and under- s Moreover, the Catholic « San influ over them which is diaeval—an influence which ex- an almost equal extent over the rking pepulation of the town. View ef the Church. view of the church at the present must not be ignored, and one can ing them easily enough in pamphlets cal- 1 appeal even to many of the ated, who still trust implicitly to Here is a quotation from a very 1895) brochure entitled Re e War,” and issued not with- I give the closing words lit- if they beat us, we © our eyes to God and we shall beautiful legendary phrase, atter?” ting words, “Que importa, 2 do our du may not be lite: accurate, Save in their spiritual sig- a but they are well adapted to the bulk of the Spanish population, who in their private life are curiously fatalistic. When domestic disasters occur or the is demanded by his y military service there ts no grumbling. “Que importa, it is the will of God,” provides consolation to many “ ook fall Whe does not know which way 0 lool In ry for the poorer population of toriously tmprovideat in money That they will wn their blank- et ( ch is implied their last posses- sicn in the world) in order to go to the buil fight is the popular and not altogether d idea of their recklessness. The Wealthy People. ediess to say that the wealthy men @ absentee landlords who form cy of Madrid, though devout Imost to a man, have scarcely ducated Que importa? indzed. They have ty position and honor to con- ad es, when tents are scarce 3 are low, there are many who, mantain their showy establish- Madrid, and go for daily promen- two-horsed broughams, even ary for them to d possibly them- ries of life. But, un- continually grum- to attribute thetr he Bovernment to y fair. And while sses due to the Catholics so simple a faith as have their une snferiors. exchange It ts sserted that Giency of silver tn Spain Ure disappearance 07 the great defi- and the almost en- gold coinage, is inl Measure due to the aristocrs themselves, who have for years pest tec, laying up private stores of bullion. Despite the pr which has hitherto prevented Spain from issuing the bank notes for small which are customary in Italy and ts monetary system is infinitely vublesome than it fs in these coun- smallest note is of twenty-five worth at the present time little an half a sovereign, English. Ow- ing, however, to the scarcity of silver, it is often difficult or impossible to get these twenty-Ave pesetas notes changed, al- y are freely taken in payment. t railway stations, for example, if your fare is fifty-one pesetas you can pay it eesily enough, but if it be only forty-nine pesetas, you must be provided with at least twenty-four pesetas in silver, unless you are prepared to sacrifice your change. At Gibraltar Spanish notes are now only ac- cepted at.a reduction of 10 per cent of their face value in pesetas, and there Is no anx. iety to take them at even this reduction. Hard Hit by the W It is no doubt the middle classes of Spain ‘who have been most hardly hit by the war. And amon though t = the middle classes one must in- es the ordinary shopkeepers, the Wealthy manufacturers of Barcelona and elsewhere. For these industrious folk have no wish to be reckoned among the aris- tocracy. although the latter may include bank clerks at Madrid, who keep up their Proud position on a salary which does not mount per annum to £4 of our money. ‘That the manufacturers have lost a large share of their foreign trade is true enough, but, on the other hand, they have gained an amount of home trade which has never before come their way. The Spanish mer- chants and dealers can no longer afford to buy their goods outside Spain, now that the peseta Is at only half its former value, Bnd the Spanish producers haye now a first- ; Fate opportunity of convincing the consum- ' @rs that their goods are in no way inferior to those of the foreigner who has enjoyed a long moaopoly. Effect on Commerce. It is, indeed, more than possible that 80 far as trade is concerned the war and the consequent fall in the value of Spanish silver has not so far affected the com- merce of Spain so much as it has that of ovher European nations. At present the dignified peace on which sain insists seems unattainable. It 1s practically agreed by the well informed that an undignified peace will mean a rev- olution, and that unless this be bloodless, peace, so far as Spain's internal prosperity is concerned, will merely be a fall from the frying pan into the fire. It is even said that Don Carlos himself, whose chances a3 a revoluticnary Jeader seem of late to have received a certain amount of recogni- tion, is fully aware of this fact, and that he has no intention or desire to promote his claim to the Spanish crown unless he has the full support of the Spanish army. Carlists Are Ready. Carlist sympathizers are therefore wait- ing, anxiously enough, to see if the pres- ent government will be foolish enough to enter on a peage which would not be thought degrading by the proud army of Spain. Meanwhile the present dynasty seems to have lost little of its customary popularity. Recently when Senor Castelar hinted at {ts Austrian origin there was a general wave of indignation at the unnec- essary remark. Spaniards of less note hint that the little king, sturdy as he looks, was born long after his father had incurred consumption, and that the disease is clearly hereditary. Rabid politicians will tell you that the queen regent fails to rule the country with the strong hand which it needs, and which only a man can give. The Carlist adds that there is only one who has a divine right to the throne, and that he is precisely the kind of king re- quired, and so forth. He will even claim that his candidate must have the support of all true Catholics. But the church, how- ever great its influence may be, does not seem inclined to make any pronouncement, at all events for the present. THE CZAR AT HOMB. The Russian Court is the Most Mag- nificent in the World. lish Musirated Magazine. The Russian ccurt, military and minis- terial dress is costly and rich in the ex- treme, and this richness is carried out even to the liveries of the servants, their scarlet ceats being literally ablaze with gold. it is a fact that no court in the world pre- sents such a picturesque and magnificent appearance as does that of Russia; at any function, therefore, the show is brilliant, but more especially, perhaps, at a ball, when the rich evening toilets of the ladies, enhanced by jewels of priceless worth, add much to the already brilliant effect. The R n dances are of a very stately de- scription, and both the emperor and em- press take part in them very thoroughly. The aspect of the armorial hall, where the Supper is often laid, is grand beyond all description. This meal is not partaken of standing, as at the majority of the courts, but the guests sit down at the long rows of tables. A procession is formed, which is headed by Ais imperial majesty and the most distinguished lady present, and the reom {s thea entered in the order ef pre- cedence. Of course, an immense quantity of plate is displayed; this and the china that is also used are noted throughout Eu- rope for their richness and beauty. There is one service alone, capable of dining 300 persons, that is composed entirely of the purest silver overlaid with gold. Added to al! this, the use of a variety of the choicest fruits and the rar flowers, among which orchids figure largely, makes the scene one of the most gorgeous magnificence. During the evening a state progress through the suite of rooms is made by the imperial per- sonages and the chief officers of the house- hold, the guests forming up into a long ave- nue on elther side. One special feature is that two or three of the largest halls in the palace are on the occasion of a ball fitted up as a huge conservatory; palms, exotics, ferns, banks of flowers and even fruit trees being transplanted thither with the most marvelous effect. Electric light is carried throughout and glows down from myriads of globes of a variety of colors. In this veritable fairyland hundreds of seats are placed for the convenience of the guests between the dances. It would be utterly impossible to mention the rare works of art to be seen in this palace, comprising paintings, statuary, collections of Jewels, From the | antiquities and curios of every description. Everything is of oriental magnificence, and to see it all the eye must weary of the continuous dazzle. ———— A NEW ENGINE OF WAR. Possibly a Revolution in Naval War- fare and Coast Defenses, From Leslies’ Weekly. On Monday, the 13th of June, the United States dynamite cruiser Vesuvius for the first time was brought into active opera- tion at the entrance of Santiago harbor. It fired three shells, each containing 200 pounds of gun cotton, on the western head- land, at the entrance to Santiago, each missile starting silently on its destructive fight and creating a tremendous explosion when it fell. No small amount of satisfaction is evinced by the people in the fact that the government is in possession of several heavy dynamite guns to be used also in ccast defense. At Sandy Hook there are two fifteen-inch guns and one of eight-inch ce liber. These first named ere fifteen inches in diameter of bore, the very largest cannon which the army has ready for action. At San Francisco there are three guns of the same big caliber, which @ so placed about three miles from the city as to assist materially in defending that harbor. Dynamite guns are operated upon an entirely different principle from the ordinary powder guns. They have en- wines and boilers and alr compressors and coolers, and all sorts of intricate ma- chinery, in a house not far away, by which the projectiles are fired. The dynamite, or gun cotton, or explosive gelatin, or what- ever the explosive material may be, is con- tained in the projectile only. This projec- tile is called an “aerial torpedo” by the manufacturers, and is exploded by means of a fuse, similar to any powder gun's. Dynamite or any other high explosive cannot be used in an ordinary cannon be- cause the powder would explode the dyna- inite before it left the gun, therefore the system of using compressed air came into vcgue as the only method of throwing dy- namite to any distance. The system is popularly known as Zalinski’s, although that naval officer is not connected with thé tmanufacture of the projectiles or the guns. The air is compressed and passed along through various tubes before reaching the gun, and is used at about one thousand pounds’ pressure to the square inch, which is much less than the power of powder. Dynamite will be exploded at about five thousand pounds pressure to the square inch. These guns are enormous affairs, smooth bore, fifty feet in length, made of the best iron, in three sections, flanged and bolted together, and supported on a steel carriage. The Carriage is mounted upon a steel racing ring, so called, and the system of handling is by means of an electric motor. As a guns are covered by a large number of patents, they are very ex- pensive, costing the government many thousands of dollars each. Fifteen men, in relays, are required to work them. The gunner stands upon a platform on the left side of the carriage, uses a fine telescopic sight, and when all is ready he pulls a lever, which allows the compressed alr to enter the gun, and the discharge takes place. These gune are all loaded at the breech, and the projectile is handled by a separate carriage. The projectile is about ten feet in length for the fifteen-inch gun, and when charged with 500 pounds of dyna- mite, or gun cotton, weighs fully 1,000 pounds. It is a steel tube composed’ of walls three-sixteenths of an inch thick, and has a spiral vane at the rear. The fuse is a foot in length and weighs twenty pounds. This fuse contains two pounds and a half of dry gun cotton and'a few grains of fulminate of mercury as a deton- ator. It 1s set to explode at impact, or us the gunner may desire as to time. BES SES EEL, The largest canal in the world is the Chenab irrigation canal in the northwest provinces of India. Its breadth ts 200 feet, with a main chanrel some 450 miles long, while the principal branches have an ag- gregate lergth of 2,000 miles, and the vil- lage branches will extend, when completed, some 4,000 miles additional. The longest canal in the world is that which extends from the frontier of China to St. Peters- burg, and 1s 4,472 miles in length. In In- dia there are 14,000 miles of canals, irri- gating 8,000,000 acres, BACKBONE OF THE ARMY Duties and Position of the Non-Commissioned Officer. His Best Chance is to Shoot His Way Inte the Corridors of Oblivion, From the Kansas City Star, The backbone of the army is the non- commissioned man.—Rudyard Kipling. Lowest down is the lance corporal; high- est up are the regimental quartermaster sergeants, sergeant majors, ordnance ser- geants, and most picturesque is the first sergeant. The “backbone” referred to by Mr. Kipling consists of the company ‘‘non- coms,” beginning with the corporal and ending in the first sergeant. They are the unglorified simews of war, the brawn and muscle; the officer is the much heralded brainy director. The recruit to the army no sooner swears that he “will obey the commands of all officers placed abdve him” than he falls in- to the hands of a corporal. This soldier, with the two clean white chevrons on his sleeves, looks him over, guides him to a bathing place, and begins to lick him into shape. He begins by teaching him how to stand, how to turn around, where to keep his eyes, and all the small details of the soldier business. He impresses on him the necessity of quick doing, and cautions that the officers are there to think. Then the recruit is shuffled on to a sergeant, who places him in a set of fours and teaches rim how to find his place, and what to do when he finds it. He finally falls into the hands of the first sergeant in company drill, He may get an occasional sight of his cap- tain, but he learns to know and emulate his sergeant. The “non-com.” {s the teacher. His un- limited ability to work and his undying patience straighten up round shoulders, liven up the shuffling steps and make a sturdy soldier of the raw recruit. He works always and forever, and executes the orders of his superiors quickiy and ac- curately. He serves as a model to be cop- ied after by the private—he is the back- bone of the army. Glory seldom comes to the ‘non-com.” A long time ago a certain Sergeant Jasper won a permanent place in history, and more recently Sergeant Hamilton Fish died bravely at the front. The “non-com.” works unnoticed, like the line player in the foot bail team, because he doesn’t run with the ball, but he is the backbone that holds the ribs together. When the battle is hot and sweat mingles with blood on the sod- den field, when bullets whizz and shells scream, when comrades sink to the ground and turn on their faces, the officer lifts his sword on high and steps forward into glory. The ‘“‘non-com.” speaks the quiet “Steady, boys! and walks into the jaws of death shooting his way into the corridors of ob- livion. The captain knows he will be fa- mous if he survives—famous if he dies. The sergeant or the corporal knows his wife and children will weep over their loss, his comrades that survive him will bury him in a soldier’s grave wrapped in his blanket. He js too numerous for the his- torlan to mention; he was simply doing his duty. Yet if the victory is won It Is be- cause he is in his place and doing this same duty. Under the new tactics in use by the United States army, companies no longer fight with men shoulder to shoulder under the direct command of the captain. Much stress is laid on the skirmish drill, in which sets of fours under corporals and squads under sergeants fight in open order, firing at will after the captain has ordered “‘com- mence firing."" The corporal {s responsible for his set of fours and the sergeant for his squad. The first sergeant 1s in a man- ner responsible for the entire company and is ready to assume command when his of- ficers are shot down. The new arrange- ment gives opportunity to the “non-com.” to show himself. It remains to be seen whether or not he will break into fame. It Is not in battle, however, that the non- ccmmissioned officer earns the title of “backbone,” for in the fight the sweating private 1s a necessary person. In the camp the white-chevroned soldier makes his pres- ence known and felt. The first sergeant, gruff, stern, severe, kind, man of all work and all intelligence, father of his company and mother, too, in camp, is in charge of his men. He looks after the company quar- ters, tents, bedding, clothing, knows all about the kitchen and sees to the eauip- ments. He cails the roll, detatls the guard, knows the ability and willingness of every soldier of his command and_is the disci- plinarian and mouthpiece of his company. He is the go-between for privates and of- ficers, adjusts quarrels and disseminates advice. The company books, though not intricate, are tedious, and are kept by him, and he reports the dead to his captain. He seems to be in every place at the same time. He ‘is the mode! soldier. The literature of the present war is yet unwrittea. Glorious victories have been Won and admirals and generals have been launched into everlasting fame. It is to be hoped, when the war correspondents get back to the quiet of their desks, they will not have been blinded by the glare of up- l'fted swords and glittering shoulder straps to the bravery and courage of the ‘“‘non- commissioned man.” There 1s room in his- tory for the ‘backbone of the army.” ao eS GOT NINE SABER CUTS. Experience of a Cavalryman Who Had a Wild Horse, From the Monroe (N. ©.) Journal, Sitting quietly in the background at the old soldiers’ meeting here last Saturday, locking as qiilet and timid as a man who had never witnessed a more exciting scene than a chicken dispute in his own back yard, was Mr. M. R. Finley, veteran of this county, but lately a member of Com- pany C, ist North Carolina Cavalry. With all his quiet demeanor and his timidity, a closer inspection of this old man would quickly show marks and gashes upon his head that proved unmistakably that he had shared in conflicts, the flerco- ness and terror of which we of the young- er generation have no adequate knowiedgs. From a comrade in arms of Mr. Finley the writer learned that the now old man had once, on one of the many battlefields of Virginia, singly and alone, spurred his horse through a body of federal cavalry, receiving hand-to-hand their pistol fire and saber stroke. It happened in this way, so his comrades Say, and he won't deny it, and now has the marks to show for it. Mr. Finley had gotten a fresh horse that had never been in action, and was disposed to be wild. The command was on the eve of making a charge, and the captain of the compaay warned Mr. Finley not to ride that horse in, as he might prove unmanageable. But ride him he did, and with a glorious but dangerous sequel. The soldiers were ordered to ride up in pistol fire of the enemy's lines, discharge their pistols, turn back and retreat. This they did, all but Soldier Finley. He couldn’t turn his horse to save his life. The animal tcok the bit in his teeth and flew straight into the Yankee lines. Here he was seized and his rider calied upon to surrender, which he, of course, did, seeing he could do nothing else. Two cavalrymen were or- dered to ride with him to the rear, one on each side. Just as they had gotten well into the rear of the federal soldiers our men made another charge, routed the Yan- kees, who wheeled and fied. Our prisoner in the rear, seeing the situ- ation, quick as a flash put spurs to his horse, turned him and started for his own command, thus meeting the entire body of federal cavalry, who were fleeing toward him, followed by our own men. As the Yankees met and passed by the returning soldier, every mother’s son of them gave a whack at him with their sabers. As one was in the act of shooting him, Mr. Finley snatched the pistol that pang st his sad- dle-bow and shot him dead. hen he got through the lines he was as bloody as a stuck hog, but he rode a mile or so further yet, and in attempting to dismount after he had reached the presence of his sur- geon, he fell in a dead swoon from loss of blood. On his head were nine saber gash- es. One of them across the forehead had cracked the skull, and other on the neck had severed en artery. Mr. Finley, in less than two months, was back in his company, ready for service, No fewer than 12,000,000 acres of land have been made fruitful in the Sahara des- ert, an enterprise representing perhaps the most remarkable an of irrigation by means Pk mages we which can any- RANDOM 6, VERSE, ee ‘Being? tho Flag. Written for The Evenlsg Star by R. W. Lowrlg Belay the fiag—Dhay'dye fag— On mainland mst adif island crag— Haul up the ail it fast— We'll fing it Srgi—we'll ay it last. re Belay the flag, who would not die ‘To keep its ealoraca the sky? i No other thing on land or sea We love like thee7awe love lke they Belay the fing ahd Jett fy, ¥t knows the breezd df every skyz On every land, du edt} sea, i. It stands for bopt dnd liberty. Belay the flag and touch who We stand or fall tp, keep it theres On ship or shore; sitll every son Defend it, asihfs aires have done. Belay the flag, each man ig true, ¥ The gray's as trusted as the blue; No North, no South, no East, no West, This only—who shall serve the best! —__ Obscure Martyrs, (The world knows nothing of its greatest “*) ‘They have no place in stcried page; po Nest tn marble shrine; see ey are past and gove Wiih a ihed age, They died and “annde 19 sign Bat work that shali find its wages yet, God cid not forget, divine— : And deeds that their tee for thate love ese Were their mourners, and these shall ‘The crowns of thelr Immortality, ve O seek them not where sleep the deat Ye shall not find thelr trace; os No graven stone is at their Len No green grass hides thelr face But sad and unseen is thelr silent grave It may be the sand or the deep sea wave, Or a lonely desert place; For they needed no prayérs and no mourning bell— ‘They were tombed in true hearts that knew them well. They healed sick hearts till thelrs were brok And dried sad eyes ti theirs lost Tights We shall know at lest by a certain tegen How they fonght and fell in the fight. Salt tears of sorrow unbeheld, Pusstonate cries unchronicled, And silent strifes for the right— Angels shall count them, and earth shall eigh ‘That she left her best children to batile wer dla —Sir HOWIN ARNOLD, pee Se aA A Mother, From the Boston Pilot. The heauty of all beauty ts Within a mother’s smile; There is no other thing like this, None other worth the while. The glory of all glory le: Within a mother’s ‘glane No child at all can leave Wherein the angels The wisdom of af wisdom sits Upon a mother’s brow; ‘There 1s no crown on earth that fits Just like its whiteness now. ‘The gladness of all gindness pl: Within a mother’s mirth; PS No Puck in all the leafy ways Can laugh so free on earth! ‘The sweetness of all sweetness glows Upon a mother’s lips; No child at all byt surely knows How sweet the honey drips! ‘The wonder of all wonder ig Within a mother’s face; God’s own hath look akin to this, In heaven's highest place. oo The Firefly at a Concert, Mary A. Denison in Collier's Weekly, Now here, now there, A thing so fair, His transient fame emitting ‘Through all the music-haunted alr, Like some wee CG flitting; Now soaring tote otyan lott, Where brazen throats sing loud and oft, Now on some lady's bonnet, Now dancing toa soleiun dirge, Now to a sonnet.- °i Now here, now there, qh! thing of air, Why leave your forest dwelling ?— The tall, grand daks, ‘The whisptring pines, Of the dim weed-aisits telling? In nature's great, cathedral, thou Wert sure a fayored, rover, Now cng crab the dew of night, Now soaring to the nidhttain’s brow, Some happy itsect'slover— Why to this fashionable throng | Camest thou over? .. ‘The heavens ard Wabki(Wwithout, weiney need thy Mgnt Vhen all the starg mut away, ‘Thou dost Mlanie the nignt, oe But Mf this glarobof gaa, 4» This blarevef. braws,. Thon, little fly, artout of place, Amidst the perfume, fanning, lace Of fashion’s weary Welegates, Go, nature waits” God's music ia her heart— . And leaye tp sordid man What he Calls art. ———_—__+ e+ What the Drums Say, Hark! I hear the tramp of thousands, And of armed men the hum; Lo! a nation’s hosts have gathered Round the quick alarming drum— Saying, “Come, Freemen, come! Ere your heritage be wasted,” aid the quick alarming drum. “Let me of my heast take counsel; War if not of life the sum; Who shell stay and reap the harvest When the autumn davs shall come? But the drum d. “Comet Death shall reap the bravest harvest, solemn-sounding drum. said the “But when won the coming battle, What of profit springs therefrom? What if conquest, subjugstion, Even greater ills become?” But the dram Answered, ‘‘Come! You must do the sum and prove it,"* eaid the Yankee-answering drum. “What if, ‘mid the cennon’s thunder, Whistling shot and bursting bomb, ‘When my brothers fall around me, Should my heart grow cold and ‘numb? But the drum Answered, “Come! Better there in death united than in life B® re- creant—come!"" Thus they answered—hoping, fearing, Some in th, and dcubting some, — EDS aro esc Aine: “My chosen ple, come!"” Then the ‘arene Yo, was dumb; For the great heart of the nation, throbbing, an- swered, “Lord, we come’ Little ‘Things. To him whcse mind is wide and great, Nor insignificant, nor small, ‘The very smallest thing of all; Xt truth Amportant may relate; On it may hang an empire's fate; It may be germ cf wizard’s rody It may reflect the face of God;— ‘Tis worth a glance at any rate: When down the knotty apple fell, Sir Isaac gravitation saw; The kited key, the annals tell, Was strong enough to lightning draws “Two sparrows for a farthing sell" — But each is kept in Love and Law, —CHARLES JOSIAH ADAMS, —_—- __ Lights Out. Gertrude F, Lynch in the Chap Book. How often in our Ifttle boat On summer evenings we would floaty Careless of time, of east and west, pee so and iow, ech from the casemates it, At the silvery daraiag sigh Brom far-off campy trdm land of f Ufats tro} Ocasing from idle talk and jest, o’er the waters restless flo ts, out Eitass the oe ie it would rit » While we would wait,/our oars at rest the river's peaceful breas watch the Fello Of that pidinttve bugle call Sut! "2, One oe 8 O'er wast q Gomes the tamilier seyad of O18, Ife in darkwtens t ‘Tne faterat ‘pomtes to ta ; of that platadrs ugie call ry Copiiolation. Walter Learned in thie‘aibany Times-Union, ‘When Molly came home from the party tonight~ There Were ares tee in hee bright bine ere traces ‘That looked mournfully up to mine. Sas For some one had uispered to RR ec ee said (there were yolce), “hat they didu't ike sometblag she dd. So I took my i knee— Tam old and execedingly. wise And I said: z ten to na 1 geld: “My dear, now listen to meq and dry your eyes, INSURANCE IN Interesting Development of the System at an Early Period. ICELAND Compensation for Loss by Fire—on tle Co-Operative Plan — How "Damages Were Assessed. From Chambers’ Journal. Centuries before the wise citizens of Lon- don recognized the value of fire insuraace there existed a most interesting form of it, and that not in any of the great commer- cial nations of the middle ages, but in a remote island of the Atlantic—in Iceland. This fact, remarkable as it is in itself, will not seem so surprising to those who are acquainted with the ancient condition of that country, which has for several hun- dred years played but 4 small part in Euro- pean history. Its first colonists, in the end ef the ninth and beginning of the tenth centuries, were among the most enterpris- ing of Norway's scns, and for the next three centuries their new home rivaled the mother country in most respects, and far excelled it in mental activity. The old poetry of Norway died out about the year i000 A. D., and from that date, so long as there were skalds at the court of the Nor- wegian kings, they were Icelanders. At the same time they were careful farmers, dar- ing seamen and enterprising traders. They traded regularly with all the neighboring countries, and thought little of an over- land journey to Constantinople, where many of them served in the bodyguard of the Byzantine emperor. At home, next to the necessary care of their herds and flocks, they were above all devoted to poetry, his- tory and law. To be skilled in the lafter was a sure title to respect at a time when law books were still unknown, and codes were carried in the head of the “lawman,” or declared by the “lawspeaker,” at the meetings of the althing, or yearly assem- bly. In the thirteenth century these laws of use and wont came to be written down, not officially, it wculd seem, as happened in other countries, but by persons intere ed in legal studies, and they are now pre- served in a collection commonly known as Gra-gas, or gray goose (a name of doubtful origin), which is used as a general name for the laws of Iceland prior to its union with Norway in 1262. It is in this colicction of laws that the interesting item of compensation for | by fire occurs, a section which ts quoted by the editor of an Icelandic journal of last year, in the first of a series of articles on the ancient civilization of Iceland. The editor, Dr. Valtyr Gudmundsson, is one of the best authorities on this subject, and uses the quotation as a text to point out to his countrymen the superior foresight of their ancestors fn this respect. The modern Icelander has not yet realiz- ed the value of insurance, as shown by the fact that one of the foremost yeomen in the country had his farm burned down three times in succession without its being insured. It was otherwise in the old days, as Dr. Valtyr points out. In the time of the old republic, the golden age of Iceland, every yeoman-farmer was by law com- pelled to be a member of a mutual insur- ance society. The method by which com- pensation for loss by fire was made is thus explained in Gra-gas, and is a striking proof of the thoroughly practical views of the old Icelanders: “There are three houses in every man’s dwelling for which compensation may be obtained in event of their being burned down.” (In Icelandic dwellings each room Was a separate building, and so is called a “house”). “One is the women’s sitting room, another the common sitting room and the third a pantry where the women pre- pare the food. If a man has both a sitting room and a hall, then at the spring as- sembly he shall choose whether he will rather have the sitting room or the hall insured. If there is a church or chapel on any man’s farm, then that is the fourth house Hable for compensation, where it exists. If any of these houses aforemen- tioned {s burned down, the owner shall summon five of his neighbors, and get them to estimate the damage that has been done. They shall estimate the damage done to the house {tself, and also that done to clothes and other valuables burned along with it, but only such clothes and valua- bles as the owner requires for daily use shall be reckoned for compensation. If a church is burned there shall be reckoned along with !t for compensation all the hangings, the choir and the best bell that has been destroyed, if there were more than one, and all the furniture required for daily use; the same thing shall be done in the case ‘of chapels.” When the damage had been valued by the neighbors, as above provided, one-half of the loss had to be borne by the yeoman himself end the other half was made good by all tha other yeomen in the district. From each of these a certain amount was levied in proportion to the value of his property, and if this were not paid within a specified time it could be seized by law. At the same time it was provided that no cne could be called upon to pay as his share more than 1 per cent of his whole property, and it was not compulsory to compensate the same person for loss by fire more than three times. ——— UNDER THE NEW LAW. He Wanted to Find Out Just How It Affected Him. From the Chicago Post. “John,” she said with some show of tr- ritability, “have you made up your mind in regard to our plans for the summer yet?” He shook his nead. “The war,” he began, “has—” “The war,” she interrupted. ‘“‘What has the war to do with it? Are you afraid that Narragansett Pier or Newport will be bom- barded?” “Not at all,” he answered. “It is not the danger from without, but the danger from within that worries me. You ought to see the new revenue law.” “What's the matter with it?” she de- manded. “I don’t know,” he replied. “I don’t know that anything is the matter with it. I am simply trying to get the hang of it and find out where I am at. Has the butcher notified you that you will have to put a government stamp on all meat that you buy’ “How absurd! Certainly not.” “Well, maybe that’s omitted. I’m going through the thing by degrees and trying to glassify the stamps that I will have to use if I stay at home and the stamps that I will have to use if we go to the seashore. It may be all right when I get through, ut it's just as well to be cautious. I know there’s a tax on bank checks and money orders and sleeping car berths and tele- grams and nearly everything else that is of use on a summer vacation, but I haven't got down to hotel stationery, bathing houses and the surf yet. You'll have to ‘wait until I've been through it all, but you might as well understand right now that if stamps are required on bathing suits you the girls will stay at home. “Oh, I guess you will find it is all right,” she said soothingly, for the prospect of missing a month at the seashore naturally didn’t please her. Then just to make things more binding she leaned over his chair and ‘was about to kiss hi but he dodged. “Now, just hold on!” he exclaimed, reach- ing for a ore: ep in his pocket. ‘That may be all right, and then again it may not. Let’s see if there is any tax on it." An hour Jater he put down the pamphlet, sighed:and said: “You may go ahead with that kiss. I find nothing about it here and I guess we can afford to take chances.” ———_~+«-+—____ LLOYD’s NEWS BELL, Great Excitement Now at the Famous London Shipping Center. From the London Graphic. No hamlet of apprehensive villagers was ever more alert to the clanging from its belfry than are the members of Lloyd's to- day to the solemn notes of the bell which dominates the world-renowned institution, and which has survived from the enterprise of Edward Lloyd, the coffee house keeper, who first supplied his customers with news" fe merchantmen. The following night in a N.NW. gale she struck on the outland bank of the Island of Viieland, near the mouth of the Zuyder Zee, end sank. The only survivor was an old rotary, who had been taken out by the representatives of the banking houses who were in charge of the treasure to advise in the case of any ques- tion arising. At the time of the loss Eng- land was at war with Holland, und the Dvtch government consequently claimed the wreck and cargo as prize. During the years 1900 and 1801 various efforts resulted In te recovery of £55,000 worth of treas- ure, and over fcrty years afterward aui- Other £50,000 worth of trea ered. In 1833 some gold coins and several thousand silver collars were fished-up, and eleven years later more gold and silver Were brougut to the surface, these tokens being disposed of to members of Lloyd's as relics. The bell also found its way into the hands of the committee of Lioyd’s, as well as a piece of the tiller chain, which twines around the iron frame holding the bell, and sume timbers, out of which a chairman's table and armebair havo been fashioned. A crier stands in his bcx close to the bell, and by meaas of a wire tolls it whenever he has news of importarce to announce re- gerding the movements of any vessel which has been underwritten at Lloy: At the present juncture, when the safe arrival of ships in port is a matter of anxious mo- ment, the scone is a remarkable one. Mem- bers find reiief from the tension by voctf- ercus cheering cn the slightest pretext. ‘The back of the screen, which shuts off a smaller room, is white with messages from the 1,500 agents of Lloyd's, and is now swarmed round by enx:ous readers from the opening to the closing of business. As a matter of fact, though, there is no clos- ing time ac Lioyd’s quarters in the Royal Exchange, cierks being employed both night and day. a NEWS FROM THE FHONT. Mr. Dooley Received His Information at First Hand. From the Chicago Journal. Mr. Dooley looked important, but affect- ed indifference, as he mopped the bar. Mr. Hennessy, who had learned to study his friend in order to escape disagreeable com- plications, patiently waited for the philoso- pher to speak. Mr. Dooley rubbed the bar to the end, tossed the cloth into a mysteri- ous recess with a practiced movement, moved-a glass or two on the shelf, cleaned his spectacles and drew a letter from his pocket. “Hm'm!" he said; “I have news fr'm th’ fr-ront. Me nevvew, Terry Donahue, has sint me a letter tellin’ me all about it.” . “How shud he know Mr. Hennessy asked. “How shud he know, Mr. Dooley demanded warmly. How shuddent he know? Isn't he a sojer iv th’ er-rmy? Isn't it him that’s down there in Sandago fight- in’ f'r th’ honor iv th’ flag while th’ likes iv you is up here livin’ like a pr doin’ nawthin’ all th’ live-long 4 shovel slag at th’ rollin’ mills? Who fr to criticise th’ dayfinders iy our coun- who ar-re lyin’ in th’ trincaes an’ th’ clothes stole off their backs be ’ pathriotic Cubi I'd like to know? two pins, Hinn’ you an’ I'd quar- vs rel. “I didn’t mean nawthin’,” Mr. Hennessy apologized. “I didn't know he was down there.”” “Nayether did I,” said Mr. Dooiey. “But I informed mesilf. I'l have no wan in this place speak again th’ ar-rmy. Ye ye'er say about Mack. He has an’ ‘tis r-right an’ proper f'r to baste him fr'm time to time. It shows ye'er in good thrim an’ it don't hur-rt him. They’se no wan to stop his pay. He goes up to th’ cashier an’ dhraws his forty-wan-sixty-six just th’ sane, whether he’s sick or weil an’ whether he’s pulled th’ box reg-lar or hus been playin’ forty-fives In th’ back r-room. But whin ye come to castin’ aspersious cn th’ ar-rmy, be hivens, ye'll find that I can put me thumb on this showcase &n’ go over at wan lep.” “I didn’t say annything,” nessy. “I didn't know about Terry ‘Iv coorse ye didn’t,” said Mr. Dooley. “Al that’s what I'm sayin’. Ye'er here wallowin’ in luxury, wheelin’ pig ir’n fr’m morn till night, an’ ye have no thought iv what's goin’ on beyant. You an’ Jawn D. Rockefeller, an’ Phil Ar-rmour, ‘an Jay Pierpont Morgan, an’ ¥erkuss, an’ th’ T-rest iv ye is settin’ back at home figurin’ how ye can make some wan else pay ye'er taxes f'r ye. What is it to ye that me ne vew Terry is sleepin’ in ditch wather an atin’ hard tacks an’ coffee an’ bein’ r-reb- bed be leeber Cubans, catchin’ yallow fever without a chanst iv givin’ it to eer a Spanyard. Ye think more fv a stamp thin ye do iv ye’er counthry. Ye'er like th’ sugar thrust. F’r two cints ye'd rayfuse to support th’ gover'mint. I know ye, ye bloated monno-polist.”” “I'm no such thing, hotly, yea “Well, annyhow,” said Mr. Dooley, “don't speak disrayspictful iv th’ ar-rmy. Lave me r-read you Terry's letter fr'm th’ fr-ront. ‘M—m: In th’ trinches, two miles fr'm San- dago, with a land crab as big as a lobster crawlin' up me back be, way iv Kingston, June 6, Dear Uncle Martin.’ That's th’ way it begins. ‘Dear Uncle Martin: We are ail well here, excipt thim that is not, an’ hope ye'er injyin’ th’ same gr-reat blessin. It's hotter down here than Billy-be-dam’d. They’se a rollin’ mill near here jus’ th’ same as at home, but all th’ hands is laid off on account iv bad times. They used ol’-fashioned wooden wheelbarrows an’ fir- ed with wood. I don’t think they cud han- dle th’ pig th’ way we done, bein’ small jla-ads. Th’ coke has to be hauled up in sacks be th’ gang. Th’ derrick aands got six a week, but hadn't anny union. Helpers got four twinty. Puddlers was well paid. I wint through th’ plant befure we come up here an’ r-run a barrow up th’ plank, just to keep me hand in. Tell me frinds that wan gang iv good la-ads fr'm th’ r-road cud wurruk anny three iv th’ gangs down here, Th’ mills is owned be Rocke- feller, so no more at prisint. Frm ye’er affeschunate nevyew, Peter Casey, who's writin’ this fr me.’ “'Tis a good letter,” said Mr. Hennessy. don’t see how they cud get derrick hands f'r six a week.” “Me frind Jawn D. Mr. Dooley. ———_+e+___ Trees and Electric Light, From Meehan’s Monthly. Permit me to call attention to the dele- terious effect of the electric light on trees, In front of my house all the trees that are within fifty or sixty feet of the big are lights lose their leaves “and show many dead branches. One tree within fifteen feet of one of these lights is nearly stripped to the lower branches, and is dry and dead (it is maple). A tall elm about thirty feet away is fast losing the leaves from the jong pendant branches—ard a butternut in front of my window Is fast going the same way. To test this point I have taken walks of about twenty miles in extent through the city streets, with the same result vis- ible everywhere, 60 I am convinced the elec- tric light is hurtful to most trees. They can't sleep with those big, glaring electric eyes shining from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. or there- abouts. I believe there is also a chemical action trom these lights. ‘The trees cannot live in almost eternal day—they, like hu- man or animal life of any kind, want res: It is only near these lights the decay is so marked. Have any of your correspond- ents noticed this? I would like to know. Maples, butternuts and elms seem to suffer most. Willows and horse chestnuts do not seem to be affected, nor the lilacs—the cot- tonwoed does not seem to feel it at ell. Montreal is the best-lighted city I have seen on this continent, not excluding New York. The lights are large arc ones, and placed about twenty-five to thirty feet from the ground. Now note this: The trees all begin to lose their leaves on top or on he side facing the lights, and grgdually keep losing them downward. Now for a di sion. I also belfeve the electric lights are much to blame for human sight defects and nervousness, and, lastly, for insomnia. We want darkness for rest, all nature demands it, and how can people rest comfortably with these high flickering lights glaring in at their windows? You may say close your blinds, but in this climate at this season said Mr. Hennessy, “I've been a dimmycrat fr thirty Knows how,” said = 83 AFRICAN ELEPHANTS At the Present Rate They Will Soon Be Extinct. WOULD END THE TRADE IN IVORY Animals That Might Be the Best Friends of Man. DESTROYED RUTHLESSLY Yrom the Providence Journal. The question of the day in Belgium ts the protection of African elephants in the Con- so free state, At the present rate of merci- less slaughter, the race of African eephants in the Congo free state will become totally extinct in less than ten years. The total Gestruction of these African elephants means the ruin of the tvory trade, a mat- ter of vital importance to Antwerp, which has of late years become by far the most important ivory market in Europe, ahead even of London and Liverpool. Mr. Paul Bourdarie, an eminent authority on African elephants, has just been dele- gated by the “French National Soclety for the Taming of the African hant” to make an agreement with the government of the Congo free state at Brussels concern- ing the necessary measures to be taken to domesticate young elep) hope, therefore, has not been abandoned, notwith- Standing numerous fruitless attempts to see the African ant r nis In- dian brother, a pr to the explorer, the colonist and the warrior. The only pity is that this movement for the protection of the African elephant should have started so late, when the race has Leen almost entirely destroyed by native and European ivory hunters The opinion was long held by competent authorities that the African el ing to his violent temper and ture, never could be domestic ; the only use of the an‘mal S to kill them for their tusk@ Those who held this opin- fon forgot that the domestication, or rather the education, of an animal is not the work of a few months, or even a few years, but the slow process of centuries by the grad- ual transformation of the animal's charac- ter from generation to generation. Demand for Ivory. The cause of the rapid destruction of the African elephant is, of course, the result of the rapidly increasing development ot the tvory trade. Thus, the official st ties give the following figures for t werp market: In 1888 the importation sale of tvory amounted only to pounds, but from 1802 the Increase has been rapid, as the figures given below will shew. shant, ow t 1s- Mm 1808, 448,000 pounds; tn Y in 1895, 724,000, and finally, in 1698, 400,000 pounds, a marked decrease resulting from the wholesale slaughter of elephants in the free state. The first re- sult of this slaughter has been to greatly reduce the price of !vory in the past ten years. The market price, which was very nearly $3 a pound in 1Ss9, sunk to a dollar and a half in 1896. In former days the natives of the Congo, before the arrival of European colonists, only killed off a certain number of ele- phants every year and confined their slaughter to the male adults. But today the natives, spurred on by European colo- nists in their greed for ivory, kill indis- criminately the old and the young animals, whether male or female. The difficulties of elephant hunting are, moreover, far less than ts generally supposed. The usual method of the Congo natives is to prepare large pits into which the elephants are driven and killed without trouble or danger, As for the European so-called “sportsmen,” they make an easy slaughter of the Congo elephants, thanks to their perfected fire- arms. A Belgian “sportsman” of this kind is mentioned, who, between April, 1896, and October, 1896, shot no less than 152 ele- phants. Practical Plans. Mr. Paul Bourdarie, who is indefatigable in his attempts to save the African ele- phant from total extinction, and to whose efforts is due the foundation of an asso- ciation in Paris for the protection of the animals, has, in the course of his lectures delivered jn Belgium, developed a series of practical plans, which contain the solution of this difficult problem. Mr. Bourdarie’s proposals may be summed up in his pro- jected internatioral agreement between Belgium, France, England and Germany to regulate elephant hunting and to dome ticate the animals, inasmuch as it is pos- sible to do so. Great hopes are expressed by Mr. Bour- daris, who js about to sail for the Congo on an official mission, to be exclusively devoted to the domestication of the African ele- phant, that his present efforts will be crowned with success. Certainly there is no time to be lost if the last remaining remnants of the elephant tribe are to be saved. But once thoroughly domesticated, the African elephant would, like his Indian cousin, become, thanks to his great strength, Intelligence and helght, a power- ful auxiliary in the work of African culo- nization. Easily Handled. In the whole animal creation there ts not to be found a creature more intelligent, harmless an’ more easily managed, more apt, in other words, to become the friend and helpmate of man, than the elephant. It has taken all the ferocious brutishness of the African negroes incited by the crim- inal cupidity of Arab and European ivory merchants to transform into a savage and ferocious animal a creature best suited by nature to be man’s associate. In order to fully realize the effects of man’s kindness on the elephant it is but necessary to com- pare the veneration, respect and genuine affection with which it is surrounded by the natives of India, and on the other hand the stupid barbarity of the African negro hunt- ers. When the Hindoo bunts the elephant it is not for the purpose of killing him and sawing off his tusks, but to catch him alive and tame him. Help to the Hindoos. The elephant renders such great services to the Hindoos that in the depth of their gratitude the animal has been elevated to the rank of a god. The British government in India makes use of elephants in various departments of state administration. In the engineer corps they are used to carry materials for bridge and road building. In the lumber districts they are invaluable for carrying off logs from the forests to the Saw mill, a task which they perform witn far greater dexterity than workingmen would. But it is more particularly in the army, especial'y for the transportation of artillery over steep and dangerous moun- tain passes, that the elephant is invaluable. Of all this, the African negroes, who ma: sacre every year more than 16,000 of these useful animals, kicw absolutely nothing. Mr. Bourdarie has therefore decided to take with him on bis expedition a certain number of Hindoo elephant tamers, through whose help it is hoped that th Congo animals may, in time, reach the Same degree of civilization as their Asiatic brethren. An Attempt That Failed. In former days an attempt was made by the African Association to introduce the Asiatic elephant into the Congo regions. The success of the famous Abyssinian campaign, largely due to the help of forty- four Hindoo elephants, who carried the heavy British artillery across the moun- talnous ravines of Ethiopia, was stil] fresh in everybody's mind. In 1879, therefore, four Indian elephants, which had been of the elephants Cied suddenly; another died a few weeks later, and the remaining two only survived a few months. The fail- ure of this attempt led to the supposition that the Asiatic elephant abn = t it the ity true, Lu the Indian much to do with the