Evening Star Newspaper, November 5, 1898, Page 23

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1898—24 PAGES, —— AMERICAN CONSULS @eod Work They Do in Extending Our Foreign Trade. PRAISE FROM AN ENGLISH SOURCE They Well Deserve to Be Called Ambassadors of Commerce. INTELLIGENT ASSI ee From the London Mall. United Stat consuls are as thick as kings in Homer, or blackberries in the au- tumn nearly every city of the world— inland s well as maritime, and in many Kttle towns—is to be found an official of the nited States, armed with a commis- sion from his President, fortified by an exequatur from the government to which he is aceredited, and protected in his of- fices by the -arms of his country In sixty ns and the United Kingdom will the American eagle be noted by the observant traveler, omewhat rust- ed, no doubt, m our damp atmosphere, as he sended over the consular door, but none the less an evidence of the ubiqui- ty of the people over whose broad—and ow expanding—lands he soars. Of these xty consular officers, about half are American citizens, the remainder being Englishmen, performing technical duties in the smaller places. The thirty Americans, though primarily appointed also for the execution of specified office dutie: demand and Washington (as have throughout the world) r country’s foreign trade—“‘advance agents,’ of their manufacturers and shippers. I have been brought into contact with many of them !n the course of the past ten years, and I have diligently noted their methods in connection with, and their attitude of mind toward, these new and, I may almost say, incidental duties. Some- thing cf what I have learned 1 set out here. ve become, intelligent through public direction from their colleagues pioneers of their Try to Be Practical. Said cne ecnsul to me, “Our people are not old enough yet to have learned the ™meaning of the word ‘bureaucrat;’ our of- ficlals at home and abroad do not consult Fegulations, lest they may accidentally do more than ts expected of them; and few of us weuld neglect a letter of inquiry on the ground that the information wanted would require considerable time, perhaps some ingenuit: to ‘fish out.” Our manu- facturers have only lately seriously entered the field as exporters, and we feel that we are in a position to help them. We don't write essays or send over academic dis- cours: but we -try to be practical.” or instance?” I said. “For instance.” he answered, “I meet the proprietor of a newspaper. He tells me he 1s using American paper in his ma- chine. T ask if there are faults to be found with the paper, or with the business meth- ods of the shippers. He makes several compla‘nts of a technical nature, the most important of which refers to improper packing, and consequent injury to the goods en voyage. I make a report that night, in thirty days it is in print in our journals, and before six weeks have pa I rec four letters from paper manu- and sent.” heard about facturers, asking further particulars led information, which was duly t was accident that you this,” I suggested. Seurces of Information. in another, no. I I subscribe to and “In one try to know everybody attend the chamber of commerce. I live my life among the merchants. T get to know them and the sort of business they do, that I may know where to go for infor- mation that may be frankly asked and hon- estly given: and I am glad to think that I have several times been useful in helping goods to come here that we want to sell and you want to buy. In another town a very large dealer in fron told me that he had just had a call from the American consul, who had asked him if he ever imported any American bolts sense, and nuts. Upon his answering in the nega- tive the suggestion was made that there Was a possibility of business; but that as prices were cut so fine, the consul could not help matters on unicss he was supplied with price lists, showing discounts. De- tailed figures were ultimately supplied the consul, showing the exact prices paid to the German, French and English manufactu- rer; and these, with samples, were sent to the United States, with full particulars as to frei s, custom house charges and i do not know whether bus rated through this act e const fault if no r trade terms. sult followed. Assist Our Manufacturers. Calling once on a provincial consul I found his table covered with little bits of manufactured rubber, marked with prices. He had received a letter from a manu: turer in his own country, he explained, which inclosed a sample of rubber, and asked if that sample could compete in Eng- land; and, >, Whether it was nec to send over a traveler; or wh: Means of opening the business coud be gugeested. “I am sending him samples of English goods and prices,” said the consul, “and he can tell for himself what he can ao.” “How did you get the samples?” I asked. “From the largest people here, and from another firm who do not manufacture. I showed the former the letter and the sam- ple and said: ‘If this is a c¢ of goods that does not compete with you, f e tell me ail about it.’ They answered that it did compete with them, but that their price lists were open to anybody, and they did not fear competition; so the all the information I wanted. I find that large manufacturers rarely refuse information which may easily be obtained indirectly They are too broadminded to put petty ob- stacles tn the way. “You had to in person to get this in- formation?” I asked. “Yes, it is all personal. A clerk couldn't get it, and letters are not fruitful; but a consul who sits in his office all day ts not much use as a commercial traveler.” You admit you are a commercial travel- I asked er Ambassadors of Commerce. “Of course, some call us ambassadors of commerce; but that fs only high-falutin’ for the same thing. England and the United States are essentially commercial coun- tries, and consuls have importanc duties in connection with their export business, Per- gonal dignity need not be ruffled in per- forming those duties effectively. There is no more patriotic service an American can render his country at the present moment than to discover a new market for a com- modity. That is really achieving some- thing; other consular duties are largely technical.” ‘Those ditable sentiments animate many of the American consular officers. One I kuew was extremely perturbed be- cause his country was snipping fabulous mumbers of sides of bacon each year to Engiand, and receiving regularly a pound QF so a hundredweight less than Canada and Denmark were receiving. made an exhaustive inquiry into the subject, and nally sent a report to his country, telling the farmers what sort of pigs to breed from, how to feed them, when to kill them, how to cut them up and how to cure them. lemonstrating that if his directions were followed thousands of pounds would be added to the income of his country. He has since, he tells me, had a heavy corre- spondence cn the subject, and expects to see some packing houses established which shall cure for the British market alone. Intelligent Assistance. I could multiply examples illustrative of the initiative and alertness of these consuls, but the above will suffice to show that they &re animated by a commendable national rit of enterprise, which takes, like most fankee enterprise, a very practical form. 2 think, however, their work in this direc- tion is only beginning. It has only lately intelligent supervision and guidance m Washington, for it is only a short since a bureau of commerce was ¢s- in their Department of State. t bureau has already exercised a per- Ceptibte influence on consular work, as is shown in increased volume and practicality of reports. The haphazard forwarding of these, according to the energy, acumen ‘and mercantile knowledge of the consul, is gradually being systematized. American manufacturers ready for export business new turn naturally tothe bureau. They formulate with the exactitude of bus- iness men a series of questions covering precisely the points on which they desire information, and the bureau procures an- swers through the consuls. The useful, but homely, “sausage casing” has not beer thought too trifling a subject upon which to ask reports; leather has had attention, white lead has been examined, credit sys- tems of different countries have been re- ported on, markets for manufactured iron have been diligently searched for, Ameri- can proprietary medicines have been looked into, pianos and markets for them have been exploited—these are a few of the sub- jects, recalled at haphazard, that are dealt with by American consuls, under direction from headquarters. The One Fault. The bureau of commerce, besides initi- ating inquiries, publishing the results in special numbers and editing and controlling the usual monthly volume of reports, sys- tematizes the department statistics and maintains and develops a sort of foreign intelligence bureau. I am told this latter feature is appreciated and commended by exporting inqvirers. The ult in the American system is, of course, in the changes made with each in- coming. administration; but I am told that opinion is working fast for permanent ten- ure; and when this reform is accomplished American censuls will be, even more than now, active, alert and successful ‘forerun- ners of their country’s foreign trad ———___ ++ — BATOPILAS MINES. Mr. Brodie Talks ef Gov. Shepherd's Valuable Chihuahua Property. Frem the Mexican Herald. Mr. Walter M. Brodie, who is at the Hotel Sanz, with his wife and daughter. is the consulting engineer of the great group of mines owned by the Batopilas Mining Company, at as, Chihua- hua. The mines are really owned by Governor Alexander Shepherd, who is the buck bone and largest stockholder of the company. Mr. Brodle is Governor Shep- herd’s son-in-law and is largely interested in the property. He talked interestingly last night of the mines and the work going on there. It will be remembered that shortly after the expiration of Governor Shepherds’s term as governor of the Dis- trict of Columbia he came to Mexico and purchased a number of the mines that are now cwned by the present company. The price paid for the property was six hun- dred thousand dollars, and since that time they have gradually improved in value un- til they are worth not far from ten million dollars. ‘The property is located in the Chihua- hua mountains, and is eight days’ journey from the Mexican Central railroad com- munication. Of the journey, two and one- half days can be made in a coach, but it is necessary to go on mule back for the rest of the distance, on account of the roughness of the country. Mr. Bredie said last night that the company was hoping that a railroad will be built that will run near their property. Several surveys have already been made and it is probable that such a road will be built. At the present time it is necessary to pack all of the ore taken out of the mines to the railroad on the backs of burros. When asked to explain the development work going on at the mine Mr. Brodie sail “The property, as you perhaps know al- ready, consists of almost forty-eight mines that are being worked at the present time. We employ over twelve hundred men regu- jarly. The work is going on steadily and all of the mines are being worked. The principal work in progress is the extension of the great Porfirfo Diaz tunnel, which ts being run into the side of the mountain. The tunne! will in ail probability be worked for the next ten years. Four hundred feet further and it will reach the principal vein. The completion of the tunnel will lessen the expense of carrying on the work in marked degree. We are also making some extensive experiments to determine the best method of working the gold that is in some of the mines. Our concession calls for the mining of both gold and_ sil- Up to this time we have not gerbes the: as we were finding our silver property all we could handie. But at the present time we believe that the work- ing of our gold properties will prove a pay- ing investment.” Mr. Brodie said that the health of Governor Shepherd continued very good, and that he was able still to do a great amount of work. MEAT I ver. opportunity or the desire to work deposits, ECTION IN LONDON. A Movement to Do Away With Private Slaughter Houses. From the Philsdelphia Medical Journal. the last three or four officer of the London county council has been making extended obser- vations of the methods employed in the large European capitals for maintaining a wholesome meat supply to the community. He has embodied the results of his inves- tigations in a report to the public health committee of the council, and the com- mittee has adopted the suggestions of his report and are now pressing the council to give effect to them. The principal sug- gestion is that private slaughter houses should be done away with, and that cattle for the London markets’ should only be killed in certain public places under the supervision of the county council. $80 reasonable, it is, indeed, so y the only way to combat the dan- gers of tuberculous food that the ordinary man would consider the matter unworthy of debate. Unfortunately the London county council is a very large body, and in that body there can generally be found one or two people to speak in behalf of any vested interest. Now, undoubtedly, the butchers of London would suffer to a ce: tain extent in thetr pockets posed reform. Many of them have shambles for which they have siderable sums and which would become useless if the London county council car- ried out the wishes of the medical officer. The butchers are a wealthy trade, and have a powerful association, which has al- ready given formal notice of an intention to oppose in the couneil the adoption of any resolution confiscating private sham- bles. The result of this move may be to irritate the council into treating the butchers with exactly that want of con- sideration which those excellent trades- men fear; but it is more likely to lead the council to consider some terms of com- pensation. It is almost impossible to con- ceive that the council, in the teeth of their public health committee and their medical officer, would allow to remain in the heart of London such focuses of disease as private shambles. How soon shall we see a similar movement in the United States? —— A Vast Rice Field. From the New Orleans Pieayune. “There ts a vast stretch of fine prairie country between Lake Charles and Crow- ley,” said A. V. Eastman of Lake Charles at the St. Charles Hotel last night, “that is fast betng converted into a fertile rice belt. Pumping plants are being put in all through that section, which are converting the place into one of the richest and most productive countries in the south. This has been a big rice year. The crop was dam- aged by the September storm, but not so very much. All through the Lake Arthur region the irrigating system is being adopt- ed. The planters are not depending upon Providence rice any more. They found that it was too uncertain, and they could not af- ford to get only one crop out of every three or four. But with canals of water penetrating the prairies and powerful pumping plants scattered here and there for raising the water, the Louisiana rice belt is assuming new proportions and new possibilities.”” For medical years the This by the pr private aid con- A Silk Worm of the 5 From the New York Herald. Silk is obtained from the shellfish known as the pinna (mytilidae), which is found in the Mediterranean. This shellfish has the power of spinning a viscid silk which in Sicily is made into a regular and very handsome fabric. The silk is spun by the shellfish, in the first instance, for the pur- pose of attaching itself to the rocks. It is able to guide the delicate filaments to the proper place and there glue them fast, and if they are cut away it can reproduce them. The material when gathered (which ts done at low tide) is washed m soa; water, dried, straightened and carded, one pound of the coarse filament yielding about three ounces of fine thread, which when spun is of a lovely burnished golden brown and PLANTS IN THE LADRONES Many Queer Things to BeFound en the Islands. A Man ‘Who Owns a Farm is Inde- pendently Rich—Can Liye Without Labor. From the Richmond Times. The queer things in the Ladrones incluce a tree the fruit of which is so obnoxious to the nostrils that a man cannot “keep his stomach” and smell it. But once past the nose it is so delicious that he will eat until too full to walk. This fruit ripens once a month, and is plentiful. A nut which can be eaten shell and all is another queer product. The shell is brittle like a cracker, sweet and good. The inside has a kernel which can only be bit- ten when the fruit is fresh. Another fruit is so rare that it is used as a coin. A very queer mineral product is a stone which changes color In the atmosrlere. Cold days it is black: hot days it is bright red; when rain tireatens it is pinkish, ard in cloudy weather it is blue. This stone lies on the highways, and the pedestrian can forecast his own weather. A great yellow flower which opens and closes to the sun at noon is another nov- elty. This flower takes only five minutes to open and shut; for one minute it is wide open, showing a white center with golden heart. It opens directly up to the sun and closes tight with drooping head. It varies not one minute in the whole lifetime of the plant. On cloudy days it opeas, but its petals point downward, for the stem does not rise as on sunny days. This flower as a clock to the natives. The domes- tic animals of the Ladrones is.a smal! bird called a “laughing donkey.” It laughs iike a parrot, but has projections at the side of its head which give rise to the name. An- other household pet is the Japanese poodle, which here is very small and very curly haired. This dog catches its own fish in the lagoons, and eats fruit from the guava tree. The man who owns a farm in the Lad- rones is a rich man, for he can support life without labor. Bread fruit trees grow wild, and with the cocoanuts are the shade trees of the tslands. A grove of bread fruit trees to a Ladrone islander is what a herd of western cattle is to a ranchman. Fruit grows all the year round, and every qual- ity of queer edible tropical fruit is found there. Rice, corn, indigo, castor oil, guavas and bread fruit are exceeding!y plentiful, while sugar cane, cotton, tobacco and cas- tor beans grow without planting. They are natural to the soil, and spring up in such quantities as to be regarded as weeds. A very valuable possession which Uncle Sam will use is the palm grove, which ex- tends in a belt across all the islands. This palm grove consists of palm trees which rise side by side so close together that you can hardly, except for the slenderness ot the trunks of the trees, penetrate into the depths of the palm forest. They grow vegetable ivory, which in commerce is as good as the elephant tusk. This ivory can be used in all cases that do not call for e#reat durability, and for ornaments, it cannot be surpassed. ++ THE CIGARS OF MANILA. Now Much Better Than Those Ameri- cans Used to Smoke. Manila Correspondence, Chicago Inter-Ocean. Cigars and cigarettes are remarkably cheap, even in the face of the economic conditions that exist in the east. The cheapest cigars are sold for $10 per 1,000, and the most expensive for $100 per 1,000. Reduce that to a gold basis, and you find yourself wondering how they can be made for the money. The cigarettes are even cheaper. The cheapest grades retafl for 1% and 2% cents Mexican per package of twenty-four and thirty cigarettes, and the grades in most common use sell at the fac- tory for $20 Mexican, or $9.50 gold, per 1,000 packages of twenty-four and thirty cigarettes each. The best cigars can be bought at retail at the cigar stands for 5 and 10 cents Mexican, and {ft is recorded that in the days of the monopoly a very fair cigar, as Manila cigars go, could be bought for 1 and 2 cents Mexican. The genuine Manila cigar of today is not known in the United States, and if ever It finds it way there it will at once spring into immense popularity. The old Manila cigar, short and stubby, or cone-shaped, is rapidly passing, and in its place modern cigars are being made. All of the modern shapes in vogue in Europe and America have been introduced since the monopoly ceased to exist, and anything that pleases the fancy may be had at the kiosks of Manila. The modern cigar, made of the best Cagayan or Isabel tobacco, is not as good as the Cuban product, but {t will bear fair comparison with it, and is certainly the superier of scores of the domestic brands sold In the United States. The tobacco is milder, and there is no flavor- ing introduced into it nor any chemical pro- cess resorted to in treating it. There are 15,000 Americans now, and they take very Kindly to the better grades of Manila cigars, and freely predict a revolution in the cigar industry in the United States in the event of the annexation of Luzon of the Philippine group. The cigarettes are also made of pure tobacco. The entire industry has suf- fered on account of the Inferior grades that are shipped from here, and Manila cigars have been unfairly condemned. The average small native planter grows no more tobacco and docs no more work than {s absolutely necessary to earn a liv- ing. He plants in November and garners in March, and in the interlm raises what maize he needs for his house and farm. He has no other cares, and borrows none. He pockets the market price when the buyer arrives, and {t keeps him until he comes again. He has to sort his leaves into five sizes and bundle them into manos, each of which contains 100 leaves, and there end his troubles. There are eight large and between fifty and one hundred small factories in Manila, and the former employ from 400 to 2,000 operatives each. In the manufacture of the better grades of cigars men and boys are employed al- most exclusively, while on the cheaper cigars and cigarettes women are more gen- erally employed. The former are, as a rule, paid on the plece system, while the latter are often contracted for in gangs, and answer to their employers only through the subcontractor. Wages vary, not only as to the grade of the cigars made, but as to the skill of the operatives, and there is a wide range in pay. Expert cigar- makers in the large factories can earn $1 Mexican, or 45 cents on the gold basis, but the average Is nearer to 75 cents Mexican, and among the children and less expert operatives wages range down to 20 and 30 cents Mexican per day. —————————EE How to Open a New Book. “Modern Bookbinding Practically Consid- ered,"’ by William Matthews. “Hold the book with its back on a zmooth or coverad table; let the front board down, then the other, holding the leaves in one hend while you open a few leaves at the tack, then a few at the front, and so go on, alternately opening back and front, gentiy pressing ope: the sections till you reach the center of the vclume. Do this two or threc times and you will obtain the best results. Open the volume violently or carelessly in any ene place and you will likely break the back and cause a start in the leaves. Never force the »ack; if it does not yield to gentle opening, rely upon it, the back is too tight- ly or strongly lined. “A conasisseur many years ago, an excel- lent customer of mine, who thought he knew perfectly how to handle books, came into my office when I had an expensive binding just brought from the bindery ready to be sent home; he, before my eyes, took hold of the volume, and, tightly hold- ing the leaves in each hand, instead of al- jewing thon free play, violently opened it in the center, and exclaimed: “How beau- t:fully your bindings open!’ I almost faint- ed. He had broken the back of the volume, and it had to be rebound.” —+e+____ “The doctor,” said the young mother, “says baby ought to have one cow's milk for his daily drink. Now, really, isn't that entirely too much?”—Indianapolis Journal. ———_+e+—____ ‘Thousands of situations have been ob- tained through the want columns of The in Manila From 23 RANDOM VERSE. ek ere Shmset. for "The 8 ‘Weltten Hyening Star by Frances A. Looking at those reff clouds Pited up In glort banks of light, “How small seems. + How puny our desires! Eternity—how bright! From out that ruday- glow ‘The future shines resplendent, though afart ‘Faith's plereing eye ean look beyond and greet ‘The ‘ristng of -Life'sistar. Strange yearnings fll my heart, A sudden deep-unrest, E’en as the fledgling feals his instincts stir Within him in the nest, So, ptntoned to eartl}' too long, ‘The soul awakes, and, fiuttering ere it flies, Brushes its spirit-wing against my cheek In rare‘surprise. * ‘That it had slumberéd thus awhile, Lulled by the voices and the earthly din ‘That made the bodyiall unconscious of ‘The visitor within’ And so a glory steals abroad, A deep content that wraps me long; For me the heavens have borne a message rare, ‘The firmament a gong. ——— Some Other Days. ‘There are wonderful things we are going to do, Some other day; And harbors we hope to drift into Some other day. With folded hands tie oars that trall, We watch and wait for a favoring gale To fill the folds of an idle sail Some other day, We know we mvst toil if ever we win Some other day, But we say to ourselves there's time to begin Some other day; And 20, doferring, we lofter ci Until at last we ‘find withdrawn The strength of the hope we leaned upon Some other day. And when we are old and our race ts run, Some other day, We fret for the things that might have veen done Some other day. We trace the path that leads us where The beckoning band of grim despair Leads us yonder out of the here, Some other day. ———_+.e+ Bamboosling Grandma, From the Nebraska State Journal, “There never was a grandma half so_good!"* He whispered while beside her chair he stood, ‘And laid his rosy cheek, With manner very meek, Agatnst ‘her dear old face in loving mood. “There never was a nicer grandma born; I know some little boys must be forlorn, Because they've none like you. I worder what I'd do ‘Without a grandma's kisses night and morn?? “There never was a dearer grandma, there!"* He Kissed her and he smoothed her snow-white alr; Then fixed her ruftied zap, And nestled in her lap, While grandma smiling, rocked her oi arm chair. “When I'm a man what things to you Ill bring; A horse and carrlage and a watch snd ring. All grandmas are #0 nice (ust here he kissed her twiry And grandmas give a good boy everything.” Before his dear old grandma could reply ‘This boy looked up, and with a rogatsh eye, Thea whispered in her ear That vobedy might hear: “Say, grandma, have You any more mince pie?* Sg Trm¢ Nobility. For this true noblenesg.I seck in vain, In woman and int man¢I find it not; I almost weary of my earthly lot, My life springs are dstef! up with burning pain. Thou find’st it not? T pray thee look again, Look inward thrpagy the depths of thing own soul. ete is it with thee? Art thou sound and whole? a Doth narrow search Show thee no earthly stain? Be noble! and the sobleness that lies In other men, sleeping, but never dead, Will rise In majesty to. meet thine own; ‘Then wilt thou see it-gleam tn many’ eyes, ‘Then will light around thy path be shed, And thou wilt nevertnofe be sad and lone. [AMES RUSSELL LOWELL. Life's Mirror. Madeline 8. Bridges ia Demorest’s. pte. there are euirits brace, as lat ape pure and trnet ‘Then give to the world the best you have Ané'the best wilt come baxk 1 yon, Give love, and love to your life will flow, A strength in your utmeet necd; Have faith, and‘a score of hearts will show ‘Their faith in your word and deed. Give truth, and your gifts will be patd in kind, And honor will honor mee And a smile that 1s sweet will surely find A smile that 1s just as sweet! Give pity and sorrow to those who mourn} You will gather, in flowers again, ‘The scattered seeds from your thought outborne, ‘Though the sowing seemed but vain. For life 1s the mirror of king and slave, ‘Tis just what we are, and do; ‘Then give to the world the best The Spirit of Gordon. Caron Rawnsley in London Dally News New ends the wrong that never shall be right— part-atoned, end Britain's bravest man from far calm the work he well began Made sure; the Mahdi’s hosts are turned to flight! Breaks the red dawn! and fades the weary night! The sower dares to sow, the caravan Starts from Darfour pnd ancient Kurdofan, And Nilus fe no more the tyrant’s might. Men say that night before Omdurman fell They saw throughout the camp a headless ghost And heard a voice,“'Nay,think not, friends, of me, For others, lo, I'perished at my’ post! Strike, strike, for others’ freedom! all is welll”? And Britain struck, and half a world is free. e+ Courage. Because I hold it sinful to despond, And will not let the bitterness of life Bind me with burning tears, but look beyond Its tumult and its strife; Because I lift my head above the mist, Where the sun shines and the broad breezes blow, By every ray and every raindrop kissed That God's love doth bestow; ‘Think you T find no bitterness at all; No burden to be borne, like Ohristia Think you there are no ready tears to Because I keep them back Why should I hug life's ills with cold reserve, curse myself and all who love me? Nay! A thousand times more good than I deserve God gives me every day. And in each one of these rebellious tears Kept bravely back he makes a rainbow shines Grateful T take his slightest gift; mo fears Nor any doubts are mine. Dark ae must clear, and when the clouds are past, den day redeems a weary year; Patient 1 listen, sure that sweet at ‘last Will sound His voice of cheer. — His Last Voyage. ‘There fs a sea from whose remoter shore No vessel ever wanders back to this, ‘To tell what sands the silent waters Kiss, Or brings a word from sailors gone before— Whether they landed safe the freight they bore On some fair isle of everlasting bliss, Or sank with it to some unknown abyss We cannot tell—but they return no more. Each makes the voyage for himself alone; Or if a line or m there may be, ‘Tis written in to us vnknown— Scme language uffé which wo have no key; And like the ima} fh its eyes of stone, If they return, we/Havg‘no sight to see? iG THE HESPERIAN. The. Agnostic. I do not know Where heaven may be, When parted from the girl I love; ‘There's naughtabout that's sweet to see, And the dun Glouds hang low above. When she I love ts far from me I do not knowowhere heaven may be. = To solve the mystery of life In vain I trpavhen she's away. ‘Then these fewcyears of wrong and strife Seem useless; an@ the filnty way We tread, with. and gloom fs rife, , What use is life? When she’s a! Me? & But when I'm‘withher, then I know ‘That heaven "fs Mining in her eyes; ‘That life is given to go Holding the Uttle hand I prize. Life's purpose then is plain to me Nor do I doubt where heaven may be. -oo-———— Requiescat in Pace. Oh, perfect rest, divinely full and -deep, Safe from the storms which earthward o'er us sweep; “Por 80 He giveth His beloved sicep."* B'en though our eyes with bitter tears are wet, - ‘We do not mourn him with a wild regret, As If his life's sun had forever set. it ir of eve For in God's heaven there never conjeth night. THE CAMEL'S USEFULNESS Is Somewhat Weakened by the Defects of His Character. At Times He is Vengeful and Ugly— Cherishes Resentment—Stupid Except When Angry. From St. Paul’ I am obliged to confess to the distllusion- ing of my mind as to the camel as well as his master. ‘“Docile,” “faithful,” gentle” were the adjectives I had always applied to the huge, ungainly, but indispensable ani- mal. When, however, a residence in the €ast brought me into personal contact with the camel, and I came to know him “in his habit as he lives” I was obliged to say a long farewell to another dream of my child- hood. I had always agreed with Russell's description of the camel as “An abomina- bly ugly necessary animal, but had so thoroughly believed in the camel's gentle- ness, intelligence, fidelity and supreme use- fulness that I was quite of the’ opinion of the Arabian poet who represents the un- gainly stride of the camel as presenting a “standard of elegance in motion!"’ The camel is stupid save when angry, and then seems to become suddenly po: a with an inteiligence almost preternatural in carrying out its vengeful designs. Pal- grave relates the following story of a cam- el's revenge, which serves to illustrate this point: “A lad of fourteen had conducted a large camel laden with wood from one vil- lage to another at a half-hour’s distance. As the animal loitered or turned out of the way its conductor struck it repeatedly and harder than it seemed to have thought he had a right to do. But, not finding the oc- casion favorable for taking immediate quits, it ‘bode its time.’ That time was not long in coming. A few days later the same lad had to reconduct the beast, but unladen, to his own village. When they were about half way on the road and at some distance from any habitation the camel suddenly stopped, looked deliberately round in every direction to assure itself that no one was in sight, and, finding the road far and near clear of passersby, made a step forward, seized the unlucky boy's head in its mon- strous mouth, and, lifting him up in the air, flung him down again on the earth with the upper part of his skull completely torn off and his brains scattered on the ground. Having thus satisfied its revenge, the brute quietly resumed its pace toward the village as though nothing were the matter, till some men, who had observed the whole, though unfortunately at too great a dis- tance to be able to afford any timely help, came up and Killed it.” The Arab who has angered a camel will throw his clothes upon the ground, and the infuriated brute, after stamping on them and tearing them asunder with his teeth, goes on its way, and the driver is thereafter quite safe, as it seems to be an axiom with the camel as with English law that no man shall be put in peril of life twice for one offense. All this is upon the shady side of camel life and character. There is a very much brighter side. Progress through Arabia, the Egyptian deserts, and many other parts of the east would be quite impracticable without the camel. And when one considers the nature of the work performed by the camel, it is perhaps its very phlegmatic, somnolent organization which best fits it for that work and which gives color to the ac- cusations of stupidity and laziness. ——-— + e+ —____ FACTS ABOUT DIAMONDS. The Most of Them Are Purchased by Americans. From Canton Spare Moments. South Africa is the world’s greatest dia- mond mine, and the United States is the best market in the universe for diamonds. The exports of diamonds from South Afri- can dlamond fields exceed £3,000,000 per an- num, and the world’s total output is about £4,000,000. Of this total the United States buys about £2,500,000 worth, almost entirely in cut stones. While tariff changes have affected some- what the diamond trade in tha United States, and have recently promoted the business of diamond cutting and setting there, they have been without scrious ef- fect upon the American market. wich for diamonds is the best in the world. In the United States one is impressed with the extraordinary popularity and al- most lavish use of diamonds. Not only are there more diamonds there than in any other part of the world, but they are in more general use. The most valuable individual diamonds of the world’s supply are seldom worn. The largest known diamond weighs 366 carats. The value of the famous Kohinoor, which Weighs 103 carats, is £100,000, but the value of diamonds is not wholly regulated by weight, color being an important clement. Until a century and a half ago the world’s diamond field was India, and for nearly a century India held this position. Then the discovery of diamond mines in Brazil brought South American diamonds into the market; and in 1868 the South African or Cape diamond fields were dis- covered, and have been worked with great profit ever since, while the Brazilian fields have been practically abandoned. The South African diamond field covers 15,00 square miles, and one field—the Kim. berly, covering nine acres—has produced more than £20,00,000 worth of diamonds since 1871. The preseat annual export of diamonds from the South African diamond ficlds averages 1,500 pounds in weight, to a value, as we have stated, of over £3,000,000. Two thousand white and 20,000 native miners are employed there. For some rea- son which is not very plain, although the products of diamond mines have been for Many years in territory owned and con- trolled either by England, Spaim or Portu- gal, the business of diamond-cutting has centered in and about the Netherlands. and particularly Belgium. ‘The first guild of dizmond-cutters was established in the town of Bruges, in that country, moresthan 500 years ago, and since that time the busi- ness has been a very proi:table one, both in Antwerp and Amsterdam. ——_+e INDIANS AND THEIR SIGNALS, They Utilize Ingenious Devices to Communicate With Each Other. From Leslie's Weekly. The Chippewas are a great sugar people, who do not pass the pipe, have no sun- dance, and excel in making canoes. Th2 Sioux call them “the fast-running-water people.” The Chippewas or Ojibways get their name from the peculiar lacing of their moccasins. A list of the authentic signs in use b2tween the various tribes would fill many books—that is to say, all American Indians have a universal sign- language without regard to tribal dialects. Long-distance signals are sent with light- ning-like rapidity, and messages go be- tween distant points quicker than ordinary ‘telegraph messages with the messenger-boy attachment. The especial war signals are in six divisions—the pony, the blanket, the mirror, smoke, fire arrows, flint and steel, and we might add drawings and sketch2s. On a distant bluff a pony and rider begin to run around in a small circle or ring, racing for dear life. As if by magic, the plain becomes alive with red men, who seem to come out of the ground with the commotion of an army of ants; the signal- man holds up his blanket by each corner, n.eaning att2ntion, then, wig-wagging his biankei, he says, “The enemy is discov- ered one thousand strong.” At last he holds up his blanket as a sign for the warriors to disperse, and they at once melt into the earth like falling snow in a lak>. Another signal-man, on a distant hill overlooxing the village, flashes the news with a small mirror to the old men, war women and wives, not forgetting, however, to flash it on the tepee of his sw2etheart, who suddenly finds it imperative to go for firewood in the direction of the well-known flash. Two straight acer blue smoke go- ing upward indicate a victory, two being the Indian lucky number, or, maybe, at night a t2nderfoot notices some failing stars in pairs. “Burning arrows,” said our guide. The Sioux do not use them, how-. ever. They say “Many fire-flies in the October air.” “Indian fire ~ ” says the points of knives tn the soft and pliable clay, appear et intervals, letting us know that war is on. Suddenly coming upon a village, we find that the bucks have re- turned in the night very quietly, the In- dian method of admitting an overwhelming defeat. Indians observe nature very close- ly; more, perhaps, than any other people. Especially peculiar was a Chippewa’s.com- ments who visited London and Paris. For the queen he showed the deepest respect; for the gay Parisians he said: “So many children widout faders, and so many wo- men with little dogs tied to a string.” In speaking of the mirror signals, he said: “Supposing a few of us were at a talk in the lodge. We got hungry; one said so« and-so had plenty to eat. I go to his tepee and hint that it might be well to cook something, and when all is done I go out- side and flash to each friend that it ts ready. They come in one by one, as if by aceident, and, of course, are invited by the host to eat.” ~e@e-— SLANG FROM THE SAILORS. Terms That Come From wunge of the Sen. From the Chicago Chronicle. In the vast amount of narrative which has of late been read regarding ships and the sea few persons have stopped to think to what an extent the English language has been enriched by sea terms. For instance, in response to the every-day query, “How are you?” many will answer, “First rate, thanks.” The latter speaker has no idea that he is perpetuating the remembrance of the old line-of-battle ship, First Rate. The navy in past days had six “rates,” or classes, of vessels. Sea proverbs are als met tn daily use. For example, “The devil to pay, and no pitch hot.” One never thinks why “devil” or “pay” should be mentioned. The saying originates in the mystet calking the seams of a ship's deck. outside seam, called by sailors the water- seam, obtained among calkers the term “the devil,” through the difficulty of to “pay” is to run hot pitch We say of a man who ts going wrong, “He is on the wrong tack,” sometimes in error using the word track. A vessel on the wrong tack drive ashore, or, if in a hurricane, be en- gulfed in the heart of the storm. Suppose some one “spins you a yarn.” He may tell you of the unlucky fellow who ts “among the breake: f the villain “‘safl- ing under false colors;” the heroine show- ing “signals of distress;” the hero striving bravely “against wind and tide,” yet true to his love as the “needle to the pole;” presently the two are “wafted” by a “fa- voring gale’ safely “into port.” In politics the “ship of state” blunders on with Lord Tom Noddy “at the helm; occasionally some high official is “thrown overboard” by his party. Colloquially, we growl at an interpreter for “shoving in his oar; we speak of two scoundrels as “tarred with the same brush;” we advise our friend to “go with the current,” and we speak of him to others as all fair and “above board.” Jack is a bit “rakish,” and sometimes “half seas over;” if he does not reform he will some day find himself “high and dry,” and “laid up” for good. Such terms as in “good trim,” a “snug berth,” to “carry on,” at “close quarters,” to “fit out,” and so on, are familiar to all. Here are the derivations of three of the last mentioned: “Rakish"—in the old war days privateers, pirates and such gentry de- pended upon the speed of their vessels; these had their masts “raking,” or slanting; such a vessel was said to be “rakish,” that is, a fast and doubtful customer. “To carry on” is to keap sail set longer than a very prudent men would do; recklessness. “Close quarters"—the modern meaning is well understood; the derivation is curious. “Close quarters” were strong wooden bar- riers stretched across the deck and used for retreat and shelter when the ship was boarded. The old slave ships were thus fitted in case of the slaves getting loose. In the old naval wars the term meant two ships in action, with their sides touching, as was often the case. —_+-e-+____ SEA BIRDS AND THEIR EGGS. Hunters Contest With Gulls for Pos- session of the Spoils. ‘rom Harper's Magazine. If the murre ts disturbed by an egg hunt- er and its single egg taken it will return and replace its successively stolen ovum until eight have been laid. It is loath to leave its nest, even when the despoiler ap- proaches, and when he comes up she leans away from him and moves over to the far side of the nest. But presently, yielding to the alarm within her breast, she emits a sudden squawk and flies off, flushing the en- tire rookery as she moves towand the sea, leaving the pickers to fill their pouched shirts with the booty, They must hurry the work, for as soon as the eggs are un- covered the gulls hover close and become thick upon the scene. These the men musi fight off, for they brazenly interpose the: selves and battle with the humans for the possession of the eggs. The opportunity being open, the gull sweeps down upon the murre egg, seizes it in its mouth and goes sailing aloft, cracks it in its bill and gobbles what of its con- tents it can, the residue falling on the rocks below. Then it takes another swoop away and balances itself to spy out a new egg. The gull's egg is palatable. That these islands were a great repository of edible eggs became Known in the early fifties. At the time of the discovery of this fact provisions were scarce and gold plenti- ful in San Francisco, and the rookery eggs offered in the markets of that city brough one dollar a dozen. The opening of thi new and free opportunity to acquire wealth precipitated numbers of people upon the islands and in the bustness of egg gathering. Quarrels ensued between the competitors as to their respective “rights” in the premis with the result that a company was form- ed among a number of the pickers, which bought out the claims of the othe: This company managed to hold onto its advan- tages for some years, not, however, with- out experiencing contests and en¢roach- ments, until the bickerings ultimately grew so flerce as to attract the attention of th¢ United States district attorney at San Fran- cisco. He sent a detachment of government soldiers there and deperted every egg picker. the Lan- of calking it; along the calked seam: ——_-+0+ _—_ Tramps and Hoboes. Frem the Forum. A tramp ts not a hobo; a hobo is not a tramp; a vagrant is neither; a criminal is mene of these. A tramp is a man of such mental make-up that he has no higher aim than to exist and have “a little fun” occa- sionally; avoiding responsibility and re- straint and all manner of mental conc2n- tration. He will walk only when he can- not ride, and will work himself tired going from house to house rather than accept a job on the promise of a meal. The term “hobo” was not originally of evil significance. It originated in ths west, when the great tide of humanity swept in thet direction; and it was applied to the many who, failing of their first hopes, were forced to the necessity of tramping from ccmmunity to community in quest of em- ployment. A hobo is a better sort of man than a tramp, has. more self-respect, is usually young, and may, I believe, be called a tramp in the first stage. Many hoboes are merely men out of work, who wer> forced to the road by circumstances which they could not control. A vagrant loafs around a town as jong as he can. He does not jump trains—he lacks the spirit to do that—but he may sneak into a boxcar. He is often a “‘grafter;” that is, he blist2rs his arm, pretends to be par- alyzed, sells pencils, tells pitiful tales of former brilliant prospects, or what not, and, very likely, has the whisky or opium habit. Hoboes are never “grafters,” though they may or may not have th> habits just mentioned. Veiy few genuine tramps re- sert to the grafting scheme. Hoboes are products of industrial condi- t‘ons and of the attitude of society toward unfortunate able-bodied mn. It would be have drifted into our regular army and made soldiers, and how many re- to the President's call for volun- are many old tramps. A hobo will not become a tramp if he can help it. You can hardly save the tramp—he is too far gone. Let him alone and sav> the hoboes, and the tramp prob- lem will be to a large extent solved. the hundred thousand men on the setae cre Mewes. ‘They can OLD ROMAN STREETS oe ey As a Rule They Were Narrow and None Too Cleanly. WERE NEVER LIGHTED AT NIGHT There Were Sky-Scrapers Even in Those Early Times. ——-—___ NERO AS A BENEFACTOR eae et From the London Architect. The extreme height and overhanging stories of the Roman butidings were a source of danger to the citizens in more ways than one. There were many impor- tant thoroughfares in Rome the: were al- ways in the shade; only at high noon did @ streak of sunlight find its way between the buildings to the pavement. The streets were thus always damp, for, although Rome was sewered and there was a penully against throwing slops into the street, the city was none too cleanly, and there were frequent humorous allusions, among tho poets and writers of odds and ends, to the misfortunes sustained by pedestrians, who, while passing along the strest, were del- uged by buckets of slops carelessly thrown from upper windows. Pliny mentions a wedding which ended in a riot on account of the leading participants being thus be- sprinkled with filth—not of design, but through the carelessness of a housew Deeds That Were Dark. There was another danger hardly less serious. Queer as it may seem to us in these days of gas and electricity, the streets of a city which certainiy contained 2,000,000, and may have had 4,000.00) of Population, were at night in the dark- ” ness of Egypt. Such a state of things pr sented singular facilities for the operations of footpads and highwaymen, and the fre- quency with which their operations were attended by murder is shown by the mu. merous epitaphs that have been discovered intimating that he Whose ashes lay be- neath was kilied by robbers. Every house- holder, every tenant in @ tenement house, had to look after his own security. and accordingly the doors of residences at dark were barred, every window was secured by a strong iron lattice, and in tenement houses the street doors were fastened and a common fund, ratsed by the tenants, was provided to secure the Services of a watch- man to look after the bui In the tenement structures which had a respect- able class of tenants the watchman went his rounds through the bullding at regular intervals, but in the better class of houses there were generally two or more wat men, and the one at the front door was chained so that he at least would wie aie og attention to business through the What Nero Acco: ph Little heed seems to hav: the Roman builders to the tus, ‘© been paid by edict of Augus- and from all accounts the houses in the tenement district rose higher and high- er, for In the next forty or fifty years half a dozen edicts were promulgate, subject, which would not have toe the case had the first been obeyed. Nero did more for Rome than any monarch before or after his day. Nero has probably been the most abused individual of ancient times, and his wanton cruelties, the ba barity with which he persecuted not only the Christians, but all opponents, political or religious, his nameless vices, the mura: of his retatives, chargeable to bis account— all have combined to render him an ob- ject of detestation to succeeding ages. But, Probably on the principle of “giving the devil his due,” Professor Lanciani has shown that the merit of femodeling Rome was due to this monster in human form, If Lanciani is to be believed, the great conflagration which destroyed Rome in A. D. 64 was the work of Nero's agent and if the latest researches are to be cr ited, the work was done with such eft: iveness that of the fourteen wards threo were completely burned, seven were most totally destroyed’ and four damaged. d- al- were A Reconstructed City. However this may have been, it is cers tain that as soon as the ruins had grown cold the entire working popymtion of the city was given employmest in clearing off the debris, transporting it to the Tiber d erecting new structures. The imperial architects went to work and reconstructed the entire plan of the city. Without pay- ing the shghtest regard to previous line new structures were laid out as nearly straight as the nature of the ground would permit. Public squares, breathing spots, were located at convenient places in the tenement district, and a law was promul- gated that no residence house should be higher than twice the width of the street. This seems to be the first reference among the Roman building laws to any propor- tion between the height of the house and the street. The changes proposed by Nero, had they all been carried out, would have made Rome a city which for comfort, con- venience and safety was unequaled in an- cient times, and not easily surpassed by modern cities, Wise Building Regulations. Every tenement house or residence build- ing was to be isolated from its neighbors; wooden ceilings in the two or three lower stories were prohibited, the ceilings rest- ed on stone or brick arches, wood being permitted only in the upper stories. Every householder was ordered to erect a wooden portico in front of his building that pass- ers-by might have shelter from sun and rain, while the width of the streets and the isolation of the buildings furnished 4 reasonable guarantee against future ex- tensive disasters by fires. ——_~-e-__ Some Odd Book Stores, From the New Orleans ‘Times-Democrat Hidden away on the side streets of the city are several old book stores that never seem to have any patrons. How they exist is a mystery to the casual passer. They are grimy and cavernous, the perfunctory display of stock at the doors is anything but inviting and the folks in charge are apparently Indifferent to sales. A man who used to be in the business himself threw some light on the subject while tn conver- sation with a reporter the other day “Those little shops,” he said, “are prac tically independent of casual trade; in faci, they hardly want it. Each of them has a clientele for whom they collect books along certain lines. One, for instance, makes a specialty of ecclesiastical works: another of history, particularly of Lou'siana history; another of medical literature, and so on. They know exactly what thefr customers Want, and every now and then they send them a package on approval. A great many of their customers are scattered all over the country, and I know of a shop here that has several in Europe. One recom- mends mother, and you wouM be surprised at the extent of some of the Msts. Casual customers, as I remarked before, are not especially desired, because, to begin with, they are apt to handle and disarrange the ‘stock, and then the chances are that th