Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, May 19, 1895, Page 13

=) 7 % P THE SCHOOLS OF TIE PEOPLE Demoralising Effect of Bchool Tliustrated in Philadelphin. EYES Politics | HOW CHILDREN' ARE INJURLD Startiing Resalt of Tnvestigations Pursued | by n Yale Frofessor—School Jneoks and Young Fyes--Various Fdueational Notes. out with foarfully finc-limed italles, type not st big enough for the litle eyes. An ele mentary arithmetic, the same one | had when a schoolboy; best type in the hook Just comes up to the foast requirements for the worst books in the highest grades; more than haif the book 1s in smaller type: and as for the minutely-printed portions and the complicated fractions—heaven preserve our eyes! And ) on; worse and worse they grow. Com pare especially your children's geographies with the specimen. Shortsightedness—it is the blackmail we pay to carcless publishers and ignorant school authoritics for the sake of getting tucation.” NC WOMAN ASTRONOMER Mrs. who 1s In charge the astron a good record as an as was able to anncunce D aria T mical observatory of Harvard, has Ma ming, ot onomer. In 1880 sbe a spectrum that Pilladelphia 1o no exception from the | & SCTIAIN Mar Ih the ConmtellNCon Grtand universal American complaint of too much ! o half ehe discovered cle new variables. politics In the management of the public | besides i eting forty others. She als schools. The evil has reached an acute stage | has the honor of having first discovered in the Quaker Clty, and efforts are h“\nu“v':“, i b Aot L e sl made 1o provide a remedy through legisla- | “n “fue Observatory. " says the Boston tive cnactment. But the friends of reform | Globe regular publication of the Green are met at the doors of the state legislature [ wich (England) observatory, Mrs. Fleming with the malign and demoraliziug Influences | bas received very cordial recognition for which dominate fn the schools, and which 7,‘“‘):,‘:13(‘; ";'{l:‘:fi',‘d:;'f“;“"l”““ ":-'r" threaten to block all remedial meusures. | panorte’ of various phases of the Draper Concerntng this influence the Philadelphia | memoriai work have appeared for years in Ledger says the ‘Astronomischen Naohric V}nu' \:”:fllw; u ow belng consid- | astro al journals, over the signature o ered ‘{.y"-’»‘;’1’-";:M;f::.«:m i um‘ gid i "thte e s D s city by some of the sehool hoards and a | 3SR G IS PO Cora othera certain class of small fry politiclans. On th i,., the ladi sefated with Mrs. Fleming otber hand, the mass of the citizens, who | have b aportant pleces of e looked into the matter, are almost a | investigation s gift of a $50,000 telescope, to be used in the Draper memorial unit In tavor of the measure, and with them in its support fs the mayor and every dally newspaper. Even a few of the #chool boards, it 1s understood, agree that the educationa bill, abolishing ward lines and placing the schools under the direct care of the hoard of education, assisted by local boards of visitors, s far better than the present antiguated, cumbersome and ineMclent system. Those who oppose the bill do so, as a rule, from purely solfish motives. They care nothing for the betterment of the schools, the thor- ough education of the children, or for the best good to the whole ecity. To the petty politician and some school directors, local work at Peru, will make graph stars of the smallest mag interfor of the Draper mewmorial building at Cawmbridge 1 very attractive to the The rooms are large and light and pleasant and, of course, spotlessly neat. The walls are hung with beautiful photographs of the stars and other heavenly objects, and of views of the different stations of the Harvard ob servatory. There are good rugs on the floor and large library tables and well filled book- ca in the different rooms for the con- venience of the workers, with here and there magnifylng glasses and other optical instrn ments that show what kind of work is carried on there. In one rcom all the photo- possible to photo- itude. The boards are but a means to personal ends, ends which can be best served by keeping the school districts identical with the ward lines. To this class of persons to be a director means that he, or the petty politiclans caus- ing his nomination, shall have the appolnt- ment of an indefinite number of teachers and janitors. There is one board In this city the members of which recently indi- eated great satisfaction over the near com- pletion of a new scho house, because, as they expressed it, they wonld have flve new appointments, namely, four teachers and a Jonitor. There was not even a thought nt- tered of the gratifying prospect of having four new divisions, except that there would be places for four persons, through whom, directly or Indirectly, they expected to gain scme petty political advantage in the ward “There fs no doubt that there are school boards In Philadelphla of whose members the majority are earnest, Intelligent men, actuated by a desire to further the best in- terests of the schools and city, and to pro- mote the welfare of the childrer. There are 0 as certainly good, true men in every school board, but it is just as certain that the boards having a majority of such men are in a minority, and it is just as true that, in other cases, the good men are so few 'In number as to be practically helpless to do good in school work. “This wretched condition of affairs fs koown to nearly every parent in Philadelphia whose children attend the public schools, and they are therefore almost unanimous in a desire to see the bill urged by the Clvic club adopted by the leglslature and made a law. HOW CHILDREN'S EYES ARE INJURED Prot. E. W. Scripture of the psychological department of Yale university has been in- vestigating a subject that will interest every parent in the land who has a child in the schools. Somo time ago it occurred to him that it would be a good plan to find out why there was so much shortsightedness in the children who are attending the public echools, and other schools for that matter, and the result of that line of investigation will be something of a revelation to the fathers and mothers In this country who have little ones in the various institutions of learning. In a word, Prof. Scripture declares that out of every 100 cases of shortsighted- ness more than ninety cases are the result of school work. A representative of the New York Times called on Prof. Scripture Tecently, and in_answer to a number of ques- tions on this subject the professor said: “Spectacle dealcrs are very serviceable to humanity, yet I propose that the parents and teachers of the land join in a benevo- lent boycott to drive them out. of business I don't mean to boycott the dealers directly, but to boycott the bad eyes by which we give them trade, “Do you know why you wear glasses for shortsightedness? Did 1t ever occur to you that somebody is to blame for all the short- sightedness in this world? It seems a strange and almost incredible statement that, with a few very rare exceptions, all the shortsightedness in the world has been manufactured by man himself, yet this is the truth. Manufactured! Yes, manufactured by those who had charge of our childhood’s days. Our parents, our teachers, our guar- dians, and our playmates are the persous to whom we owe the irreparable injury of the beautiful eyes that God gives us all. Man- ufactured! Yes, manufactured by our early sports, by our early lessons at home, by the occupations of the kindergarten, by vicious school books, and so on. “I have a couple of children for whose education I must begin to provide; they need and must have. something to do; they must have books and toys and school.” In a short time the school days must begin. But can 1, as a father, send them to the schools for which we pay so much, when I know the chances of rulned eyes? Can I trust them ta teachers who will oblige them to use bad| books—yes, ‘bad’ books, for a book that ruins the eyes is just as bad as a book that corrupts the morals. Who is to blame for this difculty? Not the publisher; he makes books to sell, and will make whatever the school authorities will buy. Not the boards . of education; they are busy men of the world, and, of course, have no knowledge of the safe requirements for the eyes. Not the 3 superintepdents, principals and teachers; + they have had no instruction on the subject, * and know no better. Are the normal schools “.and training schools to blame? They are 1 supposed to teach all things necessary for school work, but they are apparently Ig- ! norant on this as well as many other sub- Jeots Vhat 1s the cause of shortsightedness? It is the amount of work near the eyes which we do during early life, and this is mainly school work. The child’s eye Is very soft. The strain of near work causes the eye to lengthen, and it does not recover from this lengthening. “I cannot on this occasion discuss the ex- tensive and careful investigations which prove that shortsightedness is due to school work. The results make it thoroughly safe and reliable to say that out of every 100 cases of shortsightedness more than ninety cases are the result of school work. 1 also eannot relate the great disadvantages of whortsightedness and the evils that follow upon it; the oculists and physicians can tell the story better than I can. Moreover, I will pass_over for the present certaln crimes of the kindergarten, although when I think of the little eyes now being ruined all over the country I can hardly justify my conscience in keeping still. All small objects and fine work must be held near the eyes, in order to be seen. Consequently all fine work is a direct inducement to shortsightedness. “But the books in the school—are they @angerous? 1 will let each parent answer the question himself. Get together the books your child uses in school. Now, I will give You the measurements for the worst book o be allowed In any school. If you have ©one of the crdinary steel measures used by mechanics you can make all measurements yourself; I mean the steel rule that is marked in sixty-fourths of an inch. Requirements 10 be met: Helght of smallest ‘n,’ at least 1-16 inch; thickness of line in 'n,’ at least at least 8-100 inch; space between lines, at least 1-10 ineh; I picked up & few school books the other length of line, at most 4 luches. Bay. Among them was a primer; type fairly good for little children, but under the dif- ferent exercises wero ilnes In thin italics which were trying even to my own eyes. Ttalics should be absolutely forbidden to chil- dren under 10 years of age anyway. Should not the conaclence of the lady author trouble hor for the eyes she has ruined? A begin- Bor's reading book; the very first lesson starts graph plates are stowed awny for refe in large, convenient cases—like a libr: of glacs books. Over all Mrs. Illeming p ides with a word of weleome for the visitor really irterested In scientific work.” PENNSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY, Tt 1s now 140 years since what had been an academy was incorporated as the College of Philadelphia, which, thirty-six years later. beeame the University of Pennsylvania. The catalogue for 189 5 bears witness to the remarkable prosperity and usefulness which this institution has attained. It lncludes no divinity school, but all the other depart ments comprehended in universities of the highest grade are represented, and great pains are taken to assure a large measure of significance and value to each of its va- rious diplomas. The University of Pennsyl- vanla was one of the first, if not the very first, In this country to lnsist on four years of study In its medical school, and it stands firmly by the side of Yale in requiring a Knowledge of Greek as well as Latin as a condition of an AM. degree. In point of slze this Institution ranks among the largest of American universities. The professors lecturers and instructors number 3, and there are 2,398 students, of whom 4 are credited to the college proper and 815 to the medical dopartment, which is the oldest school of the kind in’ the Unlted States, and has always maintained a relatively high reputation for efficiency. EDUCATIONAL NOTES. Prof. Edward Everett Hale, jr., son of the author and preacher, has resigned the chair of English in the University of Towa, and will go to Union college, Schenectady, N. Y. Prof. C. D. Jameson of the chair of civil en gineering has also_resigned, to practice his profession. In Oakland, Cal,, the teacher may request the school board to take off 1 per cent of his salary for the pension fund, id then, when he has taught twenty years, and is incapaci- tated, may receive $45 per month. The twenty-fifth annual oratorical contest for the $100 prize that Cornell university offers through the generosity of General Stewart L. Woodford, formerly lieutenant governor of New York, was held May 3 and was won by one of Cornell’s famous athletes, George Palmer Dyer, of Washington, D. C., whose oration was on the subject of “Edu- cation and Ideal Citizenship. An American in Germany was surprised to find & number of eripples among the cele- brated college professors, men whose high standard of learning makes them famous the world over. One Berlin professor 1s wheeled into his lecture room every day, and there are others similarly though for the most part less painfully afflicted. This is due partly to the fact that under the military regime of Germany when a boy is disqualified for the army he is trained for science or the law. The reglstration of the University of Michi- gan, as it will appear in the forthcoming annual calendar, is 2,815, the largest of any year. Of this number, 1,514 are literary stu- dents, medical, 648 laws, 77 pharmacy, 185 dental and 17 homeopathic. ~Of the totai number, 1,546 are from Michigan and pay $46,850 of the $107,030 fees, and the 1,270 from other states pay $60.358. The senior law class numbers 307, and the senior literary class 211, Joseph Jefferson has been engaged by Yale college for.a series of lectures at that uni- versity on dramatic art. Last year the New York legisiature appro- priated $8,000 for investigation and experi- ments in the sixteen western gounties of the stato by the Department of Horticulture at Cornell university. The results .of the ex- penditure were so beneficial to fruit growers and farmers that these Interests demanded a larger appropriation this year and the legis- lature accordingly voted $16,000—double the amount appropriated in 1894. The cause of education has been given ma- terial assistance through the munificent gift of Anna T. Jeanss to the Philadelphin Yearly Meeting of Friends of $200,000. Specifically the money is to be devoted to “educational purposes, to libraries and the encouragement of literature on subjects moral, scientific and truthful, and to the support of schools under the care of the monthly meatings of Friends beyond the limits of Philadelphia.” The coming session of the Cornell summer school bids fair to be the most successtul one yet conducted. Beginning fn 1892, the sum- mer school has grown rapidly, both as re- gards the number of students in attendance and the number of courses offered. This year elghty-four courses are offered, which will be given without regard to the number of students reglstering. The faculty con- sists of fourteen professors and seventeen instructors. The school is open to women as well as to men, and the same facilities for work are extended to its students as to regu- lar students of the university, who In fact may recelve credit for work done In the summer school up to a certain limit. ———— . IT IN THE nee READ BTARS Development iIn_the Science of Astrology Recounted, No era In the history of our planet has been more distinguished for Investigating the oc- cult in nature than the present. New forces are constantly being discovered, while the intelligence of the past, long burled beneath the dust of the dark ages, is once more beaming from the altar of sclence. The pon- derous wheel of the engine now turns thou- sands of shafts, where formerly the hand of man turned but a single one. Electricity, once the dread of the superstitious, has be- come subservient to man, lights his streets and houses and carries his messages swifter than the fabled Mercury with wings on his cap and heels. Psychic research dis- covered a sixth sense, and millions are in- fatuated with a bellef in hypnotism, clair- voyance, spirit raps, spirit materializations and Christian sclence, which Is nothing more that the production of the hypnotlc state, short of unconsciousness. Amid all this search for the wonderful Americans are among the foremost, yet It is remarkable th 80 few are Interested in the science and phil- osophy of the celestial orbs. Is there pro- portion in the universe? Ask Jupiter, with his moons, and Saturn with his far off cloudy skies and broad girdle of light, if there i not room for their spheres as they wheel through space and turn toward the unwinking eye of ay. Infinite intelligence makes no mistake in the time tables of the unseen celestial rail- ways, and though the orbs go thundering through space with & speed that almost de- fles the power of thought, yet they never dash agalust each other to darken the heavens with the fragments of their ruins, Even the We have decided (o close unheard of inducements wash goo 's wi:l b includ S: P. MORS/ 54 mch Suitings Worth $1.00 ‘ The newest tans and silver gray effects, a yard and a half | wide, 5 yards to make a dress, | °'S exquisite quality for traveling or bicycle costumes, worth §1 a yard, reduced to 39c. 69 CENTS, Every thread silk and wool,a yard and a half wide, neat tai- Silk and Wool Suitings Worth $1.25 lor made checks, etc., worth $1.25, reduced to 69c. 25 | CENTS. I No finer challis in our own or any cne else's stock—genu- ine French imported. The best satin stripe and plain light and dark, worth 45c to 6oc, all for 25¢c. French Challis oRSR PMOESS comet, the mail carrier from one system of worlds to anothe as he drives by torchlight across the abyss of space profound, coming up to each goal with a curve, bending the necks of his flery coursers in a graceful, ' elongated sphere, even he can be calculated | in his orbit and his returns precisely for told. Throughout the universe we read the evidence of Infinite intelligence and Almighty design; we sec them inscribed upon every mountain and embedded in every gale Every event is foreseen, else God would ceasc to be infinite. Man has been given the power of choice between good and evil, and hence his responsibility. He can elect whether to plant a thorn or a grapevine, but if he plants the thorn It will not yield grapes. He may prune it and render the thorn less | mischievous, but it will always remain a thorn and an obfect of distrust. - So, too, when | a thlef is conceived, he must be born a thief; vet in proportion to his intelligence he may be trained in ways of honesty, and the dis- | honest inclination dwarfed, but to be effective this training should begin’in infancy, for ex- perience dally proves that “an ounce of pre- vention {s worth @ pound of cure.” Very bad children are eometimes born to good parents, which brings up the question “When'a child has been born predisposed to vice and crime, the parents belng virtuous and honorable, does It not seem unjust, even cruel that God should have thus cursed the innocent offspring, and then given no sign or token that such i3 the case until too late for successtul discipline?’ This query assumes as true something Wwhich requires proof. God does give warning of every event, but we heed not. We watch the form and appear- ance of the clouds and read of a rain storm, a shower or cyclone. In Gen. I, xiv, we read: “And God said let there be lights In the firma- ments of heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years.”” These lights are the signs as well as for the seasons, days and years, but it is evident from their having been mentioned first as signs they were of the first importance. That the-sclence of astronomy was known be- fore the bible was first written is evidenced by the frequent referonce thereto, wherein the names of stars and constellations are given. Astrologers are frequently mentioned in the bible. “The wise men of the east” were astrologers. We also find this expression in the bible: “The stars in thelr course fought against Sisera,” that is, the evil configuration of the heavenly bodies was exainat Sisera. 1f the bible 18 the oldeat book | then astrology is older than the bible. But it was nearly lost during the dark ages from | having been perverted {nto a stem of divina- tion. Frauds, pretending to tell fortunes by | the aid of a deck of cards, now call them- selves ‘‘astrologers,” when they know no more of this ancient and sublime science than | a donkey does of music. They dress them- selves in some fastidious manner, claim to be | “the seventh son of a seventh son,” and talk | about the “star of destiny,” as though our traits of character and events of life are in- fluenced by the stars, when the truth is it is the planets in our solar system and not the stars that are the signs. It is not the heavenly bodies but ante-natal conditions that make us what we are. When a murderer has been conceived God will not interfere to pres vent a murderer from belng born, because He has given us the ability to prevent the conception of a murderer, and if we err in this particular then we must suffer the re- sults, God will write “Murderer” upon the brow of the unborn infant as indellibly as the mark upon Cain, thus giving warning to those who learn to read his handwriting. The same rule will apply to sickness of the body. The celestial signs at birth will indicate the true tatus of the man, unless after birth he shall be carefully trained in the way he should go. From these considerations It is evident that astrology, It true, is a great necessity to hu- manity, for the moment a child is born all the leading characteristics may be d'scovered. Thea, as habit is a sort of second nature, the child may be trained in a way to dwarf the evil propensities and develop all that is good. The same can be said of the child predisposed by birth to disease. A great many so-called “‘astrologers” teach that the planets exert an influence over us and cause us to be what we are. 1f this doctrine be true then neither in- heritance, ante-natal conditions, nor training after birth will produce the least impression in fixing the status of the child. Such a doc- trine_renders man a were machive, no more responsible for his acts than the buzzsaw that clips off his hand. Some of these so- called “‘astrologers” think nothing of adver- e m—— i s e J DHESS GU(H]S SALE | ary, while in the geocentric | ets named, according to their distance trom | the sun, are .“l \i)\\' ont all our I,?;,*r.rv Goods at special sale at spe>ial prices, ‘ BEGINNING MONDAY monmne We need the voom and the money and ke the mose || to buy. Al jid-summer d. i DRY GO ()/J\ A | Newest French Crepon: 42 inches wide, all new col- brocaded and plain, regu- lar g1 goods, tans, grays, car- dinals, etc, reduced to 58¢ MAY 19, |French e | 3 WORTH 12ic. CENTS. Organdies ; Worth 50c¢ All the .newest patterns, CENTS 1 %.n. New ~ Dotted Challies, | Swisses Worth 10c¢, 25 CEN CENTS, | 5,000 pleces newest pat- A Dbeautiful new assort=| terns mixed challies on sale|Mment at 2s¢, 3oc, 35¢, worth | Monday. The 1oc and 1214¢ |40¢ to 6 kind for 3c, Sk ' New Percales best quality Garner Percales, Newest patterns, light cheaper than calico, gc¢ a yard, and dark, always sold for j0c, worth 123gc, -Newest reduced to 23c come early | — for these. Black Storm Serge CENT! 42 inches wide, all wool, the 75¢ quality, reduced to 48c. $7 Finest French novelty sum- " Novelty Dress Pattern mer dress patterns, silk and wool; they cost 25 to $35 to import, down to $7—only a few choice styles, Calicos CENTS. Swivel , Silks, Just one case Monday,l the best Calicos worth m;\de, 6¢ wholesale, for 3 Beautiful colors swivel | silk, 32 inches wide, all at 39c, BUTTERICK'S JUNE ' PATTERNS. We are sole agents in this worth soc, Silk Crepons, city for these celebrated pat- terns, also for the DELINEATOR, the very best fashion paper 30 inches wide, lavender, | blue, pink grey, silk stripes and checks, worth soc—new _ y 4 g extant. Subscribe for it; only goods, 25c. $1.00 a year to our customers. Monday Will hen grent Bargain Day long to be remembored. Cou all have nght goods ata special salo and epeeinl prices, but youo have never bought Spring Wy cheap as wo are going to se!l Monday. Remember these wraps ave all new and made in the latest styles. This Stylo A 81.C0 LOT 1 at $1.00 ANl wool Spring Kkits, black, navp and tan, worth $ LOT 2 at $2 08 Cholee spring Jackets, made of kersey cloth, half lined, worth §7.50 LOT 3 at $3.78 Worth $10.00, ull colors and siges; not one of these jackets worth less than $10,00 LOT 4 nt $3.00 You can have your cholee of our entire line of Spring Jackets, worth from $15.00 to £20.00, nt only $5.00 each, Wo nlo | all your special attention toour lne undorskirts that goon sale Mo~ k Sateon 18 guRre 43¢ Limit 1 custon ch to a I'ast Black Sateon Skirts with Moreen Rufiling, ex- trn full, $1.23 Enach, gray, navy Gloria ik Skirts, blue and cardinal colors, worth §5.00, At $2.25. 1 Sural SKird, At $4.50. ered infants 00 Al 8 clonks, cream or tan, At $1.48, a full line of Stanly Shirt plain perealine, silk embroids the lateat Parisian styio, At $2.28 and $3.80. Je\\ elry Department-- Everything pertaining to the Jewelry business at hard-time prices. Spectacles Fitted by a Practical Optician. Fine Watch Repairing Ashbel Patterson, Mgr. ered front, captain, “Magic crystd rod t. Jacob's rod" charms to keep off disease, the planets control us wisdom laid down a law ‘hat If we conceived in we should reap the reward; that we would reap what we sow. His law Is that it we are born in certain signs we will follow the inclinations of our birth if left to our- selves; that the natural condition of our liv:s will be according to these signs unless trained in a different line, Astrology and astronomy were synonymous until the copernican system was proven, when they became separate. have at the present time two systems of a trology—one “called heliocentric and the other and older system geocentric. By hellocentric We mean that the sun is taken as the center of the zodiac around which we located the plancts. By geocantric we mean that the earth s used as a center around which are located the planets and the sun. The signs in the heliocentric system are always statio they are mova- ‘magnetic miner: and various other and still claim that God in His infinite ble. For instance, January is always In the same sign; in the geocentric & person born in January may be born in an entirely different sign. Hello- centrically, all that is required is the day of the year, without longftude or latitude; geo- centrically, we must have the exact hour and minute of birth, as well as the exact longitude or latitude of the place where birth occurred. Tt will; therefore, be reasonable to suppose that the geocentric system is the best, if there is anything in astrology. not reasonable o suppose that all persons born the same day throughout the world would have the same tralts, which they must have according to helfocentric astrology. In astrology we have to deal with our solar sys- tem, of which the sun Is the center, and which fs made up of the planets proper, and a belt of small bodles odlled planetolds, varying in size and distributed in an orbit about the sun. Besides these, there are numerous satell- ites belonglng to different planets. The plan- Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,” Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The anclents invented symbols to distinguish these planets, one from the other, all being & com- bination of a circle, cross and cresent. Mer- cury's sign conslsts of a crescent, a circle and ; Venus' consists of a circle and cross a circle with a cross in center; Mars by a cross and citcte just opposite of Venus. | In order to avold mistakes of this sign, it 15 used to draw a line from one point of the | cross to the other, forming a pyramid at | top; Jupiter's is composed of a crescent and cross; Saturn by the cross and crescent; Uranus has two crescents, a cross and a cir- cle; Neptune by the crescent and cross. These signs can all be found in any almanac, (This subject will be continued in next Sunday’s edition of The Bee. In the mean- time any one who desires to ask any questions can have them answered by addressing a We | in the heliocentric plan | It fs | World’s fair at Chicag and that from 100 — to 150 stone cutte masons and carpenters | The Vanderbilt Mansion on a North| :‘l::;::y ::W:::‘nll::mw:'.r.ku ||\‘“;l|'4:’fl,~”4l>‘l" Tll.',l\h::r).-»:ll‘!r::l g Carolina Mountain, e B ek TR PR of Gifford Pinchot, the brick and tile LAVISH . EXPENDITURE: OF MONEY | soatoment to mar than S0 o' siven ALREADY COST $4,000,000. 1t is easy to see how the expenditures have | run into the millions. No accurate figur can be obtained, but it Is estimated that t Blltmore estate has already cost its owner $4,000,000. It will take, perhaps, $2,000,000 more to carry out the plans of the landscape gardener, of the architect, and of the owner. 5 . | As near as can be calculated the work at (Copyrightad, 1805, McClure, Limited) | Bilimore has been going on about four years | ASHEVILLE, May 15.—HIgh up | at a cost of at least $1,000 a day, or at the among the pine and oak-clad mountain ranges | rate of $313,000 a year, not counting the of the Blue Ridge in western North Carolina’ | filty-two Sundaye. is tho greatest country seat in all America. | The imposing mansion is rapidly approach- It is named “Biltmore,” and the vast domaln | ing completion, although ft will not be ready of 30,000 acres comprises the “Biltmore es- | for occupancy before next year. I was told, A Thirty-Thousand Acre Farm Improved | At an Expense of $6,000,000—A Shrewd Darkey Perched in the Middle of the ate. tate.” The owner of this immense estate is | though, that Mr. Vanderbilt expected to George W. Vanderbilt, who has made the |spend the next Christmas holidays here. A place his pride, his bobby and his ambition. | score of carvers and stone-cutters are still It is four or five years since Mr. Vander- | at work on the outside of the building, bilt’s agent began buying tract after tract of | while the cabinet makers and interior wastes and forests in this ““Land of the Sky," as the reglon around Asheville has long been kpown. Quietly, but quickly this and that farm was bought, and, before the sellers and the natives knew the name of the real pur- chaser, between 6,000 and 7,000 acres had | diana granite, but of course immense quan- been acquired at reasonable ‘figures, When | titics of brick were used and near Biltmoro decorators are beautifying the rooms inside But with the house finished there will still remain much to do to render the place fin- ished and complete. The house Is constructed mainly of In- letter to ““Aster,” Bee office, enclosing stamp.) B E INDIANS MUCH DISSATISFIED. f Clatm the Government is Too Slow in Dolng as it Agreed. DULUTH, May }8,—The present term of the United States court has brought to Duluth halt a hundred of Indians from the several reservations In Minnesota, White Earth, Leech Lake @il Red Lake. They have determined tha¥ no more time should be lost in securing chiiiges in the administra- tions of their affairs and have held informal meetings with that ebject in view. They find all manner of faulf, with the Indian com- missioners. Their case, as stated at their request by W. F. Campbell, one of their number, who belongs on the White Earth reservation, is practically as follows: Much dissatistaction exists among the Chippewas at present, owing to the loose manuer in which the government is carrylng out the treaty made with them six years ago, and also from the fact that the government owes them large sums of money under provisions of treaties made long ago, which for some son they are unable to get. Under the last treaty the cost of making allotments, etc., 1s borne by the Indlans, the government advancing the money, such money belug re- paid out of the common fund of the tribe ar'sing from the sale of lands. Although . commission has been at work five years, th Bave mads no permansat aliotments of land and_have done practically mothing toward winding up the work and relieving the tising a “child’'s caul” as a charm for & s | Indlans of &n enormous expense THE VANDERBILT MANSION. name became Mr. Vanderbilt's assoclated | station brick works were established. There with the purchases the prices advanced at| was plenty of good, red clay at hand, suit- least 100 per cent. Mountain land that pre- | able for first-class brick and tile. Thest viously went begging for a few dollars an | will be used mostly for the surrounding acre jumped up to $260, and some of it could [ bulldings, stables, ete. Three brick and not be bought for $500 an acre. dle kilnk were erected, each with a ca- | IMPROVEMENTS VAST AS THE ESTATE. The mountain site and thousands of acres having been acquired, the most elaborate pacity of 50,000 a day. The brick machines turned out bricks at the rate of 60,000 a day. Besides these, about 2,000 or 3,000 plans and preparations were made for the | lOWer pots were made a day, as lhrhmanu- transtormation of the rough and ragged hills | factory made more than was used, the sur- Into a acene of great grandeur and beauty, | Plus was sold to outside parties. When the and for the bullding of one of the most splen- | Writer visited the place, the works were running on employed. A SPECIAL RAILROAD TO THE PLACE To carry the material for the different bulldings a railroad from Biltmore station to the site of the mansion, a distance of three miles, was bullt. This cost about $60,000. The workmen went back and forth every day on the cars. When the bulldings are completed, the railroad will be torn up did and sumptuous piles of architecture to be halt time, and few men were found anywhere in the United States. The work of improving and beautifying the estate was put into the hands of the most competent and experienced men. The architect, the landscape gardeuer, and the forrester were particularly given “free swing” to carry out their ideas and plans on a larger scale than ever before attempted in this country. Some Idea of the extent of these operations E OB FMOEST oRY amns G site was a sloping mountain will last as long as the mountain itsell. They are the same as the tennis wall, about eighteen feet thick and forty feet high. And how much do you think the foundations cost? You might guess threc sary, since the side. The wal | times and then mnot come within $100,000 of the real figures. The contract price for the foundation was let for $400,000. No su sum of money was ever before expended sim= ply for the foundation of a private house. The state apartments are in the prineipal front, at each end of which rise the towers five storice high. There are, perhaps, 200 rooms in the house. If you start at one end of the building and try to reach the other end you will get fost. At any rate, that was my experience. It is not easy to describe the principal rooms in detall, as they are in an unfinished state. I suppose the great hall or ball room is one of the finest in the United States. It must be sixty feet high and eighty feet in length. There are three immense open fire- places at one end. The ceiling is now being decorated, while all around the sides are the most elaborate carvings -and the finest mar- bles and onyx. An organ costing $30,000 will be placed in a suitable place made for it, VAST GARDENS AND NURSERIES. All about the house, in the grounds, there is ample proof of costly and tasteful work. The flower gardens are especially fine. Many of these are sunk below the general level, and, when the sun is out bright and strong, the blaze of color is like refloctions from many-hued mirrors. The total area covered by the gardens, greenhouses and nurseries cannot be far from seventy-five acres. They are not at all finished, and the owner in- tends to kecp enlarging them an his collec- tion of plants and trees and shrubs grows larger and larger. Alrcady the conservatories are filled with rarc and beautiful plants, fn= cluding especially rare roses and orchids. The nursery is said to contaln more kinds of trees and shrubs than there are in the botanieal gardens at Kew, near London, North Carolina is rich in the number of native trees, and the climate is as well suited to the growth of a large variety of trees and shrubs as that of any state in the union. In order to have fine gardens and grounds it was necessary to have the strongest and best soil. Immeose quantities of rich soil were brought from the valleys and river bLottoms miles away. Carload after carload was dumped on the ground and made into garden spots, One man cmployed on the estate fold me that the amount of dirt brought over the raliroad would make another mountain THE STABL The stables a as fine as any ROADS AND FORESTS. now about finished and are in the country. Mr. Vander- bilt 1t fond of blooded stock and no doubt the stalls and barns will delight the lover of long pedigrees and blue bl Then, there are the deer park of 3,000 acres and the well stocked trout streams. The forest will afford shelter for game and the partridge shooting, now good, will be better as the years go by. A little old house that Is of almost as much Interest to visitors as_the big mansion itself is “the house that Vanderbilt can't buy.' Yes; that's a fact. Right in the midst of the 30,000 acre estate Is a rude cabin and nine acres of land. It is, perhaps, less than one mile from the mansion and on one of the main roads to the place The owner of the properly has obstinately refused to sell to Vanderbilt, What makes the matter worse he is a colored person. [ call him Vanderbilt'’s bete nofr. It is sald that the old darky has been offered as high as $1,000 an acre for the nine acres. Thero is no way of shutting him in, as he has the right of way over the road On my way back I stopped to see this In- dependent colored man, As I drew up to the small white house at the end of the road and called out a black woman appeared in_the doorway, while two active pickanninies bobbed up from behind es ‘Josh' Moore live here?” 1 inquired “Yes, sah,” she replied, and In reponse to another question she went to the r of the house and in a short time “Josh'' peared. We soon fell Into conversation and found him friendly and ready to talk. When 1 sald to him, “Of course Mr. Van. derbilt objects to you as a nelghbor,” he replied with a broad grin, “Well, I don't may be had from the fact that, during the | the track snd bridges removed and the past three years, 200 men have been steadily [ grounds put in proper order. engaged in bringing the grounds to the per-| The foundations of Biltmore were laid tection exacted by the landscape gardener, | broad and deep. This was particularly neces- ‘ject to Mistah Vanderbilt as a naybor.” “Why don't you sell? I {nquired. “I reckon I'se will, sah, wen I git mah price, 1 At Just what price he would sell Josh ‘shrewdly refused (o say,