The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 27, 1898, Page 25

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1898. b 2 8} EW YORK, Feb. 25.—The peni-| .. tential season is here, and for the next six weeks the woman | of fashion, the home woman | and the woman of medium tastes all will observe Lent, for | there s no season that is more generally hallowed by womankind than this. Specially in a woman'’s robes does this | show, and Lenten walsts, Lenten gowns, mostly church ores, and Lenten fads and foibles are all now to be seen in the | shops. | But during Lent & woman's fancy,! when not at church, turns most steadily to thoughts of house -dresses, pretty Jvalsts which she can wear at the only | function allowable in Lent—the midday Juncheon. You can call it a late break- £ you please, and can have it served arupstairs sitting-room or boudoir. | A DESIGN IN Or you can make it a little dining-room feast and go down to the table with its covers elaborately set for each guest. The luncheon is really the most ac- ceptable form of entertainment that can be mentioned to any woman, Lent or otherwise, and at this time, when dinner dances and balls and theater parties are out of the question, it becomes doubly lflna from the attention that is put upon If you were to ask the most popular fabric for the informal luncheon you would be surprised if you were told that it was French flannel, vet such is the case. There is no material one-half ~as much in vogue to-day for a very infor mal waist, sacque or gown for a small luncheon gathering as French flannel. Now stop, you woman of taste and fig- ure, before you picture to yourself a woolly, coarse dr g sacque, disagree- able to the touch and twice disagreeable to shape and style. The French flannel FINE * FLANNEL of to-day is smooth, fine and soft. Tt may we almost silky on the surface, for some of the flannels have a fine satiny face very pleasant to look at. You sive—for the choirboy waist is renll{ an elegant affair—is one that is made of the very finest pale pink cloth, which is part wool and part cotton. It resembles a very | not cheap, would hardly know them to be flanmet. They resemble more & ladles’ cloth, or & very fine quality of broadcloth. They may be figured or they may run in stripes, and you can even ge[ them with a very nice pin stripe of fine satin running through them. Now they are so don’t think it, but they are easy to handle and consequently within the limit of the home dressmaker. You can get them from 40 cents to % cents per yard. A ‘most convenient one that has been made for a woman wno is going to in- | bon. heavy cashmere and was called by one shopkeeper cashmere and by another half-weight. This was fitted to the waist all around except in front, where it was lightly! bloused, or, more properly speaking, hung straight, depending for its blouse effect upon the waist arrangement of the rib- The jacket iself is of pale pink, with a yoke of lace falling over it. The dressl- ness is supplied by a yoke of lace, into which is set rows of puffed ribbon. Puff- ings of the ribbon are also set in the sleeves and the seams of the jacket are augurate the season of Lenten lunch- eons next Thursday by giving a purple lunch is made of purple and white striped flannel, the stripes of flannel be- | ing double ones, with white satin stripes | running through the middle. This is lined | with purple taffeta, and around the throat is a turn-over collar of purgle velvet, edged with very nice lace. The sleeves are loose ones, with the arms encased ap- arently in old-fashioned flowing sleeves. Ynslda there is a sleeve of purple taffeta, edged with lace around the wrist. This is called the choirboy waist, and it is made upon a mode that is perfectly fresh this year. | A much more elegant walist for a Lenten luncheon, though none the more expen- | strapped with the same pink ribbon. | A very decided relief of color is obtained | by the belt, which is of deep petunia vel- vet. It is tled in a bow in front, with the ends hanging long over the skirt. No skirt is prettlier with such a jacket that a striped silk skirt, if one owns such | an article. Black and white striped | skirts are coming in and are always popu- lar favorites. Such a striped skirt looks better with a waist of pale pink than a black one, as the contrast 18 considered | by many of artistic tastes as entirely too | sharp. | "In the chiffon ruffie are run rows of pe- tunia ribbon of very narrow width and in the hair is worn a bow of petunia velvet. now being exhibited on a model in a Fifth avenue “art waist” window. This is tight- ly fitted at the back and sides and is laid in folds in front. Qver the folds is tied, coming from the side seams, a very nar- row belt of turquoise blue velvet ribbon. The yoke is laid in small plaits, one touching the other, and it is bordered with very broad white lace, which falls in double ruffies over the shoulders. The collar is of turquoise velvet, and there are bands of velvet upon the wrists. The yoke is further decorated with the very tiniest bands of the velvet, put on apparently un- derneath the tucks. Another informal luncheon jacket is similarly arranged, except that {ts voke {s much more elaborate. It is made of mauve cashmere trimmed with black vel- | vet. The frill or ripple of these waists is llned with taffeta, which shows lightly in the waving motion of the lace. The very prettiest skirts are worn with these waists, and the theory that ‘‘any old skirt” is good enough is exploded. The day of the Rll.ln skirt is gone by, except for the tailor-made, which often has a panel on it, or s trimmed with very fancy braid put on in most decorative design. Many of the newest skirts are accordion-plafted, and are the exact cqun- terpart of those worn in 1890, when an ac- cordion-plaited skirt was the dressiest thing a woman could own. Petunia, it may be stated, is a shade that while not purple, suggests it, and which, while by no means a deep red, yot reminds you of wine color. All attempts to make of petunia a cream shade have been futlle, just as it is impossible to un- derstand white as ‘‘rose color,” though roses come white. Pale pink is not ge- ranfum, though you see many geraniums in that shade. Plum color is not green, though there may be green plums. In ordering goods by mail from the shops it is well, when uncertain colors are mentioned, to inclose a sample or to ex- actly specify the shade, or the greatest confusion sometimes arises. In ‘‘forget- me-not blue' for instance, how many peo- ple know whether a navy or a baby blue is desired? As one is not always. the hostess at a luncheon party, it may be well to know something about the walst which one can wear. Many women go to Lenten lunch- eon in a church gown, but where no church-going is intended afterward there is a choice of pretty, informal and com- fortable waists. | shapes alike; cups high and =\WEST GOWNS FOR THE LENTEN SEASON, % In making such a skirt it should be re- membered that it must invariably be made short—even shorter than walking length. It is very. difficult to.hold up an accor- dion skirt, owing to its fullness, and con- sequently it should be short enough to do away- with the necessity of holding it up. If one rule more than another can be given for china for an informal lunch it is that of matching the table throughout. Have your cups all of a color, even if not all the same shape, and match them to your table linen. 1f you are fortunate enough to own & tablecloth embroidered in biue silk, get out your blue china and use it. Have the cups, saucers, plates, side dishes and cen- | ter pieces in blue, and, if you must com- bine any color, choose dead wnite. The day of odd pieces is almost past. The dishes can be of any shape, no two ow, short and tall, thick and thin, Chinese and Sevres, but they must have a similarity in hue. The table decorations can also match the china. If you choose blue, get small winter flowers of bluish hue, if you can. Or, if not, make the contrast as litue visible as possible. White roses ‘‘match’ blue china exquisitely, and they form a& very lovely table decoration. Of course, when you speak of an “infor- mal” waist, something loose i{s meant or semi-tight. ‘In a fur-lined cape or a big winter wrap, a woman can run in for the luncheon hour in one of tkese informal waists without criticism. Iu fact, they are positively fashionable for Lent. Take one of cream taffeta, such as is THE CHOIRBOY JACKET. QUEER PRACTICES OF THE NEGRO VOODOO DOCTORS HE mysterious rites of Voodoo, instead of being upon the de- cline among the Northern ne- groes, seem rather to obtain a firmer hold every day. Civiliza tion would appear to have little or no effect in ~ deterring the colored race from patrenizing “voodoo doctors” and squandering money on “conjuring §peils.” Such is the opinion of Dr. L. s Or: chard, a well-known Southerner, who has devoted some time and study to the subject of voodooism throughout the cities on the hither side of Mason and Dixan's line. I can state of my own knowledge,” gays Dr. Orchard, “that there are now in New York at least seven voodoo doc- tors' practicing among the colored peo- ple, apparently with considerable profit to themselves. In Philadelphia I know of .three voodoo doctors in the neigh- borhood of South street alone. One of the. Quaker City practitioners of ‘con- juring’ has a national reputation among the colored people. He Is Eben Massy, and his age must be about 90 years, although negroes will tell you with awe that he has long passed his one -hundredth winter. “I'know personally of only one voo- doo doctor fn Chicago, although I have been told that there are many others. Pittsburg rejoices in a female con- jurer. Chief of Detectives Roger O’Mara introduced me to her some years ago. She was then living in the neighborhood of Grant street and de- ing a thriving business among the col- ored folk. But I believe the police have since put a stop to her career. “Despite the education which he re- cel to-day, the negro is still & primi- tive belng, and spells, magic and the like—the stock in trade of voodooism— appeal forcibly to his credulous nature. He does not stand alone among races of civilization, either, in this par- ticular. There are witch doctors among the Pennsylvania Dutch, and only last year a case was brought to light in Ire- land where the black art had been in- voked with fatal results. “It takes considerable persuasive power, plus a strong financial consider- ation, to galn admittance to the sanc- tum of a voodoo doctor in cities where the police organization happens to be active against such imposition. Money, without other influence, will avail you nothing. As for me, I have many friends (old aoquaintances of ante bel- lum times) among the colored people. With the aid of Georgia darkies, who knew me or my kin, I have frequently secured entrance where it would have been mighty dangerous for any North- ern white man to attempt to penetrate. “For instance, no later than ten days ago, 1 was brought by appointment to visit a New York voodoo doctor of prominence in his profession. My col- ored guide led me to a flat house in East Ninety-seventh street, In a block specially favored by negroes of the richer sort. The house was very neatly kept. nor was there anything in the flat dwell in by our ‘cunjurer’ to hint at the mystic performances which were gone through within. “The grizzled old doctor was inclined to be angry when he discovered that a white man had come to patronize him. Clearly he feared police esplonage. But after a brief talk about the South and the discovery that we both hailed from the district around Atlanta, he percen- tibly relaxed. Then my mentor told Him that T wanted a spell—‘a cunjuh’in’ spell'—he called it—to charm back the the | | errant affections of a certgin lady. This interested our old doctor at once, “‘Ah’s done got fine chah’'ms, suh? young | a long he s ‘Does yo' want de po’ man’s | chah'm, er de gemman’s chah'm?’ “How much is the gentlemen's I asked. char *‘Gemman’s chah’'m five dollars, suh; po’ man’s chah'm two dollars fifty." “I took the gentlemen’s charm which ompleted my conquest of the doctor. | Having first obtained my money and carefully examined it, to guard against | mistakes, he drew the curtain at the | end of the room in which we were standing. There was then exposed to | view as queer . looking den as it has | ever been my fortune to behold. | “The apartment was naturally in- | clined to be dark, for it had no win- | dow, and the only light came from the |front room. Around the wall and dang- ling by strings from the ceiling were | curious objects—skins, skulls of bird | and beast, odd bones and other name- less relics. On a deal table in the mid- dle of the floor stood the ~tuffed figure | of a great horned owl—one of those | fine fellows one e. counters in the upper parts of Louisiana, and especially ven- | erated by apostles of Voodoo. Over in | the most distant corner glowed an or- | dinary gas stove and upon this was |a pot. What decoction the vessel con- | tained, I know not; but it exhaled an | unpleasant, nauseating odor, and the | old ‘doctor’ preparing my ‘charm’ by stirring | vigorously at intervals. | “Despite the commonplace gas stove I could not help recalling the witches in Macbeth and their cauldron, as I gazed at and smelt the Voodoo ‘doctor’s’ mix- ture. I was not allowed to approach | any nearer than the dividing curtain to examine the interior decorations of this 6x9 apartment of the black art. Every time that I made a motion to cross thé prescribed limits my colored guide twitched my sleeve by way of warn- ing. | “The ‘doctor’ went to a shelf and took down sundry bundles of what looked to me to be bunches of dried herbs. These he mixed in a small teacup and poured over them a glags of water. Mumbling a few words (unintelligible to me, and which I strongly suspect to | be gibberish), he strained the decoction | through a plece of cheesecloth bottled | the liquid portion, and presented it to me with a bow. “‘Dat ar,’ said he, ‘am de strongest chah’'m fo’ love. Yo steep de young lady’s han’kchief in dat chah’m, an’ she love you fo’ suah.” “The consultation appearing to be at an end, I was forced to depart; but not until I had made another effort to study the ‘fixings’ of the inner room at closer range. This time I positively identified a coon skin, the skins of sev- eral rabbits and silver foxes, and what looked like the skull of a dog. The old ‘doctor’ was suspicious of me to the last and kept between me and the cauldron. “Two years ago I got a negro to get me a love charm in Philadelphia, and in that way opened up an acquaintance | with the notorious ‘Doctor’ Massy, al- ready mentioned. Massy's method of preparing a love potion differed con- siderably from that of his New York fellow-practitioner. Having first paid over $2 by way of fee, the client was called on for $5 more. This latter sum was expended in purchasing five quart bottles of whisky or rum and one empty bottle. The full bottles Massy placed in a circl> on the floor of what he called his ‘office.” Then he filled the empty bottle with water, or with some fluid that closely resembled water, and, stepping into the circle, went through varied his occupation of it a rattlesnake or the ears of the horned owl fetch good prices. I knew of a Voodoo practitioner who hired a hunchback of his own race for the benefit of sporting negroes supersti- tiously inclined, it being esteemed par- ticularly good luck to touch such a person’s hump before betting on the races or staking one’s money in policy. “Policy, indeed, is the great aid to Voodoo in the north. Cotored men and women will bet their all if in possession of some good plece of ‘conjuh’in’. ‘Wherever you hear of negroes being gathered together for purposes of pol- icy, poker or ‘craps,” you may feel fair- ly positive that there is a Voodoo ‘doc- tor’ doing a rushing trade somewhere in the vicinity. It is now but a month since a negro Voodoo doctor was ar- rested and fined in the New York police courts. “The police officiala tell me that four out of every five colored persons ar- rested in the big northern cities carry Voodoo charms about them. rigmarole, waving the sixth bottle to and fro in time to his mono- tonous chant. “This ceremony completed he corked up the bottle of water carefully, and presented it to his client. bidding him administer secret doses to the lady | whose affections he desired. The five bottles of whisky he retained for use | or sale. “All Voodoo ‘doctors’ keep in stock a number of the ordinary ‘charms’ prized by negroes—such as rabbits’ feet, owls’ ears, bones of the loggerhead turtle, rattlesnake skins and such ‘lucky’ ob- jects. There is the briskest kind of trade in all these things. The rattle of CLAIMED SHE HYPNOTIZED THE BRIDEGROOM TO BE HERE be hypnotists and hypnot- | the many “professors” of therapeutics ists here in San Francisco. who have reaped a golden harvest here | There is a certain story lofter- [ in San Franéisco in the recent past. ing about the byways of society The woman in the case is a sparkling Just at the present time which | brunette, no longer a bread-and-butter “points a moral” that {s well | school girl, of course (since she is the worth meditating upon, now that mys- | fond mamma of a child or two, which | terfes are the fad of the hour, and the | no amount of dressing lamb-fashion | “power of mind over matter” can be | has been able to keep in the nursery | easily learned by the verlest tyro who | for some time past), but bright, agree- | has the cash to pay for instructions. gsls?n :;W?I:mwtelll’e %?“:fd'h:?dteft‘égl:f | s The story has been traced to a very | nat to the patent-lesther tips of heg charming, though sharp tongued, mid- | dainty boots. dle-aged lady, a whilom pupil of one of | Some time since this divorcee took | PECULIAR FADS OF SOME OF OUR PROMINENT MEN. HE man of current affairs {s almost invariably a man with a fad. De- pend upon it, he has his predilection for the acquirement of some one thing, or the pursuit of some one pleasure, though he may not choose to confess it. Horace G. Platt has a penchantfor inkstands. Not the plain,ordinary inkwell of commercial usage, but those with a singular and engrossing individuality. The Platt inkwells are nothing if not quaint, and a readable little chapter of sentiment attaches to each of them. The attorney disdains an inkwell that Is not capaclous, and will not suffer his collection to be invaded by a flippant, shallow affair such as women ornament their escritoires with. Mr. Platt’s favorites are the silver and cut-glass inkwell, graven with his name and a solemn owl's head, presented to him by his fellow directors of the Bohemian Club, and a curious silver elephant’s head. Mr. Platt has another very pronounced fad. He turns.a kindly ear when- ever a poet essays to sing hereabouts. In a word, no rhymester, whatever his ability, need place his wares in the San Francisco market without the comfort- ing certainty that at least one copy of his book will be sold. Mr. Platt is as certain to buy it as the fog is sure to roll in through the Golden Gate. He is the patron saint of local poets. Skulls and crossbones are the perennial delight of Consul Warburton, Great Britain’s representative In these parts. He {s ever on a still hunt for prehistoric races and aboriginal relics, and In every mound that meets his gaze he sees possible plunder in grinning jaws and bony craniums, awalting excavation and scientific discovery. It must not be imagined that the Consul uses his finds for bric-a-brac, or that his back yard iglittered with the un- canny curiosities. He carefully examines their skullships, rejects those that seem valueless on account of their too recent interment, and after duly label- ing them, transports them across seas to the British Museum. The Consul is a genuine lover of curios in general and skeletons in particular. Acting Consul Moore (his colleague, now on a trip to South America) is a methodical collector of landscape photographs which he classifies geograph- jcally in albums, and can take you on a picture trip around the world. Ambrose Bierce has an affinity for lizards and horned toads, and wields a mysteriously powerful influence over these strange objects of his regard. At one time the famous critic had the most interesting and intelligent collection of trained horned toads in the country, but he went Bast, and in his absence they pined away. At all events, Mr. Blerce’s toadery i8 no more. Disaster also overtock a performing lzard which was Mr. Blerce’s pride and joy until a neighboring cat lunched off it on a summer’s day as it lay basking in the sun- light. Previous to this tragedy Mr. Bierce utilized the lizard for a paper- weight. When about to pen his customary “Prattle” he would whistle for the lizard, which immediately crawled into position on the table and prostrated itself upon the sheets of “copy” as they were turned aside by the writer. Mr, Morganstern of the Baldwin Theater has a fad for the Maori green stone. Twenty-five years ago he was presented with one by George Chaplin, then leading man for Janauschek, and ever since that time Mr. Morganstern has been addicted to the green stone habit. Never a ship in all this quarter of a century has come- ‘hither from New Zealand without a small consignment of these stones in her cargo to the Baldwin Theater's representative, who has been sowing the emerald souvenirs broadcast among his many friends. The New Zealand natives use them principally for spear points, but Mr. Morgan- stern wears his as a watch charm. It has served to establish his identity upon more than one occasion. 3 5 Gustav Walter, who rakes Europe over for vaudeville eccentricities, is an admirer of diamonds. He is said to possess a diamond solitaire that would make the Koh-i-noor itself turn green with envy. Manager Thall of the Alcazar contents himself with photos of actresses. None but the pretty need apply, either. His collection includes lovely women by the score, some with eyes in fine frenzy rolling, others the incarnation of theatrical sweetness in pose and expression. Neither gems nor pictured faces are the fad of S. H. Friedlander. He does not long to scintillate with precious stones or be surrounded by histrionic si- rens on pasteboard. Says he: “Traveling is my fad. It has been my aim all my life to become suf- ficiently independent to travel around the globe. ¥ should want to itudy every country of the civilized world and some of it that is not civilized. I should’ not overlook the Cannibal Islands (though I hope the cannibals would over»’ look me), and would visit Egypt. I would skate as close to the North Pols as | comfort would permit, and would also ask permission to see what the Shah of | Persia’s harem looks like. I should drop in on King Menelek and Li Hung Chang, visit the Korean Islands and make a trip over the new railroad into Siberia. But before doing all this I would remain in the United States for | two years and see what comparatively few Americans endeavor to see before going abroad—their own beautiful country.” | John J. Valentine, president of Wells-Fargo Express Company, has a fad | for dainty teacups and saucers, and his unique assortment of china embraces specimens from many countries. 4 i L. 8. B. Sawyer has been adding to his valuable collection of books and | etchings for many years. His library is probably the finest in San Francisco, | and his etchings the rarest. Some of the latter are almost priceless, and in- | clude the works of all the great masters. 2 Attorney W. H. L. Barnes is devoted to the study of astronomy, and has maps galore of the starry firmament. Not many men in the United Stotes| know more about physical geography than he. The well-known lawyer-orator | has a revolving globe to which he turns when he needs recreation, and whose miniature surface he has traversed countless times in imagination. Starting from the gon of San Francisco in a splendidly equipped yacht with auxiliary steam and provisions for a year’s voyage, Mr. Barnes traces his course over the waters of the earth, spreading sail and casting anchor wherever fancy dic- tates. And he afirms that when that yacht of his'gets back into the bay again he is always refreshed in body and mind for the journey he has made without leaving his office chair. o 7 Alexander K. Coney, Mexican Ccnsul, is of the opinion that very nearly every other man, woman and child in America has a fad for foreign stamps. The daily mall brings him importuning letters from all directions, until the consulate resembles at times a branch postoffice. Being very good-natured, Mr. Coney has ylelded to his correspondents, and is now regarded as a sort of stock-in-trade stamp Stanta Claus. g Frank S. Johnson, say his friends, dearly loves a dog fight. Nor is his fad for ptugnacious canines his only bellicose tendency. To engage a couple of street gamins in a friendly fisticuff encounter delights Mr. Johnson, who has been known to forget his lunch hour while a fascinated onlooker at ragamuffin | pugilism. A neat punch on an antagonist’s solar plexus will send Mr. John- son into raptures. It is believed of that popular gentleman that he not only enjoys but does his best to promote scrapping matches among the youth of the land upon every possible occasion. Mayor Phelan has a fad for city charters. one every twenty-four hours. William V. Bryan is deeply interested in feats of legerdemain and card tricks. He can mystify almost any one by his skill in magic, although his ac- complishment is not suspected by the average acquaintance of the young busi- ness man. Should he elect to turn his attention to the stage the name of Herrmann would undoubtedly quickly be eclipsed. George C. Pardee, Oakland’s ex-Mayor and oculist of this city, shares Mr. Barnes’ liking for astronomy. When not engaged in mending .the eyes of his patients he is frequently studying the heavens o’ nights and blinking at the stars through a telescope, for Dr. Pardee has an observatory of his own and is & man of science in divers ways of learning. Governor Budd has a predilection for catfish. When his gasoline laurch heads down stream where the pellucid waters of the Sacramento mingle with the salty currents of San Pablo Bay the affrighted piscatorial game makes for the tules, and the ducks, sharing their alarm, take wing over the lonely marsh- es, for the gubernatorial yacht is a familiar and disquieting vision in-those watery regions. Senator George C. Perkins collects minerals and classifies them. He also cultivates many hundreds of beautiful roses at Vernon Helghts, his Oakland home. % A. W. Foster has about forty beautiful little Shetland ponies eating their He can turn out a brand-new. heads off at the Foster stable in San Rafael. Mr. Foster drives each morn- ing io the city-bound train behind four of these diminutive steeds. He im- ports an especially fine breed, the admiration of all who see them. ¥ LILLIAN FERGUSON. a fancy to study hypnotism. BShe proved an exceptionally clever pupil— so much so that after a few lessons she boldly started out as a hypnotic healer on her own account and did quite a thriving business “suggesting” to peo- ple that they should do, or not do, cer~ tain things for their physical well be- ing. She met with gratifying success in her new avocation and caught minnows in plenty, but at last the day came when she was fortunate enough to catch something very near akin to a whale, and that was an Oakland capi- talist who complained of not feeling ! well, and who came to her for mesmeria (not hypnotie, since he was opposed to that on principle) treatment. Here was the lady’s opportunity, at least she thought so. She exerted her power to the utmost, and without her patient's knowledge made him com- pletely subject to her will. She was kind enough to “suggest” to him among the other things which she brought to his attention while he slept the sleep of the passive “subject” under her Cir- cean spell, that he should no longer fancy himself ill, but should look upon himself as a well man from that time | forth, and he obeyed her, at least to all appearances he did. She also suggested, however, that he should express his gratitude to her for her kindness in curing him by writing her a check for $500 and present her with a set of diamonds to match the sparkle of her handsome eyes. And he did. Then she went a step farther—in fact, she determined to make him a stepfather to her rather overgrown “Ilit- tle ones,” and she ‘suggested” that such an arrangement would be most desirable. The result is an engagement which is to end in a marriage in the near future, and through it all the hypnotized flance has not the slightest idea that he is not acting of his own volition, and proudly boasts that, ef- fective as his future wife's influence is on others, he is absolutely invulnerable to it. The relatives of the aged bridegroom- to-be haven’t the slightest idea of what is going on. In a few short weeks the surprise of their lives is coming to them, but it won’t come until the new- ly wedded pair are safely off on their wedding journey. e e WHAT IS ELECTRICITY? The old familiar question, What is electricity? that is asked in every text book on electricity, and is answered by saying that it is an imponderable fluid capable of traversing the air, the earth ‘and especially all metals, and for com- mercial purposes flows through iron or copper wires in an invisible fluid state, has no foundation in fact; but ad| vanced electrical scientists to-day re-| cognize no such theory and are free to' admit that the exact nature of elec- tricity is unknown. The sources of electricity, such as are termed fric- tional electricity, hydro - electricity, pyro electricity, magneto electricity, thermo electricity, animal and vegeta- ble electricity, etc., are not different kinds of electrical force. Electric force or energy is of one kind only, no mat- ter from what source it may originate. —Exchange. $ —_— ee———— Raw Recruit (on duty)—Who goes there? : Answer—A friend. Raw Recruit—Advance, gle's a pipe o' tobaccy. friend, an®