The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 10, 1902, Page 6

THE SAN FRRANCISCO CALL, MONDAY, FEBRUARY, 10, 1902. ’ MONDAY..................FEBRUARY 10, 1902 JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. Address All Communications to W. 8. LEAKE, Manager. MANAGER’S OFFICE... PUBLICATION OFFICE. Telephone Press 201. EDITORIAL ROOMS. .217 to 221 Stevenson St. Telephone Press 202. Delivered by Carriers, 15 Cents Per Week. Single Copies, 5 Cents. Terms by Mail. Including Postaget DAILY CALL (including Sunday) DAILY CALL—By Single Month.... SUNDAY CALL, One Year. WEEKLY CALL, One Year All postmasters are authorized to receive subscriptions. Bample coples will be forwarded when requested. Mail subscribers erts ¢ address should be particuler o give both NEW AND OLD ADDRESS in order %o insure & prompt and correct compliance with their reques:. OUAKLAND OFFICE.. «..1118 Broadway €. GEORGE KROGNESS. Manager Foreign Advertising, Marquette Building. Chisage. (Long Distance Telephone “Central 2619.") NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT: G, C. CARLTON..... «sses.Herald Squ NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE: STEPHEN B. SMITH........30 Tribune Building NEW YORK NEWS STANDS: ‘Waldorf-Astoria Hotel; A. Brentano, 31 Union Square; Murray Hill Hotel. CHICAGO NEWS STANDS: Eherman House; P. O. News Co.; Great Northern Hotel; Fremont House; Auditorium Hotel. WASHINGTON (D. C.) OFFICE MORTON E. CRANE, C BRANCH OFFICES—527 Montgomery, corner of Clay, open until 9:30 o'clock. 300 Hayes, open until 9:30 o'clock. 638 McAllister, open until 9:30 o'clock. 615 Larkin, open until 9:80 o'clock. 1941 Mission, open until 10 o'clock. 2261 Market, corner Sixteenth, open imtil 9 o'clock. 1098 Va- open until § o'clock. 106 Eleventh, open until 9 o'clock. NW. corner Twenty-second and Kentucky, open until § o'clock. 2200 Fillmore, cpen until 9 p. AMUSEMENTS. .1406 G St. sponden W. Grand Opera-house—"Raglan’s Way." California—““The Sign of the Cross.”” Tivoli—*‘The Ameer.” Central—*A Young Wife.” Alcazar—*‘The Rogue's Comedy."” Columbia—"In the Palace of the King." Orpheum—Vaudeville. Chutes, Zoo and Theater—Vaudeville every afterroon and evening. Mechanics' Pavilion—Juvenile Fairyland Carnival. Metropolitan Hall—Plano Recital February 12. Oakland Racetrack—Races to-day. AUCTION SALES. By W. G. Layng—Monday, February 10, at 10:30 o'clock, Horses, at 721 Howard street. THE BUSINESS SITUATION. HE decrease of 3.2 per cent in the country’s bank clearings last week, as compared with the corresponding week in Ig9oI, may possibly be 3 trade by the severe snow storm which swept over the country east of the Rockies and tied up trains in a dozen different States, for otherwise there was no diminution in business to cause a decrease. There was, however, a fallin; off in speculation at New York and Chicago, the latter point being particularly quiet as to grains and provisions. The decrease at New York was 9.7 per cent, and the clearings fell to the low-water point of several weeks ago, aggre- gating only $1,432,000,000, the rest of the country swelling the total to some $2,215,000,000. New York always does about two-thirds of the business of the United States, as far as these weekly clearings show. Chicago, however, showed a gain of 15.8 per cent as compared with 1901, which shows that whatever falling off in business occurred was not chargeable to Chicago. The other feature of the week was a sudden famine in pig iron. The weekly commercial reports do not give any reason for this, and it may be due to the continued sharp demand for iron and steel products, which continues without a break. Finished steel products are also scarce to the famine point. A pre- mium of 50 cents per ton is being paid for pig iron in both East and West, Canadian steel billets are flowing into Pittsburg, a Southern railroad has been obliged to go abroad for steel rails and an’ active importation of iron and steel is expected by the trade. According to this showing the United States must be using an enormous quantity of iron and steel, when its immense plants cannot fill the demand. Other staples are not making as good an exhibit as iron and steel. Cereals have been extremely quiet during the past week, the coffee market has lapsed into an unsatisfactory condition under excessiye sup- plies, the demand for sugar has not been sharp, leather is merely steady, while hides continue easy and wool is just about holding its own under dimin- ished stocks. Railway earnings, however, continue to show an increase over previous years in spite of the partial failure of the corn crop, which was ex- pected to cut them down materially about this time. There is very little said now about the scarcity of cars, and this condition has possibly ceased to exist. The manufacturing and retail trade of the country are reported as brisk as ever in spite of the inclement weather across the Rockies, but the South continues to send in unsatisfactory reports, including some in- crease in the number of failures.” The general level of prices was lower as 2 rule in January, but there has been some recovery thus far in February. Conditions in California have changed considerably during the past week. It was only a few days ago that the specter of a possible dry year began to ap- pear on the horizon, but the rains have come and the sinister shade has vanished. The central and northern parts of the State have received several raias, more or less copious, almost sufficient to insure the crops, but the San Joaquin can stand a good deal more moisture and the southern part of the State needs a good deal more yet. Even as it is the outlook is certainly much brighter than a week agb, and there is a. feeling of cheerfulness in all lines of business, both here and in the country. It is the consensus of opinion among business men who handle farm |;ro- duce that, while we may not this yéar obtain the phenomenal prices of 1901 for many lines of produce, still we will receive as good returns as the average, and probably better than during some previous years, owing to the short supplies of food staples all over the country. Hence the outlook may be classed as especially fine. Canada’s experiment with penny postage is said to have been even more successful than was expected. In 1896, the last year of the old rate, there was a de- ficit of $781,152, but for the year ending last June the deficit was but $416,184. Experiments that are so profitable ate worth making, and it would not be a bad idea for the United States to try it. ¢ to the interruption to railway traffic and general | HEN the Supervisors of San Francisco deal W to-day with the Ingleside resolution they should do so with a clear understanding of what it means and with a full sense of their official responsibility to the community., The issue is not one of horse racing, nor of any question affecting the promotion of horse breeding in California. Neither is-it a question of authoriz- ing an enterprise of productive industry that would tend to increase the business and the wealth of the city. It is a plain question of legalizing gambling. That which the resolution purposes to do is nothing more nor less than to permit certain forms of gam- bling to be carried on at Ingleside racetrack, and to give to the managers of the track the privilege of controlling the gambling operations and of making a profit out of them. When racetrack gambling was prohibited in San Francisco, and the people, aiter a prolonged fight against the gamblers, were rejoicing in their victory, The Call gave warning that it would not be long before an attempt would be made to revive the prac- tice. The profits of lcgalized gambling are so large and the risks so slight that those who fatten upon the vices ‘of society are ever on the alert to obtain a gambling privilege. Any State in“the Union could obtain an immense sum for a lottery franchise. Any large city could derive a vast revenue for a privilege of establishing a legal gambling place like that at Monte Carlo. Public sentiment will not permit such privileges to be granted. The racetrack then remains the last resort of the predatory gamblers in this coun- try. Wherever there is a chance for them to get that privilege of conducting their gambling games under a légal sanction they are eager and insistent. Defeated at one point they will attack another, and when one set fails completely another set springs up and repews the struggle. The full extent of the revenues' that will flow into the pockets of those having the privilege of legal gambling in San Francisco cannot be accurately esti- mated even by gamblers themselves. It is known, {howc\'er, that the men who last held that right | were able to sell bookmaking privileges on their track for $120 a day to as many as eighteen book- | makers. Here was an income of $2160 a day from | that single source. It is clear the bookmakers would not pay so large a sum for the privilege of gambling unless they were assured of making a profit. How large those profits were no man can say, but it is | certain they were considerable, and when added to the profits made by the managers who sold them the privilege the aggregate amount of the income from gambling must have been enormous as compared with the profits of any productive industry. It is to be noted, moreover, that no gambler will pay $120 a day for the privilege of running a gam- | bling game of any kind unless the game gives him a big percentage of chances against the outside bettor. How large is the percentage in favor of the bookma- ker we have no means of calculating, but from the | amount of money the bookmakers are willing to pay for the privilege it is safe to assume the percentage | must be very high indeed—higher, in fact, than the percentage in favor of the banker at faro, the dealer at roulette or the proprietor of a poker parlor. Track gambling, then, is net only profitable crooked. The men who are enticed to engage iha\'c hardly. any chagce for their money. They may | win now and then, But in the end they lose. Thus the bettor of small means is soon brought to fhe end of his purse, and he has then either to accept | the loss as final, or resort to embezzlement, theit, | forgery or robbery to obtain money to continue the game. ! By reason of these characteristics of racetrack gam- | bling its toleration draws to the community sharpers, | fakers, blacklegs and confidence men from far and wide. These fellows are a corrupting force that soon { makes its influence felt. They make acquaintances | easily, they are genial, they are free with their coin. i[Tht_\- entice the youth of the city to drink and to gam- i ble, and they start on a downward career many a | young man who if free from their enticements would i have lived an honored life and been of value to his | family and to his city. San Francisco knows by dire experience what comes from track gambling and the enticements of {trick gamblers. We do not wish to rencw.the sor- |rows of those families, who have already suffered too much from track gambling, by republishing the names of men and women who have been led to dis- honor, disgrace, ruin, crime and suicide by the gam- bling that was once permitted at Ingleside, but the Su- | pervisors can easily recall most of them. In fact, it is to be doubted if there is a single member of the board | who has not had some friend or some acquaintance at least ruined by racetrack gambling. There are the records of the criminal courts, the prisons and the Morgue to show what legalized gambling leads to. The Supervisors are bourd to guard the welfare of the city, to assist the police in suppressing crime and in“preventing this city from becoming the resort of criminals. It would be folly for them to adopt an ordinance which would attract blacklegs to the city |and then employ an'increased police force to watch | them. With what show of candor can a Supervisor declare himself in favor of suppressing crime if he vote to ]_cgalize that which invariably produces crime? Most of the present Board of Supervisors were re- | elected~to office because they had in their former official term put a.stop to trn‘ck gambling in this city. Their re-election was a vote of confidence that they would stand steadfast against the gamblers. If they fail now the people will demand to know the reason why . { | H COLONIAL ADMINISTRATION. ROM the Treasury Bureau of Statistics there F has just been issued an elaborate report on “Colonial Administration” designed to show what the great colonizing countries of the world have done for the advancement and extension of civiliza- tion, with all its attendant benefits, among the races over which they -exercise a colonial supervision. From the summary given to the press it appears the report is a strong presentation of what the white man has accomplished in bearing the burden of civilizing the world. . It is by the British that colonial administration in our time has been undertaken on the largest scale, and to their work the summary is mainly devoted. At the time the British took control, good roads were irtually unknown in India, but there are now 150,- 000 miles of road, of which over 30,000 are “met- taled.” Therailwaysinthe British colonies now aggre- gate 63,549 miles, against 33,000 in 1885, a growth in fifteen years exceeding the entire distance around the carth. The irrigation canals and other works of India are 36,000 miles in extent, and the area irrigated by all methods exceeds 30,000,000 acres, and although they «have cost about 400,000,000 rupees the value of a 1 A { where throughout the civilized world, so we may for SUPERVISORS AND THBIR DUTY, !singlc year’s crop in the irrigated district above that which it could produce in years of drought is more than the entire cost of the canals. = The commercial showing of the resuits of colonial administration is equally good. It is stated that the commerce of the British colonies alone has grown from over $300,000,000 in 1850 to $2,400,000,000 in 1900. The British colonies were able to import $1,150,- 000,000 worth of food, clothing and the comforts of civilized life from other parts of the world in 1899, against $140,000,000 worth in 1850; the French colo- nies, $160,000,000 worth in 1899, against $91,000,000 worth in 1887—an increase of 72.5 per cent in twelve years. Statistics of savings banks add to the story of colo- nial prosperity. The sum standing to the credit of the depositors in the savings banks of the various British colonies increased from $133,000,000 in 1885 to $288,000,000 in 1809. Other statistics showing the development of colonial civilization are that the num- ber of postoffices in India increased from 753 in 1856 | to 29,122 in 1880; that the telegraph lines in the Brit- ish colonies generally increased from 115,000 miles in 1889-to over 150,000 miles in 18gg; that colonial tele- phone lines aggregate more than 50,000 miles, and that in India the sums expended for public instruc- tion increased from 394,000 rupees in 1858 to more than 36,000,000 rupees in 1899, The figures of course show only the brighter and better side of colonial administration. Their cost has been great in blood and in treasure, and the | whole burden has not been borne by the white man. A gloomy picture could be presented of what the civilizing process in India has cost both to that country and to Great Britain. Other colonizing em- pires have had an experience even worse than that of the British, and were the cost to be taken into con- sideration throughout the whole range of colonial government it would probably be found that the good obtained is hardly worth the expenditure required. Moreover, it might possibly have been gained at a less cost by other methods than by that pursued by the colonizing empires. Roosevelt’s rise to eminence has been rapid, but nothing like so swift as that of Schwab, who a few years ago was doing a laborer’s work for a laborer’s wages and is now big\ enough to make crowned heads do kow-tow to him and to travel through Eu- rope with the air of a man who expects to buy it. H of the country upon the advisability of adopts ing the metric system of weights and meas- ures, the House Committee of Ways and Means is now engaged in hearing merchants and manufac- turers. At a recent session of the committee some of the leading business men of the East were heard, and reports of the proceedings say the sentiment was en- i tirely favorable to the proposed change. Were the question the simple one of choosing be- | tween the metric system, with its decimal method of calculation, and the system—or rather the lack of system—of weights and measures now 1n vogue in this country and in Great Britain, there wéuld be no hesitation in making the choice. We know the ad- vantages of a decimal system of curréncy, and can readily perceive that equal if not greater advantages would follow the adoption of a like system in all kinds of trade- measurements. The question, how- ever, is not presented in tHat simpfe way. A change to the metric system would require the whole people | to educate themselves anew with respect to weights, measures and values. Furthermore, all the measur- ing implements and appliances now in use would have to be discarded, and the consequent loss would be considerable. In decidipg upon the question the people will have to consider the difficulty and the cost of adopting the new system, as well as the advantages which would flow from it. The advantages would certainly be great. By the simplicity of calculations under the metric system every merchant and manufacturer would gain much. Bookkeeping and accounting THE METRIC SYSTEM. AVING obtained opinions from the scientists | would be easier and speedier, especially in the case | of accounts involving fractions. There would be less | liability to mistake and less trouble over petty tran- | sactions. : | It is in relation to foreign trade that the larger | benefits would be obtained. The metric system pre- vails now almost uniformly throughout Continental Europe and Latin America. It has become, as it were, an international standard, and manufacturers who make their goods in conformity with its measure- ! ments have a big advantage in the world’s markets | over those who do not. Not long ago a Bgtish com- | mission appointed to inquire into the decline in the i demand on the Continent for British manufactures of | iron and steel reported that much of the decline was | due to the fact that the goods were not adapted to French and German measurements. H The question of adopting the system has been long under consideration both in this country and Great Britain, but comparatively little progress has ! been attained. The scientists and the exporters of i both countries have favored the reform, but the con- | servatism of the people has prevented its adoption. It seems. however, that the eventual adoption of the | system is ‘inevitable. Just as the Russians continue | to hold aloof from the calendar that obtains else- in a time continue to stand aside from the prevailing system of weights and mcasures. With the increase | an increased need for the change. When it is reso- lutely attempted it will probably be found that its adoption causes much less trouble than has been feared. The Americans are a quick-witted people and being familiar with the decimal system through the use of it in money, it would not take us long to ap- ply it in weights and measures. e ——— s A New York dispatch says: “An agreement has been signed by all of the principal trans-Atlantic steamship lines whereby rates between this country and Great Britain on three of the most important ar- ticles of export from the United States, grain, flour and produce, will be advanced about 30 per cent.” Doubtless Pierpont Morgan engineered the deal, for he can never get all the money in the world unless he rakes the sea as well as the land. We have at least one satisfaction in the guilty criminations and recriminations in which England, Germany, Italy, France, Austria and Russia are in- dulging over that note which was to have frightened us out of the war with Spain. We taught our Eu- ropean friends, including our kind English cousini, that our business is our own and it is best for them to attend to their own or get into trouble. —_— The Nez Perce Indians of Idaho are contorting themselves in a wild, weird “dance of disapproval” to show their objection to an act of the Government. The red men possibly need some new instructions in that dance in the air which throttles disapproval. of our foreign commerce, however, there will come ¥ AS A BUGLER THIS BIRD IS A WONDER p | IV S'.LNV-I-(\NF{ e — s == <N “JACK,” PROBABLY THE OLDEST "TR‘OOPIAL" BIRD IN CAPTIVITY. HE CAN GIVE THE “ADJUTANT'S CAL ' THE “ASSEMBLY CALL” AND THE “STABLE CALL"” PERFECTLY. HEN the postman delivers the mail at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Clement Moore, Euclid avenue, Hackensack, N. J., he {s greeted with a shrill, clear army call from a caged bird. The strain, whistled through without a break, was long ago identifled by military residents in the community as the ‘“adjutant’s call.” The newspaper carrier receives the same salute, also the master of the house. Desultory visitors pass unnoticed. ‘When Jack, the bird, is in good humor he will obey the signal of master and mistress and will whistle the refrain through for the edification of com- pany. When particularly interested in his audience he will add to his repertoire the clearly defined “assembly call” and conclude with the “stable call.” When in a sulky humor visitors receive but scanty attention in the rendition of the “stable call” only. Jack is probably the oldest “troopial” bird in captivity, and is thought to be the only one of the kind in the United States. He was purchased by Moore al- most fourteen years ago, and was thought to be several years old at that time. The bird had been in the possession of an army officer and its only home had been at cavalry posts. Jack’s attention is distracted only when his master annoys him by wearing glasses or his mistress displays a brilliant brooch. He will stop in the middle of the most satisfactory performance the instant any brilliant object meets his eye and will dart at it directly,” The brilliancy of a woman's eyes so attracted him once that he flew at them before any one could interpose and gave the fair visitor a sharp nip on the eyelid. . In appearance Jack closely resembles the Baltimore oriole, or golden robin, which is peculiar to the Ameriean continent. He has the same rich orange and black plumage and the same sweetness of song. He is also of similar size. But Jack’s birthplace was South America and his chatter and many antics sug- gest the magpie. The term ‘“‘trooplal,” .which designates the class to which Jack belongs, is due from the habit of birds of this kind to associate in large troops. They move in flocks and show great partiality to the neighborhood of man. They are equally at home on the ground or in the trees and are loquacious at all times. They learn both to whistle and to articulate words. Moore is also the possessor of a talking mina bird from Manila. This mina is snow white—an unusual color. It can cry like a child, say “mamm: also *‘come back’ and ‘“come here.” It can call repeatedly “unwa, unwa,” a term that some scholar has interpreted for Moore as Hindostanee for ‘‘nurse.’” @ Fiml-f Irmieleiedefedebeds fetemieleielel RUSSIA’S NEW, CRUISER NOVIK. "~ IS A REMARKABLY FAST WARSHIP Accounts of the Vessei’s Steam Triais, Just Published, Show Tha* Her Speed 's Ov:r Twenty-Six Knots an Hour. ! CCOUNTS of the steam trials of the Russian cruiser Novik on July 18 of such a remarkable vessel warranted. The vessel was tried in the Baltic under favorable conditions, making her runs between a lighthouse and a last year have only recently been published in the Marine Rundschau, and it is to be regretted that they lack the completeness which the trial of lightship, an air line distance of fifty miles. The apparent speed on the outward trip was found to be 2.03 knots, which was corrected to a little over 26 knots, owing to wild steering and the home run was figufed out to be 25.4 knots, an allowance of two knots being made for the irregular course taken. The runs occupied 3 hours 43 minutes and 33 seconds, and the average for the six hours’ trial was between 17,500 and 18,000 horsepower, with 172 revolutions. The air pressure in the stoke hold was 2.16 inches and the coal consumption 1.96 pounds per unit of horsepower. The ship was tried under service conditions, fully completed and with 360 tons of ceal on board. The Novik was built by Schichau at Elbing, and is 347 feet 10 inches in length, 40 feet breadth and 16 feét 4 inches draught. The battery consists of six 4.7-inch, one 2.5-inch, six 1.85<inch, two l.46-inch rapid-firing guns and five torpedo tubes. The contract stip- ulated 17,000 horsepower and minimum speed of 25 knots, which appears to have been exceeded, and the ship has been accepted and was placed in commission De- cember 17. The Russian voluntéer fleet, consisting of twenty-seven steamers, is threatened with extinction. Its subsidy from the Government expires shortly and may not be renewed owing to the great expense for which inadequate service is rendered. The company is charged with being uneccnomical and with ignoring the main ob- ject for which the subsidy was allowed, namely, to encourage the merchant ma- rine. It is of frequent occurrence that the steamers make the return trip from Asfatic ports with little or no cargo, and the Minister of Finance recommends that the fleet be placed under his control, with a view of properly utilizing it for its original purpose and incidentally as an auxiliary to the navy. 5y Senator Penrose has iniroduced a bill in the United States Senate providing for the construction of a torpedo cruiser to steam at least forty knots an hour and to cost $500,000. It Is undoubtedly the scheme of some irresponsible and visionary inventor—one of a class that bother the Navy Department with impracticable pro- jects—and is unlikely to receive serious attention. Our recent experience in tor- pedo-boat building has been unsatisfactory to the Government and ruinous to contractors. A report just made public by the bureau of construction summarizes the status of the destroyers and torpedo-boats, and finds that of the sixteen de- stroyers none will be entirely satisfactory and that nine torpedo-boats out of twelve will be failures. The exceptions in the latter class are three boats built by the Bath Iron Works, which firm adopted a successful French design and em- ployed skilled and experienced persons. Sympathy is extended in the report to- ward the contractors who, without knowledge of the difficulty, rusked in for the work of building these boats and have paid dearly for thelr temerity. Three firms have been financially embarrassed and all have lost money on thelr contracts. Sev- eral boats are still uncompleted and are likely to remain so untii the Government takes the boats off the hands of the builders, and Dbills for relief and alterations, amounting to over 35,000,000, will be presented to Congress, making the total cost of our new torpedo fleet somewhere about 312,000,000, instead of 36,900,000, as orig- inally estimated. The worst feature about the business is that the boats will be practically useless, in that they are of flimsy construction and their contract speeds, varying from thirty to twenty-four knots, will be reduced to twenty and twenty-five knots. The navy personnel law, which went into effect three years ago, has shown its good effect In ridding the service of “dead timber” and thus advancing young and ambitious officers. Eince January 1. 139, up to the present time 109 vacancies on the active list of line officers have been made, nine by resignation, seventy-five by retirement and twenty-five by death. In the marine corps there has been fourteen vacancies, two by resignation, eight by retirement and four by death. In 1897 the head of the junior lieutenants’ list had been twenty-two years in the service, whereas now the officer in that grade entered the navy only eleven years ago. oties g The repairs to the new Franch armored cruiser Jeanne d’Arc will take six months, and four boilers have to be renewed, having been entirely ruined during the steam trial. v Voluntary retirement of officers in the higher grades in the F: been recommended by the Minister of Marine and a bill to that introduced in the Senate. It provides that a Ii er twenty-five years’ service or after having been fourteen years in the 8rade, and that he shall recelve the rank and pay of the next higher grade. This is tnllo' out the system of the United States navy since 1899, which has already been of great benefit to the service. Two new French destroyers, the Epee and Espignole, just completed at Havre, were sent out last November to join the Asfatic squadron, but were forced to lfik shelter at Milo, in the Greclan archipelago, owing to unusual stress of ‘weath, They encountered waves thirty feet in height, but suffered no damage what, rep The boats are 303 l:ns d:plarfiex:e:t and tw;n(y-ulx knots contract speed, mev&r.: rience throu; which the; assed safel :::l‘rhseo);geeonnmcflnn.g 353 fely 1s a pretty good guarantee of P o E PERSONAL MENTION. L. Lichtenberger, a business man of Los Angeles, is at the Grand. H. A. Cohen, a mining man of Salt Tench navy has effect has. eutenant ccmmander may retlrab::{: A CHANCE 10 sMiLE. “Colonel, I saw one of the la; ments of war & few minutes ago."” “Indeed; and what was that?: - test imple- GOSSIP FROM LONDON WORLD | OF LETTERS Lord Dufferin, whose pathetic letter to the official receiver the other day in con- nection with the bamkruptcy proceedings of the London and Globe Corporation and other companies excited so much sym- pathy, made no secret even long ago at the happy time when he was British Em- badsador at Constantinople that he kept a i dlary, and that in this he wrote down not only political facts from within as they occurred, but set down all the anecdotes narrated in his presence. These sidelights of history extend to meny volumes and are as carefully kept as Charles Greville kept his under lock and key. While Lord Dufferin will not permit anything of his dlaries to be pub- ished during his lifetime, they are likely to equal in interest the Greville memoirs | when they do appear. ! Miss Marie Corelli has been attracting attention in a new role. She has been writing to the press on the subject of Germanizing the British army as regards uniform. In the course of her letter she states ! she i3 the recipient of many letters every | day from military men bitterly”resenting | the reformed costume. As an authority | on military matters Miss Corelll has never before been known to the British public, | and in a letter in reply to hers one puzzled correspondent asks how it is that Miss Corelli has been chosen by officers as their confidante and wonders if the ex- planation is that Miss Corelll is engaged on a novel which has the dress reform of the British army as its subject. A Skit on Celebrities. A little book which is creating a great deal of meriment in London just now is “Lives of the Illustrious.” Some of these lives are very funny, in- deed.. Everybody is reading the book. The gentle satire of the “skit” on nearly every well-known man of the day is quite harm- less, but at the same time it has an ex- traordinary way of hitting the nail on the head. The most amusing sketches are those of the lives of Sir Thomas Lipton, Alfred Beit, George Alexander, Sir Henry Camp- bell-Bannerman and Lord Rosebery. The book is by the same author as “Deport- ment for Dukes” and ‘“‘Manners for Mil- lionaires” and is to be found in almost every drawing-room in the West End of London. Some reference was made a few months {ago to a prospective revival of Dickens. | Of course, never since the great novelist sprang into fame, certainly never since he died, have his works ceased to be sold in some shape or fashion. But by gevival is meant a sudden demand for his Works. For a long time Dickens was considered by the fashionable set to be a novelist of the people pure and sjmple. He was considered vulgar, while Thackeray was | looked upon as the novelist of educated ! minds. Now all this is changed. Thacke- |ray 1s out of it for the time being. | Everybody is reading and talking of | D'’ckens as if he were a great novelist just sprung into fame. | " Messrs. Chapman & Hall are the latest out with a fine Oxford India paper edition. Messrs. Dent, T. Neison & Sons and Me- thuen are all issuing editions in monthly volumes. Plays Increase Sale of Novels. An American paper states that the dramatization of a novel in America in- variably led to a large increase in its sales. The same effect is also noticeable in this country. Stephen Phillips, who is | the one English poet of the present day | who gets acted, is also a poet whose books | sell best. Similarily it was noticed that the production of “Ulysses” at Her Ma- | Jesty’s Theater was heralded by the pub- | lHeation in a 9-penny edition of Charles Lamb’s “Adventures of Ulysses” by the | Society for the Propagation of Christian | Knowledge. s | Lord Granville Gordon has just come | pleted a book of sporting reminiscences, | which is to appear in the spring. Lord Granville Gordon is a brother of the Mar- | quis of Huntly. He is already the author of one or two volumes of verse and flc- tion relating to the Gordon country of Aberdeenshire. In view of the early production of “Ben | Hur" at the Drury Lane Theater, it is be- Heved the players’ edition of the book, the same as that which has been issued in America, will also be issued here. It is worth noting, however, that England is not altogether destitute of editions of “Ben Hur” of her own. On inquiry twenty-seven of them were discovered and how many more there may be is not known. It is needless to say the novel has no copyright here, but only an enduring popularity. — ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. FIVE DOLLARS—A. 0. 8., City. plece of 1339 is not a premium coin. HALF OF 182—F. B. G., Rohnerville, Humboldt County, Cal. No premium is offered for a half dollar of 1332. WEDDING ANNIVERSARY—C. §., Al ameda, Cal. The fortieth anniversary of | a wedding is called the ruby wedding. MULES—Subscriber, City. A t, having several hundred mules top‘srel’; might find a purchaser for them by ap- plying at United States army headquar- ters. AB BALDWIN HOTEL-S. R., Palm Springs, Riverside County, Cal. The Bald- | win Hotel had a frontage of 141:10% feet on Market street, 22:3% feet on Eddy street and %05 feet on Powell street. There is no such corner as the northeast corner of Market and Powell streets in San Francisco. MINING CLAIMS—H. H., Porterville, Tulare County, Cal. There is no provision of law preventing parties from locating other claims on the same lode outside of the first location made on the lode or vein. If a lode or vein t.ree thousand feet in length is discovered two locations may be made, each fiftzen hundred feet, thereon. SCHMITZ—A Subscriber, City. This correspondent asks, “Why is it that the Mayor of San Francisco assumes the name of Schmitz in view of the fact that when he went to school he was plain Smith?” The Mayor may have been called “plain Smith™ by his schoolmates, but he has always borne the name of Schmitz, because that was his father's name. His father was Joseph L. Schmita. ———————— Ex. strong hoarhouad candy.Townsend's.” — e Cal. Glace Fruit 50c per Ib at Townsend's.* —_———— Townsend’s California glace fruits, jc a und, in fire-etched or Jap. bas- ts. ‘A nice present for Eastern rri & Market st., Palace Hotel butiding. >~ Special ln(ornlt::n supplied daily to jusiness houses a public men by th. l},—. Clipping Bureau (Allen’s), 510 gomf gomery sireet. Telephone Main 1042 + ———e—— Dr. See of the United States Naval Ob- servatory in Washingion has econcluced Lake City, is staying at the Cdlifornia. “A typewriter, 0 .| that there are about 1,200,000,000 tei Herbert Slater, connected with the San- | Statesman. Bt s R e S P ta Rosa Pfess, is a guest at the Grand. rorhare's that stk B £ - —_— Bank Commissioner John Markley is o sald tl:am‘ A Bird in a | what you pay for extracts is important, but registered at the Lick from Geyserviile, TIETVOUs man. | what you get Is ten times more important. Bur- answered the wag. “If I had a bird th any better than that I'q and let it fly awa Wi l\lr:‘.l Myles—Here’ named Albert; why not on him?" Mrs. Styles—I J. E. Seroy, a mining man of Bakers- field, is at the Lick, accompanied by his wife.’ Edward Walden, a brandy and wine manufacturer of Napa County, is a guest at the California. Brigadier General Charles P. Eagan is registered with his wife at the Palace, having Just arrived trom the City of Mex: co. : n Star. Statesman. boarding-house at couldn't sing open the cage horse on the card put your money Wouldn't think of such + ch a he’s always late h'mm.m._roh'-'fl nett'sVanilla costs more because it's worth more. ——— “Why is that picture turned toward th wall?" “Oh, that is a ‘eceno_and we have to hide it whenever Unclo ‘Thomas ,US, Dbecause he is a hay fever sufferer.” e ments, E. S. Babcock, manager, Coronado, Cak b |