The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 1, 1904, Page 36

{ | ,,_.___——J:I for Poor Authors. { DQUARTERS OF THE CALL, | EIETTA STREET, COVENT| LONDON, April 19.—In| ection in Parliament | Austin Dobson is to g0 250 which the Gov- t allows him besldes his reg- vearly, and Eng- folk ought to congratulate ng an advantage in those in America. is mistaken, an broke” can look for aid | < and his 6wn exertion: v there are se al | »ugh which assistance may | cspeciglly if he has ren- Iy ‘notable service to lit- | Mark Twain been no doubt funds would oming from the civil his financial 1 vears ago instead of the being obliged to both ends mest. ens would have ac-, is, of course, many English | 3 ence- have done so, Maithew Arnold, W. E. Augustus Sala, Her-| i William Watson. which gives ster authority to ad- uthors out of the way was passed lliam 1V and, as| wd in the House day, allows the of latitude in Mr. Osmond- | for Merionethshire, | of literature evi-| s, since he spoke of | Dobson,” demanded e was for that au- | per annum from ,as a retired “civil received a pen- said the critic, to nearly as much as Mr. s full pay when in the service—3$4000. Mr. Jfous's’answer was to point out that tadstone placed the name of Mat- n the civil list while the eriture and Dogma” Government’s employ 3 wpensioner, like the pher of Hogarth, Gold- hardson. The Prime so expressed his regret that ion, fund was so £5000 a year. Among have . benefited from it, however, -have "been Huxley's widow #nd those- of Anthony Trollope and Chérles’ Dickens Jr. English. authors' in-difficulties can be helped glso {rom théroyal literary fund as well as Jlirough the Society of Au- thors.- ‘Sofme intéresting detafls of the founding of the former institution have just come to light through the discov- ery of.an old pamphlet. - It seems that a club of wealthy mien about town used to exist at the old Prince of Wales coffee-house, near Bond street, and to the ears of its members came the story of an elderly Greek translator of much renown who had died in consequence of being arrested and thrown into prison for & debt to a restaurant-keeper’ who had supplied his scanty meals. The Royal - Liférary Fund was organized immediately by these clubmen, and the first meeting f6r election of officers was held in Msy, 1790. At first the dona- tions were decidedly meager, one of those mentjoned in the old pamphlet being- the sum of $25-to a widow “with a famjly of four ypuhg children unpro- vided for'” >De .- Afmbst everything closely associated widh Rulyard Kipling 18 of so much interest that it is nb wonder that a ®ood deal has found its way into print s unless one an him over s ke nce but nt edént t) pre | regarding kis various homes, Including | Nose. Flat ' Nose, — Wells a day or two ago, and during her stay there received a call from two elderly women. Upon entering her drawing-room to greet them, however, the authoress was greeted with a hes- itating observation that they had “called to see Mme. Sarah Grand.” “That i= my name,” replied the writer of “The Heavenly Twins.” Whereupon the vieitors explained that at any rate their hostess was not the lady they had previously met and believed to be Mme. Grand, though they admitted that there was a resemblance. Inquirles on the au- thorees’ part revealed the fact while staying at a boarding-house in Folkestone a woman had represented ! Lerself as “Mme. Sarah Grand” to the two old people, and had even presented them with her autograph, copied, apparently, from one of the real magazine. Odd Parliamentary Pleas. The right which every Britisher has of petitioning the sovereign or either ! house of Parliament for the redress of | grievances is not likely to fall into dis- use through not being sufficiently ex- ercised. As a matter of fact, there is more likelthood of _this fundamental principle of the British constitution suffering through being too frequent- Iy employed, for on more than one oc- casion the Select Committee, which { deals with petitions in the firet place and reports on them to the House, have given & as their opinion “that the right of petitioning the House of Com mons has of late years been subjected | to serious abuse, and merits the atten- tion of the House.” The present system of dealing with | commiittee wnsi petitions by a select established in 1833, and since then something like 200,000 petitions, con= taining considerably over signatures have begn received and re- perted upon. Many of them, of course, have been petitions dealing with im- portant questions of the day, while, on the other hand, a large number have | a ridiculous character and of been of totally unworthy of the attention the House. sess a mania for sending petitions to the House of Commons, and, like the Irishman who petitioned that the girl who “had the cheek to jilt him might suffer due pains and penalties,” evi- Gently consider that one of the main | duties of Parllament is to redress the grievances, real or imaginary, of an private individual who may care to ap- ' ply to it. No less absurd than the Irishman’s petition was that of a man who prayed the House to appoint a select commit- tee to inquire into “his identity. went qg to explain that his birth and parentage were involved in mystery, he having been left on a doorstep when | an infant. Another petitioner, in praying to the House to grant his request, was magnanimous enough to add that he would “ever pray to the Lord to for- give their sins for not having done so sooner.” Perhaps the most remarkable of the many odd petitions was that presented by a man some years ago, who prayed the House of Commons to disconnect 2 telephone wire which he stated had | been 1aid to his brain by the detective department of the Scotland Yard, in order to discover his secret thoughts and whether he was in any way con- nected with dynamite outrages. Every petition, however, whether it it is of an important character or oth- erwise, and signed by a million Brit- ish subjects or only one, is dealt with in the most formal manner. At the commencement of each session the House of Commons appoints its select committee to report on the number and nature of petitions presented, to- gether with the number of signatures attached. It is also the duty of the select committee not only to count the signatures, but to see that each one is genuine. ‘With regard to the latter point, one authority asserted some time ago that if the whole of the petitions which are sent to Parliament were sifted from top to bottom it is probable that not more than 25 per cent of genuine sig- natures would be found among them. The fraud which was discovered In connection with the famous monster Chartist petition of 1848 emphasized the necessity of carefully examining the signatures attached to Parliamen- tary petitions. No fewer than 5,706,000 persons were stated to have signed this petition; but on examination it was found that the real number was 1,975,- 496. Thousands of signatures were found to be bogus and written by the same hand. Among the forgeries ap- peared such names as No Cheese, Pug Longshanks and the histgric residence.at Brattleboro, | Calfshead. . the retreat.at Rottingdean, and Bur- Of recent years the most remarkable ‘wash, the aufhor’s present English | petition, perhaps, which a select com- abode near Tu_nbrldgg ‘Wells: But South | mittee has had to investigate was that Africg 18 another mitter, and though | presented in 1887, referring to the aboli- Mr. Kipltng now has spent several win- | tion of coal and wine duties. A young ters jn the climate “which he finds so|man named Reginald Bidmead con- wmuth more to his liking than that of | fessed to having forged thousands of these islands, nothing has been pub- | signatures. He had been employed to lished up to now régarding the house | get them at so much per hundred, and, whic he inhébis when at the Cape.|instead of troubling people to sign, he “A recent privatelettet from South Af-|set to work to write thousands of rica,- however, gives some’ information | names with his own hand. When ex- that is well werth qyoting for the ben- efit of Kiplingites at home. amined before the committee he de- Apropos of | clared that it was his poverty which Kipling’s recent political speeches in|led him to do this, and naively added, Cape Colony, its writer says: “As I “I did not think I should be doing any- dare say-you know, he has got a house | body a serious injury, not knowing the here called The, Woolsack. It is in the | value of the petition throughout, and I suburbs, on the slopes of Table Moun- | thought I could write them all ‘myself.” tain, \or rather Devils Peak, and it looks over & wide champaign of wood- Mr. Netherclift, the handwriting ex- pert, who gave evidence at this in- «a country™ta the ‘blue hills far away.’ | quiry, stated that he had examined a Jt is'in’its own tervaced garden, edged | large number of petifions, and that a and backed with vines. The house was | considerable proportion of the signa- left him for life 4y, Cecil Rhodes. It is| tures were spurious. It was further modeled on the style of an old Dutch | Jearned that one petition contained the house and is* built® round a sort of | names of thirteen racehorses, while Roman atrium, with a veranda round | other facetious persons had attached the inher square «and round the out- | such names as W. H. Smith, M. Hicks- wide algo. It is tiled and paneled in a| Beach, and A. J. Balfour, whose ad- fire old hshign. and is only to be beat- | dress, by-the-by, was given as Mare en fér charm by Mrs. Kipling. And | street, Hackney.—Tit Bits. Kipling himself is in the ‘\'ol'ld;" the pleasantest host Mme. Sarah Grand made the edify- ‘What is tantamount to a chair of American questions exists in the Col- lege of France. Last year Professor ing discovery the other day that some- | Izoulet gave a course of lectures upon body bearing a distant resemblance to (economic questions in America. This herself has been indulging in the amusemert of her. impersonating Mme. Grand lectured at Tunbridge !ed States year the subject matter of his course will be religious questions in the Unit- that | Sarah Grand's in an illustrated | 200,000,000 | Some people seem to pos- | He | THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 1, 1904. . I THE: SAN- - FRANCISCO: CALL mnsm.’s.l’tm.....}..'..AMAfl Communications to JOHN McNAUGHT, Manager Publication OfCe ..........c.eeeemeesvessnse: CREEREED -.couviennnen ... .Third and Market Streets, S. . 7 THE METHODIST CONFERENCE. HE first of the great meetings of the year in Cali- IT fornia is that of the General Conference of the i Methodist church, which will be in session.in Los Angeles through the most of this month. It is a dis- tinguished body of ecclesiastics and theologians and laymen. In its membership are Bishops from far Asia and Europe, and from every division of the Western { Hemisphere. It<s an example of the far-reaching con- ! sequences to the world of the spirit and persistence | of one man. = ! When John Wesley started as a come-outer from the established church and incurred tlie disabilities which | in those days beset a nonconformist, his most exalted vision could not have foreseen the mighty things de- pendent upon his assertion of liberty of conscience. The seed that he planted has grown in the line of his own , independence, and in following the progress of the age | has gone far beyond much of his thought and some of his beliefs. Wesley partook of some of the leading superstitions of | his time. Like Sir Mx{kew Hale and Cotton Mather and all Christendom, he believed in witchcraft, and planted his feet firmly upon the Scriptural injunction, “Thou shalt not permit a witch to live.” Time and prog- ress have canceled that superstition, and if Wesley could return in the flesh, still believing it, he would be as much out of place in a Methodist conference as if he were a-Druid priest. Much of the order of his day has | dissolved. In this other Christian bodies are like unto | that which he founded. The Presbyterians have built an expiatory monument in Geneva, on the spot where Ser- | vetus was burned at the instance of Calvin. But ac- | knowledgment of the harshness of Calvin's judgment against heresy in no wise infpairs the truth that was in his theology. Modern Christendom respects the rights of reason and of conscience. As many roads, trod by many peo- ple, lead to the cities of the world, and their conver- gence thereon is the great purpose.of their being, so it has come to be accepted that many roads may lead to | the city eternal, and that all that travel thitherward are ! to be hailed by the same great countersign of brother- i hood. | | As Wesley was with his age in the one gloomy and pervading superstition, he was far ahead of it in a vis- ion of the great fact of modern science. He was a be- | liever in evolution, which in his day had not been re- duced to a hypothesis nor in terms formulated. But he held it in common with Baron d'Holbach and other | free-minded philosophers, and was so earnest in his conviction that it accounted for the presence of life and the origin of species that he perpetuated his views in a | volume that is a monument to his logical mind and pains- | taking study. His lasting work, however, was the development of a religious idea that furnished a reverent refuge for those minds that rejected the tight-fitting system of Calvin on one hand and on the other the insistence of the estab- { lished church that there must be authority for truth. His renovation of the religious idea has striking features in common with the work of Buddha, in that it swung wide the door of eternal hope for all men, and estab- lished a sort of religious democracy. That it adapted Christianity to millions of minds that would have re- jected its preceding forms there is no doubt. He founded an aggressive body with processes that appealed to all the spiritual impulses of men, and made them as- | sume the ‘armor and wield the v:-apons ef the spirit, with unselfish devotion and courage. They were the spiritual warriors of the American frontier. In every scattered settlement of the pioneers the voice of the itinerant Methodist preacher was heard, exhorting in terms that drew the thoughts of the rugged men and women of that day to the great issues of life. Wesley's followers, zeal unabated and courage high, have done California the honor to hold here their great conference. Their welcome is by no means limited to their own communion. The other religious bodies, and individuals outside of church relations, respect the place of Methodism in the moral economy of the world, and extend to its disciples a California greeting. They come here -to a fair and faultless region, where nature hangs her jewels upon the mountains and flecks the plains with beauty and color elsewhere unknown. May the oc- casion be made memorable above all others with the de- voted men and women who see here, of nature’s crea- tion, a reflection of the graces hoped for in a world that exists in their faith and is seen of their spiritual vision. Oakland is to be congratulated on the fact that she seemé to have settled her differences with that interest- ing element of her industrial population, the scavengers. The discussion, for a city esthetically inclined, certainly was not grateful, and in the campaign for the beautiful which the town is now conducting it was positively shocking. WORTH OF RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS. HE recent tests that have been offered the first con- T testants for the Rhodes Scholarships at the Univer- sity of California and institutions throughout the East bring into prominence the significance of this edu- cational movement and open again discussion of the idea’s merits and demerits. One prominent authority upon education, Professor Goldwin Smith, takes a pessimistic view of the worth of Rhodes’ “cthical and political de- signs” as manifested in his generous disposition in favor of American scholars. He can sce in them nothing of value for the student on this side of the water who wins the privilege of a course at England’s venerable uni- versity. : “I fail to sec clearly,” says Professor Smith in the last number of The Nation, “what object can be gained by transferring a number of prominent students in the form- ative period of life from the universities of this continent to a social and political atmosphere different from that in which their lives are to be passed. I have seen some- thing both of English arid American universities and my impression is that all things taken into consideration an American or Canadian will gain no more by beingtrans- bridge man would gain by being transplanted to a uni- versity on this continent.” - . While not venturing an exception to the opinion of a | man whose utterances are based upon long exve}ienc‘e. it may be suggested, nevertheless, that Professor Smith'’s views smack somewhat of very iron-bound standards of educational science. l.qokinfi at Oxford strictly from the point of view of a judgment upon its ability to offer a fitting curriculum for graduate study, the professor has decided that the old university is behind those of Amer. ica in the matter of the practical value of its educational | problem of our South Sea possessions plssfed 4o Oxford or Combandge <lngn Qxford urCan :period in 1903 amounts to 13,121 advertisements, repre- facilities, and that to send to its classic towers American students already partially instructed in subjects of real value would be but to expose them to a new and strange. political atmosphere and social influence, the harmful tendencies of which would not be compensated by knowl- edge acquired. It may be justly inquired whether Rhodes made dili- gent examination into the fitness of Oxford’s curriculum from a pedagogic standpoint before deciding upon thee| endowment he Teft behind him. From the provisions of his scholarships it would appear that to his eyes Oxford is Oxford whether it teaches scansion of the Odes of Pindar or the strength of materials in bridge structures. 1t is the life there, the influence of centuries, long tradi- tion, the esprit de corps born of association with the fin- est of English blood, that Rhodes judged to be worth a résidence of two years there for any American man. It is not believable that Rhodes expected the establishment of a cult of American “digs” and gold medal students, whose two years should see not a night when the fever- ish thirst after knowledge did not “outwatch the Bear.” Such would indeed be an innovation for Oxford. The most satisfactory construction that can be put upon Rhodes’ scheme for American scholarships is ‘that it was not for promoting intellectual brilliancy so much as that of bringing a corps of promising young men to Oxford under conditions that would tend to make them support in after life his great dream of a virtual union of all English-speaking peoples. For that purpose Ox- ford is as good as any other university would be. The Russians, it is announced, are willing to hazard the annihilation of their Baltic fleet to reduce, if pos- sible, the naval odds against them in the Oriental seas. This decision of the Slav fighting sailors should create no surprise. Sentimentally at least it is far better to have no fleet than to have one and not be able to use it. T pany for its franchise, construction and rights in the Panama canal and its stock in the Panama Railroad affords a study in the nature and functions of money. The United States treasury has the gold ready to pay in a lump sum. But the transfer to Paris of so much money, when the financial law of gravity is not demanding its use there, would produce the same effects in the financial world as a flood of water beyond the needs of the land which it overflows. . International exchange would fluctuate, and if the rate of interest and discount declined, those who had made prior use of their credit at the prior rates would be placed at a disadvantage compared with those whose credit would be available at a lower rate. In other words, too much money at a given point, being there for a reason not existing in the state of trade and the demands of commerce, is as much embarrassment as too little. For these reasons it has to be arranged with the French banks that the payment shall be in such install- ments as will permit gradual absorption of the whole without injuriously affecting discounts or exchange. If | the United States had to borrow the money the case would be different. . Then our bonds for the amount would be taken in Paris and the whole sum would be furnished from the existing store of capital there. It would simply be changed from one hand to the other without increase in volume. It is a case in which our solvency and our surplus of cash on hand, making us a ready money and pay- as-we-go country, must make an impression upon Europe. American pride may well assert itself, and without of- fense, because we are the only nation in the world that can_pay out $40,000,000 to France and $10,000,000 to Panama from cash on hand without going into the mar- ket to borrow. It is also matter for self-congratulation that this is done for the greatest constructive work ever undertaken by man, that will revolutionize the commerce of the planet and distribute its benefits to every human being that lives to see its completion. PAYING FOR THE CANAL. HE transfer of $40,000,000 to pay the French com- The public has at least one satisfaction in connection with the white schemers who were recently convicted in the Chinese substitution cases. While no remedy suggests itself for the evil these men have done to the community, there is some gratification in the fact that they can secure no substitutes for the punishment they must now endure. W papers have had brought to their notice a con- clusive demonstration of what a perfectly equipped and energetic news service could accomplish. On Sunday, April 24, there appeared exclusively in The Call a complete and authentic account of the compact made between the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific rail- road systems for the joint control of existing and pro- jected iines on the Northern California coast, a matter which has been the subject of rumor and speculation since the Santa Fe extended its system into this State. Following closely upon this exclusive announcement there appeared in The Call's columns on Tuesday, April 26, the only published account of tie imminent distribu- tion of the greatly contested Fair estate—an account SOME PROOFS OF MERIT. ITHIN the past week readers of San Francisco TALK O Needed a Dream Book. “Here is what I call a hard luck story,” said a man who favors the race- track the other day. “As I was going home one afternoon recently a pretty young woman dressed in dark started a mild flirtation with me. Nothing unu- sual about that. That evening as I left my car a black cat followed me to my door. Nothing strange about that either,-for I love cats, and especially black ones. But that night I had all sorts of dreams, all in dark. There were black people, black buifldings, black everything. “The dreams left their impression. ‘When I awoke next morning I tried to put together the disconnected ram- blings of my mind to learn, if possible, the source of my hallucination. Upper- most was the remembrance of a black woman. She was here, there, every- where, but always a messenger of mer- cy. What could it mean? Was she a harbinger of good or evil? I would see. “I went down town and looked over the entries to find something in the way of a dark horse. There was Ebony.’ I knew very little about the racing game and absolutely nothing about the horse. But I wanted some- thing in black and ‘Ebony’ looked good. So I started over to the corner to place a couple of dollars. At every step I ‘was growing more feverish with enthu- siasm over my secret. I met a friend and of course I thought it would be selfish of me to deprive him of a chance to pick up a little easy money, so I told him what I had up my sleeve. He is one of these wise men who know all about ‘form,’ and in about three words he made me ashamed of myself. I went back and in the seclusion of my office exulted because I had not played a loser. “Later in the afternoon I strolled around to see what had been going on and found ‘that ‘Ebony’ blew in under the wire, a 40 to 1 shot.” ' Something the Matter. William McCarthy had served two terms for burglary in San Quentin, and when he was in the County Jall await- ing trial for the third time it occurred to him that he was in a tight box and a very long term stared him in the face. He decided upon playing the insanity dodge, and for two weeks he scarcely ate any food and remained dumb. ‘When spoken to he would look blankly at the speaker and shake his head. The matter was called to the atten- tion of Judge Cook, and he ordered Mc- Carthy sent to the Insanity Commis- sloners for examination. He would not answer any of the questions put to him , by the Commissioners, and he was kept under surveillance. The conclusion was reached that he was shamming, and one of the doctors at the hospital de- cided upon putting him to the test. McCarthy was strapped to the oper- ating table and his back bared. The nurse had been told to have a bowl of lukewarm water in readiness, and the doctor, placing hjs instruments where McCarthy could see them, picked up one and pretended to make an incision in McCarthy’s back, while the nurse al- lowed the water to trickle down his spine. ® “‘Great Scott,” ejaculated the doctor, “there is something seriously wrong with ®¥hat man; his blood is black in color. T'll have to cut deeper to see what's the matter.” He had just seized another instru- ment when McCarthy yelled: ‘Wot's ' de, matter wid you, you chump. There ain't nothin’ wrong wid e “That’s just what I thought,” replied the doctor. McCarthy is now serving a long term in San Quentin. King of the Road. Dashing and crashing, Puffing and blowing, Hot and defiant, A headless giant, The motor-car rushes, And smashes and crushes, Heedlessly going With petroleuse savor No fear and no favor. ‘With hideous gong It scurries along, While hearing its clatter Pedestrians scatter ‘With terrifled feelings, And murmurs and squealings— True music indeed To this demon of speed. Behind it are lying The maimed and the dying, ‘Work .for the hearses, The doctors, the nurses. See, it disperses’ The citizens, flying ‘With anger and curses, And thanks for small mercies. Dark and demonic The motor-king reigns, And rushes symphonic Through highways or lanes, The air that is tonic Enriching his veins. See, his disdain For the hurt and the pain Of the wounded. the slain’ Watch him be‘\"“nf With eloquence smiling made authentic by the citation of the exact terms upon which the division is to be made. i The Call brings these two instances to the attention of its subscribers as examples of the work it is doing in getting the news and placing it before its readers first. Such an organization of the news staff as is necessary to accomplish achievements of this order must in- dubitably make for the constant demonstration of its superiority and assure the increased confidence of sub- scribers. In the modern newspaper field' it is | the journal which combines celerity in the acquisition of news with promptness in presenting it that commands the faith of the largest number of readers. That a high grade of efficiency in a paper’s news ser- | vice is accompanied by an increased advertising strength | is a truism which is readily demonstrable. The total in- crease in classified advertisements appearing in The Call | for the first three months of the new year ov‘er a similar | senting a space in the paper of 5682 inches. This is, perhaps, a more solid earnest of what The Call is doing in the matter of progress than any other single circum- stance that could be cited. s o — " Plans for the proposed new capital of the Philippine Islands have been prepared and submitted and have met with the approval of the authorities at Washington. 1f were as easy to determine the character of the people = a city as it is to build the city would be-solved. the stupendous | The sweet motor-maiden, With fond fancies laden. Wondrous her bliss is; Perhaps there are Kkisses Snatched without fearing Mid headlong careering, Veering and steering. Joy such as this is The rapture bestowed On the favored omnipotent King of the Road. —TLondon News. Kelvin's Mathematics. Lord Kelvin's election to the lord chancellorship of Glasgow University has loosened the flood of anecdotes hich have gathered round his great name. Most Kelvin stories which ob- tain in Glasgow are founded upon the occasional inability of the great man who lisped in logarithms to bring his mind to a childish sum. The famous one tells how on his blackboard he once made two and two five, and, hear- ing the chuckles of the delighted class, altered it hastily to three. He was, however, once heard to say, with his beautiful use of the soft Irish r, “Seven times nine, Mr. Mac-far-lane, aré a hundred and what? (Pause.) But, no; seven times nine cannot be a hundred and anything, Mr. Mac-far-lane, for square of a hundred is ten.” THE TOWN umbrella were, and, having satisfled himself that his friend had not these articles with him, he sald: “Well, in that case, doctor, we will walk back beneath this beit of trees, for the rain will not per-colate the leaves, doetor, for twen-ty minutes.”"—Manchestex Guardian. i P ' Nervy King Alfonso. ° ' Young Don Alfonse of Spain, who only attains his eighteenth birthday this month, has strengthened to a very important extent his hold upon the good will of his subjects and his prestige abroad by the courage which he displayed during his ten days’ stay at Barcelona. He had been urged by his relatives, by his courtiers, and even by the principal statesmen of both political parties, as well as by the press, not to visit Barcelona, which is renowned as the most turbulent city in Europe, and that is honeycombed with. republicanism, soclalism and an- archism. If he had listened to these counsels he would have remained at Madrid. But realizing with a precocity far beyond his age the pecullar po- litical, economical, social and reglon- alist features of the Catalan provinces, he Insisted on going to the spot to examine the real state of affairs him- self, and not only did he go to Barce- lona, but he visited the resorts and haunts of the working classes who are reputed to be anarchists, conversed with the workmen in their factories in their own dialect, which he had taken the trouble to acquire, and generally behaved like a ruler who had- entire trust in his subjects. During his stay two efforts were made to assassinate his Premier, Senor Maura, the one by means of a bomb, through the explosion of which several people were hurt, and the other with a knife, from which the Premier sustained a slight wound. But the King himself not only escaped un- scathed, but no attempt was even made upon his life, and he has re- turned to Madrid, having won, if not the affection, at any rate the respect, of the people of Catalonia, who ad- mire him for the courage and resolu- tion which he has displayed In visit'ng them and who now entertain some faint hope that, having studied on the spot the conditions of which they complained, he may initlate some steps toward the remedy of their wrongs. Eve's Apple. In Ceylon there is a tree called “Eve’s apple tree,” which is remarkable in that the orange red fruit is beautiful to look upon, yet out of each fruit a piece appears to have been bitten, Itis sald that the simulation of a fruit which has been bitten into is perfect. For this reason and because the fruit 1s a deadly poison, the natives declage that it is the same tree which grew In the Garden of Eden, and it is a per< petual reminder of a disobedient act, Answers to Queries. LOST VOICE—Reader of the Call, Pinole, Cal. According to a bird fan< cler’s manual, the lost voice of a canary may be restored by giving the bird sugared water to drink. PRy T RADIUM—C. A. H., Contact, Nev, For such Information as you desire about radium address a communica- - tion to the State Mining Bureau, Union Ferry bullding, San Francisco, Cal. POLL TAX—G. A. B, Fruitvale, Cal, . Poll tax in California, if not pald by one required by law to pay the same, becomes a llen on the real property of the delinquent, if he is the owner of real estate. WITNESS TO A WILL—E. M., Tuol« umne, Cal. In California “all benefl cials, devises and gifts whatsoever made or given, in any will, to a sub= scribing witness thereto are void, un< less there are two other subscribing witnesses to the same, but a mere charge on the estate of the testator for the payment of debts does not prevent his creditors from being competent wit« nesses to his will.” 7 LARGE STEAMERS—T. B. H., Pet« aluma, Cal. Among the largest Atlan- tic steamers are the Kaiser Wilhelm IT of the North German Lloyd—length, 707 feet; breadth, 72; depth, 57; tonnage, 19,500 gross. The Oceanic of the White Star line—length, 704 feet: breadth, 83; depth, 49:, tonnage, 17,274 gross. The Celtic and the Cedric of the same line have the following measurements: Length, 700 feet; breadth, 75: depth, 49: tonnage, 21,400 gross. The Oceanic and the Kaiger Wilhelm II are both longes than the Celtic and Cedric, but the la~ two named have a greater breadth and tonnage. These/Awo are the first ves- sels of the trans-Atlantic fleet that have been built with more than 20,000 tons gross. In view of this, it may be said that the Cedric and the Celtic are, while not the longest, the largest steamers afloat. The length of the Great Eastern was 692 feet; breadth, 83 feet, and height of hull, 60 feet. She had a carrying capacity of 5000 tons of mer- chandise and 15,000 of coal for fuel i —— e —— Townsend's California Glace fruits and ice candfes. in artistic fire-etched mcho A nice puunn t for .mm 715 Market street. above Call building. * A —_————— - - T A