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THE SUNNY SOUTH
i
E/>e SUNNY .SOUTH j 7%e Value of Silence**Com*
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THE CONSTITUTION BUILDING
■ATLANTA, GEORGIA
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Why Washington Should
He Popular Today
N the days of George Washington
patriotism was at a premium in this
country. It is true that our borders
were not so widely remote; our
now gigantic industries were in
their infancy, and a pitiful, puling
infancy it was; we did not point
proudly to our illimitable domain,
and to our powerful horde of multi
millionaires—but our ancestors
were a patriotic people, and it is
probable that tney were a purer peo
ple, with higher and nobler ideals.
With the passage of the years, and
the coming of enormous, almost
miraculous wealth, we have become more cen
tralized in our lives and aims, and there is less
of the glorious love of country and the simple
faith in themselves, God and mankind which
marked the characters of the men who so sturdily
built the foundations for our present prosperity j
and world-power.
Washington was first and last, above all, essen
tially, a patriot. In the light of more complete
knowledge, we have learned that he was not a
brilliant man. He was a cultured, kindly Chris
tian gentleman—that is all, personally speaking.
The leading trend of his character and tempera
ment was absolute, self-immolating devotion to
d’nrjg. as be. saw it. By blood, training and per
sonal! favor it is reasonable to suppose that his
sympathies would have been largely^ toward the
Britis/h in the critical days which culminated in
the battle of Hunker Hill. But his far-seeing dis
cernment foresaw the establishment and growth
of a/ great, independent nation, which should be
theiasvlum for the oppressed of all countries;
V ,
wlach ^should, in after years, turn its attention to
the development and exploiting of the invaluable
resources with which it was so bountifully gifted,
and which should oppose to the old-world civili
zation a new and virile force and customs stronger
and more dominating than any agency yet loos
ened on the world of affairs.
Realizing these things and conscious of an
overpowering mission, whatever there was of self-
ishnesss in the scale he threw to the winds.
Chosen as the commander of the army of the
swaddling nation, his best energies Avere turned
toward the accomplishment of the task which
had been set for him—the crushing of an im
mensely superior force of militia, far and away
surpassing his otvn troops in point of discipline
and equipment. The trials, the disappointments,
the heart-breaking reverses which he encountered
in this task are well-known history. His stead
fastness of purpose, his conscientiousness and his
refusal to be daunted by obstacles are luminous
examples to those of us participating in the neAv
civilization of today.
His success in an administrative capacity as
president of the United States is also valuable
as an index. 1 hat form of government A\as al
most altogether new and untried, and many were
the knotty problems with which he was brought
face to face daily. These first years of the young
republic were \ r ital and strenuous, and to the safe
guidance and wise conser\'atism of Washington
the splendid governmental foundation then laid is
largely due- His name and fame are secure be
yond the adverse or favorable comment of any fad
of the historical novel, and his countrymen owe
him a debt of gratitude, the dimensions of which
arc yearly being more keenly appreciated.
In these days, when sordidness and ambition
are growing dangerously obtrusive, a study of the
career of this wise, simple, quiet, strong man is
the more advisable. We should not forget that
we arc still a coherent, interdependent nation, the
humbler citizen cooperating with his more fortu
nate fellow in an endeavor to attain to the best in
our national ideals and national completeness.
This, with the wish that \\’e may never grow too
impiously arrogant to see the hand of God in all
the fortune which Providence has shown our way,
is the true patriotism. George Washington Avas
an earnest exponent of this particular species, and
we need more of it this hundred-odd years after
his death.
mercial and Otherwise
HE gift of intelligent, worth-the-
while conversation is an extremely
valuable and—we regret to state
comparatively a rare one. Many
people are talkers, but few conver
sationalists. 1 o be able to express
one’s thoughts clearly and tersely
to have a command of ready and
effective illustrations, and to pos
sess strong powers of persuasion
are qualities of measureless assist
ance in strenuous, every-day life.
But silence also has a. certain, defi
nite value, although it is pretty tol
erably apparent that it is not very
popular with the great majority of people. We
are, all of us, although many of the more stre-nu
ous are apt to deny it, given occasionally to an
indulgence in moods. When, if we care to hold
any conversation at all, we desire it to be clean
cut. expressE^e along a certain line. Just as often
the tired mind craves silence—the kind that brings
with it reflection and introspection. .
Stevenson, in his “Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde,”
gives an admirable illustration of this longing for
quiet which is planted in every mature human
mind when he speaks of Lawyer Utterson, a man
“in whose rich silence" his friends loved to re
fresh their jaded minds, after the frivolous and
Avordy had taken their departure. Such a nature
many of us have in our mind’s eye at the present
—those who haA r e not should be envious of the
others. One quick in sympathy and congeniality,
but who believes that both may come without
words; a man avIio is willing to tarry with us in
our body-stagnant moments, Avhen the thoughts
are turning inward, and the mental life is perhaps
the SAveetest or the saddest—in the mellowness of
a mood brought about by the genial glow of the
winter flame and the Aveariness of the body and
faculties from prolonged actiA r ity.
Then there is the man who does not possess
the tact to keep his tongue still at critical mo
ments—Avho may mar a trade, precipitate a ca
tastrophe or break up the entente of an agreeable
gathering by his et^erlasting, irrepressible garrul
ity. This individual, Ave feel relieved to state, fre
quently Avorks as much detriment to himself as to
other people, but a portion of his species is obsti
nate, and never learns from experience. Both
young and old men suffer from this weakness, al
though age is supposed to be especially afflicted.
It is certain that the business and professional
man, Avhile he admires a bright, entertaining,
forceful and opportune talker, places little reli
ance in a man whose chatter is continual, and Avho
regards silence as nothing but oppressive-
We do not Avish to be understood as preaching
a gospel of silence, but its judicious use is helpful
to yourself, agreeable to others, and A-aluable in
it.; ultimate results.
Women in Public Life and
the Pinching Shoe
OMEN in nearly e\'crv phase of
public life constitute such a com
paratively new problem that wise
men generally ha\ r e withheld com
ment until such time as the fruits
of the many experiments now on
foot would be more plainly mani
fest. At the same time it is permis
sible to discuss different develop
ments bearing on the problem as
they rise, that those concerned and
the general public may view the
rapidly growing difficulties which
the question presents from a neu
tral standpoint. Apropos of these
observations, are some occurrence.-* in Illinois re
cently, growing out of the formation of the dele
gation from that state to the national congress of
the Daughters of the American Revolution.
There are two candidates for the state regency—
Mrs. Wiles and Mrs. Deere.
Mrs. Wiles has made the broad statement that
money is being used in the campaign against her.
“Although I am not spending any money,” she
said, “still 1 know of at least three delegates
whose votfes I could secure Avith money." To this
innuendo, Mrs. Deere replies: “Certainly my ad
herents are not paying the expenses of any dele
gate, and this discussion is both A’nlgar and dis
tressing. Frankly, I am annoyed and sorry that
the controAersy has arisen.” So there you are,
with free choice to select between two very direct
Aversions of a very complicated affair.
It has all along been the contention of oppo
nents of the woman in public life and of Avoman
suffrage, that in time antagonism betAveen candi
dates Avhere \ r ote casting Avas involved Avould de
generate into open charges of corruption and dis
honest}', even where these faults did not exist.
Many strong pictures have been drawn of onr
mothers and wives and sisters mixed up in ques
tionable transactions of this nature, and vve haA r e
been repeatedly asked if Ave would relish such a
spectacle.
Frankly—and Ave believe Ave speak for a large
section of our readers—avc cannot say that Ave
Avould. In eA'erv man of the right caliber there is
an inborn dislike to seeing Avomen engage in any
occupation which will rob them of their pure
Avomanliness. There is much dirtv Avork in this
world which cannot be shelved, but we would
rather see it done by men. We do not think we
are putting it too strongly when we say that their
mothers, wives and sisters are the only links that
bind many men to heaven, or at best a purer life,
and any development which weakens this link will
not be very welcome.
We are not attacking the Daughters of the Rev-
olution, or a higher degree of mental development
for women- We only desire to draw attention to
a peculiar and unpleasant phase of AA’omcn in pub
lic life.
«Songs In Many
Keys
Oblivion
A plaining wind sweeps through the
hoar arcade,
Awaking light echoes of their voices
once again
Who long agb paced here, still, gray- 1
gabbed men.
Conning their missals in the ilex shade,
Home of the bat and bird, each dust
strewn cell
Stands roofless ’neath the unconcerned
stars
That erstwhile paled to spt the
scourse’s scars.
And charnel secrets unmasked faces
tell.
No flower nor fountain decks the clois
ter garth,
Nothing but hardy Ivy weathers the
Mill
Where once k-ose censers, zephyr-swung,
did spill
Incense too subtly sweet for altar hearth.
The silver moon's rim shows above the
sea.
AA'hose waves unceasing miseries moan.
That then, O then, sighed but one name
alone.
Confederate of tyrant Memory.
Their clustered crosses lean low in the
grass.
They lie unthrllled by aves of the
t rees.
The last page turned on pangs and
aor.ancPt!,
Through vesper aisles their hours to
ages pass, '
The pulse that justified the accusing sea
The eye that learned too swiftly from
the rose.
Of these, sunk shaft nor plaining wind
disclose
Aught, nor cowled Night's straight lips
of secrecy.
—LULU AVHEDON MITCHELL.
Evanston, Ills.
yf
To Mother
Darling mother, thou hast left us.
And we long for thee in vain;
But we know that thou art freed from
All thy earthly care and pain.
Freed from suffering, thy spirit.
And in peaceful rest, thy soul:
Dearest mother, thou hast entered
In the blessed, heavenly ^oal.
And to be resigned we are trying.
For we know God deemed it best.
And thy face, so calm and peaceful.
Told us thou hast found sweet rest.
And we could not call thee back here
To this world of pain and woe,
AA'hcn the perfect joy of heaven
Thou forevermore shalt know.
But our lonely hearts are aching
For the face and smile we miss.
And we long for the dear mother
AVhom we never more shall kiss.
Home's sweet sunshine seems to vanish,
s thv face no more we see,
And without thy loving presence.
It no more as home can be.
And thy place, forever va'eant,
Will bring memories of the past,
-And our hearts will e’er be aching
For the times that could not last.
We, perhaps, have caused thee sorrow,
That wo did not wish to do.
But we know thou hast forgiven.
Dearest mother, kind and true.
And thy spirit, ever loving.
Hovers still -around us here;
Everything and place remind us
Of a precious mother, dear.
And it may not be long, mother,
E’er we’ll meet in realms above,
And be’, sweetly reunited.
In eternal, boundless love.
Our Conscience Fund
Ainslee’s Magazine: In the year 1811 an
tnonymous citizen of New York sent a
Jollar to the treasury department at
Washington with an avowal that he had
defrauded the government and wanted to
make restoration. A dollar meant some
thing to Uncle Sam in those necessitous
days when the country verged on war
with Great Britain, and it was a patriotic
aa well as a penitent act. The contribu
tor was the founder of the conscience
fund, and probably he died in the odor
of sanctity.
During the preceding thirty-five years
of the life of the republic no one had de
spoiled the government, or the private
conscience was callous. This New York
man, indeed, seems to have been the one
blemish on a golden era of national vir
tues, for fifty years were to elapse be
fore there was an addition to the fund.
In 1861, just after Sumter was fired on.
the sum of $6,000 in bonds was received
by the treasury department, with a letter
\
explaining that a sorely tried conscence
could no longer endure its burden of
guilt. The plain inference was that the
sender, realizing the United States p^ould
need a mint of money to carry on the
war, judged it not to be a time to defer
repentance. Think of the bounty jump
ers who profit by his ct*i tion!
It was really useful to the country in
another way. The conscience fund, which
hau languished for want of a shining ex
ample. now became active. It has been
quotedly pretty steadily ever since. At
the present time It amounts to $300,000.
Then no more shall pain or sorrow
Come to grieve an aching heart,
And in joyous le.Ans we’ll linger,
Nevermore we thVn Shall part.
And our blessed drigjns of heaven,
AA’iil our souls tlten find fulfilled,
AA'hcn, at last, life's cares and sorrows
Shall forevermore be stilled.
—MARTHA SHEPARD LIPPINCOl'T.
Moorestown. N. J. *
*
Jtlot/e
AVhere the whispering water's flowing,
And the brown bees hum,
She will wander, never knowing,
AVhy the May reeds sweet are blowing,
Blowing though one does not come.
If the drowsy bee-lium haunts her,
She'll hide her grief away;
Nor heed Life's song that taunts her,
Nor see the rose that flaunts her
Charm upon the summer day.
If the hammer dryads laughter
Break iimoii the night,
She will grow- daft and dafter.
As Memory troops after.
Memory in strange delif$hfc
She will think of hours that blessed her
Through dear June days dead;
Of hands that once caressed her—
Of lips that fondly pressed her—
She will think—uncomforted.
* —LOLLIE BELLE WYLIE.
*
Inconsistency
’Tis strange, the way our congress has
([ doubt not 'tis well meant);
It s ayes mean yes, its noes, whereas.
Always denote dissent.
It is not always thus v with Prue,
To whom 1 tell my wotf,
Her nose is never eyes, tho’ true,
Her eyes are often noes.
—R. EMMETT CLOUI*.
Tuscumbia, Ala.
#
Delilah
Still the spell. O fair enchantress,
Of vour blandishments I feel.
Though I know that your Philistines
Stealthily uuon me steal.
All i-our arts I will interpret.
And I know how false your vow.
’Twine your arms around me, traitress.
Press your Ups to eyes and brow.
While you bend and rain your kisses
I can think you what you seem;
On your knees my head reclining,
I will idly drowse and dream.
Ah. the fragrance of your tresses,
How It fills the sensuous air,
As the dark and rippling curtain
Softly drapes your bosom fair.
Drooping eyelids, sable lashes,
How they veil your shadowy eyes!
I am drunk with your caresses,
And all thought of treach'ry dies.
—LOUISE THREETE HODGES
Atlanta, Ga.
or
Halifax leads all Atlantic ports in the
shipment of apples to Europe this season.
The figures show that the . Furness, Al
lan and Donaldson lines of steamers have
carried since the gathering of the fruit
crop a total of 187,555 barrels of apples.
In addition many shipments were sent via
St. John, Montreal and Boston, so that
the total shipments from Noa Scotia this
year will exceed 200,000 barrels.
'
Le Figaro reports the death of a violin
ist named Lapoire, who. before the sec
ond empire, held a post at the Louvre
and there acted as a musician in what
the Parisian journalist calls the “corps
de balai.” Inspired by his strains, the
men employed to polish the newly-waxed
floors by skating over them on brushes
performed their gyrations in double-quick
time, and the country was by so much a
gainer. Napoleon III having put a stop
to the practice, Pere Lapoire never
touched the violin again, though he lived
to be nearly a centenarian. The instru
ment, however,*lay by his side on his
deathbed till be passed away.
George Washington, the Man, the Warrier,
the Statesman
By Edward Younge Clarke, Jr
MERICANS love to honor
greatness, therefore so long
as Americans remain Amer
icans at heart, every recur
ring 22d of February will
witness outbursts of eulo
gistic sentiments from pens
and lips, to fall in showers
upon the memory of the
nation's greatest hero. It
does us all good once in
each year at least, quietly
and thoughtfully, to go
back and glance over his
life, running over the ground made sacred
by his memory.
He was horn in Westmoreland county.
Virginia, on February 22. 1732. Spent al
most all of his younger days in reading,
study, and “playing soldier,” for his
military spirit early showed itself by his
forming all his companions into “com
panies” and being their general. In his
fourteenth and fifteenth year he picked
up a general knowledge of surveying, and
when If, went as assistant with a party
who were surveying the land of Lord
Fairfax, which lay beyond the Blue
Ridge. This was his first real work, and
he is, said to have received much praise
from all with whom lie came in contact
because of his quickness and persever
ance.
After three years of this work he re
turned and was appointed district attor
ney general of Virginia, being then only
1!) years old—the youngest person ever oc
cupying said position. In 1753, when 22,
Governor Dinvviddie sent aim on an expe
dition to ascertain the strength of the
French army stationed on the Ohio river,
and to deliver a letter to the French com
mander and get an answer. This w;is an
edingly dangerous mission, requiring
general ability, tact and personal bravery.
After much hardship and exposure he
succeeded in getting the desired informa
tion, delivering his letter to the French
commander, receiving an answer and re
turning with it safely to Governor Din-
widdie.
On May 10, 1775, he was appointed aide
do camp to General Brnddoek and was
with him when he met his terrible defeat
from an ambuscade while on his way to
attack Fort Dequesne. On August 14, 1755,
he was placed in charge of 2,000 men. and.
shortly afterwards Fort Dequesne .was
destroyed. On January (>, 1759, he married
Mrs. Martha Curtis. In March he took
his seat in thfe house of burgesses sitting
Mount Vernon, Home of Washington
at Williamsburg, Va., of which body he
was a member for several years. On
June 15, 1779, he was elected commander
in chief of the colonial army, which at
tho time consisted only of about 14,000
men.
On December 23. 1783, he resigned his
place as commander in chief, having wit
nessed the final triumph of his country,
m 17S7 he was elected president of the
federal convention, which met in Phila
delphia on May 2 of that year. He was
chosen by the people first president of
this country and took oath of office April
r.O, 1789; reelected for a second term, de
clining at the close of it to serve any
longer. In 1796 he wrote his farewell ad
dress to the people he loved so well and
whom he had served so faithfully, retir
ing to his Mount Vernon home, where he
remained until his death, on December
14. 1799.
He loved Mount Vernon, and those who
visited it do not wonder. It sits on an
eminence surrounded by beautiful trees
and sloping valleys. At the foot runs
the Potomac, which from the front ve
randa can be seen for miles as it winds
its watery way through the land. An
old-time ante-bellum negro stands at his
grave and tells interesting tales of the
long ago. You are privileged to go
through the house, seeing his room, his
chair, his bed, his desk, his furniture and
all tho things intimately connected with
the grand old man. As you walk into the
back yard chickens flock around you, eat
ing from your hands (which you are told
are direct descendants from Washington's
chickens). Your tour of inspection ended
you go hack to your boat, and as the
whistle blows and. you draw out into the
center of the river the home rises above
you majestic in its simplicity and sacred
ness. Y r ou draw your first long breath
since leaving the boat, feeling precisely
as though you had enjoyed a brief inter
view with the noblest patriot this nation
has produced.
Although the shadows of a century lie
between us and him, the lights that burn
in his honor in the hearts of a graceful
and loving people are as brilliant today
as ever before. However much may be
said against our age, it cannot be said
that we love or honor Washington less. *
He is so greatly, honored because he is
the representative American in match
less generalship, in untiring wistiom. in
peerless statesmanship and in his master
ful sacrifices for his country. Like aii
true Americans his talents were so great
ly diversified that he could spring from
one condition in life to another with the
greatest ease, carrying the banner of vic
tory into whatever sphere he was called
to labor.
Long before the memorable words were
tittered he had become in deed and in
truth “first in war, first in peace and first
in the hearts of his countrymen.”
Busy World
ROFESSOR FRED-
ERICK • D E-
LITZSCH, who was
recently called by
Emperor William
to lecture at the im
perial palace on the
Bible and Its Assy
rian origin, is one
of the foremost liv
ing Assyriologtsts.
Before his distin
guished audience j
Professor Delitzsch
Prof Vetifxsch showed that many
narrations found in the Bible, and that
many laws and customs of the Jews,
had been adopted from those in vogue
n Babylon at the time of the captivity.
He said that even the Jewish idea of
the deity had been modeled after the
idea held by the Babylonians, which
was that the deity represented a sort
of goal which every one should strive
to reach.
It was very difficult, he said, to har
monize the story of the creation as told
in the Bible with our knowledge today of
natural science, but when we compare
the story in the Bible with its source,
Babylonian mythology, all becomes very
plain. The Babylonians had the theory
of a struggle between good and bad, be
tween light and darkness. To Babylon
can be traced the idea of a heaven and a
hell; of angels, of the fall of man, and
of the flood; hut in writing the Old
Testament story the Jewish priests elimi
nated, so far as possible, all Babylonian
traits and attempted to give all occur
rences related a local coloring. So, for
instance, different causes were assigned
for the flood; the Babylonians said it was
caused by a cyclone, but in Canaan a
different reason had to be given, because
cyclones never hapnen there. Professor
Delitzsch said that even the Jewish Sab
bath was of Babylonian origin. In con
clusion he said that much of the recent
explorations in Babylon was due to the
assistance by the emperor.
OUNT LEO TOL
STOI lias suffered a
relapse and is dy
ing. Alarming ad
vices regarding the
condition of the
Russian reformer,
who is in the Cri
mea, were received
in London on Feb
ruary 10 by Count
Tolstoi's agent in
E n gland. Count
Tolstoi is suffering
Count Tolstoi from heart failure
and inflammation of the lungs. Later
bulletins report the count's condition as
improved greatly. He is still in great
disfavor with the Russian government,
officials of which have been angered by
his radical utterances. The family have
received anxious telegrams of inquiry
and sympathy from all over the world.
♦ v
HE four statesmen
who negotiated the
treaty for the of
fensive and defen
sive alliance be
tween Great Britain
and Japan are Lord
Lansdowne, the
Marquis Ito, Sir
Claude MacDonald
and Baron Tadasu
Hayashi. Lord Lans
downe is the secre
tary of state for
Lord Lansdowne foreign affairs in
the present unionist ministry and was
head of the war office in t"he last min
istry. He is believed to be the com
placent representative of the prime min
ister, Lord Salisbury, who. until his re
cent fresh accession to power, himself
filled the office of foreign secretary,
which is considered the most important
position in the British cabinet. Marquis
Ito is the foremost statesman of Jnpan.
It is said that his late visit to the west
was made for the purpose of adding the
finishing touches to the treaty. The
other Japanese diplomat involved in the
negotiations was Baron Tadasu Hayashi,
the envoy extraordinary from the em
peror of Japan to the court of St. James.
Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald, who took
part in the earlier transactions leading
up to the treaty. Is the British minister
to Tokio and formerly occupied the mis
sion to China. |
ILLARD ADEL-
BERT SMITH, who
is appointed to the
head of the depart
ment of transpor
tation exhibits of
the Louisiana Pur
chase Exposition
Company, has lived
in Chicago since 1871
and is the proprie
tor, publisher and
editor of The Rail-
J way Review. He
' W A Smith was the chief of the
transportation department of the Chi
cago world’s fair, and hence brings ex
perience to the task he undertakes at
St. Louis. Mr. Smith wag born at Ra
cine Wis., in 1849. He was educated in
the public schools, the Rockford. Ills.,
high school, Shurtleff college and the
law school of Washington university at
St. Louis. lie was admitted to the bar
of Missouri in 1870. In 1S71 he began
the publication of The St. Louis Railway
Register. Later he purehsaed The Chi
cago Railway Review.
♦
It is announced, apparently on good
authority, that Miss Ellen M. Stone, the
American missionary captured by Turk
ish brigands, has
fin.'4R been released
on payment of $72,500
in ransom. A
strange story has
arisen out of the ne
gotiations to the ef
fect that Mme.
Tsilka, companion
of Miss Stone, con
nived at the kid
naping. The com
panion of Miss
Ston< was Mme.
Ellen M Stone Tsilka, a Bulgarian
woman, wife of Mr. Tsilka. a Macedonian
teacher of Samnkoy. Miss Stone, while
traveling with Mme. Tsilka and a party
of about fifteen friends, was captured by
brigands in the district of Salonika. Sep
tember 3.
Since that time vigorous efforts have
been made by the United States govern
ment and by missionaries to obtain the
release of the captives. The brigands
demanded a ransom of 25.000 (Turkish)
pounds, but only $72,500 was collected for
the ransom and this sum was paid over
to the brigands February 6 by M. Gar-
giulo, chief of the American legation,’ at
Constantinople, and AY. AY. Peet. treas
urer of the American mission at Con
stantinople, who met the brigands on
the road to the Podrome monastery. Mme.
Tsilka was educated at the Northfield
seminary. At the time of receiving her
American training and education she was
Miss Stephemaora, a Bulgarian.
♦
I heresa A'aughn, the former comic op
era star, who broke down two years ago
and was taken to the Worcester, Mass,
insane asylum, is said to he incurably
insane and to be dying. Until recently
the actress believed herself suffering only
from nervous prostration, hut has now
learned her real condition, and the
knowledge has made her violent. Her
insanity is attributed to melancholia, su
perinduced by the death of her husband
four years ago, when she threatened to
commit suicide.
-e-
LPHONSO XIII, the
king of Spain, is
now the only un
married monarch in
Europe. He will be
16 years of age on
May 17, when he
reaches his legal
majority, and will
be crowned. While
the king's youth
would ordinarily
serve to ward off
attacks of those
Atphonso XIII matrimonial match
makers who are ever on the alert to
make royal alliances, there is no gain
saying that a suitable alliance would do
much to bolster up Spain’s weak king
dom, so in a very few years there will
be some interesting news given out as to
who will share Alphonso's throne.
Throughout the king’s minority, his
mother, as queen regent, has adminis
tered the affairs of the kingdom. By
her thoroughness and patriotic ^nethods
she has made a reputation for keen di
plomacy. while she has not lost the
charm of attractive womanhood.
Prominent People
Odd Events
Sir Archibald Milman. late clerk of the
house of commons, will shortly publish
some reminiscences of his thirty-one
years’ work in parliament.
Lieutenant von Eichel Streiber, of the
Third Uhlans. German army, recently
wagered that he could drink a quart bot
tle of brandy In ten minutes. He did so
and was buried with full military honors.
M. Deleasse, French minister of foreign
affairs, has appointed Miss Jeanne de
A'illeneuve, of New York, secretary of the
French consulate there. Miss De Villen-
euve, who belongs to an old French fam
ily, is the first woman to be thus honored.
The government of the Malay peninsula
is planting gutta-percha trees on a large
scale, and it will npt be necessary to cut
them down, as gutta-percha can now ha
extracted from the leaves and twigs with
out injury to the trees.
♦-
General Russell A. Al^er, in a reoent
speech on the reforesting of barren lands,
urged that Germany's system of main
taining the black forest should be carries]
put in the pine barrens of the United
States, and especially in Michigan.
♦
Arthur Maxson Smith. president of
Oahu college. Honolulu. Hawaii, who was
sent there from Chicago by President
Harper, has tendered his resignation to
take effect in June. Oahu college was
the earliest in the islands, having been
established June S. 1841.
Samuel Eberly Gross, the millionaire
real estate man and author, of Chicago
who accused Edmond Rostand of plagia
rizing the idens that he. used in "Cyrano
de Bergerac” from the play, “The Mer
chant Prince of Cornevllle,” will shortly
have the latter play presented in Chicago.
.,^ >r \‘ , * ax ^ of the University of Cal
ifornia. recently returned from Pern,
where he explored many ancient ruins nf
cities and palaces never before seen by'
the eyes of a white man. He hopes shorr-
Iy . to SO still further into the dim p ant
wth the hope of uncovering the sources
of the first American civilization.
Mrs. Susan Holloway, a resident of Cin
cinnati, has three brothers and two sis
ters. nnd all of them have six fingers on
each hand. Mrs. Holloway has just given
birth to a baby girl who has a similar
redundancy. Mrs. Holloway’s mother and
grandmother were also decorated in the
same way, as is her brother's infant son.
EmiL
though
AYaldteufel, the waltz writer,
an old man nf 80. still composes
a remarkable amount of dance music. He
is said to have a piano in every room of
his magnificent house in Paris‘and com
poses first at one and then at another,
just as the fancy takes him. Over eight
hundred waltzes, polkas, mazurkas and
other dances have been written and pub
lished by M. Waldteufel.
R\ or since Airs. Ronino shot James Sev-
mour in the Kenmore hotel. Washington,
the house has been losing caste, until
now it is entirely empty, with “To Rent”
signs all over its front. All sorts of
ghosts are said to prowl about the place
and hardly a AA’ashington family would
go there to live rent free. The building
was erected by George AA'ashington and
others as an investment shortly after the
city was laid out.
AA alter Damrosch and Maurice Grau
are arguing as to the best way of man
aging grand opera companies. The for
mer urges that the theaters are too big.
to which Mr. Grau retorts with smaller
houses it would be impossible to nay
salaries and expenses. To this Dam
rosch replies: “Reduce the capacity of
the theater and out salaries proportion
ately.” He has no fear of singers re
fusing to accept the smaller compensa
tion.
R. W. Seaton, the eteran editor of
The Cambridge (Tils.) Prairie Chief, retir
ed AA'ednesday, after sixty-four years in
the newspaper harness. Mr. Seaton was
born at Howden, Yorkshire. England.
January 13. 1825. He came to America
when a boy, and at the age of 13 was ap
prenticed to a publishing firm at Utica
N. Y.
The late Lord Dufferin. when governor-
general of Canada, was one of the earli
est promoters of Free Niagara, and gave
all the weight of his great influence to
that project. His original suggestions ap
plied to the Canadian side, but the state
of New York did her share of the good
work before Canada was ready to act.
Streets Islands, opposite Victoria park,
were renamed in honor of Lord Dufferin v
