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PRINCE FERDINAND. WILL NOT MARRY, AND AUS¬ TRIA IS EXCITED. The Decision Leaves the Throne to Be Willed by Him to a Unloved Nephew, Son of Archduke Otto — Hungary Would Object, . According to a cable dispatch from Vienna the Archduke Franz Ferdi¬ nand, nephew of Emperor Franz Josef and heir to the throne of Austria-Hun¬ gary, has announced that it is his final determination not to marry, and that he wishes the succession to pass at his death to Karl, the 12-year-old son of his brother, the Archduke Otto. This news is certainly surprising, and for various reasons. It Is interesting to learn that the Archduke Franz Fer¬ dinand has determined to remain a bachelor. Europe was amazed some time ago at the rumor that he had married a woman very much beneath him in rank, and assuredly great will be its pleasure at learning beyond the shadow of a doubt that there was no truth in the rumor. Whether Europe will be equally pleased at learning that the heir to the throne of Austria- Hungary is resolved never to marry is another question. After all, how¬ ever, it Is not easy to see how the Archduke Franz Ferdinand can have any voice in the matter of the succes¬ sion. Emperor Franz Josef is still alive, and while he lives he will re¬ main the sole arbiter in this matter. It is possible that he may accede to a wish expressed by his nephew Franz Ferdinand, but it is far more likely that he has already made up his mind in regard to the succession, and if so It is extremely improbable that any wish expressed by any member of his family will have the slightest weight with him. Even the emperor, how- everbis not free to do as he pleases. It Is said that his desire to have the throne descend at his death to his daughter, the Archduchess Marie Valerie, wife of the Archduke Francis Salvator, or to some one of her chil¬ dren, but this would necessitate a re- ' ill II V % \ <1 S c \ x X) ,4 i K, A m *#/. / l !' / J, Vm I $ i A // 7 / o- O' PRINCE FERDINAND. vision of the pragmatic sanction, by virtue of which in 1723 Emperor Charles VI. settled the crown on his daughter Maria Theresa and her heirs. The rule, then, being that the Austro- Hungarian throne shall always de¬ scend to direct male heirs, the succes¬ sion at present lies between the sons of Archduke Charles Ludwig. Of these neither Franz Ferdinand nor Otto is very acceptable to the emperor, ana this was clearly the main reason why he was recently thinking of following Charles VI.’s example and settling the crown on his daughter or on his grandson. That Franz Ferdinand should voluntarily resign his claims on the crown in favor of his little nephew Karl will seem strange to those who know how elated he has always ap¬ peared at the conviction that he would succeed the present emperor. This conviction was first weakened when he became seriously ill a few years ago. All Austria thought that he would die of consumption, and quite nuaturally his brother Otto took his place at court, Franz Ferdinand, however, recovered and he very soon made it quite clear that he was not willing to resign his claims to the goodly heritage in favor of anyone. In •very possible way, both at home and at foreign courts, he let it be known that he and he alone was to be ruler of Austria-Hungary after the present emperor’s death. Now, it is claimed that neither he nor the Archduke Otto is qualified to hold the reins over this vast and heterogeneous empire, and that the emperor would be much oet- ter pleased to have as his successor his youngest daughter, the Archduch¬ ess Marie Valerie, or one of her chil¬ dren. On this latter point he does not seem to have quite made up his mind. At first he planned to have his daughter appointed empress after his death, but the latest report was that he desired to have her son, the Arch¬ duke Francis Charles Salvator, ap¬ pointed as his successor. As the arch- Hungary for some years would be the Archduchess Marie Valerie, who would presumably act as regent. If it be asked “Can the emperor safely break the Austrian law of succession in this manner?” The answer is that the consequences of such an act may be more serious than is at pres¬ ent supposed. True, the great powers would not raise any objection, and the outlook is that the Austrian parlia¬ ment would assent to any such change in tho law, though possibly not with- out some murmuring. In Hungary, however, there would assuredly be some strong opposition. The consent of two-thirds of the members of the Hungarian parliament would be neces- sary in a case of this kind, and to gain their consent would not he easy. In- deed, there are some who think that it would be a well-nigh impossible task. The opposition party is strong in Hun¬ gary, and the fear is widely expressed that in case of any controversy over the question of succession those lr- reconcilables may seize the opportuni¬ ty either to bring about a complete separation of Austria and Hungary or to transform the present real union of the two countries into one that would be merely personal. Franz Josef sees this danger clearly, and it Is possible that he has given up his cherished idea of having his daughter or grandson succeed him and is willing that the throne should go to little Karl, his nephew's son. Since the empress’ death he has given much thought to this subject, and it may be that he sees more and more the danger of violating the recognized law of suc¬ cession. Yet there are many who in¬ sist that the danger will be much greater if he does not violate it. The emperor’s popularity Is very great, they point out, in every section of the empire, and the likelihood is that his direct descendants—the Arch¬ duchess Marie Valerie and her son— would be equally popular, On the other hand, neither F?anz Ferdinano nor the Archduke Otto is in any marked degree a persona grata to the people of Austria or of Hungary, and there is no reason for believing that the accession of either to the throne would be greeted with much enthusi¬ asm. Karl, Archduke Otto’s son, is still a minor, and all that the people know about him is that he is his father’s son and that, if he is des¬ tined to be the heir, his father will doubtless act as regent until he at¬ tains his majority. If Otto were am¬ bitious this would in some respects he a simple solution of the problem. It is said,, however, that he has no de¬ sire to be emperor or regent, and that this is one of the reasons why Franz Josef is so anxious to have his daugh¬ ter or his grandson succeed him. The aged potentate is satisfied that neither Franz Ferdinand nor Otto possesses the qualities necessary to make a successful ruler, and no one knows better than he that only a tactful and diplomatic ruler can hold the empire together. Yet he, too, knows well i-idt Hungary is strongly in favor of re¬ taining the present law of succession, and this may have influenced him to select as his heir little Karl. In this way the present law could be main¬ tained in force, the only persons who have a prior legal claim td the crown being the Archduke Otto and Franz Ferdinand, and it can readily be con¬ ceived that the emperor may have found means to induce them to waive their claims. Moreover, Franz Josef has of late years shown himself very much at- tacher to his daughter’s and his neph¬ ew’s children, and it has long been evident that he would like to have one of these as his heir. If he were un¬ hampered in- any way he would almost certainly designate his little grandson as his successor, but under present circumstances it Is probable that he has selected the Archduke Otto’s son. The elephant beetle of Venezuela is the biggest of its species. An average specimen of this insect, when full grown, weighs half a pound. man of the people. - LOUBET IS THE LINCOLN OF FRANCE. HU Modest Hearing During the Election DUturbances Hoe Won Him Many Frlenda—• Hie Aged Mother Still Works on the Farm. Emile Loubet is the Lincoln of France. He is a man of the people and a SO n of the soil. His father was a glna n farmer, almost a peasant, and hls aged mo ther still works on that farm Un i ike ot her Presidents of Prance> he is ne ither a half-hearted monarclllst nor a representative of the capitalistic upper-minded classes. He is a man who thinks a republic the only form of government possible in France. It is remarkable that such a man should have been elected when the prospects of imperialists, royalists and other adventurers seemed brighter than they had been for twenty years. It seems republicanism is under the protection of the Divine Providence or common sense. One incident of this illustrates charmingly the humble ori¬ gin and unaffeted ways of the new President. His first act after he was elected was to send a telegram to his mother, who is now 86 years old, hut still capable and able-bodied, The postman who delivered the dispatch to her found her in the poultry yard of her farm gathering up hens’ eggs. Sue "A r- ft & IV y 1 V/, EMILE LOUBET. showed the telegram to the first friend she met and said: “Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, what a misfortune to my poor boy! As it was I saw but little of him, and now that he has gone still higher, I shall see him no longer at all.” It was on this farm that Emile Loubet was born on Dec. 30, 1838. It is called "La Terrasse,” and is about two miles from the little town of Montellmar, in the department of tne Drome, in the south of France. The people of the south are noted for their superior intelligence and often for their laziness as compared with the people of the north. Young Loubet was both intelligent and industrious. As a boy he worked on the farm and went to school. Later he went to a college in Montellmar and worked on the farm during his vacations. He be- came a member of the bar of Montell- mar. At 37 he was elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies. In 1887 he was minister of public works, later minister of the interior, and in 1892 president of the Council of Ministers, or Prime Minister. In 1892 he be- came President of the Senate, and three weeks ago, on the sudden deaui of Felix Faure, he was elected Presi¬ dent of the republic. President Loubet immediately im¬ pressed the world by his strong char¬ acter and simple, unaffected manners. He has shown himself very different i from M. Faure, a bourgeoise, who aped the manners of royalty and aristoc- racy. Wlien the Spanish collar of the Golden Fleece, which had been conferred on M. Faure, was being packed up in order that it might be sent back, some one remarked to him: * “It will probably come back to you before very long.” “I hope not,” replied M. Loubet. “The opposition papers would be sure to say that my collar was in bad taste. Besides, I would rather not wear anybody’s collar.” President Iglesias of Costa Rica, who visited M. Loubet immediately after his election, gave an interesting sketch of the new President. “Our in¬ terchange of views was formal, but simple,” said President Iglesias. “I was accompanied by M. Peralta. Pres¬ ident Loubet came here with a little old man, General Baillard, in an open carriage. There was absolutely no dis¬ play.” “How does he strike you compared with other rulers you have met?” “He struck me as being what you call a sterling man, and his election at this serious juncture affords the highest testimony to the patriotic in¬ sight of the French people. “We talked of the agricultural show now open here. We had both been there, and if there is anything of which Lou¬ bet is fond it is farming. He said he regarded agriculture as one of the noblest callings a man could follow. ‘I am proud,’ he said, ‘of being born on a farm, and hope one day to go back there. It is my ideal to close my days among my own people on the farm where I was born.’ “His family sentiment,is strong, but his attachment to the state which he is called to govern can be relied on. Still I never met a man in a great po¬ sition who evinced less appearances of being actuated by ambition. Destiny has made him President, and he will do an honest, able man’s part to ae- quit himself worthily. Loubet is a man you instinctively respect.” M. Loubet has a strong, clcar-cut face, set in a thick beard. He is rather ^ rlr ZLr ,P, “1: skin is permanently tanned 18 by the | sun. His wife, who was only yean old at the time of her marriage, was the daughter of M. Denls-Dit Picard, an ironmonger of Montellmar. She loves her home and a quiet life, but acts with dignity when called upon to take part in official entertainment* She has a son and a daughter, both of them grown up. THE WHITE HOUSE. Few Presidents Were Eiithueiaslle for a Now one. “The erection of the new rplace oi justice for the United States supreme court and department of justice, will do more toward the enlargement ol the white house than anything that has ever happened,” remarked a well- known architect to a Washington Star reporter. “It may also bring about a new executive mansion fop a residence mansion, though the present white house will probably be used as the of¬ ficial residence of the president and for all state functions. It will, in the end, however, be enlarged, I have conversed with several senators who are members of the committee on public buildings and grounds and find that they are thoroughly convinced that such a separation should take place, as it would tend to make the family life of the president much more agreeable. The difficulty in the case is that, with the single exception of President Grant, no president has ever officially written a single word in favor of a new executive mansion, and even Grant was not as enthusiastic on the subject as was desired. Gen. Garfield would have strongly indorsed the proposition officially had he lived long enough, though President Hayes was but lukewarm on the subject. He fa¬ vored the separation of the official res¬ idence from the private residence, pre¬ ferring that the latter should be some¬ where in the suburbs, but he never put his ideas into writing. President Ar¬ thur never made any expression on the matter, while President Cleveland openly opposed the plan and settled the question so far as he was concern- ed by purchasing a private residence one of his terms and leasing one the last term. Mrs. Harrison was, on the other hand, enthusiastically in favor of an enlargement of the white house, though she did not concur in the plan of separating the official from the pri¬ vate residence, except so far as separ¬ ating them in the same building. Gen. Harrison, however, did not go so far as she did, though he did not make any expression against her ideas. President McKinley, I am told, thinks as Mrs. Harrison did, that the build¬ ing should be enlarged, and as prog¬ ress is made upon the new depart¬ ment of justice building his impres¬ sions are likely to grow, so that he will in the end officially recommend the enlargement. Should he do so, that will bring up the entire question and I would not be surprised if some time in the near future, speaking in a general way, not only the enlarge¬ ment will be made, but, in addition, there will be a separate private resi¬ dence provided for. The only thing that can defeat the latter proposition is that there may be a wrangle about where the private residence shall be located, for, of course, the various in¬ terests that will be effected will have considerable influence one way and an¬ other. The first thing that will be done, though, will be the enlargement. That is as sure as anything can be, and, as I have said before, the new pal¬ ace of justice will emphasize the ad¬ vantages and absolute necessity oi it.” ALL JAPAN WILL REJOICE. The crown prince of Japan and hiq betrothed wife, Princess Teiko, will soon be , married . . with ... all „ the ., , . of an Oriental court wedding. The * ! 7 r fL 1 t] mJM J, WL CROWN PRINCE AND HIS BE¬ TROTHED. wedding will cause much rejoicing in Japan, as both bride and groom are much admired. Logging with Automobiles. In its logging operations this winter the H. C. Akeley Lumber company is using a new power for hauling logs. The Mississippi Valley Lumberman says that F. S. Farr has designed and constructed a log-hauling maemne, which consists of a boiler and engine mounted on an ordinary sled. The propulsion is by means of four heavy calked wheels, two forward and two back, which run in about the same tracks as horses would. The runners of the sled run in the ice ruts of the logging road, and the calked wheels are so arranged that they rise or fall to accommodate themselves to uneven places in the road. This engine is made to do the work of four teams, as it will haul four loaded sleds of logs. The machine is roughly gotten up this year, but Mr. Farr believes he has the correct idea, and will improve on it for the next season in the woodt— Minneapolis Journal. 1>K-EDWARDS, H EALER PARIS HAS GONE WILD OVER THE AMERICAN. Seem* to Poiaegs thn Power of Caring by the Laying On of Hands—-State¬ ment of an Kyo Witness, Who Is a Sceptic* Dr, Edwards, the American magnetic healer, has been busy performing so- called miracles in Paris. The noise of his reputed cures has caused a sensa- tion, and people flock to his apartment in the Rue Cadet, near the Boulevard, The doctor is an amiable old man, full of admiration for himself and his works. He is well versed in adapta- bility, and although when in Spain found a monk’s beads and cowl use- ful, has adopted a “redingote” for Paris. It is better suited to his cli- ents. It was to Dr. Edwards that Loie Fuller, the famous American dancer, went for relief when the bright elec¬ tric lights, in the glare of which she gyrates, had caused her almost total blindness. La Loie says she has been benefited. His consulting rooms I found crowded with men, women and children. Women predominated. Many of them were young and pretty. Some were well dressed, but, on the whole, they resembled a group of fanatics such as one notices at a Paderewski matinee, or, to be strictly up to date, a Persi recital. No one looked particu¬ larly ill, but each patient evidently had a reason for coming. I was met by an attendant, who took my card and dis¬ appeared into an inner room, where the doctor was engaged with a pa- tient. “Show them in,” I heard a deep voice say, and my companion and I were ushered into the sanctum of sanctums, where the miracles are performed. The m 'S, il ■A f/* A _ / & lu & 4 J p; mi r-Pj mf, y V- v wr )j / DR. EDWARDS. doctor seemed pleased with our visit, and at once presented us with his pic¬ ture—and a very handsome picture it is. He had effected many cures, he said, and was happy to be able to ren¬ der such service to the suffering world. I asked him how he performed his mir¬ acles, which no way ruffled his good humor. “I will give you an illustra¬ tion,” he replied with dignity, and forthwith ordered his patient—a young and pretty woman—to stand up and be cured He then placed hinlself , n | front of her and the “curing” com¬ menced. First the doctor laid his hand on her head, then on his own. He mut¬ tered a few prayers, and, still praying, began viqlently gesticulating in Sven- gali fashion. I doubt if poor Trilby ever submitted to more hideous ges¬ tures than those of the miracle work¬ er. Sometimes he would thrust two long, bony fingers right into the face of his patient. This performance con¬ tinued some little time and was fol¬ lowed by a light rubbing, during all of which the young woman seemed as u under a magnetic influence of some sort. When at last the “curing” ter¬ minated the doctor asked her how she felt, and she replied “Much better,” and laid a gold piece on the doctor’s donation plate. The doctor seemed contented and called the next patient. One after another was treated in the same fashion. As I took my depar¬ ture I was struck by the pathos of the scene—the old man surrounded by hopeful crowds of sufferers, X could not help sighing over the credulity of mankind. GRACE CORNEAU. U the San Getting Hotter? Dr. T. J. J. See suggests, in the As- tronomische Nachrichten the some- what startling conclusion that the sun is still getting hotter. The process, however, is too slow to have any but a scientific interest for the present in¬ habitants of the earth. Another result of Professor See’s researches, which is contrary to the generally received opinion, is that Jupiter and Saturn, in¬ stead of being cooling bodies may also be increasing in temperature, and that eventually they may become self- luminous like the stars. But if Jupiter were self-luminous, and its intensity of radiation were as great per unit of sur¬ face as that of the sun, it would give at night two or three hundred times as much light on the earth as the full moon gives! A MARVELOUS PALM. Its Trank, Laavea and Roota Arc Da«A for VurlouH Pnrpoaea. The most marvelous tree undoubted, ly grows in Brazil, says Philadelphia Record. It is the Carnahuba palm, which grows uncultivated in the states of Parahiba, Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, Piauhi and some of the neigh¬ boring states. The descriptions given of it seem incredible. In no other re¬ gion of the globe is a tree to be found that can be employed for such varied and useful purposes. It resists in¬ tense and protracted droughts and Is always green and vigorous. Its roots produce the same medicinal effects as sarsaparilla. Its stems afford strong, light fibers, which acquire a beautiful luster, and serve also f ■ joists, rafters and other building materials, as well as for stakes for fences. From parts of the tree wines and vinegars are made. It yields almost a saccharine substance, as well as a starch resem¬ bling sago. In periods of famine, caused by protracted droughts, the nutritious substances obtained from it are of Immense benefit to the poorer classes. Its fruit is used for feeding cattle. The pulp has an agreeable taste, and the nut, which is oleaginous emulsive, is sometimes used as a substitute for coffee. Of the wood of the stem musical instruments, water tubes and pumps are made. The pith is an excellent substitute for cork. From the stem a white liquid, similar to the milk of the cocoanut, and a flour resembling maizena may be extracted. Of the straw, hats, baskets, brooms and mats are made. A considerable quantity of this straw is shipped to Europe, and a part of it returns to Brazil manufactured into hats. The straw is also used for thalching houses. Moreover, salt is extracted from it, and likewise an alkali used in the manufacture of common soap. MINISTER TO BELGIUM. Lawrence Townsend of Pennsylvania, our newly appointed minister to Bel¬ gium, holds at present the position of minister to Portugal; and he will enter upon his new duties with the prestige of ripe diplomatic experience., Mr. Townsend is one of the youngest rep* resentatives of the United States gov¬ ernment in foreign diplomatic fields, but he stands high upon the list of American envoys. He is widely read in international law, and is thoroughly familiar with political affairs on both > • m w \1 mu * w fife (** r, yy iA LAWRENCE TOWNSEND. sides of the water. In the recent war with Spain he was called upon to servo the United States government in sev¬ eral delicate matters of diplomatic pol« icy. New Remedy for Ineomnla. A Russian remedy for insomnia is to have a dog sleep in the room, and preferably in the same bed. It may through a sense of companionship, or one of security, or it rfiay act sugges¬ tively; at any rate it is said at times to prove of value when other means fail. An Argument for Expansion. He—There are millions of people In this country who don’t piay golf. That proves that we need more territory. She—How? He—Because when they do play golf we won’t have enough room for links.