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SUNDAY MORNING. MARVELSOF RADIUM. GREATEST PUZZLE WITH WHICH SCIENCE HAS TO DEAL. It la Obtained From Mineral Called Pitchblende Found in Bohemia—A Piece the Size of a Buckshot Worth s2o,ooo—Very Dangerous to Handle. A fresh announcement just made to the Academy of Sciences in Paris by Monsieur Curie, co-discoverer with his wife of the most extraordinary of all chemical elements, radium, brings the wonderful properties of that substance once more to public attention. Radi um, whose existence as an Independent element was finally demonstrated last year, presents about the greatest puz zle with which science has to deal. It seems to violate—although no scien tist is prepared to admit that it actu ally does violate—the fundamental laws of energy. In a word it gives out energy, unceasingly without re vealing the source. It appears to draw upon an inexhaustible supply, and yet receives nothing in return from with out. In this respect it seems to realize the dream, which scienco has pro nounced impossible, of perpetual mo tion. M. Curie’s new announcement is to the effect that a piece of radium Is con tinually giving off heat, keeping itself at a temperature of 2 T-10 degrees Fah renheit above its surroundings. This Is sufficient to enable it lo melt its own weight in ice In loss than an hour and to keep on melting ice at the same rate indefinitely. If radium were an abundant sub stance, think of the consequences of this strange properly! But. unfortu nately—or, perhaps, fortunately—radi um is one of the rarest things upon the earth. It is never found in the pure state. It must be dissociated from the other substances with which it is combined, by long, tedious and costly chemical operations. It is ob tained from a mineral called pitch blende, found in Bohemia, and during the two or three years that have elapsed since its discovery by Mine, and M. Curie of Paris they have suc ceeded in separating out of tons and tons of pitchblende less than two pounds of radium. That is all that ex ists, iineombined, in the world, and even that is not the pure thing. It is mingled with more or less barium. The Curies do possess, however, one tiny bit of chemically pure radium. It weighs about half a grain, and is said to be of the eize of a buckshot. M. Curio has declared that he would not sell it for 100,000 francs. If he and his wife have a monopoly of this precious substance they are not getting rich out of it. Tho demand is not active. Half a grain of impure radium in a little lube is offered in Paris for SSOOO. A thief who should run off with a bit of radium as big as a small dia mond would find that he had caught a Tartar. If he kept it in his pocket, it would produce an inflammation that might cost him his life. If he held it near his eyes, he could easily lose his sight. If he handled It much, his fin m|(l mIL-lit. hm ft to be amputated] M. Curio is quoted i saving that lie would not. venture Into a room containing ti kilogram of pure radium; fur, if he did, ho would probably lose his skin, his eyesight and hi life! This Tietng so, let us examine a lit tle more the properties of radium. We have noted M. Curie's recent announce ment about its giving off heat, it lives off light also. Pure radium shines in the dark, although it is not Hot like a flame. But, most wonderful of all, it constantly projects into space around it streams of invisible corpus cles. smaller than atoms, with a veloci ty as great ns a hundred thousand miles per second! It is this marvellous and ceaseless bombardment of Its surroundings that, makes radium so dangerous lo handle. The infinitely minute particles can not, of course, be seen, but they affect photographic plates, and it was in that manner that the existence of these in explicable radiating streams was first demonstrated. Radium is omnivorous In Its nppe tlte for obscure and mysterious prop erties. Not content with its penetrat ing streams of pulverized atoms, It. gives off. at the same time, at least, two other, different, kinds of rays. One of these resembles the ordinary X rays from a Crookes tube, the other consists of something that is easily stopped or absorbed by interposed ob stacles. But even these absorbable rays have (ho tremendous velocity of 18,000 or 1.0.000 miles per second. M. Curie's buckshot of pure radium is. In some respects, a miniature of the sun. It draws no light, no heat, no energy, from surrounding space, but It radiates them generally and continu ously upon everything about it. Helm holtz solved that riddle for us many years ago. Tho sun is no perpetual motion maehine. and II violates no law known to science. By (he gradual, and to us imperceptible, shrinking of its gigantic bulk it generates the en ergy that it gives off. A somewhat similar explanation has been offered to account for the mysterious energy ol radium. Messrs. Rutherford and Me- Clung of the McGill university, suggest that it is the breaking down of tho atoms into the smaller corpuscles tha*. are radiated away which gives rise to the energy whose expenditure without apparent source of supply so puzzles us. In a few years if may he found that radio-activity is a common phenome non In nature, playing a part even in things that concern our own wel fare. of which we are now unaware. But radium is its chief source, so far as is yet known, and the study of this singular element may lead to a wide readjustment of scientific theories.— Gai-rntt P. S'erviss. in Collier's Weekly. Mme. Humbert s Cutlet. During the last few days, writes the Paris correspondent of the London Ex press, Mme. Humbert has been irrit able and has refused her food. She was pining for a nicely grilled cutlet, but cutlets were against the prison regu lations. The chief warder was in a dilemma, and went to the governor: the governor in turn went to the judge of Instruction, and after other circum locutory processes it was eventually decided as Rn exceptional favor that . Mme. Humbert could have a cutlet. NOTHING BUT TREES. A Continent Long This Wonderful Woods of the Great Northwest. Nowhere else in the world is there such a forest as this. A few steps in any direction from the roads of the loggers bring one at onct' to the prime val wood. Turn to the north. A thousand and five hundred miles you may wander, if you will, and never escape the inclos ing silences of this wood. Across the British possessions, through endless reaches of mountains, snow-capped, in accessible, and onward to Alaska, noth ing but trees and trees —cedar, fir, hem lock, pine, spruce. Turn to the south. For a thousand miles of Sierra, through the heart, of California, where grows the Sequoia, the monarch among trees, to the very deserts of the Mexican bor der, and you will find this forest still covering all the hills, thick, silent, and all hut undisturbed. A continent long is (his wood, facing the Pacific, here two hundred miles wide, from the water's edge across the heights of the Cascades and the Sierra, there narrow ing to a thin, straggling, yet persist ent growth along the mountain tops. This tree before you, rising two hun dred and fifty feet in air, straight and strong, thick-coated with brown hark, its mighty base setting firmly in the earth, its roots gripping deep, was growing before Columbus saw America. Five hundred years has it been stand ing here, raising its head to the sky. What storms it bent before; under what ages of sunshine has it gained strength; what lightning strokes have threatened it, what sweeping fires! And still it stands with the sublime majesty of age and strength, fearful of nothing—and the sound of axes knock ing in the valley below! But long before the seed of this hoary giant was sown in the wind, for ests were old on these hills. For fifty thousand years and more have these mountains been forest clad, one for est rising five hundred years from youth to maturity, sinking away in ripe old age, and giving room to an other generation of trees. Deep in the earth today lie some of these ancient forests, changed by the slow chemistry of the ages Into coal, and now at last beginning to give out for men the sun shine which they stored up centuries before the beginning of history.— From Ray Stannard Baker's "The Conquest of (he Forest” in the Cen tury. Peanut Eaters in Cars. "If I could have my way about it,” said a sensitive citizen, "I would have a law passed forbidding the eating of peanuts in elevated or surface cars, and requiring the guards or conduc tors to eject from the cars any person so offending. Men, strange as it may seem, not children, are the chief of fenders in this direction. You may see grown men sitting in a car, and, regardless ef their fellow-passengers, calmly eating peanuts and dropping the shells oil the floor. To many per sons the odor of peanuts within a con fined space, as in h railroad car. Is unpleasant, as of the litter of shells on the floor must he to all. "But \‘he men peanut eaters go right on eatuig and so disposing cX the Shells. <’Wliy, I have seen a district messenger hoy eating peanuts In a car do better than they in one way, anyhow; this boy put his empty shells Into the paper bag from which ho had emptied the peanuts into his pockets. ‘‘l have seen men eat apples in an elevated car and throw the cere un der the sat. I have seen a man eat in orange in an elevated car, and not even take the trouble to do that with the orange peel, hut just lay that down on the vacant seat beside him. But such men as those I regard as fine gentlemen as compared with the grown man who eats peanuts in an elevated car and drops the shells on the floor. Him I regard as— Well, the peanut eater I would have firmly, even if gently, put off the car." —New York Sun. Traffic in Stolen Pets. Many fashionably dressed ladies attended at Marlborough street police court recently, when a good deal of light was thrown on the disappear anco and reappearance of valuabio pet dags. According lo (he police, the two men in the dock, Jewell and Sktnuf rton, made a business of steal ing dogs from well-known people, and afterward restoring them in consider ation of a reward, and on condition that no proceedings should be taken. Tho first witness was Miss Viola Wil berforco, daughter of Archdeacon Wil berforce. whoso Aberdeen terrier sud denly vanished one day in High street, Bloomsbury. A friend of hers having mentioned Skitmerton, she wrote lo him saying she hoard he was clever at finding lost dogs, and couid he find hers. Subsequently he advised her to write “as n foci" to Jewell, woo had the animal. “Were you able to re duce yourself lo writing as if you were a fool?" asked counsel; and Miss Wilberforce, with a smile, replied “Yes." Archdeacon Wilberforce gave evi dence that Jewell called at the house with the dog. Which he said he had bought for £l. He was given £3 10s., and another £1 was sent to Skin nerton. —London Express. Exchange of Compliments. The village sexton, in addition to be ing gravedigger, acted as a stonecutter, house repairer and furniture remover. The local doctor, having obtained a more lucrative appointment in another county, employed the sexton to assist in his removal. When it came to settling up ac counts the doctor deducted an old con tra account due by the sexton. He wrote at the name time, objecting to the charge made for removing his fur niture. "If this watt steady, it would pay much better than gravedigging.” The sexton replied: “Indado, Oi wud be glad to ave a steady job: gtuvediggin’ is very slack since you left." —Spare Moments. Staple Foods in Germany. Dessioated, shredded and sliced po tatoes are staple foods in Germany. Each year about 100 sea vessels are lost without record. A PLACE JUDGED BY ITS PAPER. Wliy It Is to a Town’s Interest te Support a Good Weekly, The average weekly editor usually has his all Invested in his newspaper property. That investment generally represents from one,to two thousand dollars. But it Is worth more to tbe town than five times the amount in vested in any other local enterprise Asa rule, the newspaper represents tc the outside world the town itself. Pool paper, poor town, is the usual verdict. It is, therefore, to the interest of every town to support a good news paper. Not through local pride alone, hut for practical business reasons. A newspaper is constantly doing ten times as much for its town as it could ever hope to get pay for—more than it could charge for, if it would. The more prosperous a paper is the more it is able to do. Show us ft good weekly paper, full ol live local ads., with a general circulation throughout the county, and we will show you an up-to-date, prosperous, progressive community. And we will also show you a paper that Is worth five times as much to that community every year than the editor manages to make for himself. Show us a community that persist ently proceeds qn the idea that the editor of the home paper can live on the “pi” that accumulates in the office; whose official bodies think it a waste of public money to throw him a bit of public printing occasionally at living prices; whose citizens have come to re gard it as one of their inalienable rights to work him for long-winded obituary notices and “in memorlnms,” with three inches of hymn-book poetry at the end, to say nothing of an occa sional notice about a lost cow or some erftton seed for sale, and we will show you a community that is living from hand to mouth .and is always on the ragged edge of adversity. People ought to stop to think about these things. It is an important mat ter. It is their own good that is in volved—the welfare and progress of their community; therefore of them selves individually. A local newspaper is absolutely nec essary to any community. It may he that the daily papers, with their larger news service and quicker facilities, may itave overshadowed ilie weeklies; hut the weeklies continue to fill a place that the dailies can never fill. If they keep the people of a commun ity in touch with each other by giving them the news of their town and county, for that, alone they are of value and are worth far moro than the dollar a year that is usually charged for them. If they merely chronicle the progress of the community and keep the local pride and progressive spirit aroused they are worth still more far more, in fact, than the town ever spends on them. Bear this in mind: No merchant, no grand jury, no town council that spends every year all that they can afford with the home paper—whether that expenditure is actually necessary or not—makes a wiser, move profitable investment.' They are net “giving” the home paper something. On the contrary, it is earning every cent it gets anil more—provided it is a paper that is worth picking up in the road. And if it isn't that sort of paper, it is usually the fault of, the town in which it is published.—Atlanta Journal. Camping In the Adirondack*. Only those who have visited an Adirondack camp of a rich family know the luxury of what they call euphonistically “roughing it.” Nothing that money can buy or thought imagine is left out of these bucolic retreats, and, as many acres are always includ ed in the “camp,” a small army of keepers and workmen is employed. The household staff is not only as large as for a winter house, but many times it is increased. A butler requires more footmen to serve tea when the trays may have to he carried a dis tance to the tea house, and more maids are necessary when the house party numbers never less than six and not Infrequently twenty. The camp is really group of houses, near together or separated just as has been desired. There is the “bachelors,” where lone men are quartered; the main house, where the family lives and which includes a huge dining hall. That is the “closed” camp, and for those energetic spirits who would fain sleep out of doors there Is the “open” built with three sides closed, the fourth open and near which a huge wood lire is kept burning all night. All the luxuries of the New York market are sent to these camps, and many have a stauding order twice a week with a well-known confectioner, so that bon-tous are never lacking. The boathouse is always well stocked with canoes, and of course there are guns for the visitors and guides to take them out. Camp life in the Adirondacks is one of the most typical phases of life among rich Americans.”—Pittsburg Dispatch. Aii Unprofitable Trick. “Yes, there are tricks in all trades, but it is. indeed, seldom that one Is not caught practicing such tricks,” remarked a local merchant tailor. “I can vouch for this through personal experience.” “Some time ago,” he continued, “when I was rushed with work one of my best customers ordered a $45 suit. I knew his exact measurements, and instead of making the clothes myself, seut the order to another tailor to be made at $3O, telling him that when completed to send it to the purchaser. I neglected, however, to tell my tailor friend to send the bill to me, which mistake not only caused me to lose the $l5 clear profit, but the purchas er’s trade. “When he finished the suit, the tailor sent it and the bill therefor to my customer. In due time I sent my col lector around with a bill of $45 for the clothing. He was met by my customer who informed my emissary that by my little triek he had saved sls.”—Wash ington Star. “A Strange KnKli.lt Custom. *• China is composed not of one blit of many different peoples. AVhat may be a custom ill the South is quite unknown in the North. But all China men in England are sworn on a broken saucer, regardless of what part of the country they coroe from, with the re sult that the majority of their, imagine the saucer-breaking to be a strauge English custom.—The Sketch. THE BRUNSWICK DAILY NEWS. household Matters Care of Table Top*. In caring for a polished table top, it is the rubbing and not what is put on it that does the best work in keeping it In good condition. A polished table top should be frequently rubbed with a soft cloth, moistened with a pure oil of some kind. This is better than unprepared furniture polish, for usually this is made to give a polish without tile necessity of rubbing. The table should have what is called a hand polish, for this will wash without spoil- Ing, and does not easily stain or become defaced by the heat of dishes, while constant rubbing makes it more attrac tive. —Philadelphia Telegraph. Saving on Lard. The fat that rises to the top of soup find other things boiled with vegetables may i>o used ror frying purposes if treated as follows: After removing the fat from the liquid, scrape the un derside, then put it into n saucepan with cold water, bring it to the boil and let it boil for an hour; let it get cold, remove the fat from ‘he water, put it In boiling water with n little salt in It, let it get cold, then remove the fat, scrape the underside again, put Into a jar, which set in the oven until just melted, then set away for use; in this way the taste of the vegetables will be removed. . Itjilonlc pie. The old English pie is more hygienic than tlie New England article, simply because in England the soaked and soggy undcrcrust is never encountered. The deep dish pie with an upper crust held up in the centre by an inverted tea cup. Is familiar, even in this coun try, but the pie mould is not often seen on this side of the water. To make a pie mould use what the Scotch Vail a "half-puff” paste—that is, a fairly rich pastry. Cover the outside of a small tin or graniteware pan with the paste, taking care to prick it all over to keep it from breaking out in bubbles. Cover a lid with another layer of paste and bake very carefully, turning frequently. When Cold slip off tho mould and fill it with stewed or fresh fruit, as desired.—New York POSt. 4$ "■ The Perfect Potato. A modern gourmet deplores the rarity of the well-boiled, properly cooked po tato, saying that that vegetable is al most always waxy, ill boiled and watery. The secret lies in drying the bulb after the water is poured off. This should be done by holding the saucepan over the hot fire a moment, then shaking vigorously until the “flouviness” comes, as it most certainly will if the process be kept up long enough. “I have never yet met tke po tato so umegenerate as to fail to re spond to this treatment,” said a noted housekeeper, who had read the lament of the gourmet. In making potato salad, a cooking authority says, much better results will be obtained by pouring a hot dress ing over cold potatoes or a cold dress ing over Wt potatoes, than by usihg dressing aid potatoes both either hot or cold. The unpleasant clamminess notieeablo pi many potato salads is ob. viated In this way, she thinks.—New York Commercial Advertiser. now to llotl Water. “To boil water is the simplest thing in the world,” said the steward at one of the leading hotels in Washington, “but how to boil it is quite another thing. I believe we have the name of having the best coffee of any hotel in this city. Of course, we use good coffee, but let me tell you much of the praise is due to the fact that the water with which to make the coffee lias been properly boiled. The ceeret in boiling water is just this; Alwavs use fresh water and let the kettle be warm be fore the cold, sparkling fluid is put into it. The lire should be quick, so that the water will boil at once, and the water should be removed from the fire the Instant the boiling point is reached and poured upon the coffee or ten or whatever beverage is in demand immediately. "So many people make the mistake of permitting the kettle to remain over the fire, where the water steams and simmers away, wasting the good water in vapor. Those who drink hot water before breakfast, as many do, should insist on the use of fresh water and having it served as soon ns boiled.” Doctors say, however, that to kill germs in suspicious water boiling rhould last about five minutes.—Wash, iugton Post. - ; RECIPES Olive Sandwiches—Cut very thin slices of from a loaf a day old; cut off (ho crusts; spread the slices with a little butter; cut stuffed olives in very small pieces; mix with a little mayonnaise; spread over the bread; serve on a folded napkin at teas and receptions. Quickly Made Beef Tea—Pour three quarters of a cup of cold water over half a pound of raw liamburg steak: Allow it to stand ten minutes In a cool place, then set on the stove and let it cook slowly for ten minutes. Add a little salt, just before taking from the fire and strain. Chicken Pudding—Boil one or two chickens as for fricassee. Make a batter of one pint of milk, one of flour, a heaping teaspoouful of baking pow der, two eggs and a little salt. Butter a pudding dish, put In a layer of chicken, bits of butter, then a layer of batter, and continue this way, having the top layer of batter. Moisten with the chicken stock and serve with a gravy made from the remaining stock. Potato Croquettes—Beat the yolk of one egg until thick, then add to It one cupful of mashed potatoes, one table spoon of cream, a few drops of onion juice, half a tablespoonful of butter, one teaspoon of minced parsley, a slight grating of nutmeg, salt and cayenne to season; mix and turn into a small I lB ** and stir until it leaves the sides of tlie pan; turn out to cool; when cold shape into croquettes; roll each in beaten egg, then in fine bread crumbs; fry in smoking hot deep fat; drain, ar range on a platter. LIQUID FUEL. Recent Discovery on Argument For de creasing Use of Coal. The recent discovery of new oil fields so extensive that there is good reason to believe that the oil wells will not soon be exhausted and that there is an assured supply to meet the demands of the future; the construction of pipe lines which very materially reduce the cost of transportation, and the high price of coal which has prevailed in many manufacturing districts, have combined to give anew argument for the burning of crude oil for power pur poses. But in th* Western and Southwest ern States, where steam coal has al ways been bothscareeand poor in qual ity, and where the question of trans portation from the new fields in Texas and California has been less of an ob stacle to the installation of oil burning equipments than has been the case on the Atlantic coast, the interest is even greater and the use of oil has become far more extensive. In California oil is rapidly driving coal out of the field foi power purposes throughout the State. The same is true in Texas, and of much of the territory lying in be tween. This general use of oil lias af fected not only the power and lighting and manufacturing plants in these re gions, but also the railroads and ma rine transportation as well. With the relative economy at present prices, be tween the oil and coal varying from one-eighth to one-half or perhaps less, according to the cost of transportation from the weils to the different points where the oil is consumed, this unusual development is not surprising, and the use of liquid fuel for power purposes is still rapidly growing. One railroad operating in California is now burning oil on more than 180 of its locomotives. Another of the great transcontinental systems is already using oil on about 500 of its locomo tives—which is thirty per cent, of the total number operated by the system— and is equipping others as rapidly as possible. In addition to tiie use on lo comotives it is using oil on its steamers in San Francisco Bay. and on its river steamers with very good results.—A. L. Williston, in Engineering Magazine. WORDS OF WISDOM. Be not simply good, be good for something.—Thoreau. Without frugality none can become rich, and with it few could be poor.-* Johnson. Most people judge others by the com pany they keep or by their fortune.— Rochefoucauld. Nothing can bring you peace but yourself; nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.—Emer son. Nothing more completely baflles one who is full of trick and duplicity than straightforward and simple integrity in another.—Cotton. Whoever pays you more court than he Is accustomed to pay either intends to deceive you, or finds you necessary to him.—Courtenay. There are only two powers in the world, the sword and the pen; and in the end the former is always conquered by the latter.— Napoleon. The world will turn round still. In dustry Ts produced by want, wealth is produced by industry, idleness is pro duced by wealth, poverty is produced by idleness.—Landor. One thing is indisputable: the chronic mood of looking longingly at what we have not, or thankfully at what we have, realizes two very different types of character. And we certainly can encourage the one or the other.—Lucy C. Smith. Abbreviating Signatures. Robert P. Armstrong, Acting Secre tary of the Treasury, has started a reign of strict economy. Mr. Arm strong’s sole decupation throughout yesterday was the signing of thousands of letters, and it was in doing this that liis economy showed itself. Before he had gone far with his day’s work it dawned upon him that he was wasting too much ink. lie began by signing his name “Robert P. Armstrong.” When he quit work in the afternoon he was writing it “R. P. Armstrong,” without a cross to the “t” or a tail to the “g” of his surname. The law does not permit of the sign ing of a Cabinet officer’s name with a rubber stamp, and after Mr. Armstrong bad written several hundred signa tures his Ungers wore so tired he cut out every move of the pen he could. At last he had to give up. his fingers becoming so cramped and tired he could not go on. The law in regard to the signatures of Cabinet.officers, has caused many of them to abbreviate their manner of writing their names. Elihu Root's name is now signed E. Root, and Charles Emory Smith brought his sig nature down to C. E. Smith. Even the Secretay of State signs his name “J. Hay” sometimes. Official des patches he signs with merely his last name to save cable tolls. A peculiarity of the late John Sherman was that he cared nothing for cable tolls, and al ways sigued his name John Sherman, thereby costing the Government $5 ex tra for the “John.”—Washington Star. Some Choice Punishments. Subalterns of crack regiments should really study tlie native schools of In dia "before they indulge in further “raggings.” It has been found there are no fewer than forty-two methods of punishment. Nos. 9 and 10 are par ticularly choice. Nine—Tlie hoy is made to pass one hand under the leg, and catch hold of the nose, and raise and sink alter nately. Ten—A stick four or five feet long is passed under the knees, and the boy places his elbows beneath it. The thumbs and big toes are tied together by separate strings. Thus trussed, he is rolled away into a corner of the schoolroom, there to meditate on his fault.—London Express. n.9 walked 100,000 Mile*. There is at present living in retire ment at Chester-le-Street, near Dur ham, a septuagenarian workman, Wil liam Hewitt, who for close upon sixty years was employed by the Birtley Iron and Coal Company. Mr. Hewitt walked to and from his work six miles daily, or an estimated total of 100,000 miles.— Tit-Bits. HOW PEOPLE SLEEP IN PIECEB. When Exhausted Humanity Rests the Body Reposes In Sections. Are you aware that your are a sort of perambulating metal mine? Man and, indeed, nearly all kinds of living animals—has in his system a consider able quantity of iron. It Is found In the more important organs, and there should also be a good deal in the blood. Babies possess a fairly large stock of iron, nearly three times as much, comparatively speaking, as adults. Then In your bones there la a very large quantity of that metallic base of lime called calcium; while phosphorus Is also present in bones in so large an amount that they are the main source of the world’s supply of that valuable article. Stranger still, there Is In the human body an appreciable amount of arsenic. What there is of this poison is concentrated in the thyroid gland; and a small quantity is also to be found in the skin, hair, nails and also in the bones and brain. There are lots of odd things about our human frames which even doctors and other men of science have only lately discovered, and of which the average person is quite unaware. Few people know, for instance, that when we go to sleep the whole body does not sink into insen sibility at the same moment. According to the researches of the French physiologist Cabanis, it is the muscles of the legs and arms which lose their power first. Next, those which support the head; and, thirdly, the muscles which sustain the back. So, too, with the senses. The sense of sight sleeps first, then the sense of taste, and next the sense of smell. Hearing goes fourth, and last of all the sense of touch. Probably you Im agine that your pulse always beats with the same rapidity. This is quite a mistake. Your pulse varies with the temperature. There is a regular, un usual rhythm, which may be repre sented by something like a regular curve. Most curious of all, the annual rhythms of the pulse in men and wom en are quite different. A man's pulse beats more strongly in winter and fades to a minimum in summer. Wom an’s pulse, on the contrary, displays a winter minimum and a summer maxi mum. Behind the bridge at your nose is a little cavity in the skull, the origin of which appears to be unknown. It pro bably was a gland consisting of two tiny lobes, joined together, and Is named the sella turcica. Physiologists believe that this is the remains of a sixth sense, which was of practical value to our antediluvian ancestors. But whether It enabled them to see in the dark in days before they possessed fire, or helped them to find their way through trackless forests as wild beasts can today, or what other pur pose it may have served, we do not know, and probably never snail know. There is an unsolved mystery in the ear of’every human being. The function of certain portions of the inner ear is not understood, but merely guessed at. Within the ear are three small globe shaped protuberances. These have their inner sides covered with small cells, each of which contains a tiny hair surrounded by a fluid. When you move sharply the hairs follow the motion, while the lymph naturally moves less rapidly. Thus the hairs are bent in a direction opposite to that of the move ment, and by means of delicate nerves the irritation thus produced is tele graphed direct to the brain. It is sup posed that by means of these hairs swimming in lymph the sensation we call dizziness is caused when we ro tate rapidly, as in dancing. It is also believed that seasickness has some thing to do with the same phenome non. It has been noticed that some persons, when suffering from ear dis eases that have destroyed parts of the inner ear, have found it difficult or impossible to maintain their balance when standing upright with closed eyes. It is therefore possible that these peculiar ear organs contain some in explicable sense not generally classi fied as such —the static sense, or sense of balance. —Pearsons ‘Weekly. Superstition in Wall Street. On the corner of Wall and William streets there is a 20-storied skyscrap er, which has only 19 floors. Governor Francis of Missouri, who has just re turned from liis tour of Europe in the interest of the Lcuisian Purchase ex position, had some business to attend to which required his presence at the Atlantic Mutual building. On enter ing the elevator he told the boy to stop at the thirteenth floor. “Thirteenth floor?’ answered the boy. “There ain’t no thirteenth floor in this building.” Governor Francis was surprised, but said nothing. He watched the num bers of the floors as the elevator passed them; sure enough, there was no thirteenth fleor. The floor imme diately above the twelfth was num bered the fourteenth. After he had completed his business and was walking up Wall street. Gov ernor Francis could not help wonder ing at such a childish superstition be ing found in the heart of the financial centre of this country.—New York Commercial. The Cat as a Barometer. The Monroe City (Mo.) News In forms us that the best barometer in the world is an old scratched-up, lop eared, battle-scarred cat. “If he eats grass It is a sign of rain. If he stands with his back to the stove it means cold weather. When he washes his face wash yours, for company is com ing. If he is nervous at the time he is usually sleeping examine your light ning rods, for a big electrical storm Is brewing. Everything he does is a sign of something. If you haven’t a measly old cat you’d better get one at once.” The Peanut Crop. Tlie American peanut crop averages about 6,000,000 bushels a year, and 22 pounds of the nuts make a bushel. About $10,000,000 worth of peanuts yearly are consumed, either In their natural form or in candy. The shucks furnish good food for pigs, and the peanut vine forms a first-class fodder for mules. Vast quantities of peanuts are shipped each year to Great Britain and the continent from both Africa and Asia. MY CULPRIT HEART. /■ —— -* If Polly lets her lashes fall Aud droopß her eyes with growing scorn. Nor deigns to look on me at all, As Polly cboie to do this moru,— Mv chiding mood I quick relent, i’d fain each jealous word recall, For, ah ! I grow so penitent As Polly lets her lashes lall, I feel that I should punished be For making Polly s heart to hurt) Although, between just yot! end me. She did encourage Jack to flirt! My heart so quick Is to repent, It bares Itself to ecourgtugs all, *“ And deems it righteous puDishment When Polly lets her lashes full! —Boy Farrell Greene, In Puck. HUMOROUS. The Doctor—How's business? Tho Undertaker—Oh, I’m simply rushed to death. Nell —I don't care for fair weather friends. Belle—No, I’d rather have a rain beau. Lady to Blind Man— My poor man. what made you blind? Tramp Look ing for work, ma’am. Blobbs —We seldom get all we de serve. Slobbs—ln which respect we are like the one good turn that deservea another, but seldom gets it. Waiter (expecting tip) —Haven’t yout forgotten something, sir? Patron—Oh, yes; I have forgotten to report you for being so slow. I’ll do so at once. Wigg—Every man has some sort of hobby which he rides. Wagg—Well, it's all right for him to ride his own, but he needn’t deride his neighbor’s. They were talking of the man who was thrown from a street car. “How badly was he hurt?” “He doesn’t know yet. The jury in his suit for damages is still out." j “Just to settle a bet,” asked the tire some caller, “will you please tell me what you consider the champion lie ol the ages?” “I am glad to see you!” scowled the answers-to-correspondent3 editor. “So your lawyer got you out of trouble?” “I don’t know,” answered the man who is never happy. “I haven’t yet paid his bill. I suppose he simply got me out of one kind of trouble into another.” -i “I’m told,” said ti.e prison visitor, “that before you got here you were one of the leading men in your profes sion.” “Well,” replied the convict, “l certainly was in the van just before I arrived here.” Papa—Look, here, didn’t I tell you tty introduce the ‘strenuous life’ in your playing? Tommy—We are, papa. Papa —You are not rowing or swinging clubs. Tommy—No; we are just play ing we are married. Gunner —What is the matter with those sparrows hopping around that building? They don’t seem able to fly. Guyer—No; the building is a cooking school, and they ate some of the bread that was thrown out. “There’s one thing about me that I don’t understand,’’ said Tommy, thoughtfully, “and that's why it is that making marks on wallpapers is such lots of fun, and making ’em in copy books in school is such hard work.” Ethel —What do you think of this landscape, aunty? Aunt Hannah —Well, er — I don’t think so much of the trees, but that grape-vine is pretty good. Ethel—Grape-vine? Why, dear, that is the artist’s signature. “For some time past,” said Mr. Pompus Nuritch, who had engaged passage for Europe, “I’ve been con templating a visit to the scenes asso ciated with the lives of my ancestors.” “That so?’’ replied Pepprcy. “Going slumming, eh?” Mr. Wredink (the old bookkeeper)— Today marks my fortieth year of ser vice with you. sir. Mr. Hides —I was aware of it, Mr. Wredink, and I ar ranged a little surprise for you. Take this alarm clock, with my best wishes for your continued punctuality. “The idea of sending children to bed early to punish ’em!” exclaimed Mrs. Cossel, who was discussing her rela tives. “That isn’t any way to c’rect them.” “Of course it isn’t,” answered her husband. “If you want to convince ’em that you mean business, make ’em get up an hour or so earlier in the morning.” Passing of the Bicycle. One of the signs of the times, or rather of the characteristics of tho times, is the decline and fall of the bi cycle. It has not been so long ago since there was a perfect craze for the wheel—a craze from which no age, color, sex or previous condition of ser vitude to other fads was exempt. Men and women, old and young, adults and children—all rode the wheel. The parks and streets and the roadways were filled with riders of the steel steed, and whenever one passed a couple or a group in deep conversa tion, the cne subject of talk was sure to be the wheel, its properties, its be longings, its excellencies and the pro ficiency in its management to which the talkers had attained. Now all is changed. Asa fad the wheel is as obsolete as the dodo, es pecially among young women, who be fore, apparently, could not get enough cf it. This is a characteristic of the American nervous anxiety to get all possible out of everything in the short est possible time, and to run a fad in to the ground. Then the natural, the inevitable, reaction comes; the pendu him of popular caprice swings to the other end, and what was before so ad mirable is dropped completely and pays for its former supremacy by be ing consigned to practical oblivion.— Baltimore American. ' 1 ITN A Plague of Wolves in Russia. As in Austria and Hungary, so in Russia, the past winter will be remem bered for the vast quantities of wolves which came out of the forests and mountains and preyed on the vil lages. In one district in eastern Rus sia over 16,000 head of cattle were lost. In the governments if Novgor od, Tver, Olonetsk, Archangel and in Finland it was necessary from time to time to call out the soldiers to round them up and shoot them dowA-' Thousands were disposed of in this way. Forty thousand birds, mostly sand pipers, are reported to have been killed recently on the North Caroling coast for millinery pur poser.