PRESS,
THE
VOLUME XX.
FRANKLIN. N. C.. WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 1905.
NUMUEIHS.
A..Ja..sk l .1 l si.
TTTTTTTTTTTTl
iStraw-Ride
By Fletcher Cowan. , X
'"T TTTTVTTWWT
' The Tillage of Racketvllle wu at
1 lever
At over heat In the middle of Feb
ruary.
What an absurd expression that Ib,
by the way. At (over heat in the
middle ot February, when the general
climate Is so sternly suggestive of ul
sters, arctics, chest protecters and Bal
timore heaters. But we use it only in
a figurative sense. Racketvllle was at
a perfect (ever heat, not according to
'the thermometrlcal pressure, but the
pressure of excitement and expectation.
What was the cause of this ferment?
Why, the following notice, clipped
from the "Local Items" column of the
village paper:
"It is a well known fact that the an
nual straw-rides ot our esteemed fel
low townsman, Farmer Friskcr, are the
most prominent features of Racket
) vllle's winter enjoyments. Tomorrow
evening, at half-post seven, the best
straw-ride of the season will start
from Frlsker's house, to travel all the
way to Dan Kelly's hotel at Fairview,
where quite a surprising Bensatlon is
promised to take place. The party
will return home in plenty of time for
the next day's dinner. Over fifty in
vitations have been issued."
Is it not likely 'ha such an an
nouncement should cause qulto a
furore, that everyone in tho village
who had the least claim to acquain
tanceship with the Frlsker family
should be looking forward to receiv
ing an invitation; and that everyone
who had not, should dotermlne on go
ing down to the Frlsker cottage to see
the party off? for, In the opinion of
everyone, the starting off of tho an
nual Frlsker straw-ride was a sight
not to be missed, or eclipsed either,
even by the great displays of Christ
mas and the Fourth of July.
Well, the evontful evening arrived
In safety, and a more glorious one for
a straw-ride could not have been
wished for. The moon and stars were
out and shining beautifully, the sur-1
rounding country presented the most
lovely Bnow landscape tho eye could
feast upon, and the road over which
the party were to travel was in splen
did condition".
Half-past seven came, and the great
straw-ride started from tho Frlsker
cottage" amid the cheers of half tho
Tillage populace, who bad assembled
to see them off, and the crash of a
brass band that Farmer Frlsker had
secured ' to accompany the party.
"Music alters seemed to patch up such
sort o' enchantment around the
scene," he said. . '-. .
.There were four sleighs full of I:
quests.
tions, looked" quae a'prttty sight. Tl
horses were trimmed up fantastically,
too, like a lot of animals in the holi
day assortment of a New York depart
ment store.
. As the party moved away from the
cottage the scene was lit up magnifi
cently by the glare of brilliant fire
works, which had also been provided
for the occasion.
Then away the sleighs sped in fine
style over the fleecy road like arrows,
and the crisp snow crackled beneath
them with sharp, snapping sounds,
the bellB jingled with a merry unison,
and the voices rang out upon i"o
frosty air with a far merrier discord
ance. The night was superb. The glisten
ing jewels of the sky shed a soft, ce
lestial glow over the snow-clad hills
and meadows, and gave the country
' the appearance of an ermine paradise.
On, On flew the sleighs, past houses,
fencos, trees and mile posts, like loco
motives, until the village was left
many miles behind. On they dashed
through the thills and valleys,, and
across the low, whits-carpeted mead
ows, past scattered villages and silent,
lonely homesteads, the party enjoying
this pleasant diversification of scenery
all along the route. Enjoying the
scenery and enjoying plenty else.
; Ah, bow nice it wasl How really
nice It was! Young Simon Lee, for
Instance1, sitting with his arm around
the waist of Laura Dale, pointing out
to her the places of Interest upon the
road, the old dead sycamore tree, with
the spring in its trunk tamed for such
good water, the broken-down bridge
where he used to fish, the haunted
mill beside Brewster's, where he got
her that pretty pair of pigeon some
. time ago, etc. All this while ber
: father and mother, sitting quite near,
were in danger of looking; when they
were - not looking, the conversation
was carried on in the silent language
of the eyes, and made doubly interest
ing by affectionate bouts In hugging
and kissing.
All the other young people derived ah
Immense amount of enjoyment in "pre
clsely the same manner.
There was one person there who en
joyed hTmself "as thoroughly as all the
others combined, and, however strange
It may seem, all alone.
That person was Bachelor Sprlggs,
quite an eccentric Individual, but the
most Intellectual man in Racketvllle.
No one, however, seemed to make
much of him during the ride, or to
care for listening to 1 his .queer but
humorous conversation. The ladles of
the party thought him "perfectly hor
rid, for he drinks, and the smell of
whisky on him is terrible! " they whis
pered to each other. v The men pitied
his weakness, pronounced him a very
smart and funny man, but did not en
deavor to draw blm Into conversation,
for, when once started, he ran on like
a town clock; in fact, made himself
Quite a bore. ; "'"
So the old bachelor, discarded by
. everybody, "went it alone," nestled la
one corner of the sleigh under a clus
ter of fir branches, with no one but his
little brown pocket flask to keep him
company, but be had real enjoyment
with it, and sea:;i to prefer Its pleas
ing comfort to all the fun and frolic
taking place around him.
His frequent potations soon began
to tell upon him, as everyone feared
would be the case, for he was known
to never bo without his flask, and
oftentimes the people saw it flash In
n-i -j
Veuesta 1 1 "
at FrisKer's.
TTTTTTTTTTT
the moonlight as he raised it to his
lips and took what he humorously
termed his "astronomical observa
tions."' .
Farmer Frlsker began to get nerv
ous. Ho had brought Sprlggs out upon
the ride for a particular purpose to
make a big speech at Dan Kelly's hotel
as the opening feature of the "surpris
ing sensation" he hud promised in the
notice of the village paper.
' He began to fear that Sprlggs would
be unfit (or the delivery of the speech.
These fears were considerably height
ened by the bachelor suddenly burst
ing out into a boisterous song, and as
tipsy men's songs are always as long
as your arm, he nover finished until
the sleighs entered . Fairview and
dashed up before Dan Kelly's door,
where fully half the town were gath
ered to receive them.
"Sprlggs!" cried Friskcr, seizing the
bachelor by the hair so viciously that
he yelled like a wild beast. "I didn't
think you'd sarve me In this way.
Tarnation take your distillery stom
ach! You're not fit to grace a mud
gutter, let alone a grand affair like
this here. You're not fit to spout
now."
"Oh, yes, I am, Frisker," said
Sprlggs, in a quavering voice. "Trust
mo trust Sprlggs. He's not gone back
on you. He'll make a grand sp-speech."
Frlsker said nothing, but turning to'
one of his sons who was assisting some
of the girls from the sleighs, .whis
pered: "Zach, for mercy's Bake, keep Sprlggs
down In the bar-room, or he'll turn
the whole affair into a circus. Don't
let him upstairs, or I'll go mad!"
"But, father, I can't hang onto his
coattails all the time. I must be pres
ent upstairs."
"Then tell Dan Kelly to get some
one to do tho job. If Sprlggs gets up
stairs a cock fight will be nothing to
the row he'll raise."
Frlsker, Jr., promised he would, but
the girl of his heart was waiting to be
banded from the sleigh, and as he
sprang to do his duty Sprlggs fled
from his memory.
As tho party left the sleighs and
filed upstairs into tho snug parlor of
the hotel, everyone, excepting the
members of the Frlsker family, and
the Darrell family, and a few others,
was burning with a
what the
going to be.
When
lighted parJ
manifjit
larrell was dressed In
handsome black, which is not general
ly worn upon a straw-ride, .either.
Two or three other ladies and gen
tlemen were dressed In a style not to
be expected for a straw-ride, and the
families of Frisker and Darrcll were
dressed in their very beat.
All this caused curiosity and re
mark. Suddenly the presence of Parson
Brooder, sitting at an adjoining table
with a Bible before him, was noted,
and this and that put together gen
erated a great deal of suspicion.
In them!dst of the mysterious Whis
perings Farmer Frisker arose, and,
with a sly smile, that showed how he
enjoyed tho deception he had prac
ticed upon his friends, disclosed the
nature of the "surprising sensation."
"Hy friends," he said. "I wanted to
provide you with real enjoyment upon
this ride. We have had great fun on
the road but I have reserved the cream
of the amusement to the last This
cream we would have churned at my
house, but there wasn't enough room
there, so we'll churn it here under the
roof of good Dan Kelly. The great
sensation anounced to take place here
la the marriage of my daughter to
young Stephen Darrell, on which I
pray you to shower your blessings." -
This Intelligence was received, first,
in silent astonishment, for only the
few we have mentioned had had the
least inkling of the secret,, but after
the astonishment was recovered from
it was greeted with a storm of ap
plause. -
WJiat Frlsker had done in his few
words he bad Intended Sprlggs to
make the subject of a splendid speech.
But, alas! Sprlggs ha, flailed him in
his hour of need, and he. was forced
thus to be his own speechmaker, but
It la our belief that the great Sprlggs,
had he been In lit condition, with all
bit polish and ready command of lan
guage, could not have delivered a
speech with better effect than had the
farmer In his few blunt words.
" Then all became silent, and the
parson, rising, entered upon his happy
duty of joining together two loving
hearts. ;
"Keep Sprlggs out! Don't let him
Inl" said Frlsker, to one of his friends
before the marriage service began, for
he had looked around the company and
found, to his great relief, that Sprlggs
was missing, for the tipsy bachelor
was at that moment in the bar-room
of the hotel below, replenishing his
little brown flask.
The bride and bridegroom, with their
attendants, took their places, thi par
son rose, and "the ceremony began.
But ' when nearly through, and Just
arrived at that highly critical part of
the ceremony ; when the couple are
questioned as to whether they accept
each other as husband and wife, sud
denly out went the gas, and the room
was left' In total darkness.
. This created .some consternation.
"Blame the luck!" cried Frlsker, and
he bellowed 'for a matoh.
-Then every man began to fish &
hi vest pocket; but, ot course, no one
had a match about him. -
"I'll go downstairs for one, cried
the man on guard at the door, and he
opened the door to go; but at the same
moment the bridegroom, Stephen Dar
rell, called out that he had a match In
his pocket, if.-.:.
There was no use then ot the guard
going for one, no he shut the door
again; but before he did eo a dark
VSU1.S"
V
al t
I IT
figure passed Into the room unnoticed
In the gloom.
Stephen Darrell was Intensely
flurried by the Interruption, and rushed
to light the gas himself. But when
he got to the Jet he found that he bad
no match as he had supposed, and that
it was only a toothpick he had felt in
his . pocket Then, desperate with
rage, and simple i fellowl quite
frightened, it must be admitted, at the
sudden extinguishment ot the light,
which he Buperstltiously took to be a
bad c ten for his wedding, he rushed
out of the room and downstairs to get
a light himself. ;
No one knew who It was that wont
out, but thought It some one of the
young men gone on the errand.
"Confound the thing!" cried Fris
kcr. - "There ain't much more Jobbing
to do. Is there, parson? Well, then,
let the" wedding go on In the dark.
Darn it! I've heard that It's bad luck
to stop in the middle of a. marriage;
and It that's the case, the dark ain't
going to stop my daughter's."
"Yes, let it go on In (he dark!"
cried Farmer Darrell. "I've heard that
it's bad luck to stop, too."
The parson attempted to expostulate;
but both the farmers ordered the mar
riage to go on in the dark. So the
bride took her place beside a figure
which she supposed to be that of her
husband, and the service went on.
"Do you accept this woman as your
wedded wfYe?" - .
No answer was hoard. Everyone
supposed that the bridegroom had
spoken it, but that, owing to nervous
ness which sometimes does affect
bridegrooms to a great, degree, he had
spoken inaudibly.
"Do you accept this man for your
wedded husband?"
'7 do," replied the bride, in a firm
voice. "Gracious, Stephen, how you are
trembllng" she was then heard to
whisper.
"Then I declare you man and wife!"
said the parson, "and the blessing ot
God, and of everyone, be upon this
union."
As he said these words th figure ot
the husband bent toward the bride.
She thought he wished to kiss her, and
presented her ilps for the purpose of
being so treated.
Her Hps met something, but it was
not the lips of her husband. It was
something very cold, and a strange,
shivering sensation passed over her as
she felt its touch.
"His want some hie?" asked a
quavering voice,' and the next instant
the young bride felt a cold stream ot
some liquid poured over her face.
8ome of It went down her throat and
nearly choki
and by Its taste
it to be whisky.
erctng shriek and
ms of her father.
Bide her, just as
red the room in
artng a lamp.
"""Hthe scene.
durmguMj latter part ot Xue cere
mony, stood In the glare ot the light,
with one hand grasping his brown
flask, and the other clutching the table
for support Sprlggs, the bachelor,
stood halt married to Hiss Sarah
Frlsker.
The excitement that prevailed after
this thrilling tableau it would be hard
to portray.
"Blame that Sprlggs!" roared Farm
er Frisker. "Throw him out of the
window!"
"Let me at him till I break his
neck!" cried Stephen, and Indeed the
angry pair would have broken the
poor bachelor's neck had friends not
interfered and calmed them down, and
bore Sprlggs out of sight
Then, when the full rtdlouiousnesa of
the scene was realised, there was
great amusement . The "cause of the
light going out so suddenly was that
somebody downstairs had turned off
the gas, but whether designedly or ac
cidentally could not be ascertained.
The mirth and excitement over the
affair did not subside for. fully fifteen
minutes. . '
" By that time the bride, had recovered
from ber faint, and the fathtr and
bridegroom from their' desperation.
Then the ceremony was re-enacted,
and the right man was married.
After the ceremony .there was a
splendid supper, and after that, spirit
ed dancing, which was kept up until
an early hour of the morning.
Then joe straw-ride party left Dan
Kelly's and reached Racketvllle not
only in time tor dinner, but in plenty
ot time for breakrast
"We have had a" first-rate time.
Havent we, Frlsker?" said one of the
farmer's friends.
"Yes, a spankln' time," said Frls
ker. "Straw-rides are very well In
their way, but the1 next straw-ride I
get up will be a straw-ride and noth
ing else. Never while I have brains
enough left to raise carrots, will I
cart one of my daughters to another
man's house to be hustled Into-wedlock.
Then I'll know she'll not be
married In the dark.'VNew York
Weekly.
How To Be Popular. - -
Be natural. People are quick to
discover affectation of any kind, and
have a contempt for It; so give up
affectation.
Be neat -. There Is great charm in
neatness.
Be affectionate and sympathetic,
and don't be self-conscious and
ashamed to show either quality.
' . Be home-loving and kind to all old
people, poor -people and children.'
These are womanly qualities, and all
love and admire the womanly girl.
Don't have "moods." Avoid the
blues. People like' to know how to
find a girl, not to have to renew her
acquaintance every time they meet
Be athletic, as that means health,
and healthfulness' means whoWaeme.
ness. Philadelphia Inquirer. .
How They Built Home.
They did without food.
They dressed in gunny sacks. -They
euobred the gas meter,
They won prizes at progressive
hearts.
They short-changed the peddlers. '
They killed all book , agents.
They spanked the kids with a shin
gle and saved tl"'ir slippers.
They didn't pay tbt contractor
Portland Oregonian.
V
1
; BLACK DIAMOND8 IN BRAZIL
Not Used as Jewelry, But In Demand
. for Boring' Machines.
" Tho black diamond Is an important
article ot commerce, not because It Is
destined to embellish the hand ot
fominlno grace, but because ot the fact
that It has been widely applied in in
dustry, where it is almost as valuable
as its white follow. The home of tho
black diamond is Brazil, the classical
land of the diamond, the richest beds
of tho mineral having been found In
the Province of Bahia and on the
banks and In the bed of the Sao Jose
river. The stone, which is perfectly
opaque, is not beautiful, and It the'
magical word diamond had never been
applied to the substance there Is no
doubt that to this day the black dia
mond . would be a thing unknown.
However, the favor which this mineral
enjoys Is of very recent date, (or 20
years ago Us properties were un
known, and the trade In the stone was
practically nothing. ' .
The constantly Increasing perfec
tion . of boring Instruments brought
out the value of the black diamond,
the use of diamond point drills now
having become so general that the
price of the mineral has in conse
quence rapidly increased. Today' the
diamond has become of prime neces
sity in working tempered metals, saw
ing of marbles, piercing of tunnels
and galleries, and In mines. At the
time of the inauguration of the Lab
oratory of Arts and Trades, July 1,
1903, a circular saw, provided with
diamond points, produced surprising
results, cutting Into thin slices the
hardest of materials. 'On the banks
of the Sao Jose we find the traces ot
the first exploitation of the mines by
the natives, the Garlmperos. The
black diamond, however, having no
commercial value, did not attract these
people, and they wore apparently ig
norant of the real character ot the
mineral. From the report of an engi
neer who explored the region in 1868
we learn that one day the diamond
diggers discovered a black stone in
Sao Josel They took the stone to one
of their huts and sought to discover
Its nature by attempting to crack It.
All their efforts were fruitless, the
stone resisting the most powerful
hammers, and after a time It was
thrown back into the river. The
stone weighed about 10,000 karats,
and at the present prico of $40 a karat
represents a loss ot $400,000.
The exploitation of the Brazilian
diamond mines by the Garlmperos, it
Is unnecessary to say, was not scien
tific. The crevices of the rock are
explored with the band, the gravel be
ing taken away in little barrels, which
are carried on the head. Attempts
have been made to lessen the time ot
the work by diving for the mineral,
but the violence of the stream la such
during ths rainy season that this plai
" ttle adopted
pttaT.nr,tIiut oftrraTuing. Dams
will be erected 300 feet apart and cen.
trlfugal pumps will be Installed for
the purpose of drawing off the water
The results of the work can not be a
question of doubt, judging from the
past performances of these diamond
mines.
The question naturally arises, Why
have the diamonds been found in the
Sao Jose? The answer to this is not
difficult, and Is given when we stato
that the original rock which former
ly occupied the high plateau has
been gradually disintegrated, the de
bris of the rock being carried by rains
into the Sao Jose. Because of their
density the black and white diamonds
were concealed under the ssnd, to
gether with the mineral accessories
which surround them and which are
the indications of the precious stones.
Thus, In the course of years, these
beds have been formed, beds the rich
ness of which is Incalculable World
Wide Magazine.
Some Extremes of Cold.
The lowest cold recently experi
enced was very moderate compared
with records ot severe years. Illus
trating this point Rev. Samuel D.
Sander of Thornton-heath, writes that
in the beginning of December, 1874
when he was rector of Bishop sflddle-
ham, In Durham his thermometer,
feet from the ground, never roBe dur
ing the week about 0 degrees (zero)
Fahrenheit; and at Cornforth Colliery
the curate of the parish reported that
ine tnermometer sank to sis degrees
below zero. , In 1805 it descended out
side a bedroom window to 8 degrees,
or' 14 degrees of frost There has
been nothing approaching this at
Thornton-heath since 189S, when the
ground was frozen to a. depth of three
feet and water supply In many places
cut off. Our correspondent thinks
that no pebplo In the world stand e
tremea of heat and cold like the Eng.
lisn. , That groat Swiss guide. Car
roll, who accompanied Mr. Whymper
at Cblmborazo and Cotopaxi, was af
terwards frozen to death - on Mont
Blanc, when the two English" tourists
whom he was guiding escaped. JLon.
aon reiegrapn. . .
, Novels by Indians. -:
Of late years the number of writers
among me cnerokees has greatly In
creased. There are historians In the
triDes whose workB are used as faith
books In the Indian schools, and who
are cited as authorities not to be dis
puted. Thre are also Indians who
have written codes of law which be
fore being put In permanent form had
been handed down from generation to
generation. The Indians today obey
these laws with a greater reverence
thas they do the laws of the United
States. There are Indian novelists
novelists who devote their time to en
tertaining the Indian mind with ro
mance with entangled plots and blood,
curdling climaxes. These books are
popular among the Inuians. . Edition
after edition of some works is pub
lished, and they are read by buck and
squaw alike. Chicago Journal.
A new form of looping the loop is
promised the Parisians. A French en.
gineer says be will make a motor car
run down a steep slope to a wide op
ening In the track, at the opening of
which it will mount a springboard and
turn on the other side qf the openlrfg
and on a continuation df the track.
SOLDIERS tISE SKEESL
EFFICIENCY ' OF NORWEGIAN.
TROOPS INCREA8ED.
THEREBY.
Both, Japanese and Russians Might
Profit by This Experience and In
troduce the "Foot Sled" In Their
- Armies During the Manchurlan Cam
paign. "It would seem that both the Japan
ese and the Russians might profit by
the experience of the Norwegians and
introduce the sfcee Into their Manchu
rlan manoeuvres. By so doing they
would enable their soldiers to move
nearly three times as qulokly over the
snow; for the skee practically trans
forms the toot to which it is fastened
Into a sleigh - with a narrow, lithe,
nine-foot wooden runner, tipped with
a sort of toboggan prow.
" Norway Is the home of the skee, and
It Is here that Its practical use has
been best recognized. Not only does
the Scandinavian appreciate the "foot
sled" In the way the Canadian does,
for the sport it furnishes In the hunt
or the coasting carnivals, but he has
come to realize that It Is a most Im
portant aid in winter time to the sol
dier. He will even tell you that if
Napoleon's ariby hid been equipped
with skees In Its Invasion of Russia
the French would have triumphed over
the Slav and there would have been no
such thing as the disastrous retreat
from Moscow.
England has become deeply Interest
ed In the military value of the skee,
and is considering its Introduction Into
some of the fndian regiments. Ac
cording -to such British experts as
Captain F. J. Jackson, ot the Jackson
Harmsworth expedition, and Edgar
Beyers, many of the difficulties ex
perienced by Colonel Younghusband
and his men in the recent expedition
into .Tibet would have been avoided
had the troops been equipped with
skees.
The Skandinavian Infantryman is
taught to manouevre on skees the
same as he Is Instructed In the use
of the rifle. As soon as winter has
covered the earth with snow he Is
drilled in a regular series of exercises,
and Is expected to "march" and "coun
termarch," to "face about" and "mark
time" on skees. Just as he would with
out them. 8ich practices are contin
ued until the soldier feels perfectly
at home on his nlne-foct soles.
To the beginner skees are not only
cumbersome, but painful as well.
Should he strap thorn 'on an ordinary
pair of shoes his legs would feel
weighted down like those of a diver,
and the muscles of his ankles would
soon begin to ache, as If they had gone
through the "setting up stunt" of a
military . academy. But as soon as
the amateur learns how. the veteran
Th nnWmnj:'-UlPahJlP"elf he sees his
'" "It wear
tons his feet to the four-inch strips
of wood by means of straps fastened
Into the top of the runner.
, Members of the Norwegian skee
regiments contrast strongly with Rus
sian soldiers. They no nqt wear the
high . boots, long coats aud heavy
knapsacks of the Muscovites. No
matter how far below zero may be the
thermometer; they wear no overcoats.
The Norwegian skeeman Is dressed In
a grayish green uniform, which fits
him tightly and Is only heavy enough
to keep him warm. Because of the
color of his clothes he may almost es
cape detection amid a clump of pines,
such as are almost everywhere to be
found-on the Skandinavian peninsula
Besides his rifle, his sole burden Is
a 3-pound bag, loaded with provisions,
a sleeping bag, an Iceland sweater, a
change of underwear and' a pair of
boots. '
- When on the march skee infantry
can travel eight miles an hour, going
at a speed about equal to that ot an
average carriage horse on the trot
When necessary such a body of troops
can cover 70 miles In a day, or nearly
as , great a distance . as .amateur
bicyclists In the same length ol time.
At the command to go Into camp the
soldier changes his goat hair socks
and skees tor a stout pair of boots
wrapped about with pieces of old mil
itary capes to prevent them from get
ting wet and freezing. If the camping
ground Is near trees be builds a tent
by cutting down fir saplings, trim
ming their trunks olean and stacking
them up against each other so as to
form a cone, their tops tied together
with a wire. This skeleton he covers
With canvas walls made of the tri
angular pieces which each soldier
carries and which are quickly fastened
together by meant Of hooks and eyes.
When there are no trees near, the
kees are need to support the tents;
It the soldiers are stationed in one
place for any length of time they And
skee coasting the best means ot break
ing the , camp's monotony. They
choose some smooth hillside, and near
the - bottom build a mound of pine
boughs, upon which they pile a bank
of snow.' Then they round off this
hummock until It looks like a natural
knoll left from glacial times. Now all
4s ready for the fun.
Climbing to the top of the hlU by
crossing their skees at right angles,
and bracing themselves against a dls-
Lastrous descent by means of stout
pA they reach the top of the crest
When ready each skeeman gives him
self a strong shove with the pole
and starts down. His feet move faster
and faster, until they strike the hum
mock, when he feels himself shoot
up into the air and land with a sudden
Jolt on the snow beyond. He has
travelled through the air perchance
a hundred feet, and as lightly as a
Wrd. . . , . .
Set Trap for Burglars. ,
A dlshpan, a hammer and a length
of small wire was the tran used to
catch a chicken thief on the last ot
his numerous raids on the heuner
of Daniel Drlscoll, of Chicago', accord '
rog 10 a report from tliht city- "Th
wire was stretched across the var
in such a manner that the thief coulu
not escape touching it. The -alarm
aroused Mr. Drlscoll, who wil('d
til the man had entered tha'conp.' It ,
then fastened the door on the l. ;
sido and called the police. 1 - '
AN ELOQUENT SENATOR.
Mr. Bailey's Speech en a Proposal te
Divide Texas,
In the course of a speech in the Son
ate recently on a proposition to di
vide the state of Texas, Mr. . Bailey
said In part:
"If Texas had contained a popula
tion In 1845 sufficient to have Justi
fied nor admission as live states, it Is
my opinion that she would have been
so admitted then, because the all-absorbing
slavery issue, which, happily,
no longer vexes us, but which com
pletely dominated American politics
at that time, would have led to that
result I will go further even than
that and I will say that If Texas were
now five states there would not be
five men In either state who would
seriously . propose their consolidation
Into one. But, sir, Texas was not di
vided in the beginning, Texas is not
divided now.vand under the Provi
dence ot God she wilt not be divided
until the end of time. Her position
Is exceptional, and excites within the
minds of all her citizens a Just and
natural pride. She Is now the great
est of all the states In area, and cer
tain to become the greatest of all in
population, wealth and Influence.
With such a primacy assured to her
sho could not be expected to surren
der It even to obtain an increased
representation in this body.
, "But, Mr. President, while from her
proud ' prominence today she looks
upon a future as bright with promise
as ever beckoned a, people to follow
where fate and fortune lead,' It is not
so much the promise of the future as
It Is the memory of a glorious past
which appeals to her against division.
She could partition her fertile valleys
and her broad prairies; she could ap
portion ber thriving towns and grow
ing cities; Bhe could distribute her
splendid population and her wonder
ful resources, but she could not di
vide the fadeless glory of those days
that are past and gone. To which ot
her daughters could she assign with
out Irreparable injustice to all the oth
ers the priceless inheritance of Goliad,
the Alamo and San Jacinto? To which
would she bequeath the name of Hous
ton, and Austin, and Fannin, and
Bowie, and Crockett? Sir, the fame
of these meu and their less Illustrious
but not less worthy comrades cannot
be severed. They are the common
glory of all, and their names are writ
ten upon the tables of her grateful
memory so that all time shall not ef
face them. The story of their mighty
deeds which rescued Texas from the
condition of a despised and oppressed
Mexican province and made her a
free and Independent republic still
rouses the blood of ber men like the
sound of a trumpet, and we would, not
forfeit the right to repeat it to out
children even for many additional
seats In this august 'assembly,
The world has in Ms f 1 mi I n
abllmer coursire or
i morefrrMM7HtoKdOw divinity time and e
patriotism than that which1 illumi
nates almost every page in the early
history of Texas. Students may know
more about othi r battlefields, but
none was evor consecrated by the
blood ot braver men than those who
tell at Goliad. Historians may not
record It as one of the great and de
cisive battles, but the victory of the
Texans .at San Jacinto is destined to
exert a better influence upon the hap
piness of the human race than all the
conflicts which established or sub
verted the petty kingdoms of the an
cient world. Poets have not yet im
mortalized it In their most enduring
verso, but the Alamo h more resplend
ent with herloc sacrifice than was
Thermopylae Itself, because Ther
mopylae had her messenger of doath,
while the Alamo had none.
"Mr. President If I might be per
mitted to borrow the apostrophe to
liberty and union pronounced by a dis
tinguished - Senator, I would say ol
Texas: 'She Is one and. Inseparable
how and forever.' "
QUAINT AND CURIOU8.
. One ot the most remarkable opals
In existence Is supposed to be a fossil
fragment of the clnlollasaurus, which
once lived In Australia, reaching a
length of forty feet The specimen,
lately brought to New York, weighs
1150 carats.
The Idea' that roast dog Is an ordi
nary article ot diet among the Chinese
Is in entirely erroneous one, for the
simple res son that the. edible dog is
too costly to be commonly eaten. It
la a luxury enjoyed by the rich alone,
and that only on stats occasions.
H. Hollenback, of Boulder Cree
Chi.! was kicked over a 100-foot preci
pice by his mule, but fifty feet down
fell into a large wood rat's nest In a
redwood tree, 150 feet from the
ground. There be stayed until a party
of rescuers got him down with ropes.
Man has been proven by M. Vas
chlde to. be more sensitive than .wo
man to a salt taste, and In less de
gree to a bitter taste, while the two
sexes are about equally sensitive to
acid and sweet tastes. With a better
developed olfactory sense, however,
woman is better able to distinguish
flavors, -
There are several species of fish,
reptiles and Insects which never sleep
In the whole of their existence. Among
fish it is positively known that pike,
salmon and goldfish never sleep at all,
also that there are several others In
the fish family that never sleep more
than a few minutes a month. There
are dozens ot species of flies which
never Indulge In slumber. .
On a certain goose farm in the Mid
dle West there is an Incubator with a
capacity for ten thousand eggs. These
eggs are not however, placed In th
incubator at one time, but are so ar
ranged that one section will hatch
each day, being refilled as soon as the
goslings are taken out. The geese are
raised on this farm for their feathers
alone, which are used in the uphol
stering business. 1
Ten years ago Japan exported $SG0
or of cotton crape to the United
K tita, but now the figure Is $30,000
i-.;iy. Jr"an's total export of crape
THEPULPIT.
BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV.' DR. Hi O SWENTZEU
nljeeti The Divinity of Christianity,
Brooklyn, N, Y. For the first of n
series of sermons on "The Religion ot
Jesus Christ,", the Rev. Dr. Henry 0.
Swentsel, rector ot 8t. Luke's Church,
Clinton avenue, sear Fulton street,
preached Sunday on "The Divinity of
Christianity." The text was from 1
Timothy 1:11: "The Glorious Gospel
of the Blessed God." Dr. Swentzel
said in the course of his sermon
Christianity shows the credentials
of divinity. It is not a set of doctrines
snd principles which men or even the
best of them have Invented, but it
professes to come directly from the in
finite Jehovah Htmseir. it is not sim
Dlv one anions' the world's religions.
It stands alone and is unique in the
manner and method of its origin. It
was not whispered Into the ear of a
seer by the Almighty; it is not the
result of visions; it is not the product
ot learning and piety. It comes direct
ly from the infinite God. who actually
adopted human nature in order that He
might talk with mankind race to race.
It is immeasurably more divine tbsn
the religion of Moses and the prophets
because it was delivered personally by
the Incarnate Lord Himself. The
themes of which He treats are of such
tremendous moment that any solution
of them ought to be carefully scrutin
ised. Who snd what is God? Who
and what is man? What is the true
Ideal for the present? What Is the
outlook for the future? What of Im
mortality and heaven? To these in
terrogatories the Lord speaks with
tones of Infallibility which popes and
Synods have 'not dared to initiate or
ten to claim. Tbe author of the Ser
mon on the Mount was the eternal Son
of God and His religion is nothing less
than "the glorious gospel of the blessed
God."
To say that Jesus of Nazareth is a
divine Being is not synonymous with
the error wbich colls Him a divine
man. There have been many divine
men men who had a mission and a
message from the Most High, men who
were called to lead humanity to better
and nobler things; sons of men .who
were filled with God's spirit and
counted not their life dear if It were
spent in His service, prophets of re
form, prophets of liberty, prophets ot
Bhllosopby or literature or art In
is hall of fame stand the images of
the vast army ot divine souls who
have been tbe champions of God's
cause and the captains of His hosts
In every clime. In a far loftier sense,
In a literal sense which warrants no
jugglery of words and no legerdemain
of metaphysics, was Jesus Christ,
God's Son, His only Son. The Chris
tian Scriptures propose this sublime
truth which should be hailed with uni
versal acclaim. It is constantly as
sumed in the four gospels, even as it
was by Himself, that though He was
born ot the Virgin Mary, He was Btlll,
in the later language of the Nlcene
Creed, "God Of God, Light of Light,
.very uod of very Goa:
In one wnjM5r anolEcrurToi
again.
He made Himself God's equal with
such plainness that even His enemies
could not mistake it. They accused
Him ot sacrilege so strongly tbat they
wrung from Him the well-remembered
reply: "Say ye to Him whom the Fa
ther bath sanctified and Sent into the
world, Thou blasphemer, because I
said I am the Son of God?" It is true
that He loved to speak of Himself as
"the Son of Man," but that title really
was His assertion of deity. He might
have been a son of man without being
a divine personage, but He could not
be truly tbe son of man unless He
were, more than all, the Son ot God.
It Is no wonder than when the people
beheld His moral perfection and "w
His works and listened to the iruhs
as they -seemed to come from the
mouth of God, they asked, "Who is
this Son of Man?'.': The record of the
memorable interview, which has often
been conspicuous In the church's re-
,gard, should not lightly be put aside.
-rne Liora sam to his aiseipies,-r wnom
do men say tbat I, tbe Son of Man,
am? Whom say ye that I am?" Then
It was that Blmon Peter made the greet
confession, "Thou are the Christ, the
Son of the living God," In advance of
His birth the archangel gave this as
surance to the Virgin Mother, "That
holy thing which shall be born ot thee
shall be called the Son of God." Aud
when the. ead cams and Jesus had.
breathed out Bis life on tbe Calvarfr
cross, the words ot the Roman Cento
rlon were a fitting finale tor the record
of His mortal career, "Truly this man
was the Son of God."
The divinity of the Founder of Chris
tianity Justifies the certitude of His
disciples. This absolute , certitude
should be appreciated, 'We should will
ingly take the Lord at His word. And
yet He does not demand that the dis
ciples shall enslave themselves He
Who came to make them free, ,to -give
them "the liberty of the glory of the
chlldren'of God." Tbat liberty Is sure
ly not a dead letter. Tbe t'lvlne Mas
ter would not put shackles on the
human Intellect. He does not dis
courage the conservatism which, dis
dains to consides the present or to
look for a golden sge in tbe future.
If He be heard aright He will stimu
late thought and Investigation. Bet
ter than ourselves did He know that
the real advancement of the, multi
tudes is in harmony with His plans
and that the period of the finest piety
win be a time of the greatest enlight
enment. The divinity of Christ should
not be treated as a brutum fllmen.
Rather Is it a truth-a fact which
should steady and hold Christian peo
ple amid the growth ol ideas and the
straggle of theories. Whatever truths
may be discovered, whatever linkers
may say or print whatever conclusions
may ensue In' the intellectual world,
the Christian religion is forever true,
because it is nothing less than "the
glorious gospel of the blessed God."?
It is on this basis that the honest
doubter may take his stand. Doubts
are not necessarily, sinful. People
who never think will never doubt
It could scarcely be expected that
Christianity would not cause Intellect
nal disturbances. It has to do largely
with mysteries incomprehensible and
unfathomable. It presents doctrines
which it is not always easy to recon
cile even with the best Ideals of good
men. Ordinarily people have poor
training tor such exalted spiritual con
ceptions as are presented by the Son
of Mary. We are schooled to earthly
things, circumstances assign most of
our time and energy to temporal occu
pations; we, live In a world of sense,
and tbe constant tendency is to say
that the only things that are worth
while are the things which are seen.
There are doubts which proceed from
prW and conceit; there are people
who are convinced that it is time to
break away from a religion Tmcn
.was Instituted. noarly 2000 years ago;
tliern nrn those who are serlnuHly per-
tiinii,.,! Hint thev know entirely too
much for them to consent to accent the
Gospel ot Bethlehem and Calvary,' the
Holy Sepulchre and the Mount of Ol
ives. Of course they deny our plat
form they say that Jesus was not .
tbe Son ot God. To ns who believe iu
tbe Lord's divinity, there is this euro
refuge, this safe biding place from the
storms. When doubts arise, although
we should do our best to dispose of
them, we should remember every mo-1
ment In the face of mysteries and
contradictions and of alleged offenses
against the Intellect that the Founder
of Christianity could have made -no
mistake because He was tbe Son of
God.
Christianity Is divine because of the
divinity of the Founder, and it is be
cause ot this divinity that Christianity
has endured thus long and all changes
and connections and progress shall
survive until the end of time. One of -the
many tokens of its heavenly char
acter is that it has confronted all the '
powers of darkness and has carried
the day In every struggle and on every,
field. From the outset an effort has
been made to banish It frdm the face -of
the earth. More than once has it
appeared that "the glorious Gospel of
the Blessed God" might possibly be
obliterated; but somehow after each
battle the banners ot tbe cross have '
waved in triumph and God's truth has .
won. :
Does sny one Inquire respecting' the .
outcome? does any one cry out
"Watchman, what of the night?" Tbe
answer is Victory, a better Christen
dom, a nobler Church, a purer religion. -Let
the winds blow and the waves
roar; let the powers of evil snd error
do their worst; let the advance and
achievements of the future surpass a
thousandfold the knowledge and con
quests of the past. ChtlMlaijIty will
abide with ever increasing glory .Tor""
it is founded on a rock, and that rock. .
s the Incarnate Son of God. E
WIRES SUSPENDED IN AIR. .
peculiar Happening Followed Washing
Away of Bridge.
Last March occurred the highest and
most dangerous floods of water con
taining ice, snow and wreckage on
the various rivers of" the" nlf93?BaweasV
that has happened within the memory
of the oldest Inhabitant. It was owing
to the unusually long and severe win
ter, which brought misery and suffer
Ing to thousands throughout the vari
ous central and northern states and in -the
Bprlng brought havoc and dangA
to the people along the river bottoms.
The Maumee river, In .Ohio, crossed
by the Detroit and Cincinnati line at
Waterville, in that state, some six
miles south of the town of Maumee.
was a scene of unprecedented destruc
tion, the swift running stream carry
ing all before It even the strong iron
bridge of the most modern pattern
which makes four spans across the
water and over which, with the poles
strongly secured to the iron structure
Itself, run forty strands ot No. ' g
copper wire. Anticipating that the
bridge would go down, a wrecking
party was sent with cable ready to re
pair the break, but groat was the sur
prise of all Interested In the phenome
non when the crash Anally came and
the ponderous weight of 1
down as if made of yellow pine; the
huge poles, dragging at the forty wires
above and drawing tons on tons as the
bridge washed away, suddenly snapped
four of them-leaving every wire,
intact and the upper stumps suspend
ed In midair.
FA8TEST BIRDS THE BEST.'
Purchase of Ostriches Always Preci
ed by a Racsv.. .
"Iiave you ever seen an ostrich
farm?" the sailor asked.
"No," said the druggist - :
"Then, of course, you've never seen ;
an ostrich sale. I'll tell you a strange
thing about that- When a dealer
oomes to buy an ostrich he always has
two or three birds be likes best run
a race. : ;' " ,' ? "f-
"The ostriches are ranged In a line. '
A bunch of flgs Is shown to them. Tbe
man with the flgs wslks away about
a quarter ot a mile; men tns os- .
triches are let off.
'1 tell you. the big birds run. Those
long, bony legs ' of theirs put the
ground behind them In awaxJhaA ,
astoundln'. InEe ItctfTsaw theiw
were three ostriches and, one left .tho,.
others far ..behind Mm. . As he ran he s
kept lookln' behind him, like a human
racer, and when ,he saw that there .
was no chance for the others, he .
economized his strength by slowin
down and he reached the flgs on a
walk. He, beln" the winner, was, of
course, the bird that the , dealer
bought" "'V ' ' "
"Why are these birds always raced
and the fastest one purchased?" said
the druggist t :
"Because," replied the sailor, "the
fastest Is always the strongest and
healthiest" Chicago Chronicle.
. ; Worth Trylna. ,
Here are two easy little thing,
worth trying, for the present year:
First, to give some one at least one
little thrill ot extra happiness by a
kind word or deed, in addition to
those which spring up spontaneously
from Vour heart Create one extra '
one each day by "your own conscious
effort Second, stifle- at least ono
hasty word or ungenerous deed each
day, that would have found expuuil'in
but for this campalgiT'of solf-watch-fulness.
Did you ever stop'. ! '''
how ' much brighter any one ,
.cast make thts. world lt by siUu-1
fb It those -80S rays of sunshine, an-1
siinweRKbtff 3C5 ot ? small clonal
each year? .. ...
1
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