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Ttt?S. J. ADAMS PROPRIETOR. EDGE FIELD, S. C.. WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 1898. VOL. LXIII. NO. THE ? Oh, the drum! There is some Intonation in thy grum Monotony o? utterance that strikes the spirit dumb, As we hear Through the clear And unclouded atmosphere Thy crumbling palpitation roll in upon tho ear. There's a purt Of the art Of thy music-throbbing heart That thrills a something In us that awakens with a start, And, in rhyme With the chime And exactitude of time, Goes marching on to glory to thy melody sublime. And the guest Of the breast That thy rolling robs of rest Is a patriotic spirit as a Continental dressed, And he looms From the glooms Of a century of tombs, And the blood he spilled at Lexington in living beauty blooms. 1 FOR BLOOD 1 " /V\ By \V. S. 1 ??HM? ISS WARING- sat silent, noting the rapidly growing dusk on the wide prairie. The stars were just begin ning to show like glittering d i a * mond-points. Just the suggestion of the autumn was in tho cool night air. The stillness as Jim and she drove along over tho si lent plain was broken now and then by a sharp, starling rattle, a sound once heard never to be forgotten, the danger signal of the deadly rattlesnake coiled up in tho long, brown grass. "flit appears to me," Jim was say ing, "that that air wind don't bode any good to the settlers 'round about.these here parts." "Why so, Jim?"" "Guess you hain't ever ben on one of our Dakoty pcraries afore, Miss Waring, or you wouldn't havo asked such a question. There's two things out byar that's more feared than the Old Nick himself-one on 'em's a perarie fire and another's a perarie fire with the wind a-blowin' a forty-mile an-hour gale." They rode on again in silence. Agnes Waring had come from tho far grea1; city to visit her brother on his Western ranch. Jim, the man-of-all work, was driving her ont from the station, fifteen miles from tho ranch. "By -tho-Iocg-horned spoons!" said Jim suddenly, rising in his seat and stopping the horses with a tremendous jerk; "look over there, will yon? Thar's bizuess for us, sure's you're a foot high! Git up there!" he' yelled to the horses and, giviug one .them a stinging blow with his whip, they sprang into a run. Across the level plain shone a light, the light at the ranch headquarters nearly a mile away. To the left of it a dull, reddish glow had come up and, now and then, at the horizon line, where tho darker part of the sky was lost in the prairie, sharp flames were darting up. "Don't you be skeered," Jim ejacu lated, as ho whipped the horses into a yet more furious pace; "there ain't any danger-leastwise for us." Alice was a self-possessed city girl with n generous stock of old-fashioned common sense; but she was startled at Jim's actions aud her face had grown pale. "Everything's all right," said Jim, as reassuringly as he could under the circumstances; "don't you be skeered." He had seized the reins between his firm, strong teeth and now with one hand, now with the other, now with both, he was whip ping the horses iuto still greater speed. "Hate-ter-lick a team like this"-as the wagon bounced and tumbled and rattled along; "hate ter do hit-but hit-can't bo helped when there's life-depends-on it." A few moments more and the horses dashed up to the big rauch headquar ters house.-. Jim threw tho J ines to thc ground, and, seizing Alice by the waist, jumped out with her. "Sorry to bc so unperlite, but there ain't auy time to wait-kin you ride hossback?" Barely waiting for au affirmative answer from the girl, who was pas sionately fond of riding and who modestly owned the gold medal for superior horsewomanship in her city ridiug club, Jim ran to the bairn, dung a man's saddle on a beautiful horse and before Alice had time to recover from her surprise at this novel intro duction to her brother's establishment, the horse wa3 before her. "Yon say you kin ride; wa'al, here's the best chance to show hit you ever had in your life. Thar's the best hoss in McLeod Couuty-racin' blood for five ginerations; there ain't nothin' but a perarie fire kin ketch him. Jump him, Miss Waring, ride straight toward the fire yonder; thar ain't no danger now till you git ter Mnle Crick. Jest over the crick a quarter of a mile or so thar's a Russian woman an' her six weeks' old baby. She's all alone, fer I saw her husband in town when we left. They hain't back fired an inch, and you've got to git the woman and her baby over the crick. See? I'd go myself, but the wind is shifted and this hull ranch'll bein danger afore long. You'll pass your brother and a parcel o' men backfirin' along the line: don't stop fer any ex planations, but ride fer the crick an' ride as if the Old Harry was on yer track! You been't afeered, bo you?" The blood had come back to the pale cheeks. * "You say there's little danger of my losing my life, Jim?" "Not a bit-ef you only git the woman across the crick in time; but don't wait-jump quick, fer the Lord's sake, or you'll be too late." - With a rude toss ho threw her into the saddle as if she had been a child, and handed her the reins. As ho did so he thrust a short, cruel rawhide into her hand. "Don't hit him with that unless you have to-he's never bin licked in his jjfej ?nt be kin outrun a cyclone, Ei )RUM. And his eyes Wear the guise Of a nature pure and wise, And the love of them is lifted to a some thing in tho skies That is bright Red and whito, With a blur of starry light As it laughs iu silken ripples to tho breeze day and night. Then with sound As profound As the thunderings resound, Como thy wild reverberations in a throe th.tt shakes the ground, And a cry Flung on high Like tho flag it flutters by, Wings rapturously upward till it nestles In tho sky. Oh the drum! There is somo Intonation in thy grum Monotony ot utteranco that strikes tho spirit dumb, As we hear Through tho clear And unclouded atmosphere Thy rumbling palpitations roll in upon tho ear. -James Whitcomb Riley. WILL TELL, k - * HARWOOD, ^ yon have ter hit him, give it to him red-hot!" It is long, sometimes, before a horse and its rider become acquainted with one another; but it seemed but a few seconds to Alice before she and the noble animal were old friends. Jim was right, Prince Hal could run; and after the first fow tremendous jumps and Alice had steadied herself in the saddle, the thrilling excitement stirred her blood like an intoxicant, aud she realized that Jim had told the truth ; it promised to be the race of her life. "Je-ho-sa-phat!" exclaimed a man who was plowing a fire furrow along the edge of the ranch where the men were at work, "Mr. Waring, look, wil1 you! Look at Prince Hal!" Mr. Waring had not moro than tin to look up before he saw his choice mount pass by him like the wind girl with hair flying behind her on back, tho horse going at a pace t not his fastest Kentucky ancestor e matched. On the horse went as if he, knew of the life-saving mission o hour. The foam came back fro a teeth, and his flanks were . Alice leaned forward in the s as she urged him on, and stroli. . : neck. A moment more and they v the creek,'a shallow stream. ? Alice could seo a low ho - houetted against a great red flame. The fire wa3corning. she could feet the intense leap anda bound; they wen stream and on again with st flight. It was a matter of se until the low-sod house m In front of it was the Buss, woman, frantically tryiug t<_^ of her household goods by dragging them with one hand further from the course of the lire, while in one arm she clutched the baby, around which she had thrown a wet shawl to protect it from the heat. "Why didn't you run?" cried Alice, as she jumped from tho horse; "don't you sec, tho fire is almost on you? You cau't save your thiugs; run for the creek! Hun, I say I or you'll be burned to death." Alice grabbed the child from the woman's arms and sprang up iuto the saddlo as best she could. The woman stood as if stupefied, the red glow from the coming flames lighting up her stolid face. Thc fire was coming on faster now; they could hear the roar and crackle r.s it swept through the loug, man-high grass of the swale beyond the fence. "Quick! quick, I say! no, you can't run fast enough now to get to the creek; jump up behind me, quick! quick! or wo shall all be burned. I can't leave you herc to die!" The woman's stolid nature was aroused at last by the animal fear of danger, and while the heat grew more intense every iustaut sho clambered up behind Alice. Prince Hal's face was toward the fire. Ho had not moved since he reached the spot; heseemel like some beautiful statue, his body motionless, his ears sharp and erect, his nostrils distended; the awful fascination of the fire was upon him. Alice pulled at the bit to turn him. Ho paid no attention. She spoke sharply, but he only moved uneasily; he would not stir from the spot. Swifter than an electric shock came the thought to her miud that horses in burning buildings would stay and die in the flames before they would be led out. It would be impossible to reach the creek on foot; in half a min ute more the flames would be on them. Grabbing the wet shawl from the baby with one hand, and swingiug thc child backward to its mother with the other, she threw the shawl over the horse's head. With the sight of the fire shut out he quivered, turned as the bit gave him a sharp twist, and, just as the flames were leaping over thc sheds hard by the house, he sprang away. It was a race for life now-for three lives; for the winn ha l increased to a gale, and there is nothing more ter rible iu this world than such a relent less ocean of flames r.s was rolling over the grass-grown plain. Alice thought of Jim's parting ad vice: "He's never ben licked in his life; but, if you have ter, give it to him red-hot!" WTith a sharp cry, urging the horse on under t?s heavy burden, site struck him with all her strength on the quiv ering flauk, not once, but mcny times. He jumped as if stung by a rattle snake and, seizing the bit. in teeth, shot away as if shot from some mighty catapult. Alice had lost all control of him now. She could neither guide nor check nor urge him The blood of a noble aUcesti-y, the blood or a racer, was on fire in his veius. Down the short hill, over the brook, np the further side, on over the plain like some wild spirit of the night he ran. A cheer that you could have heard a mile, and that, mayhap, was heard clear up to the atara o' heaveu, rang out aa Prince Hal, white with foam, flow by the crowd of men. "Wa'al, ef you ain't the pluckiest gal!" said Jim, as he helped Alice from the saddle; "an' you ain't agoin' ter faint, nuther; I kin tell it by your eye. Didn't I tell you he could out run a cyclone? But there had ter be somebody atop o' him who knew how ter ride."-New York Independent. Marvelous Buildings. The longest wall in the world is tho famous stone defense made by tho Chinese against the Tartars about 200 B. C. It is twenty feet high, twenty five feet thick at the base and stretches for 1280 miles over hills, valleys and rivers. The largest dwelling house in the world is the Freihaus, in n suburb of Vienna, containing in all between 1200 and 1500 rooms, divided into up ward of 400 separate apartments. This immense house, wherein a whole city lives, works, eats and sleepsj has thirteen courtyards-five open and eight covered-and a garden within its wdis? The most magnificent tomb in the world is deemed to be the Palace Temple of Karnak, occupying an arei. of nine acres, or twice that of St. Peter's at Borne. The temple space is a poet's dream of gigantic columns, beautiful courts and wondrous avenues of sphinxes; The largest room in the world, under one roof and Unbroken by pillars, is at St. Petersburg. It is 620 feet long by 150 in breadth. By daylight it is used for military displays and a whole battalion eau completely manceuver in it. By night 20,000 wax tapers give it a beautiful appearance. Tho roof is a single arch of iron. The most magnificent work of architecture is the Taj Mahal, in Agra, Hindustan. It was erected by Shah Jehan to tho memory of his favorito queen. It is octagonal in form, of pure white marble, inlaid with jasper, carnelian, turquoise, agate, amethysts and sapphires. Tho work took 22,000 men twenty years to oomplete, and though there were free gifts and tho labor was free, the cost was $16,000, 000. The greatest structure ever raised '.^e hand of man is the great it Cheops, founded 4000 and measuring 746 feet the base and 4i9 feet high. ;c wenty years in constrnction ; . meu worked for three montho, ^eing then relieved, were suc 1 by an equally large corps. Tho ve stones were bronght iroui .a, 700 miles away. The cost of ..orle is estimated at $145,000,000. ?oce?Bft- ..: .. - .?.:... ofFerf 'arm'; . .o '>.'.? r,: ?V .. ffiuC ^M&? i?: ? i:>- .. . .? ment, It is practically . ' wever, to firo invaria bly whe~ decks are horizontal. No matter how careful the gnnner, the piece is almost always exploded just before or just after tho proper instant. The American practice, both in the army and navy, has always been to shoot low and always to save ammu nition until it was possible to use it effectively. In the navy the tradition to Bhoot low has crystallized into a stauding rule, unwritten indeed, but none tho less religiously observed, and its wisdom has Leen proved on moro than one occasion of great im portance. * Tho precise form of this unwritten naval rule is to "wait for tho down ward roll." This is the converse of tho maxim obtaining in the British navy that it is best to take advantage of the "upward roll," which has been observed almost from tho beginning of naval fighting by the gunners of English ships. ThiB was rendered the more certain from the fact that the spherical pro jectiles then in uso would ricochet along the surface of the waves if they struck the water, exactly as a stone will skip along tho top of a pond when properly thrown from the hand of a small boy.-New York Press. Giitnt Tortoises Cornered. A Southern Pacific Bailroad freight car containing seventy-five gigantic tortoises from the Galapagos Islands, in the Southern Pacific Ocean, passed through this city last Saturday night. The shipment was in charge of Mr. C. M. Harris, of Hyde Park, Mass., re turning from an expedition sent out by theBothschilds especially to secure the an i mal F. Mr. Harris stated that he had been about ten months, eight of which were spent on the islands, making the trip and securing the tortoises. He said that he was sure he had got all that were on the islauds, and, excepting those he had, he thought there were no others in existence. Ho had cor nered the market, as it were. He bad spent about ?10,000, and valued the collect:on at $30,000. He had secured some specimens that br . longed to a species that was supposed to bo extinct; in fact, the entire fam ily had become nearly extinct, and was only to be found on these islauds. The animals varied much in si^e, some weighing several hundred, pounds, while others were much smaller. Some of the largest were said to be at least 1000 years old. They were all in a semi-torpid condition, as the weather was somewhat cool, and they live in a warm climate.-Cincinnati Commer cial Tribune. Makins Tectli. This country is ahead of all others in the art of making artificial teeth. A . recent computation makes the number of artificial teeth [fabricated here as high as 6,000,000 annually. In one of the most complete factories, where min eral teeth are made, tho ohief ingredi ents comprise feldspar, silica and clay; those of subsidiary character are sundry metallio oxides, to produce the tints of discoloration whioh are necessary to make the imitation a good one. Denmark has an egg-exportation compauy, with 18,000 members, The eggs we eold by tho pound, TENT BI AJ jg SNAP SHOTS D & MESTIC SI?E f ULLY a mile and- i q?artei ndrthf? the Court Hoi?s< on Franklin street in a grove of Flor ida pines, lies th? camp of the Unite States forces Tampa. The Northerner reaching Tampi night now can hardly realize that ho left New York or Washington so short a time before, .The real color of this first impression i'n given by the brown faced, roughly Jothed troops, who tramp up and down, and gossip in tho doorways-men who show in their faces the grit and daring that hay0 led to victory since Caesar's time, and in their bodies the endurance cf Indians and the strength of ?'Var sity rush-line. At first theuiareless ness of their attire creates an unfa^ vorable impression. Half of theui parade the streets in their shirts. Every man seems to have au individ-5. EVERY SOLDIER HIS O ual way of wearing his hat. Some stick the top straight up, others-i?^ 1 ."...cop!*? r?lw:'.y :i:.>r..-.:..: it , ...*><. worn, '."hi.-ir i?f,? - v'??"s ?rease ." hixt ^?? ? i'-: w?:y.'\ ': i wv. { t???'ir :.".?'#?:..?; ..?. \\ i > : :: fi- CT-" ? tl * '> . i ? c ? "il*- - .. . _.,:>;" nt? . M:. ; ... T. liitVs .:.?.; B ol vi-?.r. foti * f ,.>'- ?? _ -r rifles stacked SHOWERY WEATHER. . down the com pany streets, and the ammunition bolts, each carry ing two hundred cartridges, hung I k\\ ?.ver tUem* Tho . PJ^!*** n*ew' bayonet is a knife-liae weapon several inches shorter than those of the old triangular form, and fur nished with a haft. Most of the men, when at leisure, go into town, the others lounge in their tents, reading and talking. A reason able amount of good-natured horse play is seen among them. Among the men nothing but words of praise are to be heard for their officers, and among the officers nothing but good things of their men. The officers know that in battle the troops under them' will do as they are u ordered, to the let- 4? ter; and the men know that they will be told to do the right thing at tho right timo. Outside fatigue duties, their regu lar routine consists of drill at ais in the morning, half au hour's march in full kit at noon, and "guard mount" in the evening, followed by "retreat." At all times of the day troop-trains with artillery-men, and pack-trains with their guns and horses, pass through Tampa on tbeir way to Port Tampa; white and colored fly through, followed by cheers and blessings. Then tho last car swings out of sight, and we know that in half an hour an other battery will be under canvas in AFTER THE RAES'. the neighboring camp, and that an other pawn is moved to help in the checkmating of Spain. In the camp there is drill .every morning at seven; regimental drill and brigade drill. As an instance of how regiments are scattered among the cramped army posts of the United States, it is to be noted that many offi cers have now seen regimontal drill for the first time. Brigade drill is a still greater novelty. Af ter ' morning drill the men are allowed and expected to loaf. In this hot weather loafing is, in fact, a part of tho regimen. The camps look like very sleepy p ces'by noonday, though all as they should be. j On Sundays there is still greater re* laxation, Many go to the long rail: i . . . . . ... j * i mi CRIBING THE DO OF CAMPING. way piles and docks at Port Tampa, where a breeze may be had if wai ted for 'long enough. One excursion ?is to Battery Point, on the other Bhore of CAHP FORAGERS OAP- the stubby pen TURE A PRIZE, insula which supports Port Tampa. In the fore ground is tho high hulk of a vessel left to strand there several years ago tunder yellow fever quarantine, and since used for storage purposes by a phosphate company. The vessel is or was the Osceola, of Buenos Ayres. Blue-shirted soldiers fishing for suck ers and occasional pompano from her rotting decks or stripping and swim ming in the shade of her uplifted bilge are among the exotic sights in Tampa these days. The camp of a regiment is laid out .inili'-arv . xe???aiw3lK: 1. ?lafl. in .'?-?-....vi'?.''?i:".-;- jt?.? ?tttbb'?i?t?U .v i. yo cvtfir?* ondai . i of ?ea? is responsible for tho prisoners ho ia in charge of. STORY-TELLING ABOUND THE CAMP-FIRE. When a regiment is going iuto camp the busiest and mest harassed person in it . is the quartermaster. He it is who has charge of all enmp equipage and who is responsible for the trans portation of it. Also ho must stand ready to supply any deficiency, from feed for horses or mules to a coat for some private who is suddenly minus his; , and he and the commissary ser geant, his right hand man, think not of themselves until the regiment is in stalled under cover. Each officer car ries his own camp outfit-tent, blan kets and mets chest-and sees to it before he leaves garrison. There his responsibility practically ceases aud falls upon the shoulder of his"stryker" -not a socialist, but a servant pro vided an officer by army regulations. The stryker is a sort of general facto tum, and is usually a mau from the officer's own company or troop. He is a jack of all trades, aud good at them, too; and when the regiment 3E RE VILLE. reaches camp ho blakes at once for his own particular officer and looks after him. It is the stryker who pitches the tent and unpacks what luggage his superior may have after he has first extracted it from the pile of regiment al impedimenta. He fetches water and puts the towels by the hand ba sin, and sometimes he even builds a bed. In the meantime, while officers' tents are going ap, those for the com panies are being pitched with perfect order, and in au incredibly short time are taut and fast. They are laid out in sets of two lines on what are called the "company streets," und day and night are patrolled by sentries who httvfl two hours on auef four off after nately? Near the company street are the kitchens-the tents where the "grub" is cooked for the men, and for the officers as well, who have theirs served in the "mess tent," where two or three have gathered together to be served aa one set instead of eating separately. .Not only do the officers thus have ene another's society, but clubbing together cuts down expenses, for whatever an officer has in mess outside of the commissary provision he pays for from his own pocket. There aie always several "messes" (the work strikes civilian ears most unpleasantly) through the regiment, and those officers who are known to be hons viveurs under all conditions are eagerly besought to take into theirs those who are not so expert in providing the goods of life even when they have the money and inclination. The offioers' "line" is always a little away from the men's tents, which are ander the immediate charge of the first seargeant and corporals of each company, and at the top of the "line" is "headquarters," where the colonel and his staff aro established. The men in camp usually smuggle in some kind of a pet or "mascot," which is not always left behind when the order comes to move, unless it may be into action. The Antiquity of Gunpowder. It is generally conceded that gun powder was used by the Chinese as an explosive in prehistoric times. When they first discovered or applied its power is not known. It is said that in the century before the Christian era a cannon was employed bearing the inscription "I hurl to death the traitor and extermination to the rebel." It has also been asserted that India has equal claims with China to the first acquaintance with gunpowder. The ancient Sanscrit writings point very plainly to the operation of some primi tive sort of cannon, when, in record ing the wars of the Egyptian Hercules in India, it is stated that the sages re mained unconcerned spectators of the attack on their stronghold until an assault was attempted, when they re pulsed it with whirlwinds and thun ders, hurling destruction on the in vaders; and a Greek historian of Alex ander's campaign testified that the Hin dus hud the means of discharging flames and missiles on their enemies from a distance. According to Meyer, the preparation of gunpowder was described by Julius Africanus, A. D. 215. In 1073 King Solomon, of Hun gary, bombarded Belgrade with can non, and in 1085 the ships of Tunis, in a naval battle near Toledo, were said to shoot "fiery thunder." All of which would go to prove that the cus tom of ascribing the discovery to Ber - - " <s$-g ;" 1330. or to Roger Sac?n in 120?, *.?. fr?qut'ttfcij Sofie, A fip.?!r.rr.2ii ii lon .. ;:. v". b ship ic ab j>Uufa t"." ?u?hal Hie; ; v<.:\ ?h?jre ?ve- few Snips, .'.ail or rr< :.-t;. thgt ;i; no? garry ''lt o? pori a seem to be for company, or associa tion, or something of that sort, for the oldest mariner never heard of one of the hens being killed for the mess, and a hen at sea absolutely refuses to lay eggs, and small blame to them. The hen coop is generally placed on the forward deck, near tho fo'c'sle, in which the sailors live. They have a box of sand in which to roll and are made as comfortable as possible. Af ter one or two voyages the hens bo come excellent sailors, and it is a queer sight to see them balance them selves on their sea-legs when the ship tosses and rolls. When the ship is in dock the fowls are always driven into their coop and kept there until the ship is at sea, when they are released and given the freedom of the deck. At night they seek the shelter of their coop of their own accord.-Kansas City (Mo.) Star. A Runaway Star. There is in the constellation of tho Great Bear a famous little star which has been called a "runaway," because of the extraordinary speed with which it is moving. But it is so far away that the effect of its motion fm only be noted by careful astronomical ob servations. Professor Simon New comb has said of this star, which bears the name "1830 Groombridge," that the united attractions of the en tire known universe could not have set it going with such velocity and would be unable to arrest it. Now Professor K*?pteyn announces tho dis covery of a telescopio star in the southern hemisphere, in the constella tion Pictor, which appear to be mov ing considerably faster yet. What its real velocity is, however, can only be told when its distance is known. San Francisco Chronicle. Elastic Shoestrings. Our English cousins have added a great convenience to the toilet in the form of elastic shoestrings, elastic cor set'laces and other similiar articles. They are far superior to the old sty!* of elastic cords, which are made b^tn there and here. They are remarkably Htrong and durable, and give a play to the muscles and joints, which prevents stiffness and discomforts. For low shoes they are simply delightful, as they enable one to have a laced shoe, which is the neatest and trimmest of all footwear, and at the same time to have the give and yielding quality which is the chief oharm of elastic gaiters.-San Francisco Chronicle. ALL THE WAY ROUND ! How the Publisher Made One Illustration Answer For Four Chapters of the Novel. D Si <n S O rr tx C ".qoiedenoieSaup sjqniOJjX[ -mo[0?A. jstuua BBAV. e.vrjoejoiT Xog eqj pau nf usppns v,? .m S3iK?vno a 3 CHAPTEB I. "Projeoted by her fnther's boot Claud pitched headfirst down the stairs and through the portieres," -Brooklyn Life, Kjg o fl ?Si? 5a 3ffi*X/MOIOIO{OIOtOIQiOfC{^ i GOOD EOADS NOTES..I Instruction In Koad-BuUdlnfr. With the building of better high ways there has arisen a demand for practical road-bnilders and competent . highway engineers, not only for occa sional work in constructing country roads, but for permanent positions as street superintendents and road com missioners in towns and cities. This demand is beginning to be recognized, and prepararions made to meet it, by affording courses of instruction on the subject in various instituiions, public exhibitions of the working of road machinery, and in other ways. As Massachusetts was among the first to improve her highways, so she was about the earliest to provide in struction on the subject of road-build ing. In the Institute of Technology and the Lawrence Scientific School, Har vard University, complete courses of instruction are given; models, draw ings and photographs are used in -the the lecture rooms, and visits are made to works in 'process of construction. Anyone may enroll himself in the course in highway engineering at the Lawrence Scientific School, by the payment of a small fee. But, however good the instruction furnished to young men in institu tions of learning, it will be sqme years before their training is completed, and more years before they acquire the ex perience that will make them mest valuable. In the meantime, roads must bo built, and those engaged in building them, and others who are re sponsible for the care ">f them, require practical instruction. To afford this, in connection with the construction of the State highways, has always been a feature of the work of the Massachusetts Highway Commission. In the last four years the State has expended nearly two million dolhrs on its roads. The work has been lo cated in 125 different municipalities scattered throughout the State, out of a total of 353, or over one-third of I the entire number. Fifty other muni cipalities have built modern roads, or 175 in all; so that almost exactly one half of the entire number of towns and cities have had experience in first class road-building. As towns are given the first choice of taking con tracts to construct State highways in their own. territory, and many have undertaken it, there are hundreds of men scattered over the State who have had actual experience in building some of the best roads iu the world. This alone has proved a valuable means of disseminating information. .One result is th<*t good foremen.can now be readily scctxred>f>here, four vears ago, it was a di il' *%^t?\jki..- - ^??./u?d the ? !". .. - ? . . ; TLv::: ?!cf! l>V?i:!w..);' '. ! '.....i . .1 tttid ..i. ?ajageiliia bu?iiid3< nadi&v< RO . ?Uife-"..- : . ?tOtOO a.*?!- ? i.adding , _. : i roads are constructed near their doors, under competent supervision, they are quick to appreciate it. The Highway Commission employ about sixty resident engineers, one of whom is stationed wherever the State builds a road, to instruct the contractor in the methods to be em ployed, and he remains on the ground from start to finish. These engineers are, in turn, looked after ?by five di visional engineers and a chief engi neer, to secure uniformity. At the end of the season, all the engineers aro called together, and discuss tba year's work iu detail. The meetings aro lively and iuterestiug, and anyone who haS attended them will appreciate their value. Besides this, the Commission holds a public hearing iu each county every year. Town officials, and all ?others interested in the roads, attend them, and views are freely interchanged. An association has also been formed, at whoso meetings experiences are inter changed and papers read. By these' methods the young aud inexperienced man learns both theory and practice, and the older practical man becomes acquainted with modern theories.-L. A. W. Bulletin. Free Delivery Depends on Bonds. To promote the business, social and educational interests of the people are the objects of the Boad Inquiry Bureau and the Postofnce Department of the Government. Having these things in view, they desire to extend the system of free rural postal delivery, and will test it under all conditions. Routes have been selected in New Jersey and Pennsylvania over stone, gravel, day and dirt roads, and the results in each case will be carefully noted. It is ob vious that they must prove most satis factory where the work can be done most rapidly aud regularly in all weathers-that is, on the best roads. Jr msidering this question, E. G. T ?.. -, the Government road expert "the advantages of delivering .otters to factories and other industrial establishments, particularly where large numbers are employed, need not be dwelt upon. The mails left at oub lie schools can be distributed to a great number of families through the pupils living remote from postoffbe and carrier routes. Letters brought to the nearest school for mailing can be col lected by the rural letter-carrier to the nearest postoffice for mailing. Teach ers eau use these letters as object lessons in giving suggestions and in struction in regard to proper, plain and neat addressing, etc. In schools re mote from postoffices, the teaohers vaight, with advantage, be made stamp agents, and in this way families far away from postoffices can be supplied with stamps, stamped envelopes and postal cards. This will promote letter writing and use of mails, and will also insure more regular school attend ance. The rural districts are anxious for free postal delivery. They need it. It will come with good roads and be a practical advantage which they will realize and appreciate." Circulation is Life. The roads and highways of a civil division are as the vein? and arteries of the human system, says the Suffern Independent. Life and health, that is, business and prosperity, of each part can be had and secured only by the freest circulation, aud the conduits must not be allowed to clog. White the limb would wither if the circu??? tion was interrupted, the heart would also suffer. Where would the proud oily of New York be without her mag nificent railways, and what would have been her condition if the great blizzard of 1888 had continued a month? The village with its ;>aved streets and flagged walks may say, "let the farmer build his roads; he is the party, beneficed." Theflord of the manor who surrounds his grounds with a high wall and morass, and then beautifies his place for his own 'enjoyment and benefit, may be wise if ? he has within himself all he requires to satisfy his needs. The, village which has placed its streets ia perfect condition and has neglected tire highways leading there to, has arranged, like the lord of tho manor, to live in seclusion. Has the village all it requires? Does' it depend upon anything or anybody for its existence, growth and prosper ity? Is it, not, in fact, most depend ent? Does not every village depend upon the extent of the accessible area of which it is the centre and metro polis, and the prosperity of that area? The village cannot shift tho burden upon the farmer, nor the farmer upon his brother farmer. Each is interested, arfd the contiguity of the highway is but an incident. Suppose fie Erie Railroad were abandoned; whose loss would be the greater, that of the far mer living within one-half mile, or the one a mile distant? j Effect of th? New York Law. \ The rood improvement bill passed by the New York Legislature is valu? able for what it makes it possible to accomplish, and as opening the way for active work by the State. It de-' pends for actual results, however, on,! first, State appropriations to make Stato aid a reality; second,- public sentiment in the counties which shall . be strong enough in favor of making improvements to force the supervisors, or property owners, to apply for them; and, thirdly, sympathy with the more' ment on the part of the State engineer,' in order that when applications are made for improvements they may be granted. The measure is conservative in nar ture ?nd permissive in form. While opening up great possibilities, it is not mandatory in effect, nor does it force any improvements on any sec tion. A local initiative is required.in' order to secure State aid and start1 work in any locality. The people* have it. strictly in their own hands tor decide whether any road work shall be inaugurated. Under these circum stances it seems strange that it should have encountered any opposition. It merely opens the way for work to be done, if the people favor it, and it leaves, the people entirely free to say ' ~ ""'H ?nter upon it. U'/i --.....JV Ay- <i . C>v''? *'v ?-?re' *.t ri. j-.?).; ?'.VJ Ss?&r Lo ky-CCC' -:- *. 'MUS ..?'j a tor oouei .r .. .ted with unabated vigor; 1 "rv<i.m'- Alies With Wide X'roa, ' Wid?T?res are not oniy goou tui?6of but their value is much increased if they are used on axles of different lengths, so that four distinct tracks are made by the wheels instead of two. A concern *n central New York does much heavy hauling with four inch front and five-inch rear tires, and rear axles fifteen inches longer than the front ones. It carries four and five-ton loads and keeps the road sur face good and smooth. . * . - \ Shots at Bad Boads. There are no less than 1,400,000 draught horses at work in the United Kingdom. At least one-tenth of these could be dispensed with were the roads in good shape. A Pennsylvania paper says that a Mississippi steamboat could have steamed along the placid bosom of some of the roads in the State recently without fear of grounding. The State-aid appropriation for roads in New Jersey is ?150,000 for 1898. The counties add $300,000 to this, and enough local expenditures are made to foot up a considerable sum. Many students of the highway ques tion believe that there are more public roads in the country than are needed and that hard roads, in each direction, two miles apart on the average, would meet every possible requirement. Wheelmen and farmers with ad vanced ideas in New Jersey have been endeavoring to persuade Governor Voorhees to sign the bill increasing the road improvement appropriation of that State by $50,000. They have not yet succeeded. The State Organizer of the Missouri Good Boads and Publics Improvement Association is a woman. She visits all the county seats, organizes road improvement societies, sees all the voters and secures a good membership list. Her work is reported to be very successful. A study of sixteen Frenoh railroads seems to show that branch lines con tribute io the main line gross receipts 1 4-10 times greater than those which the main lines earn. If this be cor rect the importance to the railroads of good highways is simply enormous, for the country roads are the feeders of the railways. Ephesian Theatre Unearthed, At Ephesus, near Smyrna, a large theatre of the Beman period has been unearthed by German excavators. It is well preserved, three rows of seats, the orchestra and the stage being in tact. Under the orchestra some brass musical instruments and some actors' costumes were found. In addition the aqueduct of the town, by which means water was conveyed to a height of nearly 300 feet, has been found, as well as a great statue of Nemes: . Cuba's Flag. The flag of Cuba Libre is as old os Cuban insurrection. Its origin dates back in 1820, when the revolt against the tyranny of Spanish misrule was in its infancy. The provinces of the Queen of the Antilles are represented in the flag by. the three blue and two white stripes; then? union in the cause of freedom being fittingly signified in the single white star in the triangular red field-the star of free Cub.-Phil ! adelpbia Record,