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ISSUED SEaK-WEEKI^Y^ l7~k. grist & sons7Publisher.. 1 ~~ % ^amilg ffttrsgaptr: jfor tht promotion of the political, Social, ggritullural, and (Kommtijtial gntgresta of tht fltoglt. {TEKM381M^oapt'[^g.'mc ESTABLISHED 1855^ YORKVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1902. NO. 71. - . T K By SIB WALr Copyright, 1901, by Sir "Walter Besant. CHAPTER X. THE EXPECTED BLOW. f*" ""HhaT evening the blow. feared and expected fell, for then we lost, or thought we lost, our ma'd. 1 found the captain sitting In the summer bouse alone rnrn?mmimmmJ without the OSUal 80lace of his tobacco and his October. "Jack." he said, with a gloomy sigh, "I am now the happiest of men because my Molly Is the most fortunate of women. 1 have attained the utmost 1 could hope or ask. The most virtuous of men-1 should say noblemen?has asked the hand of our girl. SJolly will be a countess! Rejoice with me!" 1 stood outside on the grass, having no words to say. "She will marry blm Immediately. Nothing could be more happy or more fortunate. Such rank, such a position as places her on a level with the highest ladles of the land, though the daughter of plain folk, with a shipowner for a father and a sailor's daughter for a mother?there Is promotion for you. Jack!" "She will go away, then, and leave us V" "Aye. sb^ will leave us. Jack. She will ipave ns. His lordship?you do not ask who it is." "Who can it be, captain, but Lord PyllogdaleT" "Tbe best of men. He will carry ber off to bis country bouse, where tbey will live retired for awhile, yet in such state as belongs to ber rank. We shall lose ber, of course. That, however, we always expected. Tbe country bouse is In (Jloucestcr, on tbe other side of England. Perhaps she may get to see us. but I am 75 or perhaps more, and Jennifer, ber mother, is not far from 5(1 i cannot look to set eyes on ber again. What matter," be hemmed bravely and sat upright?"what matter I riiv an that the criri Is baDDV? Her mother ma; perhaps set eyes ou 4 her ouce more, but she will be changed, i because, you see, our Molly must now become a Hue lady." "Yes," I groaned; "she must become a flue lady." "Jack, sometimes I am sorry that she has so much money. Yet what was I to do? Could 1 waste and dissipate her money? Could I give away her ships? Could I give her, with the fortune of a princess, to a plain and simple skipper? No. Providence, ProvIdeuce, Jack, hath so ordered things. 1 could not help myself." "No. captain, you could not help things. Yet"? I broke off. "Well, Jack, why don't you rejoice with me? Why the devil don't you laugh and sing? All you want Is to see her happy. Yet there you stand as glum and dumb as a mute at a funeral." "I wish her happiness, sir, with all my heart." "Sam Semple came here this after noon by order of my lord. Sam gives himself airs now that he is a secretary and companion. He came and demanded conversation with me. It was quite private, he said, and of the utmost importance. So we sat in the parlor, and with a bottle of wine between us we talked over the business. First he told me that his patron, as he calls him, meaning his master, had been greatly taken with the Innocence and the beauty of Molly. 1 replied that unless he was a stock or a stone or an iceberg I expected nothing less. He went on to say that, although a noble earl with a long pedigree and a great estate. his patron was willing to contract marriage with a girl who was not even of gentle birth and had nothing but her beauty and her innocence. I told him that she had, in addition, a very large fortune. He said that bis patron scorned the thought of money, being already as rich as most noblemen of his exalted rank; that he was willing also to pass over any defects In manners, conversation and carriage, which .would be remedied by a little acquaintance with the polite world. In a word, his lordship offered his hand, his name, his title, his rank and himself to ray ward." "His condescension." I said, "is beyond all praise." "1 think so. too; beyond all praise. 1 ask his advice touching a husband for my girl. He promises his assistance in the matter, and he then offers himself. Jack, could anything be more fortunate?" "I hope It may turn out so. What does Molly say?" "You may go in and ask her yourself. She will tell you more than she will tell anybody else. The matter is to be kept for the present a profound secret betweeu his lordship and ourselves. But since Sam Semple knows it. and Jennifer knows it. and j*ou are one of ourselves. therefore you may as well know It too. But don't talk about it." "Why should it be kept a secret? Why should It not be proclaimed everywhere?" "My lord says that the place is a hotbed of scandal; that he would not have Molly's name passed about in the pumproom. to be the object of common gos sip aud inventions made up of envy and malice. He would spare Molly this. When she Is once married and taken away from the place, they may say what they please. Whatever they BY ~ ~ rEU BESANT. say, they cannot do her any barm. Why, some of them even declared that she was one of the company of strolling actresses. There Is nothing that they will not say." I made no reply because It certainly did seem as if In asking for secrecy bis lordship had acted in Molly's interests. "Well, captain, we must make the best of It. You must And your own happiness In thinking of Molly's." "What aggravates me. Jack, Is the ridiculous behavior of my cousin Jennifer. Site is In the kitchen crying, and the black with her. Go and comfort her before you see Molly." I looked into the kitchen. Molly's mother sat In the great wooden chair beside the fireplace. She held her apron in her hands as If she bad Just pulled It off her face, and the tears were on ber cheeks. When she saw me, they began tp flow again. "Jack," she said, "have you heard the news? Has the captain told you? The worst has happened. I have lost my girl. She Is to be married. She will go away. She will marry a man who scorns her guardian and despises ber mother. A bad beginning. Jack. No good can come of such a marriage. A bad beginning. Oh. I foresee unbapplnessl How can Molly become a flue lady? She is but a simple girl, my own daughter. 1 have made ber a good housewife, and all ber 1 rrr III hft # K Urtn'tl 017*017 flflH kliuwirugtr win uc iuiu?u ?,. *.j lost. It Is a bad business. Jack. Nigra has been telling her fortune. There is nothing hopeful. All the cards are threatening. And the magpies and the screech owl"? She fell to weeping again, after which she broke out anew: "The captain says he is the most virtuous man in the world. It Isn't true. If ever 1 saw the tusfde of a mau in my life. 1 have seen the inside of that man. He Is corrupt through and through"? "Hut consider. All the world Is crying up his noble conduct and bis many virtues." "They may say what tbey like. It Is false. He Is heartless. He Is cold. He is seltisb. He marries Molly for her money. Persuade the captain. If you can. He will not believe me." "How can I persuade him? I have to knowledge. Are they all In a tale? Are you the only person who knows the truth? How do you know It?" "I know It because 1 love my girl, and so I can read the very soul of a man. 1 have read your soul. Jack, over and over again. You are true and faithful. You would love her and cherish her. But this man-be knows not what love means nor fidelity nor anything. Go. Jack. There Is no help -non ACAJH MOilt. BO TOO IOVC TO IMI' 111 ,u>u or in any other?because there is none other." She spoke the words of the pru. er book: " 'None other that fighteth for us but only thou, O God! Only thou, O God!"' She covered her face agalu with her apron and fell to Bobbing afresh. So I went into the parlor where Molly was sitting. "Jack!" sue jumped up. "Ob. Jack! I want you so badly." "I know all. Molly ? except what you yourself say and think about It." She bad a piece of work in ber bands, aud she began to pull It and pick it as she replied. For the first time In my life 1 found Molly uncertain and hesitating. "The captain says that it is the greatest honor that was ever offered to any woman to be raised from a lowly condition to a high rank, and all for love." "All for love?" I asked. "Why, what else can it be that made him fight for me with that desperate villain? He risked his life. Whatever happens, Jack, I cauuot forget that." "No. It was doubtless a great thing trt Hrk Tina >10 tr?lH vnll himself that it was all for love?" "lie lias not spoken about love at all. He lias never once been alone with nie. It seems that these great people make love by message. He sent a message by Saui Semple"? "A very fine messenger of Cupid, truly!" ?"offering marriage. The captain cannot contain his satisfaction and sits glum. My mother says that she will never see me again and begins to cry." "Well. but. Molly, to be sure it is a great thing to become countess. Most women would jump at the chance under any conditions. Do you, however, tiiink that you can love the man?" "He hasn't asked for love. Oh. Jack, to think that people should marry each other without a word of love! If he loves me. I suppose he thinks that I am bound to give him love in return." "There again, Molly, do you love the man?" "Jack, nobody knows me better than you. What reply cau I make?" "He Is too cold und too proud for you. Molly. Flow cau you love him? Perhaps." 1 added, because 1 was very sure that she would marry him, "after 1 ' ' " * b Irt 1 rl marriage you win uuu mm uia wwi ess is only a cloak to hide his natural warmth nod that his pride covers bis wife as well as himself." "He Is a good man. Everybody says so. Lady Anaxtasia declares that he is the most bouorable and high principled of rneo. On that point 1 am 6afe. And think, Jack, what u point it is. Why, to marry a drunkard, a sot, a profligate, a gambler?one would 6ooner die at ouce. and so an end. But 1 can trust myself with him. 1 have no fear of such treatment as drives some wives to distractiou Yet he is cold In his manner and proud in bis speech. 1 might hud it in my heart to love him If 1 was not afraid of him." And so she went backward and forward. He was so good and so great; his wife must always respect him. He was of rank so exalted; It was a great honor to become bis wife. He was so brave; she owed her rescue to bis bravery. Yet he hud spoken no word of love, nor bad she """n onr> olcrn nf Invp I flskPfl her wllSt OVtU UUJ Dlgu vt ?W ? ? ? sign sbe expected, and sbe was confused. "Of course," sbe said, "any girl knows very well wbeu a man is in love witb ber." "How does sbe know?" 1 asked ber. "Sbe knows because sbe knows." 1 suppose sbe felt tbat tbe man was not in love witb ber Just as ber motber felt tbat bis character for virtue and nobility was assumed "corrupt within," sbe said. Women are made so. And In tbe uext breath Molly repeated tbat wbat bis lordsbip bad doue was done for love. "How do you know?" 1 asked again. "Because tbe captain says bo." sbe replied, witb unconscious inconsistency. "Is tbe courtship to be conducted eu tlrely by messenger?" I asked. "No. He will come tomorrow morning and see me. 1 am to give bim an answer tben. But tbe captain bas already told bim wbat tbe answer Is to be. Ob, Jack, 1 am so bappyl I am so fortunate tbat I ought to be bappy. Yet I am so downhearted about it. Going away is a dreadful thing And when shall 1 see any of you. I wonder, again? Ob. 1 am so fortunate: I am so bappy"? And to sbow ber happiness sbe dropped a tear, and more tears followed. Wbat kind of happiness, wbat kind of good fortune, was tbat wblcb could till tbe mind of tbe captain witb gloom and could dissolve Molly's motber in tears and could herald its approach to tbe bride by sadness wblcb weighed ber down? And, as for me, you may believe tbat my heart was like a lump of lead wltbin me, partly because 1 was losing the girl I loved, but bad never boped to marry, and partly because from tbe outset or tbe wbole affair?yes. from tbe very evening wben tbe news of tbe grand discovery was read to tbe Society of Lynn-1 bad looked forward to coming events wltb forebodings of tbe most dismal kind. "Come to see me tomorrow afternoon. Jack." sbe said. "1 must talk about It to some one. Wltb tbe captain I cannot talk, because be Is all for the unequal match, and with my mother I cannot talk, because she foretells trouble and will acknowledge no good thing at all in the man or in the match. Do not forget, Jack. Come tomorrow. I don't know how many days are left to me when I can ask you to come. Oh, Jack, to leave everybody, all my friends! It Is hard. But I am the most ungrateful of women because 1 am the happiest?the happiest?oh. Jack, the happiest and most fortunate womaji that ever lived!" TO BE CONTINUED. THE LARGEST HARVESTER. It In Self-Moving, CutN a lid-Foot Swntli nn?l Wel|?>iN Over ItH) Toiim. What is said to be the largest automobile in the world, and the largest combined harvester as well, is now at work on a big ranch in central Califor- | nia, where it is being used in cutting 40,000 acres of barley. The big machine nnnalolo Af n f frtntiAM Onrrln a nnnnKlo n f vv/uoioio wl c* iiavkivii ^nfeiuu i-uj/ciuiv. wi handling 75 tons, and which takes the place of sixty horses, a header or mowing; machine, which cuts a' swath thirty-six feet in width, and a big threshing machine all complete. The threshing machine and header are run by a 30-horse power engine, entirely separate from the traction machine, save that they both get steam from the same boiler. The apparatus moves over the ground at different speeds, according to the thickness of the crop, while all the time the header and thresher are going at full speed, whether the grain be thick or thin. The average speed made is three and a half miles an hour, and 100 acres a day can be threshed by the machine. The drive wheels of this monster traction engine are eight feet in diameter and have tires 47 inches wide, on which are ridges an inch and a half high. Might men are employed on the thresher. Half a minute after the header starts to work the threshed grain begins to fall into the sacks on the other side from where it is cut, while the straw falls into a cart behind. The heads are carried away from the header by a draper, or moving belt, 48 inches wide. They are carried through a colander, which breaks the beard .. .... . . . .. .. . .. irom me uaney anu sneus 11 at tne same time, then by a narrow belt through two cleaners and finally to a bin, from which it is sacked. The sacks are sewed and set aside as fast as filled. When 12 sacks have been filled they are allowed to slide off the cart on which they are stacked to the ground. Likewise when the straw cart is full it is dumped. This giant automobile is 66 feet long and half as wide, weighing over 100 tons. It uses oil as fuel, necessitating the use of four horses to h*aul oil and the water for the boiler as it travels around large areas.?Los Angeles, Cal., Herald. pi-sttttanMUjs grading. OFFICIAL FIGURES. Executive Committee Declares Re Mult of First Primary. The State Democratic Executive committee met in Columbia last Frida; night, canvassed the vote cast in thi primary that was held on the preced ing Tuesday and declared the result The total vote cast for the various of flees are as follows: Senate, 95,110. Governor, 95,367. Lieutenant governor, 94,517. Attorney general, 94,655. Treasurer, 94,572. Comptroller, 94,391. Superintendent of education, 94,741. Aujutant general, 95,008. Railroad commissioner, 94,567. The total vote above given was dl vided among the various candidate; as stated below: For Senator: Wm. Elliott 13,658 Jno. Gary Evans 17,893 John J. Hemphill 13.261 D. S. Henderson 13,771 George Johnstone 13,556 A. C. Latimer 22,971 Total 95,110 For Governor: Martin F. Ansel 17,685 D. C. Hey ward 36,551 W. Jasper Talbert 18,218 James H. Tillman 16,398 W. H. Tlmmerman 6,515 Total 95,367 For Lieutenant Governor: Cole L. Blease 19,274 Frank B. Gary 35,464 John T. Sloan 39,779 Total 94,517 For Secretary of State: J. Thomas Austin 22,398 J. T. Gantt 34.136 J. Harvey Wilson 38,036 Total 94,540 For Attorney General: U. X. Gunter, Jr 51,582 W. F. Stevenson 43,073 TnJol 94.665 For State Treasurer: It. H. Jennings 94,572 For Comptroller General: N. W. Brooker 18,420 A. W. Jones 24,865 W. H. Sharpe 21,780 G. L. Walker 29,326 Total 94,391 Superintendent of Education: John J. McMahan 45,891 O. B. Martin 48,850 Total 94,741 For Adjutant and Inspector General Paul E. Ayer ; 2,987 J. C. Boyd 30,527 John D. Frost 36,643 John M. Patrick 20.957 George Douglas Rouse 3,894 Total T 95,008 For Railroad Commissioner: James Cansler s.sm B. L. Caughman 18,411 W. Boyd Evans 20,174 A. C. Jepson.f 5,127 Henry J, Ktnard 5,127 John G. Mobley 15,241 Hugh H. Prince 2,065 J. C. Wilborn 10,153 J. G. Wolling 7,281 Total 94,567 Congress, First District: Bacot 3,597 Legare 7,466 Total 11,063 Second District: Bellinger 3,974 Croft 4,096 Thurmond 3,826 Total 11,896 Third District: Aiken 3,642 Graydon 1.180 McCalla 2,466 I Prince 2,617 Rucker 1,206 Smith 2.828 Stribling 2,197 Total 16,136 Fourth District: Johnson 10,331 Wilson 5,585 Total 15,916 Fifth District: Finley 7,280 Floyd 1.368 Strait 3,169 Wilson 2,220 Total 14,037 Sixth District: Scarborough 13,330 Seventh District: Lever 10.574 McLaughlin 2,132 Total 12,702 In accordance with the results abov stated, the committee declared electe the candidates receiving a majority c the votes cast in their respective con tests, and ordered a second primary t be held on Tuesday, September 9, i which the contests will be as follows: For United States Senator?A. C Latimer and John Gary Evans. For Governor?D. C. Heyward an W. J. Talbert. For Lieutenant Governor?J. H. Sloa and F. B. Gary. For Secretary of State?J. Harve Wilson and J. T. Gantt. For Comptroller General?A. W. Jone and G. L. Walker. For Adjutant and Inspector Geners ?John D. Frost and J. C. Boyd. For Railroad Commissioner?W. Boy Evans and B. L. Caughman. Accustomed to It. Senator Carmack, of Tennessee, wh was conspicuous during the last ses sion of congress for his attacks on th conduct of the war in the Philippine! used to be a newspaper man before h entered the arena of politics, says th Nr.*iv York Commercial. He was aske the other day if he was sensitive to th bitter criticisms made by some of th newspapers on account of his arralgr ment of the American soldiers in th Philippines. "Not in the least," he replied, "an that reminds me of a story. Thei used to be a man in our town who wa not very tall and who was so bow-leg ged as to appear deformed or cripplei But he had plenty of muscle and a good deal of grit. One time the bow- i : legged man became involved in a dis- i pute with a husky six-footer who, be- < coming tired of the verbal argument, i - advanced upon his opponent with a i threatening air and said: e " 'You little runt! I've a good notion y to chaw your guzzle!'?whatever that e may mean. "At this the bow-legged man immediately gathered himself together, . squared off, and said: 'All right! I've fcfeen mostly raised on chawed guzzle, so sail in.!" "As I was once a newspaper man," i concluded Senator Carmack, "I don't | much care what they say about me. i Besides, I've 'been raised on' that sort i of thing." WELL SAID AND DESERVED. , 9 Doe Credit Accorded to an Efficient Superintendent of Education. The defeat of Mr. McMahan is one of the most heartily deplored results of the first primary. This can be said without reflecting upon his successor. During the two terms which he has _ held the office of superintendent of edu- i noflnn Mr MrMnhnn has shown an ac- . curate appreciation of the educational needs of the state and an earnest, fearless desire to supply the deficiencies. Possessing Ideas of his own he has shown more sincerity than policy In his - endeavors to have those Ideas carried out. He has not had time to accomplish all that he desired?for it is a slow work and the discouragements ^ and hindrances are many?but Mr. Mc- ( - Mahan has done a great deal toward the establishment of better standards , and the adoption of better methods In ( our educational system. In doing this he has run coumter to strongly rooted ( _ prejudices and come Into opposition to ( personal ambitions, all of which has not Increased his popularity among those i who have considered themselves ag- ( grieved. In this way an element ac- , tlvely opposed to Mr. McMahan has been formed and there is no doubt made itself felt against him In the re- t cent election. This was the basis up- 1 on which Mr. Martin builded with a ( skill that would do credit to an older , and more experienced politician. Over-confidence was the second factor which operated against Mr. McMahan. Relying too implicitly upon the appreciation of the people, many of whom take little or no interest in an ~ office of that sort, Mr. McMahan was neglectful of his own cause, while his . * ?Ioa fa llo/t in orppt themselves. II 1C1IUO OlOV &uai\.u VV ? Opposed to him was a candidate, a teacher, aggressive and a good stump speaker, who left nothing undone and whose connections and friends were exceedingly active, as the returns show. The explanation is easy?now that it is over. But it is not the explanation which is most important. Mr. McMahan's defeat we, with many others interested in the cause of education, regret most sincerely not for his sake but for that of South Carolina. Mr. McMahan has really lost nothing: he _ stands as high in the esteem of all as ever and has *he satisfaction which comes from a good record. The state loses by his retirement?unless his successor will continue the work he will lay down. We are led to hope that Mr. Martin will do this. We are prepared to believe that Mr. Martin has the interest of the schools, all the schools, at heart and that he is sincerely desirous ~ of making the educational system of his state better and more efficient. His speeches during the campaign have not always been fair, but we trust he will lay aside his demagoglsm when he takes hold of Ihis important work and in his administration of the office know only duty, not popularity, cXO llio |nv - decessor has done. He can be assured that if his administration is characterized by the right sort of progress and diligence he will have the most earnest support of The State?and of Mr. McMahan, as well, we venture tosay. Education?more education, better education, more general education? that is what we all desire. It is to be hoped that Mr. Martin will become _ a leader in the movement to that end, now well under way,, and that he will prove as efficient, capable and progressive as the retiring superintendent has been.?Columbia State. PROBLEM FOR LAWMAKERS. How Penalon Money Onffht to be DUtrlhuted. The Yorkvii.le Enquirer very promptly raises a new question for discussion now that the primary election has been held, and it is none too soon for the legislators-elect to begin , studying the problem as to how the pension money should be distributed so ^ as to reach only the needy and deserving. It is certainly a difficult question to deal with, so as not to neglect the worthy on the one hand or improperly -At bestow pensions on me omw imuu. * The law would seem to be amply sufficient in either case, and yet In its ad s ministration there are complaints made . that deserving men and women are neglected, but more often that the un^ worthy have been admitted to this roll of honor. Frequently the latter arises from the fact that a pensioner is put upon the roll where at best very little service was rendered, and the Confed0 erate soldier is put on an equality with those who served only a few months in 'e the reserves. 3* This criticism of the law and its ad,e ministration has been heard every now ie and then from wounded, disabled and d decrepit men whose service was far e more valuable and important, and ie whose estimate of the pension law is governed by the number of battles in ie which a man was engaged or by his wounds and disability incurred on the d field or in the camp. To him the law '? does not seem to make proper discrimls inatlon between active service where r- there was real danger and an inacti. ive, temporary service, where a gun was never fired except when the barrel needed cleaning. This is one of several causes for dissatisfaction, and it is contended that a proper discrimination ought to be made as to the extent and character of the service rendered. ?Greenville Mountaineer. ? m GUANO IS GROWING SCARCE. Nitrate Supply Diminishing and Lone Islands Becoming Valueless. The supply of one fertilizer upon which the world has long drawn for the enrichment of the soil is nearly exhausted. Now and then some islet of the Pacific which has remained undiscovered of neglected till a late day is found to be rich in guano though most of the guano islands have been despoiled of all their natural wealth. Nameless Island (it has a native name by the way) is one of the guano islands whose deposits were not discovered till within the last few years. This uninhabited rock, upon which no one thought it worth while to land until recently, now presents a busy scene. A wharf has been built out into the sea for the accommodation of the Australian guano schooners that bring supplies to the force of miners who are digging up the deposits and loading them on vessels bound for Sydney. In the course of a few years everything worth taking away from Nameless Island will have been removed and then It will be deserted again. The same history is likely to be repeated at the little island, a few hundred miles from Japan, whose claims to the rich guano deposits found there have just been recognized by our government. Japan is a great consumer of fertilizers. Thousands of tons of fish are buried every year around the roots of the tea shrubs, Japan not yet having learned the lesson we are teaching that It is worth while to build factories to convert menhaden and fish refuse into fertilizers. All the guano found on this Island will be taken to Japan and then the Bource of supply will be abandoned, like scores of other Pacific Islands which once yielded large quantities of the fertilizer. Until a few years ago many of these islets were marked on the very best maps as belonging to the United States. We had not claimed sovereignty over them, and there was no reason why they should be mapped as belonging to us except that our schooners alone were engaged in carrying away the only riches they seemed to possess. Nearly all of them are now in the domain of England and Germany, but it is doubtful if they ever will be utilized in any way. The very reason why large stores of valuable fertilizer accumulated mere unfitted them for human occupancy. Scarcely a drop of rain every falls on them. TheiP aridity conserved the commercial value of their deep deposits of guano, but the same phenomenon makes them undesirable for other human enterprises. The Imports of guano into our country and Europe have now nearly ceased, owing to the exhaustion of the Bources of supply. About the mfddle of the last century, when no fertilizers were sold west of Pennsylvania, we were Importing about 60,000 tons of guano a year, five-sixths of the supply coming from the guano islands along the coast of Peru. At that time all the imports were received at Baltimore and bore the Inspection brand of the guano inspector there. Those years for about three decades were the palmiest days of guano digging along the Peruvian coast. The islands of this very arid region were covered with the excrement and remains of seabirds that during many centuries had accumulated to a great depth. The agricultural value of this fertilizer was well-known to the ancient Peruvians, whose laws forbade the killing or molestation of the birds; thus modern farming has been indebted to these civilized aborigines of centuries ago for a .great deal of the fertilizer that has enriched the fields of this country and Europe. But the Peruvian islands have now been practically swept clean of their guano deposits. Our imports of over 50.000 tons of guano a year have drop ped to less than 5,000 tons; and most of this is not pure guano, but phosphate rock, which requires chemical treatment before it can be utilized. Most of the guano now imported comes from Navassa, Sombrero and other places where there is considerable rainfall. The rain leaches the soluble salts from the guano and the underlying rock becomes altered to a considerable depth. This limestone, thus altered by the salts from the guano, Is what is mined at Navassa and elsewhere. It is usually called bone phosphate of lime and Is the form in which four-fifths of the guano still utilized is received. The latest reports from the great nifrate fields of Chile is that the yield is decreasing in some of the most productive mines and that new ground Is beginning to be worked. The farmers* of northwestern Europe are still buying more than a million tons a year of this very valuable fertilizer, and perhaps the suppJy will be. equal to the demand for many years to come. It is a significant fact, however, that the miners who are working by thousands to supply the demand are beginning to go further afield and are opening deposits thus far untouched because they are not so conveniently situated for ? " " ? ?Inoo alpdsiHv shipping nitrate as mc mmw ? developed.?New York Sun. When ironing laee always lay a piece of soft muslin over fine lace, never touch it directly with the Iron. Crochet, tatting, guipure, and Irish or Greek lace should not be ironed, but simply pinned out on a well covered board, point by point, and left till dry, palling it out gently with the fingers if it seems stiff when unpinned. mercies of the Insolent and murderous black on the old homestead. The native , question must be settled in South Africa, but the settlement of it must begin right. The British will have to take sides either with the Boer or the black, and not let a false philanthropy come between them and their new subjects at the outset. South Africa, that is, Africa south of the Zambesi, German and Portuguese territory excluded, has an area of 1,000,000 square miles, and of Its population of 4,000,000, 30 per cent, or more are native. Outside the towns the white settlers are scattered far and wide while the blacks retain their tribal organization. The war has taught them the virtues of the magazine rifle and they have seen how a few men in trenches can hold an army. It will be a bad day for the white man in South Africa when the black men collect enough rifles to be troublesome. Immediate and complete disarmament of the late allies of tha British is imperative, whether the safety of the Boers is considered or the future supremacy of the white race.?New York Sun. ? POTENCY OF SPELLS. Survival of the Ancient Belief In Charms Against Spells. During the South African war a number of instances have cropped up showing that the idea still prevails that there are such things as charms and spells against wounds and death. Not long ago a paragraph appeared in some of the papers to the effect that a soldier's watch, with a charm attached to it, had been found on one of the battlefields, and was being held for a right' ful claimant. Earlier in the war a priI vate's letter told how a comrade had come in safely through a hot engagement by virtue, as he thought, of an amulet he wore, to be mortally woundi ed in a subsequent skirmish, when, by the merest chance, he was not wearing his charm. A relative's letter from the front tells the writer of a young fellow who wore a charmed ring suspended from his neck. The wearer had it from his sweetheart, he placed the most perfect faith in it, and though he had been in several hot corners, he had hitherto always come out scathless. Although this kind of belief is of very ancient date. It is curious as well as interesting to find it still in existence in the British army. Perhaps we ought to say "traces of it." for it is hard to believe that it is widely prevalent. And yet It would not be very surprising if it were so, seeing that a certian proportion of the rank and file are illiterate and come from a stratum of society which Is largely superstitious. It is curious to compare our army in this respect with the German. Those who happened to be In the fatherland during and immediately after the war of 1870-71 must have been struck by the amount of superstition that, hidden under ordinary circumstances, in the then excited state of the public mind made its way to the surface, much as the mud of a stagnant pool floats to the top when the water Is agitated. Nothing seems too absurd to be believed. Portents and warnings were seen everywhere. Black crosses, observed for the first time in windowpanes of the houses of the peasantry throughout Baden and the south genererally, were held as the signs of divine wrath against the turn things in general had taken in the fatherland, especially in regard to the church. The excitement, touching this phenomenon became Intense, and was only allayed < when a Baden glass manufacturer came forward and demonstrated mai me warning crosses were marks imprinted on the glass in the process of making. ?New York Evening Post V rJj BLACK PERIL IN SOUTH AFRICA. . It Threaten* the Future Supremacy of the White Race. The British government will have to Interpret the permit to bear arms by the Boers liberally, or there will be a greater problem to deal with than restocking farms and starting the wheels of Industry. When the Boers surrendered their arms the native were not obliged to turn in rifles that had fallen into their hands. Army officers might plead ignorance of the possession of weapons by natives, but such a plea should be ruled oiut. It was criminal to make no Investigation, for the hatred which the black feel for the Boers was intensified by the war. In the eyes of the natives the Boers have lost caste and prestige by their submission, and liberties may be taken with them. Any one could have foreseen that an un armed Boer on the veldt would be at the mercy of a brutish Zulu who had managed to possess himself of a rifle and knew how to use It. Stories of the murder of Boers returning to their farms are now coming In, and stories, too, of outrage of white women by the blacks. Permits to bear arms are Issuable to Boers for self-protection and for hunting, but forms have to be gone through before the permit is granted. No man likes red tape less than the Boer, and he would rather do without his rifle than wear out his shoe leather In a magistrate's office. If the late enemy cannot be trusted with weapons for defence the blacks, they cannot be trusted at all. It would have been a graceful act if the government had returned to the Boers who live In the open country the rifles they had carried during the war, so that they might protect themselves and their households against the blacks. Nothing could have been lost by such magnanimity; in fact, it would have developed a loyalty at a time when every movement of the government and every proclamation is regarded with distrust. It is often said that a racial war may be expected in South Africa, and that when it comes Dutch and British will forget their differences in union against the common enemy. But It is not a good preparation for the day to allow the Boer to be exposed to the tender