The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, September 17, 1902, Image 7
I IS* Mushroom <
I By EdonaH
WITH most cities life begins ,
at the ground floor (cellars, i
sewers and electric tubes al- |
ways excepted) and ends at ]
the top story, but In Paris, while busl- i
oess is being profitably conducted In i
the bright sunshine of the loftiest
* ?? u i* *Im heina as profitably j
panned In tbe darkness of the depths i
below, far beneath even tbe sewers (
and the famous Metropolitan Railway j
of which tbe Parisians are so proud, i
For Paris is honeycombed with sub* ,
terranean vaults and passages. It is
literally built upon columns and walla,
and If one fine morning tbe world
awoke to learn that tbe bottom bad
fallen out of tbe Gay Capital and It
had crumpled up like a bouse of cards
It would be no xurprising thing to tbo?e
m 1,1? ?" > iwlor<rrmifwl world
I a III Ilia I nuu iur uuuv.nx.
of Paris. It would <v?om as though
the former inhahitanta had devoted
tbelr efforts to hewing out a place
wherein they might seek refuge In
?ae of dire necessity, for. though few
are aware of the fact, the entire popu-"
lation 0f Paris could bide itself bedeath
the city.
To build the city we know go well
to-day past generations delved and
dug beneath it for the coveted stone.
What then were quarries have now become
caves, portions of which have
been converted into catacombs and
contain the bones of the dead, while
Others are used for the very mundane
purpose of growing mushrooms?those
tweet, tasty little champignons with*
out wblcb no ragout is complete and *
which one never fails to find on a
French menu. The mushroom is a
comestible particularly favored by the
French. Wagon-loads from near and
| far find their way Into the central '
| markets of the city every day in the
year, and the annual consumption by
tbe Parisians of this vegetable repre- '
gents a value of over a quarter of a 1
million sterling. Both beneath the
city itself and outside it these strange
mushroom-caves extend for miles in '
mil directions; and in them hundreds '
of men. who often never see daylight J
' "7^ 1
ru VilXU DKSCKXDS TO THK "LOWXB '
REQIOSS."
|
from morn till eve. pass tbeir lives in
cultivating tbe champignon. <
I was told that I should And these
"under-boulevards" of the great city i
well worthy of a visit, and in a weak 1
moment of curiosity I accepted the J
offer of an influential friend to obtain i
permission for mysslf and a photographer
to descend into the bowels of 1
the earth and learn something of the i
art oi underground mushroom-grow- ]
Ing.
We departed one fine morning, the
photographer and I. for Malakoff, on ]
the outskirts of Paris. We found tht
mushroom-farmer on bis farm await* i
? .Ing us?a well-built, bluff, hearty specimen
of French fermier. M. Burvingt
DJ same, t lOOtteu arouau lur iikus ui
caves, bat (ailed to find them, nor did
1 see any bills in the neighborhood
under which they might be. In answer
to a question I was informed that
they were just fifteen metres under
oar feet!
"This shaft leads tight into them."
aid the' farmer, indicating a covered
circular bole in the ground I had not
hitherto noticed. He palled the boards
away and I looked down, shuddering,
for I looked only Into fathomless darkness.
How we were to get down pushed
me; how the photographic apparatus
was going to fare worried the
photographer, and we were both im.
mensely relieved to learn that this
haft was not the entrance, but only
the place where they pitcbeu the
manure down. I still had hopes of
falnlng entrance other than by descending
a shaft?a gentle slope or
something of that sort was what I
ranted?and I felt convinced that this
would be the case when our guide said
we bad rather a Ions walk before us.
It proved a good three-quarters of au
hour's jouraey. over fields and down
country lanes, ere he stopped suddenly
before a small square fence and told
?r
at
'A BEND IN THE QALLERY SHOV
WOB
o? we bad reached our domination.
And we bad been following tbe line
one of tbe underground passages
.tbe time! Opening a gate, tbe
ker revealed a shaft After our
ft had disappeared over tbe ledge
Saves of Paris. |
Charles. ?[
I
and reached tbe bottom tbe photographer
followed bitn. When the primitive
ladder cscHlated no longer beneath
his weight I went slowly and
lilently down, landing safely in about
three inches of mud.
It had been 120 degrees in tbe sun
ibove, for the day was particularly
Que. Down here it was cold. damp,
iark and uninviting; so cold that I
shivered In my shirt-sleeves, for I had
left my coat above. Our guide shouted.
and bis voice, beiug In keeping
I
Jir
THE ROUND WHITE DISCS ARE
ING HERE IS ABOUT THREE
frith his stature, filled the blackness,
umbiing away down the many arteries
eading from where we wore standiug
md coming back again from a dozen
Jlfferent directions. In answer to his
?all there presently danced in the dark
rold ahead of ns a couple of lights.
They heralded the approach of a
rouple of cbampignonnistes, who,
emerging from their habitual gloom,
lisclosed themselves as short, dark
individuals, of none too prepossessing
appearance, attired, with but scant regard
for the temperature, in blue cotcon
trousers, blouses and wooden
IUUCD.
Provided with light?small round
x>lza-oil lamps fixed on tbe ends of
iticks?and encumbered witb tbe
photographic materials, we moved forward,
and tben the real torture of tbe
experience began.
We formed a weird and ghostly profession
as we moved forward through
tbe inky blackness, tbe silence broken
>nly by our footsteps as we splashed
ilong through the puddles, the solemn
irip. drip of water from tbe walls and
roof, an exclamation now and tben
from myself as I nearly tripped over
me of the mushroom-beds, and strange
mutterlngs from the man who was to
work tbe camera.
tha fnmmiH mush room-beds were at
inr feet We were, in fact, walking |
In the narrow space between them?a
path perhaps a foot in width. They
ran along the caves in rows, two
against the sides and a pair down the
centre. They seemed to be banks of
sand some two feet in height, and inclining
np from a two-foot base to a
rounded top. The soil was clammy
>nd crumbling to the touch, and inlaid
with round white discs, varying in
circumference from the dimensions of
a shilling to a small-sized saucer?the
precious champignons.
"Is there much of this?" I asked of
the farm?r leading us. who seemed
prepared to walk on forever.
"Seven or eight kilometres." he answered,
unconcernedly.
We bad arrived at a bead. How long
I bad been creeping onwards, bumping
now my bead and now an arm.
stumbling, sprawling and saying
things, I know not; but my back ached
frightfully, and 1 appreciated more
than ever before the comforts of being
a short man.
It seemed we bad walked for ages.
"We will take a photograph here," I
said, which brought the party to a
halt. A blue, blinding glare went up.
Illumining the space around with such
a light as it had never seen before,
and showing up plainly the trio of
champignonnistes crouched down as
they worked, and scaring a million
flies and spiders and goodness alone
knows what other insects and vermin.
The light died down and went out.
and again the lamps sprang into life
and shed their flickering, welcome
gleams around.
Atier Ht'vunug tuiuc iJiciuiea ire
gladly sought the upper world again.
I bad no ambition to explore tbe caves
in their entirety, but only to Ret my
cramped spine once more into its normal
position, to sit down and Rather
mushroom knowledge from tbe lips of
the grower himself. Fifty years before.
he told me, these cares had been
open to tbe broad light of day. They
PING -CHAMPIGNONNISTES" AT
IK.
were the acene of great activity. resoundiug
continually with the exploHionx
of gunpowder, for there men
were quarrying the atone that helped
to build Paris. Later on they had been
abandoned and covered in. to be finally
. - _ >
% i ' '-' J
f taken orer by the cultivator of mush|
rooms. Thin Is the history of moot of
I the cares which are now used for this
| purpose, not only in the neighborhood ,
of the capital, but throughout France.
But all are not of the genre I have
just described. The famous caves of
Issy-les-Moulineaux. owned by cbampignonniste
Sauvageot. are in decided
j contrast to those previously visited; as
large as the others wen? small?thirty
I feet In height at least. And there was
no ladder to descend; one walked
straight into the tunnel from the daylight.
for it pierced a hill, a chalk hill
whence had be?n quarried thousands
of tons of chalk of the quality that
makes acquaintance with the tips of
billiard cues. The main tunnel, cutting <'
clean into the hill for a distance of !
not less than 250 yards, would hare j
?? i
YOUNG MUSHROOMS-THE CEIL- '
FEET FROM THE FLOOR.
(
easily admitted a carriage and pair ,
carrying another vehicle on top. Aa j \
mushroom caves go it was certainly a i
handsome one, but just a* cold and ,
damp as any other, with a switchback ! ,
sort of road leading from the entrance j
to the bottom of the caves. Here there !
was space for six lines of mushroom* j
l>eds to wend their Irregular ways side i
by side, as will be seen lu our photo* j
graph. :
In no cave of such dimensions are
all the mushroom-beds in the same j
stage of advancement at once. While
some thousands of metres are in full
bloom, others are not so far advanced,
niui in anmp nnssnzes the beds are !
only Just being laid down, while in 1
others the work of clearing out old and j
useless beds is being carried on.
Scrupulous cleanliness is nn absolute j
sine qua non ere a new bed can be j
laid down. The cave muRt be cleared j
of the old bed entirely; not a particle I
of It must be left, for with all the j
mushroom's aptitude for lightning '
growth it Is something of a dandy iu !
the vegetable world.
New beds are laid down every Ave or ,
six months, and as they do not beat '
until three months have passed the !
harvest need be a rich one, for the '
average cost of a bed ere It shows !
alarm nf nrodnce is two and a half !
francs per metre. First the manure j
has to lie secured, and then. ere it can
be used. It has to be prepared, the work ;
taking from three to six weeks. YVbeu j
ready it is carried Into the cave or
shoveled down a shaft as occasion re|
quires.
The building of the beds is a peculiar
and laborious process. Sitting astride
the portion of the bed he has first
made the worker gathers armfulls of
manure and presses the material down
to an even height In front of him. Thus
he is always provided with a seat. Ere
th* spawn is sown the temperature of
the beds must have reached about
twelve degrees to fourteen degrees
Fab.. The spawn sown, the manure is
covered with sand, and then every two
or three days the beds must be liberally
watered. At the end of three months
the "buttons" poke their heads through, :
then gradually the beds become covered
with white hoods, which on at
baskets op fresh-gathered xcshkoous
awaitino collection.
talnlng the required size are collected
for market. Unlets, however, a metre
yields four kilos of mushrooms at the
least the proprietor of the cave has
little occasion to be cheerful, for its
creation and care account for an outlay
of three francs, while the harvest
only fetches a franc per kilo.
Winter is the best season for the
champignomiiste. Then, M. Sauvageot
told uie. lie sends to market no fewer
than one hundml baskets a day. which
uicuns 1100 kilos, while during the :
other seasons of the year forty baskets
or 440 kilos is the duily output. In the |
production of this |>erennial harvest j
thousands of workmen Und employ- |
ment round Tariij alone?men who pass |
their days iu damp ami darkness, with j
only spiders ami Hies to keep them j
company, and yet seem to experience j
no evil eflfectic as the result of
their strange surroundings.?The Wide i
World Maguzine.
The Popr.
Should the I'ope live till 1903 he will
celebrate hi* diamond jubilee as
Bishop, his gulden jubilee as a Cardlual
aud his silver jubilee as a Pope.
X-Ray Car*.
The Territorial Board of Health of
Hawaii is to begin a series of experiments
to determiue the value of X-ra/?
iu the treatment of leprosy.
/
940,06*000 to OIt* Avar. I
Tie strange ease of what In Tbe
Netherlands is known as the "Van der
Hulst Million*" is exciting considerable
interest in that country. It rerZTLEB'S
MUSBCM AT HAA8LEM, HOLLAND.
I
lates to a will made about one hundred
years ago. by one named Cornells
Gerrit Van der Hulst. At tbe time
mentioned there lived a well-to-do
rouple, Pieter and Elizabeth Van der
Hulst. and when they died tbey left a
considerable fortune to their nephew.
Pieter Teyler Van der Hulst. of Haarlem.
The said will provided that in the
event of tlx? nephew dying without
leaving a direct heir the fortune was
not to be divided among the next of
Icin until after the expiration of on?
hundred years.
The nephew in question died child- 1
less, aud, as the prescribed period of a
century has now gone by. some of the
would-be claimants ar? endeavoring to
prove their kinship. But iu the course
[>f one hundred years the branches
[>f a family become so spread out and
difficult to trace that the question of
deciding Just who is nnd who is not entitled
to share in tbe inheritance is
ao easy one.
Tlie fortune, with compound interest I
Juring that long period. Ins now
amounted to about forty million dollars.
and the subject should be of
especial interest to Americans, as it is
understood that some of the next of
kin are supposed to be iu New York.
One enterprising lawyer has taken up
the claims of a branch of the family on
the payment-by-result system, and If
he is successful he will receive as his
fee a one-tenth portion of what may I
be awarded to his clients.
Upon the decease of Pieter Teyler j
part of the usufruct was employed by !
the trustees of the fund to build and j
maintain a museum, called Teyler'a
Museum, as shown in the photograph:
the same trustees also built some sixty
almshouses, which are still occupied
by old folk.
Report states that the case will be
stubbornly fought by those who have
the administration of the money at j
present, nn?l a big lawsuit is lik?Iy to
be th? outcome of the presi?ut proceedings.?Collier's
Weekly.
A Gossip's Bridle.
Tbe brank was practically a scold'*
or gossip's bridle, having for its object
the suppression of idle and abusire
language, snys the Golden Penny.
This instrument of justice resembles
a rude helmet, opening at tbe sides to
admit the bead, and fastened by a
padlock at the back. Other varieties
show a plate in tbe front, and sometimes
fitted with a knife blade, vhlch
was secured In the mouth, effectually
restraining tne movements 01 me
tongue. Thus gagged, the wretched
THE BBA.NE.
culprit was paraded round tbe town,
and perhaps chained to tbe market
cross to be scoffed at by one and all.
The earliest mention of the brank
is in 1507, and it was then used in
Edinburgh. Tbe Instrument here pictured
is dated 1(93. rnd being such %
rare and perfect specimen, it Is very
carefully preserved in the vestry of the
parish church at Walton-on-Thames.
TnilAA^I I* la hrt nhlutif urnnifiln in pt?
istenee at the present time.
A K?markable Flab.
A most remarkable specimen of flsB
is in the possession of Casper II.
Kroeger, of Milwaukee. It was
brought to this country by a soldier
from the Philippines. From the formation
of its teeth the tlsh might be
said to belong to the rodent family, if
such a classification could be made of
Hsh. Its teeth project from the front
jf its mouth, exactly us do those of
rats and .squirrels, ami Its head is devoid
of gills. There are uo scales upon
its body, but it Is covered with small,
rough ossicles or bouy plates. At the
base of the tail are seven lance-like
spines ou one side and nine on the
other, and the eyes are set at the top
of the head. In spite of the general
piratical appearance of the tish, it U
said to be good eat ins. the average
length iieiug about eight inches. No
flsh like It has ever beeu found in this
country, and the species is said to l>e
scarce in the Philippines.
>o .Trwip?(i?n in niim.
The overworked nod sufferers froni
nervous prostration will titid a real
haven of rest in Korea, snvs the London
Express. There is no such thing
as a novel or newspaper In the land.
Xo regular story-writer is known to
have lived there for loud years. Edu
cation constats in a Knowledge or me
immortal Chinese classics. So sacred
are printed Iwoks to the Koreans that
they cannot Ik* tossed about or trodden
upon without offending the gods.
/oung salmon spend the tlrst year of
their life in sweet water: then they
Jve in the ocean three years before re:urnlng
to the sweet water to spawn.
IINOR EVENTS OF THE WEEK
WASHINGTON ITKKI.
Evidence continues to accumulate at
tl>e War Department that the abolition
of the canteen has canned desertions.
?
A uew treaty noon to be signed by
British and Chinese representative*
will serve as a pattern for oue between
the United States and China.
Lieutenant Chandler reported record*
breaking target practice by the torpedo
flotilla.
Ql?- >hnnmn<l Vavnin Trwitnns iron
our. budget
op Humor..
i ?* j
A* Arboriculturist.
There wa* a social aspirant
And he wa? wundrou* wue.
Hiit entree in the haul beau inonde
Had caused a mild surprise.
And no he greir a family tret*,
And grew it up v> tall
No one could see where it began
And ended?that is all.
?New York Herald.
Exp?rl?BC* the T??ch?r.
Sbe?"There's really no reason for
married folks to quarrel."
He?"No: except that they generally
need a few quarrels to flud that ou?"
?Brooklyn Life.
At the Uftry Stable.
"Papa sent me around to ask how
.onff horses should be allowed to
feed."
"Tell bim. just tbe sam?? way short
horses should he allowed to."
H#r Hm of Ir.
"Would you marry a man whose witt
bad secured a divorce from him for
cruelty?"
"I could tell letter after I saw the
woman."?Chicago Record-Herald.
Like* and Dlalikc*.
*'I should like to go to my mother-iti
law's funeral this arternooo. sir. saiu
the book-keeper to the proprietor.
"So .should I." replied the proprietor,
as he turned to Uis desk again.--'TitCite.
Rmmwi.
"She has Ju?t refused a raafi wurii.
a million."
"Is It possible? Auy ratioual explanation
of her act?"
"Oh. yes. She had Just accepted
another man worth a million."?Brooklyn
Life.
Vhtn They railed.
"What has become of all the joke?
we used to see about the self-made
tneu?"
"Tliey wont our nuoui me n.um- mur
tlie self-made uinn did."?Baltimore
American.
lime* Chanfrd.
"But before we were married." >Jit
complained. "you used to give me beautiful
presents."
"Yea. but a dollar looked like n dime
then, and now?er?3 dime looks like a
miracle.'"?Baltimore News.
Tbat Galteat Athlet*.
1
?Fliegende Blaetter.
Graft.
Mrs. Cobwigger?"Why arc you always
following that little boy
around?"
Freddy?"He's the only one of rhe
fellers who knows how to beat tin* sloe
machines."?Puck.
An Emt Job.
"I would l*? willing to work." sah?
Tyre Dout. "If I could get the sort of
Job I want."
"What would that Job be?"
"Well, I wouldn't mind calling out j
the stations on an Atlautic liner "~N.!W
York Sun.
A* ImprtMion.
"You say you are going to stop being
a reformer."
"Yes."
"Hut it must he a great and gloriooi)
thing to expose the various frauds "
"Ir used to be. But there is too much
coni|>etitiou. It won't be long 'ill
there aren't enough frauds to go
'rouud."
H? Didn't Co.
"Ktliel." lie wUi?|K?mi. "wiii *?? .
marry me?"
"I don't know. Charles." she replied,
coyly.
"Well, when you tind out." he said.
rising. "Hend me *ror?l. will yon? I j
Khali Ih> at Mabel Ilicks' until 10
o'clock. If I .don't hear from vou hy
10 I am going to ask her."
A itcwijr Kinaaclrr.
"Ueleaae uu\" exclaimed the AtueiU?o
ai u*fiiit*m
"It wouldn't be business." answered
the Kuropeuu oU'.law. gently, but
firmly.
"But you are wasting your time. I
have no rich relatives who can pay my
ransom."
"That is all right. I'D keep you in
captivity loug enough to secure a sufficient
measure of publicity, and th?-n
take a morrgaRe ou the receipts of
jour lecture tour."
said to >>e starving, and relief wat
asked and granted from tbe Interior
Department.
A new ruling allow* postmasters tc
contribute cash. but bars them from
personal participation in political cam
paigns.
Internal revenue collections for July
were f?!.23t>.359. a decrease over last
year of $7,107,537.
The Navy Department accepted the
torpedo boats DeLong and Wilkes.
Secretary Shaw compelled leading
New York banks to Issue nearly ?100,
000.000 in new circulation.
OCK ADOPTED ISLANDS.
A* a result of the war rinderpest
anions: the cattle and the epidemic of
cholera, agriculture Is at present seriously
depressed throughout the Philippine
Islands. Many districts are
badly impoverished.
Governor Taft told the Manila
Chamber of Commerce that the Philippine
Islands must ultimately rely
on Filipino lal>or. and that the Civil
Commission would again ask Congress
to establish a gold standard currency.
Cholera is spreading throughout the
Philippines.
Because of inadequate appropriations
the First Circuit Court of Hawaii
ceased Jury trials, presiding Judge
I tear IIIU juijr IU. mr iruu.
Over lev* prisoners are !n Jail awaiting
trial. The Judges appealed to Governor
Dote.
The appointment of Mgr. Guidl, Papal
Auditor, to he Apostolic Delegate
to the Philippines was announced at
the Vatican.
Mrs. Chaffee, wife of General Chaffee.
who has hepn seriously ill at Manila.
is out of all danger.
DOMESTIC.
In an affray over money at San
Frnncisco. Cnl.. one Japanese was
killed, two injured and Policeuiun
Akers badly shot.
Hesitating a moment before plunging
from Brooklyn Bridge Albert H.
Johnson, of Boston. Mass.. was caught
by a policeman nnd arrested.
Infuriated at being ejected from the
grounds. Jerry nnd Dangerfield Ware,
colored, emptied their revolver* into a
crowd of dancers at Hopkinsvllle. Ky.,
killing one man nnd fatnlly injuring
two. after which they escaped.
Murdered by robbers, the bodies of
Mr. nnd Mrs. Britton Lewis were
found in their home at Gainesville,
Fin. |
Much needed rains, the first in three
years. have saved Lower California
from becoming a barren waste.
President Roosevelt delivered
tpeecbes in Nashua. Manchester. The
Weirs and Concord. N. JI.
Newport (II. I.) viuas were auma^m
by concussion from big gun target
practice at Fort Adams.
Nebraska will tight tlio proposed beef
combination when it is effected.
Ada Gray, well known for her long
potmyal of the leading role in "East
Lynne." died at New York City after a
long illness.
Senator Hanna snld street railways
aught to pay dividends of seven per
cent, and hold franchises in perpetuity.
Sergeant Coon, of Troop H. Thirteenth
Cavalry, stationed at Fort
Keougb. Mont., was drowned while attempting
to swim the Yellowstone
River.
Mrs. Marie A. Hopkins, widow of the
American Minister to Argentina, was
instantly killed bj a street car in St.
Louis. Mo.
After cutting his wife's throat with a
razor at Phillipsburg. Kan.. Chester
Westbrook killed himself.
The safe ami vault in the court house
at Ipswich. Edmonds Couuty. S. D.,
were robbed of 72700 in gold, presumably
by some one familiar with the
office.
Governor Odell, in a speech In Lowville.
N. Y.. declared his belief that a
reduction of tariff duties would not
solve the trust problem.
President Burt, or mo ldiod rnciuc.
was held in $3000 bail for trial at
Omnba. Neb., charged with restructing
the liberty of strike lenders.
In a trolley car collision at Hubbard.
Ohio. Motorman Joseph Thomas was
killed and S. S. Bott fatally injured.
Burglars took ?SOO in stamps and
money from the postoflicc at Kidgetop.
Tenn.
FOREIGN.
Charles B. Toll, an American in ih<*
British Army, was arrested in London
for a murdi'r to which he confessed in
a tetter to the Kansas City chief of police.
A dispatch rrom iromsoe siaie* imu
.Mr. Ziegler's second ship, the Frithj?f,
was spoken ou August 14. and i?he
reported ice very had in the Arctic |
Ocean.
The German customs authorities in
tjielr new rule regarding the origin of
grain shipments seek to establish a retaliatory
tariff against Canada.
At tlie autumn review of the Guard
Corps near Berlin Ktnperor William
paid special attention to the visiting
American generals.
Twenty-three persons were injured
in a collision of passenger trains ar J
tJhlSgoW. SlDtlflllll.
Tlii' Boers are negotiating for an
agricultural concession on the French
islaml of .Madagaacar.
T'v Itkin stations throughout China
liav*' he-u altollshed Ity an imperial
d<M*rc<*. The p*|K)rt and import taxes
will he increased.
The foreign ligations at P**kln.
Chiua. are receiving reports front
Szechuari Province that the rebellion
there is constantly spreading, and that
foreigners arc in great danger.
Sir Thomas Upton's third challenge
for the America's Cup will be issti??d iv
Septeinlier.
Members of the Cuban House of Rep
fa rives. resenting the grauting of
the raseaneda franrliiw. are urging
the impeachment of President Palnia.
Yuan Siiih Kai is reported to have
memorialized the <'bine*e throne to
ke?'p Wu Ting-fang in Washington auother
tt-rm.
The King of Italy, as the guest of
Eui|>eror William, entered the elty of
Berlin in *tat?>: subsequently. at a banquet.
spi'erhcs renewing the pledges of
tb?* Tripl Alliauee were made by the
Emperor and the King.
11 i^jnn;1 .ya |
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE.
Poftn: Com* Drink With Mv-rtlUcr *
tb? Liquor ApoiofiK * m?? ?nt?
m?it That At I'm of "Mild" latoai.
cants Leads to Natloaal Toiaporaaeo.
Bend low to where the babbling spring
Lave* soft the edge of emerald green;
Bend low 'till the water'* sheen
la God's own image. Drink and fling
The puie. sweet water high in air
And watch the jewels an they sparkle then
THIS IS MY TOAST.
To him who labors with hi* hand.
In every clime and every Isnd.
To him whose hands are grita with toil.
Who loves God'* greatest gift?the soil.
To him who touched the arid plain
And hid its shame 'neath golden grain;
Who drove the wild beast from its lair
And built a home, complete and fair.
To him who made the forest bend
And shelter, peace and comfort lend.
To him who made the lightning speak.
To bim who laid the winding rail.
To him who built the ships that aeek
The d'stint lands with hearty hail.
To all who labor, all who wait.
And who?with Cod?up build, create;
Who make the earth with beauty teem
Beyond the wildest hope or dream.
Drink deep to them, and to the hour
When they shall rise in mighty power,
And. heart to heart and hand to hand,
Shall stand?the toilers of the land?
A proud, unshaken, mighty band.
-.1 ? f .1. l. _:n
Ana OUiT iuojiui. i*:t ih ihc w iiu win
Drink deep from wine-press, vat and dt?lL
Drink, 'till their drunken revels blind
And blur the aonl and kill the mind.
Drink, 'till the deadly, fearful fire
Kill human love and proud desire.
Drink, 'till tht blunted conscience heed
No more the cries of human need.
Till avarice, hate and greed supreme
Shall fill their souls, a horrid dream.
Until Cod's image, proud and fair.
Shall hidden be, 'neath grim despair.
For the?e I care not. Drink with me,
Drink of the sparkling water free;
Drink deep to those whose brain and hand
Make beautiful the whole broad land.
?C. B. Morrell, in Ram's Horn.
The Win* Cant Discredited.
The testimony continues to pile tip ia
demonstration of the utter fallacy of th?
argument that used to be *0 persistently
and confidently urged, namely, that this
use of "mild liquors" is conducive to na>
tional temperance. Conditions in France
hud Germany furnish almost weekly some
new proof of the truth that the ose of
wine ana oeer w ine nignway m nmuiui
drunkenness. Recently Dr. Grisel, in an
article which appears in L'Echo de Paris,
describes the situation in France, tbs '
country where the '"wine cure" has been
in operation for centuries, in the following
i!mo.?t sensational language:
"The consumption of murderous liquidi
has grown in such proportions, even
among women and children, that it has
become absolutely necessary to do something
to check the downwsrd movement.
Even supposing that the atate were comindifTorwn*
In the triwit intfCMts o(
the health of the race, and solely concerned
with budgetary consideration*, the
time has arrived when we mutt ask ourselves
whether it would not be better to
renounce the revenue resulting from the
laic of these alcoholic drinks?* revenue already
reduced by extensive fraud?than to
tee the profit* go to the construction of
asylums for the victims of alcoholic madness,
of hospitals for diseases caused by
absinthe, and of prisons for the criminals
.that it creates. And to this picture may
be added a diminution of the birthrate, an
increased infant mortality and a swelling
of the number of idiots and cripples, children
of drunkards, wrecks of the race, and
burden; on tiic community; the falling off
of the nation's wealth in its work-people
I before the lavages which alcoholism pro|
duces in the workshops; the growing de!
velopment of consumption, of which alco!
hoi <* one of the principal factors."
! Whichever way the situation is to be
' locked at, that is to say, whether "mild
drinks" are to be charged with the production
of such a state of affairs or it is to
be conceded that an almost universal use
of wine ha* not prevented serious indulgence
in stronger drink, in either event
j there is mighty little comfort with the advocate
of lieer and wine in a passage lika
that.?The Voice. jfc
Evil of Intemperance.
I The battle of Hastings, which decide#
j the destinies of England, was lost through
the intemperance of the English soldiers,
I who spent the night before tne battle guz!
ziing beer, while the hardy Normans were
strengthening their bodies with homely
food and their souls with wholesome pray
er for that eventful battle, which wu
bravely fought and nobly tvon by the gallant
Norman clans.
Pliny, who was no Christian, conclude*
the twenty-eighth chapter of one of bi*
book* with a moot eloquent appeal for temperance.
"How strange," he exclaim*, "thit men
! will devote such labor and exnenae for
wine when water, as is seen in tne case of
animal.", is the moat healthful drink?a
drink, too. supplied by nature; while wine
taki?? away reason, engenders insanity,
lead* to thousands of crimes, and impoaea
such an enormous expense on nations.
"From wine comes that pallid hue,
drooping eyelids and trembling hand*,
sleep made hideous by furies during night*
: of restlemneiw." He add* that many are
led into this condition "by the self-interested
advice of physicians who seek to
commend by some novel remedy."
As I have said, (he influence of the *aloon
and of drink has marked itself on
the face of nations, ax well as on the face
i of man trom the earliest a^e* to the pre*j
ent time. But in no age. perhaps, has the
I saloon assumed such proportion* and arj
rogated to it?elf ?uch privileges as at the
| present day in America.?The Rev. Father
MacErlain. in "Whither Goest Thou?"
A Snble Haling.
The Colorado Supreme Court has decided
that women may not be permitted to enter
wine rooms or saloons, unrestricted, on
the ground that it would result in injury
to public morality. The Herald and Presbyter.
commenting on this action, says:
"The court is undoubtedly right, and it*
decision will be applauded by all well disposed
people everywhere. \Vc wi*h now
that tlie court would decide that men
should not be permitted to frequent such
place*, in the interest of public morality.
Still it is something to have the women
i .1- I...., "
iau lur iiiimmi ?wc|>? uu>.
No More Drinks For Wouidb.
The Minnesota Club, in St. Paul, will
servo no Hrink.t to women hereafter without
meal*. Thin decision won due to exce#?ive
drinking anions the women v. ho
TisiieJ the club house.
ITtol Sober Man to Fight Firwa.
Mayor McC'ormick, in enforcing the rule*
forbidding the iwe of intoxicating liquors
i:: the engine hoaxed of llarriitburg, Pa.,
sentenced one fireman to twenty davs' im?
" .? e _ j_ __ i
(tri'i'iiiiK'ui ana nnea anoinrr ior aranKenne*<.
Tin* Mayor *aid: "We want -ober
men to tuht tire*. There i* too much valuable
)>ro|ierty at stake iri tin* city to a!
!?tv drinking and carousing about thj cagme
bou*e4."
Doubly Ap|irn|>rl?t*.
All that ha* i>een said in favor of fen*
penne ..r.d a-ja>ti*t strong alcoholic drink*
i* doubly appropriate during tbtf very hot
w vat Iter.
The Mother of Kmotlan*.
Where can 'oe found in all Chrutendon*
a jiiek'ier. bidder ?ight than a lot o: ui.t
men in their cup* jtlolibcrtni; over each
other, boohooing like infaiiU. forgiving
each other'* *in* and bluhltering eternal
frien.ltthip' 'I hi* xtate ul inau<lliu cmotit>n.iiii4in
i* followed liy .1 condition ol
shame and a steeling o( heart againat heart
until the next auccccdini: drunk, when emotionalism
rexumex away. Men .ire hut
monkey* of a de^enerate growth ? Xew
York Prcaa.
Local Option ? MUM'i UoncBt.
one of the hlrongcat prohibition
Stale* of the Union, thw yesr report*
a surplu* of f l.'JOO.OOO in it* treasury