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SPAIN'S FIGHTING MEN. Types of the Soldiers Our Army of Invasion is Encountering. OMTNATXV t h o arniy of Hpain is divided into these classes: A per- mauent arruy of i)31o officers and 70,829 men, an ac tive reserve of 184, - 972 men, and a second or seden tary reserve, which on January 1,1898, was estimated at 1,083,595 men. All Spaniards between the ages of nineteen and forty-five are nambered in the second reserve, and ore liable to be culled upon for active service at any time they may be needed. All of them are supposed to have served at | least three years in the first, or active reserve, which corresponds to our militia. Every boy, upon attaining the age of niuetcen, must enter either the permanent army or the first re serve, and serve three years. About 100,000 come within the provisions of that law annually, so that there is a constant change from the permanent army to the first reserve. Then, after six years, when tho citizen has reached the age of twenty-five, he goes into tho second-reserve, and is subject to military duty only iuttime of war and after conscription. It may bo said, therefore, that 250,000 men aro con stantly under arms iu Hpain and its colonies. Tho first reserves aro used for const guards, customs inspectors, and for police duty iu the rural dis tricts, and arc likely to be detailed for service iu the guardn civil, which cty- respouds to our city police and the gendarmes in France. .Voluntary service is accepted at eighteen years of age, but the pay is so small, ouly twenty cents a day, that very few Spaniards ever think of en listing until they are compelled to do so. Hy the payment of $300 any per- t,0 . n . Purchase exemption from military duty. Tho 210,000 soldiers who have been which arc tho militia of Cuba, or a total of 148,000. Of these, when the last official reports were made, 28,000 were iu tho hospitals, leaving an ef fective fighting force on paper of 120,- 000 men. These statistics are made np from the official reports sent to the War Department iu Madrid and published hy the recognized organs of the Min ister of War, which correspond to the Army and Navy Journal and the Army and Navy Register of the promotion on seniority within th corps. The men (privates) mast sergeants of good character and th best qualifications. In other words, it is a battalion without a private sol dier in the ranks. The group of hussars at Madrid a representative body. The Spanisl cavalry inclndes two hussar regiments, designated as the Princesa and tbe Pavia, which are regarded by thdir officers as the most distinguished pf the mounted regiments. The cavalry officers enter through the college ht Valladolid by competition, and aftofa coarse of-three years are appointed to their regiments as Second Lieuten ants. The artillery of the Spanish army, like that of tne English royal artillery, inclndes the horse, field, mountain and garrison branches, and the gnn factories an4 other establishments are in relation with it. It has charge of stores of guns, arms, ammunition and “material,” and is provided with field ranges, gunnery schools, a scientific and practical museum and other nec- SPANISH COAST BATTERY IN CURA FIRING ON THE AMERICAN FLEET. United States, and are accepted by General Miles and Secretary Alger as official. The Spanish reports, however, are not to be relied upon. Their army is largely mythical. Nobody knows how many poor fellows have died in the field resisting insurgents, and the ravages of disease are still more diffi cult to ascertain; first, because Span ish statistics in all branches of the Government are notoriously iucom- plete -and inaccurate; and, second, because it is for tho pecuniary inter est of the officers to conceal the mor tality of their men. There is no regu lar pay department. The soldiers receive their miserable stipend of three or four silver dollars a mouth from their regimental officers. The col onel of tho regiment sends in a requi sition at tho beginning of every month for compensation for so many men., and he makes the pay roll f^s long as possible. When the money comes he divides it among the captains of com- nmiinH n l |||^ t |^‘ captains divirlje it eas- alle SI’AMSn OUTPOST CUBA. essory adjuncts. The actual formal tion of the artillery is thirteen regi ments of the field branch, each of four six-gun batteries, a regiment of horse artillery and three belonging to the mountain branch, all these having the same number of batteries and guns as the fiel5 artillery. There are additionally ten battalions of garrison gunners and four companies of artificers. At the present time the Spanish army has guns of two kinds —the Krupp and the placencia, of bronze or steel, with 3.5 inch and 3.1 inch caliber. The officers of the force enter through the college at Segovia, the admission being by competitive exam ination between civilian candidates and young officers from other corps. The studies cover a period of six year% aud promotion is always by sen iority, but on reaching the fourth year sent to Cuba during tho last three years have been drawn mostly from tho first reserve, although the per manent army has furnished the larger part of the skilled artillerists who have been handling the big guns upon the fortifications. While it is impossible to got aecur- rats statistics, the military journals at Madrid have published statements showing that ten Generals, 615 field and staff' officers, 6222 regimental of ficers, and 180,435 soldiers have been sent to Cuba up to November 1, 1897. H:nco then reinforcements have been received twice, 12,000 at one time and 10,000 at another. Up to March 1, 1898, 1 General, 7 field oftlocrs, 53 regimental officers and 1314 men had been killed in bat tle during the present insurrection, -*( oring at this offi . lifiJTKo number of men on duty and divide the money that is forwarded for their pay. It is a fa vorite saying in Cuba that when an officer makes a report of a battle he represents that most of his troops have been shot while gallantly charg ing the enemy, bnt they all come alive again before he makes up his pay roll. It is well known that since tho blockade began General Blanco has impressed in the army every able- bodied citizen within reach of his conscript office, and the insurgent sympathizers have enlisted in great numbers with tho expectation of being able to serve their onuse more effec tively inside than outside of the trenches. This class of people, how ever, aro not to bo depended upon by either side. The abundance of the physical re sources of Spain and the soldierlike qualities of the men, even when they have received brief- military training, have been a surprise to many. Pre-eminent are the Alharderoa, who taW their name from the halberd, a pictu-«w»qne old weapon they carry, uo lonL«f of any lighting (offensive or V srntnes asy on Outpost Dutj fit in/ set 5 Ml SKETCHES OF SPANISH SOLDIER LIFE IN CUBA. m which began in April, 1895, and 1 General, 6 field officers, 55 regimental officers and 704 men nave died of wOnuds received in battle, making casualties 2 Generals, 13 field officers, 108 regimental officers, and 2018 men. upward of 40,000 men had returned ain. The same statistics showed iat *318 officers and 13,390 meh have of yellow- fever and 127 officers 4065 men of other diseases, the total mortality on the side during tho insurrection 38 officers and men. n March 1, 1898, there were sup- Jo be 96,287 Spanish soldiers der am* with 52,000 volunteers, defensive) valne, bnt used as an arm of ceremony, composed largely of the aristocracy and including picked men from the whole army. This force is organized in two companies, with a total of forty officers and 250 men, as the personal guard of the King and for interior service in the palace. A Colonel is appointed as Captain, a Lieutenant-Colonel as First Lieuten ant, and so the grades continue, a First Licntenaut serving as “caporal.” All officers of the Spanish army are eligible for the Albardero Corps, one- half of the vacancies being filled by candidates selected for their special qualifications aud the remainder by thA inexplicable conditions in Cnba. Their own kindred and relatives in many oases are in the ranks of the revolutionary forces, bnt they seem animated by a ferocity that is ae wicked as inexplicable. All the Cap- tains-General have depended npon them principally for support, and the civiles have returned their apprecia tion of this confidence by their bru talities and demoniac actions when ever au opportunity occurred for mas- saore and anjastiflafte killing. They are not well “set up,” do not present the martial bearing of a Brit ish or an American soldier and invito the contempt of the Anglo-Saxon by their lack of many military character istics. Still, it does not require much strength to pull a trigger, and by .practice they may beconle as good marksmen as any habitant of a more northern latitude. A MONUMENT FOR LAFAYETTE. Movement on Foot to Erect a Memorial Over Hie Grave In Parle. In a deserted coiner of the ceme tery of the Convent of Little Picpus, in Paris, lie the remains of the French man who was America’s best friend in thetimeof her sorest need—Lafayette. His grave is decorated only by a plain slab, and seems as deserted as was Victor Hugo’s immortal hero, Jean Vajjean, when he fled into these grounds with his little Cosette in his arms to escape the persecutions of In spector Javert. A movement is now on foot to erect a fitting monument to this brave Frenchman who sacrificed his all for us. It is purposed that it shall be paid for by the school children of the United States, in contributions of small amounts and that it shall be un veiled as the great event of United States day iu the Paris Exposition iu 1900. When first built the tomb was two or three feet above the ground; now the foundation stones have crumbled and the top has fallen almost to the earth. Bain and time have dealt cm- ellywith it. President McKinley has consented to be the honorary chairman of the commission in charge of the raising of of their educational course these ar tillery cadets become second Heaton- ants and are promoted to the fall lieu tenancy on appointment to the corps at the close of their scholastic term at Segovia. The arrangements for the training and maintenance of the effec tive condition of the artillery seem to he excellent. That they know the art of war there is no doubt; that they can practice it successfully is a question for discussion. The general impression of the men both in the Spanish army and navy is that they have good fighting qualities, though they are not capable oi any ex tended exertion and can never compare favorably with the Anglo-Saxon ele ment. But while the file has always received commendation it is the con census of unprejudiced opinion that they are “badly officered.” Many ex planations can be offered, but there is much luxurious ease about the don’s life, and even in the army he will not forget the first consideration for his personal benefit even if discipline must suffer. The best soldiers, the flow-er of the Spanish army,have been sent to the Philippines, those rushed ont to Cuba having largely been con scripts and rude youths taken from the farms to shatter their health in the fever laden districts of the “Ever Faithful Isle.” The peasant boys that Spain has driven across the Atlantic Ocean are representatives of her most ignorant class, and their own utter lack of knowledge of hygienic conditions helps the lurking disease to find ready and hapless victims. Some of them nab urally become imbned with the mili tary spirit and make passably effective soldiers, but the majority have no lik ing for their enforced profession of wrms, and, controlled by a home-sick feeling, ill clad and half paid, per haps not for months, they very fre quently welcome death as a relief to their desperate environment The homo guard of Havana, called Guarda Civiles, native born and consequently inured to the climate, ii the promi nent armed force of Cuba. They have beey thoroughly drilled, are vicious fighters and thoroughly hated by the insurgents, who recognize them as the dreaded genuine enemies of all liberty- loving progress. In fact the loyalty of the Guarda Cmlea to the Spauish crown is one of TH* OBAVE OF LAFAYETTE IS FABIS. the funds, the construction of the monu ment and its transportation and erec tion in Paris, and himself assisted to draw the resolution which has already unanimously passed the Senate of the United States providing for an hon orary commission and an acting com mission to take charge of ^he worla Few Die of Old Ace. It is estimated by competent foreign authority that only 900 persons out of 1,000,000 die from old age, white 1200 succumb to gout, 18,400 to measles, 2700 to apoplexy, 7000 to erysipelas, 7500 to consumption, 48,- 000 to scarlet fever, 25,000 to whoop ing c6ugh, 30,000 to typhoid and typhus, and 25,000 to rheumatism. The averages vary according to local ity, bnt these are considered accurate as regards the population of the globe as a whole. Our Artoy'a Only Colored OHlcer. Only three colored young'men have ever graduated from the United States Military School at West Point—Lieu tenants Flipper, Alexander and Young. LEEUTEJfASfT CHARLES YOUNG. Lieutenant Alexander died about two years ago and Flipper is not now in the service. Charles Young graduated in 1894, and is now First Lieutenant of the Ninth United States Cavalry. He is a Kentuckian and a very large man. A Definition by a War Student. Something that Will Interest the Ju venile Member* of Every Household —Quaint Actions and Bright Sayings of Many Cat* and Canning Children. Boys in the Conntry. Country boys read with interest these words of Major' General Nelson A. Miles, the famous Indian fighter: “I lived as a farm boy the happiest years of my life. I think such a life laid the foundation for my healthy constitu tion, its simplicity and purity having a great influence upon my after success, greater than anything else. It taught me habits of Industry and economy, and its freedom ami independence caus ed me to acquire the habit of self-reli ance.” Where the Old Money Goes. In the United States Bureau of En graving and Printing at Washington hundreds of thousands of dollars in torn and soiled bills are destroyed each day. The money comes from banks in all parts of the country, is counted by in expert, is then cut in two, length wise, and each half is recounted by fllfferent persons. The money is then teduced to a pulp by disintegrating rhemleals, the bills being thrown into ti large revolving cylinder partially filled with tho chemicals. This process Is called maceration, and the pulp so obtained is pressed into sheets resem bling white cardboard and is then sold for about $40 per ton. In this manner the government pays the expense of maceration. The doors to the macera tion rooms are carefully guarded and can lie entered only by three officials who have keys. I' Chimmie—“Wot kind of a ting i« dis gorilla-warfare?” Billy—“Aw, dat’s de Spanish style where dey makes monkeys of der selves.”—-Jud^* . # Where Bait Is Found. Pretty soon the boys will be digging for bait, and If they are not posted they may find their search fruitless, or, bait- lees, rather. Angle worms may be found in any jmolst, mucky soil, where sod or trees ;or bushi,*s are growing, but yon must 'dig around the roots, the imnks of a (river or lake being capital places for ■the search. Best to capture frogs, search for •them in the marsh grass not far from grassy ponds; but hunt early in the morning or at dusk in tho evening, when the dew is heavy. You can usually find crayfish in clay soil that is moist, where they dig holes resembling snake holes, and can be tempted out by a chunk of raw meat, which you may tie to a long piece of string and drop into the hole. When you feel a tug at the string, slowly pull the meat out and the crab will follow. Fat white grubs, the best of all spring bait, may be found in quantities in de cayed logs and stumps, or in that por- tionof the barnyard compost pile which lies next to the side of the barn. Os*»4c*f*d Odd Trap. *' The oddest predicament in which an ostrich ever found Itself lately befell one of the huge birds belonging to a South African farmer. This ostrich stole and bolted while steaming hot a big dumpling. The bird's regret was immediate and visible. In his struggle to get rid of the fiery thing within him Mr. Ostrich twisted his supple neck around one of his legs and succeeded in tying It in a knot. It required three men and half an hour’s time to extri cate the bird from its self-made trap. “Growing Up” in Japan. In St. Nicholas there is a paper on “The Little Japanese at Home,” by Ida Tigner Hodnett. Miss Hodnett says, in describing the “growing up” of a boy: When he is three years old, he begins to wear the obi, a girdle, three Inches wide, which confines the kimono, a loose sort of garment, aud the main part of the Japanese national dress, for both children and grown people. The putting on of the obi is the occasion of another family feast; and a very Im portant garment It is, for It corresponds to pockets in an American boy’s first trousers. The front part of the kimono, above the obi. Is also used as a pocket; and the long, wide sleeves, sewed up at the lower end, make two very big ones. When fifteen years old, the boy be comes of age, and a third family fes tival occurs. Another name is given him, and his hair is allowed to grow all over the head, like a man's. Pre vious to this time the head is shaved so as to allow the hair to grow only in spots or tufts, the place of the tufts varying up to the age of teu, when the crown only is shaved. At this festival celebrating his majority the manner of friends and relatives changes toward him, and w hile the day before he was still addressed as a child, now he Is ad dressed in the ceremonious forms re quired by Japanese etiquette. The title of respect, san, Is henceforth affixed to his name, even by those nearest and dearest These titles, san, snma, al ways follow the name, and are never prefixed as with our “Mr.” For exam ple, a boy whose name Is Klyoshl will be called Kiyoshi-san. In his responses to the kind speeches made to him, the boy shows that he understands the new honors that have*come upon him. nnr that he Ip now ready to apply him self to the serious business of life. It used to be a great thing to be born a samurai (sah-moor-ri) boy baby in Japan. The samurai were soldiers and scholars, and were entirely apart from and above the ordinary people. They could not engage in any business, nor could they marry into another class.’ This has all been changed since the Japanese revolution of 1867-68. The people are now divided into two large classes—the helinin (ha-meen), or com moners, the shizoka ishee-zo-koo), or. gentry—and all have equal rights under the law. The average boy’s success in life depends upon bis own abilities, and the use he makes of the teaching he may have. The first thing the samurai baby needed after be was put in his nurse’s arms was a sword. Rather a queer thing for a baby to have, but then this baby was a samurai! No matter if the tiny hand could not grasp the handle, his nurse carried it for him; and when the obi became a part of his dress, the sword was fastened to it and hung by bis side. To be sure, it was a wooden sword, but what of that? It was the badge of his rank, and must go wher ever he did all day long, and when he went to bed it was laid close by. “The sword is the soul of the samurai” is an old Japanese saying, and it was thus ‘early fastened to his side that he might become used to grasping it from in fancy. When our young samurai reached the age of seven, it was a day of great re joicing. At the family festival two real metal swords were fastened to the obi, one on each side. The edges, however, were blunt, and accidents were further guarded against by having tho swords so fastened in their sheaths that the young swordsman could not draw them out. These were now his constant com panions until, at the age of fifteen, the weapons handed down in his family took place. Juvenile Jokes. Little Mamie was trying to write with a dull lead pencil that her mother had given her, but meeting with poor success she exclaimed: “Oh, mamma, the wood has slipped down over the lead and the marks won’t come out!” Eddie’s father was a jeweler and sometimes the little fellow got business mixed up with Indian stories and Sun day school lessons. One Sunday morn ing he surprised his mother by asking: “Say, mamma, what tribe was it that made gold-plated calves—the Israelites or the Choctaws?” Harry, aged 5, had been to Sunday school, and upon his return home he tried to tell his mamma abont the les son: “And you know, mamma,” said he, “Lot’s wife was awfnl meddlesome, and when God told her to mind her own business she got fresh and didn't mind, so God put her in a sack of sailed Dorothy had hoard some one singing that classical production, the “Little Alabama Coon,” on the street. Present ly she same to her mother aud asked: “Mamma, what does ‘swat’* mean?” “What do you think that it means?” “Well, I don’t know, mamma; but I s’pose that ‘swat’ is colored for spank!” “Auntie” was writing to her son far away, and wanted to tell him about killing a turkey, but wasn’t sure how to spoil the word. Bessie (the children were in the kitchen) was mixed up also and couldn't tell her, but Preston, who can’t talk plain, came to the rescue by saying: “Auntie, just tell him ‘we tilled a dobler,’ and that will be all right.” Black Art at the Dinner Table. Although the culinary art has in the last twenty years made rapid strides, still there is a certain sameness about dinner parties which, to the habitual diner-out, comes but little short of dull monotony, says the London Snn. Now and again, however, one comes across a hostess whose imagination, or eccen tricity, is the means of providing a meal for her guests upon lines other than those upon which the ordinary dinner is given. Snch a one was a lady who lived in the neighborhood of Kensington, and who every year gave what she termed a memorial dinner, on the anniversary of her husband’s death. The room in which the dinner was given was draped for the occasion in mauve and black, no other colors being visible. The tablecloth was likewise of mauve silk, while the only floral dec orations in use were violets. The lady guests arrayed in either black or mauve dresses! the footmen were dressed iu black plush breeches, mauve silk stockings and black coats. On dinner being announced the hostess took the head of the table, but on either side of her, seated upon two stools, sat two black poodle dogs, excellently clipped after the approved French fashion, and with mauve-colored ribbon bows on their heads. These two dogs had been great pets of the lady’s husband dur ing ids lifetime, and it was for this rea son that they were allowed a seat among the guests at the dinner-table. The menu was remarkable for the ab sence of any color In tbe viands, save mauve, the rest being either black or white. Thus the soup was white, like wise fish and entrees. As regard* game, the lady got over the difficulty, or at least met it half way, by provid ing black-cock. The sweets were maunve-colored or white, while at the epd of the dinner black coffee was served. It is said that every thread of spider’s web is made up of about 5,000 separate fibers. If a pound of this thread were required it would occupy 28,000 spiders a full year to furnish It. Every man thiuks he is strictly first- class.