Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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A HOLY ROOK. JP Imr TlaM ?f BY A 8FKCIAL COVTBIBUTOt A BOUT two degrees north of Manila, on the Island of Loaon, a range of mono talos known as the Cordil lera# extend north nnd south near the western const and over looking the China Sea. Some of the peaks of this range lift their stately heads more than 2000 ufetres above the sea level. On account of the ex tremely warm climate, the sides of the mountains, as well ss the valleys, arc covered with a dense and luxuri ant vegetation. The wonderful fertility of the soil evidenced by the numerous varieties of tropical plants and trees, which grow in great profusion. Beautiful mountain streams here and there, almost hidden by ovcrbaug Ing boughs and vines, waterfalls, rap ids and canons meet our gaze. The water of the Abra Klver rushes re?tlo*?ly down the western slopes of the mountains, dashing insdly over ob structing rocks, or leaping over high PtVlpIces, then, like a stream of li quid silver, disappearing on its sinu ous course to the sea between the sceep walls of a deep cauon slowly cut by the tireless runniug water. Mahogany, sandalwood, ebony, man go and various other trees abound, and spread their foliage, a friendly shelter from the scorching sun. Ascending the mountain, the line of demarcation drawn by nature can be plainly seen in the varying vegetation. More then a score of different species of birds greet the dawn with their morning songs in this tarice blessed spot of earth, where nature has un folded and spread out a panorama of such trauscendaut beauty. Here a primitive type of the Malay native lives in little villages on the luountalu slopes, in all the simplicity in which nature created him, living as his ances tors did centuries ago. Three centuries ago some Catholic missionaries penetrated their territory but they made little impression 0:1 the Igor rotes of the hills, ./ho cling to their, fetich worship, gome of theui worship the sun, moon, the rocks, the trees. Some worship the female Trin ity. Llbongan, Llbugon and Limoau. three goddesses, representing life, truth and generous actions, a striking analogy to the Christian Trinity. In the year 185*1), two prospectors for gold, tired and weary, sat down upon ? huge rock, beneath the spreading lohuge of a great mango tree, just outside the limits of au Igorrote vil lage, near the source of tile Abra Klv er. In a slnrt time several half-clad, lu'owr.-skiuued native.! appealed, and by signs and a language almost unin telligible to the prospectors, impor tuned them to tjult the shade of the tree; but the prospectors pretended not 10 understand until some armed *na-1 tives came, when the prospectors with draw, wondering what was the cause! the disturbance. Soon the natives began to assemble beneath the tree in numbers. Then It dawned upon il:-.1 prospectors that they had com mit icd a sacrilegious net. They had i-iii upon a rock worshiped by the na tives of I he village r.ud it was lieccs to purify it. 'native priest came, nccoinpnnied !>y an attendant carrying a chicken. The chicken was promptly killed and lis heart removed and handed to the priest, who took It and sprinkled a tew drops of blood upon the sacred rock. Then came r. silence, broken only by the labored breathing of the anxious uativco ami the wnnncring of the priest. The priest, with great ho1 cm::ify, plaocd the inder tinker of the left hand upon the blood upon the J'oek, murmuring another prayer. Thou came a silence, a /niMu?nse more awful thai: before. Would the spirit of the rock hear and answer the prayer of the priest? I h"re was a straining of eyes toward the finger upon the rock. Suddenly the trcsseuger of the spirit of the rock ?<ppoarcd. A lly lit upon the long bor.y finger of the priest, and hastily ran down it and tasted of the hlocd i I>0:1 the roek. The priest pronounced the purification of the roek. The hob bling jargon of the natives filled the air. showing their Intense satisfaction with the ceremonies. Their hearts were lull of joy. for the spirit of the roek watched over them, guarding them from sickness and the pest. The prospectors beheld, with reverentlnl nwc, the simple faith of these people who were so happy in their Ignorant Mipersfitlon. and uealous in their devo tion to the roek. I?ay after day they roam up and down the mountain sides, so profuse In the various forms of vegetable life, so rich in colors Hint only en artist with a magic brush could portray half Its beauty, yet all the tluie oblivious of nature's vain at tempt to develop in them n ta#te for the esthetic and the beautiful, which so characterises the white race. T.'ie creeds and dogmas of the Chris tian religion and the belief In an un seen God will never have the charm for the Igorrotcg of the hills like the treps and rocks which their eyes be hold.?John Loom is. Moon PhaiM. The phases of the moon may bo ex plained by the fact that the moon is n dork spherical body which shines only by reflected light. The new moon, popularly so called. Is seen only when the sky |? sufficiently dark to piTfent r complete outline of the disk, Ihls Illumination Is due to the light which comes first from the sun. Is re flected to the earth and back to the moon and thence to the earth. What we really see Is the earth light shlnlog on tbo mbon. * ?l*>yon?1 Comparison. Thf. leap of an archangel from heaven to earth is nothing compared to the might) spring of a small woman jump Juk at conclusions. ? New Orleans 9'imps-Democrat. SMOKE WWSANCE. *?? With - fb? the coal rtrtke I^'the ?uUiwi th,*.7f**r. '**" *'"1 Into IT* f!r0p0rtl0^ Jt ?r9mtmany aaamncd. hTi2#II k A"^rtemn ??*? espe lork- *?? ? 'ore. -ZH WOOId *??*? " they jwdjpendeat upon bltuiklaoua coal ^**tlug t#d llfhtlnf purpose*. Xot only thla. bat the population of large ;?W?*Jn thte co???*y Uavo recognised th4t th*r ??**t serloualy consider aueh an eventuality and be prepared with measures which will obviate the dan *?r uud the lucoureuleoeea that must assuredly follow the con sumption of soft coal on ^large. ?cale. Iu Great Britain the smoke nuisance ha* long been one of tbe most promin ent questions confronting Inhabitants of cities, and the dUBcultlea In the way of abolishing, or eren of leoseuiug ?h.; volumes of smoke which banc like a pall over London nud Manchester and other large centres of population may be accurately gauged when the fact is taken Into account that little or uoth Ing has yet been done to remedy the evil. At the meeting of the ^British Sani tary Congress at Manchester. Iiehl Sep tember 9 last. W. X. Shaw, Sc.D.. F.K. 8., read a paper on the treatuieut of amoke which was published In ihe Journal of the Sanitary Instilnie. Mr Shaw proffers the suggestion that it might be well not to attempt to pre vent smoke by penal legislation, but to encourage the interception of smoke and the removal of tbe sooiy particles before the air containing them Ik al lowed to escape. He does not put for ward this plan aa the l?est mode of dealing with the question, but merely wants to consider whether It Ik, prima facie, practicable enough to Justify in cluding Inquiries with regard to it iu the demands that sanitation may rea sonably make upon science. The ldeu which Mr. Shaw has in mind is that proposed by Mr. Peter 8pence, of Manchester, many years ago, namely, the erectlou of municipal chimneys, whereby a single smoke stack should be provided for a consid erably number of independent tires. "The existence of thla practice," says the writer, "makes me regard the sep arate opening on each chimney of the domestic house Into free air as not ab solutely required by any physical laws governing the removal of smoke. The factory builder is not alwa3's successful iu using his chimney for preventing smoke, but be is successful in leading the foul air of many flues Into one channel, which might nfford an oppor tunity for depriving the smoke of its soot." Moreover arrangements for propel ling air mechanically are becoming every day more extended. Some of them, as employed iu various systems of ventilation, are quite as elaborate as any that would be required to deal with the smoke of an ordinary house, or block of houses. Laboratories and other buildings of a similar character are provided witli special means, me chanical or tlicrmo-inechnnical, for re moving noxious fumes. There is no! sufficient distinction to be drawn be-1 tween coal smoke and other forms of' refuse that foul the air to make it' necessary to use one system for the former and a different.one for the oth ers. It thus seems almost certain that if the domestic nrchitect had sufficient encouragement to make the attempt he would not And the plan of dealing with household smoke by tue method of the factory chimney; or by mechanical pro pulsion beyond the range of practical physics. The plan suggested is. in short, to concentrate the output or smoke as much iik possible, and then to drive it away, by means of electrical fans, to certain points for treatment on a mode somewhat similar to the treatment of sewage. As to treatment Mr. Shaw, sifter spy ing that he does not suppose it to be possible to establish a few main drains for smoky air corresponding to the main aewagc drains, and to use one or two cleansing stations for purifying tlie air from smoke. got*s on to slate his opinion that it might lie possible to achieve a similar result by a large number of systems might lie some of thorn municipal and some private. Electricity, he also thinks, nilyht lie used as a means of purifying smoke, following the principle that soo.y par tides coagulate under mechanical ac tion. and in line with experiments made some years ago by Sir Oliver Lodge on the deposition or s:no!;o i>; a closed chamber by the action of elec tricity. The paper read l?y the British scien tist refers entirely to conditions in tome of the large cities of fJreiit Bri tain, and would not apply to {lie smoke question in any American towns. Nev ertheless, It Is instructive in many re spects. It shows how difficult it must be to deal successfully with the smoke nuisance when a man of Mr. Shaw's experience and repute can point to no definite remedy, but can only niggest measures that will seem to the major ity of persons visionary, and would be, beside, of a cost almost prohibitive. Fluctuation of Valuta. Over lii Johnson County the niher <luy a cow wan killed l>y lightning. After the storm n farmer enme along;, ant! seeing the cow dead, went to tli?? honsc of her owner and said: "Jim, your blaek cow's been struck and killed." "Is that so?" answered the cow's owner. "That was the best cow I had. She was worth $2TK> at least. What train struck her?" "She waan't lilt by a train," said the first fanner. "Lightning struck her." "Oh, pshaw,'' said the owner of the cow, "I thought It was a train. Well, I don't care much. That old cow wasn't worth over flO any way."?Kansas City Star. Permanent Re?ld?nta.' Questions are often dangerous weapon*. The dMiculty In which some visitors to a Jail were placed by their Injudicious curiosity Is thus described: The party was escorted by the chief warden. They came in time to a room where three women were sewing. "Dear me," one of the viaitors whis pered, "what vicious-looking creatures! I'ray, what are they here for?" "Because they have 110 other home. This Is our alttlng room, and they arc ray wife and two daughter*," blandly responded the chief wardc* -Loudou \ Tlt.RIt* WHY FRUIT TBBS8 FAIL The dropping off of joung fruit. Country life to America nj*. to not due to Insect pests, as to popularly supposed. More often It to because of the fact that many varieties of fruit* are not self-sterile and the blossom* require the contact of the pollen of other varieties before they will ma tare fruit.* Not getting this pollen, many fruit trees do not beer at all or very much. The same trees treated by the new methods of grafting Sad planting wlli often bear large fruit and plenty of it GRAFTING. In top-working apple tree* I bare Used tbe following plan, and found It .of much advantage over the ordi nary way of cutting scions: I allow three bods to each scion, and in wbit* tling them I always plan to cut slight ly into each side of tbe bud, and then let this bud come about one-half inch below where tbe limb that is grafted is sawed off. Most gardeners agree that there Is more life at the bud* than elsewhere, hence growth starts there most quickly. Even If this bud Is.' covered with grafting wax It will grow through it. The best receipt I know of for grafting wax is four pounds of rosin, two pounds of bees .wax and one pound of tallow.?Wm. J. Noble. In Farm and Fireside. THE WINDSOR CHERRY. The Windsor cherry, shown in the Illustration^ is of comparatively recent Introduction, yet old enough to have been thoroughly tested In neatly every pection of the country where cherries may be grown to advantage. In ouly one section has it failed, and that in the Northwest, where it Is almost im possible tq carry any variety but the Early Ru-hmond through the severe winters. The tree is a vigorous grow rr. tl.v fruit large..firm, juicy nntl of lino quality; in color the fruit is mot* tied red. sometimes streaked. In sea son it is late and liaugs well on the trees. It is one of the best varieties for shipping, remaining firm for n long time. As it originated in Canada, the tree is quite hardy and may he safely planted in nearly all sections of the country. Where one cau have but a few varieties and classes of tree? for home use the Windsor is recommend ed among cherries as containing more desirable characteristics for home use than any other variety. IMC KING AND MAIiKHTING FRUIT Mr. (J. Ilarold l'owell. of tlie United States Department of Agriculture, read a paper 011 "Picking and Storing of Fruit." recently before the Amerl ('iin Nurserymen, giving the results of storage Investigations carried on by the department with a view to inform ing the fruit growers ami dealers what fruits are best adapted for stor age purposes, and how they should.be handled. lie summed up the prlncl pal requirements for successful fruit storage as follows: I.et the fruit come to full size and a high degree of color on the tree, but retaining a hard tex ture when picked: pick the fruit with the greatest care, to prevent bruising, as a large proportion of the losses in transit and iu the warehouse result from bruising the fruit after it leaves the tree; wrap fancy fruit, especially the more delicate varieties; cool the I'rult as quickly as possible after pick lug, to retard the ripening processes, which progresses rapidly at this time, and to check the growth of diseases; store the fruit In a temperature of thirty to thirty-two degrees Fahren heit. iu well ventilated rooms; and sell it before it reaches the point of de terioration. Mr. Powell touched also on the In fluenee of cultural conditions on the shipping and keeping qualities of fruit, sayinrf that experience had taught that fruit which has been forced In growth, or has been grown to unusual size, has comparatively-poor keeping qualities. A light crop, which generally produces large fruit, is like ly to break down in storage several weeks earlier than fruit of medium size, and the largest sppclmens from individual trees deteriorate much soon er than the medium sized fruits. It is not always the fruit from the best fed and cultivated orchards that reaches the consumer in best condi tion. High cultivation, cow peas or other forms of cover crops, produce a vigorous growth In the peach tree, they j thicken up the foliage, enlarge the fruit and cut down the color, unless the greatest care Is given in pruning to let In sunlight sod air; and while these orchards may produce much larger crops of fruit and may be more profitable to the owner, there Is little question but that the fruit must be handled with unusual care If It Is to reach tho consumer in good conditio*. ?Country Oentlemau. . , T*l?phoM TraibtM la AfejrMlala. Civilization proceofls with speed Jw Abyssinia. Nearly 800 miles of tele phone wire have already been put up there, and 1000 miles are under con struction. The contractor's task, how fever, Is by no means an easy one. Tie chief trouble is given by elephauts, who use the poles as scratching posts, knocking them down In this salu brious exercise*, and monkeys who swing on the wlres.~Ix>ndon Tit-Bits. Although macaroni is hollo ir, it U ?aid to be a solid food. H . ?% lh-WBsU be hu rough. ^ *td wta am Wrt'i dtnm, U wad hollar M ammch. ?Cleveland Leader. "P>. what Is Mpaitter "Ob, merely an taralt with Its dress ?nit on, my son.**?Pock. Vtaklae ? straw Tato. ' Csnrssser ? "Who Is Mr. Henpeck going to support?" Mrs. Henpeck?"Me."?New York Sum. Aft Ik* OMMWt. Ids?"How did your Uncle Hiram en joy the classical program?" Mty?"Not a rail. Why, I wore out n shoe prompting him when to applaud." ?Chicago News. Of WhSSftll Krrar. Mrs. Uppson?"Is your new neighbor s society woman?", Mrs. De Swell?"Mercy, no! Why, she sctually calls her kitchen msld a hired girl."?Chlcsgo News, Cat Him Up K?m Too Sooa. First Physician ? "So the operation wss Just in the nick of time?" Second Physlclsn?"Yes; in another twenty-four hours the pntient would hsve recovered without it"?Harper's Bassr. L'f*lon? ratal* For Mm. He ?"There are two periods la a ?ftn's life when he doesn't understand a woman." 8be?"What are they?" He?"Before he's married and after he's married."?Ally Sloper. SI Ivor Harvtcr. "Hey !" shouted the rich man, peering cautiously over the stairway, "I want you." "Well," chuckled the burglar, reach* ing for the sliver, "I am ut your serv ice, sir."?Chicago News. A K?ci|Mi For Katravaaaaee. "Old man Growler has found n grcnt scheme for doing sway with any neces sity for dying rich." "What is it?" "He litis just married a woman who Isn't a third of his age."?Cleveland Plain Dealer. When They Qaarreletl. It's not all sweetness?courting. Cc ril and Queenie havo just had a serious difference of opinion. He Mo wind up>?"If you ever sec me again it will be in a drean:." She?'"It would be a nightmare."? Philadelphia bulletin. Sorry Be flpoUe. Reggy?"Rah Jove, there are a lot ol people who sing songs these days and dqn't even mean what they sing." Mis* Rose?"You are right. Reggy. Last night you sung 'Good bye, My Lady Love' at 10 o'clock and didu'i leave until 12."?Chicago News. Appropriate. Rodrlck ? "Now they ore thinking about bringing out the life of ItaUouli." Van Allftrt?"Well, it would be gath er expensive." Rodrlck?"How so?" ? ' Van Albert?"It would have to be bound in Morocco."?Chicago News. Then She Sighed. Nervous Youth (to charming girl, wlio has been trying to net him at ltl? ease) ?"He, lie! I always?lift?feel ratlier Rhy with pretty girls, y'know. but I'm quite nt borne with you!"?Punch. Th? Terrible Hoy* "Johnny," gnid young Spoonauiore, "your slater muxt look charming when she lets her hatr down." "Yes," said Johnny, with bis mouth full of chocolate creams, "but she looks n good deal better when she puts It on again."?Chicago Tribune. He* Statu*. "Oh, that my son should wish to tnarry an actrcxs!" ahrrieked proud, patrician mother. "Now, ma, don't take on so." be seeclied the undutiful heir, "she ain't really an actresn?she only thinks she Is."? Pltsburg Post. Hieing. "They have come up In the world, have they not?" asks the friend of other days. "Indeed, yes." says the friend who has kept track of them. "Why, they have reached that stage where they correct your pronunciation of their name."?Judge. Tke Tiring I* D*. Mf don't know what to >ay to this man," mused the agricultural editor. "He asks: 'What Khali I do with my hens? Every moruing 1 tlnd several of them dead.'" "That's easy," replied the Snake Edi tor. "Tell hjm to burj them."?Phi la? delphla Ledger. I>?flnltlon*, Young Hopetul?"Father, what is a 'traitor In politics?' This paper says Congressman Jawweary is one." Veteran Politician?"A traitor Is a man who leave* our party and goes over to the other one." Young Hopeful?"Well, then, what Is a mnji who leaves the other party and come* over to our*?" Veteran .politician?"A coavirt, nj son."?Boston Transcript r 1 SANDWICH FILLING. By chopping hard-boiled cgp w*| flne and adding three olives (chopped) to ertry egg; moistening with melted batter and seasoned to tsste a desir able llllng for sandwiches Is .quickly prepared. FINGER MARK8 ON DOORS. Rub the finger marks with a clean piece of flannel dipped In pa ratline oil. and tbe marks will disappear like maf ic; wipe wltb a cloth wrung out of water to take away tbe smell. This is far better than using soap and water, as It does not take off the paint. HOW TO KEEP SILVER CLEAN. To keep silver bright without con stant cleaning, which Is injurious to plated articles, dissolve a small hand ful of borax In a basin with n little hot water and a little soap. Put the silver in and let It stand all the morn ing (or afternoon as the ease may W>, then pour off tbe suds, rinse with clean cold water, and wipe with a soft cloth. A CHEAP FILTER. The poorest family that lives msy have a filter by taking a common five cent flowerpot earthenware, putting In the hole a piece of thoroughly cleaned sponge; over that a couple of inches of saud; over tbat again about as much clean coarse gravel; and then the water, slowly filtering through, must needs have been very bad at the start not to be very pure at the eud.? Harper's Bazar. FOR CHANDELIERS. If, for any reason, one does not care to use tinfoil for chandeliers, crepe psper will be found an excellent sub stitute, providing one Is careful to wind it so tightly that there is uo danger from matches. Of course, one must keep away from the immediate vicinity of the burner. With this in mind, one cau make the remainder an object of beauty by combining two or more colors judiciously, or using shades of one. TO MAKE MARKING INK. Dissolve separately one ounce of ni trate of silver with one ounce ai^ half of good washing soda. Mix tlie so lutions and collect and wash the pre cipitate in a filter. While still mo'.st rub it up in a marble or stone mortar with three drachms of tartaric acid. Add two ounces of distilled water, mix six drachms of white sugar, and ten drachms of powdered sum arable, half an ounce of archil, and sufficient water to make up six ounccs. FURNITURE FOR BEDROOMS. Cane or wicker furniture Is by far the best for sleeping rooms. It is light and easily cleaned and is just as comfortable as the heavy, dirt-collect ing. disease-breeding. stuffed variety. In fact, more comfortable r.ud Infinite ly safer and more healthy. Rugs, if not discarded altogether, ihould be clean-.'d often and thoroughly. Of course, o::c likes to have one's room decorated with pretty things, but let it always be in moderation. A room Jammed full of thing*, 110 matter how ornamental they may be, bccomcs .stuf fy and tiresome. TO LOOSEN GLASS STOPPERS. Pour a little oil around the mouth of the bottle, and in an hour or two, if you caunot move the stopper, stand the whole bottle in warm water, re move it and gently tap the stopper on either side against glass, when you will find it will easily come out. To avoid the same thing happening again, be careful to twist the stopper round* as It fits into the mouth of the bottle. Another method is to wrap a cloth soaking in boiling water around the neck of the bottle. The glass will ex pand and the stopper may then be re moved before the heat reaches it. recipes: Raked Egg*?Drop six eg?;* into a buttered tire-proof dish. Sprlul'.le with salt and popper, and plnee a small piece of butter on eaeli eg>r. Put in the oven and bake until tlio whites iire set. Serve on rounds of buttered toast. Banana Sauce?Boil half a cupful of sugar with one cupful of water until it will span a thread, then add three ba nanas cut In pieces, and two table spoonfuls of lemon .lulce. Beat until tlie bananas arc tnashed to a jelly, and when boiling take from the tire. Stir in two eggs well beaten, and it is ready for use. Ducklings, Roasted?Little, tender ducklings of this year's raising should t>e used. Put them in a pan with a little water and butter and let roast for thirty minutes, more or less, ac cording to their ulze. When well browned, servj and strain the liquor In the pan; add to It a little melted but ter and pour over the ducks. Puree of White Beans?Take one pint of fresh, whito beans and cook In thrto pints of white consomme. When the beans arc qulto tender press through) a sieve, put back on tbo fire; add a pint of rich cream, and salt and white pepper as needed. Add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and, If liked, a few chives. Serve with small squares of bread fried in butter. Ftrli Dwtllla|i, It It rumored that the Rothschilds propose to spend 10,000,000 francs In the setting up in Paris of dwellings for wage earners. In which the rentals shall be extremely moderate and out of which the owners do not intend to make any profits. Similar work has been done in the Peabody buildings in London and In various extensive enter prises of the sort In a number of lead ing cities. Ernst Possart celebrated recently the fortieth anniversary of bis first ap pearance In Berlin m Frans In Schll ' ler's "Robbers." - Ail entirely new mammal lu tlic Brit ish Isles is the astonishing discovery of J. Q. MUlals. It is a vole? Mlcroy:s orcadensls?and it Is totally distinct from the common snort-tailed UelU mouse anil all other knowu forms. Willllam A. Appleby, of Georgetown. Md., is the inventor of an ingenious means of capturing mail ou the tly, and a number of amall mail stations are be ing erected along the Baltimore and Ohio for the purpose of testing the new invention. Certain spiders can be transported by the wind, owing to a very light silken thread that they emit from the spinneret which is blown along l?y an ascendlug current of air. A thread a yard long can sustain the weight of a youug spider. Professor Assmann, one of the Ger man Government meteorological ex perts, has risen to explain that light ning seldom strikes in a forest where the tree* are dense and of al>out the same height. Danger exists only where Isolated trees rise above their sur roundings. It is announced in a scientific journal that Prince Albert of Monaco has tak en the lead lu the movement for an other Xortu Pole expedition on a plan suggested by Knsign Charles Benard. late of the French Navy. The cost of the expedition Is set down at $^00,000. two ships to be employed. Protective mimicry has a curious Il lustration In au insect of British Kast Africa described by Professor Gregory. Some individuals of each sex are bright pink and others are bright green, and as they sit motiouless for hours suck ing sap, the pink ones collect on the lower part of the stem, where they look like drooping flowers, wliiie the green ones take a place further out and are mistaken for foliage. The grippe and excessive meat eating are the causes to which Luchs Chain pionnlere attributes appendicitis. lie has found that cases not preceded by an attack of grippe are \ery rare, and that they are practically unknown in the vegetarian districts of France and other countries. The very few cases he has knowu among vegetarians have been insignificant, recovery taking! place in a few days without operation. The world*;, greatest geyser seems to be that of Ilotorua, in New Zealand. A recant visitor, .1. A. Wurnock. states that it plays about twenty-two times each month, the "shots" often reach ing a height of JK)0 to 12IM> feel, and the basin covers about two acres and a half, ( no theory is that loose stones fall into the neck of a tunnel filled with hot water, closing the passage until the rising steam pressure l'oivi bly ejects them. A WONDERFUL DAV. The Structure at A*?ou:m on Hit* Nile a Marvel of Ktiglncrrinc. ir. liider Haggard writes in {lie Lon don Mall thnt the creat Nile dam at Assouan is "a work of which the build ers of tln? pyramids would have been proud." The massiVe ^rawlte wall which forms the dam Is over 2000 yards in length and crosses the Nile from side to f.ido. On the crest of it twenty-si.- feel wide, r nis :\ tramway, along which the visitor, seated on a rough trolley, is propelled at speed I y Arab*. Hence t ? the north he sees a great extent of shining rocks, between which the water re ;s in channels, and to t'ie south a vast hike that ii: same plaecs attains a depth cl" nearly HUU feet. This is the reservoir. a:ul all the weight of It and of the Nile for the 150 miles or so thnt is held up is pressing i gnlnst the wall on which he stands. In this wall are ISO sluices, worked l>y machinery, which are suf? llcient t > den I with every conceivable contingency of flood. The dam and reservoir cost ?ir>.tX)'UMM?. The flooJ Nile attains its height at Assouan about Sept. when the aver age maximum discharge is SOO.ihmmkiO tons per diem. Thenceforth it slows down until the following June 1. when the average maximum discliarge is OJO.OJO tons per diem. Now, the Hood crop of corn In Upper ICgypt, which is mainly affected by this res ervoir, Is reaped about mid-December, after which the one-crop land hitherto lay dormant until the next flood. Then it is that the Assouan dam fulfils lis magnificent purpose. Thus, from June 1, to July 10. when tin- river is nnturally at its lowest, the lield-up water is let out gradually through the sluices, with the result, that the normal flow at that period is doubled. Th? Coptic Church In l>?n?er. The Coptic Church is now in a very critical position. To those who, like myself, have cherished the hope that she would rouse herself to feel the need of an educated ministry, well grounded in the Scriptures, and apt to teach, thus assimilating herself per haps to the Protestant Church of Eng land, it is a staggering reflection, and well-nigh a shattering of hope, to learn that all her bishops must be chosen from four of the monasteries which w? visited?from Doyr Antonius, Auba Bolos, Deyr Macarius or Deyr Barra iuouh. What must be the result of talking to a man, however spiritually minded he may be, who has seen nothing beyond four gray walla save the barren desert, who knows nothing of the occupations, the wants or the difficulties of his fellow men, and then placing himself in a position which requires the utmost tact and experi ence ?-;J'*roin Agnes Hmlth Lewis' "MddiPn Egypt," In the Centur/, A Rntilan Astronomer, Theodore Rredikhine, one of the most noted of Russian astronomers, died re* cently. lie had been director of the observatories In Moscow and St. Petersburg. It was his unpleasant duty In the latter place to oust the Germans and Swedes who had inncle It famous. His own specialty was comets' tails, regarding the formation of which he had an electric theory, which occupied his attention to the time of his death. Wearing monocles, the latest fashion for ladles, a erase recently started la Paris by ladies of the Servian colony, is extending to Loudon. Chinese firemen seem to be immune to the fierce heat of the fire room on' ocean steamers. and stand up to tern* perature that would prostrate whit* men. ? ' General Joubert's chair, made of eb ony. bolt horns >im| hides, and cap tured from his laager at Lasobou, near Lydenburg. is now treasured by I.ieu tenant-Colouel Uriuston. at Cjlenmro* veil, Sound of Mull. * That meteors contain gold has Iteeu demonstrated before the Koyal Socie ty of New South Wales. Thin sug gests that the thousands of ton* of meteoric dust which falls upon the eartli each year deposits go!d every* Where. In London we liml there are sixly five libraries, which contain reading rooms, and on the bookshelves are OOO.OOO volumes, which have 4,000.000 readers. Fiction forms eighty per cent, of the reading matter. The parks under the control of the council cover acres, and cost over i'100, 000 a year to maintain. The Mexican Postal Department has taken a new and novel means of in forming the public of the weather bul letins given out by the Weather Bu reau. Every letter which passen through the office is now stamped with the indications for the next twen ty-four hours. This stamping is done at the same time that the postage stamps on the letters are canceled ami the receiving stamp affixeil. "The Island of lliack Cats" Is a name often applied to Chatham Island, one of the Calapagos It is in the Pacific Ocean, altout 7JJ0 miles west of the coast of Ecuador. It is overrun witli black cats; indeed, cats of no other color are seen there. These animals live in the crevices of the lava founda tion near the coast, and subsist by catching lisli ami crabs, instead of rats and mice. Other animals found on the islnnd are horses, cattle. dogs, goats and chickens, all of which are perfect ly wild. .V S4 gold coin belonging to I>r. Charles J. Lauge is on exhibition at the (ler mania National Hank, in Mii waukce. The piece of gold is to.'liner than a $."? colli, but of the saino diam eter. It displays oil the obverse side the "Liberty head" without a cup and 1 the thirteen stars, interspersed with ! "?c;:;S7C7 gram-." On the reverse side Is a live-point;>d star with this in scription: "One ste!!a?WO cents." "K plurihus iinuin, l>eo est gloria." and 011 the rim, "United States of America, 4 JDoI." The coin is valued at ?^U0. LIVING' BY THE SEA. Cnw to Guilt the llrflred Benefit* nf null Air. The cult of the sou is the one thing aimed at. You go there "to do yourself good." in the phrase of the v??tnries of Thetis the invlgorntor. and the house, to nie;?t the wants of its inhabitants, is simply an adjunct to bathing, sitting on the beach, sun and air baths, sailing and inliaiing ozone. t>m? of the theories about ozone U that, to pet the most, of it po?dbh> (the "noxiniin Hindis'' of the early eighteenth cen tury). it is best to bi? almost on a level with the sea, where all kinds of bal samic odors are given off by tho con tact of the air with the curling cre<tx of the waves, act! that the acme of health to be derived from sea air alone is to breathe it as you walk along the wet sand by the breakers' edge. It i* quite clear, in any case, that by plac ing a house on the lop of a cliff, though you enjoy plenty of wind, you do not get sea air in anything like the quan tity and quality inhaled l?y living lower down. In fact, the more nearly the house is on a level with the waves the more of this special virtus is obtain able. There Is a natural instinct to de scend to the edge of the water. It 1* common to children and adults, and it Is as ohl as the siege of Troy. Where else did a tJrecian hero rather "down on his luck" ever go than to the break ing-place of the waves? lie did'not climb up onto a cliff, "but went to walk alongside of tlie margin of the sea." Almost the ideal Kcaside house is a long, one-storied bungalow on the last ridge of earth or sandhill (if the latter be not blown sandl Just before the tlrst ridge of the pebbles is reached. There should be a "cord road" of tint planks, laid crossways. to run boats down, or a spring-board on wheels, down to the edge of the water, and it should be possible to change into bathing clothes indoors and walk straight down to the sea.?Spectator. Vstlf llu1?ic?. Michael Flnier, a well-known French lapidlary, ban at last discovered u method dctect n fnlse ruby, a thing that has puzzled all experts In precion* atones for many years. A lot of sham rubies was brought to l'arIs some months ago through an agency in Switzerland, and then was sold to some ?f the best Paris jeweler*. Pinler dis covered that the experts had all been swindled. He says a false ruby Inva riably lias a soft tinge of color that verges on yellow, while In a genuine ruby these cbaroetersetlrs arp never present. He says, too. that the false ruby Is formed by spherical bubbles, while iu a true ruby these bubbles aro rare and never symmetrical. ronght Rvorjrvherf, "Ours Is the only army," says th? f/ondon Telegraph, "which has, with the occasional a**i*tnnoe of the ma rines, fought In nil the Ave continents from the Rhine to the Crimea, from Hyra to Pekln, from Hudson Hay to Patagonia, from Kgypt to the ('ape, and In the Australian seas from New (Julnea to New Zealand. Hut the as cent of the Hlmllayas and the march to Lliassa surpass, in purely pictur esque fascination, everything lu Brit ish military annals,''