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IN THRIFTY BELGIUM LAND WHERE THERE ARE PRAC? TICALLY NO PAUPERS. Now the ijovernment Hat Aided Pros? perity?Always s Little Something Put Awsy for Osys of Old Age Across a narrow sea from Kugland la a Muh? country which, though densely populated, has practically no paupers. BjSff do the people emigrate. This Is thrifty Belgium, where there Is thrift of the Individual, thrift of the family, co-operatl e thrift, national thrift, and prosperity In the face of the keenest competition of Its power? ful neighbors. England. France and Oennany. The government. Instead of paying old age pensions and dispensing char? ity, has machinery for the encourage? ment of thrift and thereby for the prevention of dependence It pays the Individual Intereet on his savings, ft Insures his life and It will give him an annuity If he saves to pay for it. In the government savings bank de? posits may be made In every poet of? fice of tbo kingdom and In all the branches of the National bank. The minimum deposit Is one franc. There Is no mail mum The government provides la a special way for those wbo cannot put aside so large a sum en a franc at a time. It authorises smaller deposlta by postage stamps in order to encourage school children, farm laborers and the like; and rural postmen carry with them the neces? sary forma for tbia purpose, and urge the public *.o make use of the savlnga bank In thla way. Life annuities may be contracted for at all branchee of the savings bank, at all branches of the national bank, a* all poet offices, and at the offices 04 all tax receivers. The mini? mum payment that may be made la one franc, and the smallest annuity paid by the fund Is one franc, while the largest Is 1.200 francs. The an nultlee become payable at the end of each com Dieted year from the age of fifty to slitr-five. In addition to the annuity fund there la a government Insurance fund, tho management of which Is un? der government guarantee. Life or endowment policies may be contract? ed for. the latter payable at the end of 10. IS. 20 or 1R years, or for a period ending at the ages of fl'ty five, elxty cr sixty Are. This policy has Instilled Ideas of thrift In the minds of the school chil? dren. It has driven thrift Into the household where the Income of the busband, or of wife and husband com? bined. Is rtrely spent, and In most eases a liberal margin Is left for the future The people live within their Icromes. "Our Income." they say, "Is ao much a year; we must live within ft and put away eomethlng for our old days " Among Fngttsh speaking neople. this 1? the habit: "We must have this and that ant go here and there, and ao we must bring our Income tip to thst mark at all hazards." Rut th*? ltelglan household enjoys contentment and awaits with patience a larger Income before buying this and thst snd before going here and there, nr-d they do not try to keep the pace set by those whose means are greater The ohsrrver sees on every hsnd men snd women still with the freshness of youth, who hsve re? tired from sctive, bread winning work and are enjoying life on the capital saved bv reasonable economy. They have 'lived wisely?neither elaves nor prodigals?and their de eltnlng years are provided for. Uee of Olives snd Olive Oil. The use of olives und olive oil Is becoming so country wide that any new uses of these articles are received tn all quarters with an Inconceivable degree of acclaim. The housewife has learned to know Its healthful quali? ties far better than many of the peo? ple that are natives In the countries where the olives are grown. In cases where the olive oil Is used for frying of meats or vegetables If tho piquant tang Is desired to be modified It Is beet to let the oil come to a boiling point before putting tn the materials which you wish to fry. This will keep the oil from pene? trating the meats, etc., and thus there will be less of the taste which It takes time to acquire, hut which when ac? quired will be a hard matter to "die earn ate ' or dlscarnare as the Latins are wont to say. One Tie Thst Binds. M1n some cases the tie that really binds Is the ssme pet su;*-rstltlon,M a woman said "Since last Thursday my maid and I have had a much keener appreciation of each other's virtues. Sadie went shopping Wnen she had been i;one half an hour she telephoned that she had left behind the carefully eompfed list of things she wanted to her/ a id was afraid to cross her good lock bv coming back for It Would It be too much trouble to look It up In her rcom and send It by the Janitor's boy v?j the store where ahe was wait? ing? "My heart throbbed with sympathy. Sadie had alwsys teamed rather a tad turn person, but thst message showed that she was very human after all She felt lust 1 ? I did about going hack for a forgotten article; therefore no eervlre I rou d perform for a fellow snfferer could b* too nueh trouble. The Janitor's hoy was out ?g I ipoat time snd u\on*y to take the Hat to the etore myself Mut I do not regret it, for are not Sadie and I friends for Ufor us your Job work. SELECTED QUEER PETS GRIZZLY BEAR CUBS TRAINED BY TRAPPER. Amusing and Playful After Their Cap* turer Hsd Conquered the Call of the Wild?As Easy to Train As Any Dog. One day while wandering: in tho pine woods on the slope of Mount Meeker I came upon two young grizz? ly bears. Though they dodged about as lively a chickens, I at lat t cor? nered them In a penlike pocket of falle a trees. Getting tbem Into a sack was one of the liveliest experiences I ever had. Though small and almost starved, these litle orphans proceeded to "chew me up" after the manner of big grizzlies, as Is told of them in books. After an exciting chase and tussle I would eatch one and thrust blm into the sack. In resisting he would Insert his claws into my clothes, or thrust them through the side of the sack; then, while I was trying to tear him loose, or to thrust him forcibly In, ho would lay hold of a finger, or take a bite In my leg. Whenever he bit I at once dropped him, and then all began over again. Their mother had been killed a few days before I found them; so, of course, they were famished and in need of a home; but so bitterly did they resist my efforts that I barely succeeded in taking them. Though hardly as large aa a collie when he is at his prettiest, they were nimble athletes. At last I startet!, home, the sack over my shoulder, with these lively TJrsus horrlbllis In the bottom of It. Their final demonstration was not needed to convince me of the extra? ordinary power of their Jaws. Never? theless, white going down a steep slope one managed to bite Into my back through sack and clothes, so ef? fectively that I responded with a yell. Then I fastened the sack at the end of a long pole, which I carried across my shouldvr, and I was able to travel the remainder of the distance to my cabin without another attack In the rear. Of course the youngsters did not need to be taught to eat. I simply pushed their noses down Into a basin of milk, and the litle rod tongues at once began to ply; then raw eggs and bread were dropped Into the basin. There was no hesitation between courses; they simply gobbled the food as long as I kept it before them. Jenny and Johnny were pets he fore sundown Though both wero alert. Johnny was the wiser and inoro cheerful cf tho two. He took train? ing as readily as a collie or shepherd dog. and I have never seen any dog more playful. All beers are keen of wit, but he was the brightest one of the wild folk that 1 nave ever known He grew rapidly, and ate me almost out of supplies. We wero intimate friends in less than a month, and I spent much time playing and talking with him. One of the first things I taught him was, when hungry, to stand erect with arms extended al? most horizontally, with palms for ward. I also taught him to greet mo in this manner.--From the Spell of the Rockies, by Enoi A. Mills. Splitting Paper. Here r.ro two good ways to split a piece of paper: First, lay the paper on a piece of glass, soak it thoroughly with water and then press It smoothly over the glass. By using care, the upper half of the sheet can then bo peeled off. leaving the under half on the glcss. When dry it will come off easily Be sure that the glass Is per? fectly Mean. Second, paste a piece of cloth or strong paper on each side of the paper to be split. When It la thoroughly dry. suddenly and violently pull the two pb ees of cloth apart. Then soften the paste with water and take tho two halves of the sheet from the cloths. Overwork a Waste of Time. Overstrained faculties can never bring out the best results. Overwork is always a waste of time, and though It may not seem to be so at first, eventually the sad truth Is always manifested. To cut off needed recre? ation, to curtail the hours of sleep, to postpone i holiday indefinitely, to re> ise to take a rest and ease and change, tinder the impression that thus time is saved. || always a short? sighted policy and often a fatal mis? take. The time arrl\es when the poor, abused faculties take their revenge and refiifce to serve altogether, or do In so feeble ? fashion as to show their deterioration. Cooking the 'Possum. Mayor Bryan Cnllughan of San An? tonio, Tex . is very fond of 'possum and Is particular about tho way It la prepared fof tho table. Ho gives the follow ti g directions: "Never plungo a 'possum into boll ing water That hardens the flesh and mal.? s it tough First bleed the ?possum, and after it Is drawn Im? merse it in a pot of cold water and bring the 07ato? to a boll. Area? b*> ing parboiled for a reasonable flmo, |ghjg 11 OUt? put some laurel leavea, a littlo oil and some chill peppers In - Ida It and peek in let and put aside for a day or two. "When ready to be cooked, put It Into a hake pan and surround with sweet potatoes, brov n to I turn and you havo n dish that la about a do llclous as any that run bo prepared." 8end us your Job work. CHANGES IN FLOWER: MODERN TASTE AS COMPARED WITH OTHER YEARS. Gardens of Today Would Be Things of Wonder to Our Ancestors? All Countries Called on for Beauty of Color. It is a truly astonishing thing to re? flect that Shakespeare, tor all his love of flowers, would have been able to name scarcely a single bloom in a twentieth century garden, says the Strand, lie would hardly have been tble to distinguish the queen of flow? ers itself, so greatly has the rose changed In the last three centuries. As for the begonias, the chrysanthe? mums, the dahllas, the geraniums, the fuschlas and carnations; these were unknown even to our great-grandfath? ers. Many of our most beautiful flow? ers are purely modern productions. Three centuries ago there were no flower gardens in England. What were then thought of as gardens were herbaria, places where rosemary, mint, , rue, thyme and sage grew, and per- ; haps a few primitive blooms, such as violets and primroses, were suffered to exist, much as poppies and corn? flowers do today. j Many well known plants have been j developed from specimens discovered In various parts of the world, and there is no doubt that a number of charm? ing novelties are still lurking undis? covered In remote spots. The chances of valuable finds are, however, becom- 1 ing unfortunately less every year. A ] small army of collectors is always at WOtl in every corner of the world j searching for new treasures to enrich DOT floral store. From South America came many years ago the recently unfashionable fuschia; from the hills of northern India and Tibet have been brought BlASy useful varieties; from China we i have had among other things many j new primulas; Japan has yielded j wonderful irises; Africa many varied J plants, usually of most brilliant and ' gorgeous coloring; while Dumerous j charming members of the narcissus family have been discovered in the Pyrenees. But this cannot continue indefinite? ly, and even in the realm of orchids, for which perhaps the most systematic search of all is made, there is not much left to be explored, For our fu? ture novelties we shall have to rely then chiefly on the skill of our hybrid? ists, who are constantly engaged in mating different species of the same family of plants, and our cross fertil? izers, who are doing similar work with dilTerent varieties of the same species. The flowers of today are the result of cross breeding, stimulated by electri- I city, drugs and hot water baths. | Worse and Worse. I "Did you ever notice," said Walter , .Jrimes, "how a fellow, when he once j |Otl balled up' and says the wrong hing, has a tendency to get in deeper ind deeper? "A friend was first telling be of his ?'?xpericuco in attending a reception in Indianapolis some time Bgo, During the progress of the function an elabo? rately gowned woman sang for the lueata. Her voice waan'l anything to brag on, and my friend, who is very plainly spoken, turne 1 to a ineek-look Ing little man at his right and ask td in a bus voice: "Who was that old I hen who has just squawked for U8?' " 'That,' replied the man addressed, is my wire.1 "My friend gasped. 'Oh, b-b-beg your pardon,' ) ?? stuttered. 'She's really a rather nice-looking woman, and 1 know ?me'd ting better if she made a bet? ler selection of his music. Who do you luppoae ever wrote a rotten song like hat?" " I am the author of that song,' re? plied the meek looking little muu."? Louisville Times. Prehistoric Art. j On the side of a steep down in the Did town cd' Cerne Abbas, Dorset. Eng- I land, a huge flgun of a man appears rut deeply in the hard turf. It is a Creation of > period hidden in the rr.ists of antiquity. The body rosem hlcs thai of the simian, the arms are Unusually long and outstretched, as are the legs. The right hand grasps the handle of an enormous club, and the general attitude suggests pursuit of game The bead seemi sunk between the -houlders. and the face, which is roughly cut. exhibits an uncnr.ny leer. Students of types attribute "the riant," as the Dorset figure is called, to the bronse ago. The figure has locn cared for throughout the cen? turies of Its existence. Originally it is supposed to have been regarded as bringing good luck to the people dur? ing the Celtic and early English epochs. It receives attention how on account of its qunlntness and ago Tho Dorset giant is Incised in the turf after the manner of the Dong Man of Wilmington and the White Horse of Berkshire and elsewhere. The turf is ^<> hard that the outlines of the Hgure have been preserved in taf t for many renturlea. A Nice Point. "Every student of history knows that our Christmas cuatomi are a da* relopmenl of the Roman Saturnalia." "O, Surely not all!" "I think so." "No, no! There's no reason to sui> poee, for in timer, thai the Romana were all the time being hunched to do their Baturnallan shopping early." ?Puck. tii\us >our Job woik. THE INFLUENCE <>F BEAUTY I I' OlS THE MORAL AND MENTAL NATURES. s. Ii. Edmunds?Superintendent City Schools. I can think of no better way to Introduce this eubjoct?The Influence f Beauty upon the Mental ami Moral Natures?-than by a quotation from the Republic of PI ito: "Surely the arl of the painter and every other oreative and constructive art are full of tili- graces and harmonies, in all of them there i.< grace or th ? absence of grace. Ugliness and discord and Inharmonious motion are nearlj al lied to Ill-words and ill-nature, as grace and harmony are the twin sis? ters of goodness and virtue and hear j their iiken?ss. \w would not have our children grow up amidst images of moral deformity, as in some nox? ious pasture, and there browse and feed upon many a baneful herh day , hy day, little by little, until they sl ! lently gather a festering mass of corruption in their own soul. J,et our artists rather be those who are gifted to discern the true nature of the beautiful and graceful; then will our, youth dwell in a land of health, amid fair sights and sounds, and receive the good In everything; and beauty, the etlluence of fair works, shall | How into the eye and ear, like a health I ^i\ing breese from a purer region, j and insensibly draw the soul from I earliest years into likeness and sympathy with the beauty of reason. And when a beautiful soul harmonizes j with a beautiful form, and the two are cast in one mould, that will be the fairest of sights to him who has an eye to s-e it. And the fairest is also the loveliest." These are ab- j Street truths?deep and far-reaching; but the soul in its essence is abatract and complex and we deal with the deepest truths when we study the soul in the abstract. Beauty of soul, however, is the resultant of myriads of forces and these forces fortunately, are concrete, and in studying them we need not deal with the abstract and , thus need not be quite so dry and te? dious, j A former state Superintendent of Education was fond of giving In sub? stance the following illustration: in one of the up-country schools a s< wing d tpartment was established. it fell to the lol of one of the girls to make a beautiful White apron ? an apron so resplendent In its whit< - neSS aS to make the school sur? roundings appear dull and dingy. Life In such an atmoshpere of contrast was Intolerable. The demand was made for paint and whitewash and j the old iChoolhouae fairly glistened in its snowy w hiteness. The whiteness j became almost blinding and to sof? ten its glare the schoolyard was planted In green shrubs and vari? colored Sow/era U did not stop here. The fathi r of the girl with the apron noticing the marvelous change in the sc boat house and Its surroundings, and fairly oppressed with the white? ness of that apron, continued to re? model, repair and rewhlten until hie, premlaes were gleaming liken sacs of their former selves. The whiteness of ? ?tie little apron wrought B transfor motion In that winde community. A little thing t'? produce po gt\at a change, but after all the little things in our lives determine their conduct and cureer, A single beautiful flower demands the preeence of other beau? tiful Mowers: a -ingle noble impulse produces other noble Impulses, whose resultants are generous deeds and i eautlfu] characters. The essence of beauty is harmony, and the result of harmony la rest? not that rest that Is but a euphemism for idle inactivity, but that rest that results from the harmonious exercise of all the faculties. To attain unto rest In activity Is to be In lov< with one's worl- and to this end one's sur? roundings should be beautiful. We have said that the mind and the soul are complex, that is they partake of the nature of those things upon which they feed. How important then that the mind and the sold of the child should feed daily upon the beautiful and harmonious. The Qreeks, noted for their b auty and their grace. realised bo ke? nly the potency of the Influence uf the beautiful that the Grecian matrons looked only upon pictures and statues whose every lineament was the quintessence of beautiful and graceful harmony. if the mind of the child is to be made beautiful let it look at .very turn upon beautiful things; if his moral nature Is to he m perfect har? mony with graceful sweetness let it burn to despise hideous immorality by contrasting it with the beauties thai dally Influence Its life. Can you estimate the power of life's silent In? Mueiices? Can you I ?II hon a single beaut'ful llower gazed upon each day hy M child nc,\ affect thai child's af? ter life? Tennyson, with the i.t's true appreciation, realised the potei ?y of ail that is wrapped up In a fit s/er, when ;?rt i deep contemplation he sang: ?'Flower In the crannied wall I pluck th.ul of the crannlei Hold y?.u here. root and all in my hand Little dower?but if I could under? stand What you an-, root end all, and all in all I should know what (Joel and man is." And Ruskin, that poet who chose to write in prose, realised it. when in one <?f hi* tin. st passages he exclaims: 'To dress It and to keep it.* That then was t i 1 <? our Work. Alas' what work have we set ourselves up on in t >nd! How havs we ravaged the garden ins*.-ad of kept It-?feed? ing our war horses with its flowers, and splintering its tri es into spear shafts! 'And at the Bast a flaming ?word.' is its dame quenchless? and ar<- those gates that keep the way in? deed passable no more? or is it not rather that we desire no more to enter? For what can we conceive of that llrst Eden that We might not yet win back, if we chose, 'It was a place full of flowers,' we say. Well: the flowers are always striving to grow wherever we suffer them; and the fairer, the closer. There may, In? deed have been a Fall <>f Flowers as a Fall <?f Man- but assur? dly creatures such as we are can now fancy noth? ing lovelier than roses and lilies which would prow for us side by .<ide, leaf overlapping leaf, till the earth were red and whit I with them, if we cared to have it so. 'And Paradise was full of pleasant shades and fruit? ful avenues.' Well, what hinders us from covering as much of the world as we like with pleasant shade, and pure blossom, and goodly fruit. Who forbids its valleys to be covered over with corn till they laugh and sing? Who prevents its dark forests, ghastly and Ulnhabltable, from being (banged into infinite orchards, wreathing the bills with frail?Roretted snow, far away to the half lighted horizon of April, and Hushing the face of all the autumnal earth with glow of cluster? ed food? 'Hut Paradise was a place of peace.' The world would yet be a j place of peace if we were :.ii peace? makers. Hut so ions as we choose to contend rather with our fellows than I with otir faults and make of our 'meadows battle-fields instead of pas? tures so long will the Flaming Sword turn every way and the OatOS of Eden remain barred close enough, till we 1 have sheathed the sharper flame of our own passions and broken down J the closer gates of our own hearts." Let us not cheat ourselves by declin? ing to accept the lessons of beautiful harmony that the tlowers silently teach, but let us see to it that our children, not understanding or realiz? ing what it means, may nevertheless come daily within the (leid of these boiy Influences. Their minds will work better because they are affected by the eternal harmonies: their souls will be better, because they will learn to despise deformity in all of its phases. "Scatter diligently in susceptible minds The germs of the good and beau 'fal They will develop there to trees. Puds, bloom, And bear the golden fruits of Para? dise." The salutary effect of the beautiful is found ma only in tloarers; but in form. Tin- harmony of form with symmetrical lines is a potent tho' silent force in its effectiveness. The perfect rectangle suggests rectitude; the square suggests uprightness; the triangle, stability; and the circle, perfection. These Geometric figures prosaic enough in their skeletonlc out lines, have all of the poetry of in? fluence when they coalesce to form a i perfectly artistic creation. Why is it that landscape gardening gives to the sense that feeling of rest'.' Why is it that architecture is poetic thought crystallized'.' If not because in them we have these lines perfectly planned? Meed I suggest that the susceptible mind ami the impressionable soul that look dally upon perfected form will learn not only to paint things as they see them, but to see them as they arc And this gift ot vision that sees with exactitude will become in? trospection and the soul asking itself the question?bow do you measure up to the demands of the rectangle or rectitude, of the square or upright? ness, of the triangle or stability, of the circle or perfection?may yet I obey the command of pussled ages: Know thyself Far-fetched, you say. i reply, it is unsafe to dismiss as far-fetched any outward Influence that tends in any way to beautify the mind and soul. I There is another beauty whose In? fluence is so effective as to make its omission unwhw?the beauty of sound that concord of |Weet sounds which w< call music. To quote for the see end time from the Republic of Plato: "Therefore I say that musical training is a more potent Influence than any other, bee.nise rhythm and harmony Und their way into the inward places of the soul on which the) mightily fasten, Imparting araco, and making tie soul of him who is rightly edu? cated graceful, and also b< cause he who has received this true education of the inm r being will moat shrewdly perceive omissions or faults in art or nature, and with a true taste, wh'le he praises and rejoices over and n celvas into Iiis soul tho good, and be COIM I i oble and good, he will justly blame and hate the had, now in the days < f his youth, even before be is able t<> know the reason why; and when reason eoines he will recognize an i aalute Iba frlendi with whom his education has made hint b?ng famil? iar." You will reeall that charming moonlight scene from Shakspere's M. < >. V. where the sentimental la renzo says to his lady love: "How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Her? will we sit and let the sound of music t'reep into our ears: Soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet har? mony. Sit. Jessica, Look how the floor of Heaven [s thick inlaid with patinas of bright gold. There's not the smallest orb which thou beholdst But in his motion like an angel sings. Still quiring to the young eyed cheru? bim; Such harmony i^ in Immortal souls; But whilst this muddy vesture of de? cay, i >oth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it." I Can it be that we are so blinded by ambition, greed, and rank ma? terialism, the muddy vesture of de? cay?that we cannot hear the har? monies that are forever sounding in our immortal souls? The effect of music is so universally recognized that even a reference to it seems trite; but d<> we realize after all in our heart of hearts how powerful and how salu? tary are Its influences? If amidst its martial tones worn-out soldiers rush with mad eagerness to the belching cannon's mouth; if to its intoxicate strains tired feet move on with un abating zeal in the mystic mazes of the dance; if the tottering feet of old age will irresistibly .beat with per? fect rhythm its tuneful cadences; if the wearied, drooping spirit strains its ear to hear and hearing receives surcease from sorrow?there must needs be after all within the soul such music as is made by the rhyth-*, mic motion of the spheres. Culti? vation and care may result in ob? taining from the soul musical echoes whose timbre indicates that the vi? brations of that soul respond only to pert set harmony. If a child may be taught to sae things as they are, why Is it m>t possible for him to hear things as they are? If the mind may set* with exactitude why may it not hear with precision? If the soul may perceive the truth, why may it not ring true to those notes that are true? The beauty of flowers, of form and of music?and their silent influences ?such has been my theme and it se ms to me that it is within our province to foster with tender care all things that may make our schools more beautiful in color, form, and mu? sic and I trust that we shall not lose sight of the deep and abiding truth that theae beauties exert so potent an Influence that it will make us work with renewed seal and inspiration; for we are dealing not with the ma? terial alone, but with the spiritual; not only with the transitory, but with the et ?mal. if fault be found with the ap? parent pantheism of these sentiments, l wish to deny all pantheistic beliefs for 1 love to think of clod's working with. in. and through all second cans s to make the s?. ul a more beautiful sanctuary?Ailed with thoughts of Him in whom we may see the quintessence of harmony?the perfection of beauty?the One al? together lovely. Professors .T. B. Latimer, of Hswego and Parks of Wedgetield, were visitors to the city Saturday. Antlcostl. Anticosti, an island in the Gulf ot St. Lawrence, is about 140 mile* long, by 35 miles wide. Its soil Is not con sldered to be productive, and the few settlers there subsist upon the fish eries. In 1F86 M. Meunler, the French chocolate manufacturer, bought the island and Is making a game preserve of it He is especially Interested in breeding black and ot?er valuable " torts of foxes Electric Power *or Housework. The total cost of power for sewing washing and wringing, mangle Iron ing, chopping neat, grinding coffee, and polishing silver would be a sum * that almost any housekeeper would be willing to pay for a few hours more to call her own. or for being able to take a more independent stand on the servant question. Electricity has ad vanced tar enough now to give her the opportunity she has longed for.? Electrical Review Just a Mere Trifle. A. B. Fcwler ot Watenown, N. Y., was petting a prize white Leghorn hen at the allentowa <Pa.) poultry show. When she began pecking at his shut front. In a few minutes she had loosened and Wallowed his valuable diamond. He declined to allow the owner to kill her. saying ho had lots of diamonds at home