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Show J. SCIENTIFIC TOPICS CURRENT NOTES OF DISCOVERY AND INVENTION. Bail Joint and Support A Rubber Heel Machine to Teach, ideology It I ml-tatea ml-tatea Nature' Way of Slaking Fold and Fault la Rack. Marhlne to Tftlrh (ieolojf. There are few pieces of apparatus Which will asitt in teaching geology. One of the most interesting was ie-s ie-s gned by Prof. G. A. Lebo ir of Dji-tam Dji-tam College of Science, Newcastle-on- Tyne. The machine is for making j 'Holland' is a succestful and veritable folds of rock, and as may be readily ! submarine torpedo boat, capable of untMrstood, a large number of fold ! making a veritable attack upon the on-forins on-forins of rocks can be reproduced, and j emy unseen and undetectable, and that. their consequences, such as thrusts, faults, etc., cf.n be demonstrated. It consist of two parallel wooden rollers about three feet apart and four inches In diameter. A shaft turns the two rollers in opposite directions by means of toothed b-vel wheels, the shaft itelf being driven !." a v. .n iu-v- h-;l and worm. 0:.h t.i;;u of the han-.'.ie causes; ccly l-4:tl; of the fun of th shaft and roller, so tLat a vevy slow motion can be impart' -d to tee latter. A sheet of India rubUr is firn.ly attached by a slot and screwed to each roller. This completes the arrangement, the rollers being wound through about one entire revolution and the india rubber being thus stretched, and layers of cloth, clay, paste, or other material are laid upon It. The handle is then turned In the reverse direction, and the India rubber is gradually released. Fold3 are in this way shown slowly growing, the broad elastic band simulating the contraction con-traction of a portion of the earth's course and producing various geological geo-logical forms. Various weights may be applied and different effects can be obtained, thus giving an idea of the results which have actually been produced pro-duced in nature under great pressure; that is to say at great depths. Scientific Scien-tific American. Make Art'flrlal Sponge. Many natural products aie, in these days of advanced chemistry, so successfully suc-cessfully imitated in thi laboratory that the manufacture of a spong which seeing ;0 possess all theaiu-able theaiu-able qualities associated with the real article will not perhaps excite the surprise sur-prise which it surely would have done a few years back. The process is patented pat-ented by Dr. ijustav Turn of Gratz. and consists principally in the action of zinc chloride or pure cellulose. This action results in a pasty viscous mass, which is mixed with coarsely grained rock salt. Placed in a press mold armed with pins, the mass is pierced through and through until appears traversed by a multitude of tiny canals, like the pores of a natural tponge. The excess of ..alts is subsequently subse-quently removed by prolonged washing wash-ing in a weak alcoholic solution. The artificial sponge swells up with water, but turns horny and hard on drying. Just like its prototype; it can be employed em-ployed for all the purposes which are usually assigned to the animal product of the submarine rocks Chambers' Journal. The rycholoirl liilt of Time. In his lecture ou "Nervous ibra-tlon" ibra-tlon" before the British association. Prof. Richet stated that a nerve once stimulated never returned to its original origi-nal state; and, though the difference was physically infinitesimal, psychologically psy-chologically it was enormoua, because this permanent disturbance was the physical basis of memory. The period 'bf the undulation which constituted a nervous impulse was most important; our ideas could not be repeated often-er often-er than ten or twelve times a second. If we tried to think of a set of words in succession, this speed could never be exceeded. This period Prof. Richet termed the psychological "unit of time." If the rapidity were greater. sound, light and electricity would be j perceived as independent undulation3 i nnd not as continuous sensations: if ! slower, we could perceive the motion of the band of a watch or the growth of a tree. Rail Joint and Support. A great many of the accidents as well as the minor discomforts of rail roading are due to the inability of the : constructors to secure a rail joint which is perfect. This particular part of the rail soon becomes pounded down by the action of the passing wheels, and the low joint, besides being a constant con-stant menace, is a great source of annoyance an-noyance to passengers. A rail connection con-nection has been recently patented by an Inventor of Lexington, Ky.. which was subjected to a severe test before application for patent papers was made, and tbla trial fully vindicated ! the claims of the Inventor. Ths de- j rice not only joins the rail ends, but affords an immovable support for them. It combines the good qualities quali-ties of the old fishplate, the angle bar and the truss, and is so devised as to consist of only three pieces. Briefly described, the device consists of two angle bars with depending extensions which reach below the rail. In these extensions there is a slot into which is a flat piece on which the rail ends rest, the angle bar section being at- j . i. V. .- . i 1 . - n.ith T 1 - lit ina.taH tached to the rails with rivets inserted while hot. The whole device to be made preferably of steel, save the rivets. This joint is said to absolute ly nrerpnt the EDrendiner and creenin?J of rails, which are the source of many J accidents. Rails thus joined are prac o - - I . . . run the machines, saying that lhj referred to get down upon their knees and do the scrubbing. They were informed in-formed that there would be no reduction reduc-tion In the force; that the maei inea were merely Intended as humanitarian devices, and not for the purpose of lessening les-sening the number of those employed, and were then glad to use them. The Holland Submarine Boat. The naval board appointed to inspect in-spect the submarine Holland, have reported re-ported favorably on fulfillment of ail tests desired in firing torpedos at car-face car-face and below when in full speed. The chief engineer says: "I report my belief, be-lief, after full examination, that the therefore, she is an engine of warfare of terrible potency which the government govern-ment must adopt into its service." It is probable that several boats of the Holland type will soon be built. Working In f'alaoiis. According to a foreman who has WQrked mi.cn in caissons, light-haired men cannot stand the air pressure, and the darker a man's complexion is tho better is he able to bur up under the work. Here is another curious thing about the work. When the men come up from the iow levels they are nearly frozen inside. You see, the compressed air, which is very cold, gets inside of them to equalize the pressure. Now here's the queer thing: If the men were given whisky, it would kill them. They thaw them out by putting them In a hot bath and giving them large quantities of hot coffee." A Kublier Herl. A rubber heel has beeu designed to take the place of the creeper for the purpose of enabling pr-uestrians to maintain their equilibrium while walking walk-ing on icy pavements. Its application r Is shown in the accompanying cut. The heel is made in different sizes to fit different shoes, and is lie Id in place by buttoning or lacing at top, as shown. An inventor of Chicago, is the inventor of the device. 111., Aluminum rtciislls In India. The copper cooking utensils of the natives of India, which they have clung to so tenaciously, despite the fact that entire families were frequently wiped out by poisoning therefrom, are now being gradually replaced by aluminum. The introduction was brought about by the English missionaries, who accomplished accom-plished this great innovation only by getting the natives interested in tho manufacture of the kettles and by managing to utilise the native labor, metal-working tools and implements. Scientific 'ote. The German emperor lias granted the Polytechnic College of Berlin the right to bestow the title of doctor of engineers. en-gineers. Heretofore the tit'e of doctor has been given to theologians, philosophers philoso-phers and lawyers. This action was recently announced at the centennial anniversary of the college. The Kottgen system of canal-boat towage, which was tried in France on the Burgogne canal and voted a failure has been installed in Germany, and the results have been quite different. The system consists of a narrow-gauge railroad along the canal bank and a motor fed from an overhead trolley. Great economy is claimed for this method. Mechanical stokers have been placed by the United States government on a large lake freighter as an experiment, and the result has been most satisfac- tory 'The steam," says the report of the government official, "was generated generat-ed at all times without difficulty and no doubt with greater ease and economy econ-omy than with hand firing, and the smoke was extremely light during the ordinary performance of the stokers." Hi Nose for New. "Henry," whispered the maiden in some embarrassment as they stood in the hallway, where the young and handsome reporter was preparing to say good night, "it's dreadful of me, I know, but I've been eating onions." "Great Scott, Fannie!" he exclaimed. "You don't think that's a scoop on me, do you? I knew that as soon as I came in." Chicago Tribune. He Wanted a Livlug. The applicant for a position had expressed ex-pressed a willingness to do anything. "Simrtnse I should ask von to en out and ick fc ,. ,d" tfa buaines, man. "Oh, that's all right," was the inno- cent reply, "I'm willing to do anything to make an honest living." Detroit Free Press. is--l that ------ ---j j I TO BRAVE T03I SMITH NERVIEST MARSHAL THB WEST EVER KNEW. Abilene, Kan.. Will Build a Monument to the Man Who KlucI Handed Ended a Reign or Cowboy Terror Know Mo Fear. At Abilene, Kan., a monument 13 soon to be erected to the memory of Tom Smith, of cowboy days fame. He was the bravest marshal the western plains ever knew. In the later 60's Abilene was at the end of the Union cattle trains that led up from the Pacific track, and also the end of the ranches of Texas. This made it a center for the rough element engaged in the cattle business. The "bottoms" were covered with saloons and dance halls; murders were common and drunken cowboys riding up and down the streets shooting their revolvers into in-to the windows terrorized the peaceable peace-able portion of the community. Joe McCoy, the mayor, sent to St. Louis and asked the chief of police for two of his best policemen. The officers came and were invented with all powers pow-ers for the enforcement of the law. In the full glory of their blue uniforms, they walked tb- the bad portion of the town. farther they went the more fright... i they became. On the night train they returned to St. Louis, and the town was worse than ever. It was in the midst of this reign of terror that Tom Smith was sent for. lie had made a reputation as marshal at Hays City, Kit Carson, Fort Wallace and other notorious points, whither he had gone rom New York, where he had been a policeman during the civil war. Smith was asked by the mayor to control the rough element ele-ment of Abilene single-handed. Ha looked the town over and said he would accept the job. He was asked for his plan of government, and said he had none except that he thought he would stop the practice of carrying firearms. "Yoc can't do that, ' declared the mayor. "But it 13 against thr ordinance?" "Yes, of course it is." "Then I will stop their carrying firearms," fire-arms," said Smith, quietly. "'You see, we could stand guns or whisky, but "we-c3?'L stand both. There ain't no chance to stop .tjie whisky, and we might as well stoptire guns." That night new copies C -V)e anti-gun anti-gun ordinance were posted around" tine-town, tine-town, and the next morning Smith took the oath of office. Long before he appeared on the streets the gang were ready for business, and many had boasted that the man did not live who could make them give up their guns. Smith was about five feet eleven inches high, deep-chested and with sinews of steel. He ate a hearty breakfast and strolled down the street. The first person he met was Hank Hawkins, a huge cattle puncher from southern Texas. "So you're the man who has come to run the town?" "No," replied Smith, "but I have been hired to keep t :-.-r, and I am going to try to do the best I can." Hawkins was openly wearing two big navies, and, pointing to them, he asked: "What are you goin' to do abtut these?" "That is one of the laws, and I will have to trouble you for the guns right now." "I won't give them up to any live man." "I ain't lookin' for trouble," said the marshal, his steel-gray eyes flashing, "but you will obey the ordinance." Like a shot he leaped forward and landed a terrific blow on the forehead of the big Hawkins, who promptly measured his length on the sidewalk. In the twinkling of an eye Smith was on top of him with the guns In his hands. "I will give you ten seconds to start for the city limits," was the ruling. After a glance at the determined face of the marshal the cowboy lit out for the high grass. Smith leisurely pocketed pock-eted the guns and sauntered down the street as if he h.d nothing to do. All the other outlaws quit In much the fame haste. "Wyoming Frank" was another of TOM SMITH, the town's tenors. He boasted that he would make the marshal take water, and that night he and a lot of cronies gathered around a saloon, and when they were well drunk waited for the coming of Smith. At last he came up the street. They were in front of the Texas 6aloon when they met and Frank stepped in front of Smith with : r em a rk- UIie3r youJc nocked a i f PsST SRAVE MRS. M& gSgSjjjj?? Mm r aSD To the courage and admirable coolness cool-ness of Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer, wife of the editor and proprietor of the New York World, is due the saving of the lives of her baby and its nurse in a disastrous fire that visited the Pulitzer residence in New York the other morning. morn-ing. Mrs. Pulitzer slept on the second sec-ond floor, in the rear of which the fire originated, and when aroused by the smoke and flames her first thought was for her children. She rushed to where her daughters, Edith and Constance, Con-stance, aged 14 and 12 respectively, were asleep and rousing them led them through the smoke-filled halls to the street, where they were taken in charge by others. Then knowing that her the custodians of the weapons, and the cowboys were to leave them off during thpipy in the town. iney am n. too, and 'from"thatltme-a"nni smii.l met an awful death not a gun was carried in the town with the knowledge knowl-edge of the Marshal. Smith was killed while attempting the arrest of a murderer three miles northwest of town. Two Scotsmen had trouble with an Irishman. They killed him and took refuge in their cabin. Smith volunteered to take two men and bring In the murderers. When they came near the cabin one of the Scotsmen was in the rear chopping wood. The other wa3 inside, and he cut loose with a gun, firing a shot into Smith's breast. The deputies fled, and Smith leaped into the cabin and had nearly handcuffed the murderer when the Scotsman outside came with his axe, and with a single blow completely severed Smith's head from his body. So ended the life of the one who Is said by every one who knew him to have possessed the most magnificent courage of any one who mingled with the varied procession of desperadoes and "bad men" that made life on the plains in the early days of striking interest. in-terest. His murderers met speedy justice jus-tice for their deed. TROUBLE WITH THE TIBER. It Is Due to lll-C'aleulated Eujlaeerlne Operation. Owing to ill-calculated engineering operations by which the northern branch of the river by the Tiber island was deepened a few years ago, the southern branch, which skirts the former form-er Ghetto, has dried up into a heavy bank of muddy sand, and this is its normal state, making (it will be understood) under-stood) the island of St. Bartolommeo as ridiculous as a swan on land, says the London Globe. The absurd aspect of It Is the more accentuated because the Ponte Fabricio or Quatro-capl, which unites the island to the southern south-ern bank, happens to be both the oldest old-est and best preserved bridge in Rome, dating from 62 B. C, and being composed com-posed of two bold side arches and a small central flood arch. On rare occasions, oc-casions, however, after heavy downfalls, down-falls, the river, rising in its wrath, succeeds suc-ceeds in reasserting its ancient dominion, do-minion, and we see the beautiful bridge built by Fabricus spanning the waters sent down from Monte Pattino and Ansciano. Such a rise has taken place during the last three days, In consequence conse-quence of which the forum is inundated inun-dated by means of the cloaca maxima, while the foaming yellow flood has reached a height of but three feet below be-low the little Franciscan garden belonging be-longing to the church of St. Bartolommeo. Bartolom-meo. The ancient confessional below that basilica, dating from about the seventh century, is entirely filled. In fact, the waters have risen about forty feet, and if rain should continue to fall we may witness the Tiber invading the Corso and Piazza d'Espagna. Happily, Hap-pily, a change seems to be setting in. It was quite a fascluaticg sight to see the main, or northern, flood racin-r 'beneath 'be-neath the Cestian bridge, like a succession suc-cession of maelstroms, almost gl j-Sying to behold. As usual a crowd rt people mused themselves by w?'ching the of those who, "on such occa- PULITZER. 6-year-old boy, Herbert, was with Ms nurse on the third floor, Mrs. Pulitzer fought her way through the stifling smoke to the nurse's room. She arrived in the nick of time, for the nurse, crazed with fe"-, was about jumping out of tho wincw with the baby when Mrs. Pulitzer arrived. Mrs. Pulitzer eagerly seized the little one and carrying carry-ing him in her arms guided the nurse through the blinding smoke to the street. Unfortunately, however, there perished per-ished In the fire two of the inmates of the house the housekeeper, Mrs. Morgan Mor-gan Jellett of Toronto, Ont., and Elizabeth Eliza-beth Montgomery, governess. The financial loss was $300,000. ! PARIS BEGGARS HIRE BABIES. i j Certain Recognized Centers far This Abominable Traffic. The police hv- lust arrested outside the fashionable church . of La Trlnite several professional ueggars, all of them accompanied by children of whom they were not the parents, says a Paris correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette. There are certain recognized centers for this abominable traffic and a regular tariff is in operation at these child markets. The trade is by far the busiest in winter. In ordinary times, when no special holiday la in progress, prog-ress, a child of from 5 to 10 years may be had cheaply, the current charges being be-ing 18 pence a day, or two shillings If the weather is very cold. Babies in arms or those who can only just toddle tod-dle are more expensive, fetching double dou-ble and treble this sum. On Christmas day and New Year's day, when beggars are practically not interfered with by the police and reap their richest harvests, har-vests, the prices are much higher. As much as a sovereign has to be paid on these special occasions for a baby only a few months old, and even this sum Is exceeded in the case of the hapless little creatures who are 111, and who are thus likely the more readily to move the passer-by to pity. Older children for these holidays may be hired for eight shillings. If the beggar beg-gar continues at work throughout the evening be had to supply the child with a supper. He also has to undertake to pay for a doctor if his victim should I fall ill from the exposure. ONLY NEGRO IN CONGRESS. George Henry White, of Tarboro, N. C, has the distinction of being the only negro in the present house of representatives. Mr. White la 47 years of age. His education was obtained in the public schools of his native state and at Howard University in Washington. Washing-ton. He studied law and at 27 was li- GEORGE H. WHITE, censed to practice In all the courts of North Carolina. From 1880 to 1884 he was a member of the state legislature, and for eight years was prosecuting attorney for his district. He was first elected to congress in 1896 and was re-elected In 1898. His ability as a thinker and orator gives him the esteem es-teem of his fellow representatives and his opinions are eagerly sought. Cotton and Oold. The World's. .,r,,,t nf irnlrl in 1ROX Jaisjmas.eoo, and that in tne Unit- was $64,463,000. The value grop in the United States, , 1S7, was in the per of as es. Von TRAINER FOR CZAR. AMERICAN WHO HANDLES IMPERIAL IM-PERIAL TROTTERS. George J. Fuller Has Struck It Rich In te Land of the Nihilist American Methods Have Pleased Nicholas the Great. George J. Fuller, formerly an American Ameri-can trainer of harness race horses, has won distinction within the last yeai in the service of the Czar of Russia. Largely through the introduction ot his methods the Russian horse has at-taiad at-taiad a greater degree of speed than was rve- before known in that country. coun-try. Realizing that American Instruction Instruc-tion is superior to that of any other GEORGE J. FULLER, country, Mr. Fuller was engaged by the imperial authorities in the fall of 1898 to assume charge of the Russian Imperial stud at Krenovoi, 12 miles from St. Petersburg. He not only personally per-sonally trained the horses of the ruler of the Russias. but under took to teach a squad of Russians how to prepare a trotter or pacer for the race track. Mr. Fuller's position is probably the most novel one held by any turfman in the world. Racing is conducted exclusively exclusive-ly under the patronage of the government, govern-ment, and private enterprises which have sought to succeed in Russian have failed because not supported by the government. Mr. Fuller has a school Of trainers which numbers 25. It might be called a college for trainers. The men take their instruction, and when they have reached a certain stage of proficiency are granted a diploma stamped by government officials. CLEVER YOUNG CLOCKMAKERS rtlsllc Timepiece Whloh They Manufactured Manu-factured During Play Time. Mr. A. P. Thompson, councilman from the fifth ward, has a clock in his sitting room which he values more highly than any article In his elegantly furnished househol d says the Atlanta Journal. The clock was made by his sons Percy, aged 14, and A. P. Thompson, Jr., aged 11 years and is a wonderful piece of work. It contains over 3Q0 pieces of wood, all of which were cut from boards with a 6mall foot power scroll saw, and afterwards sandpapered sand-papered and put together with screws and mucilage. The wood used was maple, white holly and walnut, which makes the contrast in colors natural and at the same time striking. The clock is fifty-one inches tall, twenty-one twenty-one inches wide at the base and ten and a half inches deep. The figures on the dial were cut from walnut with a pocket knife, and when placed on the white holly make a beautiful design. It took the young boys five weeks of hard labor to make this remarkable timepiece, but they are justly proud of their work. When it is remembered that only the crudest tools were used in its construction, the results obtained obtain-ed prove the genius of the two workmen. work-men. They were not engaged on the clock all the time, as they were attending at-tending school at the time and only devoted their leisure moments to the task. The clock represents a cathedral, cathe-dral, with its dome, from which a beil peals forth the hours of the day. A TEXAS CATTLE KING. Among the richest of the cattle kings of Texas is Sam Lazarus, whose fortune for-tune is variously estimated at from $2,000,000 to $5,000,000. Y'ears ago when a lad of fourteen he went to Sherman, Texas, from New Orleans, and entered mercantile life as a clerk. Gradually, after ten years of clerking, he began to branch out Into the cattle business and ten years later he was pretty well up in the financial world. In 1892 he began to Invest in cattle extensively. Prices began to fall, but the lower they went the more did Mr. Lazarus Invest. Wiseacres shook their heads and pre- 8AM LAZARUS, dieted disasters for the rising cattle king, but Mr. Lazarus had supreme-faith supreme-faith In himself and continued his purchases. pur-chases. Then better times came and when prices were well advanced Mr. Lazarus began shipping. In one year he shipped over one railroad alone 6,000 car loads.or approximately 180,000 head cattle. His estimated profit on all s shipments after the advance In is placed at $1,000,000. Mr. Laz- owns three ranches in Texas, one ilene, one at Lazarus and one 'ichita Falls. All of them are ot area and are well stocked. us' legal residence is at Sher- but he also maintains a in St. Louis. m. ces Ve CAMPFIRK SKETCHES. QOOD SHORT STORIES FOR THE VETERANS. The Way Blen Act When Wounded In Battle, As Noted in Tliree Instances Safety of Officers Dewey Put the Fire Out. Nearer Home. 1 One sweetly solemn thought Comes to me o'er and o'er ; I'm nearer home tuday Than I ever have been before. Nearer my Father's house. Where the many rnanslona be; Nearer the. great white throne, ' Nearer the crystal sea; Nearer the bound of life. Where we lay our burdens down; Nearer leaving: the cross. Nearer gaining the crown! But lying darkly between. Winding down through the night, Is the silent, unknown stream, That leads at last to the light. i Cloper and closer my steps Come to the dread abysm; Closer Death to my Hps Presses the awful chrism. ) Oh, If my mortal feet : ' Have almost grained the brink If it be 1 am nearer home . Kven to-day than I think. , J Father, perfect my trust, V-Let V-Let my spirit feel in death ' That her feet are firmly set On the Rock of a Living Faith! Phoebe Cary. Way Blen Act When Wounded, Leslie's Weekly: On San Juan ridge, July 2, just as Caffee's brigade had reached the crest, they were ordered to lie down and intrench, using the bayonet as a pick and the hands for shovels. A dashing young fellow ot one of the companies ou the right of the line was some distance In advance ad-vance of his fellows when the halt was made. Instead of falling back on the line with the other men, he stopped where he was. One of the officers shouted at him several times to fall back, as he was in danger of his own men shooting him, but he did not hear. The officer then walked down to where he was, grabbed him by the leg. and started to drag him back to the line. He had but started when he felt the man's whole body quiver, and he flopped himself over i :i his back, saying say-ing as he did so, "I'm done for." Some of the men came to 1'ie wounded soldier sol-dier and assisted the officer to carry him to a place of security. With a bayonet one of the men cut his clothing, cloth-ing, when a Mauser hole was seen Just above the heart, where the bullet entered, en-tered, passing through his body and coming out between the shoulders, near the spine. The man said no more at the time. His wounds were bound by sympathetic hands. All except the wounded man returned to the firing line. The Spanish Are was heavy, and kept up for four hours, occasionally a soldier dropped out, wounded or killed. When all was quiet the officer and one of his soldiers returned to see if the young man was yet alive. They found him sitting against a small tree. His first words were: "Bill, give me a cigarette." The man is living to-day. Just about the time this man was wounded a man in the next company on the right suddenly threw down his bayonet jumped to his feet, paused for a second or two, looking in the direction direc-tion of the Spanish trenches, then threw both hands to his breast, saying "I'm hit." He turned about and walked into the dense thickets of cactus and Spanish bayonet, and was never seen nor beard of again. He undoubtedly crawled far back into the heavy tropical trop-ical growth and died, where the vultures vul-tures claimed him. One of the coolest men who ever received a wound was an infantryman at San Fernando, in the island of Luzon, on the 16th of June. The insurgents made a determined deter-mined effort to retake the town early on the morning of that day. They opened up simultaneously from every quarter, and the kind and variety of missiles used would be beyond the wildest expectations of that sweet-throated sweet-throated midnight serenader, the thomas-cat. Out of an old smoothbore smooth-bore cannon they threw railroad-Epikes, railroad-Epikes, horseshoes, old clocks, lemon squeezers and cobble stones. From their Remingtons they shot large cubical cu-bical and irregular shaped lead slugs. One of these struck this cool man high In the right groin, deeply inbedding Itself. The pain must have been excruciating, ex-cruciating, for the man was terribly lacerated. He hobbled to his company commander, saluted, and asked permission permis-sion to fall out and lie down, as he had been hit. He was lying near a road where his comrades passed to and fro during the entire fight, but no one heard a word or a groan out of him unless he was spoken to. Safety of Officers. New OrleanB Times-Democrat: "Our own experience in Cuba and the Philippines, Phil-ippines, and the recent experience of England in South Africa," said an old soldier yesterday, "is certain to result in some new army regulations, framed especially for the protection of officers in battle. It is plain that something must be done to diminish the picking off of the men in command; if not, the engagements of the future will resolve re-solve themselves into a mere question of shoulder-strap sharp-shooting, it being a conceded fact that the quickest quick-est way to put an army hors de combat com-bat is to rob it of its brains. The cuptom of standing up unnecessarily under fire is already being sternly discouraged, dis-couraged, and I'm sure it will be gladly abandoned. No man enjoys exposure ex-posure of that kind, and all that Is needed to insure ordinary prudence is the knowledge that it will be indorsed by public opinion. The more serious question to be considersd is that of uniform. At present every officer is a target by reason of the distinguishing distinguish-ing marks of his dress and equipment, and in many of the historic English regiments special pains have been taken tak-en to render them as strikingly conspicuous con-spicuous as possible. That is well enough in barracks or ou parade, but in action it lacks the first element of common sense. Modern warfare has become an exceedingly practical business, busi-ness, and I predict that the next 12 rscnths will see the removal of all marks of rank in the service dress of at least company officers who are naturally the ones most exposed. There Is absolutely no reason why a captain or a lieutenant should adver- the fact by his clothes. They entify him not to his own men, who pw him well enough without any I but to an enemy, anxicus to m over and end his usefulness. 8 a sword is of no service to draw fire; which time, and shoulder ace attract bullets as s iron filings. All obsolete trappings spectacular dis- ace, and when a n actual battle -HZ Accept V N Vo 1 a 1 - to distinguish the ofScers from the privates. Th td-vantages td-vantages of such a system are so obvious ob-vious that they hardly admit of an argument. I look to see some stepa taken in that direction In the very near future." Lincoln and Pickett. Among the personal friendships interrupted in-terrupted but not ended by the civil war, one of especial interest was be tween Abraham Lincoln and George E. Pickett. Lincoln was much the older, and when he was an influential figure in Illinois politics, young Pickett was ambitious to enter West Point. Lincoln Lin-coln secured an appointment for him, and while he was at the academy wrote him many letters of kindly, almost fatherly, advice. Mrs. Pickett quotes from one of them in her memorial volume vol-ume to her husband, "Pickett and his men." "I have just told the folks here In Springfield," wrote Mr. Lincoln, "on, this one hundred and eleventh anniversary anni-versary of the' birth of him whose name, mightiest in the cause of civil liberty, still mightiest in the cause of moral reformation, we mention in solemn sol-emn awe, in naked, deathless splendor, that the one victory we can ever call complete will be that one which proclaims pro-claims that there is not one slave or one drunkard on the face of God's green earth. Recruit for this victory." At the close of the letter he said: "Now, boy, on your march, don't you go and forget the old maxim that 'one drop of honey catches more flies than a half-gallon of gall.' Load your musket with this maxim, and smoke it in your pipe." Pickett remembered, for there was not a drop of gall In his whole life. Short as was Mr. Lincoln's time when he passed through Richmond after its surrender, he went to the old Pickett home to hunt up his friend and former partner. Gen. Pickett's uncle. Ha asked about the general himself, and then for the general's wife. When Mrs. Pickett heard the caller ask for George Pickett's wife, she went forward with her baby in her arms. "I am George Pickett's wife," she said. "And I am Abraham Lincoln." "The president?" "No. Abraham Lincoln. George's old friend." Seeing the baby's outstretched arms, Mr. Lincoln took him and kissed him. As Lincoln restored the baby te his mother he said, in that deep and sympathetic voice which was one of his greatest powers over the hearts of men: "Tell your father, the rascal that I forgive him for the sake of youl mother's smile and your bright eyes." Dewer Put the Fire Ont. President Brown of Norwich university, uni-versity, the military school at North-field, North-field, Vt was formerly a naval officer, and is a warm friend of Admiral Dewey. He recently told the story ot an amusing experience which fell to the lot of Admiral Dewey while he was serving as executive officer on the Cciorudo at the close of the civil war. "A new officer on board a ship," said President Brown, "is put through a 'course of sprouts' by the 'jackies' the common sailors who are pretty skillful at that sort of hazing. It is often disagreeable and embarrassing for the new officers, but the sailors usually manage it so cleverly that they keep within the regulations. One of the rules on board ship is that tho men shall not carry matches. A lantern lan-tern is kept burning for the convenience conven-ience of smokers. As young Dewey came on deck early one morning, one of the Colorado rough-set characters said to a shipmate, who was confined with him in the 'brig,' or ship's prison. In a tone loud enough for Dewey to hear: 'Bill, I've got some matches in my pocket, and I've got a blamed good notion to burn this old ship under his feet.' Dewey didn't say a word, but immediately turned on his heel and rang the fire-bell, at the same time calling out: 'Fire in the brig! Such an alarm, so early in the morning before the men had tumbled out of their quarters, was unwelcome, but in .a few seconds the decks swarmed swarm-ed with half-dressed sailors, who manned man-ned the four powerful fire nozzle? which protected the brig. Of course. Dewey, as executive officer, directed the streams, and in a few moments two very wet, very cold, very mucb disgusted and half-drowned sailori were howling for mercy. Dewey shouted: shout-ed: 'Fire out! Make secure!' TheE he turned to the dripping sailors and said: 'I guess those matches of youn are too wet to do much damage now." " Youth's Companion. A Will In Two Piece. The will of Eli A. Smith of Perrj township, offered for probate, ha; caused some trouble to the probatl commissioner, says the Indianapolii News. The will was written on a pag of letter paper, which evidently hao proved too short to contain all that th writer wanted to say, and was continued contin-ued on another scrap of paper, the two being pinned together. The scrap bor tie signature of Mr. Smith and attesting attest-ing witnesses. Mrs. Smith, the bene fu-iarv of the will, has therefore, had U introduce evidence of persons who 1 were present when her husband signed I the will. Among other witnesses she j introduced Benjamin Morgan, trustee i of Perry township, who swore that he i wrote the will and could not get it or. one piece of paper, so he continued i1 on the scrap and pinned the two together. to-gether. Other evidence will also b6 offered to show that the pinning was done before the will was executed. A Railway of Six Thousand SI Hps. The distance from Cape Town to th capital of Egypt, as the crow flies, is about 5,000 miles, but it is estimated that the railway, being debarred from following a straight line, will lengthen length-en out to nearly 6.000 miles. Lake? Tanganyika, Nyanza and Nyassa would furnish 1,000 miles of waterway and relieve the land project, to that extent. ex-tent. It is understood, however, that Mr. Rhodes prefers the unbroken communication com-munication of iron road. At the present pres-ent moment two important sections ol the line are in operation. That from Cape Town to Buluwayo covers 1,360 miles, and at the other end of the system sys-tem Cairo is connected with Khartoum, Khar-toum, over a length of 1,300 miles. In this way 2,660 miles of railway are accounted for, every part of which is in working order; and Mr. Rhodes hopes to fill in the intervening space by 1910, at an outlay of about $60,-000,000. $60,-000,000. And George Said "Veil." Maud (earnestly) I want to ask you a question, George. George (also earnestly) earn-estly) What is it, dearest? Maud (still earnestly) If you had never met me, would you have loved ma just the same? Paternity .Encouraged. French parents po3sessin;j seven or more children have certain exemptions from taxation. In France there ar6 150,000 families so exempted. Spsaking of critical situations, th man who Is getting $20 a wesk, and earning only $18, holds one. M r ;i |