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Show iaSllilpH .SIJliiliiTFS "Major Inkipen," "Captain Rarehorse" WASHINGTON. Official Washing', Wash-ing', on smiles. By order of Secretary Sec-retary of War Weeks, Robert J. Quint), a J.2,400 clerk in the army adjutant general's office aud a government employee em-ployee for IS years, has been summarily summar-ily dismissed following publication of a serial novel in which he is accused of belittling and ridiculing Ma.j. Gen. Peter C. Harris, adjutant general of the army, and Col. F. W. Lewis of that office. The serial, entitled "The Lair of the White Lion," lias been running in the Beclassificationist, a small weekly published here in the interest of a "reclassification and regeneration of the civil service of the government" and edited by Quinn. Alleging that two invidious characters charac-ters in the novel are designed to portray por-tray himself and Colonel Lewis. General Gen-eral Harris had charges preferred against Quinn, alleging "conduct to the prejudice of the good order and discipline and morale of the civil service." serv-ice." Quinn countered by preferring charges against General Harris, alleging alleg-ing he had shown favoritism in the couduct of bis office and had used government gov-ernment clerks and property for private pri-vate purposes. He defended his novel as an expose of conditions which he declares should be remedied. General Harris was directed by Secretary Weeks to refund to the Treasury a sum sufficient to cover the cost to the government of printing a booklet commemorative of the general's gen-eral's son killed in France. Secretary Weeks said Genera) Harris had caused the type to be set in the War department depart-ment printing office, and that while the total expense probably would nol exceed $10 or $12, it was manifestly improper for a government oiticial to use official material and equipment for such a purpose. Dees the Mississippi ! GEORGE OTIS SMITH, director ot the United States geological survey, sur-vey, solved the old school debating societies' so-cieties' problem whether the Mississippi Mississip-pi river does or does not flow uphill and setvled the question scientifically for all time. Here is the answer : "Some describe 'down' or 'at a lowe.-level' lowe.-level' as the point nearer the center oi the earth, and consider the 'upper as the one further from the center. "If only a small area is considered this is practically true, but in referring ; to widely separated localities, such as : the source aud the mouth of the Mississippi Mis-sissippi river, such a definition would lead to an absurdity, and must there-' there-' fore be incorrect. "Now, as the equatorial radius of : the earth is about thirteen miles greater than the polar radius and as the intermediate radii differ in length between the limits, and as the source of the Mississippi is nearly 19 degrees of latitude further north than its mouth, it follows that the mouth of the river is about four miles further from the center of the earth than its source. "Therefore it would seem to run 'uphill,' 'up-hill,' but the surface of water at rest is a level surface as that phrase is usu- River Flow Up Hill? ally understood. Any particle or matter mat-ter above such a surface will be at a higher elevation, and if acted upon by natural forces alone will tend to go down toward the water. M;an sea level is the surface generally iccepted as the datum or reference plane for all topographic elevations. "The source of the Mississippi is about 1,500 feet above sea level. Therefore the unrestrained water at the source, under action of natural forces, tends to go down to sea level at the river's mouth. "The combined effect of gravity and centrifugal force makes the water run down hill, although the water actually moves away from the center of the earth in doing so." If you don't, believe him or don't understand him, go right on debating the question. American Defense THE fur s,feal islands of Alaska are endangered by the bill (II. It. 5G94) Introduced by Representative C. F. Curry of California, says the American Amer-ican Defense society. This bill transfers trans-fers to a board of five residents in Alaska, with great powers, pretty much all the national things in Alnska except ex-cept the coal mines and the national parks. When the United' States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, the fur seal iglands were, so far as then known, the most valuable thing In that great territory. For many years since then, these Islands have brought in much money to the government, interrupted in-terrupted during the period of pelagic sealing and again, to some extent, by the blundering of congress in more re- Society Is Worried cent years. Now, however, the herd is rapidly increasing and from now on should be a source of large revenue. A government department has always managed the islands and on the whole has done it very well. Now, however, by this bill it is proposed pro-posed to transfer to a board of residents resi-dents of Alaska the seal islands, the fur-bearing animals, the game and the forests of Alaska. Such action seriously seri-ously threatens the natural resources of the territory, for among residents of Alaska, as among residents of any new region, there is little thought for the future, and people generally consider con-sider only the matter of present gain of turning into money anything that can be sold. For the United States to give up for possible local exploitation exploita-tion such great potential treasure as the seal islands, is to take a great risk. The United States Js bound by treaty with other countries to pay over to them a share of the annual harvest of fur from these islands. A serious reduction in the fur seal herd of the Prlblloff islands would be a world misfortune. Fur seals are found In only a few places In the arctic and the antarctic, and ought to be closely protected. Chicagoan Says Bible Bars Photographs CHICAGO has a man who believes iu the Bible, thinks he understands It and has the courage of his convictions. Witness the following letter which has been received by the Department of State: "Secretary of State, Washington, D. C. Dear Sir In accordance with instructions in-structions given me, at the passport office of Chicago, the writer herewith desires to give the reason for failure to submit photographs with application applica-tion for passports as is usually required. re-quired. "Tho objection Is purely a religious one and is based upon a passage of the Bible found in Exodus 20:4. It is the firm conviction and belief of the writer that the making of photographs is the same as making 'likenesses' and therefore the writer cannot meet with ;bat particular requirement. "However, there is another means of Identification; namely, such as the loss of a linger. The applicant has a little lit-tle finger of the left hand missing. Cau-. not this be specified in the passport? "CAUI. W. JOHNSON."' 'Thou sJ-.rK not viake unto thee any graven irasge. or aoy likeness of any- thing that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that 1( in the water under the earth." Kx-odus Kx-odus 20:4. Tills is the verse of the Bible on which the Chicagoan stands. lie appeared ap-peared before Thomas Sell, head of ti:e passport division, and made appli-cation appli-cation for a passport to go to Norway and Sweden, where he Intended to become be-come a missionary. )u-n Johnson learned that it was necessary to have two photographs taken to attach to the passport for identification purposes, pur-poses, he refused to allow himself to be photographed. He referred Mr. Sell to the biblical passage quoted L'poii advice of Mr. Sell, Johnson wrotu the letter to Washington. |