Show r cashine washington U ton explorer finds strange cavo cave hen men W ASHING coves caves hewn in the solid rocks of sugar loat mountains sometimes to tho depth of or iso foot feet largo enough to hold from 1500 to people men who think nothing of running 40 and 60 miles a day without taking a drink of water people woo never set et etwo on fruits or vegetables towne of to inhabitants in which there la Is not a building the tho people living in holes in the earth A land of no shadows between 8 a in and 5 v ra A nation in which women are never seen these are some of the wonders described by frank edward johnson John Bon the explorer and lecturer and contributing editor of the national geographic magazine who arrived in washington after nn an absence of almost two 3 ears spent among the troglodyte tribes of tunisia mr johnson gave out hia his first interview since his upturn turn to the united after to the national geographic society in washington while in tunisia mr johnson conducted extensive researches among the hurled roman catlen and traced tha the old roman highways which have been hidden for centuries by the shifting bands sands of the sahara lie ile succeeded in fOlI following dWing for miles the route of the road that waa was built from carthage Cart hago to leptis magna and to alexandria nearly two thousand years abo ua 0 on n the trip juat just concluded said mr johnson 1 I camo came into a more intimate contact with the innermost lives of the peoples of the extreme southern tunisia than ever before and I 1 had an sm unequaled opportunity to study them at closer range than any foreigner has ever wier enjoyed there are probably more than one hundred thousand of these people in a section hitherto sup posed to bo be almost uninhabitable they are pursuing an exceedingly primitive life lire all tho the troglodyte stronghold strongholds are difficult of approach their warriors could rould see the enemy approaching for many miles unless they came by night end find thon then the zigzag path that led up to the groat great walls worn smooth b by y centuries of hard tiao lah alth a surface like polished marble was too danger oua for a stumble meant sudden death df ath on the rocks hundreds of feet below it is U difficult oven for the mountain bonts oats bom bon id bred thero them capital folk scramble S cra able for rent free houses T THERES a scramble on among hundred washingtonians for rent free tree houses during he the summer months in n the most exclusive residential districts fow few people outside llie tle capital realize that thero there are in thie this city scores of beautiful and costly homes which are aro turned over to caretakers without rent and A 1 IL with coal gaa gas and electric light bills paid on come some occasions even caretakers are paid a nominal sum to lire in the houses now Is the season when these caretakers are the busiest those who have had these positions in the past are the most active and they besiege utmost dally daily the various real estate in the city for this busi business nesa N 1 one of iho the hardest for real estate men to look after in the first place they ey must be able to judge character on the jump and bo be able to pick men aud mud women who would be capable and anis honest then after selecting the dames of applicants the agents hare bate to investigate their standing and trustworthiness in the select selection ton of the tenants widows almost always lave bave first choice A good widow with alth children la to always regarded as the best beat care wier uncle sam needs rifle ranges for civilians W WITH the probability that citizen soldiery may be called to national ice lee the national board for promotion of rifle practise of the war department haa has issued a statement explaining the need of rifle ranges for practise which alch h hp been made maee possible by the present congress in Iro providing viding for tho the 1 fre froe distribution of rifles and ammunition if I 1 to civilian rifle clubs and school VII cadets again we are faced with the possibility I 1 lity of sending untrained mined youth from their homes to the batti beld the statement says recruits can be taught to march drill and take care of themselves in the field in a corn com 44 holy lely short period but such Is not the case with ith the care and effective use of the service arm A long a tap in a the right direction was taken by the present congress when it enacted a law through a paragraph in the army appropriation bill LUt authority hority tor for the war department to issue rifles and ammu eltion free to certain civilians it Is a fundamental principle of national defense that citizens should be trained in the use of the service arm rifle instruction Is the ire c 16 d of national defense of switzerland terland it we bere ere to train our in ir the same a proportion as that small republic we would have about trained civilian expert ri rido demen oien varied lot of plants grown by the government N x connection with its investigations the smithsonian Smithson lon institution under 1 I too some years ago the collecting of A series ries df of cactuses not only berbar ini azu specimens but many examples of living punts plants were wem secured the problem of the tho care of these the living plants hile under observation osa solved through the operation cooperation co af the department of agriculture which Aj ajtai gai special no 7 at fourteenth and 13 treats northwest north for or housing them today a veritable bosert flourishes in it filled with all finds of strange desert plants especially cactuses from north and south america of which there aro perhaps in III the neighborhood of tire thousand act F A 4 the collection has much to attract the ordinary visitor no uch such collection in europe has so many unique and rare species each fach pot pat contains a label which gives the key number to record books book alyin the history of each the collection contains about twenty five flye special cless of the night bloomin ing cement cei tow several pleats plants of tho the called ro to bishops cap and some irig specimens of turk turks head evetus the photographer of the Nat loail museum makes photographs of the ao lowering plants when any special features are am to be noted thousands at c these cuttings beloff distributed by the department to the various botanical institutions throughout the world the collection Is directly under the charge of fi AL rayes ent of gardens and grounds rou oda |