HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Advocate, 1899-12-21, Page 9IN THE HOLY LAND
'CHRISTMAS DAY AS IT NOW IS IN
BETHLEHEM.
-
he Modernity ot Jerusalem-- The
Scene oe the Nativity-Inconsrnons
Visitors In the Sacred, Grotto.
Christmas Night Rituals.
"All aboard for Jerusalem, Ramleh,
Artouf and the tomb of Sainsoni"
The poet Lamartine, avriting of the
Holy Land in his "Meditations" sixty odd
years ago, tells of buying an arsenal of
pistols, sabers and other weapons to arm
• bis company against the Greek pirates
who infested the archipelago sea and of
divers other dangers which made the
journey to Jerusalem full of dauger and
excitement,
'Nowadays an uneventful sail on out) of
the Messagerie's steamers brings oue to
Alexandria. Another stop muss at Port
Said, just long enough to take a cocktail
serve tt solemnly tby a barkeeper in a white
cravat, Ws establishment being in a six
story building of iron framework, with
nothing in the least oriental about its
Then the next naming your boat is bob-
bing up and down in sight of Jaffa. The
deek swarms with priests and ecclesiastic-
al travelers, representiug all the countries
and religions in the civilized world, and
Kane that are not civilized, which puts
tho sailors in a bad humor, as they be-
lieve that rriests on board bring bad luck.
OlOsa hy the sea at a short tileanuce from
the city a . railway station stands, a- little
oue, it 1 true, but genuine.
It is a strange experience lacleed riding
to Jerusalem behind a pulling and whis-
tling locomotive.
After haviag passed through fragrant
gardens the line opens Into a plain famous
in Bible history as the garden of Pales-
tine. Thifi Wilft the land af Otaman, tho
country of the Pitiliatines spreading away
under our eyes in the clear oriental atmos-
phere, bounded in the distauce by the
vague blue lines of the raountains of Ju-
ana.
The train rushes onward, and now tlae
distant points ot the mouateins of Judtea
grow plainer. Ott the right in the Ws -
tame a whiteapoint marks the tomb ot
Samson and a little further ou a second,
white point, to the left this time, is said
to show the piece where be was born.
Finally one reaches Jerusalem, ana•
spite of dreams and spiritual exaltation it
is iflaposentle to dent' that the first effect
Is diseepainting. Ono passes into the
Holy taty through etrects and aVPW.1(74
V1:1.t ramble nellarg SO marsh as //Le
omit railive thoroughfares whieb run out
of Pule from the .t.tt. Caen qumter.
There ie nothing in the least, orimial
about them. Instead of Zion and GOT -the,
one se: A 0111,y red issifs and lora now
nikl-
1ng with anomettnoiss lines of tvintiows
which look' like 'hospitals and orphan asy-
lums. •
. Passing outalo tbo walla of Jerusalem
ono traverses the valley of Gehenna, sees
Job's well with its white °Imola and then
finds himself matt:wing up the slepee of
Mount Mon, whicli stands to the left.
Continuing alma tbe road one passes a
Jewish city whirh was commenced by Sir
Moses Itionteftere with the idea that it
would be inhabited by poor people of the
Hebrew faith, and of late years crowds of
this persecuted race bay° been coining to
the hind of theiraneestors and to this par-
stioular eitafrom ail parts of the world.
Arrived at Bethlehem Ono naturally
hastens to see the scenes of the Nativity,
full of oxtectation and yet ready to be dis-
appdinted, The Mount of Olives, Golgotha,
the snored sepulchre, all were in my eyes
-spoiled for the want of that exquisite sim-
plicity whieb had filled my childish vi -
elms. Everywhere the ardor of the' faith-
ful has shown itself in upsetting and im-
proving things in a deplorable mintier.
Passing throuith theparrow and crooked
street which ems Bethlehem into two
parts one filially mulles the extremity of
the burg and finds himself In an oblong
square, which in its turn opens into an
esplanade paved witb stone, bore and there
showing openings into cisterns wbich
served for bapastus and for ablutions
among former generations of Christians.
,In those dayeit was the usage to wash be-
fore entering the sanctuary.
A curious scene is here on the very bor-
der of the place of the Nativity. On ono
-side a bprial ground with white tombs, on
• two other sides rows of bare'high walls,
la
like a fortress or a prison. ere and there
-,windows pierce the walls,but no doors.
One looks about him mystilled. but finally
disoovors a black hole in and out of which
people aro pessing almost on all fours, so
low is it. This is the ohief entry to the
sanctuary of the Nativity. Having passed
through this hole, one Ends himself in a
large ball divided by four colonnades and
surmounted by a roof flanked by heavy
beams. People stand about talking and
smoking, children play, Tuticish soldiers
-sew up their uniforms, women give suck
to 'their infants, fakirs offer oranges, beads
and candies for sato, while Greek and
Franciscan monks hurry about as if on
bustness of pressing importance. Former-
ly, I. am told, the Arabs used to stable
their sheep here.
But this is not the stable where Jesus
was born, and ono is some time in discov-
ering it. On the left two Turkish soldiers
• with rifles are stretched lazily on a bench.
One is asleep, the other yawns. In front
of them a circular stairway goes down to
a door which seems to indicate a crypt.
The door passed, one continues the descent
by a narrow staircase until he comes to
two other Turkish soldiers, this time
standing up,"with guns on the iloor, and
on the left, lighted by banging lamps; is
the following inscription: "Hie de Virgine
Maria, Jesus Christus, Natus Est" (here
Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin
. Mary). We are in the stable.
Tbis discovery is much of a surprise,
and one's first movement Is for protestra
• tion, for the simple reasonthat nothing
„ at all ' like a stable is apparent. We are
In a grotto. To this objeotion the reply is
made that in olden tin:WS it was the cus-
eons in Palestine to use, grottos for stables,
• .At night the Christmas service in Beth-
lehem :begins at 10 d'elock with a pontif-
ical' Mass celebrated at .the Franciscan
• church near the basilica. The richest
vestments are worn fqr this office, these
baying been presented In the name of the
Frenchropublic by alanchal MacMahon.
This first ceremony is concluded about
midnight, and then a long•procession with
candles in hand .moves toward the grotto
of the Nativity.' First' comes • the cross
bearer, followed:1)y Franciscan monks and
mow bors of other religious bodies. The
patriarch comes last, and directly behind
, him, at the bead of the laymen,. walks tho
French consul With his attendants.
Only these who precede the patriarch
carry candles, but ti3at dignitary bears in
his band with infinite precantilm a beau-
tiful little &lid in e.,3x, which with sweet
smile seems almost en the point of erying
out. The divine child rests in a Manger
on silken cushionrise colored Dead em.
broidered, with gold, At its feet are &ebbe
of fine lace and under the cushion stands
a straw bed, whose projeetiug thorns call
to mind the memory of Christ's sufferings.
The cortege, having traversed the tran-
sept of the basilice and descended into the
grotto of the patriarch, stops in front of
the spot where the obild Jesus was born.
The patriarch places the manger and child
In the hands of one of his followers and
begins to chant the story of the Nativity
as told by St. Luke. Then the prelate
takes the child again and, placing it upon
a silyer star, contiuues the service with
modifications of the sacred text appropriate
to the oecasion and, the spec:dal surround-
ings, As the prelate says the words which
tell how the Holy Mother brought into the
world her firstborn Son he takes the child
again, wraps it in line laces and. chants:
'And here they waapped it in clothes?
Then he walks to the marble manger
and places in it the image of the newborn
child, at the same time chanting the
Words:
"And here they laid it In a manger be-
cause there was no place for them at the
Tbis service often lasts until 2 o'clock
In the morning and is finished by a
Daum' and "God Save the Republica"
.A.11 Bethlehem watches this night. and
the people -men, women and children -
remain until day breaks with lighted can-
dles in their heads in the neighborhood of
the basilica. Everywhere one hears cries
of ley and breathes the fragrance of in-
cense. Tbe festivities become mop and
more animated as the bours wear away,
and. it would be dinieult to estimate the
quantity ot candles and bard boiled eggs
which are devoured by the perticipaats
during the nigha-New York:Herta&
THE CHILDREN'S DAY,
Olerlstmas Should De the Happiest at
Their llolidaya.
In every heMeehold special pains sbould
be taken to insure a "good time" for the
little °Iles ot the family, and in homes
Where there aro no cbildren the opportu-
nity le afforded to make it a pleasant day
for some less fortuuate little ones whose
parents bave not the means of providing
gifts and a good dinner for them.
Perhaps during the year that le nearly
gone death bas taken from your home the
child God had given you and yen mourn-
fully sit at your lonely hearth brooding
over your grief, refusing to be comferted.
It may cost an effort, and perhaps you feel
that you (=not now endure the sound of
childish voices in your silent rooms, yet
It will sureay biena, comfort to you if you
throw eff this feeling and Invite some
children to stend the day with you.
In memory of your own little one, who
now nt eds them no mare, prepare a few
gifts fur your guest% Whatever these may
be, toys or laefill articles ot which they
stand In watl, they will not fail to give
pleasure to the recipients. Let the dinner
be as gOOti as you can prepare it, and the
room ry of it will linger iong years in the
little hearts of those who partake of it. It
may bo as bread upon the waters -who
know•
.As far as possible lot the gine be suited
to tbe needs of tbe recipient The boy
whose toes ache with cold will appreciate
warm shoes, and to the little girl who has
no other bead covering than a summer
hat a new hood will be welcome.
A lady once remarked in my hearing
that she thought It a mistake to make
only gifts of wearing apparel to poor obit-
dron, even if it was needed. Children, she
said, appreciate toys, candies and nuts, or
even ornamental gifts more than they do
clothes, and that a child would get more
enjoyment out of swill things, even if he
went with cold feet and bare hands.
Be that as it may, each of us is able to
give pleasure of some sort to Bente Mild
at Christmas time. Let not this joyous
season pass while we selfishly lavish gifts
upon those whom we have every reason to
expect will return the compliment and
leave unnoticed those to whom Christmas
meansso little more, than the name. -
Philadelphia Times.
MABEI4';$. CIGAR.
4.
A naltintlee TAI.S BY ERNEST JARROI.D.
[Copyright. 1898. lay the Author.]
'NfferV4rIaltai..
tiese
eittee
M RAFFERTY
as killed before
S.antiago, The bul-
let vs hi oh ended
Tom's earthly pil-
grimage also shattered a 5 cent sugar and
perforated a tintype ot bis little daughter
Mabel. The oigar was the last token of
affeotion given by Mabel to her father be-
fore be marched away to war. Many a
night, when aching for a smoke, had Tom
taken the poor (agar out of the pocket-
book which he always arried over his
heart and by the magic of its fragrance
had conjured up the tear wet face of his
little girl as she had placed it between his
Ups, and after leaking at the cigar and
surreptitiously Itissiug it he had always
carefully wrapped it up in its covering of
tie foil again and restored it te his pocket.
Ilis comrades in Conepanet B all knew
the story of the cigar, arid when his body
was founa In the obaparral and the shat -
tenni oigar in bis poelietboole it was ban-
died with tender, reverent care, as a sacred
thing, to be returned to Tom's wife in tbe
tall east side tenement in New York city.
Tilers was mourning in the house of
Tom Rafferty's widow fornumy days after
the tidings of his death, together with the
pohetbools, reached New York. The
merciful forgetfulness of 01311000d saved
Mabel from the brooding sorrow which
consumed her mother. But why ber fa-
ther had not smoked the (agar she could
not understand. Neither could she ap-
preelate why he hod not taken it to heaven.
The idea of lair father being happy in
any place where he could not smoke Was
ridiculous to her childiela fancy, for. she
could mit remember her father in his
hours of ease withou t a cigar in his Meath
But the cigar, with the hole made by the
Mouser rifle ball through the middle, was
• placed, with the other little inemoutos of
the dead man, in the bottom drawer of
tho bureau, where it was hidden from
• blabers sight for nutry months. lair
mother, however, saw it very often. Wben
-weary of tho terrible fight with poverty
In the evening %%Sam Maliel was asleep,
Mrs. Rafferty often Mk the cigar out of
ite hiding plaee and eareesed it with lin-
gering tenderneee eanee it brought heel:,
sweet itlernarielef inr "heave lad," as sae
was fond of eallina ber dead busband,
It was June is h.ai Tam was killed, and
now that lier rty W.tri Stopped poverty
pinehed the little femily staely. It'spa
(early was this trail when the winter
/maths came and the expense of fuel was
• added to the goner a outlay from Mrs.
Hafferty's slender earnings, and When ihe
ceenhor came she WU Mabel Santa Ohms
would probably not pay them his usual
visit becaueo be had gone away to a far
te jine.
otintry and could not got book again in
"And won't papa 'um any Christmas
present either?" asked Mabel anxiously.
"No, my dear," replied Mrs. Rafferty,
with quivering lip "Ile is in heaven.
Santa Claus never goes there. But never
mind, Mabel. we won't worry about it."
But all the tiine Mabel was thinking
how wretched her pnpa would be in
heaven without his Christmas slippers,
and especially his cigars. And with the
thought of the cigars there flathed across
her mind a plain so bold, so audacious,
that it nearly tool: her breath away, For-
tunately for the carrying out of bor
scheme, she fell asleep before she had time
to impart it to her mother.
It woe a sorrowful Christmas eve for
Mrs. Rafferty Sho was now living on
nfeinories. She recalled the happiness of
the previous Christmas time wbon Tom
was with her eloeecl by an uncontrol-
lable impulse, she took out of the bureau
all of the mementos of the departed -the
tear stained package of letters be had. sent
her from Cubathu picture of Mabel with
the bullet hole through the breast and,
last, the cigar. Overcome by her grief,
she threw herself upon the bed, forgetting
In her anguish to replace the keepsakes in
their customary hiding place.
Christmas day broke bright and clear
over the city. In her preparations for
breakfast in the kitchen Mrs. Rafferty for-
got that she had left her precious memen-
tos exposed upon the bureau. Just as
she closed the door softly behind her on
her way to the grocery Mabel awoke.
While putting on her clothing she sew the
cigar upon the bureau. She peered into
the kitchen and saw that her mother was
gone. With her heart beating a lively
tattoo against her ribs she seized the cigar
and ran down the stairs.
Pedestrians paused as they saw a little
girl flit by with eager face and disappear
in the crowd. How she got there was al-
ways a mystery, bue svithin an hour after
leaving home she stood before a delivery
windosv.in the Now York postoffice. The
top of her golden head just reached tho
window ledge. The clerk looked down
into a pair of wistful blue oyes.
"Please, sir," said Mabel, "I want to
send a Christmas present to my papa."
"Where is your papa, you little cherub?"
said the clerk. •
"In heaven," replied Mabel simply.
• "In heaven I" echoed the clerk aghast.
"Yes, and Mamma says Santa Claus
never goes there, so I want to send him a
present ell by myself. Mamma don't
know anything abont it, and nobody don't
know but Me. I want to send it all my-
self."• And she , laid upon the window
ledge a little roll of brown paper. The
clerk opened it and displayed a most dis-
reputable cigar. Ele bit his lip. He had
a little daughter of his own at home.
• Seeixig his hesitation, the tears filled Ma-
• bel's eyes as she exclahned:
. "Oh, sir, please do .send itl Don't the
•oars run today? My papa can't get no
cigars in heaven, 'cause mamma says they.
don't sell 'ems Do, please, sir, send it!
It's mine. I bought it for papa befnre he
went to Wart 'What time does the car go?
I'm afraid my present will be tee late 1'.'
By this time the clerk had recovered his
self possession. Re picked up a time table
of the Hudson River railroad and appar-
ently road from, it:.
• "Blest mail train leaves for Paradise
today at • 1O80 o'clock. 'Little girls your
papa will get your present before supper
tonight."
so glad!" exclaimed Mabel,
her face irradiated with. 'smiles as apple
blossoms light up an otchatd.
When the policeman turned over Mabel
to her mother an hour later, lie had a brief
talk with Mrs. Rafferty in .the 'hall and
gave her the cigar, which had been given
• to him by the postai aerie But Mabel
• still thinks that the cigar has long since
been 'burned to ashes in the kingdom pf
the blessed.
A Christmas Fable.
The Roots of the old sycamore tree,
which
extended deep into the ground beslde the
Brook, were disposed to make merry with
it.
"You have no Chriitraas," said the
Roots jeeringly. "You may have a good
Mine in summer, when you can see and
talk with the birds and trees and flowers,
but in winter yau are imprisoned in dark-
ness under the ice. and of Christmas you
know nothing. With us it is quite differ-
ent. We arcepart of the groat tree, and
up above we can see the sun flashed back
by the frost and the smote rising in great
curls from the chimneys and the white,
furry mantle of ermine earth is wearing,
and we can hear the twitter of the snow-
birds and the tinkle of the sleighbells
and the shouts of happy people. Ob, it is
fine outside. But you, poor Brook, in
your dark prison, you bear nothing and
see nothing and know nothing."
But the Brook only laughed. "You are
very much mistaken," it said, "if you
think I have no Christmas. On the con-
trary, Uhrisiimas time down here is one of
joy and brilliancy. It is neither dark nor
lonely beneath tho ice. There is a strange
phosphorescent light which is sometimes
wonderful, and. I frolic ameng the stones
and cresses in winter just as I did in sum -
nen There is a jolly group of acquaia-
tames here too. The great pickerel splash
about, and the muskrats come down out
of their houses, and the'naink dives to
drift from me haunt to another in the
bank, and the crawfish are as sociable as
Per. I gurgle and dance among them
and sing a Christmas carol when the time
comes, and we are very happy.
"But that is not all," the Brook con-
• tinued. • "You forget the • airholes.
Through them I look up and see the stars..
•They are far brighter to me than to you,
because I look at them with nothing,
,•earthly in sight. Ah, but they are always
bright on Christmas eve! They shine then
with a radiance never seen at any other
time, and we gather about the airlioles,1
all the company of us, and watch them
and their glory. It seems then as if each
star Rim a Star of •Bethlehem, tolling of
the coaling of the Christ child, It is won-
derful and beautiful, and we are glad. Do
not tellene that there is no Christmas be-
neath the the."
And the Brook gargled by joyously. -
Chicago News.
Ortgin of oittatairing-
The custom of giving Christmas pres-
ents is said to have originated in Spain.
During the revels of Chriettnat eve, whm
the booths and bazaars were thrown wide
open, the ent-tdcap revelers were accustomed
to going from booth to booth, purcbasing
such articles as struck their fancy, and in
the high carnival which followed these
purchases were exchanged indiscraninata
ly. The opportunity thus afforded of ex'
changing secret love tokens gave rise to M
greater diseriasination in the presents se-
lected and is the earliest record of Christ -
was preseuts. --Exchange.
PULLING SANTA CLAUS' LEG.
Santa Claus sat in his easy chair
By the fireside. bright and werm,
Looking contented and debonair
As he harked to the outside storm.
He toasted his bands and his little red
toes
ley the firelight's cheerful gleam, -
Ana his rosy cheeks and lolly, fat nose
Glowed like a poet's dream.
13ut see! Fits head nods to and fro,
His hands fall supine in his lap.
And hark: That sound was a snore. 1
know-
Santy was taking a nap.
And that's where Toddle and Tot and
Wee
Found him one winter's night
.And clapped their hands and danced
with glee
At the very unusual sight.
They knew full well, for they'd often
heard
From old granny's lore so deep
That Santy was boulid to keep his word
Given when caught asleep,
So Toddle and Tot took a shoulder each.
Close up to Santy's ear.
And Wee climbed up within easy reach.
Where he could both see and hear.
They wished for Christmas gifts galore,
So dear to the heart of a mild.
Till Santa Claus quite forgot to snore
And nodded his head and mailed.
Then home ran Toddle and Tot and Wee
And snuggled up warm to bed
And dreamed of a fairy Christmas tree
In colors et gold and red.
Then Santa Claus woke. "Oho." quoth
he.
"-mat anent my lett side limb?
It's longer by far than it ought to her
I'm avictim flim-flatnefinni
Ho, slave: Quick: Harness my reindeer
team!
Fetch Snewflake, Frosty and Meg,
For while I dozed off In a iazy dream
The babies have puttee my leg!"
-New York Sun.
Didn't Want Ulm Frightened.
She was rather entail to be running
around by herself. and when she entered
the Wilco every ono instinctively looked to
see if some one was not with her How
ever, she was totally oblivious to the sur
prise she was oreatiag and marched
straight to the nearest desk in a pretty
businesslike way that made the wbole of-
fice fritsndly to her
"Please, sir. do you own our buildiuge
MAN HOSPITAL SUR
The
"What building is your building little
one?" he returned
•"'Why. it's a alg flat building out in
Bede Park." she answered, and atter a
moment's tboughtshe gave laux the street
anii number
"Weil, we don't own It," explained the
Mall at the desk, -but we repreeent the
owner Do yuu live there?'
"Yes, sir; I live there with my papa and
my mamma, and I telt' my papa that If he
waelitin't come clown and see you I would
I gimes I ain't afraid of yen!'
"Uf =wee not said the man at the
deek, indignant at the thought that so
pretty a child should be afraid of him "I
wouldn't have you afraid of me for any-
thing. But what is it you want?"
"I want that sign taken down,' she
said, with determination
"What sign?" asked the man at the
desk, vainly endeavoring to think what
the offending sign could he, and inwardly
determined that, whatever it Was, it shouid
conic down if he could possibly arrange it
"The sign that's right on the front
door," replied the child.
"I don't remember any sign on •the
front door. What does it say?"
"It says, 'Peddlers and Beggars Not
Allowed In This Building,' " explained
the child.
"Oh, that sign exclaimed the man at
the desk, "Why, that's on nearly every
fiat building in the city What harm does
it dor'
The little girl's eyes opened wide in stir.
prise at the absurdity of the question.
"I guess you never saw Santa Claus, did
you?" she asked.
"No -I10, I guess not," replied the man
at the desk, rather startled by the ques
tion.
"Well, when he acmes along with his
pack on his back," she said in a tone of
conviction, "that sign will just about
scare him away, 'cause he'll know if the
janitor sees hint he'll be put out. I told
papa, but he only laughed and said he
guessed he wouldn't bother you about it
but I ain't afraid of you, and I want you
to take the sign down right away,"
When the man at the desk had recovered
from his surpsise sufficiently, he effected
a compromise by the terms of which the
offending sign is to be taken down the
day before Christmas and not put back
again until the day after. -Chicago Post.
The PhIllonophy of Faith.
Do you remember 'how broken hearted
you were when you found out that your
patron saint, your dear, mysterious Santa
Claus, was a myth? You spent days and
nights wondering how he could get down
the chimney without covering himself
with soot and powdering all tho presents
he must drag down with him with coal
dust and smoke You examined as care-
• fully as you could the length and breadth
of the chimney; you speculated as to how
he could make the descent without drop-
ping suddenly, since there was nothing
inside the chimney to which he could
cling. Did he use a tiny ladder? Perhaps
But your wise father and mother had
'never seen the ladder, and, besides, there
wasn't room enough in the chimney for
Santa, ladder and packet But, then,
wbat mattered all these perplexing, trou-
blesome questions, since Christmas morn-
ing your stocking was full to overflowing
and not the slightest trace of soot on a
single gifti Once upon a fateful day you
discovered that your new doll, bearing the
euphonious name of Mineie Christmas,
was clad in a frock of blue and white, ea-
atitly like your little sister's cloak. Here
was a mystery. • Llow aid Santa Clitus get
that piece of the new cloak? Yeulapealed
immediately to your mother, who admit-
, ted that it was a siugular coincidence, and
from that moment -the suspicions of the
truth haunted your troubled heart. When
the next Christmas dawned, with your
maturer • knowledge yoti • annomieed
maurn fully, "I guess I won't hang up my
stooking-there isn t any Santa Claus
and he never did come down the chim
ney1"-Washington Posi.
Gift of an American to the
British Government.
Will Celt the Owner Several Thousand
Dollars a atontia
All the world has been astonished
by the generosity of Mr. B. N. Baker,
of Ealtimote, who has lent the
American owned steanislxip Maine to
the British Govenunent as a Itespital
ship in the South African win'. The
use ef the steamship has not only been
offered, but all operatiug expenses
will be paid. by Mr. 33alter as long as
we need the vessel. We may also
make any alteratioas in the construc-
tion for hospital service.
The wages of the Captain of the
Maine are about $100, the three mates
and. three engineers average $60 eacb,
and the Crew Of thirty-two seamen,
and firemen get $25 a month each,
making a. total of $1,500. Mr. Baker
will pay the officers and men every
lifeasage of the Christ Chtld.
The Christ Child was born to the chil-
• dren
• All on a Christmas day,
His cot was a lowiy manger,
Hie bed was a bed of hay.
The message be brought from his Father
Is for children to love and obey -
A gift from a homeless stranger,
And given on Christmas' day.
So each little one who knows him --
Who in this would have a part -
it home may make for the Christ Child
Itt his own pure, loving howl.
• -Chicadeo Evening Post.
ASCENT OF FIRST BALLOON.
Thirty-One*Thousaud. ro<.ple Witnessed.
theSightin 1783.
The balloon, as a successful contriv-
ance for aerial navigation, even with •
all inob.eria improvements, has up to
this zeInained In Statil quo- Ths-
niest recent use of the machine has
been in conneotion with experiments
in science, though a voyage has lust
been, made by Mr. Spencer from the
Crystal Palace across the English
Channel. The contrivance itself Gan -
not be termed an entirely modern in-
vention, inasmucb as so fax back as the
last quarter of the 17th century a
learned. priest a the jesait Order,
Pierre Francoise Tana, Published a
folio volume on a proposed method. of
aerial navigation. This project was
•enthusiastically taken in. hand by
Paris firm of rich paper manufactur-
ers, but it Wa$ B.Ot till several years
after this that the idea. itself May b&
said to have proved quite feasible.
On August 2atla, 178$, $1,000 people!
crowded the Champs de Mara to see
the ascent of the new wonderful eller-
thirty days' The Maine huree tesrentY" iot through the At five o'clock
two tons of coal. daily, and, calculat- the boom a a eanyton slut annatinced
ixtg this at three dollars a ton, the
coal hill each month will be $1,99. that the experiment was about to cont.
Stores for the ship's operation and the r.e0 the utter amazement a
t
foods will amount to $1,000 every he vast multitude of spectators, Os
thirty days. Then there is an baser- inflated. globe, liberated from the
restraint, rose
ance premium of six or seven per bonds which held it in
with such extraordinary velocity as,
cent. on the ship's valuation 0fal.00,-
000 to be carried. It will be seen that in the short interval of two miurttesa
to remit an altitude of close :von five
it will cost between $4,000 and. 4•090 thousand feet over the earth. As soen
a mouth to operate the Maine. At as the balloon was observed piercing
et: 000Eam. 0 tittle the Sof hi -P lottifs' her cloud after eloud, shouts of wonder -
monthly earnings frota $5,000 to went 'rent the air. Owing to some.
The Maine belongs to the fleet of mistake in imlation the silken sphere
burst open, and fell in fragments to
twenty-five vessela owned by the At- the earth. The first balloon ascended.
lentil:: Transport line, which operates
between New York, Philadelphterminglea with wool, beneath the
ia. by burniug a IleaP clamp straw2
Baltimore and London, Mr. Baker is machine. Sucla a contrivance, Of
president of the company. The ships course, touched merely the fringe a
are owned by Americans, but are sail- the experiment, till in 17.52, after re-
ed 'under the British flag, becausepeated trials, it was discovered that
they can bo constructed and. operated
more cheaply than 'antler the Stars by rarefying; the air, and then Milan:
the balloon, it rose without any difda
and Stripes. The head office of the
compauy is at Baltimore. Shortly culty. The Doke of Aryll, prot !dent
g
of the Aeronaraleal Society of. Great
after war was declaaed Mr. Deer eent lleizaiu, tells us m hie able volume,
t'm following ca.blegram to the coma tho the secret
pauv's agents in London.: failure FO far, A balloon, says Ida
"Offer Iler Majesty's Government
the choice of steamers mil irts .1-eltulre baeritetet;Piti'ap"01-f.:1-eeSi:/11:51algetidviereittereed'
laud and Montana as hospital ship enabling it to reaiat the currents of air
duting the continuance of the war, into which it has plunael, and. be -
fully manned: abaolutely free, with CaUSO if it had such a force, it could
permission to make any alterations
necessary."
The reply read:
"The government accepts offer,
Maine will be accepted."
The Maine is now at Loudon, and
the daily press despatches tell how
the Am.erioan. women of Loudon are
raising thousands of dollars to fit out
the ship, and •firms are falliig over
one another to supply free everything
needed from the ships washing to
docking. the Maine.
Mr. Baker states that he offered the
vessel through an appreciation of the
protection offered his ships while tm-
der the British flag.
The Maine is a steel stetuner, 816
feet long, 40 feet wide, and 2934 feet
depth of hold. She registers A780
tons gross, and was built in West
Hartlepool, England, in 1887. She
has triple expansion engines and. six
bulkheads. Captain Frederick Stone
is her master.
M.r. Baker is one' of the first citizens
in the business and social life of Bal-
timore, and he is described as not only
a great financier, but a "hustler."
He received the news of the loss of the
steamship Mohegan on the Manacles
in the English Channel by long dis-
tance telephone at midnight at his
country home in Catonsville, a suburb
ten miles from Baltimore. He deem-
ed it his duty to go at once to the
scene of the great -wreck. He hastily
packed up a few valises, ordered out
his team and drove to Baltimore,
reaching the city about two ix the
'morning. He chartered a special loco-
motive and car to carry him to New
York. He reached there at eight in
the morning, and at nine was on the
deck of a six day steamer which was
pulling out from her pier and headed
for Europe.
"J When Spain and the United States
began hostilities Mr. Baker lent the
Missouri to the U. S. Government un-
der the same conditions on which the
Maine has been lent to Great Britain.
She was operated by her regular offi-
cers and mew at an expense of thous-
ands of dollars every month for nine
months. Between August, 1898, and.
May, 1899, she carried 1,566 wounded
and sick soldiers from Cuba and Porto
Rico to the United States. • Twenty-
seven died •during the voyages and
twelve were buried at sea, but hun-
dreds were saved.
The Navy Department having made
a regular hospital ship of the Mis-
souri, the the IT. S. Government pur-
chased her last jam:, and she is now
on her way to Manila to bring • home
the ill and inlayed. •
What Stust ne Taken Away.
The people of these • islands know
that Lord Salisbury is speaking the
rigid truth when he says that we have
not engaged in this war, as a nation,
from any craving for gold fields Or for
territory. But since it is, abundantly
clear that no paper guarantees will
bind the Boers, it is impotsible to
carry on the task. we have set. before
us -the attainment of equal right for
all -without taleing away -the totritor-
id power and the military ptivileges
that have been abased to the injury
of our peaceable and . law-abiding fel-
low subjects and to the danger of the
Empire. -The Times.
find on fulerum or resisting raedium.
against which to exert it. A. balloon
becomes. as it ave.re, part of the atmos-
phere, but must lit;ZP its eliallee
space Br go with the air, wherever the
current travels.
Lord Wolseley',. Last Sperce.
In a recent speech Lord Wolsely
said:
"There is no ortestion about ruling
the Trausvaal or Orange Free State -
the one great question that has to be
fought out between the Dutch in.
South Africa and. the English race, is
who is to be the predominant power
-whether it is to be the Boer Repub-
lic or the English Monarchy. Well,
if rat all underatand and lthow the
people of this nation I can see but one
end to it, and it will be the end that
we hope for and have looked for. But
I would warn evei7 man who takes
an interest in this subject not to im-
agine that war ca.n ever be carried.
on like a game of chess or sante ether
game in which the most powerful. in-
tellect wins from the very first. War
is a game of ups and downs, and you
may rest assured that it is impossible
to read in history of any campaign
that has ever been. a march of triumph.
from beginning to end. Therefore,
if at the present moment we are
suffering from disappointment, be-
lieve me those disappointments in
many ways are useful to as. We have
fouud that the enemy who have de-
clared war against us -for they are
the aggressors -are ranch more -power-
ful and numerous than we anticipat-
ed. But at the same time, believe me
that anything that may have taken.
place lately to dishearten the English
people has had a good effect -it has
brought us as a nation closer together
-the English speaking people of the
world have put their foot down, and.
intend to carry this thing through, no
matter what may be the consequeuces.
• "I have the greatest possible confi-
dence in British soldiers. I have live&
n their midst many years of ray life,
and am quite certain of this, that
wherever their officers lead they will
follow. • If you will look over the list
of.casualties lately you will find that
the British officer has led them well.
•Certainly, he has not spared himself
he has not beau in the background.
He has suffered, • unfortunately, and
expect to suffer, and ought to suffer,
and. I hope most sincerely and. truly,
'whatever may be in store for us,
whatever ba,ttles there may be in this
war, that when we read the list of
casualties there will be a very large
proportion of officers sufferers as well
as men. It would be most unworthy
of our aanny and of our nation if our
officers did not lead, and if they
lead they must suffer as well as those
who follow."
Baltic&
A Scottish paper says that between
150,000 • and • 200,000 kilts are inacie
every year. The kilted regiments of
Regulaa:s, Militia and Velma eers num-
ber seine seventeen battalions. To
these may be added the piperbelong.
ing to the Lewlancl regiments, mak-
ing in all about 14,000 mon. • As the
military kilt is only provided bienni-
ally this represents a supply a 7.000
a yew%