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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1915-1-28, Page 6THE IEATERT WAR AREN BELGIUM'S PLAINS ABE, RED WITII BLOOD, Nearly Every Great C:omrutndo Has Fought on Iter Solt. As far (back as history reads Bel gium has been the battling -groan 08 the. races. Bekaa the dawn o ateathentic history the 'legends that 1an�el tell of battling betatron the tribes of antiquity, Quartei'n cry men, too, probably battle • therefor the supremacy, There I no doubt hub the :Celtic people coming into,\�TesEurope urope fouglr on the plains of Belgium with thus who preceded them. The first 'battle of the Aisne wa fought 1,000 years ago. The .Aisu 'river is •a short distance south o the present boundary of Belgium but it fumed the original souther boundary, and it was across th Aisne that Julius Caesar had cross to subdue the Belgians. In writing about the battles with them Caesar said: "The bravest o the Gauls are the Belgians," Onl after a terrific fight was Caesar abl to conquer these fierce people. Cae sar''s retain reason for fighting the Belgians was to get at the Germans, Running south from the Swiss Alps is a long range of mountains and hills extending into the plains of Belgium. These hills are fine places for defending armies to en- trench themselves. Only by pass- ing to the north of the hills can an invading army meet the defenders on equal terms. • These natural obstructions have made little Belgium, with its 11,373 square miles, the fighting ground of the ages. Densely Populated. In spite of the frequent invasions Belgium is the most densely popu- lated country in the world. Its pop- ulation is almost 5,000,000 people, Crowded in such a small space the people, naturally. cannot make a living from the land. The living is made chiefly, in manufacture and trade with other countries. In the earlier days Belgium was overrnrt by the migrating Teutonic tribes. The Vandals, Franks and other tribes of German peoples forcing their way into Western Eu- rope. fought on the plains of Bel- gium for a passage. They usually crussed the land, The Vikings de- scended from Denmark, Norway au,i ,weden and for several hue. dred years ravaged the coasts. They cr, a_ cl iieletum to get at the peo- ple f urther inland. In all that time Bel ail:ut was known by various nein end ..wed allegiance to vari- ou, kit It has been united with the lea ti, •rtauds. It has been part of Fi nee The Austrian and Span- iel t i tover vr it. It was part of ('testi e empire and a part of the Holy !Leman empire. For a time its princes paid fealty to the Danes hat throughout all its history the Bc igen p"• 'plc maintained their individuality in customs and lan- guai e. Above all else they have maintained their reputation for bravery and love of freedom. Many of the cities of the land have been sacked repeated lc. Take, fur instance, the city of dlfaastrieht. In the 300 years be- tween. the year 900 and 1,400 it was besieged. taken and plundered six times. In the war with Spain, ,which lasted fifteen years, it was taken by the Spaniards, the Prince of Orange, Prince Maurice, Fred- erick Henry and sucked every time. It was besieged four times in the wars between Louis XIV. and Wil- liam III., and in the Napoleonic wars. Again it was taken during the revolution of 1830. }Iaasirieht's Many Sieges. r d o That makes fifteen sieges and ere oapts for Maastricht. The woret siege probably was in 1579, when it was. captured after a siege lasting 3% months. The captors pillaged the city and butchered the inhabit- ants, Only 400 persons survived of a city of 34,000 population, Brussels also has a career of de- etr'uction. The destruction caused by the movement of German troops is not nearly as serious as the de- etruction caused 'by the movement of other troops. Brussels• was be- sieged in 1693 by the French. In 17'06 it surrendered to the Duke of Marlborough, Forty years later the French besieged it. It has been said that no great general in the history of the world, with the exception of Hannibal and Alexander the Great, missed fight ing as ihattle on Belgian soil. Na- poleon, fought bhe final battle there. That was the greatest beetle ever fought on Belgian soil unless some Rattler of this resent war have exoeeded it. The numbers then were small ooibopared with the`num- Iaers engaged• in the present oon- fliot, ;but the Battle of Waterloo was of,more sigaiiioanee bemuse it ruined Napoleon and •/prever settled his career as �theb-ehief"ruler` of Line rope. Napoleon's army. in that bat- tle numbered 1ie2,400 men• Welling - Eon's army numbered 106,900 Men. t 1i' lingto s armyconsiatBed ofinikg- IS al Mr anoverm:is, mum - ars, Nassetters, Germans and Dutch. Mother had 1.10,807 Prus- eians, Although outnumbered e]• most two to one, Napoleon entered the fight with confidence, He at- tacked Blucher at Ligny; and forced him to fall back, The :streets of Ligny were filled with dead and dying. Blucher re- formed near Waterloo and Welling- ton carne up to bear the brunt of the conflict. Napoleon's method of fighting was to divide an army and defeat the divisions in detail,: Blucher's Masterly Retreat saved his army from annihilation, Napoleon was unaible to follow up his pursuit of BluoheribeoauseWel- lington was advancing and threat- ened his flank. He had to fight Wel- lington first. If he could have'de• heated Wellington on that memor- able day 100 years ago next June 18th, he could then have turned his full force on Blucher. Wellington had the advantage 01 receiving Na- paleon's attack. He did not have to win a victory in a hurry. Delay 'was in his favor because it would give time for Blucher to reform and come up. Napoleon had to win - decisive victory quickly. Hurling his force against Wellington he pushed the fight, but Blucher came to the rescue. The tide turned against Napoleon and he fled to Paris, Leaving his dead .and wound- ed on the field to be cared for by the huspitable Belgians. That Belgium and Holland are separate countries is due probably to the feet that Spain enee forced her -ridership over the land. The countries are very closely related and there are no natural boundaries between them. The Netherlands, of which Bel- gium was a part, permitted the Spanish to rule over them until Philip II. 'became king of Spain. The people of Antwerp, .4insterdam and other seaports objected to his interference with trade. They were even then a great commercial peo- ple, War broke out. Holland, now .called the Netherlands, was more' successful in resisting the Duke of Alvis, Spain's chief general. Wil- liam of Orange out the dykes and flooded the Duke of Alva out of the lowlands, but the Spanish were more successful in the highlands. .Although the Belgian part of the Netherlands gained its 'Freedom, it took longer. In the meantime, the people living under the :Spanish in-, fluence became Catholic in religion, while the Hollanders were for the most part Protestants, In these days Protestants 'and Catholic's can live in harmony together, but 100 years ago the thing was impos- sible. Demanded Independence. tlr hn the h ers ofwaraxitsel f +Wile many, cltiAa have been dam aged, and while many cities have • been aimed' to. laav tribute to the ..Germane, yet leek of employment is at the' bottom of the greatest des tress, With the factories and shipyards • LOlti) AI,YTIJIS'I'ONE. stone dome nob remember• to have A (seen quoted. Lord Herschell, then tut z J ! < t t o r Chief n t of , z l ► • �. t 1 t i'z r l c clerk w e g 1 �, I.3'�erecdte had l k who as M ll a. a a . I Mr, , harem a Good Sto=ry. a great cltaracttsi', In the year 9n I To his a ra 'a ,r cine r es Which Mr' fustics Willies clfcd n u s' 1 s, i 1 tis Tict'sohe h er!ms back at the end 0± ' I geniality and o Teed fano,' for• tltc Lori' Vacation, •aittl emceed his others, as'mneh es to th, grr,at ie gal knot+:ledge whish placed hini, on.c Isrerk k seid,t "Noawash 8'3in paati•culi.'' the pinnacle of has profee: ion, Lord ll " Hai �r e 1 "but ltays- - : Alvcz';•tun the foz'mer Lord C:ltfef ,lVa d II soh 1 , o Justice of England, owes.that affeo= n t Choy beear aalcing cora any tionato admiration with which 'lie tiling? Oh, yes, he said, they is regarded by everyone with wham I have asked me whether we're goini6 he has oxine into contact, and by telco a puisne judgeship. Wlrta did au uiene? said hip. th r Y i ase' wh i a ee 1 r I s p have fob:owed tea c � shell. "I- said, 'Thank God rvo which, iu many wags, has been' t, *all" - Idle haven't fallen as low as ttrat! Idle the commerce Belginm had with the world is at a. standstill, Be 'cause thei�' agrietilturai 'lands are small and'the German soldiers have eatentheir food the people are starving, The atrocities against the Belgians by German soldier have been exaggerated, 'but the suf- fering !because of lack of employ- ment that'has not been exaggerated ono bit.' Belgian refugees have, thronged Holland,.Franee and England, Yet 'there are more Hien left in Belgium who cannot get away. Napoleon annexed Belgium to France. It remained a part of France until Napoleon's downfall, when the kings of Europe united: it with Holland. The Belgians were restive under Dutsh rule. Differ- ences in religion were the chief cause of dissention. In 1830, when Europe suffered from rebellion af- ter rebellion, the Belgians also de- manded independence. Placards with red letters were secretly posted one night on the street corners of Brussels defining' the following ,programme : "Mone day, fireworks; Tuesday; illumilia- tions; Wednesday,: revolution." The revolution came to pass as scheduled. The biggest fight of that war was in Brussels itself. The Belgians 'were led by a wooden - legged general from Liege. His name was C'harlier. He is one of the national heroes of Belgium. Charlier had the women make dum- mies of straw. These dummies were shoved upon the Breastworks and the Dutch would open fire. The dummies would fall (behind the breastworks to be shoved up again. The Dutch 'wasted their ammuni- tion and at the decisive time the Belgians rushed to the attack. Four days the Belgians and Dutch fought in the streets. The streets :were filled with the dead and wounded before the Dutch were finally driven out. Belgium named her own king, and sines that time has been exceedingly jealous of her independence. Belgium has been at peace with the world, except with a few small uprisings, until the present war, By industry and. skill,tbe Belgians have lbuile up A Country of Great Wealth. They are a manufacturing people and their factories turn out pro- duets for sale in all lands. What farming is done is done intensively. The farmers have only e, few acres and these acres are made to yield abundantly. Fertilization is car- ried on with the greatest care. Bel- gium owns the most :fertile lands in Africa, The 'Congo 'State pays tri- bete to Belgium. Under the reign of Leopold the Congo was cruelly governed..It( was exploited for Leo old's private gain. The stories o>f his cruelty in the Congo" astounded the world. Since his death :the Congo hes been governed with much mare consider- ation. The. greatest horrors of this pre- bent war in Belgium are due more to the shutdown of the factories ADMIRAL JELLICO.E'S MEDAL. Incident in the Life of .the Great Comma iider. Sir John Jellicoe, who leaped inlet fame when at the beginning of the war he was given supreme command of the English fleets in the North Sea, entered the navy in 1872, when be was thirteen years of age. Ten year's later, he carried olI the £80 prize for gunnery at the Royal Na- val College at Greenwich. Shortly after that feat, which is the more noteworthy because he has been in- strumental in improving the marks- manship of the fleet bee nearly thirty per cent., the was appointed a junior staff officer of a vessel under com- mand of Captain—now Lord—Fiah- er;and in 1886, when serving lythe Monarch, .he was awarded the Board'eif Trade silver medal for gal- lantry'in saving life at sea. The story is told in Tit -Bits: The incident occurred near Gi- braltar. The'erew'of a steamer had been stranded- on:a sand bank, and the seas were running so furiously that it 1poked at if: the shipwrecked mariner's might be washed away at any moment, : Young ;Jellicoe, de- spite the imminent peril, volunteer- ed to man a gig and set out over the raging waters , to see if he could effect a rescue. But the storm was too great. The boat could not live,in the seething tea, and soon capsized. Fortunate- ly, the crew were all provided with cork jackets, and, buoyed up by these; they managed to keen alive until they were washed ashore. That is how Jellicoe won his silver medal. Its loss was no less exciting. In June, 1891, he was promoted commander,'and appointed to the Vidtoaia, flagship of Sir George Tryon, in the Mediterranean, and he was in that ship when she sank off Tripoli, having been raannied by the C,aanperdoivn. When the fatal manoeuvre took place, he was on the sick list, owing to an attack of Malta fever, and his first intimation of the catastrophe canine when he felt the ships come into collision. The Victoria at once took a decided list. He leaped out of ,his berth and hurried on' deck in his pajamas. Here he met two junior officers, who were hastening below in order to secure some of their belongings. But with half an eye Jellicoe saw that such a course might prove fatal for. them. "Come to the upper deck with me," he advised; and the officers, realizing that they were beside a man who knew haw to keep his head, instantly obeyed. Only just in time however. A few moments later the Victoria began to, heel over, and all three were pitched into the sea, One of the two was killed by the propeller, but the other, although injured in his fall, was picked up with Com- mander Jellicoe, Twenty-one officers and nearly 350 men in aj,l, were drowned in that collision, . When the Victoria went down, "J. J,'s" Board of Trade silver me- dal went down with it; and, unlike its recipient, it did not come tip again. As aeon as possible he noti- fied the Board of Trade of his loss, and asked them if he could have an- other medal to replace -the one hb had lost; to which' request the Board politely replied that he could certainly have another—if lie cared to pay eor•it! e Battles of the 19th Century. During the nineteenth century 586 battles were fought. This is exclud- ing all the smaller engagements, which if reckoned along with the rest, ,bring the total up to 8,102 — that is, 81 battles per year, or a fraction over one and a half every week during the full hundred years. British battle -grounds were spread over thefoliawing nineteen coun- tries: France, India, Austria, Russia, Belgium, Egypt, America, Ashanti, Soudan, ,Afghanistan, China, New Zealand, Zeluland, Persia, Albyssinia, Burmah, Ma- thuonadand, 'Corea and the Trans- vaal, After marrying in haste many ,a poor man has tib hustle during his leisure. "Do you think 'married people Ore happy, iJncle Jake 1" "Dat 41' 'ponds atltogethei= how dey enjoy themselves." Fond Mother'—bo you defeat any elgns of genius, profestterf The Professor—Madam, I am not a de- tective. unique, Many a young; barrister, strug- gling to gain a footing has bed 011115e to bless the Hanle '01 "Dick" :r' IlIS'l'OIIIC NANCY. Webster, and many a legal gather- '.l'he City Js Beautifully find Spa - big. has chuckled with delight over . noway Planned. the stories he hes related. For Lor Alverstone c The city of Nancy, which is con- Lord sten loves ,hi good stoest stautly'mente red in the dispatches' and. tells ft with all t1h,e -marc cert when it is al;ainse himself.. , from the region along the upper A short time ago, when speaking••• Meuse is one of the mut intet,n i'^eg' of the portrait of himself painted by provincial towns of France. It was the Hon. John Collier,' his Lordshiplong the eap,bel of the duchy of Lur- reeaarked ,that the pleasure of be -tains, whirli begun ,as a lcingd'.,nt ing painera by suc11 n, ea. e•nguis1sed that stretched from the Noi'bb Sea as fist v not without its alley. j to the Alps, and in part, at least, "The ',ten day, he continued,' "a maintained its independence from liteee ef r-'ne, looking at this pore th:e days of Charlemagne down al - trait, se'..1 : `Do you think you would; most to the time of the French Rev - like to be as wise as Collier has o cation, made you,look?' 'I should.' 1 re- plied, `Well, you can't,' said the friend. Belgium and Holland, Luxem- burg, Alsace, and parts of Switzer- land and Burgundy were originally parts of the Kingdom of Lorraine, The Spfnstes's Rebuke, :or Lotlharingia, as it was called in There is ,another stody, too, the ninth century viten Lothair, the which Lord Alverstone tells against great-grandson of Charlemagne, in - himself, apropos nhimself,apropos of his fondness for herited :it. Little by little its terri- singing. C:n+one occasion when, as tory diminished through 'the endless Sir Richard Webster, he addressed wars and dynastic marriages of the a political meeting, he concluded by Middle Ages, Part of the time it singing to the audience. Ries solo, was a member of the Holy Roman a sacred one, ma.s heard with even Empire; part of the time it was a more attention than his speech. At the close a gaunt spinster arose at the back of the audience and said: "With your face and your voice, Sir Richard, you ought to be preaching the Gospel truth to the poor heathens instead of 'telling honest folk to be political." As late as 1913 Lord Alverstone tells us, id his "Recollentions of Bar and Bench," he we's a member of the Kensington Parish Church choir, which he first joined 40 years Lord Alverstone. ago, and he is still a member of the Abbey Glee Club, which first knew him in 1867. ' And in Lord Alver- stone's opinion the part -singing given at the aneetings of the Abbey Glee Club, held on the second Tues- day of every month during ten months of the year, is quite the beat that can be 'heard rn London. In his college days—half a cen- tury ago—he came out as a long- distance runner at Cambridge, and won the rile and two miles against Oxford in 1865. Lord Alverstone confesses that he did not work very well in those days, being more de- voted to sport than to study, and racquets, sculling, running and cricket found in him an ardent de- votee. Itis to Lord Alverstone and his friends, Perey M. Thornton and the lato C. B. Lawes, that 'the 'Var- sity of Cambridge owes its Athletic Club of to -day, which, up to 1863, had not been organized in any way. Is an Early Riser. Thorough in his profssion as well as in sport, there is no doubt that Lord Alverstone owes much of his success to his indefatigableness and custom of rising early. Helms al- ways been a firm believer in the maxim that an hone in the morning is worth (four of five at night, and star, known as the Australian type. he thinks a barrister can best do After about ten months these el his preparatory work before break- , P ' lets are covered with a beautiful fief of Prance; moat of the time it was self-governing. Godfrey of Bouillon . was one of its dukes. Charles the Bold,. Duke of Bisrgun- dy, tried to add ib to his domains, and failed, He fell in battle under the very walls of Nancy. The dukes of Guise, who disputed with the house of Valois the throne of France, were once rulers in Lor- raine. Duke Francis of Lorraine married the Empress Maria Ther- esa„ and his heirs male sit on the throne of Austria-Hungary to -day; bust •he had to give up Lorraine to Stanislas, ex -king of Poland, as part of the bargain. Stanislas's daughter Maria was the wife of Louis XV., and when Stanislas died in 1766 the duchy became part of France. Half of it, including the stronghold of Metz, Germany took after the War of 1870. The rest, in- cluding Nancy, is still French. Few provincial capitals are so beautifully and spaciously planned as Nancy. The Place Stanislas is a splendid square, worthy of a much greater city, and it communicates through the fine arch of triumph erected in honor of Louis XV. with the Place Corriere, hardly less im- pressive. There are some fine old churches, especially the Church of the Cordeliers, built by old Duke Reno in 1482 to commemorate his victory over Charles of Burgundy, and the cathedral, which is copied from the church of Santa Andrea della Valle in Rome. There i the ducal palace, too, a hantme building erected in the fifteenth cen- tury. Nancy has asen its share of war. It was besieged again and again during the Middle Ages, and Sedan, Gravelotte and Rezonville, famous fields of the War of 1870, are near by. But it is no longer a fortified town ; and since Verdun, a little to the west, is the strategic point of the region, it is likely this year, as in 1870, to bear the brunt of the fighting, while Nancy goes compar- atively fres. b PLANTING PEARLS. A Company Is Experimenting in the Indian Ocean. Many attempts have' been made to encourage oysters to produce pearls. . The Chinese have done so with .a certain degree of success by dropping fragments of nacre into mussel shells. In time, these frag- ments are covered with pearly mat- ter, and are attractive enough to be in considerable demand. According to one authority, a company began scientific experi- ments in the Indian Ocean not many years ago. They put little balls of nacre, weighing from forty to fifty grains, bebween the shells of a particularly large species of oy- art Load Alverstoxue pays a tribute to the genius, wit and humor of Sir Frank Lockwood, "one of my most intimate friends." A new story 'concerns en occasion when the re- spondent in a certain divorce case was charged with cruelty to his wife, who alleged that be had thrown a heavily -bound book at her, which had cut her bead open, Sar Henry James, to whom Sir Frank was acting as junior at the time, asked the resppoatdent whatexplaba tion he could give of the incident. Well, Sir Henry, he replied "all that man Bay is at we had a few words, that and I was turning over the loaves of a (book, when it flew' out of my hand." Frank Lockwood interposed, quiet- ly, "From a circulating library,'I suppose ?" Mun'y stories have been told about barristers' clerks but ths:fol- lowtng is one which 'Lord Alyea. layer of pearly matter, and look ex- actly like true pearls. When these pearls come upon the market, they will no doubt have a ready sale. Some of the experiments made by the company came to nothing, and for a eurious reason, The eases in which they kept .the oysters were bound with iron wire. The shells became impregnated' with this iron, and the color of the pearls was seri- ously . damaged, Sines then, nick- eled wires are used, and the success of the company,'s. enterprise eeeens assured, If ignorance, were bilge most opt yypp ggu1d .be so happy we should bYiake. An Irish editor nye he sees no earthly reason why women ahould not be allowed to become medical men. A. "BLUE BOON," Amami Report of tho Canadian . Seed Growers' Aseeelation, A great deal has .appeared in tate paess o± lame regarding "White Pa - Perla" "Orange Papers.," "Grey Papers," and I'urrere of .othor no- tnuspected colors. They havc £own- eel't?re basis for editorials, eposoh s u and painp'hlots, a]most' •wi't1 so t end, We were beginning to look askanoe on books of any color, however un- offending. This time, a publication, equally innocently garbed—a "Blue Books'—claims attention. Let lie at once reaesuee the reader : at, has nettling in common with any of therm referred to, ` 1t is the itenbh annual Report of the Canadian Seed Great/era' A:wociabion at 01- ta'wa., - Wliat•ever its color may be, its contents are varied and i:nter- nsting; To those who either have not 'had the time or, pere:ape, the opportunity to someone themselves with re, a saunniery maybe o:f value, It elrould be explained at theout- set that the Association's object is to promote bhe use of, and to sup- ply faraners Wath. high-class seed,— seed that is well bred, carefully selected and free from impurity. On such .seed the Association sets its seal, and its seal is a guarantee that the seed supplied' by its mem- ben 'measures up to the•eet sten- d in Canada,ard; thot it is the best produced Moet farmers will admit the ad- visability of ,rteing seed thatis of high quality, free from weeds, and unmixed with other varieties. They will recognize the desirability of growing only those varieties that are suited to conditia-ns :of soil and climate ; but not all fully realize the extent to w•hic'h these things' affect the yields of their ozops, and c•om- sequently the returns received from thmiTh, e value of Registered Seed is becoining more and more reoog- nized with each succeeding season. "I never had such a showing of crops•; I am sure the seed hada lot to do with it," one growor writes. Another states, "I could never have believed the difference selected seed makes; my Marquis wheat yielded nearly 50 bushels per acre." An- other: "I never had such a crop— potatoes—in my life. One short row planted with whole pothtoes,of Registered stock yielded 9 bushels." In order to place buyer and gnaw- er in-toutsh with each other, the Association issues a. catalogue early in each winter co-ntaining the names of those who are offering registered seed for sale, together with the sorts offered and the price asked. The organization of seed centres is a new development. The idea is to secure sources from which seed of a particular variety may be sup- plied fn eomtnereial quantities, and at reduced out for freight. Instead of the supply being limited to the output of one grower, a number of farmers living near each other may combine to grow a variety for Need under the regulations of the Asso- ciation.. Here is an illustration : Crop yields, declares L. S. Klinek, formerly Professor of Cer- eal Husbandry at the Macdonald College, discussing soil manage- ment in relation to yield and quail.- ity in seed, are determined by the amount of available plant food in the soil, by textural' and moisture conditions, and by the character and quality of tote seed sown. Good soil management has more influence upon the yield than upon the qual- ity, and the factors influencing qual- ity are less perfectly understood. How to produce larger crops and increase the net profit per acre without depleting the soil of its fertility is the pressing problem. las addition to good soil management, it is necessary that a systematic •rotation be followed, that the pro- duct Of the, fields be consumed by live stock, and that the residue be returned to the land. In general practice, the rotation should furnish . a money crop, a hoed or cleaning crop, a live -stock crop, and a legume crop. All cer- eals are soil exhaueters; all legumes are soil enrichers. Cereals produce Barger crops when they follow a legume, such as peas, beans or clo- ver, Therefore the cultivation of clover, and closely allied species, must have a place an any suocessfid system. In all classes of emelt grains, with the exception of peas, the largest average yield has been ob- tained from the earliest seeding practicable. Moisture, not fertility, is usually the determining � factor governing the rate of seedung. Failure to se- oure flood coops, and especially She inabilsty to maintain a satisfactory stand of grans and clover seed, is too frequently attribuecd•to ]aok of fertility, when es a matter of fact,' the supply of moisture is inade- quate. The report of the Canadian Seed Growers' Association also contains useful papers on alfalfa, rural school clubs, and other topics. Paper for Warmth, In 1870 the French army kept tltemselves,warm during the winter campaign by padding their uniforms with elewspapers, Even to -day 'the 1apanese soldiers on active service Wear paper shirts. These lack lead' French soientists to' recommend that the army be supplied with paper Undergarments, k If takes a capable wife to yank the conceit out of a man, ORIGIN OF T lQOAllEl! TJiJ1 SUN IS SAID TO HAVE 8011111 INFLUENCE. They Aro Frequent in Regions of Active Geolog10o1 Adjustments. Earthquakes have their origin bo- noath the earth's surface, and are propagated through Ibhe earth as a disturbance, gradually diminishing in intensity, as the distance from the source increases, Thee.° is no clear evidence that the moon has any influence upon the oeourrencc of earthquakes. Some recentinves- tigations point to a periodicity in earThquakes synchronous with the eleven -year period of sun activity. It is well known that earthquakes are genetically related to general earth movements, .which develop the pumanaldisplacement of strata known, as folds and faults.. Earth- quakes are frequent in regions of active adjustments of this sort, especially in the newer mountain of the newer oast regions. The chief ultimate cause is regarded as earth shrinkage. But the exterior rooks are resisbant, and brittle, and whenever shearing etresses exceed the strength of the rook strata, breaks occur w'hic'h may permit sudden small adjustments and cause earthquake shocks. Thus, regiones where faulting is in pro- gress are especially liable to such disturbances, What Makes the Sound. The sound which accompanies most earthquakes is due to the transmission to theair of vibrations in the soil. No sound will be heard when the oscillations arefewer than 30 per second. The velocity of pro- pagation of an earthquake is very varialble. Thus in the ease of that 'at Lisbon in 1755 it seems to have considerably exceeded 1,000 feet per second, while in the one in 1761 the rate was three times greater. At Tokio in 1861 the velocity was be- tween 4,000 and 9,000 feet per see ond. Various attempts have been made do estimate the depth at which earthquakes' originate. The Nea- politan earthquake of 1657 was pro- lbably 5/ miles from the surface. The Yokohama earthquake of 1910 was estimated at about the same depth. The estimated depths range from 17,200 to 137,300 feet. The area disturbed by an earth• quake is generally proportionacs tolthe intensity of the shack. Th: great earthquake of Lisbon dis- turbed an area four tithes as great as the whole of Europe. 'legions Most Subject. The thief regions s„ iijr; t t• „ arch. quakes are the Pa;•ifi North and South America the. W-31 Indies, Southern and Soutltaa't: r t Europe, aVe»tern, Central eel Eastern Asia, lapin and the levet Indies. The earliest reeurded ea Ln - quake reecured in China in ii"!i, B.C., while the one mat destruct- ive of human 'life, also in ('hiaa in 1550 A.D. is said to have claimed 830,000 victims. The only other re- corded earthquakes causing 107,• 000 or more deaths areas follows: - 893 A.D., India, 180,000; 1303A,1)., Pekin, 100,000; 1703 A.D., Japan, 200,000; 1731 A.D., Pekin, 100,M; ; 1737 A.D., India, 300,000; 1909, Mee- sina, 200,000. The 'San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906, though resulting in enormous property loss !through the subsequent fire, does not rank among the great seismic disturb- ances, 4- • ANTIQUITY OF KILTS. Wore Worn, It Is Said, By Sti1dit're of Ancient Assyria. The kilt is a style of dress that is immensely old. The soldiers of As- syrian kings are said to have worn a sort of kilt, while, as we all know, the mountaineers of the Bttilca:ts regard it as indispensable. 11 seems to have been worn in Scotland Iron prehistoric times, and, acdording to some •authorities, was at one time only the plaid worn across the shoulders. In cold wea- ther it was twisted around the waist, or perhaps 11 would be more correct to 'say that part of it was. Kilted regiments are compara- tively modern, as the first. High- land troops, the Black Watch, weril recruited in 1725, and were called by their now bieboric name owing to the sombre color of their tartans— black, 'blue and green, When they were originally :raised each company wore the tartan of iia commanding officer,, and when banded together in one regiment e special one was designed to pre ede jealousy. The Seafot+,bhs weal^ the Mackenzie tartan, the Argyll and Subherland the Campbell, and the Gordons and !Camerons .the same 118 their name. Small Boy ('to charitable lady) -- Please, mother says she's much bet- ter of the complaint wet you gives 'er ,quinine for; but she's awful ill of the disease wot's cured by port wine and ehiokenbroth.