HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Gazette, 1893-09-21, Page 3Dizgings.
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est (so called
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f4 And
OUZ, AM. ,N ON THE NILE.
" The Maple Leaf For Ever."
Sung by the Camp Fire in the Soudan—
Reminlscenees of a Cavalry Officer—
From Egypt to CLieago.
The Maple Leaf, our emblem dear,
The Maple Leaf for ever.
God Save the Queen, and Heaven bless
The Maple Leaf for ever.
The liquid notes of the familiar air, full
and clear from the bell of a sweet toned
cornet, disturbed and astonished the prosaic.
unro:nantic echoes of Front street, Toronto,
oa a recent Saturday afternoon, and as the
soft cadences of the concluding bars floated
away on the gentle summer breeze a burst
of rapturous applause from the gathering
of delighted auditors on the lawn of the
Queen's Hotel, mingled with the grand har-
monious crash of the refrain from the full
band of the Grenadier Guards stationed
beneath the cool, umbrageous shelter of the
national tree. These talented musicians
were performing for the delectation of some
three score gentlemen, guests for the occa-
sion of the officers connected with the
British Military Tournament, and who,
under a spacious marquee, were enjoying.
the bounteous hospitality of the gallant
visitors.
"I presume your introduction to what we
recognize as one of our distinguishing na-
tional airs was effected at this visit?"
The question was addressed to that dash-
ing beau sabreur, magnificent rider and ex-
pert lancer, Lieut. Rawson -Turner, who at
the moment was skillfully "pegging" a
section of cold chicken.
IN FAR AWAY EGYPT.
" Oh, dear no," replied he, thoughtfully,
placing his knife and fork in the " stand at
ease" position, and gazing in a far -oft way
at the snowy canvas above him. " Let nie
see. It was either at Suakin' or Berber I
first heard the ' Maple Leaf.' I forget now
which. I know it was one night we were
halted waiting for orders, or tidings of the
enemy. One of my troop knew the song
apparently, and gave it to the men as they
sat around the camp fire. It caught their
taste, owing to the catchy chorus, and it
wasin demand ever afterwards. It made an
impression on myself too, because of a
fancied resemblance to ' When We Were
Boys Together,' a favorite song with the
42nd, and popular indeed with every corps.
I recollect that when your Col. Fred Deni-
son came up with his voyageurs the boys
were able to cheer them with ' The Maple
Leaf.' So you see that to us Egyptian
campaigners at any rate it is not unfamiliar
by any means."
"After that terrible day at Abu Klee when
every one of ns, officers and men, returned
from the fight bearing a wounded or dying
comrade and learned that the advance was
stayed by orders from England, there was
furious indignation that almost amounted
to mutiny. I well remember the 18th
Royal Irish coming up after the fight was
over. it was with difficulty that we were
prevented tired and footsore as we were,
from rushing ahead and working up a fight
on their own account. A plendid lot of
fellows truly, fine soldiers every man of
them, but it took the combined persuasion
of their own and other officers to bring them
to their normal subordinate condition. Even
then had we been -permitted to go forward,
Khartoum would have bsen relieved beyond
the shadow of a doubt. But no 1 the home
authorities, wiser in Downing street than
those in Egypt, pursued a`policj !cheese -
paring and delay that could, except by a
miracle, have but one ending."
While the band was sweetly interpreting
"The Jewel Song" the officer practised the
"combined attack " on sundry of the viands
with such evident satisfaction that he pres-
ently resumed.
GLAD TO BE IN TORONTO.
" I cannot describe to you our feelings at
the reception given to us in this city," he
said. "Coming after our Chicago experienc-
es it was more than a pleasure. It makes
one proud to be a British subject when here,
three thousand miles from home, one finds a
loyalty as deep rooted, and I believe, as
enduring, as any to be found in the empire.
I only wish our stay in Toronto could have
been prolonged."
" None of your men seem to entertain an
abiding affection for Chicago. %dhy is
that ?"
" Because the people of Chicago are, with
few exceptions, of an order that cannot
command even consideration. They are
mean and unscrupulous and hate everything
British. With the upper class of Ameri-
cans there we got along tolerably; but all
the rest went to some pains to hold us up
to insult and ridicule. The Irish Ameri-
can element was especially prominent in this
respect and the newspapers, where one would
expect better things, pander to the popular
prejudices. One night one of our Life
Guardsmen walking on the street was hailed,
insulted and assaulted by a low ruffian.
There is nothing of the craven about any
of our fellows and in a jiffy he had given
the scoundrel a sample of barrack room pas-
time and was about to engage his attention
furthur when a bullet whizzed by him.
The cowardly fellow had produced revolv-
er and blazed away the second time, when
the soldier concluded he didn't come to
Chicago to be made a target of, and took to
a side street where he related his adventure
to a policeman. Next day the newspapers
had a column story with big headings,
'The Valiant Life Guardsman Scared,' 'The
Latest Scarlet Runner,' 'A Specimen of
British Pluck,' and others equally caustic
and ingenious."
THEY LOVED THE BRITISH-.
" Were there many encounters of this
nature duringyour stay ?"
THE HORSE ARTILLERY GALLOP BRITAIN'S INDIAN EMPIRE .
was a constant. theme against cruelty, al-
though we showed them, as any might see
for themselves, that it was the saddle
leathers and not the animal that received
the lash. Then the musical _ride was de-
nouneed, because of the spur, despite the
fact that the horses showed no evidences of
the rowel, but when, unhappily,one evening
a gunner fell of his carriage and the wheel
went over his leg, there was a prolonged
wail of newspaper anguish that was only
equalled when on another occasion a trooper
fell and a gun wheel cut through the bushy
close to his head. They were pure accidents,
caused solely by the bad,uneven ground we
were compelled to use."
" And were your explanations not accept-
ed and published?"
"Accepted but not published, or if they
were, distorted to such a degree that they
were beyond recognition. The cool impu-
dence of those fellows passes understanding.
While in Chicago we organized and con-
ducted a mess for the officers, where we had
very comfortable quarters, including . a
billiard room. Our friends, the reporters,
would look in after the tournament, share
in what was going, monopolize the billiard
tables, and next morning give tts fits ir, the
papers. One night they brought a friend,
who was introduced to us as one of the
smartest newspaper men in America.
HE HAD SEEN THE TOURNAMENT,
and pooh-hood'd the whole thing. Nothing
there but what ordinary men could do with
a week's practice. E :,. ._.e tent pegging
was child's play for a mai, with a good eyed
going horse. All he wanted was the anima
and the rest was easy enough. 1 die -es
him his choice and he accepted, selecting
my own. His ability to sit a • horse was
beyond doubt. To lift a peg was another
thing. After he had satisfied himself that
the mount was all right he picked a lance
and an orderly drove the peg in. Now the
flooring of the stock building where the
tournament was held is constructed of wood-
en blocks over which tan bark was thickly
spread to render it noiseless and easy for
the horses. In the interstices between the
blocks the peg had to find a resting place,
AND IT REQUIRED
even more care to touch and lift it than if
the ordinary turf was the arena. A crowd
of admiring and confiding friends were on
hand to hail their champion. Twice he
cantered towards the peg and each time re-
ceived guiding hints from myself and other
Then he settled himself for the gallop, and
as he poised the lance I knew there would
be a catastrophe, but my great fear was for
my horse—yet he rode well, In poising he
brought the rear end of the lance under the
arm, his elbow being close to the side, and
as he stooped even a tyro could see that if
he missed the peg the point of the lance
must take the ground and there could be
only one result. He dipped too soon, the
point was embedded in one of the blocks
and in a second the rider was shot out of
the waddle like a rocket, and presently lay
in a bruised heap on the tan bark, from
which he was carried away by his friends.
We heard occasionally- that he was doing
well."
GLAD OF THEIR HELP.
"Did you find the same indifference to
decency outside the newspaper communi-
ty" It was characteristic of them all. When
a certain State would have its particular
day we were invariably requested to make
part of the pageant, especially the Life
Guards and the band. Wishing to be
neighborly we always complied, but when
the day came it was generally found that
the soldiers made up the show, a hundred
or so civilians with one or two banners
bringing up the tail of the procession."
" Then I expect you wereasked to help
them out on the 4th of July."
" Indeed we were, but our willingness
was not quite so marked. We drew the
line there, but did not give them a direct
negative. An incident of that occasion will
serve better than anything else to show
what these Chicago people are.
TOO SMART BY HALF.
"To better celebrate their Independence
Day they desired British soldiers to partici-
pate, fire a feu de joie and a royal salute of
21 guns. Cool, wasn't it ? A day or two
before the event a member of one of their
militia regiments, an Englishman born,
called at our mess and informed us private-
ly that they were going to perpetrate one
of their smart tricks to humiliate us and on the lines which more than a century's
glorify themselves. He thought that if an experience has proved to be essential to the
officer went to the committee rooms dis- happiness and prosperity of the millions
guised as a civilian he would easily pass in over whom we rule, and to the stability
the crowd and learn the plot. I went my- of our own power; and we should examine
self and soon found out that their plan was with the utmost caution and deliberation
to have abig Union Jack flying from one of any proposal involving a radical change in
the flag poles of the Stock building where the principles which have hitherto guided
the tournament was held and on another our administration. ( Hear, hear.) We
their own flag rolled into a ball. Believing must also never lose sight of the fact that
that we were agreeable to their programme, the interests and inclinations, the sympa.
it was decided that when our salute of r1 thies and prejudices, of these millions are
guns was fired two men on the roof were to diverse and often conflicting, that what is
manipulate the flags. One congenial and suitable to one group or to
TO HAUL DOWN THE UNION JACK one province may be, indeed must be, un-
congenial and sometimes totally inappro-
priate to another. In many respects the
Punjabi Mohammedan and the Bengali, the
Sikh and the Madrassi, the Pathan and the
Mahratta, are more widely separated in
feelings and ideas than are the English and
Russians, the French and Germans, or the
Italians and Norwegians, so that whggn
people talk of representative institutions
after the English model, and of " India for
the Indians," I always feel inclined to ask
to which group or province they purpose to
consign the interests of all the others, and
how contentment could be hoped for from
any plan or experiment that would ignore
the varied distinctions and contrasts of the
vast multitude which forret the Indian Em-
pire, and treat it as if it were one compact
and indentical nationality. This reminds
me of an opinion which a particularly as-
tute intelligent native gentleman of Ma- i
dras expressed on being asked what he
thought of the theory of
"INDIA FOR THE INDIANS."
Lord Roberts Illustrates What "India for
the Indians" Would Be.
-(Lord Roberts at Glasgow.)
At dinners recently given to me by the
London Chamber of Commerce and by the
Lord Mayor of London, I alluded to the im-
portance of India to England, politically
and commercially, and I was much gratified
to see how completely this view was accept-
ed by the distinguished and influential com-
pany present on both occasions. It is, I
feel sure, quite unnecessary for me to point
out to an audience such as I am now ad-
dressing that the retention of our Eastern
Empire is essential to the greatness and
prosperity of the United Kingdom--(ap-
plause)—for none know better than Scottish
merchants how much the welfare of a large
proportion of the commercial classes in
these islands depends on the trade with
India being maintained and increased.
(Hear, hear.) To ensure this there mustbe
a good Government supported by an efficient
army—(applause)—and as regards the army
in India, I have already told my friends in
Eneland that 1 left it iu a most satisfactory
state. (Hear, hear.) On the present oc-
casion I desire to refer more particularly to
the native portion of that army, about
which you cannot be expected to know as
much as you probably do about the British
portion. Well then, gentlemen, I can as-
sure you that the greater number of the
native regiments are quite excellent, and I
am not surprised that visitors to India are
favorably impressed by the fine physique of
the men and their steadiness under arms.
Nor has the conduct of these troops on act-
ive service at all belied the expectations
which have been formed by their martial
appearance in peace time. (Applause.)
During my career in India I have repeatedly
witnessed
DEEDS OF THE UTMOST HEROISM
performed by some of those. brave men with
whom it has been my privilege to be associ-
ated, and I gladly avail myself of this op-
portunity to acknowledge how much I per-
sonally owe to their gallantry and devotion.
(Applause.) I have no doubt whatever
that, should our native soldiers be called
upon to fight side by side with their British
comrades against the troops of any other
civilized power,they would worthily uphold
the reputation of the Indian army—(ap-
plause)—led as they would be by that splen-
did body of British gentlemen who officer
the native army, and to whose untiring ef-
forts and high professional qualifications,
.and the tact and sympathy they show to
those under their command, I attribute the
present high state of efficiency of our na-
tive regiments. (Applause.) Nor must I
'forget to allude to the Imperial Service
troops, which are the outcome of the loyal
offers of assistance made a few years ago by
the principal feudatory chiefs and princes
in India, who expressed their desire to be
permitted to share in the defence of the
Indian Empire. The acceptance of these
-offers by Her Majesty's Government marks
AN ERA IN THE HISTORY OF INDIA
which in after years will, I venture to,
think, be recognized as one of the greatest
importance. These troops are rapidly be-
coming efficient, and those belonging to His
Highness the Maharajah of Jamu and Kash-
mir have shown - great gallantry in the
fighting which has recently taken place in
the neighborhood of Gilgit. (Applause.)
Ladies and gentlemen, in speaking to you
of the native army, I have touched on a
theme which is veru congenial to me per-
sonally, and which ought to be interesting
to the whole British nation ; for, however.
imperfectly the composition of the native
army is understood in Great Britain, and
however difficult it may be to.you to form
an idea of the many admirable qualities
which endear the native soldiers to those
who command them, I feel sure you cannot
fail to take a sympathetic interest in that
splendid force of nearly 150,000 officers,
non-commissioned officers and men who
serve in the ranks of Her Majesty's native
army in India. (Applause.) But gentle-
men, however efficient and well-equipped
the army in India may be—were it indeed
absolute perfection, and were its numbers
considerably more than they are at present,
our greatest strength must ever rest on the
firm base of a united and contented India.
(Applause.) We must.
CONTINUE TO GOVERN THAT COUNTRY
while the other was to shake out the
triumphant Stars and Stripes. The pretty
idea, however, did not work. We did not
assist iii the celebration, and six burly
Grenadier Guardsmen were posted on our
building with fixed bayonets, who would
willingly have done their duty had anyone
attempted to lay a finger on the Union
Jack."
" Was there any hostile demonstration
on that account?"
" No, I think they realized they had gone
far enough, but the incident serves to show
the material of which Chicago citizens are
made. Now, in New York, where we go
after our Montreal visit, our treatment will
be little less cordial than that
WE HAVE RECEIVED IN CANADA.
" Yes, several, but the men patiently put We expect to be ten or twelve weeks in
up with numerous indignities In response Madison Square Garden and feel confidentof a cousinly welcome. But New York is
to our requests and pocketed many an in- not Chicago and Chicago never can be New
sult rather than disobey orders. But there
were occasions when flesh°and blood couldn't York' By the way, we expected from home
stand it and a prominent bruise or cut in ere this new uniforms for our men, and re -
the morning was silent. but eloquent testi- Bret very much they had not arrived before
mony to, what Pat would call, a 'striking our vwit to Toronto. It is possible they
argument' the night before. To fee it was mme ear them at but this tournament Montreal business is worse
for the first
incomprehensible how the newspapers and than a campaign on clothing and accoutre -
their reporters could act so contemptibly. . ments. We shall never forget Toronto) and
Was tbeboycott conducted by a few or
was it ' a combined attack ' ?"- the warm loyal hearts it holds."- _ ,
-
" Call- it a boycott if you like. That '
word will do as well as another At any A freckle and a bit of tan,
rate they were all the more or less down on Some letters from a soft young pian,
as. They were compelled to admit that the A lot of bother, not much fun,
tournament was:- exhibition of skill such And then the summer season's done.
as they had neverbefore seen, but argued Manager -"Here it time for_ the doors
that the. accompaniments, were '.lir neuter, to open and the mermaid isn't in her tank."
those rt 1 which the
that no ': des ut' person n could witness "1 know, but she refuses to go on ;until she's ung and more intellectual southerners could
the performances without" a .sentiment', of finished golishiag Her tan `shoes if it_. takes not yfri tang. The moral of this allegory
ho .' 'h�si ni aaEtton �► t _whir: la
- another hour.' o€ my #riend, wino was certainly one of the
most enlightened native gentlemen I have
ever met with, was that India could not
stand by herself, and that supreme a power
was necessary to hold together the various
races. (Hear, hear.) That power is Eng-
land—(loud applause)—and upon the main-
tenance of our administration depends, not
only the tranquility and prosperity of India
itself, but the protection of a vast foreign
commerce, and the security of the immense
British capital invested in that country.
While it behoves us, then, to endow our
eastern fellow -subjects with the many bless-
ings which attend western civilization,
and to modify our system of government
from time to time so as to meet the changes
which must inevitably result from the
spread of education, and from the faculty
with which, owing to improved communica-
tion, the inhabitants can travel about their
own country and visit other lands, we must
remember that education has as yet on ly
reached an infinitesimal number of the
people of India, and that the great ma-
jority are, in habits, customs and feelings,
practically the same as were their fore.
fathers many centuries ago.
CRUELTY TO SOLDIERS.
The Cause of Many Complaints in the
German Army.
A Berlin, special says :—The suicide of a
private in a guard's regiment in Potsdam
has revived public discussion of bullying
and abuse in the army. The private was
the victim of his corporal, whose inhuman
practices he described in a note left for his
family.
The Vorwaerts, organ of the social de-
mocracy, is quick as usual to turn the in-
cident to its own account. In a long leader
it directs attention to the fact that the 11 -
year -old Crown prince commands the half
company to which; the dead private belong-
ed,and therefore, according to military law,
is answerable for the whole affair. The
Crown prince ought to be court-martialed,
says the Vorwaerts, and condemned to
rigorous arrest for several months. He
must not be allowed to escape punishment
on account of his youth, thinks the social
democratic editor, for, if too young to bear
the blame, he would be_ too young also to
command. Finally the Vorwaerts appeals
to the emperor to carry out his scrupulous
regard for military law and let his oldest
son fare as would any young lieutenant
under similar conditions. A Social demo-
cratic reporter, whose account of the suicide
appears in the Vorwaerts, says that every
effort was made in Potsdam to keep the
suicide secret and that thebody was hurried
under ground without even a pretence of
religious services. The Radical journals
say that the whole affair is but another
proof of the need that the procedure of the
Prussian military tribunal should be re-
formed. This procedure dates back to
1845. It is secret and hence is the source
of endless abuses.
In Bavaria an 'official report published on
Wednesday shows that in 1892 privates in
the Bavarian array complained of seventy
non-commissioned officers and eight com-
missioned officers. The subjects of the
complaints were, as usual, physical vio-
lence and abusive language. All the com-
missioned officers and the majority of the
non-commissioned officers were found guilty
and were punished. Bavaria is the only
German state in which military procedure
is public.
IN SECT LIFE.
Interesting Facts of Natural History,
After an ant battle, victors will often be
seen running about with the head of a dead
ant fastened by its mandibles to their legs
or bodies.
Ants are provided with a poison bag, which
discharges a fluid having a strong sulphur-
ous smell, sufficient to drive away most in-
sect enemies.
It is estimated that the chinch bug, Hes-
sian fly, army worm and cotton worm have
cost the people of the United States more
than the civil war.
The amount of silk produced by each
spider is so small that' Reaumur computes
that 663,522 would be required to produce
a pound of thread.
The fly lays four times each summer and
eighty eggs each time. The descendants of
one female fly in a single season may num-
ber 2,080,320.
Termites have five different classes of
society : Workers, sentinels, sojdiers,males,
females. Of the last two classes there is
only one each in every nest.
Attempts have been made to produce
spider silk, but have failed, the ferocious
nature of these insects not permitting them
to live together in communities.
The clothier bee covers her nest of eggs
with a cloth made from the woody fiber of
plants, and thus preserves her young from
sudden changes of temperature.
The hornet's nest is sometimes 2 feet in
diameter. The outside layers have a small
interval between each, so that if rain should
penetrate it is soon arrested.
In times of scarcity the South African
natives sometimes rob the nests of the ter-
mites, and as much as five bushels of grain
have been taken from a single nest.
M. De L'Isle discovered an animalculae
that could run 6 inches in a second, and cal-
culated that it must move its legs no less
than 1200 times in that brief period.
FIies are infested with parasites which
prey upon and destroy them, and these, in
turn, as has been shown by the microscope,
are killed by.still smaller parasites.
The millers are greatly annoyed by worms
which appear in the flour from time to time
and then mysteriously disappear, without
mpairing the value of the flour.
The flea is covered with armored plates,
very hard, and overlapping each other
Each is set with spikes, and bends in con-
formity with the movements of the body.
The aphides are the milch kine of the
ants, and are regularly approached and
milked by the latter. Ants have been known
o keep the aphides in captivity, as cows
re kept in cities.
Latreille once cut off the antenne; of an
nt, and its companions, evidently compas-
ionating its sufferings,anointed the wound -
d parts with drops of fluid from their.
mouths.
In some parts of Central and South
America a single firefly gives so much light
that it illuminates a whole room. The
English residents catch them in order to
find the match box er lamp. -
He -replied: "Go to the Zoological Gardens
and open all the cages; you will then see
what would be the end of India for the
Indians. (Laughter and.applause.) There
would be a grand fight among all the ani-
mals, with the result that the tiger would t
walk over the dead bodies of the rest." On a
being asked whom • he meant by the tiger,
he replied: "The Mohammedan from the a
north," who, you are probably aware, a
though at present behindhand in the refine. e
ment of higher education, possesses, in com-
mon with other races of Northern India,
martial qualities w is peace-Iov-
BUSINESS MATTERS,
Items of Interest to the Commercial
�S'or1d.
A despatch received by the Canadian
Bank of Commerce OD the 29th from its
New York correspondent states that pre-
mium in gold had disappeared that day and
that transactions are now taking place at
par.
The various monetary systems as divided
among the several countries are as follows :
gold and silver, United States, France,
Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Spain,
Netherlands, Turkey and Japan. Gold ;
United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal,
Austria, Scandinavian Union, Australia,
Egypt, Canada and Cuba. Silver Russia,
Mexico, Central and South America, and in
the past India; her future coinage is uncer
lain.
The business situation on the Pacific
coast, both in the United States and Cana-
da, is improving and money is easier gener-
ally owing to free grain exports and the
early movement of canned goods. Ocean
freights have advanced.
Gold in the United States Treasury has
again fallen below the $100,000,000 mark,
known as the " sacred reserve," and now is
$97, 613,044.
In Toronto, local securities and stocks
though still somewhat dull, are strong and
promising in tone. Bank stocks have not
varied much during the week, but what-
ever change is to be noticed favored the
holders.
The commercial ratio of silver to gold in
1872 was 15.63 to 1 ; in 1882, 18,19 to 1 ; in
1892 it was 23.73 to I, and at the present
price, 70c. per ounce fine, the ratio is 29.53
to 1 ; and it has been recently below 30 to
1.
Chili is the most prosperous agricultural
country in South America. There are
7,010,000 acres under cultivation, of which
1,100,000 are irrigated. For many years
the product has averaged 450,000 tons of
wheat and 150,000 of other grains.
To find the gold value of a silver dollar at
any time multiply the market value of sil-
ver by 77a. This will always give the gold
value of the silver dollar ; e.g., when silver
is worth _72 cents per ounce fine, which is
about an average for the past few weeks,
the value of the silver dollar would be 72 x
77a-55.53 cents.
The Hungarian Minister of Agriculture
estimates the world's production of wheat
this year at 2,279,000,000 bushels, as com-
pared with the official average of 2,280,000,-
000 annually for the past ten years. He
also states that the deficits to be filled by
the importing countries will require 379,-
000,000 bushels ; and the surplus available
in exporting countries to satisfy this demand
is 378,666,000. Great Britain alone ra•
quires half this amount.
There are 3,700 National, 3,000 State and
1,300 private banks in the United States, a
total of 8,000, somewhat diminished since
May by suspensions and insolvencies, but
still in excess of 7,8013, several of the sus
pended banks having after suspension re
sumed. The gross deposits in all banks ag.
gregate $2,250,000,000, which is 50 per
cent. more than the national debt, and
equal to about 60 per cent. of the gold coin
in the world. The surviving banks have
withstood phenomenal pressure and are now
congratulating themselves and their coun-
try.
The Montreal stock market for the first
time in several weeks shows a more buoy.
ant feeling, and sharp advances have taken
place in a respectable number of the trading
securities. Operations are still limited, but
there is an evident desire to do business
that could not by ordinary means be stimu-
lated before. A number of investors who
had been waiting for "bottom " now act as
if their time had come. There is also a
growing disposition that money is easier,
and going to be easier still at an early
date.
The developments of the past ten days
have lent a more encouraging outlook to
the general commercial and financial situa-
tion, and a slow return of normal conditions
is now confidently looked for by the busi.
ness world on both sides of the Atlantic.
The situation in Europe begins to show some
aigns of • improvement. Failures in Ger-
many for the first half of the present year
were 3,371, against 4,174 in the first six
months of 1892, and 3,723 in the same part
of 1891. Failures steadily increased in Ger-
many from 1838 to 1892, nearly doubling in
five years. Their decrease is the first sign
of improvement, though the general trade
situatiou is depressed. Railroad earnings
in France rose $2,000,000 in the first half
of the current year, an advance of 2 per
cent. The advance is due altogether to a
reduction of 20 per cent. in passenger rates,
a reduction which has instantly increased
the profits on Railroad traffic. The returns
of the London, Eng., Board of Trade show
that during July imports decreased £210
000, and exports increased £190,000 as cot(
pared with the same month in 1892.
Wonderful Transformation.
A most remarkable thing is reported to
have occurred at Naples in the year 1531.
Antonio Lazzetti, a beggar who had former.
ly resided at Tarentum, but who on account
of age had been sent to a home for the aged,
experienced a complete renewal of life. At
the beginning of the transformation he was
little less than 90 years of age. The first
thing -noticed which suggested that some-
thing extraordinary was about to take place
was in his skin, which cracked and came off
like that of a toad or snake, leaving a soft
new skin in place of the wrinkled cuticle
that had been worn for four score years and
a half. Within B, surprisingly short time his
flaccid old muscles hecame strong and plump.
The white hairs fell from his head and were
replaced by curly black hair, similar to that
which had so delighted the maidens seventy
years before. His eyesight also returned
with all the vigor of youth ; his complexion
seemed fresh and rosy ; in fact, he was a
new man from the soles of his feet to the
crown of his head He lived sixty years
after transformation, and then died at the
age of 150.
"Do you believe Schiller when he says that
the best woman is the one whom nobody
talks about ?" "I rather think it is the one
who about, nobody."
The Elizatalksbethan ruffle will be in vogue_irt
the fall and the fellow who attempts to kiss
a fashionable girl, will "get it in the neck."
Dusty Rhodes —"Madam,'wouid"it,be too
muck to ask for half a loaf ?' Mrs. Dogood,.
you strike meas being ove holg s lt"
litesa ear