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AGRIOULTURAK AbuBdan»i-l' riu». An offiuial pamphlet iuued by the State finverumeiit of Mvwachuaetta ahows the entire nuni)>«r of alian.ioDeil or partially aWncloned farms in tliatCoinmuiiwealth, aa rtp<irt«il to iho Secretary of the Board, to be 900. The largenl number, iV), are iu Worceater C'ouiiiy. The only other ooiin- tica with more than a hiindreil are Uark- â- hire, 140, und Vranklin, 103. Kighty-aix acres is the average urea of ili:indoncd fanna. upon which there are huiUliiigH, anil H7 acres the average area of those vritliout liuildiiigs. The average valoeof the farni.i with buildings in stated to bu $8!M, and those without $r>l>l. Official reports almut the abandoned farina of Verinonl and New Hainpahire have also already lieeii made by the lio.irds of Agricultnre of theae Statea. There were only 406 ©f them in Vermont last spring, and a ^ood many of these have been taken up Kince tbitt time. There were 1,44*2 of them in N^ . Hifmpshire two years â- go, but hii>"i.«<rtor buyers have gone to 2 '•"^"'"^ made selectiona from them witliin these yeara. far fewer abandone<l There are said to be farniR iu Connecticut, u :-^ Maine and Rhode Island than there were in Vermont, Ma««achusctts and New Hamp- shire in the early part of this year. In some of the Southern States the am'>unt of IrJid that has been abandoned or that has lain untilled for years is very great. A re- port issued by the Virginia Board of Agri- culture says that in that State there are 15- 000,000 acres of land suitable for crop grow- ing which arc not tilled and which are a burden to the owners. " Most of this laud," wo are assnred " is for sale at low prices, and all of it would produce splendid crops, profitable to industrious farmer*." As it is ill Virginia so it is in the adjacent State of North Caroliua and the other Stites aa far west OS Arkansas. It is these Sonlbern States that send out tlie loudest invitations to farming immigrants who possess at least a small capital. Rcdnelnic Farm Kxpcnies. Most farmers are coming to sec that in order to make their business profitable they must reduce expenses or raise better crops. The //iVrorrt«rf/ar»if saysthatthisis prob- bly one thing, if not the one thing, wb'ch every farmer is thinking about. It is natur- al, and iu one sense desirable. Uut stndy- iiig how to practice a reasonable economy is probably the best thing to do.' To save feed bv starvine animals is the poorest kind of economy, like saving seed and growing only a fraction of a crop. Shall less help be hired V That depends upon the ability of the farmer to properly care for his stock and cultivate his soil with less help, not forgetting the necessary help for the life- partner who has cliarge of the household. Tlie necessary work must be done without overworking anyoneâ€" for the health and comfort of the family are the main things for which the farm should be run. W'ben running it fails to accomplish this, it ia time to atop. The neces.iary fertilizci-s should be applied. It is throwing away labor and money not to apply tliem. Kxpensos cannot be reduced in this way without incurring greater loss. This would be farming in the wrong direetior. â€" to loas instead of gain. There can be no legitimate reduction of expenses when loss is to followâ€" .'sptcmlly if it be greater than tb» reifuction. But where there is lack of Tneans. what cannot be cured must be endur- ed. Still it may bo possiblt to increase the amount of proluct at the same time. Often a little more labor may change the balance from ii lews to a gain. Tiiis is a point to carefully consider. A few dollars put into the right kind of fertilizer often may bring in many dollars at the harvest. A labor-saving nmchinR or tool may make that iMissiblo which would be impossible without it. .Study to do things at the right lime as well as in the right way. Failure in either of theae points may substitute loss for gain. A few rods of ditching doii« at odd spells may turn a worlhlens patch into a pro<juctivo one. Really, tlic end to aim at is judicious expenditure, and not parsi- monious economy. ing from this disease. Sheep ticks and scab are likewise commuiiicate<l from one to the other when they kro aUuwed (o ran up against each other. Fool rot ia largely duo to wet, marshy grounds an J uncleaniicsa o( the hoofs. If thee are attended to there-is no need of the disease spreading. CSoUc and covatipation can be avoided by giving a good diet us recommended, and avoiding sudden changes in the food. I niHcases «f Sbrep, If sheep are well cared for, very little trouble from disease occurs. The Anierii:an Cultivator's veterinarian says that no ani- mal is so diiricult to handle when attacked by some disease as the sheep, and lo.is of appetite and dincouragoment follow so rapid- ly when the animal is taken down that haste and imiiieiliale action ia necessary to »:ivc the life. Our very change il lie climate makes sheep diseases very ilL-rastrous in the fall and winter seasons, md one must take good pre- ventive measures to keep the health of the flock up. The diirereut breeds have difter- ent susceptibilities, and whilosomeare very easily attacked and killed by disease, there are otiier breeds that appear to he compara- tively hardy under the moat ad\erse cir- cumstances. As a general rule, however, the Knewooled iirceds are much more hardy in the United .States than the coarser woolcd brethren, owing to the closer texture of their hoofs, while the latter are more subject to the attacks of the gadfly, and the many troubles which it inflicts. The preventive measures for sheep troubles are good sanitary surrounding and good diet. None of tlio breeds will thrive very well on low, wet, marshy grounds, nor c«n they eudare wet weather in the open oir long without contracting some disease. Sudden changes of any kind will affect them scrionaly, and hence our cliiTiatc ia often bad for them. A and den change in the food, temperature of the b^dy, or a chill of any kind will very often prove fatal. Understanding these points one ia prepared to prevent many of the dieeatea which are killing off the flocks in every aeetion. The diet alao is very important, and roots appear to 1)0 almost essential to the good health of the animala. .Salt and water need to he taken into the syatcm in small (|iiuntities »ory often, and both should be kept near the flocks at all times. In all things the flock-master muat atudy the natural needa and desires of his breeds to make the most of them, and liia common -sense will then â- uggeat preventive measures. Many of the diseases of sheep arc caused by parasites, which are multiplied rapidly in a flock, and others are infectious. When â- uch diseases appear, isolation is the ^reat preventive ot its spread. The liver ro^ii oaoaed by parasites, and with the dci:^ of the^vcr the affected sheep coinniunica,l« thn disei^ to others that feed on the tame pas ture. Healthy shscp should li»< iff t ofl'pai- tnres that hava been grazed Ity'aheep stiffer- WlBlrr Feed fer roalli y. AI>out this time while you are providing comfortable i|uarter« for your fowls is the lime to provide proper feed for winter. You should keep a barrel or barrels in the barn and granary wherein you can throw the cleanings from the floor, manger and other places. When we thresh wo have more or less waste and dirty wheal, this we save. When we are husking corn we gather up from around the crib shelled corn, of course slightly mixed with dirt but we rave it for winter use. Nearly every season some of our neigh- bors raise aorghum. We procure a few buahcla of seed trnm thom, a«nerallv for the picking up ; this is excellent feed. \Ve can usually buy a few bushels of rye cheaply. A little pitch sown near the l«rn makes good green picking throughout the winter when no snow is on the ground. Wo feed it in the grain too, but fowl will not eat it as readily as they will wheat. We have also found that oats makes a cheap and extra good feed, so fanciers re- coinincnd it to be fed exclusively, as it pos- sesses many qualities for fattening and egg production. We save all the small potatoei. They can ))e boiled, mashed and mixed with other feed, and are cheap and help the variety. Turnips and cabbage can also be chopped fine and fed either cooked or raw. We can from the above, along with the scraps from the table, n.ake a variety of dishes that will amply repay us for our trouble in saving and preparing them. We also find that it pays to visit the restaurants in town once in a while and get a bucket of scraps, and where one has enough fowls to justify the time in going after, it is well to have an understanding with one or more hotels to take away the scraps every other day or oftenor. Throughout the winter when so much of the time is cold and disagreeable and the ground frozen or covered with snow when the fowls cannot get around tn pick up their food, a variety should be provided for them and thev will amply repay us in increased egg production and vitality forspring. Too much of one kind of feed is no more to be thought of with our fowls and animals than for ourselves. We should know that fowls like a change of fo<.'d and must have it to make them healthy and able tp> avert dis- ease. They need not be fed anything costly, bi;t what can be found upon nearly every farm and what would go to waste otherwise. â€" [The Prairie Ksrmer. A STBANGK STIRT. Kllirrln's Tale of nn Aced Conrirt and Ilts Moldl«r8on. Near the city of Vladivostock, where the construction of the new Silterian railway was lately commenced in honor of the (/zarcwi'ych's visit, there are, says a St. Petersburg correspondent, anicng :;hc work- men or helots, whose guerdon is many stripes and no pay, some thousands of the least criminal convicts in the coiuitry. Among those who were being punished for acta which have absolutely nothing in com- mon with moral crime was one hoary old man of venerable aspect, a native of Koorok, who hail deliberately trod<lcn on the chain of the governmental surveyor as he was measuring the ground because he was sus- jiected of an inicution to transfer some of the peasants' land to the crown. This im- prudent ftct was labeled " violent resistance to the lawfully constituted authorities," the old man was found guilty, and as the rigors of Siheiia were deemed inadetjuate to give this daring spirit his due he was deported to the more terrible island of Sagbalien. When the scarcity of free workmen began to be felt, lie was taken from there, con- vevod to Siberia, and sent to work along with one of the convict gangs. One day he was struck by the familiar look of the soldi- er, wh-> with loaded rifle, guardeu'his gang ; and ho made bold to ask him whence he came. To this question tliesolilier forbidden Ijy the military rules to enter into conver- sation with the convicts, gave no reply. The old man, however, grew more fidgety, soon ceased to work altogother, and t:xed Ilia dark, piercing eyes on the soldier. At last, unable to control himself any longer, he pronounced a Chri-ilian name softly, cal- ling out "My dear, dear son." The solilier quivered, grew pale, with an effort compres- BcJ his lips, convulsively clutched his gun and pulled himself together for a moment â€" but it was only one moment; the next his emotions hod completely mastered him ; his hands dropped helplessly to hia side, his rifle slipping with a dull thud to the ground, and he himself fell lieavily without a word or a moan, as if cut down by a scythe. The old father threw himself on his body, called him tenderly by his pet name, and covered him with tears and kisses. The other gutki-da and taskmasters seeing, with- out understanding, what had happened nul- ed to the spot, surrnundod the convict, who, it was evident to them, had felled his guard, and, raising the butt-ends of their guns, pre- pared to dash nut his brains. Some of them next tried to remove him by force, but he held the unconscious giiEiK ^oti|^ly locked in his embrace, kissing him and muttering to himself, " He knows me ; yes, he knows me now, my dear boy, " that they were power- less to separate them. At last they were both removed on a dray to the hospital, and the true significance of the scene dawned on the infuriated aoldiers, who were now deeply touched by what they witnessed. "It was," writes my correspondent, "«( most harrowing scene â€" one that I shiOl te- member with u. shudder to my dying day." The next morning the doctor declared that the soldier had lost his reason', and must be removed to a madhouse. . The convict, on lieing informed of this, and ordered to liegin work as usual, refused quietly at fii-at, then roared and raved like a maninc, and was at laat put in a strait waistcoat and confined along Wjith the other mailmen. Every honest voter has a voice in local government ; and in some places th<.t is about all he docs have. Hcccnt developments «oalJ seem to indi- cate that even a mind-reader finds it im pouihle to read a woman'* mind. Criy'a «Srea(|aa, I am la Orippe ! Qrlu for shoft', Botra r frst there Jnst the samel Ami the way J gut tliero K-oi'kb(ho stuAioi; Out ufttie aniialHof pothol'tgy I I am no reilicctor of puraont-'. And silk, or sarin, or tiroa^li'lotb Has uo more Inlluenco with me Than a width of lirown muslin has ! 1 la}' fur the woman Who runs around bure-beadod Or thiu Bliod ; Anil the way I swipe a man Without an overcoat Is perrectly a.sti>nishlnKl The air is full of mo ; And OH a inicrotjc incubator J may say, without fiur Of saneeHsfiil ormtradictlon. That I am beyond <vjnip:]lition I I've got a <«rnor on the IIunoHn system at present. And I'm working it Korallifs worth I I and the doctors Are having a picnic. With theitoctors OctUng all the Kate money ! However. I'm not in it For boodle. Ami I don't care a ouss What I'm here for. i'cctttle nod out wh»n they take me : .^nd there's no telling How many have found out In the post few weeks. It's a cold day When I get left. And we are uob having Many cold days this winter, Henceâ€" But wliy multiply words ? You know mo. And if you don't you can learn All you want to know By referenre to the families Which, and in which, 1 liave worked ! Mighty few of tbein Uon't rocognixo mo socially. And curse ino Kor all the cr!me<i in the calendar t But I ain't sayinK a word. I simply Let her go Gallagher. A Koinie in tbe Breast o' ^our Coat, slven years an ooorted sweet Shclah for over And yit me sweet Shelah was ever a rover ; I coortcd all ni^ht, an' 1 roorted all day. An' yit sweet Shclah had never a way ; I coortod her 'early, I coortod her late, Sivcn days in the week, an' wished they were eight- Hut 't wasaiways, "Qoway, Uamey, tiel along wid your blarney, There's a rogue In the breast o' your coat." Wheriver she went I was sure to be there. At each wedding an' wake I'd love an' tc spare : I ooorted her waking, I coortod her dream- ing. T ooorted her 'arnost, I coortod her Koeming, I coorted her 'nling, I coortcd her drinking. An' begor by me sowl I ooorted her wink- ing. But 't was always, " Go way, Barney. Git along wid yourb'nmey. There 'a a rogue in tlie breast o' your coat." I coortcd her standing. I coorted her setting. Wherever an' whin was a chance love to got in : I coort«d her riding. I coortod her walking. 1 coorted her thinking. I coorted her talking, I coorted her smiling nn' Irownlng an' wroath- iuK. An' by the hole (T me co,it 1 coortod her breath ing :â€" Ttut 't was always, " Oo way, Harney, Oct along wid your blarney. There's a rogue in the breast o' your coat." I coorted in now clothes, I coortcd in old. I coorted wid brosn, an* I coortod wid gold ; I coortcd wid scomini?, 1 coorlct wid hating, I coorted wid flKhtine, I coorted vrid b'aling, I coorteil wid Kngliiih the brogue along fuss- ing. An' by Peter an' Paul I coorted wid cussing,â€" But 'I was always, " Uo way, Harney, Oct along wid your blarney, There's a rogue in the breast o" yonr coat." I I'oorted sweet Shelah forsiven years an' over. Then I swore by the saints I'd Shelah give o ver ; The rogue in mo coat I'd never found out. If Shcla herself had not tuirtet ino about ; The durlint vourncen is the rogne in me breast. An' by the sivon lutrislics there she shall rest,â€" An' now 't is, " Come a'ong, Barney, Never mind your blaniey, 'T is Shelah that's hid In yourcoal." -Jennie E. T. Dowo, in Century for January. *' Teaiii.<ilcr Jlra." Itaintiest the story, parscn, to toll in a crowd like this, Wetb the virtuou"- matron a-frownln' an' chid- in'thu gi|;Klin' iiiiKS, . An' tlio L'ood old deacon a-noddin in time wetS his patient nnores. An' the shoolicd aleet of the capital stalkin' away throiiijli the doors. But then it's a story thnt happened, an' every word of it's tmc. An' suniotimes wo cant help talkin' of the things thiit we sometimes do. An' thouBh gooil society coldly shets its doors onto â- â€¢ Tcamstc' Jim." I'm thinkin' there's lots worse people thet'ubct- tor known than him. I mind tho day ho was married, and I danced at the wedrtin', too. An' 1 kissed thn hrldo. sweet Maggie, daughter of Hen McGrew. I mind how they sot up housekeopin' two young, i>oor, happy fools. When .liin'a only stock was a heavy truck an' four Kentucky mules. Well, choy live4 along contented, woth their little .ioys ah' cares. An' every year a baby come, an' twice they come in pairs. Till the house was full of children, weth their xhoutin' and playin'anil squalls. An' tbefrsingln' an' taughin' on' cryln' made bedlam wethin its walls. .«^ ^^> An' Jim, ho soeme<l to like it, an' he spent all hisevenin's at home; lie said it was full ot music an' light on' peace from tiit to dome. He.ioined the ohurch nn'heupod to pray that his lieart might bo kept f.um sinâ€" .^ The stumhlin'esl iirayin', but heads and hearts used to how when hod bcgii^ So they lived along in that way, the same from rtny to day, With plenty of time foi- drivin' work and a little time for play. An' trrowln' around 'em the sweetest girls and tho liveliest, m.inliest boys, Till the old gr.iy heads of the two old folks was crowned with the homeliest joys. RhI thltTs al|- Come to my storyl Well. They're livln' iiist like I said. Only two of the girls Is married, an' one of the * hoys is dead. An' they're honost an' dcornt an' happy, an' the very hest, christians I know. Though 1 reckon in brl liant comp'ny they'd be votedaleetle slow. Oh, you're pressed for time ! it.xcase you ! Sure. I'm sorry I kei>t you so long. Qoodhy. Now, he looked kind o' bored like, an' I roekon that I was wrong To toll Serb a enmmon place story of two sech commonplace lives. But we cant al git drnnk an' gan,:Me an' Bghtt an' run ofT with other men's wives. - R. J. Bdrdette. A Western lecturer has selected for his subject, " A Bad Kgg. " This subject often atrikea a lecturer untavorabljf. 'â- *. ikajMiilpI if '«lw Wwi4. Mr. 0. Wood DiMritor Kanaaa ii a rather notorious writer of M|||mi*tio ^i«l««j ia the Forum, Country OewenUM and tXkSe Sriodicals, concei-niiig fM diilger he firv laes to foresee of a grtatlx«l&Bit«d supply of breadatuffs for the people OHhia eouotry, as well aa of other countries. jBa^JlM P)^ liahed long columns of figurea paifS&agtff give the crop yields of the gnin-|tfMDWlff countries and the consumptive daotaads of the nations dependent upon these crops, and figures out an absolute deficiency of size suf- ficient to assure a probable famine, in some countries, before the next crop shall lia^e been harvesteil. Fortunately few persona have actually believed in the truth of bia predictions, and with Pfefl'or, Simpson and others of his brother alarmists in Kansas, he appears to have been estimated at his reol worth. Lest it may be said that where there i« so much smoke there must be some fire, it may be well to give the fignres of the world's wheat crop as just published by that noted English statistician Beerbobm, whose esti- mates have been usually found almost exact- ly coi'rcct for a good many years. According to him the world's crop in 1891 was about 17,000,WiO bushels greater than the worlds crop in 1890, and over 61(000,000 bushels greatei' than the crop of 1880; His figures for five yeara give the total crop ©f Europe in one colomn, that of all other countries in another, and the grand total crop of the world ia the third. Mr. Beer- bobm gives the figures in " quarters " of eight bushels each, but they will be better understood here if given in bushels. The table is as follows : Vcar Europe All others Total cron Uffll ... I,in,'i,6ii0,000 1,050,800.000 3,l.M,4flO,000 18J0.... 1,308,240,000 8'»,040,COO 2,1.17,280,000 1889.... 1,1.18,(178,0(10 034,061,000 2,093,040,000 1888.... 1,29!>,618,()00 884,800.000 2,184,148,000 1837.... I,37(i,9i0,000 880,021,000 2,256,9*4,000 Mr. Beerbohmime states that the natural increase of p<ipulation in the wheat-eating countries requires an increase of 14,000,000 bushels annually in consumption. Accord- ing to this table the total consumption in 1887 was 2,130,000,000, or 126,!)44,000 bushels less than the crop. Adding the 17,000,000 bushels each year to the con- sumption of the previous year and we find that in 1891 the surpluses of the previous years have been used up and there will be an actual net deficiency of 16,360,000 bush- els in 1891. Mr. Davis has figured the world's shortage at over 600,000,000 bush- els, and these figures of Mr. Beerbohm'a show how wide of the mark the Kansas alarmist has gone. There is a small error of calculation in Mr. Beerbohm's computation which, if cor- rected, will still further redu;:o this small deficiency. He assumes an annual increase of population of great size, as stated above, which may be true for the United States^ but it ia not trne for the older European nations. It is, no doubt, a fact that in those European countries a very slight in- crease in price of wheat will reduce consump- tion more than increase of population wonid enlarge consumption. If we take this fact into account it is pro- bable that the large surplus of the 18S7 crop was not exhausted when the 1891 crop began to go into consumption. There is a great deficiency in the 1891 rye crop, to be sure, and one might be tempted to think that there might be an actual shortage in broadstuCTs this year, bnt then there is a large increase in consumption of maize, the supply of which is comparatively unlimiterl. The rye-eating peasantry of Europe use that grain because it is cheaper than wheat, and it ia not likely they have the means or tbc inclination to use high-priced bread- stufl's us long as they can get the cheaper ones. It is also worthy of note that prices of grain in the markets of the world sustain the position that tho shortage of bread- stuffs is very small, if so be there is any, which does not seem probable. â€" Buffalo Ex- press. *â- Â»â€¢Â« aiatM Ma«a#«aira.' If any oim thing mora MM aq* flMR» lia ooghtJiMMe upon ihf p^ix tj States, tmi^kt UamljhminnHim, Ifktk slaieliaTing a VkW HMto ilwlf lillWllfc idenHng paper I speaks boldly . „ .^ ii^hope in sight of it ii'io' Chicago that Cana- betake themseWea when tarily token but God- teo burdensome. Bnt jR.init take the ery from _fb«||H|» of unholy deliver- . . adtiiar a|iftaut day cease to Par eontaiMBMry- under the head- ing : " Evi) aii4j A<^«'ul" ^y* = " If there is ft aiMgttr la te*iui life it is th« marriage t^-f l ffte r fcyK pacrilege iu the ex[ierieiice at tk«''iniir{d in these later yeara it is the fa^ll^ for severing it »t- forded in ti»rtati»|MiMMa certain looalitiea. As Milton'^il^^flHHfc ia another bat wholly irrele^Hl^EwfctioB, Chicago ha* had a ' bod pre-^rrineoce ' yt this sort of travesty upon the riloat aolwnn of all the in- stitutions given by God'-lor the safety of tha hnmon race and its lalvation after th» world. Who denies that the family is the foundation of stable society T Who qiyiaf ions that the simple formula of the marriage ceremony underlies the stability of the state 1 No one who has sense to see anything more than that which floats as scum npon the surface of the stream. Yet in all civi- lized lands, or, to be more precise, all over the United States, are courta oathnriited 1^ statute to traverse the laws of God and make an end of the marriage relation upon the most flimsy pretexts. * Incompatibility of temper ' has often been pleaded snceasa- fully to secure the desired aeparatioo, and if finite mental dexterity con 8» farther than that in the nothingneu of excuse it is difficult to imagine how. Cer- tain cases in our local courts during the laat tew days have mode theae words dewanded. There is a court, all over the land are courta, daily violating that supreme coaimand al- ways uttered at the marriage altar, ' those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.' This facility for divorce afforded by many of the States of the Union is an always augmenting evil, a constantly increasing shame. Let it continue to in- crease for a few years as it has in the recent past and all bases of virtue, of progress, of each and all the integrals of the state, will be undermined and speedily disappear." . Emln Pasha. Eiiiin Pasha must be admitted to be one of the most interesting figures on the panor- ama of this final decade of the century. There is something in our imagination which always makes eager and iuqniring repouse to the chord which he and his kind touch. The few historical instances in which men and women trained in the habits^ mental and physical, of civilization have passed over to the Orient and submitted to its mys- terious influence, remain and always will remain curiously vivid spots of color on the historical page. There is as much of the dramatic iu Emin's fez as there is in his most recent iudiroct advices to the Berliner 'J'aijeblatt, It is hard to guess whether his remarkable journey back to his Equatorial I'roviin'e was more due to the whisperings of Wissmann or to the promptings of a second nature that grew stronger the further he was led awoy from what our modern world considers tho present serpent of old Nile, semi-barbaric indeperdence. Probably both causes were at work. The easy, diploma- tic view to take of Emiu ia that he is a spectacled Uerman freelance, making geographical discoveries and raising consid- erable of a dust on that much desired Brit- ish *' open road " from the Cape Colony to the Soudau, all in the interests of Teu- tonic superiority and Teutonic lunter- land. But this is far too superficial a summing up of the man whom the impious Eastern wocli^'hndertook in its bragging, advertising, contractor-like way to bring safe from his disquieting and illegitimate situation in the Equatorial Province and ship home to Europe from Zanzibar, and bowing his head in patient, deep dis- let Mr Stanley " thunder by "and then retraced his steps through Uganda. Very likely he urged those steps the faster for Wissman's suggestions of what might be done for the Fatherland, but the oriental, fatalistic disdain of Mr, .Stanley was there akdl the same. How far Emin is discommod- ing the British Bast Africa Company and Her Majesty's Foreign Ottice, or how far his acts will at need be adopted or disavow- ed by the German Govemmont it is of course hard to say. The story that he has been fighting with an English force that has marched northward from Uganda to " in- tercept" him requires much confirmation. But what is impossible to believe is that whatever he haa been doing he is in a pre- earious situation. He haa at least shown the centers of civilization that it is not worth while to be alarmed about him. ai ...i. .^ mi 9, Sen. Beolh's Kcpart. The experiment tried by General Booth in London of providing work, food and lodging for unemployed persons has been made the subject of a report by him on its financial side. Notwithstanding opposition by men like Professor Huxley and the lead- ing dailies of the British metropolis, he suc- ceeded in getting money enough to carry out his plans in part. 'Two million and a half meals have bieen fnrnisiied the hungry and 350,000 nights' lo giugs have been af- forded the homeless. A total of i;45,000 has been expended on the workshops, restaur- ants and shelters snd a liability of £10,000 has been incurred on the strength of prom- ised subscriptions not yet paid in. From General Booth's way of presenting the mat- ter it, is impossible to pronounce definite judgment on the success of his operations. Successful they certainly are within limits. For he who employs the idle and enab'.es tbeinio earn the wherewithal to buy fo d and bed and to secure other necessaries is n it only a pi-i vate bnt aUo a public ber eta ^tor. Criticism of the work will emanate chiefly from the excessively practical and cynical who will contend that such methods encour- age individuals to look to others instead of to rely on themselves in getting on in the world. If Gen. Booth's methods were mere- ly sentimental ; if he gave a»'ay without asking an equivalent means for idle per- sons to use in maintaining idleness and provided home and food for the worthleas and the wasteful, objection of this nature would have fores. But he invariably asks service ; he strives not only to provide work, but to secure permanent employ- ment, and he runs shops and factories in order to teach trades to those who cannot take care of themselves without co-opei^- tive assistance. Other censors will cr^fiiat this 18 socialism. Well, what if it is? Socialism in one form or another is integral in society, aa its name suggests. We have state socialism under many guises that ara only the thinnest of disguises. There are large communities that have deliberately carried communal socialism to a stage thatr basproved its safety by reducing taxes and securing to the public a larger return for public investments. Socialism, to a greater or less extent., is inevitable if we are not to relapse into barbarism or anarchy. The questions of government ore not those of principle to any great extent ; they are problems to be tried m the light of experi- ment, and whatever experiment seems to promise most for the producers of a com- munity will indicate thi mode by which it will endeavor, if prudent, to regulate its af- fairs. But Gen. Booth's ia only, volunteer socialism. It is simply pliilanthrophy brioj^ing the wealth of the rich and the willing down to the industrious and the de- serving. It is the highest interest of every people to reduce idleness.to lessen crime, to increase thrift, to abolish poverty so far as it may be possible to do thia. Uen. Booth's experiments is only a drop in the bncket, and the bucket of London is a mighty ocean of human woe. It has justly been deomed the city of despair. Hia work, although it relieve comparatively few in the gross, i». to be commended and applauded because in giving help he seeks systematically, to en- courage and assist the individual to^elp himself. When Italian robbers vent their feelings in song it is generally given aa a banditty. Tlie custom of New Year's Day visiting is dying out. Many people who formerly kept open house on such days, now keep >> loose dog and have their honaes shut. Well Wilkin tkc Law. Magistrate â€" You are charged, sir, with selling liquor on Sundays. Prisoner â€" never sold a drop, J edge. " But here is a reputable witness who enteied your saloon by the b»6k door last Sunday, called for a drink, received a bottle and glass, poured out a liberal quantity, drank it, and paid for it." " Does he say it was lickcr, Jedge ! " " lie saya it tasted like liquor." " Well, Jedge, I'm a law-abidin' oifizen, I ain. That there feller tried to break th' law by buyiu' licker of me, but I didn't sell him no licker, no, sir." " What did you aell him ? " " It was a temperance drink, Jedge, mode up of turpentine an' kerbaene, red pepper an' such thinga, Jedge. It wasn't licker, Jedge, it only tasted like it. " It is Slid that Rusaia is preparing for the worst. Some other power will lec that â- hageun. Mr. Thoir very ill wit glad to say, way to reco for at the h Brown, Scut Mr. Jajnes ing from a v Miss Lillis kle injured while steppir eral. Lately veloped and i ago by Dr. ( pital, where â- a plaster cas treatment wi it will requir enforced rest Mount Zio: lately to the ate new book Mrs. S. Ax - Line, who sui limb some tin ered as to be Her many fri prospect of h Mrs. John Man., arrived extended visii T. R. McKe years since th less to .say th mutual pleasu Our school on Friday last ertainment wa pared and inl given by the tree produced Ten and the t of candies, great pains in and they did t A merry Chr staff and reade We are hai winter though Martin out in 1 Our school Binnie, Stewai Misses Acheso Saturday for tl Mrs. Jack L Sound on Frid sister's funeral. The Anglican ual bazaar t( despite the stoi their goods all ing. Our public Speirs, and he pleasant progra on Friday al number of visi enjoy it. Miss her home at Ei Godfrey & B attractive wind ant of the "Rinj cording to an £ tion. The bii Carson barnyar it up with the d' so that Will Lj shoot it. Sine has also appear* not being moles We imagine tl the birds escap Hydro game sa where local gai forbidden, but ' previous adminii come up for a 1 Meaford Mirror,