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mmm •xii f mm T is difficult to imagine America's annual Memorial day without flowers. Indeed, Decoration day, the other name by which this spring commemorative festival is BO often designated, carries an in­ timation of how dependent this day of sad memories is upon the bright-eyed blossoms that serve as the most appropriate of all tokens of - remembrance. To be sure, flags are also made use of extensively on Memorial day--not only In the ornamentation of dwellings and places of busi­ ness, but In marking the graves of fallen heroes whom It is desired to honor on this occasion. After all, however, It is flowers which are most extensively relied upon to express the sentiment of the occasion. And in the broad term "flowers" are included the flowering plants, the ivy and other of nature's products that are employed to form the wreaths which are so popular on Memor­ ial day. All told there are infinitely more flowers used on Memorial day than are employed at Easter and yet the general public does not hear so much of the Memorial day "flower trade," nor have It* magnitude so conspicuously brought home. The explanation is found, of course, in the cir­ cumstance that the Easter flower tra£e is almost wholly in the hands of the professional florists jtZOMe&S AT AtSfO Memorial day, always hereto­ fore a serious problem to the public-spirited citizens who have charge of this work and who could only pleac! with the people of the community to get their donations of flowers to the town hall early, burf. usually found that their most ^emphatic appeals were insuf­ ficient to get the posies to the rendezvous In time to permit of their proper arrangement in time for the starting of the parade at the scheduled hour. The bringing of flowers to the larger cities on Memorial day has been further simplified ujr the fact that in many local­ ities special flower trains are operated by the steam rail­ roads and. the interurban trol- V * f ?: 3 to who>a interest it is to make their activities occupy as large a place as possible in the public •ye. At Memorial day, on the other hand, the regular flower marts, although they have a "rush Season" in consequence of the holiday, supply but a fraction of the flowers that are placed on the graves of the nation's warriors. The vast preponderance of the flowers that are used to express the love and gratitude of the people of the republic on the yearly-recurring Memorial day are home-grown posies whose cul­ tivation with a view to such ultimate use is as much a labor of love as is the strewing of the blossoms on the graves. Or, at least the flowers are for the most part garden blooms rather than the frail products of the hot bouses. Iuleed the •election of May 30 as Memorial day in a large proportion of the states of the union was made it wag nn occasion when nnrltur •was presumed to be in her most attractive garb and when the spring floral harvest 1b at its beight. Similarly the southern states, being as­ sured an abundance of flowers at yet earlier dates, have, as much for this reason as for any other, chosen as Memorial day dates that seemed to mark the culmination of the floral flood in their respective states rather than strict con­ formity with the date at the end of May, which Is so universally observed in the eastern, north­ ern and western states and in the more northerly •fit the commonwealths of Dixie. This will ex­ plain why certain of the states, notably those "f the Gulf of Mexico, observe Memorial day days or weeks in advance of the remainder of the sisterhood of states. ^ The use of flowers on Memorial day is varied and appears to be growing more so as time goes On. At first suggestion of the occasion the reader is apt to think only of the custom of plac­ ing bouquets and wreaths in garlands on the grassy mounds beneath which repose in their last dreamless sleep the boys in blue and gray who gave up their lives in defense of their - flag. But as a matter of fact it is a long-established custom for the American people generally to choose this occasion to place specially elaborate^/ decorations upon the graves of loved ones, even/ though those whose memory is thus honored had % naught to do with the stress and strife, the sacrifices of which Memorial day is primarily* v intended to commemorate. One of the comparatively new uses of flowers on Memorial day, which has grown greatly in recent years, is the custom of placing wreath* of floral festoons or other similar tributes upoi^ the statues which have been erected in the** Various American cities to our war-time heroea. \ At the national capital, where there are mor^ \ than two dozen such statues, the pedestals are ^ also draped with American flags. This decora* tion of the statues in parks and public buildings throughout the land is, of course, quite aside from the usual placing of tributes at the graves of these self-same heroes. Another interesting/ and beautiful new use of flowers on Membrla! t day is found in the practice of setting afloat huge baskets of miniature ships laden with flowers as a tribute to the American • sailors who have given up their lives for the Stars and Stripes. These flowers are quickly borne out of sight by the waves, and mayhap float out to sea, byt the sentiment of the occasion is served. As death has year ^jy year remorselessly thinned the ranks of the Grand Army of fche Republic, the Confederate Veterans and other or­ ganizations of one-time soldierB there has of necessity been a change in the plan of bearing flowers to the cemeteries and decorating the graves of those who have answered to the call of "taps." The approved plan was to have in each community on the significant day a proces­ sion to the cemetery In which the principal par­ ticipants were little girls dressed in white, each carrying a huge bouquet or basket of flowers and, marching beside or behind thefee flower bearers, an equal number of veterans, each with a wreath of "evergreen or holly or ivy on his arm. When the procession arrived at the ceme­ tery the participants distributed themselves throughout the burying ground until a*little girl with flowers and a veteran with a wreath stood beside each grave marked with a tiny American flag. Then at a prearranged signal all the flowers and wreaths were placed simultaneously upon the graves of the comrades whom death has "mus­ tered out." This impressive ceremony, and there could be nothing more appropriate, is yet followed in countless communities, but there have had to be many modifications. For one thing the graves to be decorated have become much more numer­ ous, whereas the number of surviving veterans who are able to march to the cemetery with their wreaths has dwindled appreciably. A solu­ tion has been found, In many places, by drafting for this task members of the Sons of Veterans or other organizations made up of children of old soldiers and also veterans of the Spanish- American war, many of whom are comparatively young men and who are sufficiently numerous to decorate the graves of their own fallen comrades and also the resting places of the heroes of the earlier wars. Another factor that has operated to influence a change in the use of flowers on Memorial day is the growth in the size of many of our cities. In towns and small cities it Is still practicable for the Decoration day host to march to the ceme­ tery, but in all the larger cities it has become very much of a prablein. In many instances cemeteries $re so remote from the central part of the city that it is unwise to ask aged veterans to attempt to march and out of the question to allow flower girls of tender years to trudge through the streets for hours at a stretch. Consequently it has be­ come customary under such circumstances to convey the flowers in quantities to the cemeteries and there distribute them to those who are to participate In the decorating program. For this delivery of flowers the modern motor car has proven a most convenient vehicle and In all our large cities on the morning of Memorial day one may now see the heavily laden "flower cars" spinning along on their way to the cemeteries. « The speedy horseless vehicles have also proven a boon in the collecting , of the flowers for ley lines in order to convey the tons of blooms needed for the great memorial ornamentation. And, speaking of the lhterurban electric lines it may be added that these roads now make it poFsible to decorate with flowers the graves of soldiers in many a country cemetery which, un­ der the old conditions, could not readily be reached by members of the organizations of vet- eranb and other bodies that aim to seo to it that no BOldier's grave is unadorned-on this significant occasion. * -1 Almost every known variety of flowers that bloom in the spring is employed to a greater or lfss extent on Decoration day, but naturally the wild flowers of the season are especially popular for this purpose. In the sections where the season is sufficiently advanced the roses and peonies are great favorites on this occasion and in the cooler climes violets and the hardy "pinks" are used extensively. In the more southernly states the yellow Jasmine and the honeysuckle make admirable Decoration day festoons and at Arlington and other great natlpnal cemeteries it seems as though Memorial day has been timed to find the gorgeous purple wistaria at the climax of its glory. The mountain laurel is another floral favorite that lends itself to the purposes of the holiday, but of course it is not obtainable In .all sections of the country. In recent years the use of natural flowers on Memorial day has been supplemented by tho ex­ tensive use of artificial flowers, particularly in the form of wreaths or designs emblematic of war-time badges or flags. However, the "art flower designs" of the present day are indeed a revelation as compared with the crude attempts of some years ago. Some of the Decoration day designs are executed in metal, tinted to counter- felt nature, and this form is of course very permanent, but most artistic effects of lasting character are also being obtained by means of fine waxed crepe paper flowers. Such designs are being employed to an increasing extent un­ der all circumstances where it is necessary to send Memorial day designs long distances. How­ ever, the White House at Washington, which sends such remembrances to various parts of the country, always employs natural flowers from the presidents conservatories. WAS HE 8ARCA8TIC? "John, we have been married few nearly twenty years; I want you to tell me something." "Oh, yes, Mary, you look Just as young and as girlish as you did the first time I ever saw you; I have learned to love you more and more as the years have drifted by; I wouldn't be free again if I had a chance; if you were to die 1 think of marrying any other woman, spend the rest of my life pining for you; that your family is much superior to mine; I realize that I never should have amounted to anything if it had not been for your influence; you are the best manager I ever saw; your new spring hat is very becoming; you look fifteen years younger than Mrs, Bransthwaite; yes, I like very much the way you are wearing your hair; I think of you steadily all day; I am sure that any young woman who would look at me twice would do so only because she wished to make a fool of me, and J acknowledge that you make a much better showing than any other woman could make on our income. Now is there anything else? I'm in a good deal of a &urry this morning."--Chicago Record-Herald. =*= Was on the Wrong Track College Student Flags Train With Red Lantern to Save His Com­ panion. Had lantern swung wildly 4a front 8f a Great Northern train at Fifteenth avenue and Fourth street when Frank Gallagher,[a ufllverslty student, half *£an, JuuLf ieH down^.the banks of the ' Vut. fcpTievjing that his'friend, John rt'. a senior law student from Waseca, Minn., was laying unconscious on the tracks. The bridge above the tracks at this point has been under repaid for sev­ eral months. While Bullard was pick­ ing his way across last night he slipped and fell between the timbers tp the tracks, 25 feet below, Galla­ gher was with him. To add to his horror at his friends' „ g,,V plight, one cry and silence following Bullard's fall, Gallagher heard a train approaching around the curve. He seized one of the.red lanterns mark­ ing the repairs, dashed around the temporary work and threw himself down the embankment, waving the lantern as he ran up the track. The train came to a halt. Exami­ nation revealed Bullard's body lying on the other track. He was uncon­ scious and was taken to a hoepltal. His arm is broken and hlf hip bruUe<l. --Minneapolis Journal. Are You Glad You Tlpf Two Chicago waiters, who have been thrifty and saved the humble tips, are about to take a trip of a month to Europe. They will tip la turn, but "no vulgar display" tstheif motto. High Price for Manuscript. Twenty dollars a line was the pries given recently for the original maim ode to the- Duchess poem consisting ol sold tor 9214. script of Kingston, a Jiy aoiiars a recently for of Burns' o gston. Tire a Uses, ws| STATE NEWS IN BRIEF Joliet--Complaining thaft her son; Charles E. Franklin, took advantage of her inability to read and write and 'fraudulently secured possession of the : property left as her dower right by her late husband, Jason W. FrapkllA, Mrs. Mary E. Cowin of Wilmington , hag asked the circuit court to set t aside the quit claim deeds which- she (signed at the instigation of tyer son. Belleville.--Edward Curry and "Charles, coal miners of Lebanon, were Sentenced to imprisonment for life by Judge Kadiey ror killing Wiiiiam Campe, a farm hand in a street car fin Lebanon last December 18. Mason City.--The trial of the out­ door plan of sleeping was the cause of the death, of Paul G. DePue, young son of Mr. and Mrs. A, T. DePue, wealthy farmers near Easton. The youth, who was fourteen f^ars of age, had been In good health and there­ fore did not need the fresh air cure for any particular ailment Alton.'--The Alton board of trade, just organized, which will have'large annual subscriptions from Alton manu­ facturers and real estate owners, has authorized the Alton delegation to the Madison county board of supervisors to offer $200,000 to the county for lo­ cating the courthouse at Alton. Granite City.--Courtney Qonterman, expelled high school student of Gran­ ite City, was arrested on a charge of disturbing the peace following an all- day mental and physical battle with special guards hired by the school board to keep him out of the school building. Aurori.--An attack on certain med­ ical schools and a demand for more thorough state inspection was made by the committee on medical educa­ tion which reported to the Illinois State Medical society. East St. Louis.--The board of health has directed Dr. L. B. Short, health commissioner, to pour crude oil on the waters of Pittsburg lake, Cahoka creek and other streams around East St. Louis, with the hope that mos­ quitoes will be exterminated. Waukegan.--John Ponin, the twen- ty-uiuutlio-olu soil , oi Mr. and Mrs. John Ponin died at the Jane McAlls- ter hospital as a result of burns re­ ceived at his home. Elgin.--With their last plausible theory exploded and the key to the St. Char-lee road murder mys­ tery as far from their grasp as it was the moment the mut|lated body of a young woman, still unidentified, was found under the "third rail" viaduct, the Elglft police last night were scat­ tered through adjoining towns in an aimless search. John Weitenbaum, 1507 McHenry street, Chicago, was ar­ rested on suspicion at Wheaton, but was released when he explained his business. Belleville.--Edward McCurran and Charles Carnlne, coal miners of Lebanon, 111., were each sentenced to Imprisonment for life by Judge Hadley for killing William Campe, a farm hand, in a street fight in Lebanon last December 18. Judge Hadley also sentenced McCurran and Carnlne to solitary, confinement December 18 of each year they live. He said that he did this that they might spend the an­ niversary of their crime in meditation. McCurran and Carnlne pleaded guilty. Aurora.--Mrs. Druscilla Hilllard Crego was granted a divorce from her aged husband, George M. Crego, with whom she eloped twp years ago, by Judge E. M. Mangan. Cruelty was the grounds for the divorce. Supporting her charge Mrs. Crego produced a photograph of herself showing a black eye. Centralla.--Klrby J. Dailey, thir­ ty-eight, an official of "the Ohio Oil company and one of the best-known oil men in this vicinity, was killed at Sandoval when he attempted to board a moving passenger train on the B. A *-y TT ^ J at xj, xio n cap iui VHU UUUCI tuo wheels. He lived at Toledo, O. Tllton.--Earl Sunderland, a young man about twenty years of age, resid­ ing with his parents in the Richland addition, was shot by the accidental discharge of a 32-caliber revolver which he carried In his pocket Wellington.--A detective on the trail of the men who recently bur­ glarized the Ade Pate private bank in this village, takes the position that the automobile is one of the most use­ ful vehicles for professional cracks­ men and that out of a great majority of the banks robbed in various parts of the country within the past few months, the automobile has been the means of getaway. Newton.-*-Moxley Hlppler, eighty years old, was run over and Instantly killed by an Indianapolis Southern train. Waukegan.--Employes of the postal service, particularly the men employed in the railway mail branch, are ma­ king a determined fight for legislation under which they may organize and affiliate with the American Federa­ tion of Labor. Sampel Gompers, presi­ dent of the federation, is supporting the movement. Dixon.--The golden anniversary of the mustering in of the Thirteenth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry at Dixon will be celebrated May 24 and 25. ^ Decatur.--Leaving his home, telling his wife that he was going to Chicago on business, Frederick O. Hedger, a farmer living near Maroa, completely disappeared. Lockport.--If the Lockport employes of the sanitary district are subjects of the board's probe, the trustees themselves will likewise stand ac­ cused of gross mismanagement and misrule of their office. Moline.--W. F. Holl was run down and fataliy Injured by an automobile driven by Franz Schmidt, president of the Schmidt Gasoline Engine company 6f Davenport, la. Pleasant Hill.--Five generations of the family of Mrs. Leah Shultz Long, all of whom live in Calhoun county, held a reunion. Mrs. Long will be jBinety-sIx years old September 26. New Athens.--Peter Lehman, t&e twenty-two-year-old stepson of Louis Haupt, a prominent farmer, was tgtand dead In a small pond on his father's farm. His doilies ware found oa the 'bank . BRAVERY SAVED SOUTHERN EXPRESS. \ NANNIE " GIBSON'S Record of Deed of Cleven-Year-01d Girl Deserves Place in Railroad History--Education to Be Her Reward. Since early morning the storm had been lashing the mountains of North Carolina, first in ft sullen downpour that swelled stream* and 'tore away small bridges, and afterward in de vastating fury. In a little cottage tbat clung to the side oi a gap at Graphite, near Asheville, a girl was cowering at the window. She was all alone. Her parents were away on a visit and could not return until the storm abated. Nannie Gibson, being only eleven years old, was "steered." Below her roared tho river, now swollen to a mad torrent. Along Its bank, peril- oubly near, ran the tracks of the Southern railroad. Suddenly, writes John S, Lopez, in Harper's Weekly, with a roar that rose above the storm, the side of the railroad cut tore loose and swept down, an avalanche of earth and rocks and trees, brushing aside the tracks and leaving great boulders piled in the right-of-way. The child watched it for a moment, fas­ cinated, half numb with terror. Then, borne down on the sweep of the storm, came the dull shriek- of a loco­ motive whistle. That whistle heralded the coming of the Southern Express. Nannie Gibson was only an ignor­ ant mountain child, unable to read or write, but tuition tc!d her T?hat would happen if the train were al­ lowed to run on unchecked. Red was a danger signal--Nannie knew that much; but where was she to get some­ thing that she could wave? She searched the poorly furnished cabin, hurriedly, but found nothing that would serve in the emergency. Sud­ denly her eyes fell on a little dress hanging in the corner, carefully cov­ ered with an old sheet. It was the child's new Sunday dress that her mammy had given her a few weeks before, and was made of some cheap red material with white dots scat­ tered over its surface. She ran from the cabin to the rail­ road cut--ran madly, though the stones bruised and cut her bare feet, and the lightning flashed about her, and fallen trees barred her way. The only chance to save the onrushing train was to signal it at the end of the tunnel. She sped up the track, waving the dress frantically. Suddenly the big engine thundered out of the tunnel and bore down upon the child. Peering from the side of his cab, the engineer saw her. There was a roar of steam and the shriek of air-brakes ruthlessly applied, and the heavy train came to a grinding, shud­ dering stop within a few feet of the child. The startled passengers and the train crew found her sobbing beside the track. Of course they made much of her, plying-her with questions and heaping praise npon her. "Weren't you afraid?" asked one of the grateful passengers. "O" course I was," replied the child, bashful under the attention she was receiving. "But I Just had to stop yuh-all." When the express finally resumed Its journey, most of the passengers carried lighter pocketbooks. Not that the child was interested^ in this. Just what was uppermost in her mind be­ came manifest when one of the pas­ sengers asked her if there wasn't something she could send for. Nannie wrigghsd her toes in the dirt, put her finger in her mouth, and finally mum­ bled, shamefacedly: V. ell, maybe yuh-ali could send ms a new red dress, 'cause I done spoiled mine a-stoppin' the train!" This is the story of one child's he­ roism, and the railroad was properly grateful. Down to Graphite journeyed an official. It was hard for him to get her to tell him what she really desired most in the life that his com­ pany could give her. But he finally succeeded. And what do you suppose it was? She wanted an education. Nannie got her wish and is now studying hard in the Normal and Col­ legiate institute at Nashville. handiest uiuig 1±1 U1C pan- fay. It is pure and always ready to use. There is no waste--use as much or as little as you need, and the rest keeps longer than fresh Fast Trains in Europe. Express speed in Great Britain and on the continent is high. In Great Britain there are 11 daily express trains making runs of from 50 to 118% miles without a stop, whose av­ erage speed is from 61 to 69.2 miles an hour. The fastest and longest non­ stop run Is 225% miles, from Padding- ton to Plymouth, made at 54.8 miles an hour. France has seven dally ex­ presses that run from 77% miles to 147% miles without a stop, at speeds of from 51.1 to 61.8 miles an hoyr, and there are nine French trains that run from 102 to 147% miles without stop, at speeds of from 50.4'to 59.3 miles an hour.--Scientific American. Had Seen Thunder "Made." « George Gardner, Jr., Is well known all over East Eighty-ninth street, a large part of which he owns in fee simple. At least he makes claims, and there is-none to dispute him. The torrents of rain that fell the other day at noon failed to Impress him. But when the bolts were loosed and Jupiter Tonans got his work In, he looked up in amazement. "Who makes that noise?" be asked his mother. "God, dear." *"But who helps him?" asked the youngster, who is not unacquainted with the opera house stage and the property room.--Cleveland Leader, f From London Direct to Peking. Soon It will bs possible to travel from London to Pekin in less than ten days. A branch of the great Siberian railroad is to be continued through the famous Desert of Gobi to Peking. This will enable the traveler to go from London direct to the Chinese capital in the short time mentioned, the only sea voyage being that across the Eng­ lish channel. ' Gives Suae results sn all cooklmg: 7VH your grocer to •mi IMy'a M» P*1"jHMutlURmSVILLe W«il mwswmiESHl SURE S1€S!M Mrs. Wiggins--Our daughter Mary1* In love. Mr. Wiggins--How do you know? Mrs. Wiggins--She refers' to twi­ light as the gloaming. Just Hopes. A gentleman never snatches his trousers away from his wife when he discovers her going through his pock­ ets. He only hopes she will leave him enough with which to go downtown in the morning. He is perfectly welcome to go through her purse any time and help himself to anything he can find. That Is what married life means. A man should not allow his feelings to be hurt when his wife runs across loose change or a roll in his pockets; he ought to play the game and take such little conjugal pastimes for granted. Made Father Bestir Himself. When Dorothy Meldrum was a lit­ tle younger--she is but ten now--her father asked her on her return from Sunday school what the lesson of the day had been. ^ "Dandruff In the lion's den," was her answer. Ever since Rev. Andrew B. Mel­ drum, D. D., has personally applied himself to the religious instruction of his little daughter.--Exchange. One Cook May make a cake "fit for die Queen," while another only succeeds in making a "pretty good cake" from the same materials. It's a matter of skill! People appreciate, who have once tasted. Post Toasties A delicious food made of White Corn--flaked and toasted to a delicate, crisp brown--to the "Queen*® taste.** Post Toasties ase served direct from the package with cream or milk, and sugar if desired-- A breakfast favorite! "The Memory Lingers* am CmmI Company, UL Bank J