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.GIANT POW'DCR 'GIANT), POWDER who bad been kept-after school "Something, Upset you ill town yes­ terday, Ned," reninrked ' Florence as Norton helped her nwun-f her cycle the next morning. "\VhnV wh's It?" "Only that eyncial wretch, Court- ney," was the reply. "He i& a regular; Diogenes, and ought to be shut up in a tub for the remainder of his natural existence." I "Oh, do you think so?" replied Flor­ ence. "1 like Capt. Courtney immense­ ly. There is no frirolty or nonseuse about him; he always says..What he means." "Yes, and too plainly sometimes," observed Norton, a little bitterly. "As a matter of fact. I don't think he is a good companion for any young girl, and I wis.h..-you wouldn't encourage him- quite so much," "Encourage,, him?"• repeated Flor- A MARRIAGE SONX3. quiver; " _ . . ~ * . v- j One tuned to earth with. Nature's •swells, ~ Joining with bird and flower and tree and river, : Song of the mountain^, song of shady dol,s- v'-, "" .* " I, Piped on the lute of shepherd lad in hol­ low. '!•'/ What.time the world.with mirth and joy did ring; Hymn ever new for'Nature still We fol­ low: i, ! • Mother 6f ail--thou taughtest us to • ring: -. - f Love has'two chords, in harmony they quiverr ---- *- - • I One timed to heaven breathes melody divine. Strains sweet and low, and iovous to de- , liver 1 Hearts from sadVeares as flames the "I have not heard of anything of the kind," answered Florence, coldly. "They would make an exCelK*rttf)air, wouldn't they"f' "Do you think so ?"* responded Floiv eucfveyidently speaking with an effort. "I shouldn't consider them at all suit­ ed." ' "Oh! wouldn't you?" said Courtney. "At any rate, they seem to understand one another." And then, with a signifi­ cant smile, he added: "There is evi­ dently n6 platonie arrangement exist­ ing jbetween 'them." For a few seconds Florence turned ILLINOIS INCIDENTS CRISP FORMS OF THOUGHT. At Molino, Olih N. Reed died after a protracted illness of heart disease. was found Head in bed at Rentcliler. SOLOMON ANDTUPPERTWISTED TO SUIT A MODERN TRADE. SOBER OR STARTLING, FAITH FULLY REOORQ&P. eculidr Form of Hold-Up in Chicago --Reports of Illinois Officials--Com­ parisons of Pardon Records--Indiana Man Actually Tickled to Death. Coal Wagons Arc Robbed. John B. Legnardj, a coal merchant at gold reiiiie. Buuf the ' by the choir of seraphs chorus. Ringing eternally through heaven's high halls, Echoed by mortals; .God's greatest love 1 Shea o'er us .• • • X Wakens the Song that listening ears en- i thralls. iSunday Academy. FUEELY PLATONIC. . OF COURSE. y,;£tt does seem so absurd to me thai a. friendship cannot exist between a man .and a woman without considera­ tions of love!® matrimony and all that nonsense being introduced." The speaker was a tall, handsome girl, with the physical beauty and grace of figure which athletic exercise has be­ stowed upon the typical end-of-the-cen- tury maiden, and though Florence Mas­ ters could be soft, and even sympa­ thetic upon occasion, it was only with­ in her own family circle that she in­ dulged in--as she termed them--these •weaknesses. Her companions were two men iu boating flannels, both good looking, but In totally different ways; for while Capf. "Charles Courtney was dark, with liis olive skin bronzed by service in In­ dia, Edwin Norton was fair, of the pure Anglo-Saxon type. J "If you are alluding to platonie -friendships, Miss Masters," answered Capt. Courtney, "I am sorry to say that I cannot "agree with you." "But why should friendship, and friendship alone, be more impossible between a man and a woman than lie- j of hauteur i in her voice. ""What on earth do you meahT' "Why, at the Dawsons' ball the other -evening you danced twice running .with him, and theft |et him take you down to .supper." ' xl:t- "And why-? Because you were so busily engage#'with Laura Lifferton that you forgot to come Out aud fetch me as we had arranged." "My- dear Florence," remonstrated Norton, "that "was -a' misunderstand­ ing, I can assure you. As 1 explained to you.beforej I have no recollection of having made any hrrangem'ent with you as to supper " ; ' "Oh, well, don't let us quarrel about it," interrupted Florence. Let us change the •conversation. What did Capt. Courtpey say to upset you to­ day?'.' . '•• • •.". ' *, "Oh, he was chafing me about our friendship." "Yes?" inquired Florence, eagerly. "And what did you say?" "Oh.-1 told him that if I burnt my wings it wouldn't be your fault," re­ plied Norton, almost savagely. Florence gave him a quick side glance, and then, after a moment's hes­ itation. observed: "That was a some­ what silly remark to make, wasn't it? It might lead him to think that our al­ liance was not such a success as it un­ doubtedly is." "I don't think so," answered Norton. "I gave him to understand tliat we had not altered our opinions in the least.'" "Oh, that's all right, then! By-tlie-by, I hope you did not forget to invite him down for the bazaar?!' "Oh, no, I didn't forget! And..that reminds me--did you think of asking Laura to help?" "Whom do you mean? The Lifferton girl? I have not asked her yet, for, to tween two men or two women?" inquir-[ tell you the truth, I don't much care ed Florence impatiently. „ "I think you are quite right, Miss Masters,'^Observed Norton. "Presum­ ing tha£%their dispositions are similar, that they, have the same tastes and in- for her. She lacks stability; and - well* to put it mildly, she's somewhat too flighty for my taste." "Oh, I hope you'll have her," pleaded Norton. "She's a jolly little girl, and lias become, of such frequent occurrence that Mr. Legnard decided to have tins performance discontinued, and as a re­ sult asked the police to interfere. Hia drivers object: to the manner 'in which they are robbed, but say. they are fright­ ened by the gang alul for their own safe­ ty take the medicine doled out, • : • / Falling Off in PardonSt A1 sta tement- giving -the number , of pal', ,dons and commutations granted to- con vicis in -Ijlinohs during the last •twen ty- .three years shows, that fhr: the twenty: years ended Jan. 1/ 3:803, the, aver,agt number of prisoners in the 7>eniteutiii%ies of the State was 1,868 per year. During, those twenty years there were'1,673 par­ don s - aijd coramu ta t i o lis gra riled, making an average of S3,12-3 per year, or about 4.5 per cent each, year of the number of. convicts in, prison. For the years 1803, 180-1 and 1805 the average number of convicts in the penitentiaries was 2.182. During those years there were 216 par­ dons and commutations granted, making an average of 72 per year, that being about 3.3 per cent of the average number of convicts in penitentiaries for those years. Gov. Altgeld calls attention to this fact, to show that about 36 1-3 per cent more pardons and commutations were granted prior to Jan. 1. 1893, than have been granted since that time. I two fellows." "Simply because it is impossible," re­ plied Courtney. "It is contrary to na­ ture, and can never endure." j "But I assure you I have known cases of the purest platonie friendship between girls and men," persisted Florence. "No doub£;t answered Courtney. "So have I, but how long did they last?" "Why should they not last as long as friendships between men?" "Because one of three things is bound to happen," answered Courtney. "Eith­ er the man falls id love with the girl, or the girl falls in love with the man. or •else she .becomes offended because he does not pay her that tribute of admira­ tion which every properly constituted Woman naturally Expects from a man Who seeks her society in preference to that of other people." t "Oh, that's all nonsense, Capt. Court­ ney!" exclaimed Florence, impetuously. "Take Mr. Norton and myself, for in- stance^ Do you mean to say that we could not go out every day together rowing or bicycling, or have a set at tennis or a game of golf without one of us 'falling in love,' as you call it?" "If you are meeting every day. Miss Masters," replied Courtney, "I should consider it a very dangerous experi­ ment. In fact, I should call it playing with fire." - "Upon my word, Charlie." exclaimed Norton. "I am surprised at a man of your experience,talking so ridiculously! Surely you must have known many in­ stances of such friendships, both in India and on the voyage out and home." "Yes, I have," replied Courtney, sig­ nificantly. "And I also know how they- ha ve invariably, ended." "Look here, Mr. Norton!" exclaimed Florence. ,fLet you and I form a pla­ tonie alliance and 'show this stubborn skeptic that we can practice what we - "With all the pleasure in life," cried Norton. - „But Courtney gave a somewhat cyni­ cal smile as he noticed that his friend [Was not quite as enthusiastic in his rr- y as'lie might have been. "That is a bargain, then," said F.lor- i ence; "and now is it not time that we returned to our boat?" . The above conversation took place in the early summer, and for the next two or three months Florence and Norton .were inseparable. The latter was an eligible parti, both socially and linan- - cially,. so that Mr. Masters made no ob­ jection to the young man calling at his house every day and attending his daughter on her various boating and cycling expeditions. The autumn was well advanced, when one day Courtney and Norton happened to meet up in ' town, when tht latter said: "Oh, Fori glad I saw you! Florence told me to ask yen to'come down io a bazaar arrangement vHii.ch she is set­ ting up for next we«>k." '.'Oh,'has it ̂ t«aVfar as Christian r names?" asked Courtney, raising his eyebrows and'fejiftring fke invitation. , "Why not?" said Norton. "I call you Charlie--why should I not call her Flor­ ence?" -- "No reason, in the world, so far as 1 am concerned, old boy," answered Courtney.. "But take my advice, and remember the fable of the motli and tbe caudle," fe" "You're so fond of measuring other people's corn by your o\vn bushel," re­ joined Norton, a trifle irritably. "Any­ how, if I do burn, my wings it won't be . Flor--Miss Master's fault." "Time will show, dear youth; time will sho^v,". answered Courtney, wit|x bis satirical'smile. "But I'll- tell you honestly, I shall expect to be best {nan clinations, I don't'seO why a man aud ! always full of " a girl'should not be as good cliums as ' "If you want her to come so particu­ larly," interrupted Florence, "I'll write to lief divpftty wp get hnrk An*)--<•?--- er--I think we had better be turning now; it looks as though it were goiug to rain." The bazaar in question was ou<? ot those innocent conspiracies between the parson and the ladies whereby cer­ tain masculine creatures, whose la7i- ness on Sunday mornings prevents them from offering their alms and obla­ tions, are wheedled, persuaded and ca­ joled into assisting in tbe restoration of the spire, or some other equally nec­ essary and laudable object. On the eventful day the school room where the stalls had been fitted up was a perfect picture; what with pretty girls, charming dresses and lovely flow­ ers, the effect,upon the more youthful bachelors^ asbewildering, and the sale of fancy articles, at still more fancy prices, wfcnt on apace. Capt. Courtney^,was standing near the door, watching Florence an3 Nor­ ton. and there is a great deal of truth in the old adage that "Lookers-on see most of the game," especially when the game is love. "They are so charmingly innocent," he thought. "I've a good mind to make them happy. But why should I : rouble myself? They won't thank me for ray pains. Shall I? Will I? I will?" Strolling toward Norton, Courtney said. "Ned. can I have two minutes' conversation with you--quietly?" "Yes, dear boy, certainly," replied Norton. "Come this way. Now, what is it?" • "Excuse me for putting the question plainly to you," commenced Courtney. "But when two people's happiness de­ pends... upon the answer, one may be pardoped for a little bluntness. I want to know what your position is with re­ gard td- Miss Masters." "My position?" repeated Norton, first flushing up to his eyebrows and then turning deathly pale; "I--I--I don't quite understand what you mean." ;"W1$, is that platonie arrangement that you made in the summer still In existence, or are you something nearer and dearer than mere friends? For­ give me for.catechising you in this way, but you'know me well enough to be aware tliat I should never take such a liberty out of mere curiosity. I am sure I need say' no more; you will under­ stand me and appreciate my motive when 1 inquire whether you are en­ gaged to Miss Masters or if your feel­ ing is still purely platonie." Norton gasped two or three limes like a fish out of water and then he man­ aged to ejaculate: "Purely platonie." Courtney seized his limp hand aud shook it effusively, aud then with a bappy smile on his countenance he made-his way toward Florence, and he never lefflier all day. For t.h(^ best part of an hour Norton watcfrfyl't^eiii from the further end of the room, eating out^his heart in the sol­ itude of a crowd. Then, as though mov­ ed by a sudden resolution, he walked over to where Laura--Lifferton--wrrs Extravagance Oar Great Fault. Iu editorially discussing American generosity Edward W. Bok, in the La­ dies' Home Journal, declares that the American, is never so unnatural a-s when he is- saving money, and never is he quite so much, himself as when he Is spending it. Hence*, lie has been the most unnatural mortal on earth for the past two or three years. But now, with the lifting of the gloom, and the sun of prosperity sMniinig directly in his face, lie is taking courage and heart. Once more he is going to spend. Generosity is a synonym with the word American. The- American dearly loves to spend, and, be it said to his credit, he spends with equal pleasure upon those lie loves as upon himself--and sometimes even with more. It is the American trait not only to be generous, but to wish to see others happy amid personal happiness. The American is willing to work hard, but he must spend. All this is good; generosity broadens men, just as penuriousness contracts men. If we stopped at gen­ erosity all would be well. But heaven knows we do not. Years ago we passed the line of generosity, and if there were another line beyond extravagance we would have passed that long since. But there is where we halt at present: at extravagance. We are known to-day as an extravagant nation, and out­ most d mgeorus weakness as a people lies m extravagance. No lesson seems severe enough fdr us to remember; within a year the most of us will have forgotten what we passed through in i wo or three years which now lie We have rallied from the ami this is commendable; but to forget its lessons would be a mis­ fortune. Let us be known as a gener­ ous people, but not as a generation of spendthrifts. State Departments. During the year just closed the Secre­ tary! of State issued 856 licenses? to cor­ porations not for profit. 1,516 to cor­ porations for profit, and 481 certificates of changes iii eori»orations. He also issued 1,028 commissions to notaries public. The greatest amount ?>f capital stock of any corporation lif*ensed was If200,000,000. it is now estimated tSat the fees of Secre­ tary Hinrichsen for the four years of his term will not fall short of $300,000. The State insurance department during tin? year licensed insuran>?e companies to- transact business in Illinois as follows: Fire. 21; life, on the lev®-! premium plan. 3; assessment associations. 14; corporate surety companies, 1; casualty surety com­ panies, 1; fraternal surety companies, 14; to-wrasMp and county mutual fire com- panie*v 4- The State Board of Health issued 740 certificates to practice- medi­ cine- and surgery hi Illinois aauli 72 mid- wives' e«rtiticates. the behind us. all/ holding a little court of her own, under the pretense ̂ f selling buttonholes, and soon became one rof the gayest of the gay, V "How happy Norton seems to be!" .observed-Courtney presently. "Indeed! I thought just now that he appeared rather dull," replied Florence; and then, as she looked over in the di­ rection indicated, she observed him worshiping at tile shrine of the fair Laura, and apparently as happy as the day was long/' The Terrible Cockatrice. The explanation of the origin of that remarkable organism, the cotkatrice, leaves nothing to be desired as regards accuracy of detail. We are told that "when the cock is past 7 years old an egg grows within him, whereat he greatly wonders." We can well imag­ ine the dismay of any well-conducted masculine bird of that age on finding himself in such a compromising pre­ dicament; but how did he communicate his feelings to the histories? That the embryonic cockatrice had some mys­ terious power of self-advertisement is evident, for we hear further that "a toad privily watches him and examines the nest every day to see if the egg be yet laid. When the toad linds the egg he rejoices much, and at length hatches it, bringing forth an animal with the head, neck and breast of a cock, and from thence downward the body of a serpent."--Westminster Review*.""""™"" Mawy CTaitn a Dead Man's Estate. A big; senisation was caused at Ja'ctoson- ville-by the appearance of Col. B.C.. Dan­ iels. o'x-coawul to Hull, England, claiming to represent t!foe heirs of the late William Kigali,. wh«i died a few months ago. The claim of Damfe-Ls is that Kigali was- not Rigail at all., bust James Large, and' that he left Jilngl'aind twentytwo years ago with a large sum of money belonging to creditors,, and' fiosrproc also to bring along his wife anil children. Kigali lived with a woman here wEmmm lie claimed was his wife, and they both always conducted themselves properly. The affair has caus­ ed no end of conmunit- Kigali left a good- sized .estate. The affair is further com-' plicated by the claim of persons in ( ar- rolltoM. who say Kigali was Biggs in the old country and: they claim his estate. Mutilates a; Feltow Prisoner. Hy Dickson, a sneak thief and burglar supposed to belong iu Louisville, but now confined in jail at Cairo, charged with burglary and grand laireeny, Sunday morn­ ing cut a fellow pirisoaeir. Charles Wilson, colored, across the aihfcmen, the knife penetrating through to the spine. After­ ward he cut off ;ij portion of the intes­ tines, rolled it in aj paper and handed it to Asnistant Jailer Irvin when the latter came to the cell, saying: "Here is a piece of his entrails." His vietirn cannort live. Wilson had betrayed a plan of Dickson and other prisoners to. escape. He La a;; lis Himself to. Death. Nicholas Klughardt. of South Bend. Ind., laughed so heartily Sunday after­ noon at the jokes of a. comedian who was playing at the Olympic Theater in Chi­ cago that he ruptured a blood vessel, and died ID. a few minutes from hemorrhage. He Went to Chicago-to visit a friend. In the afternoon they went to the Olympic Theater. About 5 o'clock a comedian camfl on the stage. He wore big shoes and !.i white coat with balloon sleeves. Klughardt begam to langli as soon as the comedian opened his mouth and he was unable to restrain-• himself. Blood trickled from his mouth, his arms fell limp at his side and in, a moment he was dead. o<rshcads of Mead. Tbe officials intrusted with the ar. rangement of the details of tljie czar's coronation in Moscow next spring have ^ordered 15,000 hogsheads of mead, which is to be made of pure honey. It is an old .Russian custom to regale the people with mead for three days during the festivities at the ancient capital. Women Working for Disarmament German women have been appealed to" by the' International" Woman's „ -League for Peace in Paris to help'therq Do you think it's a match?" con- Mn bringing about a general dlsarma- tinued Courtney. . V - ' {ment. nearly gray.,aud.Courtney was a f r a i d yChicago, complained to Capt. O Neil of that she wras_about to faint; hut, mak-^ ^dek yards station of a peculiar sys- ing a strong effort; she recovered her-' Jem.of "hoid-up!'..of which he is tlie yic- ... . . °' y--.-- -tim.--Mr.• Legnard-say^'that^htsydrtvcryr self, nnd in a little while no stranger ahv;iy8 j^ve the yard with a full weight could liave told that she was not as 0£ c;oaj on 'wagons, but that when cheerful and light-hearted as any girl r„.»> >>.. tw hm.T In tne room. up by impecunious residents, who climb During--the afternoon^-Mr;--Masters,- j- on the- wagou and -tln-OAv otf enough coal Florence's father, caui$ up to the stall '-to do them, for several days. The matter at which the young lady was officiating and. after greeting Courtney, added: „"Of course you dine with us to-niglit? By the-by, Florence, I'm going to run away with the carriage. I'll send it back for you:in time if 1 can, but if not you will be able to find someone who will put you down at the lodge." "My dog. carf: is here, Mr. Masters," said Courtney, "and if Miss Masters will allow me I shall be delighted to d r i v e ' h e r h o m e . " ' - - j . ' , . So it was Settled, and the afternoon dragged its' weary length' along--for two people .there, at all events--a a though pvery minute was an hour. At last the end'arrived, most of-the stail- lieepers had goye and the porch was in semi-darkness. Courtney's dog cart was just outside; and he was about to help Florence up into it when Norton suddenly appeared upon the scene. Pushing past Court­ ney. he said: "You will ride home with me. Florence?" "Papa has arranged that I should go with Capt. Courtney," answered Flor­ ence, making a move toward the dog cart as she spoke. "Courtney won't mind, I am sure," replied Norton. "Will you, old fellow?" "Well, that depends," answered Courtney slowly. "If it is to be a pure­ ly platonie expedition, why Miss Mas­ ters may just as well come with me, but if " "Oh, hang Plato," interrupted Nor­ ton hastily. "Florence, dear Florence, come with me!" A struggle was evidently taking plaee within the young lady's bosom--a stf ag­ gie between love and pride--but love woij, and, with a deprecatory smile at Courtney, she allowed Norton to help hen into his cart and a few moments later they disappeared into the dusk. It is impossible to say with any cer­ tainty what passed between those young/ people during that eventful drive, for they both declare that they do not remember. Anyhow, they must have gone the longest way round, for when they arrived at the lodge, liuslied aud happy. Courtney had been waiting for some little time for them, and as Norton passed Mm he whispered: "You shall be the best man, old boy."--Lon­ don WorlcL Daniel B. Martin, a farmer near Peoria, committed suicide by blowing out his •brains: ^ Charles W. Eaton, burped in the explo*- sion at McDermaid's churn factory at Rockford, is dead. . Jacob Fritz, a crippled peddler at Fay- otteville, aged 50 years, shot himself in the head, death resulting in a short time. Martin 'Rohn wits buried under three tons of coal in a chute in Peabody's coal yard at Chicago. He.leaves a widow and four children. David B. DeWey, vice-president of the .Bankers' National Hank o"f ClUuil^o, do- livergd an address before the young men of Itockfonl Snndav--Q-vcning-on-"T'he- Ele- ment's of True Success." Nerius Post, G. A. R., of Rockford, of which he was foPiijerly a member, attended the meeting in a body. , Mrs. Emeline C. Thomas, wife of the Rev. Dr. Hiram W. Thomas of the Peo­ ple's Church, Chicago, died at her hoim, Sunday afternoon. Mrs. Thomas was taken ill six weeks ago and almost from the beginning of, 'her sickness realized she Would never recover. Her death was caused by peritonitis. Capt. J; Si Jackson, of Salem, who had• been paralyzed for more ' than twenty years, died. He WaVa member of the State; Legi&latur'e in "1870. and had filled the ofBcfes Of county; clerk and State's - Attorney of Marion Cptihty, lie served throughout the civil war as captain of the 22(1 Illinois infantry and was a prisoner at Libby .prison ten months, A wife arid, daughter survive him. The hitter,* Mrs. T. IT. Marshall, is the wife'of the easbxer: of the S^leni National -Bank \ The Mount Yernon city authorities and • citizen's generally are v.ery much worked up over the case of the Indiana Contract Company vs. the city of Mount Vernon, now pending in the United States district court at Springfield. The original claim presented was for $10,728.60. The amount paid in cash was $10,776.60, with an out­ standing order for $4,000 and vouchers for $S.5-hS.20, making a total of $!$•',- i',24.8(5. The suit is" for $13,200, t'tv? amount stili claimed to be due on tl*'a original claim, and which by a remeastnV incut was found to be an overcharge $.1,364.66 in tile original claim. The fight of Philip Smith, superviscr- at-large. on behalf of Peoria townsh'p. against William H. Allen, a former col* lector of the township, ended at Peoil-i by Allen paying backMnto the treasury $6,035. whiclr wns over and above the $'t,- 5(X) salary prescribed by law. The fight on this point has been on there for a sqcre or more of years and not until now litis there been any change in the custom ot retaining 2 per cent of all taxes collector!. The Town Board will be petitioned to eJ- Iow Alien the necessary compensation for clerk iiire. Collectors previous to Al­ len are squirming, for Supervisor Smith announces his intention of making thMtt disgorge also. B.r the action of the Free port City Con-i- cil' that city is likely to' become involved in a' long drawn out legal battle that the Supreme Court may have fo settle. Tile wafer company has a thirfy-yesyr contract witli the city to maintain the fire .Iiydranta at a rate of $100 each for thg first tCK). $H0 each for the next fifty and $50 for ail above- that narntwr. The Council claims that this rate is exorbitant, and passed a resolution) empowering a special commit­ tee t»> draw rap an ordinance1 fixing tbe rate under the statute of 1891. The wat­ er company <-!aim» the statute is not ap­ plicable; as- theihr contract was made be­ fore its passage- and cannot be- inopairwl by retroactive legislation. The Adjutant General has issued an or­ der providing that any officer of the Na­ tional Guard' who. has served or hereafter- may serve as such officer for not Irsti than three years, and has honorably termi­ nated this service;, on application to tW c 111 n in aud er-in -chief may have his nanre placed oil. a roll in- the Adjutant G'-eneraT*. office, to> be known, as the veteran ro?L Illinois National Guardy and shall' thereby be entitled to wear oil! occasions- of cere­ mony the uniform' of the mrnlc last held! by him;, and for cause- his name may lie stricken from said roll. Asst. Acr;<\. Gen. Bayle issued an-order accepting, the resignation of Tiiomus- L.. Hartigan is captain and adjutant of the Seventh in- f an try;. Illinois National Guard', and upAn the recommendation of the regimental commander appointing. Orlando W.. Ee»t- le.v his successor. The Supreme Cotirt was asked to. de­ clare the general incorporation law of' Illinois unconstitutional and invalid. The statute now in force was passed' by the last Legislature, with the usual provis­ ion tliat "all acts and parts of acts in conflict with the provisions-of this act are hereby repealed.". It is. claimed this r.ct discriminates between a company organ­ ized prior to July 1, 1805;, the- d'ate when the statute became operative, and one organized after that day. The 'former, plainly enough by the letter of the statute, is compelled to pay $.1 for each $1,000' increase.' But there is no provision foi.* a company organized July 2. or on any sub­ sequent. date, say for $1,000, which com­ pany on Aug. 2 wishes to increase its stock to $1,000,000. Under the old law an increase for Qnv .ajiiouiit.jre^iiir^i a £&? of only $1, and this provision of the old ln.w, it is maintained,, having not been repealed y the new law as regards a company or- The Wisdom of'the Sases and the Wit of the Masses, Even the Work-of the Missionaries, Are Grist in the Mill-- They. Are Poached Upon by Authors and Advertisers. Whether Solomon invented all his prov­ erbs or gathered them from many sources with a nicer sense of permanent worth than Mr. Tapper exercised in his later fOmpendiuni is and ever will be an open Question; .Solomon's copyright ran out long before Tupper's time, and both- are now poached, upon ..with iuipimity by all classes, from authors to advertisers: But, taken by themselves, proverbs weli repay careful study. Sfudeiits of ethnojogy find in the proverbs of the different races the clearest proofs of their real character­ istics, for they are the" shrewdest and yet most intimate expressions of their daily life. Judged by the comparison ^ of these homely sayii gs it will be found that all nations, are of one kiiidred, possessing common needs, common aspirations, aud Seeking similar .reliefs from toil and labor. On tlie dustiest shelves of our;'libraries may be found collections of all the"prov­ erbs of _ th.e, different nations, quite a large proportion of the work having re­ sulted from the interest which mission­ aries have taken in their earnest studies of the unci vilized peoples whom they .secfe. tp instruct. - That the shrewd sayiugs. of the Scotch- pi* the;bright.hits of the Irisli should be carefully collected- gives {ittle cause ^for surprise;bii.t a coilectiou of Abyssinian proverbs; of those of the 'lamil language, of dcohxndic lore, of the Sanscrit, South Sea .Island", Chinese, and Hottentot Solomons does excite curiosity. The missionaries have found it a pleasant as well as a profitable task. It delves deep into the idioms of the language, tells with unerring accuracy the mental ten­ dency of the people, and by introducing the foreigner into the inner thought of both home and trade shows liim the real life of those who adopt them as every­ day expressions. It is impossible to read the well-collated proverbs of the Chinese Without realizing tliat a home life exists in that flowery kingdom which rivals that of many more civilized countries. No Solomon, no de­ scendant of Abraham, could eclipse the trade proverbs of the Chinese. They touch on trade with a keenness and thor­ oughness which proves-them to be mas­ ters in that school. The baser life of the Hottentot, the loose morals of the fellah, the independent spirit of the Briton, are all crystallized in their national proverbs. in England and many other countries it was formerly very usual for a tradesman to- select some proverb as his motto, and thus post his principles plainly over his shop- door. It remained, nowever, for an American house to appropriate the pro­ verbs-of the vvorjd en masse, and use them for their own advancement. New Yorkers who ride on the elevated roads, or people who in. less favored localities still jog along in the slow street cars, are familiar with the blrae and white proverbs which proclaim the merits of Sapolio to the world. Every omnibus in London arid al­ most every "tram car" in England is sim­ ilarly adorned. „ They iriadw their first appearance on the Broadway oiiwa-ilMises, were gathered out of over 4,000' pages of the world's callec--- tions, and twisted to suit the case. Many of them are beyowd easy recognition in their new dress-, uiamy are entirely orig­ ins], but these are also printed between in­ verted commas-,, which lends a glamour of antiquity to them. To-day we are told that over 20,000- of these blue cards are displayed in public conveyances carrying over tj.000,900 passengers daily. Condensed thought generally requires padding to make it intelligible to the masses, just as tlie stomach of tbe horse must be distended with hay to make the State News in Brief. The young footpad shot and killed hy • Justice Blume of Chicago was Charles Ross of Toronto, Out. The young man belonged to :t respectable family, his widowed mother, brother and two sisters living on •Jtieen street, where they4 liifVe a house furnishing goods store. Fred Shoopman. aged 25, was,accident­ ally shot and killed near Yirgigin. A flock of geese were flying overhead, and he W?nt to a closet to get his shotgun. In some way the gun became tangled with clotiling hanging near, and it was dis charged. The contents of both barrels entered his head, blowing off the top of it. The insane asylum, poor house and ail the surrounding buildings were threatened with destruction by a fire which started in the laundry of the Cook County insti- tions at Dunning. The entire laundrv building, together with its contents, was consumed, entailing a loss of $25,000. • Ti e Hebrew church Anshai Amelh ;it Peoria was destroyed Sunday morning by fire. The loss will amount to $15,000, on which there is insurance amounting to $8,000. While the fire was still at its height the congregation received offers from four Protestant churches tendering the use ,of their buildings. _ fl A destructive fire visited Rock Falls Friday night, in tlie business portion. A. J. McNeil & Co.'s hardware store and the Rock Falls News were burned. Tlu News' loss is $8,000, with $4,000 insur­ ance. The hardware firm loses $15,000, find is fully insured. Running at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, the Milwaukee express of the Chi­ cago, Milwaukee, and St. Pa pi Road crashed into the funeral profession Sat Mrs. Hattie McCaleb at Chicago, com plefely demolishing ^ne of the carriages and seriously injuring its occupants. The accident appears to have been due to pare less'nesS'on the part of Thomas Carroll the engineer of the train. go*rw.a*r oats digest readily; but with proverbs it is quite otherwise. Their popularity is only reached because they have passed muster as being clear to every mind. They tell their story with a directness and brevity which pleases the public, as the dictionary did the old Scotch woman-- "They air braw Stories," she said, "but unco' short." Turned to tell the practical story of Sapolio, they often acquire new interest. Who reads tlie advice, "Be pa­ tient and you will have patient children," without an innate respect for the advice which follows, not' to fret over house cleaning, but do it easily with Sapolio? And who can repress a smile when the Sapolionic artist pictures the patient father and the impatient twins defying the proverb? But the mother will be back | sooner if she follow the advice. Our fa- I miliar "The pot calls the kettle black" j takes a new interest in it» Italian form, j The pot says to the pan, "Keep off or you'll smutch me." The universal toil ganized after July 1, 1805, is still in force. ; cf the world finds expression in theACatal- The new law is also attacked as u-nconsti' tutional because it thus discriminates be- | tween old and new* companies.. The 1m- < portance of tlie decision is great. If adverse, the- Secretary of State will be bliged to. refund nearly $100,000^ which is about the increase brought about iu re- j ceipts. Troublesome questions of' thf- ie- r ality of acts performed by a company claiming to wet under an unconstitutional or invalid act may also arise. But it may be tliat tlu1 Supreme Court will look more to the spirit of the law than to its letfer. That is one of the ways that lawyers rwd court# have of making themselves indis­ pensable in this world. At a meeting of the Arthur Council it was decided to rid the town of all sin. Ail local preachers havo been urging such ttc- tion and claiming that whisky was being sold by the drug Stores and boot-leggers and that gambling was running riot. Rockford barbers recently got into a merry war over the question of the bar­ bers' itch, the fight being carried into the newspapers, where each shop charged tile other with having given patrons the dis­ ease. The controversy resulted in a dam­ age suit for $3,000, brought 'by James W. Williams against John Oberg. Others may follow. , -- : --r At La con, the Glick Comedy Company's effects were attached recently to satisfy a claim of W. H. Haggartv..of Eugle- wooll. Bla nche Belleville, the soubrettc, saved her wardrobe from the wreck bv an phrase, "Where wilt thou go, Ox, that thou wilt not plough?" Almost all na­ tions possess a proverb which declares that "if you forbid a fool a thing, that he will do," and with ^confidence in the good will of the public the advertiser of Sapolio puts it in this form: "Forbid a fool a thing and that he will do." So w6 say for variety: "Don't use Sapolio--but then you're not a fool." "A touch of nature which makes all the world akin" springs out of the quaint . thought that "A needle, though naked wearing and attaching to lier person no i itself, clothes others." Who. can hear It fewer than ten costumes. ' The company disbanded. Lewis I.„ Smith has brought suit in the Circuit Court ill: Rockford for.$5,000 dam­ ages against the Modern Woodmen,, of America. Smith allege that, w&en he was admitted into the order the goat was very festive. His shoulder was broken and he received other injuries that permanently disabled him. He holds the Woodmen responsible for the action of the goat once and ever see a needle without recall­ ing it? Who fails to recognize the-pic­ ture it suggests cf the aid given to the poor by the poor, and of the help which is everywhere gained from the humblest of assistants? Slang never can be confounded with proverbial phrases. It seems universal, but it is merely a local form used to ex­ press a transient but pbpular idea. Years ago, When a general rush at hotel keeping resulted in many failures, the slang ran: "He's a very good man. but he can'.t keep a(,hotel." All such phrases are local and temporary. They do i?Jt survive--indeed; rarely possess _mefit_emHigh--to- reach= ̂ i; second year without evident decline hi popularity. We have noticed that nono of the advertisements of Sapolio make use of slang, and probably for this reason. . Naturally many of the best; proverbs ysed in this connection reiate to house- . hold cleanliness, and all the original ones are framed to that end. "Dirt in the house builds the highway to beggary." deserves recognition, despite its origin. Household sayings, in the sense of four- walled buildings, full of furniture, are quite lacking in many Easteri) tongues. We believe that no reference to clean housekeeping can be found jq^e Koran . or even in the Bib^e. cxc'(®3::t1i»it_ of the woman who swept^the house to find her lost coin. Shakspeare rather Slights the subject, but whether because it was not deemed important in fhat i«;el!.(MTlr.;^.ir.',t dirty age or because he soared to grander things, we will not discus's, but the Eng­ land of to-day w#>'d srfjs of home, "The cleaner 'tis the cosier 'tis,".arid jpjir Ameri-.; can- advertiser improves -ihe opportunity to add that • humble homes .111,-ide bright with Sapolio are better than iiwdry ;pa!- aees. Alas, for the thoughtlessness of- the man, who forgot to ask whether his bride used Sapolio. The, Scotch proverb records his case: "Ye hae tied-a knotwi' your tongue ye .winno loose, wi' your teeth." 0 --,!•••• BOMBSHELL, AN ARTILLERY DOG He Saved Two Little Children Serious Danger*-. While a gnu was being lofided> Bomb­ shell Would sit on the parapet and watch t he operation. That, finished, lie • would jump',up and look out to sea over the range, and then scamper down y from the parapet and follow , us,, into the bomb,-proof ' •..^ As usual. Bombshell-was on hand to see the test of tlvo new big gun. lie superintended the loading,^ and, while I was aiming tiie gun. he looked over the range as carefully-as did the lookout; and from his air of responsi­ bility one might have supposed that to him had been intrusted the duty of see- ingi that the range was clear. - But when we started for the bomb­ proof, "instead of following us, as was his custom, Bombshell remained on the parapet, looking out to sea and sniffing the air. In a moment he dashed off through the bushes wlijeli covered the narrow beach between the parapet and the sea. Though thinking his actions peculiar, I was sure that he would not remain in front of the gun. because he had done so once, when quite young and inexpe­ rienced, and- the burning grains of pow» der--which are always thrown out, by the blast of a gun--had buried them­ selves in his sftin, burning him badly*? He had never forgotten this. Certain that he would take eare of himself, I paid no' further attention to him, but went with the others into the bomb-proof, and took my place by the electric key, ready to fire at the com­ mand of the captaim. Just as the command "Fire!" was about to be given, Bombshell reappear­ ed on the parapet and began to bark furiously into the very muzzle of the gun. ^ jl called to him. bu$ he- would; not come. Annoyed at the delay of tint- test, I' tried to catch likii. but could: not do so. As I approached he retreated;,, still barking and apparently urging m« to follow him. Finally, convinced from the dog's ac­ tions that something, was wrong, the electric wire was disconnected from the gum and I followed Bombshell. Wagging his tail with joy at having, ac­ complished his object, he led me through the underbrush to the beach. There, concealed behind a clump of bushes, were two little-children quietly digging in the sand and entirely uncon­ scious of the danger in which they had been.--St. Nicholas. Coyotes and.' Cattle. A novel scheme for saving his cattle from the droves of coyotes that infest the region has been hit upon by a rancher of GIen Rock, Wash. He has placed bells on the necks of a great number of cattle in his herds, and; the result has1 been to scare the coyotes away. In the two. months since he belled his herds he has not lost a sin­ gle animal, while previously his lo-:s averaged at least one steer a day. Coyotes are becoming more of a pest every season in many parts of Wash­ ington and Oregon, despite all the efforts of the cattlemon and farmers to exterminate them. Thousands of dol­ lars are spent every year i,i waging war on the beasts, but with little re­ sult. Poison availed for a time, but now the coyotes refuse to touch the poisoned carcasses of steers strewn about for their consumption. The only way of killing them is by shooting them, and this is a feeble and wholly inadequate means. Occasionally the r&fcidents of a district combine and have a grand round-up hunt, driving the coyotes toward the center of a circle and slaughtering them there, and this- is the only means of appreciably thin­ ning them out occasionally. In some re­ gions the packs of gray wolves are as numerous and troublesome as the coy­ otes. The coyotes are particularly adept chicken thieves, and, indeed, are a general pest around the farm yards. Thought. Thought of any kind, to be valuable, must be conservative--that is, it mus* hold with a firm grasp all the truth tha' the past has handed down. It must accept humbly and reverently that which the wisdom of the ages has stored up, and so thoroughly incorpor­ ate it that it may form its very bone and muscle. Only thus can' it acquire stability or permanence. At the same time it must be expansive, it must have the power of growth, it must be hos-. pitable to new truths and fresh thoughtj^willing to pursue inquiries, to attack diffl^'^ies, to solve knotty problems. jjy can it hand down to posteriiV-j A%ething worthy of its acceptance,\ AJrayto the future the debt it owes b Jne past. His Memory's Use. 1 The Philadelphia Times tells a pa­ thetic story of poor, patient little Ned, again and again to learn a simple stanza which all the rest of the class had mas­ tered. At last he broke down and sobbed, "I can't do it, Miss Gray; I just can't do it. Father says it's because I have such a poor-----" •"1 "..., ' "A poor what, Ned?" "You know what it is," a glimmer of light flickering in his face; "the thing yoij forget with."" ' -37 * -- AJabama, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia product four-fifths. of our bituminous coal.