* - y. • " .7- f * i_«^ *' ^ v <• ""! " r f S t t i F A - - . • \ ; % r « * & - s s a p - * * « r _ •% ^ 3~T~A, * T r » ' V » » ^ ^ ' " < %,} m,;:,^ :mm ILLINOIS IITCIDEK IfP;;>l?' imv •© laindealer ̂ J. VAN SLYKE, Editor and Publisher. McHENRT, - - ILLINOIS. •'.' v.^- ~ * . . •f . CANADA might take advantage of leap year to propose-^annexa iola. WHEN marriage is A failure it LA a genuine one and the sheriff can't find (Isscts enough to levy on. \^' ~ • •"/A CHICAGO man has1 beaten the feme at Monte Carlo. We hope this will encourage all Chicago gamblers to emigrate to Monte Carlo. THE bruised arm of a New York youth has been grafted With the Skin f*f a dog. The bark of the canine was found to be of utility in this case. THERE were more than 6,000 homi cides last year and unly 1^3 legal exe cutions. It ,vis not surprising that Judge Lynch did a greater business tha n the courts and disposed of 1195 muiderers. Maryland taken off THE young ladies in the State Normal School ha ve tjieir corsets, and, what is still more lemarkable, intend to leave them off henceforth and forever. Under, these circumstances the institution should change its name to abnormal school. OUR NATIONAL PROGRESS. HOW FOREIGN TRRDB HA6 BEEN EXPANOEI Vk ' Materiali for Americas Rklf-kafld- l*g-Co»gnunwa Spriafor and Presi dent Jsckion--Making Oar On Cotton Tto»-N«lli aadtb* Tariff--VarioM Items sfYatcrot. T""-v. THE United States Minister to Mexico wants this nation to cement the friendship of the two States bv surrendering all the trophies captured from the Mexicans in war. It would not be a bad idea to catch Garza and surrender him. "CIGARETTES smell just as good as sigars. We make this allegation in the interests of truth, and nothing lias prompted us to make it except the circumstances that it is a fact," says New York Truth. An honest jonfessi^n by the writer that he is a cigarette smoker would have been much more to his credit than this. fit. On such occasions he usually picks oijt the keeper who has been kind to him for a long term of. years, and , ties him into a bow-knot from whirih the poor man is never disen tangled. Ap elephant named Dia mond went on one of these angry sprees at the winter quarters of a circus the other day, and threw a bull-dog nearly over the moon, played ball \lj$h two horses, tossing them on his tusks, and chewed up several keepers before he could be pacified. His volcanic anger had doubtless been gathering for years. THE Uiiion League Club of Phila delphia held an election ior directors the other r ay, and the ballots were printed and expected to be marked in conformity to the new law of the State, which provides for an official ballot with the names of all the can didates printed thereon. There were fifteen directors to be elected and known in any month, eighteen candidates aspired to the place. The instructions on the ballots were to "mark with a cross the nanies of those you rote for." Of the 600 members voting twenty-four voted the clean ticket without marking a name at all, and consequently their votes were thrown out. Some of the men blundering in this way were prominent in Working for,the new election law when it was pending in the Legislature. This is no argu ment; however, against the simplici ty of the law, but only goes to show how the practice of voting "the straight ticket" will cling to earnest men. '• New !!a j As TIIEUE can always be found in this world plenty of things to lind fault with, so there can always be found an untold number of blessings. Neve:- stop to worry because some people are better off than you are; i rather keep your hearts full of thank fulness because you are so much bet ter off than are thousands of other ouman beings. THERE is probably no foundation in truth for the g.tory that Kaiser William is coming to this country, but in case he should there is a chance for him to learn a good deal ibout the science of govcrment and what exercise of power goes farthest toward securing the xfonfldence anck loyalty of those affected. If in the oroper frame of mind the Kaiser could lain vast quantities of valuable in formation. ' VOLUBILITY by no means proves a cordial fellow-feeling; nor does silence llways mean the reverse; but it re- iiains true that, if we cultivate a ?pirit of brotherhood, "A heart at 'eisure from itself to soothe and sym pathize,'V we shall seldom be at much loss when a response is called for. Let us not look East or West for ma terials of conversation; a just feeling will fast enough supply fuel for dis course. if speaking be more grateful than silence. SOMEBODY over in England has lommenced the publication of a peri odical called "Darkest Russia" and levoted to the task of calling public attention to the crimes of Russia j igainst humanity. The object is a |ood one, and the people of all lands should be interested in it. But it would possibly have greater effect if ;t would also turn a little light into the slums of "Darkest England" and ittempt some explanation of the causes for the suffering of the pro- iucers in the richest nation of Europe. SENATOR PLUMB'S death from over work has given rise to many trite re flections on the dangerous strain Im posed by American life as the price jf success. It does not take work to succeed, but it is nevertheless true ohat success is still to be obtained by judicious and healthful labor. Many men work themselves to death long ifter their ambition has-been de stroyed by gratiflcation--1ong after ill definite stimulus to overexertion has passed away. To a great extent overwork is a habit rather than a ne- ?esity. THE Public Library of Boston un- ioubtedly intended to throw the weight of its displeasure against the comic weeklies, Puck and Judge, in excluding them from the sacred pre cincts of the institution. It can hardly have been supposed, however, that such a proceeding would injure the papers in question, for it is cer tain to help them in a pecuniary waj\ Of the hundreds of people who have been accustomed to read these papers in the library, there must be some at least who will continue to read them if they have to buy them. This means a certain increase in the num ber sold and a corresponding increase In the profit of the proprietors. The library managers have builded differ ent from what they intended, If not wiser than they knew. MRSI ROBERT L. STUART of York died recently at the age of 81. Iler hpsband died in the same city in 1882. As he was the last of his family and his wife bore no children, this house of Stuart is no more. The record of this husband and wife, how ever, which has just been made pub lic, is rich in good deeds. The hus band gave a great deal of money to Princeton College and Dr. John Hall's church, of which he was a member. The total benefactions Of himself and his brother, Alexander, to religion, education, and charity during their lives was over $2,000,000. Since the husband's death the widow has given $100,000 to the New York Historical Society, $150,000 to Princeton College to found a school of philosophy, foO,- 000 to the New York Children's Aid Society, and numerous gifts, ranging frcm $5,000 to $25,000, to the Board of Foreign and Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church. She gave away after his death more than the entire income of the estate, though this Stuart family is no more, its phil anthropic record will always live. THE riotous assaults of a mob at Eastbourne, England,-on the Salva tion Armv are the last culmination of a struggle which is both pathetic and ridiculous. Eastbourne is. a semi- fashionable coast resort near London much frequented at all seasons and especially by Sunday holiday-makers. "General" Booth designated the place long ago as a promising Held for the activity of his forces and dispatched thither a considerable branch of the "army." The troops encountered a twofold opposition and enmity. The holiday-makers resented the intrusion of noisy religionists on their Sunday retreat. The other element in the town, the plain, brutal lower class John Bulls, objected also, after their kind. The Salvationists resisted both as enemies of righteousness, and in voked the law to defend them in the exercise of their supposed right. So for some months the battle has been waged; the Tory aristocrats for once hand in hand with the grimy Plebs against a common foe. Both sides claimed the protection of the police; both, that the law was on their side. At length the conflict has surpassed the confines of the law and assumed the form of mob violence. Brutal John Bull has knocked down the fanatical lads and lassies and thrust his hob-nailed boot in their faces. It is not a pleasant spectacle, but since it has the sanction of the Tory organs of respectability it must be all right. Forelf* Trad* Expansion. Oneof the most wonderful facts of this present time is the constantly increasing foreign trade--a trade during the past three months that has far surpassed in greatness any previous three months in the history of the country. Attention is called to ttiiB fact because calamity criers were certain that the tariff bill of two years atro would paralyze our foreign commerce; and the Alliance lecturers were proclaiming that the Republican tariff measures would prostrate our in dustries and send the country to the dogs. Listen to what the New York Tribune says: "The exports from this country in December were the largest ever They surpassed even the exports of November, prob ably by more than $5,000,000. Yet, the exports of November has surpassed those of any other month in the history Of the country by $7,200,000, as the ex ports of October had surpassed any pre vious month by $4,300,000. Prior to that month high-water mark had been touched in December of .1890, when the value of - exports was $98,451,752; but the known increase last month in the five principal classes of products was $17,510,854, or 23.6, per cent, and with out any increase in other items the ag gregate would be almost $116,000,000. But in other items there was a consid erable increase in November, although the value of other principal classes, ex cept breadstutts, diminished. Some of the minor exports, it is true, were ex ceptionally large a year ago, those of copper ore and ingots, for example, of cotton manufactures, of leather and of refined sugar, so that a moderate shrink age in these is possible, but in others in crease will appear. In any event, the aggregate for the month is little likely to fall belon $115,000,000, and until three months ago the value of exports had never reached $99,000,000 in any month. "The great part of the increase in De cember was in value of breadstuff's, fe- the cot ton crop of last year was so extra ordinary that prices have been remark ably low, and, though 4SS,000,000 pounds went abroad in December, against 440,- 000,000 pounds in the same month of 1890, the value was a little smaller. In provisions, cattle and petroleum there was some decrease, previous exports having been heavy. But the value of breadstufls exported in December was $30,241,893, against $10,126,736 for the same month in 1890. In six months the value of breadstuff's sent abroad has ex ceeded $155,000,000, of which $133,000,- 000 WSB about the value of wheat, in cluding flour. Thus the exports ior the last quarter of 1891 will probably be found to exceed $328,000,000 in value, and prior to 1860 that value had never been exported in any year, nor prior to 1870 in any full year except two. The aggregate for tne calendar year 1891 seems to have beei^ more than $905,- 000,000, and the largest amount in any previous year was about $902,000,000 in 1881. "This wonderful expansion of foreign trades at once convincing proof of tne magnitude of many branches of inter nal trade, and it is a practical demon stration of the falsity of theories upon which the calamitv-wailers re'y. They cannot say, for instance, that too little money or too much money has ruined the country, in the presence of export which, for some months past, apptar to have surpassed those of Great Britain or any other nation. The array ot facts is peculiarly discomfiting to free traders, because it has been their pet theory th^t there could not be large and liberal exports of products from this country if imports from other countries were restricted by protective duties. But the first whole year after the adop tion of a new and strongly protective tariff is made remarkable "by exports far surpassing those of any previous year in the hiBtory of the country." lifted from the shoulders of the people by placing wool on the free list and making the corresponding reductions in the duties on woolen goods. A measure thus affecting so largely thf necessary expenses of the people, so essential to their health ana comfort, will not fail to attract universal atten tion and receive, when thoroughly un derstood. universal support." Now, if Mr. Springer had been honest with Jackson, whose memory he pre tended to honor, he would have told the banqueters what President Jackson, the Democrat of the old school, the old sturdy ty pe, thought of free trade. But, of course, the modern Democrat never mentions President Jackson's opinions Of free trade, and therefore they mis represent the Democracy of the hero oi New Orleans. When Dr. L. H. Cole man, of North Carolina, wrote to An drew Jackson in 1824 for his views on the tariff question, he answered under the date of April 26, in this language: "Heaven smiled upon and gave us lib erty and independence. The same Providence has blessed us with means of national independence and national defense. He has filled our mountains and our plains with minerals--with lead, and iron and copper--and has given uS a climate and a soil for the growing oi hemp and wooi. xhese berna; the great materials of our national defense, they ought to have extended to them ade quate and fair protection, that our man ufacturers and laborers may be placelfc^ in lair competition with those of Europe, and that we may have within our coun try a supply of these leading articles so essential to war. In short, sir, We have been too long subject to the policy of British merchants." Mr. Parton, in his life of Jackson, says that Henry Clay never delivered a speech, and "Horace Greeley never wrote an editorial, more commending the American system of protection, than does the Coleman letter. And Jackson not only paid this tribute to protection in 1824, but he pronounced another one equally as Btrong in the campaign of 1828. So it seems that while Springer, Mills and Cleveland are praising Andrew Jackson they haven't got A*narew Jack son's Democracy. IMMENSE MUSTARD PLASTER. Mails and the Tariff. We have another pretty good illustra tion of the "iniquity" of the "robber" tariff. It is as regards nails. The Iron Age has recently printed a price list comparing the prices of cut steel wire nails in factory lots in Chicago, during ISM) and 1891. The comparisons are quite interesting, and more so because under the new tariff law the price has gradually declined: Months. 1891. Cat SteeL 189A January February March April M ay June - - July.... August September October November December Average for y'r $1.75 1.75 1.80 1.75 1.70 1.70 1.65 1.70 1.70 L.#5 1.65 1.65 *1.70* Wire. *2.221* *-7'/i 412^4 2.05 | 2.P2U Z3V4 2.02V1 2.00 1.90 1.85 1.80 Si 06 Cut Steel. 52.50 2.40 2. SO 2.10 1.85 1 951 2.001 2.00 1.95 1.95! 1.85 1.75 Wire. $2.90 it 95 2.76 2.40 2.80 2.40 2.40 2.50 2.55 2.40 2. SO 2.25 t «U for a Queen «t tk« Kle- \ pliant Triton. Queen Jumbo and Baldy, thCele- pbants, attracted several thousand of people, old and young, to the park recently, says the San Francisco Ex aminer. The day was cold and lowering over head, while the eart h was damp, but the children fondled their big friends as enthusiastically as ever, and ex pended all the small change to be had in corn and peanuts with as much abandon as though the sun had been shining. 'Queen Jumbo had a bad time with the "thumps." When a child sailers from chills and then becomes fevered and has lung trouble it is only pneu monia, but when an elephant suffers in the s«me way the trouble is "thumps." Queen's huge bulk shivered- and shook, and she whined complainingly until Keeper Pett began to give her medicine. The first dose was two gallons of whisky with five ounces of quinine, and he had much trouble in getting Queen to take it. The dose did little good, the Queen grew worse ro*til "thumps" were plainly to he detected. Then it was a case of life and death and the keeper set to work in a hurry. He built a big tire in the elephant house and hung blankets close to it until they were very hot, and then wrapped them around Queen. Another man put 100 pounds of strong English mustard into a barrel and mixed it with water, like any other mustard plaster. , Thcjnustard was then smeared on cloth and the monstrous plasters applied to Queen's sides. Soon her ladyship showed siens of uneasiness. She felt along her sides with her trunk, stepped about con stantly and seemed" to wonder \yhat was the matter. As the mustard took hold more severely Queen tried to tear away the bandages, and when jabbed by the keeper's hook she be gan screamimg like a steam whistle. The plasters were left in position for three hours and then removed and Queen again wrapped in hot blankets and dosed with whisky and quinine. After awhile she began to perspire, as elephants do, through the trunk and her keeper knew that she was saved. who went with her, for she was ashamed tob acknowledge her super stition, hut just the same in the course of a few weeks the mark began to fade away, and it continued to do so until it had disappeared entirely. Then she began to wonder at it and to make inquiries, and she discovered that similar cures or removals had lieen effected, notably in one instance where a red blotch which disfigured half the face of a young man had dis appeared, or was at that time disap pearing, to be more correct, after the dead hand treatment. I did not go to see the young man whose face, when 1 was there, was almost of the natural color, but 1 have no reason to doubt the lady^s veracity. No explanation was or could be given of the - cure except a vague allusion to the supposition that as the body in the ground decayed the mark on the living person disappeared, the time required in the rejpioval lie SOBER OR STARTLING, FULLY RECORDED. m FAITHS Prwipcroai Showing: for Agrlefatt«fMf» Some Exemptions from the Auntnillii Ballot--Mr*. Klemma Is a Hermlten# fcfc Texas--A Nest of Defaulting Officiate. •5- ing^• confident, or supposed to be, with that required in the decay and dis solution of the body.--New York Sun. \ 82.051 $2.51 IT has been written from time im memorial that the elephant is deceit ful and desperately wicked--when ever he gets a chance. Furthermore, it is to be expected thatf at irregular intervals* he will smasn things, as a kind of reminder that he can use his size to advai^Cagej whenever he sees Surnames in Maryland. The eastern shore of Maryland has been so little disturbed by immigra tion that the region numbers com paratively few surnames, so that at various times it has been necessary to resort to odd but very ancient devices is the patronymic, by which of two men bearing exactly the same Chris tian and family name one is dist ingu ished from the other by the addition "of William," "of Thomas," or "of John," as the case may be, the mean ing of the phrase being "Son of Will iam, Thomas or John." Another device once commonly em ployed was to couple with the name an adjective to indicate some physi cal peculiarity, as "long" to indicate a tall man, "black" to indicate a dark man. or "red" to indicate a ruddy men. Occasionally the distinguish ing word is uncomplimentary. "Devil" is not an unusual prefix to the Chris tian or surname of a man having a reputation for vice or necklessness. A man bearing one of the best known names in Maryland carried to his grave this prefix. 8tair-Trwads of Lead and Stool. Stairways are by no means so ira* portant a feature of public and busi ness structures as in the days anterior to the introduction of elevators. But they still have their use, and are well worn, especially the two or three flights nearest the ground. An es sential quality In a stair-tread is its durability; and this is said to be se cured in a high degree in a tread of recent English invention, made of al ternate strips of lead and steel. The lead which gives the foot a firm bold, is cast in grooves in a plate of steel, the latter being specially adapted to resist the wear of travel. Free Materials for Our Ship-builders. The tariff reformer and the free trader tell us that if the American ship builder had free raw materials to build with, how wonderfully helpful that would would be to the ship industry of this country. So to show the people that theBe tariff reformers are in earn est, Representative John f. Andrew, oi Boston, will introduce a bill which will seek to give all American ship-builders materials free of duty. If Mr. Andrew will examine Section 8>ot the Republic an tariff law of 1890, he will see that his proposed bill will be useless, for it pro vides as follows: "All lumber, timber, hemp, manilla, wire rope, and iron and steel rods, bars, spikes, nails, plates, tees, angles, beams and bolts and cop per and composition metal, which may be necessary for the construction and cqu'P'^nt of vessels K,1-ilt in the Unttod States lor foreign account and owner ship, or for the purpose of being em ployed in the foreign trade, including the trade between the Atlantic and Pa cific ports of the United States, after the passage of this act, may be imported in bond, under such regulations as the secretary of the treasury may pre scribe; and upon proof that such ma terials have been used for such purpose, no duties shall be paid thereon." Then, again, Section 9, of the same act --October 1, 1890, provides that "alt articles of foreign production neede# for the repair ol American vessels en gaged in foreign trade, including the trade between the Atlantic and Pacific ports of the United States, may be with drawn from bonded warehouses free of duty, under such regulations as the sec retary of the treasury may prescribe." No Democratic measure can give the ship-builders of America freer raw ma terials than the present law, and then why are not the free traders happy? If Representative' Andrew clearly un derstood the situation, or waB honest with himself and his constituents, he would never introduce his free raw ma terials bill, but would intrduce one which would in a large measure cure the disease which has "driven the American flag from the high seas." British, French, and German steam ships prosper in business because their respective governments subsidize them to the amount of millions of dollars an nually. This is the reason why there are more foreign than American vessels carrying the commerce of the seas. Congressman Springer to President Jack •oa. The Democrats in the East have adopted the custom of celebrating the 8th day of January in honor of Andrew Jackson, that being the day of the month in 1815 when he licked the Brit ish at New Orleans. At these celebra tions they do well in ascribing much honor to "Old Hickory;" but when such speakers as Springer or Mills or Cleveland get through talking about Jackson's Democracy, which doesn't take long, they branch off on free trade and tariff, ana then they forget all about "Old Hicicory!f and his Democracy, When it came Springer's turn tp speak at the Jackson celebration in N4iw York on the 8th of January, 1892, ne took occasion to sayt "The country does not need to be informed, by a bill for the general revision of the tariff, what the Democratic party desires to do' if the law-making power were in the hands of °tt"dne-imlf of the tariff burden will be Making Our Own Cotton Ties. •fhere is something really funny in the way the predictions of the free traders "are being wrecked; and one of the worst predictions tliey ever made was in regard to cotton ties. These ties are made of hoop-iron, and are used in the South to bale cotton with. These ties were largely made in Europe, the importation for the year ending June 30, 1890, reaching 44,021,533 pounds. Mills and others, especially all the So'uthern members ef Congress, wanted them free, butMcKinley increased the duty to 1 3-10 cents a pound, and then the" calamity-wailers Jsaid the South would be ruined by such a tariff as that. Well what is the result? There are practically no cotton ties imported from Europe, all being made in this country; and, more than that, the price has de clined fully 20 p<" nt. r Various Items ot Intorost. Tammany stands with a dirk at the throat of the Democratic party com manding it to "stand and deliver."-- A ' d s h r i l l e A m e r i c a n ( D e m ) . How eminently successful Mr. Blaine's reciprocity with France is the proposed appropriation of $20,000,000 irancs for an exhibit at the World's Fair shows. Here is another tribute to a Repub lican business administration.--Balti~ more American. The New York post-office yielded a net revenue of $3,980,411 last year. This is attributable in large measure to the fact that the post-office is one of the things in New York that Tammany does not control.--St. Lout* (ilobe-Democrat. The One-hundred-andrfifty-majority Congress, by passing a bill in favor of frugality and economv one day, and then a "day or two later by mercilessly butchering a measure designed to eii'eet a yearly saving of $300,000 to $500,000, furnishes a very impressive illustration of its abilitv to play the role of Mr. Facing-Both-'Ways. ' Xcw York Tribune. The McKinley bill not only increased the #uty on each of the five crops-- wheat, com, oats, hay and beans-- which the Mississippi Valley cotton planters decided to grow in place of cotton to the extent of 20 per cent, of last year's cotton acreage, but it in creased our cotton LroodtJ exports from $9,0/ 3,302 in eleven months of 1S90 to jj 12,040,394 in eleven months of 1891. The calamity party is still wailing over the poor farmer, but this doesnot Bound so calamitous: During the month of Oc tober, 1891, the farm mortages filed in Nebraska amounted to $35,225; mort gages canceled, $199,157; difference, $103,934. During the month of Novem ber, 1891, mortgages filed,$41,700; mort gages canceled, $105,855; difference, ^04,095. During the month of Decem ber, 1891, mortgages filed, $30,719; mort gages canceled, $138,237; difference, $k07,518. Total paid out during three months to liquidate mortgage indebted ness, $335,547. The farmers are not quite bankrupt yet. .WHY LHitner WHS L<ate. An incident which occurred two or three years ago, on the occasion of the young Gentian Emperor's visit to Greece, and which, we believe, is now in print for the first time, illustrates anew the fact, which no one ever doubted, that the etiquette ot a court may bring as much discomfort to the King as to the people who surround him The Kaiser holds the honoraiy rank of Admiral in the British Navy. "The commander of the British squadron in Greek waters tendered His Majesty a dinner on board his ship. Of course the banquet was to be a most elabor ate and magnificent affair. The host arrived, and the royal guest and his suite and oflieers. all in brilliant uniform, were assembled. Then if was discovered that an impor tant implement was missing. Where was the Emperor's knife-rand-fork? For the Kaiser, having but one arm that he could use,--his left arm is w i the red, --I'ttrT"wield the scep ter, the sword or the pen; but cannot use a knife and fork as other people uses them. In their place he cm- ploys an ingenious contrivance which combines in one implement both knife and fork, and does very well with it. Just at the last moment it was dis covered that the imperial knife-and- forkhad not been placed by the im perial plate It was sought for, but it could not be found. The Emperor's attendants were inquired of; no one knew |vhere it was. Then the knifc-and-fork might have been left ashore, perhaps. A picked crew were put into one of the ship's boats, and brawny backs bent over the oars; for the errand was one that called for dispatch. The Em peror's quarters in the city were searched, but no knifc-and-fork C(j*uld be found. All this time the dinner was spoil ing. The search had been made with all possible energy, but it was now two hours'since the table had lacked only the Kaiset's knife-and-fork. But the dinner could not be eaten until the Kaiser was ready to cat, and his eating implement must be found. l'erhaps before this time the happy thought had occurred to more than one person. "The Emperor may know where it is?" But up to this time no one had ventured to ask him. Would he, under the melancholy circum stances, take it amiss if he were questioned? Hunger rendered the host bold: with decorous delicacy the Emperor was approached, and the momentous question was put. Could he veil where his knife-and-fork might be found? "Why, yes, here it is," replied William the Second; and reaching in side his nniform, he produced the much sought implement from and in ner pocket. The host forthwith led the way to the table, hot only greatly relieved in mind, but deeplv impressed with the fact t.iat the affairs of Germany were in safe hands.--Youth's Companion. Kjryptasa Winter Kesort. As a winter resort Egypt is entirely, different and must soon compete with Florida ahd California. It is especi ally suitable for those who desire rest rather than exercise, for the opportu nities for. locomotion are limited and the inducements small. It is not suitable for convalescents who are fro/ from organic disease and only T^ant recuperation, but for chest dis eases or the tendency thereto the effect is excellent. If a person desires to pull together and brace up after an illness, the Riviera or Italy is the place, but if he needs absolute rest of body and mind, freedom from cold winds and inclement whether, with unlimited sunshine, there is no better spot on earth than the valley of the Nile. Avoid living at Cairo and select a hotel on the slop;* leading up to the site of the pyramids. Be on the Nile as much as possible, living oh the steamer when convenient. The valley of the Nile is in every respect one of the most unique resrions in the world, and has the character istics and claims of the oldest sani tarium. but its reputation has fluctu ated With the social and political con dition of the country. A health* re sort does not depend entirely upon its sunshine, its dryness or scenery. The invalid has to think of the comfort of travel and the endurance of hard ships. Although Egypt suffered through the social demoralization that pre vailed under Ismail's rule and the. calamitiesof the Soudanese wars, yet under the firmness of the present rule there is absolute security. The service of the Nile steamers lias been extended apd improved, and medical men of good repute and much experi ence are to be found at all the health stations, and the outdoor life can be enjoyed by the invalid without any serious drawback. The singularly dry and suiiny climate permits of con stant outdiKtr exercise. Paving Streets with Cork. A new material, says a London paper, for paving is now being introduced into London. It is composed of granulated cork and bitumen pressed into blocks, which are laid like bricks or wood pav ing.Tlife special advantage of this material lies in its elasticity. When used for pavement it gives a soft tread which is exceedingly pleasant, recalling the feel of a carpet. Iu roadways it furnishes a splendid foothold for hors es, and at the same time almoBt abolish es the noise which is such an unpleas ant feature of city traffic. A short piece of pavement is to be seen in Liverpool Street, E. C.; while the outlet to Pick- ford's Yard, in Cresham Street, is laid with this material. It yet remains to be seen how it will bear the ordinary traffic of a London street, but there is evidence to show that in Australia short pieces of roadway have giver, good re sults. - Wind and Water. A phenomenon is observed in an arte sian well near Edensburg, Pa. The well spoken of is down aboui 200 feet, ^but the water in it is still 100 leet Delow the surface. The peculiarity consists in the fact that, when there is no wind the water*<s that distance below the curbing; when there is high wind flowing water pours out of the pipe. Superstition of the Deait Hand. On a recent visit South-1 met some friends who have a little child which I had not <seen for a year or more. At that time the child had a birth mark, almost a perfect strawberry, on its neck, which interested me consid erably, and on the renewal of our ac quaintance I asked about the mark. The child's mother informed me that it had entirely disappeared, and upon investigation I found that she wils quite correct in her statement. The mark was srone, and naturally I asked what had caused its disappearance At first she refused to tell me, but finally, with apologies for her weak ness, she confessed that an old darky woman had told her if she took the child to a dead person and rubbed the dead hand on the mark it would go away. She latfghed about it incred- uously, for she was not a superstitious woman, but the suggestion remained with her, and the more she thought of it the more it grew, until one day, a neighbor having died, she took the child to the house and louched the spot with the dead person's hand. No one knew of it except a woman Sabbath-Keeping liatiroail. For many years the people of the little Swiss city of Sainte-Croix, in Jura Mountains. hitVe greatly desired a railroad. The city has 0,000 in habitants, and manufacture music boxes and.watches. It lies in the mountains, 2,000 feet above the plain t hrough which the Jura-Simplon rail way runs. Some time ago a rich, philan thropic and enterprising Englishman, William Barbey by name, who had be come interested in the people o Sainte-Croix, offered to build and equip a railroad, entirely at his own expense, to connect them with Yver- don. in the plain. He would furnish the money for this purpose, however, only upon one condition. This was that, during twenty-five years, no train was to be run, and no work done on the rail road, between 12 o'clock Saturday night and 12 o'clock Sunday night The people of Sainte-Croix debated the offer in their councils, but not for long. Though they are not accus tomed to the 'most strict observance of Sunday, they accepted the gift upon the terms proposed, confident thivlftbc six days of the week would be sufficient in which to get their watches and music-boxes to market. As a consequence, Mr. Barbey has taken steps to advance the $430,000 necessary to construct the line. In order to scale the mountain, the track must cover a distance of fifteen Inilcs, and every mile will cost more than $30,000. Sabbath-keeping railroads are very rare things, even iu America and England, where Sunday observance is more strict than in other parts of the world. The I'eoptw ot Morocco. Dr. Lenz says that when he went to Fez, one of the capitals of Mor occo, he found a most unlooked-for custom among the women. Moham medans are not supposed to drink spiritous liquors, but Dr. Lcnz says the women in Morocco are univer sally addicted to the practice. The Jews make a brandy for which their customers arc almost exclusively Moorish women. While the men are strict prohibitionists, the women drink brandy in large quantities. Women who came to Dr. Lenz's house to see his Moorish servants never failed to ask him for a glass of wine or cognac, and he was surprised to see the quantities they could drink. A recent traveler in Morocco says that for people who dress in white and love to be very neat in their per sonal appearance the Moroccans are indifferent to the cleanliness of their towns. Around the mast beautifully furnished houses are heaps of refuse and the bodies of dead animals. All the care of the people is centered upon the interior of their houses. They furnish them as expensively as their means permit; but what is outside their walls does not trouble them. Will and Shall. A college instructor once to!S his class that nobody but a J?ew En- glander was sure to be able to dis tinguish properly between "shall" and "will," and the Scotch sore so famous for their weakness in this direction that the story is told of a Scotch newspaper man who when applying for work in London was asked: "Have you learned the difference be tween | 'shall' and 'will?'" replied saidly,s'lfo» and never will." From Par and Hear. ^FoX some time there have been ous inquiries at the office of Secretary State as to whether the new ballot law applied to the annual town meetings or elections. It has been assumed until the last day or two that these elections come •within the provisions of the new law. It is now held, however, that the annual town meetings heretofore held under the general election law, except in town ships coextensive with cities, towns, and villages, amnot elections. If this view of the case is correct the Australian law does not apply to the annual town meet- „ ings, except in those cities, towns, ud villages. ADVANCE sheets of the Illinois crop report of the State Board of Agriculture show that the farmers of the State have* been prosperous during the last year.; Figures on the corn and wheat crop, have already been published, showings an aggregate profit on corn of $32,108,- 150, against $18,390,810 for the pre ceding year. The report shows that the area devoted to rye wae, 171,914 acres, 5 per cent, les* than in 1890, and that on account of the drought during the fall, unleee- there is a big improvement between this time and harvest, there will not be over threec-ourths of an average yield per acre. The area devoted to Irish pota toes was 103,248 acres, producing an average of 111 bushels per acre, making a total yield of 11,524,618 bushels. At . the prevailing price Dec. 1, which was 84 cents a bushel, this would give the producer $3,955,874, or a profit over the cost of production of $1,781,372. The area devoted to sweet potatoes was 3,- 8*28 acres, the average yield being 110 bushels per acre. The total peach crop was 107,046 bushels, and the ruling price $1.25. Nearly half of the watermelon, crop was ̂ produced in Northern Illinois. MRS. CATITIIKISE KIJEMHA, the ?7idc*r whose sudden and mysterious disappear ance from her home in Fayetteville sev eral months ago caused something of a sensation, has been heard from. It was thought at tho time that she had gone to Germany, but it seems now that she went to Texas, and is now living the life of a hermitess in a lonely cabin not many miles from Denison. The widow armed herself with an ax and disappeared from her home in Fayetteville, deserting her twelve-year-old son. She is the widow of a former prominent minister of Ger many, and she receives a pension from the church in the Fatherland. The widow formerly taught German in the schools in St. Louis, but she moved to Fayetteville several years ago, where She attracted much attention by her eccentricities. The widow, it is under-, stood, will remain in hc6 lonely Texas; home. The boy has become insane and, has been sent to an asylum. THE Richland County Board of Super visors met and received the reportB of the experts appointed to examine the. books of county officials. ilx-Sheriff, James I. Riehey was discovered short $433.25, and ex-SlierifT Arch Spring was reported behind $2,011.52. Suits were immediately instituted against the prin cipals and their bondsmen to recover' the amounts. Thomas Tippitt, Circuit Clerk, Was reported $974.66 short. He paid $814.66 for the years from 1879 to 1891. Richey'a deficit is for the year: 1882, and Spring's for the years 1882 to 1886. Spring is now holding the office of Humane Officer at East St. Louis, appointed by Gov. Fifer, and claims that when he files his offset the amount will be greatly reduced. The books of all county officials during the last ten years art> to be examined. At present three officials have been indicted for forgery of couuty records. Numerous suits have been brought against the officers and their bondsmen. , JAMES I?ALL, an employe in Liston's Chicago packing-house at the Stock Yards, was perhaps fatally scalded. He fell into one of the big lard vats and was fearfully burned before rescued. AT Belleville Louis Bobo has been ALS rested. Bobo is charged with the mur der of Lawrence Wachtel, whom he cut ^an. 17 in St. Louis, and who died. The cutting grew out of a quarrel over Wachtel* s alleged attentions to Bobo's divorced wife. THE Ridge Prairie Horse-Thief De tective Association has been organized at Caseyville, with H. H. King Presi dent and Alonzo T. Hart Secretary. Sixteen well-known farmers of that township signed the articles of the as sociation. The association has appoint ed six special constables. THE Brighton Bank is likely to go into the hands of a receiver through an un fortunate occurronce. The management was changed, and the idea got abroad that it was because of financial straits. The bank was in good circumstances, but the erroneous idea which prevailed caused the deposits to be withdrawn, and a receiver may now be necessary. AT Springfield, Louis Rosette was found dead in his bed in a back room on the third floor of a wholesale liquor store which the proprietor had recently- allowed him to occupy. Rosette was at one time a prominent attorney and one of the law firm of Rosette Bros. He was prosperous from about 1868 to 1873, but finallv liquor got the best of him, and he had recently lived in the moat abject poverty. ^MAGGIE WALLACE, a pretty school teacher, had her happily ending romance very quickly. She was teaching school at North Lancaster and met Stephen Gardner of the new State of Washing ton, home for a visit to his old home^ af ter fifteen years' absence in the West, during which he made his fortune. He took the pretty schoolmarm home after an hour's acquaintance, proposed mar riage, and was accepted. Tlffiy were married and left for the West. HOKACE FBANKS. aged 80 yeare, was arrested by Chicago officers for selling lottery tickets. He had a large number of tickets for domestic and foreign lot teries in his pockets at the time of his arrest. He gave bail in the sum of $300, his son signing his bond. MRS. LoEFEi, bound over at ran Creek for larceny, while being taken to Quincy on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy train, cleverly escaped the offi cer by jumping out of the water-close window while the train was ent<?nn8*V® citv Her 8-year-old boy, who was with her, got off the train through the same W*COXTINRED investigation of the poor- house at Quincy and the asylum at Jacksonville shows that inhuman treat ment characterizes the management of each institution. CHICAGO has lost two eitiaena w»® never will be missed, and it is likely thai a third will accept a long engage ment with the State at one of the peni tentiaries. In a disreputable West bide saloon, kept by Frank Casey, Chas. Mc- Guireand Andy Gallagher got into a » practical joke. MeGuir- also in- \ fight over a pracucai jv»v. shot Gallagher fatally, and stantly killed a bystander named Will iam Tagney, alias "Cox." All are typ ical Chicago toughs, and records.