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EW TIMES. folk*" talk #f tk* plenty tad cam folks" listen with doubtful via BNr. uj^M si tke i V •<* w gay sleigh (ides, grandpapa, 4 white lassie ne'er danced Utbe as dear pit i»tne things could be said 'boat t MM- em t>eau, >•. * . Aad a coxy jaunt la.a patace car. ,r "0kam 'Were wonderful loaves dear "grand- • ; A«€ ••!<<<• ved your socks with a won- •JfP dnwos dam: 4 , Tat she wandered sometimes, I'm sore, If it ; fW<w!d1'fare left had she dared for a prom- to have spun a little street Bid »ar. And enjoyed yacriS. Hadotibr her papa, ifeesity frowned Asl wedding dress. t-granpa, yon know, purchased her sighed as he wished for the "good old times. When bonnets pere cheapervand dresses toot loss. .HJjJIe his great-grandpa, !'•« heard It said. Wouldn't spare the wool for his daughter t» weave; . *«t niched fee the fashions of Paradise, . *®®_ iofsed for, the tig leaves of Mother ^ • lW. .... ' «, Sorgotten to palB, when pleasures are •• *© 4MT, "Distance enchants us," the poet was it|u; Wto wanders his memory back to deplore. •*f* teo high or the boots all too • tiguiff'.. { *%e maide* whoQngerr o'er past hours of as she day-dreams of heroes and ' \r f f.V ?r..v H»w bee tak wouldn't crimp and her cloves , wouldn't gt; . ttotf5s l̂T depraT®* «» Inanimate "Hew tueIxrantlfnl times in these good new . Taere are lives as beautiful, pure and true, who moved to the simpler wars; A w l i t m a y b e a t r i f l e b e t t e r , t o o * •taee God with infinite, taring design, •S raising the nations nearer to Hint; ' i"i -.n" / •.iiirliaiiili.i that, whatever future fTkitsliin" night hane in store for him, that Christmas should be the happiest httfcad known so far at least, fr That night )te lay awake until he was exhausted. Nfxt morning he got up and went to liis business mechanically. The first ray comfort came with bis cousin, Mrs. Sueher--the same whom LUla had spoken of as a "frump." "Why, Randolph," said Mrs. Sucher, 'IT IS AtL OV«B NOW," SAID LILLA. as she entered the office, "what is the matter with you? Hare you been ill?'* ' "She saw me," was all Randolph could say. "Yes. I came to speak to you again about Hj. I forgot----; "Oh, it's no use nowj Cousin Mattie. She will not 'receive me or my letters'-- never." "Pooh! Did she tell you so?" "She wrote to me--I mustn't go there." "Look here, Randolph," said the com­ mon sense matron, "this is all nonsense. If Lilla Sprague won't receive me, she must be a ninny " 1.1 ' i , i n i i ; i BsiinjiriT,inijiji.T.iiiitrt watch to Moore's. That ran up against Lilla, when '-he had whole package in his hand, and was afraid she would ask him, and ran. Yes­ terday, just as he was taking me to hold a consultation on that wonderful brace­ let, we saw Lilla coming along. I said to him: 'Randolph, if she meets us she'll want to walk along with us, and then the whole plot is ruined. Let's turn down here before she sees us.' But it stems she saw us after all.' On Christmas morning, in spite of many earnest assurances from her moth­ er that that morning would bring a clear> ing-up if all her trouble, Lilla was as ter­ ribly cross and out of tune with the chimes as she had been for four days past Moreover, she awoke with a head­ ache. • She found a stocking tied to the head of her bed, as she had cxpected, and took the stocking down and opened it mechanically. Then she found the brace­ let with a scrap of paper in which, in her mother's writing, were the words, "Press the spring and look inside, behind the watch." And when she looked a lovely, loving face looked back at her--a face that was very like Randolph Watts' own. And at the bottom of the stocking-- away at the very toe--was another pa­ per which said. "The bracelet ought to tell you why I ran away. R. W." Then she laid her head and bracelet on her pillow, and wet both bracelet and pillow with tears until her headache was all gone. EMPHASIZED BY EXISTING NANC1AL CONDITIONS. M08PEBITFS FACTS. Hcitrs Hepublic K Wt&s A Happy New Year. Delight and pathos are inextricably mingled with the thought of New Tear's day. says the Boston Watchman. It is only a conventional point of time; any other would do as well. Every day closes an old year and begins a new one. but for all that we cannot help feeling that this day, which is agreed upon throughout Christendom for the beginning of a new year, is somewhat unique. The pathos comes from the review of the past, and from the sense that another notch has been cut for us on the -stick of time. The HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. It*!., 'f'>; f, '• • .,'L- ly sweep of the centuries, chaats a progressive, happier hymn. hM a glad New Year, this my earnest wittfc, I sen:! is hopeful, jubilant tone: the coming year, rich-freighted with May prom the best tha^ yon ever have fcaowDk > . *2? sjPi £ \ Ulla'sflmas Presents. IJLA SPRAGDE seemed to blow H. ia at the door with a gust of wind i-O and a drift of snow= Then, having kicked a pair of snow encrusted over­ shoes into a corner of the hall, Miss Lilla ran upstairs in a hurry. "Set' tiere, mother." said Lilla, "it's all •ver now." "What, dear?" Mrs. Sprague asked, looking up1 absently from a letter she was writing. "It's all over--I say, it'(S all over be- hrtfB Randolph--oh, wha't a foo--<oo-- fool I've been!" And she flung herself, •ebbing, on a big horsehair sofa. "But why. Lilia?" "Don't ask the like that, mother. Don't! I've told you liefore. And this--thi.s is Ihe sec--see--second time. Oh!" More • sob*. "I ityo't understand you, daughter." said ker mother, leaving her batch of Christmas correspondence and going to •arry comfort to the tragic figure on the horsefruh sofa. I /*'He's run away again!" Lilla roared. * '"Done what, dear?" 4f, **Thc samo as he did before." ""**• "Wliiu di<i he do before?" "Motlier. I told you. day before yes­ terday--ran away from me. He thought jt .see him." ran away from you?" sBothf !". "^ntl I'll never speak to I'lw a^aiR. Da.v\efore yesterday he'at time he just turninr^nd went down a Slide street. He was with that frump of <4a cousin. I just hate h6r. and him. and Ike wlioie lot.". ' V ; sf'TMa't be foolish, child. Mr. Watts %r|ii lie lier" to explain it all. You'll see." ' In answer to this Lilla only rose from a, grimly took off her wraps and ^k^ Tim|--"f" "Yes, I'll see/' and dis- through a door that led to her . ii raftn. Mrs. Sprague did not follow her daugh- , 'tei with any |urther attempts at cons<j- lftion, neither" did she guess what Lilla goktg to df, and that was to write a 'mote: ' fiear Sir--In case yon may wish to mako any ' ;i «SBlnnntion of your very strange conduct on ' octasious this week. I wisb you would ! %-Mirr.self the trouble of doing any such .iffltiug. *4tl»ei- i>ersoiiallv or in writing. Your ;>.r. * Jlng shall be returned by mail, registered. f;- "LILLA SPRAGUE.•• That little projectile which Lilla fired her fiance very nearly ended the life Randolph Watts; at least, so Watts . '-•aid. He could not think, or he might ' Jkave seen an easy way out of the horri- frU> maze into which he had got himself, taaasgression stared him in the face. Stud rsn away from Lilla--twice--and 1 ifcad evea congratulated himstlf on his »•' ((•scafU' fr»m her and chuckled over it se- tly. Hew was he to convince her that crasioa was not an evidence of dis- qrdtr *» "ker? ft was «®ly three days before Christ- Watts had promised himself "Don't say that!" "I wili say that. But anyhow, her mother will see me. I am going now to call on Mrs. Sprague. And now, look here, about this bracelet." "Shall we go on with th*t?" said Watts, with a faint smile. "Of course we shall, stupid. Higgins says he has tried to set the watch with the face in, as you wanted it, and he can't make any better job of it than Moore could. Now I think I'd better go and take it back to Moore's and tell them to set it with the face out, don't you?" "Very well," said Watts, with almost childish resignation. "And then the miniature can go inside with the original crystal over it, eh?" "Very welL" "And then I'm going straight to Mrs. Sprague's." "Are you?" First to Higgins' Mis. Sucher went, where she took possession of a remark­ ably pretty and uncommon gold bracelet, a tiny old-fashioned watch and the min­ iature. Then to Moore's, where she left the bracelet, the watch and the minia­ ture. Then to Mrs. Sprague's. As Mrs. Sucher entered Mrs. Sprague's I private and individual sitting room she heard a whisk and rustle of skirts and a door closed behind a rapidly retreating figure. "Lilla not well?" said Mrs. Sucher, with an incredulous laugh. "Too bad. These Christmas preparations are unde- delight arises from the anticipation of the DC.W and better experiences of the year to come. What interest any rational person could have in having his fortune told is a mystery. The zest and charm of life consist largely in the fact that each day is like a new page in thlTstory. If you wish to enjoy your book^you do not. when it is half read, turn to the dosing chapter to discover how it turns out. You do not thank anyone for telling you the plot. It is so with life. There is in­ finite satisfaction in each day's contribu­ tion to the record. You do not want to anticipate it. It would be a curse if any­ one could tell yofl just what the year would bring. It is just as reasonable to suppose that the year will be happy as sad. Who can tell? Who can control that? Are we not in the hands of God? That is the reason for a happy New Year's day. CHRISTMAS AND THE CHILDREN. PS OH, 1T 8 SO US* HOW, MATTIE THE little folks are talkin'--they talk like anything 'Bont Sjinty Claus a-comln', an' what he's gbln" to bring; An' the mother never scolds 'em or tells 'em 'bout; the noise; They're just the sweetest little girls--the best of little boys! Because they know that Santy Claus knows everything they do. An' while he's loading up his sleigh he'a watehln' of 'em, too! An' them that minds their mothers, they gets the most of toys-- They're Just the sweetest little girls--the best of little boys! They've Jnst been wrltln' letters to Santy Claus each day An' tellin' him just what they want an' showin' him the way w To where the house is, so he 11 know just where to leave the toys. Fer jnst the sweetest little girls--the best of little boys! They're gittin' mighty anxious fer the days an* nights to go. An' all of 'em are happy an' they make tbeir mothers so! She never has to scold 'em or tell 'em 'bout the noise, 'Cause they're just the sweetest little girls- --the best of little boys, niably fatiguing. I have spent three weeks, my dear Mrs. Spra'gue, running about town in search of the right present for the right people." ' - "You must have laid yourself out to be generous," said Mrs. Sprague. "I am generous. I giv£ my time and labor to help other people give presents. That brings ni^ to the 6bjeet of this visit. Can ^you keep a secret?" "Yes," said Mrs. Spragne, "and I am burning with curiosity. S^» make haste an<J tojj me." -'H - " "Oh, then you know?" "You were with Randolph Watte when he ran away from Lilla yesterday. How was it?" " "You promise not to tell her?--to keep it for three days? Very well. You see, he wants to give her a bracelet he had made for her, with a very pretty motto on it in enamel. Then wants to give her a beautiful little watch that belonged to his poor mother, and he has had a lit­ tle miniature ot his mother made to fit in behind the watch. First lie took the Best of All Gifts. The best of all gifts at the present time is yourself. Make yourself in some way more pleasant and helpful to others. You may have been neglectful of them; be mindful henceforth. You may be quick in temper and have spoken hastily; put on restraint and speak kindly now. Re­ strain all evil habits and make yourself a joy and a help to others. TWjr will bless you. • m., Enormous Increase in the Amount of Mqney in the Hands of the Peo­ ple and in the Vaults of the Nation­ al Treasury. 1 1' ' & t In a timely and Instructive tlon to this Saturday Evening Post of Philadelphia Frank A. Vanderllp, As­ sistant Secretary of the Treasury, brings into view some of the splendid facts of the prosperity with which the people of the United States are blessed, and for which they mainly have to thank the change In national policies brought about by the Presidential elec­ tion of 1896. The Assistant Secretary, whose relations to Government finances enable him to speak with knowledge and authority, draws attention to the remarkable statistics of tbe Iron trade as presenting "a comparison of both relative and absolute development such as has not been seen before." Some of the facts resulting from wise economic laws are best stated in Mr. Vander- lip's own words: "A decade ago we imported $71,- 000,000 and exported $14,00&000 of iron and steel manufactures. Since that time imports have steadily fallen' and exports risen, until for the fiscal year 1899 we imported but $12,000,000 and exported nearly $94,000,000. In spite of this unparalleled production the price of pig iron rose in eight months, February to September, from $11 to $24 a ton, and. at this advance tiearly every mill in the country is so busy that practically no orders can b§ accepted for early delivery. "For five years we imported almost double the value df manufactures that we exported. For the fiscal year 1893 we exported nearly $80,000,000 more manufactured goods than we imported. In 1898, for the first time, our expor­ tation of manufactures exceeded the jmportations, the excess beiug about 25 per cent.** Wnere for many years we imported on aif average of $1,000,000 of manu­ factured goods a day and exported about half that amount, he says, "for the fiscal year just closed we exported considerably more than $1,000,000 of manufactured goods every working day •f the year." The shipping industry, he says, also s&ared in the general prosperity, quot­ ing statistics showing the increase in tonnage and in the number of new ves sels constructed. He shows that the bank clearings have increased 41 per cent, and! the de­ posits 23 per cent. Ir the figures were contrasted with those of three years ago the increase in the deposits- would be 70 per cent. He shows in the two years up> to Oct. 1, 1890, the total money circula­ tion in the people's hands has increase*) $270,000,000. "The total gold in the country to­ day," he says,, "stands at $1,000,000,000; which contrasts with $641,000,000 three' years ago. Gold is becoming the every­ day money of commerce, and is- no> longer found only looked up in banks and safe deposit vaults." Another fact he brings out Is the breaking, of large bills into small ones. In four years the number of $1 bills has been: increased! from $40,000,000 to $57,000,000; of $2 bills from $28,000,000 to $36,000,000 and of $5 bills from. $245,000,000 to $2J>L000,000. The Government securities have ad­ vanced and i the Agricultural Depart­ ment estimates that the value of farm animals has increased $342,000,000. Money orders have-increased more than $20,000,000. Immigration has Increased 36 per cent. All these things have come to pass, together with many other things of equal importance, under a strictly American, administration. The tide turned when we began to show less concern for the fortunes of foreigners- and more concern for the fortunes of our own people* They Tell the Story. A great truth was spoken when the- Kansas- City Journal exclaimed; "Ne­ braska is as- prosperous as Iowa, but her people are too much blinded by Bryanlsm to admit the fact at the polls." The records of mortgages filed, and released each year in Nebraska; during the past seven years ought to be sufficient in itself to demonstrate to the- people of that State that It is under Re­ publicanism that they prosper. The- record is as follows: Filed. Released. 189 2 $38,847,033 $31,912,27® 189 3 34,601,318 26,178,745. 189 4 31,090,054 26,43»,09tt 1895 . 25,753,364 22,(MS,917 1896 . .16,474,006 18,213,382 1897 15,030,721 22,215,759 1898... 21,303,855 27,498y<«U> The Nebraska business man, farmer or professional man who could look upon such a record and then vote for Bryan is indeed blind. The figures speak for themselves, and it is very plain that tbe return of prosperity has struck the people of Nebraska. It has enabled them to materially rectare their indebtedness during the past few year , and it is putting them oa their feet again for a fresh start. Before 1896 the record shows that the aggregate amount of the mortgages filed each in th tot, of his coa»£tdes^&ien foreign-born, but at that time Atnerfcnn citizens. It was a stumper. The speaker failed to answer it satisfactorily, and, so far, all the free traders have failed to make an adequate reply to the ques­ tion. If wages are not any higher in this country than they are in Euro­ pean countries, \\*hyf dtirlng all these years, have workmen, by thousands and hundreds of thousands, left their own countries and come over to the United States to better their condition? ^'JB. are still waiting for an answer.* ' ""^ Prosperity and the Farmer*; The Democracy, with its usual disre­ gard of facts, is making a great deal of fuss about the farmers not having par­ ticipated in the prosperity which has come to this country under the McKin- ley administration. The Ohio Fanner recently investigated into this subject and the figures wliich it presents are at special interest, dealing as they do with the affairs of the farmers of this sec­ tion. The Ohio Farmer compared the average prices of the principal farm products of Ohio during the third week of November, 1897-'98-'99, with the average price of the corresponding week in 1894-"95-'96, and gives the fol- 4ow!ng results; , - Av. Price 1887-99. $0.77% " '...35 AV. Price. 1894-96 ;.:m«7% .3914 ?,:-%26 2-3- .35 2.00 „ 12.33 4,43 3.97 2.80 4.23 .16 2 3 Wheat Corn v Oats ->,; -28 • !;'.: Potaoes *. • .4? 2-3, Apples 8.08 Hay ... .. ,10.92 Steers 4.70 Hogs ...... ». 3.63 Sheep . .> > S.83 L a m b s . . £ . 2 2 Wool .26% Basing an eslhriato on the annual sales of twenty representative fanners of Ohio on these average prices, one set under Democratic rui© and the other set under Republican; rale, it is found that the annual average sales of these farmers from 1897<-'90 brought $13,702, while the same products from 1804-'96 brought annually only $12,095. showing an increase in the annual average sales of 13 1-3 per cent, under the McKiuley administration. The Democrat who tries to convince the Ohio farmer thait prosperity is not a. good thing wiE have an obstreperous customer to deal wltb. Comment on the Message. The message of the President 1* a lucid and temperate narrative' ot £a>efcs* --New York Sun. President McKinley's- message to Congress is long but luminous*--Rocfr- eiter Democrat and Chronicle. Briefly speaking, the President's mes­ sage nails the American colons to the mast, and there they will stay,--Phila­ delphia Inquirer. The English newspapers- seem to have scanned the President's message eagerly in their search for a: friendly note.--Indianapolis Newss As a whole, the President's message is an instructive exposition o| national affairs, and its recommendations- are sufficiently explicit.--New York Trib­ une. The message shows that the attitude of President McKinley is truly Ameri­ can and in harmony with all the prece­ dents _©f the, past.--Grand Rapids Her* aid. r"""" • The President's message will as-usual be found one of the' most satisfactory or unsatisfactory documents ever pro­ duced, according; to the political bias- of the critic.*--Washington. Star. There is nothing equivocal about thati President McKinley, whatever he may have been in the past, is now as firm, for a Philippine policy as for the gold ROL- icy.--Louisville Courier-Journal. President McKinley's- message i» somewhat lengthy, but it must be borne in. mind that it. has to cover more terri­ tory than any American President has ever before looked after---Springfield Journal. Comprehensive, candid, and. able,. It makes plain and unmistakable the views-and policy of the administration ia regard to every qjiestiont and. prob­ lem thai confronts- the- governmeat.-- Omalia Uee. > / The President, we sire glad: ta see, has returned this year to/the consideration of civil service reform as- a necessary topic in his message* having omitted all reference to it last, year--New York Evening Post. Readers of the President message will observe that; lb is a distinctly Amer­ ican document. Nejther the domestic nor the foreign enemies of tbe coun­ try will find a word of cenafort in it- New York Mail audi Express. The message of the President is a document which will live in history as one of the ablest as well as one of the most interesting, ajnd voluminous state papers, which have ever emanated from tbe Executive Mansion--Washington Times. In Frte^Twde Tariff Times* Probably therm ftre Bot'teaigf people who have heard of tiie repnMie of tbe Acre. It is a brand-new state which has arisen in South America in the last few weeks. It owes its origin to the fact that a large part of the interior of South America is a no-man's-land, some parts claimed by two and even three of the republics, which have no clearly defined limits. A certain Rodriguez Aries happened alongaud determined to take advantage of this state of affairs. He was an ad­ venturer who bad seen mueb of the world, having been successively a bank employe in Spain, a theatrical manager In the United States, a clerk of works in Paris, and a broker In the Argentine Republic. While in Buenos Ayres be made the acquaintance of the gentle­ men who are now his Ministers of state. Rodriguez Aries proclaimed t» vast territory bordering on Brazil and Bolivia as tbe Republie of the Acre, so called from the river of that name, a tributary of the Amazon, which flows through it. The territory has an extent of some 200,000 square miles and an estimated population of 50,000. It was claimed by both Brazil and Bolivia, but that did not matter to Rodriguez Aries* He established his capital at a small village called Antimairi, appointed his Ministers, and was ready for business; He calculates on raising revenue from a royalty on the rubber gathered in his territory, which depends principally on that staple for its commerce. Rodriguez ^Aries is an intelligent* wideawake man, apparently about 50 years of age. His face is of a decided Spanish cast, with kindly looking eyes, which beam on you through a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles. From his ap­ pearance one might take him for a pro­ fessional man--a lawyer or a doctor. Whether the new Republic of Acre will take a permanent place among the family of nations remains to be seen. It may be noted that there are prosper­ ous states in existence today which have arizen in the same manner as the Republic of Acre, among these may be mentioned the Transvaal and the Or­ ange Free State in South Africa, which were also established by adtenturers in a no-man's-land, and are now of sufficient importance to make no small noise in the world. ' The region of the Acre is one of the hottest and most healthful in South America. It is also one of the richest in rubber, which grows wild in the woods in great abundance, and those engaged in the rubber trade can gen­ erally calculate on making their for­ tunes in four or five years if they escape the malarial fevers and other diseases which dog the steps of'fhe white man in these latitudes. The territory of the Acre, or a portion of it, was granted not long ago to an American syndicate by the government ef Bolivia, which had a very doubtful title to it. The syndicate was to build a railway and make other improve­ ments, but the project never came to anything, owing partly to the disputed ownership of the land, which led to litigation, and finally resulted in the proclamation of independence ahseady referred to. • •• SMALL BOY IS A DRAYMEN. Youngest Teamster in Chicago Earning Money by His Enterprise. Chicago has perhaps the youngest drayman in the United States,- if not in the world. He is little Jimmy Tully, the son of J. J. Tully, a plumber living at 5121 Dearborn street, and he is a trifle more than 8 years old. About a year ago little "Jimmy" conceived the idea of earning a little spending money in some other way than by selling news­ papers, said to his father: "Papa, I want you to make me a dray; jnst like the ones men;.have, and JAMES TUIXY• I will take some money 1. have saved: and buy me a 'burro,' and' then I can do draying." Mr. Tully set to work and'during.the odd hours last winter constructed a wagon for Jimmy. Then the boy bought his "burro" and was ready for, busi­ ness. A license was secured and a> few months ago he hauled bis first, load, which was an eighth of a cord;of wood. Since then Jimmy has done all sorts of work with his miniature truck, from hauling a trunk to taking a bundle of laundry to "Ah Sin's." He hitches and unhitches- without any assistance, and has started: a hank account with money earned by his "dray."--Chicago News. Santa wus Santa P mm If! I wuz me, D'you know what I would do? I'd load with presents the Christ- man tree And have 'em all marked "For Willie B., With p'raps for Charlie a few. P.. 8.--I'm Willie B. First of All. If Santa Claus would ask the horse. Who has to pull tbe loads. Tbe gift he'd like for Christmas He would shout, '"Good Roads!" It is better to give a Christmas hoi than to receive one from a pugilist. years was much greater than the aggre­ gate of releases, clearly demonstrating that in those days of hard times the people of Nebraska were slipping deeper and deeper into the swamp of debt, while beginning with McKinley's election the tide turned. With the com­ ing of McKinley the people of Ne­ braska began to not only make a good living for themselves, but they com­ menced to lay something by and soon they began paying off tbeir debts. The people of Nebraska have, indeed, had their eyes closed by Bryan when they will permit him to make them believe that tbe paying off of tbeir debts and the burning up of their mortgages lias been an injury to them!--l)es Moines State Register. Why, Indeed. Every now and again some upholder of free trade, who Is more ardent than he is well informed, claims that work­ ing men and women in this country re­ ceive no better wages than do those in the same line of work in other coun tries. One such ranter was once hold­ ing forth at a public meeting, along H&ese lines. After he had it all his »wn way for some time, a brawny Ia* -1? "i rf" ; *>' • • >• -"U 1" In Protective Tariff Times. lNWANTED a>B,- 1 „• ^ ©few MISS HENDKR6ON. A Chirographic Feat. A Norwegian named Bella Kutridg has just accomplished a difficult task to which he has dedicated four years of his life. Five years ago> when he was 81, and In order to find an occupation at once Intelligent and useful for his leisure time, he set to work to Write as many words on a postal card as it would hold. He made it a point not to use a magnifying glass or spectacles, but to use common pens and to wTrite plainly. He wrote 1,000 words easily, and by interlineations the number of words increased to 3,000, and afterward to G,000. At the end of the third year, by writing smaller, he managed to get 20,000 words on the postal card. Then he resolved even to surpass this feat. Having read a novel, he found that It contained 46,000 words. "gThe indefat­ igable old gentleman thereupon deter­ mined to copy it on a postal card. He worked at his task three months and attained his object. He is now 83 years of age. and he thanks Providence for having allowed him to finish his task. He can sleep in peace; his work in this world is finished.--New York Home Jonrnal. Public Money to Kuu Pawnshops. In Germany the capital for carrying on the pawnshops by the municipal authorities is derived either from the city treasury or the city saviugs bank L which is usually operated in connection ^dth the shops. The articles offered in pa"ff-E ^valued by sworn appraisers. Success showl^Jlt a mah*S"*Syu ties and the lack of it his defects. Some amusement has bee® occasioned In administration Circles by the comment of the British press on the message of President McKinley, which with great unanimity attributes the paragraph up- ' holding the precept to "avoid entangling alliances" to a desire of the President to thus gently rebuke Chamberlain for his recent utterances on the subject QC "al­ liances" or "understandings." It is as­ serted withoat reservation by those who possess direct knowledge in the matter that the portion of the President's mes­ sage referring to this subject was writ­ ten before Chamberlain had startled' the world by his recent speech, and that the speech, therefore, and the part of the message in question could not possibly have sustained to »each other the rela­ tion of eauee and effect. The significance, however, of the President's meaning is not weakened by the fact, for had he deemed it unwise to allow the paragraph' to remain in the message in tbe face of Chamberlain's utterances, he had time- enough to efface it before the printer, pofr. the finishing touches to his work. , Miss Belle Henderson, daughter W tfce- new Speaker of thfe House, will be a very popular young, woman in the official cir­ cles of Washington. She is well known to the intimate cir­ cle of her parents' friends. She has spent much of her life in Washington, where she attended the Mount Vernon. Seminary. In ap- pearance the Speaker's daughter greatly resembles him in her expres­ sion. Her eyes are blue, her complexion faultless and her hair a soft chestnut brown. She is tall and graceful. She will assist her mother at all . of . her receptions during the win­ t e r . | J - The wfffet ttf Admiral Dewey has raised another social tempest* is TVssliiugiufl b/ announcing that she wili not be able to return calls except by card. Before her marriage Mrs. Dewey's visiting list was comparatively short, but when she be­ came the wife of the hero of Manila and the admiral of the navy she was natural­ ly the object of particular interest, and ;there was a long string of carriages in ffont of her house every afternoon, bear­ ing people who expected that she would reciprocate their attentions. Now, when they are informed that she does not in­ tend to take the trouble to visit them in person, but merely to settd a card by the hands of her footman, or through the post- office, they , are inclined to say saucy things.- Any one wchb watched Speaker -Hen­ derson count the House at the opening session would have known he was a new hand with the. gavel. He actually count­ ed the members, whispering the figures to himself with painful accuracy. Reed was not so carefuk When tbe presence of a quorum was questioned ̂ Reed used to close his eyes, swing the gavel in a wide circle over the heads of the Congressmen, and instantly annoumee: "The chair counts 170! members* and a quorum is present." Then Reed would settle back in his chairJffith the proud consciousness of a man wh* never, made a mistake. The director of the census estimates that over 50,000 enumerators will be re­ quired to take the census next year and: that at' least 2,500 clerks will be needed 1 to tabulate the results and to reduce the facts gathered by them to a form that will be of value to the country. Over 2,000 special agents will be employed. The industries of i the countries about which special agents* will be assigned to gather statistics have been grouped into sixteen classes. Expert agents will be put in charge of these groups and have immediate supervision over and direction of the force of. 2,000 "bustlers." The gavel withi which Speaker Hender­ son called !the Fifty-sixth Congress to or­ der is made of wood taken from the Spanish cruiser Reina Christina, which, was captured by Admiral Dewey at Ma-: nila. The gavel is artistically carved; and heavily mounted in gold. It was pre­ sented to Gen. Henderson by the Gov­ ernor of' Itnvaj. The wood from which > it was made was brought back to the United Statea by a soldier of th^Iowa volunteers, It is always customary for the Speaker to open Congress with at gavel made - at wood that has a historical, connection; The briefest biography in the Congre»j. sional Directory is that of a Missouri! Congressman. Dobrsey W. Shackleford. of JefiEers©® City, elected to fill the va­ cancy caused by the death of Richard P. Bland. The longest biography is that ot Chauncey M. Depew. It occupies nearly a page in the Directory and would fill, fialfi a column of a newspaper. Nothing has been allowed to escape, from the hotur he was born to. the day • he- Wl* elected to the Senate. ' The President has Indicated to the Gov- eroment Board of Commissioners for the jan-American exposition that he desires' them to make a complete exhibit, at Buf­ falo in 1901 from the Philippine Islands that will represent the condition, the hab­ its, customs, the commerce, the amuse- ments and the iindustries of the people® the resources off the archipelago and its advantages for fade, immigration aai the investment ef capital. S"? One of the first' resolutions- passed by the Senate was one requesting the Presi­ dent to inform the Senate whether this Government has any information as to the proposed sale of the Galapagos Isl­ ands, by the republic of Ecuadoig> to Great Britain. These islands are fifteen in number and comprise 2,250 square miles. They are only 500 miles from Panama, and would virtually guard the western entrance to the isthmian canal. Their purchase by an European power, it is claimed, would be a direct violation of the Monroe doctrine. *• *.r** >&< • a.",- • • ' "f \ -}?- •f .-3s •'v*- m Senator Teller and other silver men say ^ that they do not propose to obstruct the v "--'if. passage of the Republican currency bill, but are anxious to have a square vote upon the establishment of a single gold standard and are willing to go before the country on that issue. The resemblance between Roberts, the polygamist, and Senator Pritchard - of North Carolina is remarkable. They might be twin brothers, Both are of the same build, have the same cast of fea­ tures, wear mustaches trimmed alike, and iF'̂ ajr might b« duplicate wigs. f;gCi ..s. t •* V it f\ t* "• - • * i, ri *<.' - ^ 1 .. ' I -• 5 'I ."'-'J ' •- r4