The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

THE AVERAGE MAN. HfetaM ft cornea to a question of lru»Unf ~ Yourself to the risk* of the road,. j^hrn (he thing is the sharing of burdens, ?Tho lifting t!ie heft of a load, Ifc the hour of peril or trial, In the hour you meet as you can, lou may safely depend on the wisdom ' , And skill of the average man. the average man and no other '^ho does his plain duty each day, ^ le small thin* his wage is for doing, )n flic commonplace bit of the way. •His the average man. may God bleM him, Who pilots >js, still in the van, Over land, over sea, as vte travel, Just the plain, hardy, average ma^ on through the days of existence, ~-'4M1 mingling in shadow and shin^ m* may count on the everyday he*©, Whom haply the gods may divine; mat who wears the swarth grime of Ms ^ calling. And fabors and earns as he can. and stands at the last with the noblest, The commonplace average man. •--Harper's Weekly. A VENTURE FOR LOVE. r' t* H, me! I am certainly no beauty. It was the gilding which made Vermount swal- «ftr such a nauseous pill." * In a Venetian mirror were reflected •a oval face, pale and sad looking, Witl> dark, liquid eyes, a nose of a non­ descript order, and a mouth rather Iftrge than otherwise. Clarisse, Lady Vermount, turned from the study of tier features to take from a table loaded With photograplis the portrait of a handsome man. *1 am unhappy; for being which I f an idiot," she said, addressing the smiling face which looked at her out of its frame of pierced silver, "and it is all your doing. When you asked me to marry you I did not care a snap of •ty fingers for you, and I know you Aid not for me. It was a convenient arrangement; you wanted my money, I your title. How you shuddered on our wedding day over the too evident capture of aiy parents at having a titled son-in-law! I saw it as we stood la the vestry of the church. You put your hand on mine when we were alone la the carriage, but did you for one moment imagine that I thought love Inspired the action? Not a bit of it, I remembered the shudder too well." "And then--well, and then I told yon, you had got what you wanted, the ^ealth of my Chicago papa, and I had achieved my ambition, I was *mjr lady.' For the rest, in the eyes of the world, we were husband and wife, and--that was to be all. If yon wished any­ thing different, you didn't show it, and I imagined myself content. We have tieen good friends; we have not had wucb opportunity of being otherwise. It is true. People don't quarrel over a well-cooked dinner, and that is about the only time in the twenty-four hours we are together. Oh! why don't I feel as coldly Indifferent to you now as I Kd when I married yon three months •go?" She threw the photograph impatient­ ly from her. It was nearly time to Aross for dinner, and she went slowly «p the stairs. On the landing Lord .Vermount's man stood aside to let her piss. "His lordship dines at home to- light?" she asked. , "Yes, my lady." The servant's foot­ steps padded decorously down the thickly carpeted staircase. She paused by the door of her hus­ band's bedroom, then passed on and entered her own. A moment and she was back again and stood within his Chamber. His clothes lay ready for him, and on the dressing table a black •ilk mask, while propped against the looking-glass were two cards of admis­ sion to masked balls. One for this very Wight, the other for one three days hence. She took them up. twisted them nervously round in her fingers. Strange thoughts coursed through her tnrain. She put the cards down and tan out, coming back a minute later With a needleful of thick blue silk in her hands. She ran the needle in and along the tail of his coat . . There was & sound of quick foot­ steps on the stairs. With a whisk she was out of the room a^d in her own. Bhe shut the door, then stole softly to the one which divided her chamber from her husband's. It was locked, ap It always was, and the key was stiff la its socket She pressed her lips •gainst the woodwork, "it is a ven- ' iiire for love," she whispered, and her ayes shone like stars. "What pretty bird is It that wears a blue tail?" The words spoken In soft, cooing accents struck on Lord Vermount's . - «6ar as he stood against a pillar of the ballroom. He turned sharply. A wbite-clad figure stood by him holding ap his coat tail by a thread of blue •ilk, while, behind a white domino, dark eyes danced merrily. "That would he - telling," hp an. •wered, "but I think I'll shed my gay plumage," twisting to get hold of the thread. "And I think I'll keep it. Sir Bird," drawing it out and winding it in and Dut of the links of a gold chait/ that held her long cloak together. "We Will reverse the old order, the lady shall wear her knight's colors. Doth please you, Sir Bird?" She dropped >im a courtesy as she spoke, and a faint, delicate scent of white violets leame to him. along with the silvery chiming of bells. j "In truth, fair maiden, it does," he rn~- ,answered, "but it would please me still ;.t j better If you would dance with me." .'//?* The eyes behind the white domino i'j had lost their merry look, but that . Which had replaced it made the blood r" beat quickly in his veins, as, without a v.. word, she yielded herself into his arms. He felt her slight form tremble in his clasp as they glided round the room. "Are you tired?" he whispered. "No, no, my knight" He bent again and whispered some tender words in her ear; the scent of her violets, the chiming of her bells, had intoxicated him. They neared the entrance. "I am tired now,*' she whispered, and before he realized her Intention she had slipped from him and fled. Some- ? 40 thing white lay at his feet He stoop- fe - 0g to pick it up; it was a slip of paper, y, . violet scented. "Three nights hence Vfi '-"J, I »haS be hece again,** was written on T, it He put it away in his pocketbook sad left the ballding. It will depend on Lady Vermount whether I come here again or not," he said to hiniselt "I've tried to keep straight but 1*11 be hanged If I can go on with this arrangement at home much k longer. I was a fool to begin with It, but I felt I owed so much to - her that I did not like to oppose her wishes. Who would have imagined such a strength of cold purpose lay; behind those eyes of hers?" He bit off the end of his cigar viciously, hailed ^ a hansom and was driven homeward. He tried to think of his wife, but the jingle of the horse's bells recalled too vividly the girl in the white cloak. She had cast- a spell over him which Lady Vermount's coldness--more pointed than ever during the hext day or two- was not calculated to loosen. Lord Vermount found himself on.tho night of the second masked ball dress­ ing eagerly; he even ran up to his room at the last moment with a thread of blue silk, purloined from his wife's work bag, and with clumsy fingers in­ serted it in the tail of his coat. He would lose no chance of being recog­ nized by his sorceress. It was hours before he saw her white- cloaked figure drawing near him through the crowd of dancers, which he had watched with all the weariness of hope deferred. She did not speak, but, slipping one white rounded arm from the shelter of her cloak, laid it on bis. "Are we to dance?' he questioned. A slight movement of her hooded head and his hand slid round her waist be­ neath the cloak. For a space neither spoke. He felt , her violet-scented breath coming in little quick gasps, and the music of her silver anklet bells seemed to his heated fancy to < beat out the words, "Love, love!" to the measure of her footsteps. He breath­ ed some tender words in her ear, and felt her whole frame quiver. A mo­ ment and she had drawn herself from him. and, lifting her face, let her glowing eyes rest on his face. "My knight." she whispered, "dare I say au re voir?" "Do not go," Implored Lord Ver­ mount, stretching out his hand to catch, not her cloak, but a slip of pa­ per. He stood looking at it sullenly, long after the chiming of bells which marked her flight had ceased. "Little witch, let her go," he muttered, but untwisted the paper all the same. "What impertinence! Well, I'll be hanged! So this is some scheme of her ladyship's; thinks to entangle.me with this young woman that she may be free to carry on some little game of her own. I wonder what she will say to this revealing of her plot H'm," reading the note. "All Americans are not as cold as you deem your wife to be; go home and ask her who 1 am; she knows." He smoked no cigar on the homeward drive on this night; his temper was too ruffled. He meant to have it out with his wife, despite the lateness, or rather earllness, of the hour; such affairs as this were better gone into at once. He went with no light footstep up the stairs and paused at her door, which was on the latch. "Vermount. is that you? Push open the door a bit. I want to tell you some­ thing. I have had a letter from papa; he has just made a big thing over some railways; that means more dollars for you some day. Good night; shut the door now. and firmly, please." Lady Vermount*s voice was hard and cold; he shuddered at It. For the mo­ ment he was disposed to go and let matters drop: then some faint scent of violets which doubtless still hung about his coat sleeve altered his pur­ pose. He took a step or two into the room. A A rose-colored satin curtain hang-' ing down at right angles from the fire­ place shut out his wife from his sight but l>eyond its edge protruded a little Moorish stand on which was set a coffee equipage, and cups for two. A quaint shaped liqueur carafe and glasses were also on the tray. "Two cups! Two glasses! What did this mean? Had bis wife " A band held the curtain slightly aside, a fresh whiff of violets assailed him, and a faint silvery chiming of bells. He made a hasty dash forward. Leaning back among the cushions of his wife's couch was the white-cloaked girl, her face still hidden by the mask. "You here!" he cried. "Where is my-- where is Lady Vermount?" "She Is"--fumbling for one moment with the mask which the next lay on the floor--"she is here." She sprang to her feet as she spoke and stood facing him, the cloak, with its gold ' clasp threaded through with the strand of blue silk, hanging back from her white shoulders. "Clarisse, why, what does it mean?" he asked, gaspingly. "It means"--she put out her hands imploringly--"it means--Oh! don't you see? It was a venture on my part a venture to gain your love." He let her stand there a full ftilnute, the color coming and going in her cheeks, her dark eyes misty with un­ shed tears. He had never been a quick thinker, and he was lighting now against the pnm prejudices of genera­ tions. "Have I failed?" There was a heart­ ache in each work. He felt the pain of them. "No," he cried; "come!" and with a little shiver of gladness she let herself be caught in his outstretched arms.-- Chicago Times-Herald. KINLEY SOUTH Spanish flaet. and dispatch Merrltt and'Ms army to r*«nforee him? It It were our duty to send thenu there and duty required t&MB to remain there, It was their clepr duty to annihilate the fleet, take the city of Manila and destroy the Spanish sovereignty In the archipelago. Having done all that In the line of duty, ia there any less duty to re­ main there and give to the Inhabitants pro­ tection and also our guidance? AT AUGUSTA, OA. It ia indeed an honor to me, and one that •hall never be forgotten, to stand In the place associated with names of Washington and Lafayette and Clay and Webster. It la also a pleasure to me to be In the city where that gallant cavalry officer, Gen. Joe Wheel­ er, was born. It Is a pleasure for* me to meet In this welcome those veterans of the gray, those Confederate soldiers, and to feel that In common with the veterans of the blue and all their fellow citizens they are in heart touch with the alms and purposes of this great republic. What a wonderful country we have and with what pride the contemplation of Its history fllla us all! When Wnshlngton was here we had a little over 3,000,000 of people; we have 75,000,000 to-day. We have added vastly to our territory. We are to-day the largest manufacturing and largest agricul­ tural nation of the world. Our commerce floats on every see, and only the day before yesterday I saw that a thousand tons of ship plates bad been landed in Glasgow, Scotlaud. and, what Is eveu more signifi­ cant, it was carried upon a Ship bearing the American flag. My fellow citizens, 1 congratulate yon upon the prosperity of the country. I con­ gratulate you upon the progress It haS^made ;jln the last third of a century. But rlTon- gratulate you even more because as a people we are now united and more devoted to national purposes and more Imbued with the true national spirit than we have been since the formation of the Federal Union. There are no divisions now. We stood uni­ ted In front of a foreign foe. We will stand uulted until every triumph off that war has been realized. This, my fellow citizens, Is a fitting con­ clusion of a most remarkable trip I have made with my associates lu the South. Noth­ ing could be more appropriate. Only as one star differs from another does this recep­ tion differ from those accorded to us at ev­ ery step. All have been a glorious tribute to the patriotism of the people and their love of country, and I leave this inspiring picture, I leave this wonderful manifesta­ tion of gracious hospitality, and wonderful demonstration of devoteduess to the Union and the flag, with memories that 1 will car­ ry with me so long as life lasts. "WHO WILL HAUL IT DOWN ?»• President McKlnley never made a necessary unless we chose fO close better speech than that delivered in At- ey^ ana ears against the pitiful ap- lanta. It touched significantly on the peals of suffering neighbors. If we subject of expansion, was broadly pa- had not gone to their rescue no issue triotic, a tribute to the unity of the of territorial expansion would have people and an eloqnent assertion of the been raised in the Antilles or East In- national sentiment. The flag of our dies. "Thus far we have done our country, he said, "has been planted In duty," the President said. "Shall we two hemispheres, and there it remains, now, when the victory won in war is the symbol of liberty and law, of peace written in the treaty of peace and the and progress. Who will withdraw it civilized world applauds and waits in from the peopleover whom it floats in expectation, turn timidly away from protecting folds? Who will haol it the duties Imposed upon the country by down?' These are striking words. No its own great deeds?" \The people have one can misunderstand their purpose, an answer ready for that question, and The war, the President continued, was it will gratify the President M'KINLEY'S ATLANTA SPEECH Pick* from Portugal. Next to Portugal, Japan sends the greatest supply of toothpicks tb the United States. These are made by hand from fine reeds. They, too, are sold in close competition with the American product owing to the cheap-, er labor in Japan. The cases in which the Japanese picks are inclosed are fine specimens of skill with the jackknife. They are of wood, cut into strips as thin and delicate as tissue paper, but very strong. The cases are ornament­ ed with hand-painted Japanese scenes &d are of a size convenient to be car­ ried in the vest pocket. The competi­ tion between the Japanese and Portu­ guese makers on the one side and American manufacturers on the other has become very keen. An Importer of toothpicks said recently that the Japa­ nese picks can be made and sold In the American market, cases and all, for less than the cost of the paper boxes that contain the domestie picks.--Phila­ delphia Times. If a woman can't find any other fault with a man, she bops .his grammar. I cannot withhold from this people my pro­ found thanks for their hearty reception and the good will which they have shown me everywhere and In every way since I have been their guest. 1 thank them for the op­ portunity w^ich this occasion gives me of meeting ancl greeting them and for the pleasure It riff orda it le to participate with them in honoring the army and the navy to whose achievements we are Indebted for one of the most brilliant chapters of Amer­ ican history. Other parts of the country have had their public thanksgiving and Jubilees In honor of historic events of the past year, but no­ where has there been greater rejoicing than among the people here, the gathered repre­ sentatives of the South. 1 congratulate them upon their accurate observation of events which enabled them to fix a date which Insured them the privilege of being the first to celebrate the signing of the treaty ot peace by the American and Span­ ish commissioners. Under hostile flre on a foreign soil, fighting in a common cause, the memory of old disagreements has faded Into history. From camp and campaign there comes the magic healing which has closed ancient wonnds and effaced their scars. For this result every American patriot will for­ ever rejoice. It Is no small Indemnity for the cost of war. This Government has proved Itself Invin­ cible In the recent war and oat of It has come a. nation which will remain Indivisible forevermore. No worthier contributions have been made In patriotism and In men than by the people of these Southern States. When at la*t the opportunity came they were eager to meet it, and with promptness responded to the call of the country. In­ trusted with the able leadership of men dear to them, who had marched with their fath­ ers, under another flag, now lighting under the old flag again, they have \gloriously helped to defend Its spotless fold# und added new luster to its shining stars. That flag has been planted in two hemispheres, and there it remains, the symbol of liberty and law, of progress and peace. Who will with­ draw from the people over whom it floats its protecting folds? Who will haul it down? The victory we celebrate is not that of a ruler, a President or a Congress, but of the people. The army, whose valor we admire; the navy, whose achievements we applaud, were not assembled by draft or conscription, but from voluntary enlistment. The heroes came from civil as well as military ttfe. Trained and untrained soldiers wrought onr triumphs. The peace we have won is not a selfish truce of arms, but one whoso conditions presage good to humanity. The domains secured under the treaty yet to be acted upon by the 8enate came to us, not as the result of a crusade of conqm'st, but as the reward of temperate, faithful and fearless response to the call of conscience, which could not be disregarded by a liberty-loving and Christian people. We have so borne ourselves In the conflict and In our Intercourse with the powers of the world as to escape complaint of compli­ cation, and give universal confidence of our high purpose and unselfish sacrifices for struggling peoples. The task is not fulfilled. Indeed. It is only just begun. The most serious work Is still before us. and every energy of heart and mind must be bent and the Impulses of par­ tisanship subordinated to its faithful execu­ tion. This Is the time for earnest, not faint hearts. New occasions teach new duties. To this nation and to every nation there comes formative periods In Its life and history. New conditions can be met only by new methods. Meeting these conditions hopeful­ ly and facing them bravely and wisely Is to be the mightiest test of American virtue and capacity. Without abandoning past lim­ itations, traditions and principles, but by meetfng present opportunities and obliga­ tions, we shall show ourselves worthy of the great trust which civilization has im­ posed upon us. At Bunker Hill liberty was at stake; ai Gettysburg the Union was the Issue: before Manila and Santiago our armies fought, not tor gain or revenge, but for human rights. They contended for the freedom of the op­ pressed, for whose welfare the United States has never failed to lend a helping hand to establish and uphold, and, I believe, never will. The glories of the war cannot be dimmed, but the result will be Incomplete and unworthy of uh unless supplemented by civil victories, harder possibly to win. In their way no less Indispensable. We will have onr difficulties and our em­ barrassments. They follow all victories and aceompany all greut responsibilities. They are Inseparable from every great movement or reform. But American capacity has tri­ umphed over ail in the past. Ooubts have lu the end vanished. Apparent dangers have been averted or avoided and our own his­ tory shows that progress has come so nat­ urally and steadily on the heels of new and grave responsibilities that as we look back upon the acquisitions of territory by our fathers we are filled with wonder that any doubt could have existed or any appre­ hension could have been felt of the wisdom of their action or their capacity to grapple with the then untried and mighty problems. The republic Is to-day larger, stronger and better prepared than ever before for wise and profitable developments In new dlrec tions and among new lines. Kven If the salads of some of onr own people hi still disturbed by perplexing and anxious doubts, in which all of us have shared and still share, the genius of American civilization will, I believe, be found both original and creative and capable of subserving all the great Interests which shall be confided to our keeping. Forever in the right, following the best Impulses and clinging to high purposes, using property and within right limits our power and opportunities, honorable reward must inevitably follow. The outcome can­ not be In doubt. We could have avoided all the difficulties that lie across the pathway of the nation if a few months ago we had coldly Ignored the piteous appeals of the starving and op­ pressed Inhabitants of Cuba. If we had blinded ourselves to the conditions so near our shores and turned a deaf ear to our suf­ fering neighbors, the Issue of territorial ex­ pansion In the Antilles and the East Indies would not have been raised. But, conld we have justified such a course? Is there any one who would uow declare an­ other to have been the better course? With less humanity and less courage on our part, the Spanish flag, Instead of the stars and stripes, would still be floating at Cavlte. at Ponce and at Santiago, and a "chance in the race of life" would be wanting to millions of human beings who to-day call this nation noble, and who, I trust, will live to call It blessed. Thus far we have done our supreme duty. Shall we now, when the victory won in war Is written In the treaty of peace and the civ­ ilized world applauds and waits In expecta­ tion, turn timidly away from the duties imposed upon the couutry by Its own great deeds? And when the mists fade away and we see with elenrer vision, may. we not go forth rejoicing in a strength which was em­ ployed solely for humanity and always been tempered With justice and mercy, confident of our ability to meet the exigencies which lawait us, because confident that our course, is one of duty and our cause that of right. AT SAVANNAH, OA, There Is cause for congratulation that with the grave problem before ua growing out of the war with Spain we are free from any divisions at home. Our financial and revenue policies cannot be chatiged for at least four years, and whatever legislation may be had affecting them during that period, will be to Improve and strengthen, not destroy them. The public mind can, therefore, repose in rea­ sonable security, while business will pro­ ceed without apprehension of serious und sudden changes so disturbing to the com­ mercial world and so dlstrnctiug to the'bus- Iness men. All of which Is fortunate to the country, for every interest and every sec­ tion of the country. Kven those who desire other and different policies prefer perman­ ency to constant change, or what Is almost as hurtful, the fear of change. There are happily uow no domestic dif­ ferences to check the progress and pros­ perity of the country which bur peaceful relations with the world will encourage and strengthen. This is fortunate, too, in another sense. It leaves the country free to consider and discuss new questions, which are immedi­ ately before us, unbiased by party or polit­ ical alliances. These new questions are to be thought out and wrought out, not in a spirit of partisanship, but in a spirit of patriotism; not for the temporary advant­ age to one party or the other, but for the lasting advantage of the country. Neither prejudice nor passion, nor previous condi­ tion can embarrass the free action and calm judgment of the question. We have entered upon new paths. We are treading In an unexplored field, which will test our wisdom and statesmanship. The chief consideration Is one of duty; our actions must be controlled by it. No settle­ ment Is admissible which will not preserve onr honor and promote the best Interests of all concerned. With a united country and the gathered wisdom of all the people, seek­ ing only the right, inspired only by high purposes, moved only by duty and humanity, we cannot err. We may be baffled or de­ terred and often discouraged, but final suc­ cess In a cause which Is altogether unselfish and humanitarian can only be deferred, not prevented. If. following the clear precepts of duty, territory falls to us and the welfare of an alien people requires our guidance and pro­ tection, who will shrink from the responsi­ bility, grave though It may be? Can we leave those people, who, by the fortunes of war and our own acts, are hetp- less and without government, to chaos and anarcny after we have destroyed the only government they have had? After destroy­ ing their government, It is the duty of the American Government to provide for them a better one. Shall we distrust ourselves, shall we proclaim to the world onr Inability to give kindly government to oppressed peo­ ples. whose future, by the victories of war, Is confided to us? We may wish It were Otherwise, but who will question our duty now^ It Is not a question of keeping the Islands of the Bast, but of leaving them. Dewey and Merrltt took them and the country In­ stantly and universally applauded. Could we have brought Dewey away without uni­ versal condemnation at any time from the 1st of May, the day of his brilliant victory, which thrilled the world with its boldness and heroism? Was It right to order Dewey to go to Manila and capture or destroy the AT MONTGOMERY. ALA. To the General Assembly and Citizens: The warm-hearted welcome which has been given to me by the citizens of Alabama has deeply touched me, and In return for It I cannot find language to express my grati­ tude and appreciation. To be welcomed here In the city of Montgomery, the first capital of the Confederate States, warmly and enthusiastically welcomed as the Presi­ dent of the common country, has filled and thrilled me with emotion. Once the capital of the Confederacy, now the capital of a great and glorious State, one of the In­ destructible States of an Indestructible Union. The Governor says he has nothing to take back. We have nothing to take back tot having kept yon In the Union; we are glad you did not go out, and you are glad you stayed In. Alabama, like ail the States of the Union, North and South, has been loyal to the flag and steadfastly devoted to the American nation and to American honor. There never has been In the history of the United States such n demonstration of patriotism from one end of this country to the other as In tne year just passing, 'and never has Amer­ ican valor bqen, more; brilliantly illustrated in the battle line on shore and on the battle­ ship at sea than by the soldiers and sailors of the United States. Everybody Is talking of Hobson. and justly so. but I want to thank Mother Hobson In this presence. Ev­ erybody Is talking about Gen. Wheeler, one of the bravest..of the brave, but I want to speak of that sweet little daughter that followed him to Santiago and ministered to the sick at Montauk. I have spoken In many places and at many times of the heroism of the American army and the American navy, but in our recent conflict the whole people were patriots. Two hundred thou­ sand men were called for, and a million rushed to get a place lu the ranks. And millions stood ready if need be. A I like the feeling of the American people that we ought not to have a large standing army; but it has been demonstrated lu the last few months that we need a standing army large enough to do all the work re­ quired while we are at peace, and only rely on the great body of the people in an emer­ gency to help us fight our battles. We love peace. We are not a military nation, but whenever the time of peril comes the bul­ wark of this people rests in the patriotism of its citizens, and this nation will be safe for all time because 75,000,000 people love it, and will give up their lives to sustain and uphold it. I thank you, my fellow-citlaen®, for this generous warmth ahd wealth of welcome yrnich you have given me to-day, and I shrfll go back to my duties at our great capital feeling that we have a united country that acknowledges allegiance to but one author­ ity, and will march forever unitedly under one flag, the glorious old stars and atrlpes. The Treaty of Peace. The full texfcof the treaty of peace be­ tween the United States and Spain Is much more satisfactory than the ab­ stracts sent from Paris. From begin­ ning to end It reflects credit on all per­ sons concerned in its negotiation. From the text it Is clear that President Mc- Kinley's instructions covering essential points and principles were -carried out in the minutest detail. The treaty as it stands shows that the administration yielded no point affect­ ing the Interests of the United States and that the commissioners appointed by the President, while standing firm in the face of threats from Spain to break off negotiations and against the intrigues of European diplomacy, main­ tained the dignity and exhibited the judicial temperament of high ambassa­ dors. There is not a careless line in the treaty. There Is not a phrase that can be misunderstood. There is not a state­ ment as to conditions that can be made the subject of controversy. There is no evasion of issues, no subterfuge; there are no tricks ip language.--Chi­ cago Inter Ocean. Sectional Lines Obliterated. The passing of the general pension bill in the House, carrying an appro­ priation of $145,000,000, Without any opposition from the Democrats, South or North, is significant.. It means that the sectional line has dropped out. Allen, of Mississippi, remarked that when he entered the House fourteen years ago pension bills always precipi­ tated a bloody-shlrt discussion. There was nothing of that sort In the House In this case, however, and there will not be in the Senate. No sectional contest can ever be waged again in Congress. Nobody, South or North, will ever attempt to draw the geo­ graphical line again in politics. The conflict with Spain, of course, finished the obliteration of the sectional line. The People Know, A New York paper says "it must be a firm purpose not to dim the luster of the war heroes that is keeping Mr. Dingley from pointing out how the re­ sult of the election is a vindication of the existing tariff , law." Mr. Dingley doesn't have to "point out" any bene­ fits that accrued from the tariff law. The people know that protection made prosperity, and Republican prosperity made Republican victory certain.--Ta- coma (Wash.) Ledger. ' The WainTNoTfo High, Evidently the tariff wall around this country Is not so high that exports can­ not jump over it. The foreign trade of the United States is now nearly $2,000,- 000,000 a yeat, and the increase in the volume of exports was $107,000,000 during the past eight months.--Aber­ deen (8, D.) "News. ; FOOLING THE FORCE. Oil* a General Alarm from Head* quarters Checked the Oaase. Fire wicked students were In a bar­ ber's shop getting hair cut and parted in the middle. All this took to quite late In the night, and then one Of them said: "Barber, What will you take for your sign pole?" "Ten dollars," replied the artist, smilingly. "Here's the money," said the student, who was a member of the winning foot­ ball team that season, and bad only to write home any time for a check. "Sign this," and he drew up a bill of sale. "Boys, assist me home with my loadJ And the little cavalcade went down the dimly lighted street with the sin­ gular burden upon their shoulders. "Ho, there!" yelled a policeman, whom they bad tried to pass slyly.; "what are you doing with that barber's pole?" "That's our business," grimly replied the football player. "It Is also mine," rejoined the police man. "Come with me to the station and bring that pole with you." "We cannot afford to carry It away from Its proper destination," said one of the students. "Never mind," growled the police­ man. "I'll get it there," and he sum­ moned help and "conducted the whole procession to the police station. "Boys," said the sergeant, after they bad ranged themselves in front of him, "I'm sorry, but this bit of fun will cost you $5 apiece!" "Perhaps before we are fined yon would like to look at this strfy of pa­ per?" inquired the ball kicker. "Why," exclaimed the sergeant, read­ ing the bill of sale, "here Is an awk­ ward mif^ake. This Is your pole." "We hau thought so." meekly replied the student. "Young men," said the sergeant, !*you are discharged. Officer, go back to your beat." "Will you kindly instruct him to take the pole where he got it?" inquired the student "Certainly," replied the sergeant, "that Is your right," and the striped stick of timber was tugged back again by the disgusted myrmidon of the law. The students again shouldered their tapering load and started down an­ other street. Soon they met another policeman. This time they did not at­ tempt any evasion. "What're you doin' wltfi that beam o' wood?" shouted the officer. "Our business!" sang the boys. "Your business seems to be th^ thief business," said the officer. "Come with me to the station." "We, will not carry the pole," said the students; "but if you want to we'll swear not to run for it." The officer believed them after they had repeated it in Latin, and, being a large, strong man from "the Tipperary regions, just about managed it He was soon before the same sergeant mentioned above. "It's their pole," shouted the ser­ geant as soon as be saw them. "Take it back where you got it." "Why didn't you tell me?" grumbled the officer, between breaths on the way back. "You said we were thieves, and how could you believe thieves on a question of property?" replied the students. And they started once more for home.. Again and again they were escorted to headquarters until they began to feel quite well acquainted with the ser­ geant The sixtb or seventh policeman they met was a smallish man, an£ they took particular pains with him? They yelled, whistled, sang "Goodnight, La­ dies," and marched four times aronnd him in solemn procession. He simply thanked them for the entertainment. "Why don't yoa arrest us?" one of them cried. "There's been a general alarm sent all over the city," replied the peace preserver, "to the effect that if we met five men wid a pole, don't molest 'em, as they're harmless lunatics on de way to" de asylum, to start a barber shop there."--Everywhere. To Prolong Life. It is generally believed by the En­ glish people that the road to longevity lies through the stomach. This causes fantastic notions in regard to diet. Almost every physician of note makes himself responsible for some dietetic formula to accomplish the object inj view. Almost all have taken $ decid-1' ed stand against the native British' oyster. This opposition is encouraged by recent official investigations in re­ lation to the conditions under which, that bivalve is grown on the English' coast. In Brighton It is estimated that one-third of all the deaths that occur In the town are caused by eating oys­ ters that are bedded on its shores;' This is not surprising, as, according to the official report, three of the local sewers discharge their contents over the oyster-beds. This Is the case in several other coastwise towns. So widespread is the alarm insEngland in regard to oysters that at a recent banquet given at the Mansion House, London, not one of those bivalves served on the shell was eaten. Oysters alone are not und«r condemnation. Bread is avoided by many; others re­ ject meat, or vegetables, or milk, or butter. ' ' Swiss Military Resenrea. Switzerland, although she spends only $500,000 yearly on her army, can turn out 100,000 trained men in two days in case of need, and has a reserve of 100.000 more, as well as a militia of 270,000. attn At it. "The rough riders have disbanded, haven't they?" "Yes, all but Kaiser William." When a man inherits money, people 8ay that his ftfture plans are not yet made. Plans! 'They Wlll be to spend It, of course, and no man has to all down and deliberate on ways of spend­ ing money. .1- --- Get any girl-to lift her head, and yoc will see a red streak around her throat caused by her high collar. If any man tortured a woman in the way fashion does it, he would be lynched. Faither Time was the original wheel­ man. From the beginning he has gone on by cycles. Cupid is blind to everything save the golden eagle. "THE FOUR HUNDRED." Ob* MMT Conform to Their Standard or Remain Outside Society, "We may, if we choose,sneer at sn&» bery and scoff at social straggler*/' writes Elizabeth Bisland in the Ladle*' Home Journal, "but when a man la ambitious or a woman is proud he or she desires to secure for himself or herself, and for their children, tin privilege of being received as an equal everywhere. And however much one may rail, the fact remains that wealth and fashion do set, and have always set, the standard in social life, and that if one wishes a free admission every­ where one must conform one's self to that standard. A great many people who are not what is known as 'in so­ ciety,' are fond of pointing out with triumphant rancorousness that 'The Four Hundred' are no more cultured, intellectual, wealthy or witty than many whom they refuse to. admit to association with them In their pleas­ ures, and these resentful folk demand in bitter amazement why any one ad­ mits their pretensions, or struggles Cor their recognition. The answer is not far to seek. A man may have all the Intellectual attributes, and yet not be of sufficient importance to be admitted to the orchestra of society, and the mu­ sicians may say, 'We admit that yon are good and clever, but you can't play the violin, and you can't become a Mem­ ber of our orchestra.* 'Now the 'swell,' as he is commoi^y termed, is the man who ia an artist In living: he may have neither moral ideas nor standards, nor be overbtir- dened with brains, "but he knows how to live, as far as the ceremonies of life go, brilliantly, gayly, imposingly, and he collects around him others who have the same talent, and together they suc­ ceed in forming a sort of orchestra of society, all of them playing in tune and in time with one another, and making magnificent harmony of ceremony and social intercourse. And when a person comes along who insists upon joining their orchestra they are gener­ ally extremely rude in their refusal, and eause much enmity, or else they listen to the instrument he plays and find It well played, and so take him into their band, and cause still mop$ amazement and envy to the others who have been denied admittance." i k. farmer near Decatur, Ala., has raised a hog which" weighs 1,524 pounds. A tannery to tan' the hides of dogs and wolves has been ' established la Cheyenne County, Kan. The Insect known as the water boat- i' man has a Vegnlar pair of oars, hH i legs being used, as such. He swims on f his back, as in that position there fa/ less resistance to his progress. Personally conducted tours to SomafM land, with a chance to. shoot at tions . and other large game, are advertised' by a London tourist agency. The trip will last three months and cost $3,000. In an effort to cope with the rabbit1 pest in New South Wales, 632 miles of ' rabbit-proof fencing have lately 1)een erected, and 404 miles of similar fenc­ ing are being constructed. Among the birds there are few bed®"' ter fighters than a goose, or a g'&nd<sf more particularly. The ragged white Russian geese bite ferociously. If la no mere peck with them--they bite and hang on with all the tenacity of a ouQ- dog. The Forum of Augustus is the *-ats' home of Rome. There the superfluous felines are dropped over the wall to join their numerous fellows in the Forum below. Every day charitable people throw scraps of food into this open prison. , 4 Dancing Bird*, j One of the many strange sights oh the plains of southern Africa is a party of waltzing ostriches. Their queer antics have been described thns: When there are a number of them, they will start off in the morning and after running a few hundred yards will stop, and with raised wings will whirl . rapidly round till they .arj^atdpefletl dr perhaps break a leg. ilPhe pjdes |)oge also before fighting and ftittll their court. They kneel on thelf ankles, open­ ing their wings and balaspia^ ljj>era- selves alternately forward and back- ward or to one side or the other, iwhila the neck Is stretched on a lev6l with thf* back and the head stfcfS;# the! sides, . now on the right, now oft tfle left, while the feathers are bristling. The bifd ap­ pears at this time so absdrbCCTln its ot- - cupation as to forget all that is goiqg on around him and can be approached and caught. The taale alone utters a cry, which sounds much like an effort to speak with the mouth shut tight" " Bartboldl's Statue of Liberty. The Bartholdl statue of "Liberty," the "Bavaria" at Munich, and the "Ger- inania" opposite Bingen on the Rhine, are modern echoes of the famous Co*" lossus which Chares set by the harbqj^ of ancient Rhodes. The "Liberty" eip' ceeds it in height (one hundred anilM fifty feet) by half; but still, if the Ct* lossus were among us to-day, it would doubtless be treated in the gulde-booka with eminent respect Like the Lib­ erty, It stood by the harbor of a great emporium, where the ships of all na­ tions came and went. In the form of a patron deity, It represented the genius > of a state, and in its dimensions It spoke for a national taste which, as th§ Laokoon group and the Farnese Bul£ both Rhodian compositions, seem to bet> tray, worshiped much at the shttea of the god of bigness.--Century. - Railroad Building In 4we<f«h. The first railroad lu Sweden opened lu lHT»r>, nud the country now, In proportion to Its population, more railways than any other country in Europe. They are owned partly by the state and partly by private corpora­ tions. Sweden lias the only railway in the world which passes the polar circle --I. e., the state line from Luiea to Gelli- vare, in the Lapland district A boy's idea of something terrible 1§ two boys engaging in a fight in »tog| school room, In the presence of tbjp teacher. -J: j :5.!;1:1:.;,