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

VOLUNTARY SCHOOLS IN ENG- LAND CRITIGIZED. Facts as to What Is Being Done For the Children of Lon- ‘ don. ’ Interesting facts regarding the English school system and its results are contained in a blue book con- taining the general reports of His Majesty's inspectors of elementary schools and training colleges for the year 1901. The reports of the district inspectors abound in pasâ€" sages of interest. We quote, for ek- amplc, from the report of Mr. Newâ€" ton, of the Greenwich district: “The difficulty of getting London children to speak distinctly is great. The children are naturally inclined to mumble, to gabble, to slur over consonants, and to drawl out cer- tain vowels. Our classes» are large, and the teacher is often obliged to: adopt the plan of simultaneous reading, which covers a great deal of slovenly enunciatibn. Still, in spite of all difficulties, distinct reading is often obtained-espccially in girls’ schools. Reading ‘With exâ€" pression’ ‘is fortunately not often striven for. The actor and the pub- lic speaker may be expected to modâ€" ulate their voices in accordance with the drift of the passages which they utter, but the proper accord beâ€" tween sound and sense is not reach- ed without much labor. We cannot expect from boys an accomplishment which is obviously beyond the reach of some very experienced speakers. By imitating his teacher’s voice a scholar may learn to repeat ‘with expression’ some particular passage; ibut this is merennemory work. It is quite another thing to put pathos into the reading of all pathetic pas- sages, and humor into the reading of all humorous passages. Supposing that the reader has imagination to throw himself completely into the spirit of what he reads, the pathetic and humorous tones will, no doubt, be forthcoming when they are wantâ€" ed, but the imagination of the child is not under the control of the teacher, hence children cannot be made to identify themselves with the characters about which they read. Now and then the dramatic spirit may be awakened, and the ex- pression will appear; but this will only be in exceptional cases." VOLUNTARY SCHOOLS. The following criticism from cer- tain voluntary schools is also from the same report: “During the past two years new partitions have been put in tw0 or three voluntary schoms; two or three more partitions may be desirable, but in general the voluntary school premises have now been improved as far as is possible without a comâ€" plete reconstruction. Some of these buildings. are badly planned, and can never be ideal places of instrucâ€" tion; but it may fairly be said that there is no school in which the chil- dren cannot be taught efficiently. The crow-(led state of certain volunâ€" tary schools is, however, to be laâ€" mented; perhaps in time the managâ€" ers of these schools may see the . propriety of reckoning the accom- modation on a more liberal basis than that. .of eight square feet of floor space per child in average atâ€" tendance. The infant galleries of some of the older voluntary and board schools are at present the least satisfactory part of our school furniture. The old steep galleries seem to have been designed for the purpose of spreading infectious di- seases, for, when the steps are high and narrow, the children on the upper rows have every chance of in- haling any germ which may be ex- haled by the children below. The back to the gallery seat is someâ€" times not a rail, as is suggested in the building rules, but a flat wooden board reaching from the seat to abort the level of the children’s ears. Such a back must be sung- ularly uncomfortable. Desks which are glarineg at fault are now beâ€" coming rare, but all new furniture provided in voluntary schools re- quires careful inspection, inasmuch as some makers still supply desks which are planned without any reâ€" gard for the children’s health or comfort. The dual desks which the London School Board now provides are flatter at the top than the older dual desks, and are also rather high- or above the seats; on the whole, the older desks seem the better suited to the children, but the faults of the 'new desks are not so great as to make hygienic writing positions imâ€" possible.” . HEALTH OF CHILDREN. On the subject of the health of. school children, Mr. Graves, His Majesty's Inspector, for the South- wark Division, has the following rcâ€" marks: “We have not yet got so far asl the Germans in our attention to the health of school children. Our schools are not periodically visited by a medical man with a view of testing their sanitary condition, or with the object of inquiring into the physical state of the scholars, but more is being done in these matters than heretofore. The local authoriâ€" ties are active, some managers think unduly active, in the matter of the adequaCy and drainage of the school offices. The School Board authori- ties advise teachers how to act in the case of epidemics, groups of board and voluntary schools, though I regret not all of them, are regu- larly visited by nurses. “who attend to sore eyes, bad heads, and other temporary ailments, and instruct the THEY MUMBLE Ill SUHUULS ldoctors, was the spreading of lease, and an epidemic of ophthalmia parents how to deal with them; lesâ€" sons are given by teachers- on byâ€" giene tending to promote personal cleanliness, moderation in eating, and due attention to digestion, and children who are found to be .short- sighted, after the application of the Board's sight tests, are urged to use glasses, or where their parents re- fuse, or are too poor to supply them, they are often secured through the kindness of managers or teachâ€" ers. In this connection it is pleas- ant ,to be able to congratulate the London School Board on what they have done in the way of teaching swimming in their schools. A very large proportion of girls, as well as boys, in the Southward district avail themselves of the tickets admitting them to the swimming classes at the local baths, and the interest in the exercise is fostered. by friendly comâ€" petitions between the different schools, out of which the SouthWark children come very successfully. It indeed, noticeable how the swimâ€" ming has improved the physique of these children, and more especially the girls.” ‘ ’ ___+_._.__.. USING SOFT COAL. How to Keep the ’House Heated Without Anthracite. Soft coal ignites very quickly, dies down with equal facility, and needs constant Watching and frequent. rc- plenishing to maintain even a meaâ€" surably constant fire. In these re- spects it more resembles wood than anthracite, but burns very nearly as well 'in an anthracite range as in one built for a market where only soft coal is used as a, domestic fuel. In an anthraciteâ€"heating furnace soft coal needs to be treated vcry differently from anthracite, but the difference consists in the management of draughts and checks. In the feed (1001' of every furnace there is a slide damper to admit air over the fire. When anthracite is used this is opened only if it is desired to dcaden the fire and lOWer the tem- perature of the house. With soft coal it must be left open all the time. The great volume of gases evolved from it in the cooking pro- cess», which is the first stage in its combustion, calls for more air than can be had through the body of fuel, and unless this is supplied above the fire the greatest value of the fuel is lost up the chimney 1n unconsumed gases. Too much air ad- for good combustion can be mitted over the fire, but it is not likely to be the case if the slide damper in the feed door of a furâ€" nace built for anthracite is left wide open all the time. The dra:.s:ht 01. ening in the ash pit door, on the other hand, needs to be less widely and continuously open than for an- thracite. With the same amount of bottom draught which it, is custom- ary to 'give' hard coal, soft coal would simulate the combus't'fbn in a blast furnace and call for constant stoking. The householder must also remember that the check draught in the stove pipe, which with anthra- cite is usually kept open in moderâ€" ate weather, cannot be opened much, if any, with soft coal, or the house, will fill with smoke. 'Ihe best way is to leave it closed altogether. With the attention to these details, which reverse the customary practice with anthracite, a furnace may be run on bituminous coal so as to keep a house entirely comfortable. It will be found difficult, if not ilnpoS-Sil)10, to keep either a range or furnace fire over night with soft coal unless one has a, watchman on duty tollook after it. As an offset to this, liowever, we have the ease with which a fresh tire of soft coal may be lighted, and its almost inâ€" stantaneous response in heatâ€"impartâ€" ing efficiency. It kindles nearly as easily as shavings, and the coke of the previous fire does not have to be removed from the fire pot. All that is necessary is to shake down the fine ash, and make the new fire upon what remains. With a little judgment, one having a small sup- ply of anthracite available, may run his furnace through the day and evening with soft coal. and by addâ€" ing anthracite at night have a, fire in the morning. But with no an- thracite at all he can, with a little more trouble than he is accustomed to, keep his house comfortable with soft coal. 4â€"â€" CU RIOUS WE-DD IN G CUSTOM. Brides in Alfocld, Lower Hungary, have been deprived of their wedding gifts by the Government health auâ€"l thorities. It was a custom of place for brides to wash with soap. and to comb the heads of all guests, they in turn throwing coins into the basin. The rcsult, according to the disâ€" led the Government to put a sudden end to the custom. ~..___+.___._. BURIED TOWNS . Italy is not the only country that can boast of its buried towns and villages. In Scotland there are the Culbin Sands, covering a large tract of country, under which many dwel- lings lie entombed ; while in Ireland there is the ancient town of Banâ€" non, situated in a once fertile tra between. Wexford and Waterford, effectually covered with sand as ever Pompeii was with red-hot Cinders or Ft I-Ierculaneum with lava. _..__.+â€"â€"â€" Within the past 90 years Spanishâ€"speaking population of thelquomd world has increased from l26,190,000 that the sun maiden to be wed can squeeze out a ening of our baby last week. to 43,000,000; the I l lLUGKlTDKEMnR BillllllS- 01.1) TRADITIONS O'REGARDING MARRIAGE 001.033., Bride Who Courted .Success by Wearing Stockings With ‘a “ History. At a recent wed-ding the bride wore a pair of. blue silk stockings which were loancdfo her by Mrs. Charles Freeman, better known as, Miss Mary E.. Wilkins, thus- comâ€" plying with the conditions of the old superstition compelling a bride. if she wished for luck, to wear Something old and something new, Something borrowed and something blue. ‘ These particular stockings, says The New York Herald, possessed a history dealing entirely with the old adage, to whiéh brides invariably igive heed, notwithstanding the se- l I There is an ancient rhyme running turns out, a, watch I i l n l I I l I l verity of their frowns at childish superstitions upon other and less momentous occasions. The hose Were originally presented by Miss Anny Turner to Miss Mary E. Wales, with the understanding that she should wear them when marâ€" ried.‘ But as thewedding of Miss Wilkins, who is a friend of ‘ Miss Wales, occurred before the owner of the stockings had achance to wear them herself, she turned them over to the bride to use upon the happy occasion. Then Miss Wilkins‘passed them on to this bride, who will ,in course of time present them to some other 'bri'de, doubly lucky in donning stockings twice blessed. Few brides care to go to the al- tar without complying with the old adage. I "SOMETHING OLD” is frequently the wedding veil itâ€" self, which. if of good lace, is hand- ed down as an heirloom to be worn by all the brides of the family. “Something new” is hard to get away. from, as the garments of a bride are usually of self-evident freshness. “Something borrowed” is easily complied withâ€"â€"a pin, ring or hair pin answering every purâ€" pose. “Something blue” is often a pair of silk garters, or a knot of ribbon tucked away amid the laces of the lingerie. A sure talisman against spinsterâ€" hood is said to be the wearing of yellow garters, which have an es»- pecial value, the wise ones say, if presented to maidens on Easter Sunâ€" day. But should a bride present one of her yellow gartersâ€"which have served their purpose in her own caseâ€"to a friend, then it is or- dained that that lucky individual might as well begin preparations for her own wedding, as it is sure to follow in short order. A superstitious bride will never entirely don her wedding costume unâ€" til the time for the ceremony, - as to do so is supposed to bring bad luck. Neither will she allow her pros- pective husband to see her in bridal array until he’meets her at the al- tar, or as near to that time as can be conveniently managed. 1n dressing herself for her wedding the bride must remember to put on her right shoe first if she wishes to have a happy married life. The wedding ring must be a circlct of gold, signifying endless devotion, and it must not be tried on before the ceremony nor taken from the finger afterward. , No girl will be a happy bride who :has not ‘at least in some little par- ‘tyâ€"four hours. ticular assisted in the making of her derfully wedding gown or the mixing of HER BRIDAL CAKE. in this wise: Married in white, You have chosen all right. Married in gray, You will go far away. Married in black, You will wish yourself back. Married in red, You'd better be dead. Married in green, Ashamed to be seen. Married in blue, You’ll always be true. Married in pearl, You’ll live in a whirl. Married ‘in yellow, Ashamed of the fellow. Married in brown, 1 You’ll live out of town. Married in pink. Your spirits will sink. If a bride be very thoughtful and also superstitious she carries a rabâ€" bit's foot somewhere about her when married. May used to be regarded as a des- perately unlucky month for wedâ€" dings, but as it comes at the loveâ€" liest season of the year, custom and convenience have banished supersti- tion and now the evil ban is said to be removed. . In the selection of a day, it is in- teresting to remember the old rhyme which says: Monday for health._ Tuesday for wealth; Wednesday the best day of all! Thurs-day for crosses, Friday for losses, Saturday no luck at all. It is considered unlucky to change 'the date of a wedding after it. once Ct ,has been determined upon, and for as:that reason many ceremonies circumâ€" ances sooner than suffer an alter- are performed under adverse ation of the plans. ALL BRIDES REJOICE ,. “1,: ;.,.. ' "-â€"' ' v » ~~ Huts-2W5" W L»;â€" [few tears on her wedding dayâ€" and lthis is not usually difficultâ€"it is said to insure her future happiness. It is an old custom for the bride to cut the first slice from her wed- ding-cake. This cake mus-t invaria- bly contain a ring, which will sig- nify a speedy marriage to the lucky person finding it. The bridesmaid who catches the bride’s bouquet will be the first one of the guests to must be remembered, though, "thrice a bride.” It is also- said that no maiden who desires to 'be wed ever should sit upon a table, as this unconven- be married. It that bridesmaid, never a resting place will prove a tional bar to matrimony. 0 ALL ABOUT WATCHES. Few Realize How Minute Parts of Time-pieces Are. "Much in little” can be said more truly of a firstâ€"class watch than of almost any other product of human ingenuity and industry. The watch one carries in his pocketâ€"unless it is of the cheapest "pocket clock” varietyâ€"has in its movement more than 150 parts, and this number does not‘ include holds the movement. A glance at the movement is enâ€" ough to show that most of its parts are very Small, but one can scarce~ 1y realize how minute some of them are. Take, the case which for example, the num- erous screws which hold the parts together. Some of them are so tiny that it takes nearly 150,000 of them to weigh a pound. One must use a good microscope to see the threads in these screws, and each of the threads must beabsolutely per- fect and true, or the screw is useâ€" less. . There are screWS in a small-sized watch, such as women usually carry, which have a thread of 260 to the inch. The weight of one of these screws is one one hundred and thir- ty-thousandth of a. pound. The diameter of the pivot of the balance wheel in a watch is only one two-hundredth of an inch, and classified by a gauge which measures down to one ten- thousandth of an inch. The jewel hole into which the pivot fits is'one five-thousandth of an inch larger than the pivot, so that the latter may have sufficient play. Jewels in a, watch movement are cut from slabs of garnet, ruby or sapphire, one-fiftieth of an inch thick. Then they are "surfaced," drilled through the center, and on the convex side a depression is made for an oil cup. A pellet jewel, finâ€" ished and in use, weighs one one hundred and fiftyâ€"thousandth of a pound, While the weight of a roller jewel is a fraction more than one two hundred and fiftyâ€"six thous- andth of a pound. The largest hairspring‘ stud is four oneâ€"hundredths of an inch in diameter and nine oneâ€"hundredths .of an.inch in length. To make the complete movement of a good watch more than 3,700 different processes are employed. It takes-about five months to complete a single watch of the best grade, but as all the processes are carried on simultaneously the finished proâ€" duct is turned out continuously by 'the manufacturers. The balance in a modern Watch must make 18,000 vibrations every hour. A change of only one boat will cause the watch to gain or lose four and four-fifths seconds in twen- pivots are Think of the wonâ€" delicate mechanism and equally delicate adjustment that puts together more than 150 pieces of almost microscopic size and that will not in twenty-four I vary one second hours. _.._â€"â€"â€".4....-..._ . A CIIINAMAN‘S OATH. A novel scene was witnessed in West ‘rlartlepool police court during the hearing ()f a Case in which forty Chinese seamen were intercsted. One of them Was called as a witness, and in order that he might be sworn in the orthodox fashion of his coun~ try he was given a saucer which he had to break on the witnessâ€"box. The clerk said to him : “You shall tell the truth, the whole truth, and if you do not tell the truth your gsoul shall be cracked like the saucer.” - +â€"â€"â€"-â€" HOW SMOKE IS UTILIZED. In Brussels, lllalincs, and other Belgian towns a novel method of not only getting rid of smoke, but turning it to good account, has reâ€" cenfly been employed. The smoke iis driven by a ventilating fan into a [filter filled With porous material. lover which a continuous stream of petroleum, benzine, alcohol, or some liquid hydrocarbon flows. The result is that the smoke is cntirciy supâ€" pressed, while the filter yieids a gas jof great heating power, which can be used for domestic purposes and for driving gas engines. ing material itself also becomes good combustible during the cess. MADE A NAME. “So you are married?” said a man to a friend. “Oh, yes. ago.” “Given up all pro- Married over a year your ideas about thing?” "No, sir. I always said I would ‘make a name in the world.” when the wedding day is a bright “Yes.” the one, for they remember the oft- “Well, I’ve done it.” line, "Happy is the bride, “Indeed?” shines on." If the "Yes. H fame and glory and all that sort of. [Martin’s in the lH‘ampstead, and St. George's Hair I l l I superinterfitd the christ- 1728, produced the record Mamet BF LUNDflll ~ LIFE AND DEATH IN ‘A'Hfl GREAT METROPOLIS. Marriages Are More Numerous. While Births Show a De- creasing Rate. The true romance 01‘ London is re vealed in the 800 pages of statistic: just issued by the London count: council. The story of the growtl and present position of the capital there told is more striking thax any fiction. - London has reached 1 point when it has ceased to be 1 city, but has become an undividec mass of cities. Greater London no“ Contains 6,581,872 people, near]; twice as many as its nearest rivalI Greater New York. If Paris, Berlin and. Chicago, the three cities thal come next, were grouped together, they would not approach it. It has as many inhabitants as Belgium 0) Morocco, and nearly half as man; more as the Whole of Portugal, 01 Ireland, or Scotland. Once the city of London comprised its boundaries. Now, for every forty people in the city itself there are 10,000 Londoners living outside. The increase of population in tel: years amounted to 950,000, 01 more than the total population of Dublin, Edinburgh, and Bristol com bined. BIRTH RATE IS FALLING. The limit is not yet reached. Thf figures on which the calculations ii the return are prepared cover only the administrative County of Lon- don, wibh a populationof 4,500,000 The outer_ belt, containing over 2,: 000,000, does not come within thl county council’s survey. In admin istrative London an abnormal stat of affairs prevails. Marriage rate birth rate, and death rate are al below the average. 7 _ There has. been a, decided improve ment in recent years in the marriage rate for London. In 1894 it reach ed its lowest point, 17 per 1,000 In 1899, the last year for whicl figures are given, it was 18.4 pel 1,000. The birth rate does not show a corresponding increase. at the lowest point it has touched. Thirty years ago it e V03 Will 35.4: per 1,000; in 1899 it hat sunk to 29.3. In this matter tht state of affairs _in London corres ponds in .a surprising degree to tin whole country, where the fall hm been on parallel lines. POOR CLASSES MOST PROLIFIC The two poorest districts. St Luke’s and Bethnal Green, are pro. portiouately the most prolific. St Fields, Kensington over square are the least. Then are over four times was many births, proportionately, in St. Luke's as in St. George’s. The death rate is now 20.6 per thousand, an increase over the three previous years. London still rank: among the most healthy of grcaf cities, although it cannot yet ap« proach the Amsterdam average of 15.3. If the greater registration district of London is taken, the crude death rate is only 19.3. The figures give abundant that under better sanitary conditions the death rate in London would be lower. The fewer in ‘the houses the fewer the deaths. Nearly two-third: as many more people of all ages die in over-crowded tenement quarter: as in suburban districts. The death rate from consumption is highest it St. Luke's and in Southwark, an: lowest in Hamstead. PAUP‘ERISM AND CRIME. Pauiperism shows a tendency t: decrease and crime has diminisied with the exception of drunkenness which is making rapid strides. ()u of exery 100,000 people 537 wer arrested for drunkenness in 1890. Il: 1899 the proportion had risen tv 846. This was no temporary ,nat ter, but part of a steady upwari growth. The total of paupers is appalling Twentyâ€"one per cent. of the entir. population over 65 years old are i: receipt of poor relief. On Jan. I 1901, 123,520 were being given pull llic charity either as indoor or ut door paupcrs, vagraut's, or lunatics The police give returns showing th number of bad characters at larg known to them, but these are dc dared to be of doubtful value. Th police give the number of thieves a‘ large as 815, the persons under pc lice supervision, 1,155, and th- houses of receivers of stolen goods 101. INCREASE OF lNSANITY. The total of lunatics for whom th county of London has to find ac commodation has increased oxer 3! per cent in twelve years. In 189: it was 10,104, in 1901 it Was 15, 511. The total number of lunatic in London in 1901 Was 21,848. The returns of the fire brigade wil The filter" be read with painful interest. Th: :1 figures only cover 1900, althougl 1901. have been availabl‘ for many months. In that year sev enty-four persons lost their lives and’ of these deaths, to quote Llll those for report, “a large majority occur-rec before the fire brigade Was C\Cl called.” The list of deaths is mo notonou-s-ly followed by such remarlo as “Call not received till more tha‘. three hours after the occurrence 0 the fire.” No suggestion is mad that the condition of things whicl renders such late calls possible is fa; from satisfactory. ...â€"-..._,.§_ Nicole Piccinni, born in Naples i numbd [of 134. operas during his lcfetimc. It is nov ‘ proof ' l l A i l l