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et?" vji if'; -J Tp; ̂ <T^rr '̂T A' vi E DREADED m of the Origin of This Ancient and Crime-Stained IP? Sicilian Order Differ--The Revolt of Palermo in 1262. DRESS OF EASTERN WOMBN. (Special Correspondence.) Modem Sicily is little known to the World to-day, but the little that is known includes the outward workings Of the great crime-stained society, "La Hafia." When the rest of the world Was moving on, Sicily seems to have Stood still ana In the shadows of the 'Jliafia of to-day she presents to the waited lq the threshold. As she stood there a drunken sergeant of the French garrison came along, throw his arm about her waist and kissed her. She tore herself from his grasp and turned to fly, but as she did so the heel of her slipper caught in the coping of the pavement and she fell, Fashion'* Changes Have Little to Do with Their Costumes. Many Mohammedan women In India wear petticoats, generally very wide indeed, and falling in heavy folds. Some wear an underpetticoat of fine calico as a protection to the costly stuff of which the outer garment is composed or to escape friction. The stnff--satin, silk or cotton cloth is gathered into a strong band of tape, which is tied over one hip, and the plaits or gathers are carefully made, so as to allow the cloth to fall in graceful folds. Over the cholee or todice is a light muslin shirt, which continues below the waist, called a koortun. Over all a scarf of white or colored muslin of fine texture called doopatta, passed once around the waist and thence across the bosom and over the left shoulder and' head, like the saree, completes the costume. When the petticoat is not worn by Mohammedan women pyjamas or trousers take their place. These are sometimes loose, as in Oude and Ben- gal; elsewhere they are as tight as they can be made. The cutting out of these tight trousers is no easy mat­ ter, for they have several gores on the Inside of the thigh and are con­ trived so they are flexible, however tight, and do not hinder the wearer from sitting cross-legged. With the trousers, which are tight at the waist, are worn the cholee bodice, the koor­ tun or shirt and the doopatta or scarf. In full dress the Mohammedan lady wears the peshwaz or Persian robe, in which dancing women usually per­ form. It has long tight sleeves, a tight body crossed in front and a very voluminous muslin skirt, the most fashionable amplitude being about forty or even sixty yards in circumfer­ ence. CUPOLA SKETCHED -Sf BYBON WILLIAMS REAL POPULATION OF CHINA. TREADING WATER. When It's hotter than Inferno In the office or the street, Willie splatters in the bayou. Tread- wat- with feet! in* er his Splashing, ducking:, diving, choking. In a shady, cool retreat-- picks bottom" with abandon. Tread- mean- with feet! ing while his But to-night when mother gets him Ui the woodshed, grim and still. She will tread a little water On torn • Bill J the 'of bot- her Cathedral, Palermo. rest of the civilized world a study of a state of society for the analogue of which, in England, one would^have to Co back to the time of Henry VII., when England was passing away from the old system of feudalism into a brighter and higher life. It is almost precisely the same condition which •xisted in Germany after the Thirty Tears' war, and it presents the same picture of semi-barbarism as did France during the years that preceded the French revolution. What is La Mafia? The question is «ne that is asked many times. Writers Of Italian and Sicilian history have devoted many pages to an explanation •f its fearfnl and mystical organism <«nd yet when they have said all, they tliave given merely an account of its .toutward workings. The wisest of these historians set the bewildered r-Header right in the beginning of their Accounts by saying candidly that there :Je no satisfactory or definite answer to .'•the inquiry. It may be due to the fact »f«ecorded by Giuseppe Alonghi, that "it ;4b dangerous for Sicilians to occupy ; themselves vepr earnestly with the , fltudy of this Question." With other * Writers, he says that La Mafia is not '•% sect or cult, nor yet an association having rules, regulations or by-laws; Chat II Mafloso is not necessarily a brigand, a robber or a highwayman. Another historian says, "La Mafia is the consciousness of ore's own im­ portance and power; an exaggerated ' conceit of one's own individuality, in the sense of being superior to moral, aocial or political law. sole arbiter of *11 questions concerning one's rela­ tions to other individuals or to society **t large." La Mafia in general seem "to be a phase of Sicilian society; it Sb not a compact organization of peo­ ple who are bound together by oaths, With passwords and grips; it is a state - «f social immorality in which may be found peasant and land owner, brigand «nd judge. Franchetti has described It as the survival of a medieval senti­ ment which brings about a union of ' persons of all ranks and classes and professions who are constantly re­ uniting to satisfy their common inter- sts. But the best descriptions do not ive a full definition of tfeis part of flficilian life. - Tne Mafia Is probably of very an­ ient origin. It is more than 600 yiears old. Just exactly wnen or how H sprang into existence is not exactly striking her head against a sharp pro­ jection of the cornice. At that instant the returning lover's eyes fell upon her prostrate form and with the fury of a wild beast he threw himself upon the French sergeant, driving his stilleto into his heart and crying "Mortis ala Francia!" Death to the French. The maddened cry be­ came the roar of infuriated thousands. It swelled and deepened; it took on a deeper meaning and became nation­ alized and then burst forth: "Morte ala Francia Italia anelea!" (Death to the French is Italy's cry.) For sev­ enty-two hours armed bands, headed by the father and betrothed of the girl hunted down the hapless French. In dread of the vengeance of the French nation these unhappy people formed themselves into secret organization with the password and name of the society made up with the initial let­ ters of the words which compose that fateful death cry, thus forming Mafia. But setting aside the possible an­ cient origin of the society, its present development seems due to the great corruption which existed under the Bourbons and especially in the police of that time, the consequence of which was a general tendency on the part of the Sicilians to do justice for them­ selves. One of the principal functions of the Mafia is, indeed, to decide dif­ ferences and dispense justice without apealing to the decisions .of courts or tribunals. The Mafists have their so-called code of honor, and disregarding social law, accept "Omerta" and are guided by the teachings and by it regulate their lives and adjust their relations to their fellow men. In the opinion of the Mafists, the "Omerta" lifts them above law. According to it, if a man appeals to the law against his fellow man, he i^ not only a fool, but a cow­ ard. The Mafia is properly divided into two parts, the one existing in Palermo and the larger cities and the other outside in the open country and in the mountains. Without organization it seems impossible that members of the society should be capable of recogniz­ ing other members. The intercourse comes about through a cattle fair, which is held every year, and land­ owners, and peasants, rich and poor, mingle one with the other. Since 1876 the Mafia has been very quiet in Italy and has been little heard THREE OF A KIND. How Old Mammy's Pickaninnies Came to Be Named Alike. While we were visiting at a small village in one of the Carollnas we went one afternoon to see one of the old negro mammies in her own log cabin. She waB highly honored at the condensation of "de ladles," and was much concerned that the call might not be disturbed by the pres­ ence of her children--"fo'teen picka­ ninnies," she called them. Of course, curiosity was too strong for the young­ sters, and soon the one door was blocked with curly heads and wide- open eyes. When Mammy perceived .them she just turned around and, gathering up her skirts as one does in front of a flock of trespassing chick­ ens, cried out: "Shoo!" and the cough drops disappeared. But toward the end of our visit Mammy needed the services of a help­ er tb put out the jelly and cake that she insisted we eat. Stepping to the door, she called: "Mariana!" Soon three girls in single-piece cov­ erings came bashfully, but curiously, through the door, and all were given orders by the bustling mother. "But," said one of the callers in a half-jesting way, "are all three name<* Mariana, Mammy?" "Yes," the old woman explained, "all three. You see, when de lil' gi'ls came, 'fo I got 'round 'gain de folks jest call 'em all Mariana, an's no good charigin'. An', anyhow, when I wants a pickininny, I jes' calls 'Marl- ana,' an' one's sho' to come."--Lippin- cott's Magazine. A Western Blood. My tower faces south and north. And east it opens wide. But not a window-pane looks forth Upon the western side. [ gaze out nortn on city roofs. And south on city smoke. And to the east are throbbing hoofs. The rush of city folk. But not a ray of western light May fall across my work. No crevice opens to the night Where western eyes may lurk. My crowned- days are spent In quest Of eager city things, And when the little birds fly west, I would not bear their wings. But they who once have climbed the town When daylight lingered late. And watched the western sun go down Athwart the burnished gate. And felt the rolling fogs descend. And seen the lupin blown (And know what things a western friend May offer as his own.) ' Ah, they can never still, for long-- He knows what would be best Who built my tower high and strong. And closed it to the west! --Juliet W. Tompkins in Scrlbner'a. Public Fountain, Palermo. Jknown. Some historians say that the Italians' love for Intrigue and mystery prompted the organization, but the writers who cling to the romances of history tell a pretty story, whidh Shows that the society sprang Into existence from an inspiration of pa- triotism, but its very birth was herald­ ed by a libation of blood. These Writers have its origin at the revolt of Palmero, which took place during an Raster ceremonial in the suburbs of that city in the year 1282. A beauti­ ful young girl and her betrothed, in accordance with the quaint customs of that people, approached the church of the Holy Ghost to be united in mar­ riage at the altar, and while the lover Bougat the padre in the little room at ***** • «• bride of elsewhere until 1891. when Hb bold operations in New Orleans and the af> sassination of Chief Hennesy of that city, so aroused the better elements of New Orleans that the citizens pro­ ceeded to the jail and shot or hanged eleven of the Italian criminals con­ fined there who had been implicated in the murder. Since then the Mafia has not dared to raise its head in the United States, though no doubt there still exists organization among the lower classes. Costume of JHindoo Males. To every male Hindoo in all parts of India alike the dhotee is an indis­ pensable garment. Should he even wear drawers or trousers he would have a dnotee, large or small, under- neain. The dhotee is a single piece of cloth from two and a half to three and a half yards long by two to three feet broad, with ornamented ends and bor­ ders. It is put on precisely like the saree, but is generally worn in a sin­ gle fold only around the waist. Tl:a plaited folds in front are made like those of the saree, and if passed be­ tween the legs and tucked into the waist behind the dhotee become a pair of drawers, as It were, reaching to the knee or even below It, pa may be desired. Dhotees are woven in pairs and while one piece is worn as already described the other is thrown over the head and shoulders or passed across the chest only like a shepherd's plaid. The attire of a Brahmin with a shaven head and the upper and low­ er dhotee resembles in many respects | that of a Greek statue. Marriage in England. Of every 1,000 marriages In England 672 take place in Anglican churches. 128 in Nonconformist churches, 154 in Registrar's offices, 40 In Catholic churches and 6 In synagogues. Two Sunsets Per Day. There is only one place in the world where the sun sets twice daily, and that is at I^eek, in Staffordshire, Eng­ land. The reason of this is that a jagged mountain is situated to the west of the town and in the evening the sun sets behind it and darkness comes on. Then the first sunset oc­ curs, the gas lamps are lit, and ap­ parently night has set In. But It 'jla? not, for the space of an hour or so the sun reappears again fifFough the opening at the side of the mountaia and daylight again appears. Artificial lights are extinguished and dayligit again prevails, until the sun descend,) below the opening and the second sun* set occurs and night comes to stay. IN FLY TIME. Now doth the little pesky fly Improve each shining minute. There's not a dish of bake or brew But what the little duffer's in Itl A brier pipe saved a man's life. The conductor drove him from the front of the open car to the rear. There was a collision and the front part of the car was crushed. On be­ hind, the man's pipe didn't even go out. Moral: Smoke up! 9 5 5 Our devil is a foreigner. His father is Scotch, his«mother is Welsh and he was born on an English vessel flying the American flag while cross­ ing the Irish sea. He keeps company with a little Skandihoovian girl up on Polish row. He can also talk Italian --or something that pounds 41ke it Talk about foreigners, that devil of ours is the whole blooming category of nationalities. S 3 * CHICAGO GIRL. Chicago ghl, su fair and sweet, * Delightful, coy and witty, Despite the puns made of thy feet, I swear that thou art pretty! Chicago girl, in stunning frock,- Vivacious Ruth, or Sally,-- Red lips, plump limbs and screen-doot sock-- Pray, let me to thee rally! Chicago girl, I plead with you. Beseech thee oft and sweetly Come, let us walk the "kangaroo" And fascinate completely. Chicago girl, you are a "lu"-- Come closer, shifty Sadie; I promise not to "peek-a-boo" My sweet, lace-laden lady. Together we will sip and sup. In quiet nook and breezy; To kill a bird and drink a cup My dear one, Bhould be easy. Then let the world wag on its way . We two will stem the eddy; 'Chicago girl, It's up to you, Get busy, when you're ready. * 3 * Wu Ting Fang, formerly Chinese minister to the United States, has been appointed second assistant in the corps of under secretaries at Pekln. Wu's name should evidently be changed to Wu Has Been, and the Chinese should be asked to explain why a diplomatic residence in Ameri­ ca has that effect on a noble son of Confucius! Strange what makes women so tick­ lish on the bottoms of their feet, isn't it? A woman that can't sing a note will run the scale from "do, re, me" to the skylight, when hubby titillates her tootsy-wootsies. Unmarried youths will please pass tbls unnot­ iced. An exchange says when you get on your knees to say your prayers and find on getting up that you are stiff, that is a sign that you are growing old. Very good, but how do the rest of us tell? When we lose our collar button under the dresser? THE HOBO. Too tired to work, too tired to play. Too tired to make the farmer's hay. Too tired to bathe, too tired to smile. Too tired to walk a single mile. Too tired to plow, too tired to reap. Too tired tc nerd the cows and sheep. Too tired for Joy, too tired for woe. Too tired to dodge the farmer's toe. Too tired to curse, top tired to cry. Too tired to live, or even die. But how he springs upon his feet- He's not too tir<>d to drink and eat! The ordinary woman does not have to trace backward to the missing link to make a monkey of man. • • • "Washing bees," according to a con* temporary, is the latest fad in Boston. Don't the bees sting? • • • Stop right where you are;if nobody else will, we will be the candidate for vice-president ourself. • • • COULDN'T CARRY IT. Cleon had a million acres, Rolling land and fair! Dying, Cleon went to glory. But he's nary acre there. . • • • If a black cat is a sign of bad luck, a black cat with kittens must meaa a second marriage. • • « Tb« shirt waista are r e a l c o o l a n d n i c o t h i s s u m m e r . * • • • Recent Census Shows It to fie About 426,447,000. Some doubt has been thrown by re- rent travelers upon the correctness of the accepted notion that China is a land of teeming population, Bays the Philadelphia Record. It has been as­ serted that the human hives afong the seaboard and the great rivers of China' ought not to be taken as a basis for estimates, that m those parts of the empire which lie off the main routes of traffic (the natural and ar­ tificial water courses) the population of China is comparatively thin. A census recently taken by the Pekin government for the purpose of assessing taxes to meet the indemnity payments seems, haiwever, to prove the accuracy of the oldest estimates. The census shows that the eighteen provinces of China proper contain 407,737,305 inhabitants; that Man­ churia has 8,500,000 and Mongolia, Tibet and Chinese Turkestan a little over 10,000,000. The total population of the empire is 426,447,325, according to this enumeration. The absolute reliability^ of Asiatic statistics is ques­ tioned; fceyertheless, the agreement of the results of the census with the accepted estimates is so ciose as to invite confidence. The statement that the Chinese empire contains one-third of the human, race will hereafter be regarded more than ever as an ap proximate truth. POPULAR SCENTS FROM JAPAN. Oriental Perfumes Now the Fashion in London Society. The newest of the fashions to bo brought to us is the Oriental per­ fumes. These scents and smells of old Japan are the ultra-fashion for the woman who cares for luxury. Instead of violet she will smell the lotus flower; instead of heliotrope it will be sandal wood; instead of lav­ ender it Is to be ambergris. Geisha flowers can also be detected on the fine handkerchief of the woman din­ ing at the Carlton. They are not very expensive, either, these alluring odors of old Japan. And some of them come so quaintly put up that it is a delight to have them on a toilet table. The sachets are in Japanese paper, covered with Japanese pictures. The lotus-flower water is In an artistic little glass bottle, covered with queer seals. Other sachets are in little fantastic silk bags tied at each end. The powder comes in queer lit­ tle boOks, out of which you tear a leaf and gently rub it on your face. The soap is wrapped in all manner of Japanese characters, stamped on silver foil and paper. They may not be as dainty in odor as some of the better-known produc­ tions, but the queerness of them is very effective, and will go far toward making them fashionable.--London Answers. No man IS absent-minded eaouflfe it forget to go to his own funeraL • • • Watermelon time Is here, - And any mother's son Is liable, by dusk to-nigbt. To grab a vine and run Through Slumber Gate. Could she but know the dream I send To her white bed to-night. The road o' sleep, from end to end, Would blossom with delight. And tenderly this dream of mine Should lead through Slumber Gate, fn pathways delicate and fine, To that far place I wait. Why is it that the nights go on, And still I stay alone Hetween the darkness and the dawn. Sick-hearted for my own? Perchance, my dream came not to her, ' Or loitered until day; " Perchance she mocked my messenger,' And flouted it away. Ah, well, I only know I wait Until that night may be. When she shall slip through Slumber Qate, And laugh and run with me. --John Winwood, In Smart Set. English Floating Island. There is a floating island in Der- wentwater, England, not far from Lo- dore falls. Its travels are restricted to' alternations between the bottom of the lake and the surface. When moved to retirement it sinks and re­ mains in water seclusion for periods which vary from a few months to as long as seven or eight years. Its ex- istance above or below water appears to be determined by the presence within the island of gases whose quan­ tity governs its buoyancy. Esthwaite lake, in the same neighborhood, boasts a not less puzzling but more amenable island. This has served as a ferry­ boat to conduct as many as fifteen persons at a time across the bosom of the water upon which it rides. Fashionable Love. ** Little Mary s big sister was engaged to Mr. Brown, who was away on an outing trip with Mary's brother. Her father was writing to his son and pros­ pective son-in-law, and asked the little girl if she had a message to send to Mr. Brown. "What shall I say, papa?" asked she. "Why," said the father, "I believe It is the fashion to send, your love.". Some minutes later her father in­ quired: "And what shall I say to Brother Tom?" "Well," replied the little miss, with a sigh, "you may send my fashionable love to Mr. Brown and my real love to Brother Tom." A Successful Writer. A newspaper writer, who has re­ cently come to this city from the west, was made a member of the Pen and Pencil Club. He is a bright chap, and is known to be successful as a writer. His financial success is also acknowl­ edged. An old member who seldom visits the club dropped in the other night, just 'as the new member was leaving. "Who is that?" he asked of one of his friends. "Oh, he's all right," replied the oth­ er; "makes heaps of money writing." "So!" said, the other. "What does he write--verses, novels, plays?" "Gad. What do you take him for-- an amateur? No, sir, ne writes ad­ vertisements."--Philadelphia Ledger. SPLENDOR IN RUSSIA Subjects of flie Ctar Lead the World in Magnificent and Barbaric Extravagance--Priceless Jewels :y •*t Court Functions* (Special Correspondence.) tk"-: vTsfeV' Alie eyes of thewhole world are npon Russia just now, and the magnif­ icence of its people Is the wonder of the century. The last of the great European countries to become civil­ ized, it has forged ahead with mighty strides, and to-day shows the highest civilization and the crudest barbarism combined within its vast confine, It the wardrolf^- df tKese ladies are obtained in Paris, and even the reckless orders of American heiresses pale into insignificance be­ side those of these splendid orientals, who so love display and striking e f f e c t s . . . . The palaces are fitting backgrounds for all this personal jjaagniflcence, and <\v Entrance to Palace. is of its higher classes that one speaks when one uses the word magnificent, for there are portions of the Russian empire in which the inhabitants are complete barbarians. These splendid high-class Russians can teach the world all there is to know of luxury, for in the compara­ tively few decades since they became as other European nations they have learned to love the splendor of fine things, and no people on earth are so extravagant, so lavish, so imperial­ ly magnificent as these subjects of the Great White Czar. Their palaces are the most superb in the world, their jewels the most costly, their dress the most lavish and ornate. Yet, even now, you scratch a Rus­ sian and you find a Tartar, and even this untamable Russian nature is mag­ nificent. » The czar is master of twelve vast palaces which are his homes, and it is almost impossible to give an ade­ quate idea of the treasures of this ruler of a splendid people, one tithe' of which are as splendid and numer­ ous as all other royal treasures Of Europe put together, and the corona­ tion crowns of the czar and his con­ sort make all other coronets seem mean and tawdry in comparison. That of the czar is surmounted by a cross formed of six matchless diamonds, and this stands on a single great ruby. Arches of perfect pearls sup­ port the central part of the crown, and about the band for the brow, are twenty-eight huge diamonds. The crown of the czarina is one solid mass of diamonds, hundreds of them of the purest sort. A court function in Russia sur­ passes in pomp and grandeur anything else of the sort in the world, and the barbaric splendor- of the interiors where these same festivities are held is more like something from the "Arabian Nights" than what the twentieth century has to offer. No western imagination can picture the splendor of the jewels, the colossal superfluity of display, which the wealth of generations of nobles in Europe, the servility of numberless sultans, Asiatic kings and potentates have heaped at the feet of the czar of Russia. At court functions the empress 1% weighed down with jewels that fairly dazzle one, ropes of diamonds as large as marbles., necklaces and stomachers of emeralds and pearls like pigeon's eggs in size. And the ladies of the court are those who have been permitted to see the splendor of these interiors have been awed by the wonder of their, richness and barbaric splendor. The Winter Palace at St. Peters­ burg is a huge red pile, 500 feet square. One side faces an immense square, across which is a semicircular mass of ministerial buildings culmi­ nating in the center in a tall arch, surmounted by a bronze chariot and four plunging horses of Victory. Within this palace even the func­ tionaries are laden with gold lace and draped with gold cords, with their splendid uniforms bearing conspicu­ ously the imperial two-headed black eagle. The floors are of costly pol­ ished woods, and there are columns* and columns of polished marble. In the state departments the decora­ tion is dazzingly beautiful. The ball­ room at night rivals any "Arabian Nigths" dream ever dreamt. There are two gigantic candelabra of maa- slve Russian crystals, nearly ten feet high, standing on the floor on each side of the huge supper room doors. Rows of orange trees stretch down the banquet hall, and under these the tables are set, and there are hundreds of birds in golden cages suspended from the ceiling, and two marble fountains set in. the wall spray their perfumed waters continuously from a succession of shells. Near the private apartments of the beautiful young empress is a/deserted suite of rooms over which hangs an air of mystery and awe. These are the rooms of the assassinated Alexan­ der II. Into them he was borne froftt, the fatal canal bridge, near the Nev- ski Prospect, with his body below the waist shattered, and here, within an hour, he expired. In these rooms everytltfng is to-day exactly as the murdered czar left it. The study is lined with tall, black bookcases, crowned with carved heads of Roman emperors, and in the bed­ room, which the czar used as a second study, is the old worn leather chair^ in which he loved to sit and read ' his books on history, theology and jurisprudence. The old summer palace of Catherine II. is a huge white building of very attractive appearance. It is a royal abode greatly liked by the czarina, and there she goes tor picnics. Her private apartments there are lofty, splendid rooms, paneled from floor to ceiling with a marvelously beautiful inlaying of purest amber of § Drawing Room of Empress. Hopeless Case. Attorney--Are you willing to swear that the lady is insane? © Physician--I am. Attorney--On what ground do you base your opinion? Physician--I asked her age and she tried to make herself out five Tears older than the records show h<er to be. equally loaded; heads and throats and shoulders fairly aching with the heavy, splendid gems. A group of these bedecked court ladies is some­ thing to remember always, and no fairy tale ever told of such splendor. And it is not only in their jewels that these magnificent Russian ladies astound the world, but in their dress as well. Their court gowns are of cloth of gold or silver, rare hand- woven velvets and priceless brocades interwoven with threads of pure gold. These are encrusted with hand em- brodieries in gold and precious stones. No such gowns are worn anywhere in the world but in Russia. These rich court robes are all made in Russia, even the silk and velvet be­ ing woven.there, but all the rest of priceless value, and so beautifully carved that one is awed by the ex­ quisite wonder of it. The -marvelous, mellow effect of this rare translucent setting, sweeping into carved cupids and nymphs and roses, gives one the idea of what fairy­ land might be. And there are tall vases and daintily carved cabinets also of golden amber standing about every­ where, catching the light softly and looking like condensed sunshine. An adjoining room is elaborate in an entirely different way, the walls being inlaid with bits of mother-of pearl, forming exquisite flowers and fruit The rich floor is of polished ebony covered with delicate traceries- in mother-of-pearl, a ftt&tag thing for imperial footsteps.