' i NOTES AND COMMENTS - Oceasional "despatches ' from Russia 'have given a. partial idea of the activily the Fevolutionists. A better idea of activity during the last two years be Mad from-a statement which shoy $ how energetically the government has been making war on them. The figures are given by the Paris organ of the revolutionary socialisis, ~_-- year 18.271 real or Suspected revo- onists were brought to trial. Of these d "7 were sentenced to death by courts 'martial and 1,780 of them were ¢xecuted, ifleen thousand five hundred and fifty- seven were ordered imprisoned for vary- ang terms. Some were condemned to hard Jabor and others merely locked up. Of the 18,271, 7,186 were punished for - taking part in' "movements of the Miasses" in the cities, 4,143 for being con- €erned in agrarian outbreaks, 3,020 for Raving been actively. connected with a socialist or revolutionary organization, 1,911 for action. against the civil or mili- tary authorities, and 1,652 - for armed atlacks on the property of the state or of individuals. Nine hundred and Seventy-eight newspapers and reviews were 'suppressed and 1,114 journalists were prosecuted, There is nothing to show that there is any relaxation of activity on the part of 'the revolutionists or the government since October. From time to time the dlespatches chronicle the throwing of bombs, the plundering of country houses, and the arrest and trial of men accused of revolutionary acts. There is '&> peace in Russia. ee Soa ASKED GERMAN AID. Glow Struck at British Prestige in East Africa. A severe blow has been struck at ritish prestige among the native tribes ¢f East Africa by an alarming incident = concerning which absolute reliance may be placed on the following facts: _ Some time ago soldiers forming the Mdyguard of the Sultan of Zanzibar Miutinied, and for several days the Sut | tan was in serious danger. Ho was emenaced «with death, or at "least de- ironement, The Sultan, Ali Ben Hamud, in this predicament, appealed to the British "Consulate General for assistance. «This |ppeal was natural and legitimate, € Zanzibar is not entirely an in- dependent monarchy, but a British Protectorate. The Sullan had,' there- fére, distinct right to claim British aid | the hour of need. The British Gonsul General was ab- Sent, and the Vice-Consul in charge was obliged to inform the Sultan that there was no British warship within hundreds of miles, so that the prompt mssistance required was impos Bul, recognizing the urgency of the Mase, the Vice-Consul telegraphed to the captain of the German cruiser Buz- ward, then lying at Der-es-Salaam, the Capital of German East Africa, asking mto-hasten to East Zanzibar to quell = palace disturbance. ; The captain of the Buzzard hesitated ti? intervene in a British protectorate ep his Own responsibility, and cabled M Berlin for orders. The German Ad- miraily referred the matter {to the Em- Peror, who immediately ordered that @ny assistance required by the Brilish uthorities at Zanzibar should be g&en with the least possible delay. Thereupon the Buzzard procecded, i , to Zanzibar, to restora or- ; The captain of the Buzzard had ders from Berlin to land a force, if S sible, f roach this pitch, but, the mutineers rere partly overpowered. and _ partly ersuaded to return to duty by their sh and other' European officers. Sultan's troops are commanded hy 4 Brilish officer, Brigadier-General Raikes, Subsequently the British Government Sent a cordial message of thanks to the German Government for its friend- action al Zanzibar. The incident made a deep impres sion not only on the natives of Zan- ' 7wibar, but also all along the coast and Mar into the interior. It is hardly pos- ble to explain how much of prestige Britain suffered in the eslimation of tae miatives by an incident such as this. nd ee ack Mica aeaccas -- FRANCE IS STILE JEALOUS. of Egypt by Still Rankles, Every now and again an incident oc- "urs to shew that the jealousy caused by the English occupation of Egypt has Not entirely abated in France. The re- cent resignation of the French director { Mrtrvel law school at Cairo and Mie appointment of an Englishman in his place caused a litlle scene in the Chamber of Deputies the other day. M. Penazet charged England wilh syste- matically opposing the teaching of French law in Egypt. M. Pichon, the French minister of foreign affairs, in his Official reply said: "It is true that M, Lambert left his post without our diplo- matic agent -in Cairo having been in- fermed. Our representative was, there- Occupation the British fore, unable to put forward the satisfac-J tory veason why the Khedival school should be maintained under the charge ~ © a Frenchman. "We have nol failed to express to the British Government our desire to see that great power, to which we are united by a close and cordial ententé, show con- ideration for the interests of France in Foyt, particularly as regards education, We have taken an important pari in Ute work of education in Egypt, more especially in regard to law, Egyptian legislation is inspired by Our own, and ff, is impossible that the British Govern- tthe ath find.in tho fact of its riendship for us adequate motives for the recognition of this situation." oh FIXED LOCATION. "Say," queried the pedestriam, "is that Tight over there?" : replied the corner loafer, "it vertainly ain't anywhere else," : ee TOO OFT oft we find in this vain world, "hat, come right to the peratch, fhe folks wao "dwell in marble halls" Tave marble hearty so mateh,. RETIRING GRACEFULLY The Art of Going Valuable Without Is Most to Man. : Tt know how to plans iv, 42. St Paul says he has learned the art &: eoing 'without. It-is easy to- lose, but it is hard to. lose and keep one's Spirit. It is easy to lose one's money. but it is hard for made-to-order feet to as gracefully in bargain-counter Shoes. Old. age comes without trying, but after working forty years a man must have learned how to give up-- lo _relire graciously, Phe secret learned two parts, First, he looked on loss as intrinsically useful. The loser gives UP, but he gels, Adversity has a value, Polstoy's Peter, the riches}. man 'n Russia; taken prisoner of war, learned for the first time hunger and fatigue, but he learned more--the pleasure of eating when hungry, of sleeping after hard work; lying on the bare ground fo the first lime, he saw the sun rise, "and took in the meaning of the mid- night with its myriad stars. Poverty brings the feeling of the pri- mary happiness; bankruptcy is a great teacher of the higher values, When & man lies petulant with convalescence he appreciates love's patience. When haditional opinions buckle one discoy- vrs that the plain face of duly has the features of her father, God. One never forgets THE INEFABLE MOVEMENT when feeling the hand he has always held slip away, he looked up, and | through his tears saw the heavens Cpe and the assurance of persenal imruor tality descend upon him. Wealth, health, faith and life Raye their revelations like the Sunshine, yo» nerama of mountain, river, flower an bird. But poverty, doubt, sickness aud death, like the night, let in the host 'of heaven and widen creation {ill it reach- es the fiery margin of infinity. The first part of St. Paul's S'.05eES of going without is, accept loss as a condition with a character of its ewr The second part of his Secret is te had a masterful purpose, "T car de all things in Him -- that strengthey. st me," he said. He was able to go ' ith- be abased.--Philip- by St. Paul had cut, because he lived' for one thing, te make men Christlike, lovers and doers of good. = An overbearing purpose makes a man put up with anything. Last sum- mer the family sept in that attic wilh «nly blankets to cut the place into make-believe rooms, but every one slept well, because the mountains were just 'ver the hill. Wken one goes for mountains, what boots a bit of publi- cily and eorn husks instead of curled hair? That wealthy man is known less by his riches than by: his: hobby for. set- tiements. Then he who made dollars a minute works for dollars a month WITHOUT WHINING, because when work is oyer he goes down to the clubhouse his wealth built and by association with the lads makes them love character even more than they love the clubhouse. And the hob- by is the seeret of retiring eracefully. The man who has to give up the old ways of thinking about truth saves himself from skepticism because he- fore the time of transition he devoted himself to doing good as well as be- 'ueving good. And when he is com- pelled to say farewell to. his heart's fomparion at the door which swings only oulward what will save him from fere vandering in his loneliness? Ly living deeply, earnestly while Nis frend is with him for the things that ateda--faith, hope ond love.: A mutual whaest In tue <cernals. gives cne a great sence 27 the intinite companion- stp when the old companion goes uway. So one must haye an imperative Weak, aiust be taken up with some- tl:ing that is werth filling into God's scheme to stay, then when money goes or health or friend a mun has no chance fo brood ever himself, It is worih while knowing how to tese gracefully. This is how--to accept loss as a posilive experience with bit- vwer-sweet gains, lo be commanded by an interest, and this is the greafest musrest to get folks {fo be Christian- ike lovers and doers of the geod, REY. T. CALVIN McCLELLAND, D.D. E S. S. LESSON INTERNATIONAL LESSON, JAN. 12. Lesson TH. fesus and John the Baptist. Golden Text: John 1. 29, THE LESSON WORD STUDIES. Based on the text of the Revised Ver. sion. The First Witness.--Having set forth clearly and concisely his own conelu- slons concerning the character and work of Jesus in the form of a thesis which he Ss to elaborate and defend, John proceeds. to introduce testimony. The first witness to the divinity of Christ to which the apostle calls our attention is tne testimony of the Messiah's appointed forerunner, John the Baptist. What has been said about John in yerses 6-15 was parenthetical to the more specific pur- pese of the prologue, but it has none the less served as an introduction to what fellows concerning the same person in verses 19-36. John the Baptist was a man sent from God, a chosen messenger of Jehovah whose life in this world had the very special and definite purpose of preparing the way for One greater than himself who was.to come after him, It is 10 his' testimony of this Greater One, rather than to the person of the Baptist, that our attention is directed in this les- son. The prominence given to the testi- mony of the Baptist. in John's Gospel fréferred to already -in the prologue verses 1-18, and again al the end of the tenth chapter) is accounted for in part by ihe pectliar mission and prominence of the Baptist himself, but in part, doubt- less, also by the fact that through it tho apostle himself had been first directed to Jesus. It is the testimony of a former feacher, as well as that of the great fore- runner and fearless preacher of righl- eousness, Which John here introduces, Verse 19. And this--That which fol- lows. 3 Priests and Leviles--The religious leaders and teachers of the people (com- pare Neh. 8, 7-9) from Jerusalem, and hence a representative delegation from {he hierarchy. : 90. The Christ--Lit., "the Anointed," and equivalent to the Hebrew "Messiah," 21. Elijah--The famous prophet of Israel in the time of Ahab. We recall his foretelling of the long period of drought, his subsequent slaughter of the prophets of Baal on Carmel, his flight before Ahab and his experiences in the desert at Mount Horeb, and finally his being taken to heaven "in a whirlwind." These and other events of his life are recorded in 1 Kings 17-2 Kings 2, In Mott. 17. 10 we Jearn of the expectation current among the Jews that Elijah should some day return before the com- ing of the Messiah. The prophet--The well-known prophet of Deut. 18.15, whom 9 Jehovah was to raise up from. among his people like Moses, nee. a answer to them that sent us-- The Jews in official position, here doubt- loss yeferring to members of the San- hedrin, ; : 23. One erying in the wilderness-- Note the play on the word wilderness, referring' in ils literé: meaning to a sparsely populated though not necessar- iv desert region. Here, however, it is used in a figurative sense and refers also to the morally and spiritually unculti- vated and barren soil of the hearts of the Hebrew. people. : Make straight the way--l he care of public highways among the anciénts was not as well looked after as among civi- lized peoples of modern times, the roads through sparsely settled regions being rather simply igre § paths or trails. when, therefore, an Oriental sovereign wished to travel any distance he was compelled to send heralds in advance of his approach to order the inhabitants nf the country through which he was to to prepare a suitable highway for aiah the prophet--The greatest of Old Testament prophets, who lived ea labored at Jerusalem about 700 B.C., during the rei of "Uzziah, Jotham, . Hezekiah, kings of Judah" (isa. 1. 1.). 24. Pharisees--The Pharisees were a religious political party among the Jews whose strictly legal piety consisted in an accurate knowledge and scrupulous ob-sy pood servance of both the law and traditions as these had been amplified and inter- preted by the great teachers of their own sect, As distinguished from the Saddu- eces; who were primarily a_ political party consiting of members of the old and new aristocracy with whom religion was an altogether secondary concern, th: Pharisees believed in the immortal- ity of the soul, the resurrection of the body and future retribution, in angels and in spirits, in the future Messianic kingdom as literally a reign of God and his saints on earth, and in a divine pro- viGence strangely mingled with fate, in ecntrolling human eyents. They were thus the orthodox religious party among he Jews, though they held themselves aleof from the common people, and in self-righteous pride believed themselves tc be the special objects of Jehovah's favor, y In water--Or, with water. 28. Bethany beyond Jordan--A day's journey from Cana in Galilee. Many an- ecient authorities read Bethabarah, and several, Betharabah. "Bethany," the older reading, is to be identified with "Beshan," the district on the east side of one of the fords in Jordan, still known hy the name of Abarah (hence Betha- barah), ~The Aramaic form of the He- brew "Bashan" is Batanea, or Bethania. 29. The Lamb of God--An allusion to Isa. 538, which was readily understood by the Baptist's. hearers. 3L, Knew him not--TLhat. is; not in his real character, greatness and mission. 32. As a dove--tIn the visible form of a dove (compare Luke 3. 22), though visi- ble probably to Jesus and John only. 34. I have Seen,and have borne wil- ness--Both on previous occasions and again to-day, that Uhis is the Son of God. Sees THE DEADLY HOUSE FLY. The Worst-Known Disseminator of Dis- ease Germs, The conimon house fly is one of the greatest enemies of man. He is one of the worst disseminators of disease known, © In spreading evil he so far surpasses the mosquito as {js render the needle-ebaked insect a negligible quantity. by comparison. He_ thrives where the mosquito would die of in: anilion. He is omnipresent, and the amount of danger that he can spread over a cily absolutely staggers the ima- gination, With one kick of a hind leg for instanse, he can distribule among men, women and children one hundred thousand disease-laden germs. Medical men have long known that typhoid and other intestinal discases are due to a germ which arises from fecal matter, but they have been at a loss to know how these germs have heen disseminated. New York health Gflicials claim to have solved the puz- zie. They have traced the crime home fo the house fly, have caught him with the goods on. This is how the fly was unmasked: Under the direction of Dr. Daniel D Jackson, fly-traps were placed last sum- mer on piers, * under piers one - block fram the river and: so on, around: the water-front in the various boroughs. Inspectors were detailed to gather the captive fles, which were taken to the laboratory, and daily records made of their numbers and the material on the bedy, mouth and legs of the insects ex- amined. To prove py experiment, cap- tured fles were thoroughly cleaned and then allowed to walk over infected ¢na- terial. They were again examined and the material which they Carried was analyzed. In one instance, a fly cap- tured on South street this summer was found to be carrying 100,000 fecal bac- teria, showing the affinity to dangerous germs of this active medium of dissem- ination, ee Dr, Jackson, who made most of the experiments, declares solemnly that the flee are responsible for 5,000 of the 7,- 000 deaths annually in New York from typhoid and other intestinal diseases, ER WATCH OUT! "Watch out for th' man th't brushes imaginary specks frm yet coat collar and tells y' how well yer lookin', He probably wants fo borrow a dollar.' f--__. ~ Gre Nox yoy, TY Moys {st ey 92 OUR NOs URW B Ua auc "TIV}Oq STRIKING LOVE MYSTERY LATEST DISCLOSURES IN HISTORY OF WILLIAM LIDDERDALE, Missing English Banker, Whom a Lon- don Court Has Been Asked to Declare Dead, Fascinating in the extreme is the tale of mystery and romance surrounding William R, Lidderdale, banker and bridegroom-elect, which is just now stir- ring the British public, writes a Lon- don correspondent. Somewhere in the United States, it is believed, is William Lidderdale, either working for his own living and that of the humble wife ¢f his own choice or else supported in- luxury by a wealthy Creole who was infatuated with him and induced him to marry her, To-day the courts are deliberating whether to de- clare William Lidderdale dead. Aft any time within the next six months such action may be taken. But it will not salve the mystery. The law-may be satisfied, but not the public. As readers inay already know from brief cable dispatches, application has just been made to the High Court of Justice in Lendon to presume the death of Lidderdale, who disappeared nearly sixteen years ago. So many remarkable and romantic facts came out in court. that the case has been journed that the werld may be searched for more infor- mation, DREFLY THE FACTS ARE THESE : Lidderdale, who was manager of a West of England bank, was engaged to be married on January 14, 1892, tc a Miss Chapman, On 'January 8th he came to London on business with $5,000 of his own money. He wrote fo Miss Chapman on arrival, mentioning meeting a Miss Vining, whom he had fold his flancee was a wealthy American woman and in- fatuated with him. That was the last heard directly from the young banker. Early in February an announcement cf his death appeared in the London 'Times. It was said to have occurred on Miss. Vining's yacht, Foresight, as a result of an accident. Some days later Miss Chap- man received an envelope containing $2,500 in banknotes, a couple of little mementoes and one of Miss Vining's visiting cards, the address cut off, and on the back in Lidderdale's wriling, the words, "Was true to you." Attempts were made to discover more details of. young Lidderdale's entrance into the ranks of the legions of the lost. Money was spent, bul with few results. No yacht named Foresight was regis- tered al Lloyd's in any part of the werld. (aint traces of a Miss Vining and_a little yacht of the name, howeyer, have come ta hand, and recently it was also dis- covered that a Julia Vining lived in Lid- derdale's neighborhood, and that~ he knew her. She is the daughter of a laborer and although in such humble circumstances was a noted beauty. THERE ARE. MANY THEORIES, One is that the rich Miss Vining (whom Lidderdale describes as a Creole cf New Yerk and Louisiana) is a myth and that the young banker and Julia Vining eoped to the United Slates and sought a new life there. Another is that the rich Only Vinings are a laborer's family, who lived in a hamlet near Hminster. One of the girls, Julia, was so beautiful that she was called the Belle of Shepton and Jewel Vining. Tt is known that Lidder- dale and Julia were acquainted. They had been seen togethed, but not often. Sirange to say Jewel Vining disappeared from Somerselshire at about the same date as did Lidderdale and all subsequent trace of her had been Jest. ~ Six days before his wedding. day to Miss Chapman, Lidderdale journed upto London, He took with him a small hand- bag only in the way of baggage. But he drew $5,000 odd from his bank. Several friends talked to him on the journey. He was coming to London to look over scme propertey in Tooley Street for AN AUSTRALIAN CLIENT. fe arrived at the Great Western Hotel at Paddington and there found a message from. ihe surveyor that the property could not be leoked at that day. On ihe same day Lidderdale wrote a letter to Miss Chapman, which in part, reads : "1 promised you if ever I saw Miss Vining again I would tell you and I do so, dear, at once. She has found out her old lover is dead, and those old duf- fers of lawyers must have told her thal they expected me up, so the first person Iran against in getting out of the train was her. I soon told her what she want- ed and got-rid of her. She knows we are to be married, but does not seem to know the date of the wedding, Now, my sweet darling, just be happy about this: it will be all right... Excuse haste as I want to start off." From thal date Lidderdale vanished. On February 9th there was slipped into a matiing box at the office of the London Times an obituary notice with the money necessary to pay for ils insertion. On the back of the nolice was written in a woman's hand, Miss B. A. H. Vining, and the address of a fashionable flat building in Westminster, ._ The Times published the notice as follows : "Lidderdale--On Jan. 30, 1892, on Miss B. A. HW. Vining"s yacht,-Foresight, Wil- liam Robertson Lidderdale of Ilminster, result of accident on January 8th, alight- ing from carriage in motion." Soon after this Miss Chapman received the mysterious registered package from London. It was addressed in an un- known handwriling and contained be- side the $2,500 and Miss Vining's visiting card with the message on the hack, a jubilee coin given by Miss Chapman to her lover and A CHRISTMAS CARD. Every allempt was made to discover further details. Personal advertisements were inserted in the agony columns of ail the London papers and rewards' were offered for information about, Miss Vin- ing, her yacht and the certificate of death of Lidderdale. Exhaustive search was made among the registers of the Brilish Isies, but no death certificate was in ex- istence and no Foresight was found in the yacht -registers. of England or the United States: Lloyd's searched all its records. the werld over without result. However, it -was discovered that a small dandy-rigged yacht named the Foresight had been seen off the coast at Westgate and Margate, and it is a fact that Lidderdale had broken his collar- while out driving. with a lady on Margate cliffs. Miss Vining is a fact and thaf she used | her fascinations on Lidderdale, married | him and lured him to the United States, and, in order to help him out of the diffi- culty of his near marriage to Miss Chap- man, inserted the notice cf his death in the Times. There are other friends of the family who now say that for certain reasons Lidderdale declared it would not be henorable for him to marry, and that rather than face his bride-to-be and the world with the truth, he invented Miss Vining and the yacht and is death and inserted the notice himself, and either belook himself under another name to begin a new life in the United States or else committed suicide. William Robertson Lidderdale was the son of a Berkshire physician. For a pro- fession he took up banking, and through family influence secured a position as a junior clerk in Stuckey's Bank, a well- known. financial instifuticn of the West of England. He proved a good man at the business, and rose rapidly, having every few years a better position in var- ious branches of the bank in the county of Somerset. In 1889 he was appginted manager of the branch at Ilminster, 4 market town not far from the histéric Glastonbury Abbey. . His. salary was $2,000 a year with a residence in the upper floors of the bank building. LIDDERDALE WAS A MODEL MAN in every way. Slight of build, he was good looking with blond hair and mous- tache.' He was popular and a leading man at all banquets and city affairs. He was also an officer of the lccal volunteer regiment, When he was 28, nearly eighteen years ago, he became engaged to 'Miss Eliza- beth Chapman. She was a pretty bru- nette of 25, niece of a very wealthy jute manufacturer named Shepherd, who em- ployed thousands of hands in his fac- tcries at Ilminster. It was in every way a most desirable match for the young banker. The engaged pair were very much in love with each other, Lidder- dale insured his life in two or three com- panies and also took out a big accident policy. He had a few thousands in cash of his own deposited at his bank and some shares in local gas companies and such things. He made a will leaving everything to his future wife. This will was made at the time of the engage- ment. Nothing cast a shadow in the love af- fairs of the two people. Lidderdale told his flancee a romantic story about a Miss Vining. He said she was a wealthy American who owned a yacht, a house in the city of Bath, carriages and horses and a flat in the Westminster district of London. Lidderdale said the had a_ro- mantic meeting with her, While walking down a street in Bath Miss Vining drove by in a carriage. A gust of wind took off her hat. Lidderdale chased it and res- tored it to the woman. She promptly in- vited him to dinner and, for the fun of the thing and because it was an adyen- ture, Lidderdale accepted. He often saw Miss Vining after that. In fact, he de- clared she fell in love with him and ASKED HIM TO MARRY HER. He had no love, however, for her, and tried to avoid her, But she was passion- ate and jealous, and kept on his track. When he went away for his holidays to the seaside resort of Margate she fol- lowed. 'She had her yacht there and her carriage. They "spent some- weeks together. One day while out driving Miss Vining took the road that ran along the top of the cliffs. She again asked Lidderdale to marry her and said if he refused she would drive ove the precj- pice. He tried ig reason with hei, but shea whipped up the horses, and it was only ig t of a broken collgr-bong that Lidderdale managed to &verl a catastrophe, It was soon after this that Lidderdale fell in love with Miss Chapman and be- came engaged. Miss Vining was not known at Imin- ster or, in fact, in Bath or any of the fowns in the west. Yet many of Lidder- dale's friends had heard the same stories tout her from the bank manager, 'The | 3ut there is no trace of any jealthy American. Creole named Vining, and at the. fashionable address given on the obituary notice no such person was ever known. It. is somewhat peculiar that Foresight is the motto of the Lidderdale family. The $2,500 received by Miss Chapman is still intact. The money is in. notes drawn by Lidderdale from the bank six- teen years ago. . His accounts at the bank were perfectly straight, and he left much -property behind which has in- creased in value. It is the trustee of the estale who asks the court to declare Lidderdale dead in order to collect the insurance policies. Miss Chapman will not touch any of tha money. She has plenty of her own, She does not believe her lover dead, but thal he has been kidnapped by te rich and mysterious Miss Vining. She has waited patiently sixteen years for his re- turn... She will wait until the end. The solution to the mystery, it is. be- lieved by many, lies in the United States. 3ut will it be solved? Who can ans- wer? -- -- ROMANCE OF A FORTUNE. A London's Ex-Waiter's .Bequest of $98,000 to His Bookkeeper. After the death of Mr. Oscar Philippe, who began life as a waiter at the Ca- veur Restaurant in Leicester square, London, and some year's later purchased the place out of his "tips,' there was ecnsiderable speculation as to the dis- posal of his fortune. The secret is now cul, for the will has been provid, It is a very brief document, as there is cne legatee only. This is Miss Julia Edmonds (now Mrs. George Dale) the testator's bookkeeper at the Cavour, to whom the whole estate, valued for pro- bate at £98,873, is bequeathed. It is forty-five years since Mr. Phil- ippe came to London from the Mid dis- trict of France in svarch of work, He found it at the Cavour. That was his first and last engagement, It was a shabby little restaurant in those days, but its frequenters were liberal in their "lips" and it was not long before fhe genial French waiter became sole pro- prietor. Soon the house became fam- ous for its two-shilling dinners (wine excluded), and Philippe began to amass a fortune. How much he made no one ean say, for although a single man and of most frugal habits he gave very largely to charily. Some time ago he was offered £120,- 000 for the freehold of the Leicester- square, restaurant, but the offer met with a courteous but firm refusal. The ex-wailer prized the Cavour above ev- erything, and would not have parted with it for double the price offered. It was a rendezvous of the theatrical profession, and Philippe numbered among his regular patrons Sir Charles Wyndham, Mr. Arthur Collins, Mr, George Edwardes, Mr: Oscar Asche, Mr. Frank Curzon and Mr. Gerald Du Maurier. SE COOL CUSTOMER. Scene: © A) swell' restaurant. Waiter presents bill to swell, who has been dining both "wisely and well." Swell: 'Waiter, just tell the proprie- tor I should like a word with him. Ah, how do you do, Mr. Blank ? Some twelve months ago I dined here, but, -unfortu- regent unabl i pay. Pe made a rather powerful remarks, and then ey properly kicked me actors. Mr Blank: "Ah, I do remember the jnaller now you mention it, But, never mind, sir--never mind. Let bygonas he bygones." : Swell: "Just so, sir, I have now to compliment you upon the charming din- ner I have just enjoyed--the wine was, reaily excellent. But I am sorry to say -~or--that is, I regret--er--well, the fact is' (lifting his coat-tails acoommodating- 14) "I must trouble. you again, Mr. Blank," : 'inherited NEW LIGHT ON HEREDITY IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES SOON TO : BE ANNOUNCED, Remarkable Results of the Study of Plants and Animals at Gam- bridge, England. Ié is claimed for the School of Agricul- tural Science at Cambridge that it has accomplished greater marvels in recent years than the famous achievements of Burbank in California. A report will soon be issued which is expected to make a greater sensation in the world of science than any other recent discovery. The line of investigation has been the study of what is known as Mendell's law ot heredity, and its application is to be demonstrated not only in vegetable life but with regard to animals as well. The principle is best shown in a simple illus- tration. It is found that if dwarf peas and tall peas -are crossed the resulling crop the next year will all be tall peas. "The second year's crop, however, will be in exact proportion one-quarter awarf peas, three-quarters tall peas. : Of these tall peas just one-quarter will be pure tall and never again show signs of dwarfness. The remaining two-quar- ters will be impure, bul again when crossed with their like will give pure talls, pure dwarf and mongrels in due proportion., So we find in all grandchildren, so to speak, of pure strains that the propor- lion 1:2:1 has ; A MYSTIC APPLICATION-- that is, one-quarter of these grand- children will be exact or pure reproduc- tions in one quality of their grand- mother, one-quarter will be pure repro- ductions of their grandfather, and two- quarters, though resembling one grand- parent, will have latent in them * the qualities of both. : It is affirmed that all qualities trans- tmissible by heredity in vegelahlo and animal life are governed by this law. In regard to animals, the simplest and best known case in common experience is perhaps that of the blue Andalusian fowl. RS If the pure black and speckled white varieties be mated together, all the chickens will be blue Andalusians. But mate two of the blue Andalusians and it always happens that the chickens are of threa sorts--some black, some speck- led white, some of the composite color known as blue Andalusian; and the most inexplicable fact in this family picture of qualities' is : that' both «the: blacks and the whites and also half of the descendants of the blues in the next generation may be called pure bred-- that is, in certain definite respects no trace of the cross: will again appear in their progeny. ; ; This issue, though it; has a rather dif- ferent appearance, is theoretically much the same. as in the case of the peas, and proves the existence of a deep-rooted iaw that will revolutionize the science of DEVELOPING VARIETIES. Though the physical secret is obscure, the eourse of this strange behavior in tho fowls and the peas may be con- sidered for practical purposes certain. After vast numbers of experiments, chief- lv with plants, but also with poultry, mice, and other animals, a number of characteristics--such as the shape of the comb in fowls, certain colors in the peas, beardiness in wheat, perhaps eye color in man--have been marked down as answering to fixed laws which we can centrol, The Mendel) law is of course by no means free from complications, and the experiments are still in their infancy. Still, the Cambridge biologists have turned out a wheat which combines the strength of the Manitoba hard grain with the yield of the softer English wheats. It is maintained that the value of the English wheat crop will be in- creased by this means to the extent of fully $2.50 an acre. This is only one of ihe practical features of the investiga- tion which will shortly be announced. The problem of the application of the Mendell law. to the breeding of animals and human beings is much more com- plicated, but it is believed that impor- tant. discoveries. in, the breeding of sheep, cattle, and perhaps horses, are already available. ---- te ee HIRED OUT TO FAINT. Professional Swooner Lost Her Job, Fainted at Wrong Time. Hard put to it to dress properly on he: husband's Salary the wife of an as- sistant stage manager in Paris hit upon an ingenious scheme. In the small theatres in that city, plays in which horrors, murders and suicides predominate are the favorites, and for ladies to faint during the per- fermance is to the managers the surest sign of success, The assistant stage manager's wife saw her opportunity and hired herself out to faint in theatres at the proper moment. Spectators would ga home saying the play was so blood- curdling that a lady was overcome and had to be carried out, Such an adver- tisement is enough to fill a house, The professional swooner began her engagement at a theatreswhich plays a sandwich bill of horrors and fareces, The first horror left her cold, and the second slice of terror was swallowed, and still She did not faint. "If she does not hurry up she will not get her fee," thought the manager. Next was played a farce. The lady had hardly heard the third joke be- fore she swooned dead away, The doctor was called in, and the lady was doing the thing so well that she had to be born out stark and stiff lo'a vestibule, wher the manager was- foaming, \ "you fainted in the wrong place!" he roared, She came to at once. "Ie thought I had to faint at 9.40 o'clock," she pleaded. "Never mind about the time," he ans- wered in a franzy. "You should have fainted during the horrors, of course, What are you good for?" Her engage- ment was thereupon Cancelled. i THE POOR SMILE. "After all, you know, fame is but a bubble." "T think it's a mistake to say that, because fame is really never attained by blowing." is Little Willie--"Papa, what is it that makes a statesman great?" Professor Broadhead--"Death, my son." Guest (who heans } portal crash in the passage): "Theré! That's the waiter with my dinner, I bet." Innkeeper: "Yes sir, but he won't be long; he's just pick- ing up the bits of potato." "Did your husband ever win anything at the races?" "No," answered young Mrs. Torkins; "nothing except the es- teem of the bookmakens and sympathy of his friends," 4 -Crieket-s a3 IMMENSITY OF LONDON oe = , The Popitlation is Now 7,217,939 -- wi: Council's Report for 1905-4996. London's immensity is well illustra- ted by the County Council's report for 1905-1906, issued a few days ago. 'The varied interests of the province of houses--with a population far exceed- ing that of Australia--are dealt with in a series of interesting characters, from which the following figures may be €x- tracted: -- Area of London, 14034 square miles, Population of ine administrative coun- ty (London County Gouncil area), 5,- 137,000. ' Population of 217,939, Net debt (after deducting assets), £45 234,197, : ' Number of parks, gardens and open spaces, Area of ditlo, 4,959 acres, : Lenght of L. €. CG, tramways, 104 miles, Greater London, 7,- Outstanding debt on dillo, £4,239,- © 800 : Deficiency on steamboats, £50,095. -- Strength of fire brigade, 1,277 offi cers and men, with 316 horses, a Number of fires, 3,5111. iy Average daily attendance at L. C, C. schools, 495,901 children. j Cost of education, £3,026,205, equal to 1s, 6d, in the pound; Number of pauper lunatics in L. C. C. asylums, 16,940, > , Annual cost of maintenance, £219,- 531. Number of police, 17,000. Theatres, 56, Music halls, 43. Passengers conveyed by local rail- ways, 304,077,495. Passengers conveyed by tramways, 478,864,877. ~ Passengers conveyed by two princt- pai omnibus companies, 291,563,048. Letters delivered, 753,400,000, Persons receiving weekly relief Jan. 1, 1906, 148,620 (compared with 138,276 a year previously). TABLE OF GAMES, The following table shows the num- ber of places at which various games may be played and the number of the pitches, courts or rinks provided. : Pies os) ree No.-of Pitches, Courts Places or Rinks. . 68 ] Games Bowls. .... 451 e220 - 234 "3k 10 Croquet... Football. ....0..- HCCK6y. 055.50 geo Lacrosse: 4.44 ee 8 Lawn, Tennis ..° 535 450 Onis. 3...) et ee) WHEN THEY MARRY. An. interesting section of the portly Yellow-book of 465 pages is that de- voted to the 'subject' of the age at which Londoners marry, It would appear" that the popular age is twenty-five During the year 1905-1906 12.958 men entered the mat-~ rimonial state, while they were close- ly run by 12,735 at the age of twenty- one, At twenty-one there were 15,848 win some brides, and at twenty-five there were 9,508, while two girls of fifteen and two of sixteen each married men of fifty-five. One girl of fifteen also married a bachelor of twenty-five, and another one of thirty. At the age of sixteen, thirteen girls and two boys entered into matrimony; at seventeen the figures were 122 and six respectively. ' The unions of bachelors and widows tctalled 1,477, widowers and _ spinsters 2.099, widowers and widows 1,151, making a grand total of 39,658 marri- ages. THE MYSTIC SIGN. The shades of night were falling fast, when through the park a. traveller '| passed, who read-a sign upon the ground that did- his senses «much. confound-- "Keepoffthegrass," -- - ' No grass was there fo mieet his. eye, the snow-was piled up mountains high ; yes frcm the drift the sign stuck out, on it appeared with nary doubt--"Keepoff- thegrass." "Try not the drift," the park guard said; uplifted was his haughty head. "Try not the drift, for sure aS sin, if you do that Til run you in--Keepoffthe- grass," Across the path the drift was blown. "There's no way out you'll surely own, in which the risk will not be found, of treading on this sacred ground--Kvep- offthegrass," : "What's that to me?" the guard re- plied, as, swelling with a conscious pride, he swung his club with hideous grin--"Step on the grass--I'll run you in --Keepoffthegrass." The traveller knew the dangerous pass was lined on either side with grass, but both were covered with the snow; he knew not then which way tc go--"Keep- offthegrass," The air grew icy cold and chill; the stars came out and all was still; the guard retired to his box, and combed icicles from his -- locks---"Keepoffthe- grass," And when the morning light came round, the traveller in the drift was found; and-o'er his snowy. grave there slood that sign, mad cut of old box. wood--"Keepofithegrass," eocetererae BRIDAL PROCESSION WRECKED. » Wedding Party in France Overwhelmed im Waters of Flooded Garonne. An extraordinary adventure happened recently to a wedding party near Nerac, France, the home of President Fallieres, says the London Daily Express. The bride and bridegroom and 40 guests were driven from the church to a village six miles distant, where the wedding breakfast was to be held. On their way they were overtaken by tho waters of the flooded Garonne, and their carriages were literally "shi wrecked." | The coachman who was driving the, bridal carriage whipped uP bis horses, and tried to get through, 1 the Water whic! was rolling aclQss.® field. A {reo float. ing by Jet le¢One of ihe honses, and ¢ m ober was drowned, but the carriage with the bride and bridegroom in it! floated. The bridegroom jumped out of the car, riage into the water, bidding his bride have courage, and swam for help, By, this time all the guests, 10 of them in carts drawn by oxen, were more or less in danger of their lives. The htidegroor rescued his wife on the ofa Or" y and after three hours' 4atiger the ev'> * party reached dry land, but there 22 on one side of the rolling flood © on the other, and the w ingby was eventually held witout {)++ and bridegroom a pape 455 9 ty wa; fe™ s Gee ohare Pens