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VOL. 1 JULY 15, 1897. NO. 36
It is reported from Thessaly that the Turks are ruining the country.
The correspondent who sent the news, having managed to escape the notice of the Turkish officials, claims to have made a personal examination of the state of affairs in the city of Larissa.
He found that all the houses, except those inhabited by Mohammedans, had been stripped of their contents, and he was informed on the best authority that many car-loads of plunder had been sent by the soldiers to the Turkish town of Elassonna.
In Turnavo, another city of Thessaly, the same condition of affairs exists as in Larissa. Here, however, the inhabitants had some warning of the coming of the Turks, and had time to remove many of their valuables before the enemy arrived.
The condition of Thessaly is desperate. The harvests are rotting in the fields. The peasants dare not attempt to gather them in, for fear of the Turkish soldiers, who, under pretence of seeking for arms, beat them unmercifully until they hand over what money or valuables they have.
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The governorship of Crete has been offered to Monsieur Droz, the ex-president of Switzerland.
It is said that he has accepted on condition that he is first to be given an opportunity of seeing how he can get along with the Cretans.
* * * * *
The latest report from Cuba is that General Gomez has been wounded, and some say killed.
There was a fight in the province of Puerto Principe, and during the action General Gomez's horse was killed under him and the old soldier wounded.
The whole story comes from the Spanish side, and so the Cubans, before being disturbed by the news, are waiting for it to be confirmed.
The insurgents have been very active during the last few days.
It is reported that they have had the good fortune to intercept a couple of valuable Spanish expeditions, securing in one a prize of $200,000, and in the other $3,000 in cash, $1,700 worth of medicines and two carts laden with provisions.
We are, however, sorry to tell you that the Cubans are beginning to adopt the same cruel methods toward the Spaniards that the Spaniards have been using against them.
A coach full of travellers was journeying with the expedition that carried the medicines and provisions. The Cubans outnumbered the party, and took them all prisoners. A woman and a little child who were of the party were treated kindly and set at liberty, but every Spanish soldier and every man with the expedition was put to death.
If the Cubans continue to practise these cruelties they will lose the strong sympathy which their bravery has so far gained for them.
Many Spanish soldiers are still deserting to the Cuban lines. The deserters say that life is unbearable in the Spanish army. The soldiers are roughly treated, have scarcely anything to eat, and receive their pay in worthless paper money.
One entire battalion mutinied a short while ago, and refused to accept this paper money. The colonel had to give the soldiers his solemn promise that their pay should be given them half in gold and half in silver before they would consent to return to duty.
It is stated that the sum of $50,000,000 is needed for the payment of the soldiers, and that there is little hope of getting it from Spain, because the Rothschilds will not lend the Government any more money unless Spain sacrifices the income of the famous Almaden quicksilver mines for twenty years.
The Rothschilds are the greatest and richest bankers in the world.
This firm has branch houses in all the great capitals in Europe, and has probably lent money to every government on the continent.
If a war is contemplated, and a nation needs a large sum of ready money to make preparations, it is to the Rothschilds that its government generally turns.
When good security is offered there is never any trouble in getting money from them, but if the security is not of the best they never find themselves in a position to lend the money.
In 1870, Spain, needing money, applied to the Rothschilds and obtained what she needed because she offered as security for the repayment of the loan a lease of the Almaden mines for a term of thirty years.
These mines are said to be the greatest quicksilver mines in the world, and yield an immense profit.
The Rothschilds worked the mines and realized their profits, the Spanish Government receiving a royalty of so much money for each flask of quicksilver sold.
This royalty, in the twenty-six years the bankers have been working the mines, has amounted to thirty-six millions of dollars.
The contract with the Spanish Government expires in 1900, and so when Spain needed money for the Cuban war and applied to the Rothschilds for it, the bankers were very willing to lend it, asking in return that their lease of the mines be extended for another term of twenty years.
This, Spain was unwilling to do.
She had been informed by her engineers that if she could get the control of the mines into her own hands, she could realize a yearly income from them of $6,000,000.
The Government therefore decided that the lease could not be granted, and the Rothschilds on their part said that they could not accommodate Spain with the required money, and so the last loan for the Cuban war had to be obtained from other sources.
Spain is again in need of money. If she decides to grant a new lease of the mines she can obtain it readily.
If she does not make this arrangement, it is said that she will be obliged to come to terms with Cuba for lack of funds to fight her.
A plan to raise money for Cuba has been started in this country.
A silver coin has been struck off, which is to be sold in the United States, and the proceeds used to buy arms for Cuba.
The coin is about the size of a silver dollar, one side bearing the head of the Goddess of Liberty, and the reverse the arms of Cuba. Its price will be one dollar.
Ten thousand of these coins are to be ready during the first week in July, and the Cubans have made arrangements for a further three millions to be coined if they are required.
* * * * *
The fate of Gen. Rius Rivera is not absolutely decided.
He was tried by court-martial in the Cabanas fortress and was condemned to be shot.
A cablegram was received by General Weyler from Madrid, ordering him to delay the execution on account of the feeling in the United States.
General Weyler is said to have cabled back that the United States should not interfere with prisoners who are not Americans, and to have requested that he be allowed to carry out the sentence of the court, because the punishing of General Rivera would have a very desirable effect on the insurgents.
A Cabinet council has been called in Madrid, and the question is being carefully discussed. The decision is anxiously awaited.
A letter has been received from General Lee saying that food purchased with the Relief Fund is being distributed to the needy Americans.
* * * * *
The Dauntless is certainly a very lucky little vessel.
We told you last week how she had been captured by the cutter McLean, in consequence of an accident to her machinery.
The crew of the Dauntless were of course arrested with her, and were brought to Key West for trial.
To everybody's surprise they have been discharged on the ground that there was no evidence to prove they were engaged in fitting out a filibustering expedition.
The Madrid newspapers are saying very bitter things about the United States for not punishing the persons connected with these affairs. They declare that we make a pretence of taking them prisoners to satisfy Spain, and then set them at liberty to please ourselves.
* * * * *
It would seem that the reports from the Philippine Islands are as unreliable as those from Cuba.
It was only last week that we heard that the rebellion was on a stronger footing than ever, and that there was little chance that it would soon be put down.
This week a steamer from Japan brings the news that the Governor-General of the Philippines has issued a proclamation that the rebellion is at an end, and announcing that Spanish rule had been re-established.
It will be interesting to know whether this is really true or merely a statement of the same kind as those General Weyler has been making for so many months.
* * * * *
A curious experiment is being tried in Tennessee.
A co-operative town has been established by a few workingmen, and from all accounts it seems to be a great success.
The town is called Ruskin, and at the present time has seventy families in it.
In this town all men are considered equal, every man, and woman too, receiving the same amount of wage for his labor, whether it be skilled or unskilled. The school teacher receives the same pay as the day laborer; all stand on an equal footing.
When a man wishes to go and live in Ruskin, he has first to ask for permission to settle there. The Ruskinites own their town, and are careful not to allow any people to settle in it who are not likely to be agreeable to them.
To every person who wishes to join them they send a list of questions, asking the would-be settler what his ideas are on certain points.
If the answers are unsatisfactory, the applicant is told that there is no room for him in Ruskin.
If, however, his ideas agree with those of the rest of the community, his name is put up for membership, and he is elected by ballot, as he would be to a club.
When elected, the new member is obliged to pay an initiation fee of $500 toward the general funds of the town, and he and his family are then welcome to join the settlement as soon as they see fit.
When they arrive they are given a house and lot rent free. There are no taxes to pay in Ruskin; everything is free but furniture and food. Schools and school-books, doctors, medicines, all are free; the family washing is even undertaken by the community free of charge.
In return for these advantages the family is required to work.
The father must be willing to do any task that is assigned to him, without complaint. It does not matter if he has never handled a spade in his life, he must dig if required to, and dig to the best of his ability.
The payment in Ruskin is not in dollars and cents, but hours' labor, notes of one, five, and ten hours' value being printed, and passing for currency in the town.
The community allows each man the value of fifty hours' labor a week, his wife the same amount, and his children twenty hours each.
The husband is required to work the full time for the community; the wife is allowed four hours of the day to work for her home, and need only give five hours to the general good. The four hours that she spends in her housework are, however, credited to her as hours of labor, because she is benefiting the community by keeping an orderly home.
In the same way the twenty hours' weekly labor for which the children are paid are the hours they spend in school. By going to school and learning they, too, are benefiting the community, so that their labor is also for the general good.
When school is over, children who wish to do so can wait on table in the community dining-hall, and then they earn more time-checks.
These checks can be exchanged at the general store for goods, the prices of articles not being reckoned at so many cents but at so many hours of labor.
The Ruskin people seem to be hopeful that they have solved the problem of living.
A similar experiment is to be tried under the management of Eugene Debs. He is the man who led the strikers in Chicago, got into trouble with the authorities, and was finally sent to prison.
Debs proposes to start a co-operative town in the West, taking one hundred thousand men and women along with him to settle it.
He is going to build factories and start all kinds of industries, which are to belong to all the people in common, the profits and the losses to be shared by all the citizens alike.
Peace and prosperity are promised to all who will enter this ideal town. It will be interesting to watch the experiment and see just what results can be achieved.
* * * * *
Foreign governments are beginning to be heard from on the subject of the annexation of Hawaii.
A member of the English House of Commons has asked the Government whether it intends to allow this very important coaling-station to pass out of its reach without protest.
The Secretary of the Foreign Office replied that no decision had as yet been reached by the United States, and therefore the Government did not see that any action was necessary at present.
The Secretary went on to state that the English ministers would be careful that none of the rights of British subjects were interfered with.
Russia, on her part, has stated that she thinks that the annexation of Hawaii may be followed by the seizure of Cuba, and considers it a step very dangerous to Europe. She will not, however, join with Japan in her protest.
A report was circulated that Spain and Japan were forming an alliance to resist the annexation of the Sandwich Islands, but this report has been denied.
The German Emperor is said to have declared that he fears the interference of the United States with European affairs if she is allowed to extend her territory in this way.
With all these more or less unfriendly comments there has been but the one serious objection to the project, and that has come from Japan.
The State Department has replied to the protest from the Japanese minister. The Department refuses to allow the claim that the treaty between Japan and Hawaii was a perpetual treaty. The refusal was based on the grounds that we gave you last week.
The Japanese protest also declares that there are twenty-five thousand of her people resident in the Sandwich Islands who have earned the right to become citizens, and our Government is asked what it proposes to do about these people in case the treaty is ratified.
In replying to this point the State Department refused to give any definite answer, saying that it was a matter to be settled by Congress or the courts.
This reply was sent to the Japanese minister, who immediately cabled it to his Government.
The next step in this matter must be taken by Japan, and there is a good deal of anxiety as to what it will be.
The arrival of the steamer from Honolulu was eagerly watched for, as it was thought that the news from Hawaii might give some idea of the temper of the Japanese.
Every one was therefore very delighted to learn that the Japanese had taken no aggressive steps.
The steamer brought news of a slight alarm in Honolulu, but it had amounted to nothing.
A report had been spread that the Japanese warship Naniwa was about to land her marines and take possession of the Hawaiian Government buildings and custom-house.
The news soon reached Admiral Beardslee, who is in command of the cruiser Philadelphia.
Since the Philadelphia has been in port the Admiral has held weekly drills of the crews of his own ship, and also of the Marion, which has long been on the Hawaiian station.
At the time the news reached him, the crews were ashore drilling.
The Admiral sent an order for them to hurry back to their ships and be in readiness to prevent any such action on the part of the Japanese.
When the Japanese minister heard of the matter, he made light of it, and declared that there had never been any idea of landing marines from the Japanese warship.
The people of Honolulu say that the report was true nevertheless, and that the prompt action of Admiral Beardslee prevented it from being carried out.
It seems that the Japanese minister in Hawaii is maintaining that he has not yet received any reply to his letter to the Hawaiian Government.
He absolutely declines to regard Mr. Cooper's letter, which was published in the papers before it reached him, as a reply to his official communication.
* * * * *
Prince Henry of Orleans has arrived safely at the court of Menelik of Abyssinia, and has been received by him.
Menelik is described by Prince Henry as an intelligent, good-humored man, of about forty years of age. His skin is dark, but not nearly so black as has been stated.
The Prince found him an agreeable person, much interested in foreign affairs, and he asked so many intelligent questions about the government of foreign countries that his visitor was astonished. This savage monarch knew all about the struggle between Japan and China, and realized the immense progress the Japanese had made since the war.
Menelik questioned the Prince about the French President, and seemed fully acquainted with everything concerning him. He had also heard of the Prince's voyages, and was extremely interested in his Chinese trip, asking many questions about the way the people lived in China, their manufactures and their food.
This information is particularly interesting when we realize that Menelik is the king of a savage nation. There are no schools or books in his country, no manufactories or railroads,—indeed, little civilization of any kind.
In the heart of the wilderness this man has made himself familiar with the doings of the outer world, and has made his power felt among the great nations.
The friendship of this savage is necessary to the great Powers of Europe, and he is well aware of this fact, and is striving to make his knowledge of practical value for the advancement of his people.
It is toward Africa that the Powers of Europe are turning their attention at the present day. England, France, Germany, and Italy are all seeking to plant colonies there, and gather its riches for themselves.
For years the various countries have had their way in Africa and have pursued their conquests practically unchecked.
The few savage tribes that have resisted have been mastered with more or less difficulty, and the country has been settled by the conquerors.
No nation had been met with that was strong enough to check the onward march of Europe, until Menelik, Negus of Abyssinia, defeated the Italians at the battle of Adowa, and showed Europe that he, at least, intended to bring the conquerors to terms.
Since this battle all the nations interested in Africa have been seeking the friendship of this swarthy monarch.
England finds it necessary to make a friend of him, lest in her wars with the Mahdi's followers, in the Soudan, she have Menelik also against her.
France and Italy both need the alliance of this powerful king, else they will not be able to maintain the colonies they have already established.
Most of the African rulers have been won over with presents of beads and gaudy ornaments, but Menelik belongs to a different class. He has studied and tried to fathom the intricacies of European government, and if he gives his friendship to the nations that are suing for it, it will be in exchange for benefits much more substantial than the Europeans have been accustomed to give.
* * * * *
Steady progress has been made with the Tariff Bill, and it is expected that it will be passed within a very few days.
An attempt has been made to put a provision against Trusts in the bill.
The proposed clause would make it unlawful for people to combine together to restrain free competition or to increase the market price of materials. All materials unfairly increased in price are to be forfeited to the United States, and it is to be the duty of the Attorney-General to enforce all laws against Trusts, and to do all in his power to suppress them.
It is thought that it will be difficult to add this clause to the bill, but every effort will be made to accomplish it.
Mr. Sherman expressed himself very strongly on the subject of Trusts the other day.
He said that in his belief the question of Trusts was the most important one before the nation to-day.
He said that the Trust Law was not strong enough in its present form, and that he was in favor of making all combinations that restrained trade unlawful.
He declared that even if the effect of Trusts was to lower prices, he considered them injurious to the public good, because they prevented competition and drove the smaller men out of business.
The Tobacco Trust trial has resulted in a disagreement of the jury.
* * * * *
A wonderful diving-bell is being tried in the Great Lakes.
We described the method of using diving-bells in a previous number, but this new invention is built on an entirely different plan, and can accomplish results never before dreamed of.
The kind formerly made could not withstand the pressure of the water at any very great depth. No machine had been invented capable of bearing this strain until the new Smith bell was tried.
This bell has worked successfully in two hundred feet of water, and it is claimed can withstand the pressure at a much greater depth.
The most remarkable thing about the bell is that it can move about under the water, instead of merely being let down to remain in one place like an ordinary diving-bell.
Attached to its cage are four long arms, which can be moved about at will by the persons in the bell.
With the aid of these arms the huge machine can move from place to place like a great spider.
The arms can also be drawn together like pincers, and made to grip objects and carry them up to the surface.
The interior of the bell is lighted by electricity. Outside it carries a large headlight, which enables those in the bell to see around them for a distance of a hundred feet.
Experiments have been made in the Great Lakes with this bell, and its first practical work has been to locate the exact position of the steamer Pewabic, which was wrecked in Lake Michigan thirty-two years ago.
Many attempts have been made to find this steamer because she was laden with a cargo of copper ingots, and had besides a large sum of money on board, the two together amounting to about $140,000.
All attempts had, however, been unsuccessful until the Smith bell was used. The steamer was found lying in one hundred and sixty feet of water.
To prove the truth of the find, portions of the wreck were brought to the surface.
The success in Lake Michigan has determined the owner of the diving-bell to try and raise the North German Lloyd steamer Elbe, which was wrecked off the coast of England in 1895.
The owners of the Elbe have already spent about fifty thousand dollars in efforts to recover their vessel.
The position of the ship was located by divers, who, at a depth of one hundred and seventy-one feet, found the upper works of the steamer. These men, however, declare that it is utterly impossible to raise the ship.
The Elbe had a valuable cargo and a large amount of gold on board. The owners of the diving-bell are determined to make the effort to raise her and secure for themselves the immense reward offered.
They intend to remove the cargo first and then raise the hull, if it is possible to do so.
They are very hopeful of success, and say that the task does not appear to them any more difficult than the raising of the cargo of the Pewabic which latter task they are sure of accomplishing.
* * * * *
On the 24th of June there was a celebration in Halifax, Nova Scotia, of the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of the mainland of America.
A tablet was placed in the Parliament building in honor of John Cabot, who four hundred years ago sailed from Bristol, England, and finally reached the shores of Newfoundland.
An endeavor was made to make the celebration a general one throughout Canada and the United States, but this was found to be impracticable. Cabot's voyage could not be made of the same importance as that of Columbus.
The foundation-stone of a monument to Cabot was laid in his native town of Bristol on the same day that the celebration took place in Halifax.
* * * * *
Lieutenant Peary has started on another Polar expedition, and feels hopeful that this time he will be able to reach the Pole.
His plans for his trip are much the same as those of Dr. Nansen; that is to say, he will establish little colonies of Eskimos at certain distances along his route, leaving supplies with each colony, which he can fall back on in case of need.
He intends to keep up a constant communication with these settlements by means of dogs and sledges, so that he will not be entirely cut off from the world as previous explorers have been.
Lieutenant Peary has obtained five years' leave of absence from the Navy Department. He will therefore have plenty of time for his experiment. He says that if he fails the first time he will keep on trying until he succeeds in reaching the Pole.
There is a story that one of the men who expect to go north with Lieutenant Peary has a scheme for reaching the Pole on a bicycle.
This seems to be the strangest use thus far suggested for the bicycle.
Mr. Lee, who is the inventor of this novel plan, was with Lieutenant Peary on his last trip.
He says that there are miles and miles of smooth surface in the Polar regions that could easily be covered on a wheel.
According to his statement the water freezes smoothly, and the salt crystals that form on the top of the ice make the surface like a gravelled path, and there is consequently no danger that the wheel would slip.
He says that where the snow covers the ice it is pounded so hard by the winds that the crust is quite solid enough to bear the weight of a man.
In his opinion a wheelman would find no difficulty in travelling over it.
He thinks wheeling to the Pole is the simplest and most practical plan that has yet been proposed.
If he goes with Lieutenant Peary, Mr. Lee declares that he will take his wheel along with him and make the experiment. He thinks that a man could wheel to the Pole and back from the north of Greenland in one week.
The great difficulty in the way of his scheme is that it would not be safe for one man to make the trip alone.
He thinks that at least half a dozen ought to start together. In those far northern lands the fewer white men there are in a party the better its chance of success, because they require so much more food than the Eskimos, and it has to be of a more dainty character. Where provisions are so scarce, this is a serious consideration.
Mr. Lee says that the present pneumatic tires would not be of the slightest use, as rubber cracks and splits with the extreme cold. He has a plan for a new kind of tire that could withstand the climate.
* * * * *
We saw an account the other day of a new sport for the wheel, which is being indulged in by the cyclists of England and France.
It is called bicycle duelling, and consists of fighting mock duels on the wheel.
It is said by those who have witnessed it to be a very interesting sport.
The contestants are masked; use foils with buttons on the points, and fight according to the strict rules of fencing. The game is won by touching the adversary over the heart with the sheathed point of the foil.
In fencing, a man has to keep his eye closely on his adversary, and dares not allow his attention to be distracted for a moment. It is therefore absolutely necessary that those who engage in a bicycle duel should be expert riders.
The mimic battle begins by the two riders circling slowly round each other, waiting for an opportunity to dash in and strike a blow.
This circling continues for a few moments until one darts forward—the foils clash, and the aggressor passes swiftly on, only to turn and recommence the circling until he sees another opportunity.
They fight in this way, back and forth, round and round, until the final touch is given; then the cyclist who is touched is obliged to dismount, as a sign that he has been defeated.
This pastime is particularly popular in France, where fencing forms a part of every young man's education.
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We have had several inquiries about the George Junior Republic at Freeville, and are pleased to say that the young citizens are being received there in as large numbers as the funds will permit.
It might interest our readers to know that any one sending $15 to Mr. A.G. Agnew, Treasurer of the George Junior Republic, 7 Nassau Street, New York, can give a ten-weeks' holiday to one poor little lad of the streets.
It is a very small amount of money to do so much good with, and it is to be hoped that people who have $15 to spare will send it to the Junior Republic to help the good work along.
G.H. ROSENFELD.
INVENTION AND DISCOVERY.
RECORDING THERMOMETER.—This is a very interesting little machine, especially so at this time of year when the temperature is a constant subject for thought.
It is a recording thermometer, and consists of a thermometer and a recording disk. By means of cleverly arranged mechanism the rise and fall of the mercury is used as the motor power, and registers the changes in temperature on an indicator card. Other simple mechanism works a rotary drum by which this indicator card is carried.
PENCIL SHARPENER.—This is another helpful little contrivance, a pencil sharpener. There are already numberless things of the kind, some of which answer for a time, some not at all, and all being made for the purpose of sharpening the pencil to a kind of regulation point. For my own part I have always preferred a good sharp knife, or the simple reason that I could then make exactly the kind of point suited to the work to be done. The purpose of the new pencil sharpener is evidently the same. This contrivance is a small and handy block for holding the pencil in position for the knife, and has a cutting guide which will be a joy to people who are awkward in using the knife.
COLORED PHOTOGRAPHY.—The State Department has received a specimen from Paris of Mr. Villedieu Chassaigne's work in colored photography.
The claim made by Mr. Chassaigne is that he can photograph objects in their exact colors.
The coloring process is applied after the picture has been developed and the print made.
A colorless liquid is then applied to the print, and after that it is washed again in blue, green, and red liquids. After each application the print is wiped dry. The various parts of the picture choose their original colors, and the result is an exact representation of the object photographed.
Several pictures have been brought over by Mr. Anthony, of New York. Among them were several portraits in which the flesh tints and the colors of the clothing were beautifully rendered. A view of the Jardin d'Acclimatation in Paris showed a group of storks, the red coloring of their legs and beaks being distinctly visible.
The liquids which produce these results are to be put on the market on July 1st.
It is but fair to say that there are some doubts as to the success of this process.
A Chassaigne photograph was sent to the State Department, which persons who have seen it claim is a very crude affair, and cannot be pronounced a success, as it only resembles a very poorly tinted photograph.
These persons declare that the Chassaigne photographs are not nearly as fine as those of Kurz, of New York. These latter are obtained by making three negatives of a subject—one which photographs only the yellows, one the reds, and the third the blues in a picture.
By carefully printing the three negatives, one on the top of the other, excellent colored pictures can be produced.
KITCHEN CABINET.—A new cabinet for the kitchen has been designed which is a very handy thing for use.
It is arranged to contain all the sugars and spices and various nice things that are required in cooking.
On one side is a large receptacle for coffee, with a mill fixed half-way down, so the coffee is not only stored, but is always ready for grinding.
On the other side is another bin for flour, which is provided with a sifter.
By turning a handle the flour falls to the drawer at the bottom, sifted and ready for use.
There are handy drawers for sugars and tea, and at the bottom a large place for bread.
A clock is fixed into the top of the cabinet, and completes the very useful little case.
G.H.R.
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THE GREAT ROUND WORLD NATURAL HISTORY STORIES.
A Series of True Stories
BY JULIA TRUITT BISHOP.
Attractively Illustrated by Barnes.
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These stories will be issued in parts. Price, 10 cents each. Subscription price (12 numbers), $1.00. Part 1. issued as supplement to GREAT ROUND WORLD NO. 20.
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Author's Preface.
The stories published in this little volume have been issued from time to time in the Philadelphia Times, and it is at the request of many readers that they now greet the world in more enduring form. They have been written as occasion suggested, during several years; and they commemorate to me many of the friends I have known and loved in the animal world. "Shep" and "Dr. Jim," "Abdallah" and "Brownie," "Little Dryad" and "Peek-a-Boo." I have been fast friends with every one, and have watched them with such loving interest that I knew all their ways and could almost read their thoughts. I send them on to other lovers of dumb animals, hoping that the stories of these friends of mine will carry pleasure to young and old.
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WILLIAM BEVERLEY HARISON, 3 & 5 West 18th Street.
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KLEMMS' RELIEF PRACTICE MAPS.
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LIST OF MAPS.
Small size, 9-1/2 x 11 { Plain, 5 cents each. { With Waterproofed surface 10 " "
Europe, Asia, Africa; North America, South America, East Central States, New England, Middle Atlantic States, South Atlantic States, Palestine, Australia.
Large size, 10 x 15 { Plain, 10 cents each. { With Waterproofed Surface, 15 " "
United States, British Isles, Roman Empire, Western Europe, North America, South America, Asia.
(POSTAGE ON SINGLE MAPS, 5 CENTS.)
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"I would advise Sunday-school teachers to use, in connection with the lessons of 1897, Klemm's Relief Map of the Roman Empire. Every scholar who can draw should have a copy of it. Being blank, it can be beautifully colored: waters, blue; mountains, brown; valleys, green; deserts, yellow; cities marked with pin-holes; and the journeys of Paul can be traced upon it."—MRS. WILBUR F. CRAFTS, President International Union of Primary Sabbath-School Teachers of the United States.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE MAPS.
These maps are made in two forms, both with beautifully executed relief (embossed)—the cheaper ones of plain stiff paper similar to drawing paper (these are to be substituted for and used as outline map blanks), the others covered with a durable waterproof surface, that can be quickly cleaned with a damp sponge, adapted to receive a succession of markings and cleansings. Oceans, lakes, and rivers, as well as land, appear in the same color, white, so as to facilitate the use of the map as a geographical slate.
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WILLIAM BEVERLEY HARISON 3 & 5 W. 18th St. ... New York City
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How the United States Has Grown
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Several years ago a modest little volume called "The Evolution of an Empire" set forth, with a lucidity that was as remarkable as its brevity, the beginnings and growth of Germany; its author, Mary Platt Parmele, has since followed the same methods in treating France and England, and now brings out a fourth volume in the noteworthy series, a somewhat larger book, called in full, "The Evolution of an Empire: A Brief Historical Sketch of the United States," published, as were the others, by William Beverley Harison (New York). In an interesting preface Mrs. Parmele boldly explains her chief intention, which is to disclose, in so vivid a light that he who runs may read, the fundamental causes and their resulting events which have formed and are still shaping our life. She places the study of history upon a moral basis, as it shows "the great lines of tendency which make for righteousness and justice and human freedom." "To comprehend is higher than to remember," is her text, and she adds some valuable advice to the teacher of children: "With the growing complexity of life and events it is becoming an impossible task for the memory to carry the increasing burden of details; and even if it succeeds in performing this feat, it is at the expense of a clear and intelligent comprehension of the meaning of the whole. We may succeed in reducing the mental structure to a mere storehouse. But if in achieving this the mind has lost the power to grasp, and to combine, its acquisitions have been dearly purchased."
Mindful of Huxley's definition of culture, that it "must consist of criticism and comparison," Mrs. Parmele sweeps away all secondary details, all the less important incidents, and proceeds to her narrative of Columbus's discovery, the colonial period, the founding of our Republic, and its subsequent life down to the present year, with the simple directness of a dramatist; there is no halting in her impetuous relation; it is infused throughout with the same degree of philosophical ardor, and one follows as one does a wonder tale the rapid sequence of events, tracing with an awakened interest the national issues, which, presented in this new, concise, imaginative way, take on a fresh, an enchanting charm. Nothing could be clearer to the mind of a child eager to know the reason of things, nor to that of a grown person, fatigued by the jostling memories of both important and useless events, than this return to the fundamental, the philosophical, the moral causes which underlie the life of the Republic. The tortuous channels by which the currents bore us into the war of 1812 are described with such surprising simplicity that one almost fails to realize how admirable a piece of condensation the single chapter is; and the annexation of Texas is told with equal precision. The earliest traces of our present policies, such as the Monroe Doctrine, the protective tariff and free-silver issues, are explained so clearly and impartially that the author's brevity helps rather than mars the effect upon the mind.
"The history of America should be an inspiration, not a task. It ought to be known in its grand, simple lines by every child in the nation. Let it be so acquired first in its utmost brevity, then enlarged, and enlarged, and again, gradually approaching to a nearer view of the multiplicity of detail. Pleased at finding new truths which fit precisely into those already familiar, there will be no difficulty in keeping alive the interest, nor in remembering. It will be grafting on to the living, not on to the dead." This is good advice, and Mrs. Parmele proves it may make good reading as well.—Republican, Springfield, Mass.
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A Good Agent Wanted In Every Town for "The Great Round World"
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To any one sending us 2 new subscribers
we will send, express paid, any one of the golf sticks shown in cut...
These are the most approved shapes and styles and are made in the best possible manner
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2 special golf balls may be had for ... 1 new subscription
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THE GREAT ROUND WORLD 3 AND 5 WEST 18TH ST. NEW YORK CITY
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PREMIUM LIST
In connection with our offer of any BICYCLE you wish for 100 new subscriptions, we have prepared a
Premium Catalogue
This contains a list of selected articles which will be given to those who may obtain a smaller number of subscriptions
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Those who fail to secure the necessary number for the bicycle may make selection from this catalogue.
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Copy mailed on receipt of 5c.
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THE GREAT ROUND WORLD 3 & 5 West 18th St, New York City
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