r regular by slanting roofs projecting over the sidewalks; their picturesque doorways decorated with highly-colored lanterns and signs of black with gold ideographs that speak of business pursuits, together make a fine background for the gaily-clad company of celestials who roam thru its thorofares and form a picture that has enticed many an artist from his studio. But all is not lovely in Chinatown. There are odors that distract attention from bright colors and novel sights, odors that one is never likely to forget. A compound of the smells of opium and punk with that of decaying vegetables and animal matter, in which grease is very prominent, every where pervades the atmosphere, for in Chinatown the meat market, with its smell of oil boiled fowl is very apt to adjoin the drug store where untold mysteries are compounded, and these two reciprocate in exchange with the grocery next to them and in turn generously permit their neighbors, the art dealers, to share in the general supply. While every establishment has odors peculiar to its wares, in addition and mingling with them are always the fumes of opium and punk. For all Chinese smoke the drug and every place has its shrine erected to Joss where this fragrant tinder is ever smoldering. A strange order of things is there where two such opposing, elements contend for supremacy, where innocent spiritualized incense, symbolizing the good and the true, struggles to overcome the poisonous poppy vapor and seeks thru mediation to propitiate the gods for the sins of indulgence of these inconstant followers of Confucius. But in our enjoyment of the new sights the unpleasant features receded into the background and were soon forgotten, for our attention was taken up with the interesting wares of the shops. Most of the Chinese merchants that deal in curios, handle Japanese goods, but these goods are of Chinese selection and of the quality that are generally made for the American market, consisting of highly and crudely colored products. The Chinaman's standards of beauty are somewhat different from the generally accepted canons of taste. Only new things having definite form, positive color and high finish have any commercial valve in his estimation. The excellent examples of Japanese art, having the rich coloring of subdued and broken tones of complimentary hues consistently juxtaposed, that accidently get into his stock, are to him but faded and undesirable products which he considers unsalable, and which he is very apt to dispose of at a very low figure. It was owing to this phase of the Chinese character that I became the possessor of a most lovely piece of uncut velvet, paying only two dollars for what cannot be duplicated in our American Japanese stores for less than twenty. While there is much in every store that is without interest after a first visit, there is much that is of an educational character, so in a short time we had learned to detect a Cloisonné vase or a Satsuma incense jar, a Raga cup or a Canton plate. We learned something of bronzed gongs and tea kettles, of ivory carvings and inlaid goods, of quaint kakemonos and shapely lanterns-in fact of wares innumerable which speak to us of an appreciation of The desire for possession generally follows appreciation and Again, events took their natural course and very soon, the majority of our party were package-laden. Then, as the company consisted largely of teachers, and as one of the questions of the day relating to educational art, in which teachers are interested, is school room decoration, it seemed but fitting that some of the expenditures should be made to this end; so I called attention to a line of jars and jugs of very crude but picturesque Chinese earthenware in which canned fruits and meats are brought to this country; and inasmuch as these same jugs and jars are of no special use after their contents are consumed, they may be procured for a mere pittance. They consist of quaint and unusual shapes, some of which are colored in brown, russet or pearl gray, while others are a normal green or a turquoise blue, and many are picturesquely covered with wicker-work. Just as I was expatiating upon the interesting qualities of these wares, we came upon a sidewalk nearly covered with what is known as the sweet melon jar, the very one I had been seeking. Its spherical shape, its large size and its rich brown color making it a very effective decoration in a school room. Usually these jars are kept for artists who like them for their studios; but upon this occasion there were so many, that the dealer was more than anxious to get rid of them. so upon my inquiry as to whether they were for sale, he told me we might have them if we would carry them off; and to facilitate matters, supplied us with paper so that we might not soil our hands. Thereupon, figuratively speaking, we fell upon the jars very much to the amusement of our Mongolian friends, and as we walked along the narrow sidewalks, wending our homeward way, we presented rather an uncommon picture. Imagine a merry party of pedagogues, the majority carrying large and apparently dirty jars, proceeding single file up a hill. The little German band or the hand organ scarcely attracts more of a crowd of followers than did this summer school. The Chinese enjoyed it immensely. They rushed from their shops at a given signal to see the procession, and guyed us every step of the way. In their amusement they would look inquiringly at the jars and then at us as much as to say, "What do you want with those ugly, useless things?" and more than once we heard in their pigeon English, "What you do with him?" to which upon one occasion an Irishman volunteered the information that we worked for a baked bean factory and were carrying home a supply of jars. 'Tis needless to say that we had a very enjoyable time, and as a result there are a number of school rooms in which a sweet melon jar containing some arrangement of branches decorates the corner of the room, and is the means of recalling to its principal occupant a most delightful afternoon in Chinatown. Department of Supervision Items of Interest for Trustees, Parents and Teachers. State Board of Education. JAMES H. BUDD.... .Governor, Sacramento President of the Board SAM'L T. BLACK, Supt. Pub. Instruction, Sacramento Secretary of the Board A. H. RANDALL, .....Pres. State Normal School, San Jose E. T. PIERCE.....Pres. State Normal School, Los Angeles C. M. RITTER,...........Pres. State Normal School, Chico MARTIN KELLOGG, Pres. University of Cal., Berkeley ELMER E. BROWN, .......University of Cal., Berkeley Professor of Pedagogy. OFFICIAL NEWS. Applicants for primary grade certificates must pass a satisfactory examination in all the branches mentioned in Section 1772 of the Political Code, and county boards of education have no power to add other branches to the list. As the grammar grade certificate includes the primary grade, it seems clear that applicants for this grade of certificate must also pass a satisfactory examination in the branches referred to in Section 1772. Census Marshals. While the time for taking the school census extends from the fifteenth to the thirtieth day of April, only such children as were residents of the school district on the fifteenth are to be enumerated. Should a family move from district "A" to district "B" between the 15th and 30th of Apri) (that is, change residence as contemplated by Section 52 of the Political Code), the children of such family are to be enumerated in district "A," and not in district "B." Census marshals ought to enumerate full orphan and abandonod children in orphan asylums located in their school districts; they have no authority to enumerate half orphans in said asylums, as such children are enumerated in the district where the surviving parent resides. Duties of Trustees. The most important duty of boards of school trustees and boards of education, as was said last month, is the selection of teachers. Next in importance is school visitation. Subdivision 19 of Section 1617, makes it the duty of each and every member of boards of trustees and boards of education To visit every school in their district at 屈 least once in each term and examine carefully into its management, condition and wants." Holidays. A teacher has no power to change the date of a legal holiday. Certain days are set apart by the representatives of the people as legal holidays for a specific purpose, and such days ought to be observed by teachers and pupils in the spirit that prompted the lawfully constituted authorities to declare such holidays. Should a holiday occur on a regular school day, no portion of the teacher's monthly salary is to be deducted on account of the holiday. Normal School Graduates. Graduates of California State Normal Schools are entitled, under Section 1503 of the Political Code, and a late decision of the Supreme Court, to grammar grade certificates at the hands of county boards of education. Such graduates cannot, however, teach on the strength of their diplomas; they must first secure the certificate before they can lawfully teach in the public schools of the State. Sacramento, Cal. April 15 To School Officers and Teachers: It becomes my duty to inform you that Mr. Seaman, who has served the State so faithfully and efficiently for upwards of three years as my deputy, has been called to the Chief Deputyship in the State Library which position he has thought best to accept. Mr. While I regret sincerely the loss of so competent an officer, it gives me pleasure to announce that he has been succeeded by my personal friend, Mr. B. J. Watson. Watson has been a teacher and County Superintendent of Nevada County, State Senator for four years, Naval Officer of the port of San Francisco, Port Warden, and is a newspaper man of ability. His experience eminently fits him to render County Superintendents, teachers and the cause of education valuable service. Sincerely, SAMUEL T. BLACK, Supt. Pub. Instr. Are Superintendents Entitled to Hotel Bills? HON. SAMUEL T. BLACK, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Sacramento, Califor nia. DEAR SIR:-I am in receipt of your favor of the 8th instant, in which you ask: "Are County Superintendents of Schools entitled to necessary hotel bills under Section 1552 of the Political Code, while visiting the schools of their counties?" The Section in question provides that: "Each County Superintendent shall receive his actual and necessary traveling expenses, said expenses to be allowed by the Board of Supervisors, and to be paid out of the county general fund; provided that this amount shall not exceed ten dollar. per district per annum." I am of the opinion that the "necessary hotel bills" can be allowed under this Section subject to the limit as to amount prescribed by the section. Kirkwood vs. Soto, 87 Cal., 394. Respectfully, (SIGNED) W. F. FITZGERALD, Attorney General. For Decoration Day. The Educational Publishing Compay has just published for Decoration Day and other patriotic occasions, "Silvery Chimes of Pat riotism." Price, 15 cents. It is an excellent thing for teachers and schools and the editor of THE JOURNAL has examined it and takes pleasure in recommending it as a timely and excellent publication. Send 15 cents for sample copy to Educational Publishing Company, Flood Building, San Francisco, Cal. Golden Eagle Hotel. The Golden Eagle has been the battle-ground of State politics for years. One of the great advantages of Sacramento as a Convention city is in the fact that the Golden Eagle forms a meeting place for everyone. Here the crowd meets and elbow touches elbow. The Golden Eagle is well managed by Gray & Titus, experienced and accommodating hotel people. The hotel is not only popular with the politicians, but also with the traveling public, tourists, and others. Sacramento, with its im proved streets, big hall, capitol building, central loca tion, and the Golden Eagle Hotel has advantages over any place in the State for the great conventions. A New School History. The Stone Educational Company announces the immediate publication of a Brief History of California and a series of California History Stories by Theodore II, Hittell. Both will be for use in schools. The former will contain an introduction and suggested correlations by Richard D. Faulkner, Principal of the Franklin Grammar School. The plan of this Brief History of California is substantially that of Hittell's History of California in four volumes. It will consist of twelve similar subdivisions or books, the titles however, differing slightly from those of the larger work. It is the intention that it shall be of convenient size, and contains between five and six hundred pages. It will be adapted for use in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grades; but to give Boards of Education the widest opportunity in its grading it will be issued in three separate volumes under the titles of its twelve subdivisions or books. It will also be issued in four parts. A part will consist of three of its subdivisions or books, and each of the four parts will be designed for a separate grade. The series of volumes of California History Stories will be adapted to fourth and fifth grades. SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. EDITED BY CHAS. H. ALLEN. Following the plan indicated in the previous number two articles were prepared, designed to be included in this department. "Talks about Water" No. 1, was to be first and the selection from Towle's "Heroes and Martyrs of Inventions" was designed for the second. The ordinary diffi culties attendant upon a new arrangement prevented their presentation in that order. It is the purpose to continue the "Talks," not only about water but about plants and plant-life. Should these articles awaken an interest in these subjects, and it is sincerely hoped they will, suggestions or questions relating to either of them will be very acceptable. Whenever possible the simple experiments suggested should be performed, as seeing a result is far more striking than hearing about it. The Talks will by no means exhaust the subjects, and an intelligent, active teacher will find much supplementary work, suggested by the articles, to be done. Talks About Water No. II. The experiments given at the close of the last talk about water were designed to show you some of the ways in which water becomes impure, for you remember that we rarely find pure water. As has been already said, water dissolves many things,and warm water dissolves most things more readily than does cold water. The lump of sugar will dissolve much more rapidly in a cup of hot tea or coffee than in a glass of cold water. Because water dissolves so many things it is called a solvent. When you put the lime into the water the mixture seemed milky for a time, but finally the lime that was not dissolved settled at the bottom of the vessel, leaving the water very clear. A part of the lime had been ais. solved, and what you poured off (decanted) was lime-water. In your physiologies you have learned that the breath that we send out from the lungs contains a little water, and perhaps some animal matter, together with a large proportion of carbonic acid gas. The proper name for this gas is carbon dioxide, and its symbol is CO2. This symbol will be used, and you are to remember that it means a gas containing two parts oxygen and one part carbon. When you forced your breath into the lime-water the CO2 in the air you exhaled united with the lime, forming carbonate of lime, or marble dust, making the water milky again. Continuing the breathing thru this milky water, it soon became clear, and was hard water. Another part of CO2 was taken up by the water, and it then dissolved the marble dust, so that the mixture became again clear. Lime water is very different from hard water, having a strong alkaline taste. The hard water is carbonate of lime-water. When hard water is boiled a part of the CO2 is expelled and the lime, which then becomes free, is incrusted on the bottom of the vessel. These changes are very interesting when understood. In the second experiment, when you boiled the water, you noticed the little bubbles formed on the bottom of the vessel, and that they, one after another, came to the top and burst, allowing the gas they contained, mostly CO2, to escape. T..is drove the CO2 out of the water, making it more nearly pure. But this water, even when cooled, was very insipid to the taste, because the CO2 was gone. Water will hold a large quantity of this gas, if kept under pressure. A bottle of soda water is filled with water containing a considerable amount of CO2. You know these bottles have to be kept tightly corked, and when the cork is withdrawn the gas immediately begins to escape, sometimes making a froth or foam on the top. A soda fountain has a strong cylinder filled with water strongly charged with CO2. This being under pressure runs out thru a small tube into a glass which has some flavored syrup in it. Here, again, the escaping gas makes the foam. Home made soda water can be prepared by putting into a glass nearly filled with water, a syrup containing a small quantity of some wholesome acid, and stirring into it a half-teaspoonful of baking soda (Bicarbonate of Soda). In this case the gas is generated under the water, and bubbles up to escape. All these effervescing drinks owe their sparkling taste to the CO2 they contain. It seems very strange that CO2, which is so unhealthful when taken with air into the lungs, should be both agreeable and wholesome when taken into the stomach in a drink—and yet this is the case. As you have seen, the air contains water and it is also true that water contains air. This air it takes up as the rain is falling, or even absorbs through its surface. Fish cannot live in water that contains no air. As the water passes thru their gills, keeping them moist, it gives up to them a part of the oxygen that is in the air, and that purifies their blood as it does ours. You know their gills are their lungs. When small pools of water, containing fish, freeze entirely over, ex. cluding the air, the air that was in the water is soon used up, and the fish often drown. I have frequently seen such pools, covered with thin ice by a night's freeze, in which the fish seemed very much distressed, swimming around, butting their heads against the ice, trying to get air. Once I cut a little hole thru the ice and the fish all flocked to it for breath, some of them being so eager as to jump out on the ice. Very soon after a body of water freezes over, air holes are formed, that is, in places the ice melts thru, letting the air get to the water. However cold it may be these air holes will form, and they often endanger the lives of skaters, and those who travel on the ice. I shall have to explain to you how these air holes are formed in another talk. Besides the impurities already spoken of, water takes up large quantities of animal and vegetable matter, especially when they are decaying. And so it happens that much of the water, even that which we use for drinking, contains, besides CO2, air, more or less mineral or earthly matter and some portion of decayed animal or vegetable matter. This animal or vegetable matter is what makes water unwholesome. Some of the minerals also make it unfit to drink, but they are almost all detected by the taste. The peculiar taste of the water of the ocean comes from the mineral matter that it contains. Our mineral springs are springs whose waters have taken from the minerals thru which they runsome part of them, as it took up a part of the time, in your experiment. Flowing water, especially if it flows rapidly, is in a measure self-purifying. You have noticed in a small stream that the rocks and logs under the water all covered with a kind of slime that makes them quite slippery. This slime is made up of the animal or vegetable impurities that the water has taken up, carried for a while, and then deposited near the bottom. Water from a rapidly running stream is more healthful than is water from a pond or marsh. In lakes so large that the wind breaks the surface up into waves, the water is partly purified by the oxygen in the air, as thru this agitation of the water the air comes in contact with a considerable part of it. Were.it not for these self-purifying processes, but little water in streams or lakes would be healthful to drink. Stagnant water, and water from swamps or marshes, especially in a warm climate, are very unwholesome. When it is warm both animal and vegetable matter decay more rapidly, and thus more is taken up by the water. water Drinking such almost always produces malaria, leading to such diseases as ague or fevers, Water is made more near y pure by boiling. As you have already seen boiling expells the air, and the CO2, and throws down a part of the mineral matter it may contain. The heat, at boiling, aiso destroys most or all of the disease-bearing germs that come from decaying animal or vegetable matter. Hence if there is any doubt about the healthfulness of water, it should be boiled before drinking it. In many localities this is always done, China is a very old and a populous country. In places so many people have been buried that the bodies lie five or six deep. You can see that water filtering thru such soil would become very impure and unwholesome. So most Chinamen drink their weak tea-boiled water with a little tea in it to make it more palatable. Water is often filtered before it is drank. A filter is an appliance so arranged as to let the water run thru a body of sand and pulverized charcoal. This removes many of the impurities, as charcoal is a noted purifier, Our people would be far more healthy if most of our drinking water was filtered. Before the next talk I would like to have you try the following simple experiments: 1. Sprinkle a little water on the floor, and notice how soon it be, comes dry again. Wipe off the black board with a moist cloth and notice the game. Set a shallow dish with a little water in it out in the air and see how long before the water is all gone. 2. Wet one of your hands in tepid water and then swing it rapidly thru the air. Observe whether as the water disappears the hand feels cooler than before. Set two dishes of water out in the wind, one of them uncovered and the other all wrapped up in a wet cloth. After an hour or so, see which water tastes cooler. 3. If you have a thermometer, put a small damp cloth around the bulb and then swing it in the air a few minutes and see if the mercury goes down any. John Gutenberg, the Inventor of the Printing-press. (From Towle's Heroes and Martyrs of Invention.) The sturdy young German who, with knapsack on back and staff in hand, knocked at old Laurence Coster's door, was no ordinary youth. Although scarcely more than twenty, he had seen a great deal of life, and even some of its rougher aspects. Jonn Gutenberg(pronounced Gootenberg)belonged to a family of high degree, and had been reared in such luxury as could be enjoyed in the rude mediæval time; but he did not allow luxurious living to make him indolent or unambitious. He was an ardent student, and he had received the best training which the learned monks could give him. Often, when a boy, he was found pouring over the manuscripts which he found in the monasteries where he was educated. He was also very religious in thought and act. Many a time he would earnestly exclaim, what a pity it was that the Bible was a closed book to the masses of the people; that, as it was written by hand on parchment, it could only be possessed either by the churches and monasteries or by very rich people. Gutenberg's home was at Strasburg, on the banks of the Rhine. He had often dreamed of foreign countries, and imagined what they and their peoples were like; so one day, being strong of limb and active in exercise, be resolved to pack up his knapsack, attire himself in walking costume, and take a long pedestrian tour. It was while on this jaunt that by a chance for which all later generations have had reason to be thankful, he heard of old Coster and his discovery. and hastened to present himself at the humble churchwarden's door. You can imagine the eagerness with which Coster led his young guest in, and how delighted he was to show him just how the printing of his lters worked. While with his rude leaden types the old man pressed letter after letter on the parchment, Gutenberg stood by wrapt in attention. Already he imagined that he saw dimly to what great uses this discovery might be put. "And see here!" exclaimed Coster, holding up some pages of parchment awkwardly sewed together, "here is my first book in print." It was a atin grammar. Old Coster had slowly printed it, letter by letter, and right proud was he of this first triumph of his patient labor. "But we can do better than this." said Gutenberg. "Your printing is even slower than the writing of the monks. From this day forth I will work upon this problem, and not rest till I have solved it." Warmly grasping Coster's hand, and thanking him for showing him his discovery, Gutenberg resumed his knapsack, and trudged out of Haarlem. He had no longer any thought of continuing his tramp into new scenes. His fondness for seeing strange lands had for the while deserted him. His only thought was to get back as soon as possible to Strasburg, where he lived, and to set to work upon the task he had now set to himself. Gutenberg lived in an age of dense superstition and ignorance. Everything that was new and unfamiliar seemed to the ignorant people of that time to be the work of sorcery; and any one who dared to do things which appeared marvellous in their eyes, was persecuted and pursued as if he dealt in evil magic. No one knew this better than the young Strasburg scholar. So, on his arrival at Strasburg, he gave out that he was at work making jewelry. Meanwhile he locked himself up in his room, and, scarcely taking time to eat or sleep, devoted himself to the problem how to make Coster's discovery useful to the world. But he found that he was watched and interrupted, and that his hiding himself so constantly in his room gave rise to dark suspicions among his neighbors. So he repaired to an old ruined monastery,only one or two rooms of which were habitable, and which stood a few miles from the town. Here he thought he could work in peace, for the monastery ruin was in a lonely, deserted place. Hidden in an obscure corner of this old monastery of St. Arbogarte was a little cell. This cell Gutenberg secured by a great oaken door with heavy bolts. and here he hid the tools and materials needed for his work. At the same time he fitted up a half-ruined room in a more open part of the monastery as a jewel shop. He engaged two young men to help him polish precious stones and to repair trinkets. In this way he hoped to be able to work at his types in the hidden cell without discovery. He now set to work, at such times as he could escape into his little cell in dead earnest. It was not long before he had carved out of some bits of wood with his knife a number of separate types. The happy idea struck him to string them on a piece of wire in the form of words, and at last of sentences. Then, finding that wood was not hard enough, he carved some types with more difficulty in lead. Having made types that satisfied him, Gutenberg used his knowledge of chemistry to make an ink which would leave a distinct imprint, and he soon succeeded in producing such an ink. As he continued to work, the great idea that was absorbing him grew more clear. He had his types and his ink, so he made a brush and a roller to put the ink on the types. He had now got as far as printing a whole word or sentence on a piece of parchment; and by changing the movable types about, could form at will new words and sentences. His next task was to construct "chases" so that the types would be held together, and would print in pages. And at last the idea of a print ing-press was made a reality. When Gutenberg had completed and gazed with delight upon the first printing-press which had been constructed, the main difficulties of his task were over. With his types set in their chases, his different colored inks at his elbow, his rollers at band to apply the ink. and his press ready to press the types down upon the blank pages, he stood ready to complete the first book printed with movable type. But poor Gutenberg was not destined to derive much happiness from the result of his labors and the splendid invention he had made. He worked so hard that the few hours of the night which he took for sleep were disturbed by uneasy dreams. Sometimes he thought that angelic voices warned him not to go on with his printing, for it would bring un. told miseries upon the human race. Then he would rise in the morning, unrefreshed by his slumbers and terrified by the vision, and, seizing a mallet, would be on the point of smashing his printing-press all to pieces. But sometimes other spirits would appear to him in dreams, and urge him to go on with his good work, saying that it would be an immense blessing and benefit to all the world in all future ages. This would inspire him with new energy, and. he would toil the next day with a light heart. But after the printing-press had been made, and he had really begun to print books, his assistants in the jewelry shop betrayed him. They told the magistrates of Strasburg about his long absences and mysterious movements. Their story soon spread thru the town and roused the anger and hatred of the writers of manuscript books, who feared lest printing should lose them their occupation. Gutenberg's enemies soon compelled him to fly from Strasburg. He was stripped of all he had in the world, and even his life was threatened. So he went back to Mayence, his birthplace, and there resumed his print. ing. He took a rich jeweller, Fust, into partnership. But he was not allowed to work long in peace. Fust turned against him, and he was soon forced to leave Mayence as he had left Strasburg. He was now wretchedly poor, and for a while roamed aimlessly from place to place. But at last he found a home in Nassau, the ruler of which offered him his protection. In that quiet town, Gutenberg set up his press again, and printed many books, and spent the remainder of his days, it is pleasant to say, in rest, comfort and content, altho he never got rich from his invention. He died in the year 1468, at the ripe age of sixty-nine; and many years after, the statue of him, which may be seen standing in Mayence, was erected in his honor by the descendants of those who had driven him forth, a beggar, from his native city. [NOTE: This and the preceding article, in the April number should be followed by one or two general exercises, in which pupils should be made to appreciate the influence these two inventions have had upon the world and its civilization A picture of the world then and now can be made very instructive and impressive. Then, no newspapers, no periodicals and almost no books. Now, newspapers and periodicals in almost every home and books to be had for little more than the asking.—ED,] Topics of the Times. It is almost certain that before this number of the JOURNAL reaches you the United States will engage in a war with Spain. War is a terrible thing terrible in the destruction of human lives, in the maiming and crippling of human bodies, and terrible in the fact that it brings desolation and sorrow to so many homes. Those who have seen the effects of war well know that Mrs. Browning's words are true: "But daughters give up more than sons." Again, wars cost immense sums of money. No less than $50,000,000 has already been appropriated by our government, merely as a beginning of an expenditure that will undoubtedly reach many times this sum. Nations do not, therefore, enter into war lightly. There must be serious reasons for such a step, and to the considerations of these reasons much time and thought are given. Our representatives in Congress have shown great wisdom in considering deliberately all the questions arising, and in not yielding to the popular clamor that seemed to demand more imme. diate action. The pupils in our public schools should all be patriots, and as patriots they should want to know why the United States has resolved to take steps that may involve us in a war with another nation. Let us see if we can make the matter plain. Our greatest and wisest statesmen are mostly agreed that there are two reasons, either one of which would justify us in an appeal to arms. One of these is in the cause of humanity, the other in the cause of patriotism. The Island of Cuba, our closest neighbor, lying adjacent to our eastern coast, is a province of Spain. Some three years ago a body of Cubans, believing that their mother country was oppressing them, revolted and became revolutionists, or as they are termed by Spain, insurgents. Spain at once sent her armies to Cuba and has for three years tried in vain to conquer these insurgents. Enraged at the resistance met with, she has resorted to measures in the prosecution of the war that have violated all the usages of civilized warfare, and have proved abhorrent to all civilized nations. To tell you all of these things would make this article entirely too long. It is enough to know that the course Spain has taken with the Cubans has caused the death by starvation, disease and massacre, of hundreds of thousands of persecuted citizens, a large number of them having been women and children. These facts have been established beyond question. Our government has sent special messengers to Cuba, some o whom were members of Congress, to verify these reports of cruelty. In the name, then, of common humanity, our government has insisted that this treatment of the Cubans shall cease. And further, that, as after three years' trial Spain has utterly failed to suppress the revolution, she shall give up the attempt, leaving the island free and independent. All this is fully given in the resolutions passed by Congress April 19. These also show clearly the stand the American people have taken. Read them. Spain will undoubtedly refuse to accede to these terms, and that will mean war. The second cause is also given in the resolutions. The destruction of our battleship, the Maine, which it has been clearly shown was caused by some of the Spanish people, if not by the government, was, in times of peace, a most dastardly act, and as it occurred in a Spanish harbor, Spain is responsible for the deed. Yet for this outrage she has tendered neither apology nor reparation. And what reparation could she offer that would make amends for this cruel slaughter of 266 of our brave seamen? This is the cause that rouses the patriotism of every Ameaican, and our navy has done well to adopt as the signal of battle, "Remember the Maine!" May it be a signal that shall lead us to a speedy victory-a victory that shall satisfy the demands of both humanity and of patriotism. What Rudyard Kipling Says of England's Naval Wars. We have fed our sea for a thousand years, And she hails us, still unfed; There's never a wave of all her waves But marks our English dead. We have strewn our best to the weed's unrest, To the shark and the sheering gull; If blood be the price of admiralty There's never a flood goes shoreward now But drop our dead on the sands forlorn, From the Ducies to the Swin; If blood be the price of admiralty Good God, we have paid it in! We must feed our sea for a thousand years, For that is our doom and pride, As it was when they sailed with the Golden Hind, Or the wreck that struck last tide; Or the wreck that lies on the spouting reef Where the ghastly blue lights flare; If blood be the price of admiralty Good God, we have bought it fair! You Put no Flowers on my Papa's Grave. FOR DECORATION DAY. With sable-draped banners and slow-measured tread. Once more through the gateway the saddened lines move-- Falls low on the ear of the battle scarred chief. If mama were here but she lies by his side Pays fresh tribute of tears to the lone orphan's sigh. A love pure as this makes these graves hallowed ground. I dreamed so last night, and I know 'twill come true How you folded your arms around their dear one to-day- The Heart of the Storm The wind was black with the rain Harper's Bazar. ARITHMETIC AND MEDICINE. It is an honest quackery that confesses its own blunders, still igno rant that they are nothing worse. A whaling skipper, in the old days, carried a medicine-chest and a "well, it so happened," explained the captain, "that 'fifteen' was |