Baptists of the Netherlands.-The Baptists of the Netherlands began to hold general meetings about 1880, and now have a regular organization called the Union of Churches of Baptist Christians in the Netherlands. They have 13 churches, and the annual meeting of 1901, which was held at Sneek, was attended by 26 pastors and delegates, and about 30 visitors from Germany, South Belgium, and England, as well as trom Holland. Two additional churches had joined the union during the year. About $300 had been contributed for missions, and the money was sent to the German Baptist missions in Cameroons, on the Congo, and in North Africa. About $500 had Leen contributed to home mission work. The union decided to begin colportage work in Belgium and in parts of northern France.

Baptist Conference in Sweden. The first Baptist church in Sweden was founded in 1848, with 6 members. The conference of 1901 was held at Orebro, in the province of Nerike, in September. The statistical reports represented 19 district associations, with 566 churches, 390 houses of worship, 7 new ones having been built during the year, 753 preachers, of whom 250 gave all their time to ministerial labor, 41,101 members, 1.704 baptisms during the year, 663,133 kronor contributed for church and missionary purposes, and church property valued at 3,159,033 kronor, against which stood 962,784 kronor of indebtedness; and 934 Sunday-schools, with 3,482 teachers and 46,172 pupils. The Committee for Foreign Missions reported 4 missionary stations in the Russian Empire, 1 in Spain, I in China, and a missionary family on the Congo working in connection with the American Baptist Missionary Union, which is sustained by Swedes. The mission in China had not suffered by the riots of the war, but was reported as prosperous, with a new church built at Kiaw-Chew, and several Chinese baptized by the missionaries. Several of the Swedish Baptists were expecting to visit the United States in 1902 to participate in the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the first Swedish Baptist church here, Sept. 26, 1852.

BELGIUM, a constitutional, representative, and hereditary monarchy in western Europe. The legislative power is vested in the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives: Senators are elected for eight years, half of them being replaced every four years. The number is half that of the Chamber, which is regulated according to the census in the ratio of 1 Deputy to 40,000 inhabitants. The Chamber of Representatives in 1901 contained 152 members, the Senate 76. Of the Senators 26 are elected by provincial councils, the rest directly by the people. Candidates for popular election must be taxpayers to the amount of 1,200 francs, or possess real estate worth 12,000 francs a year. Members of the Chamber of Representatives are elected for four years, half of them being renewed every two years. Every citizen over twenty-five years of age, possessing full civil rights, and domiciled for one year in his district, has one electoral vote, and can cast a supplementary vote if he is thirty-five years of age, married or a widower with legitimate issue, and pays 5 francs of direct taxes, or if he possesses real property of the value of 2.000 francs or investments in public funds yielding 100 francs a year. If he is a graduate of an institution of higher education or holds or has held public office or holds any position implying the possession of education he can cast two supplementary votes. The number of votes for members of the Chamber in 1900 was 2.239,621, cast by 1,452,232 electors; the num

ber for Senators was 1,994,153, cast by 1,227,720 electors.

The reigning sovereign is Leopold II, born April 9, 1835, who on Dec. 10, 1865, succeeded his father Leopold I, a prince of Saxe-Coburg, who was elected the first King of the Belgians by a National Congress on June 4, 1831, after the secession of Belgium from the Netherlands. By the treaty of London, signed on Nov. 15, 1831, Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia guaranteed the perpetual neutrality of Belgium. The heir to the throne is Philippe, Count of Flanders, born March 24, 1837, the King's only brother, who has one son living, Prince Albert, born April 8, 1875. The Council of Ministers appointed on Aug. 5, 1899, was composed as follows: President and Minister of Finance and Public Works, Count de Smet de Naeyer; Minister of Foreign Affairs, P. de Favereau; Minister of the Interior, M. de Trooz; Minister of Justice; M. van den Heuvel; Minister of War, Gen. Cousebant Alkemade; Minister of Agriculture, Baron van der Bruggen; Minister of Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs, M. Liebart; Minister of Industry and Labor, Baron Surmont de Volsberghe.

Area and Population.-Belgium has an area of 11,373 square miles. The population on Dec. 31, 1899, was estimated at 6.744,532, composed of 3,363,436 males and 3,381,096 females. The number of marriages in 1898 according to the corrected reports was 55,444; of births, 190,921; of deaths, 117,457; excess of births, 73,464. The decennial census of Dec. 31, 1900, shows a population a little over 6,800,000.

The number of immigrants in 1899 was 26,364 and of emigrants 22,957, showing a net immigration of 3,407.

Finances. The ordinary revenue of the Government in 1898 amounted to 439,282,000 francs, and expenditure to 426,012,000 francs. In 1899 the ordinary revenue was 466,728,000 francs. The budget presented for 1901 makes the ordinary revenue 488,429,760 francs, and the ordinary expenditure 488,047,973 francs. Of the revenue property taxes were expected to yield 26,144,000 francs, personal taxes 21,289,000 francs, trade licenses 8,600,000 francs, mines 2,200,000 francs, customs 43,120,166 francs, excise taxes 65,450,500 francs, various taxes 2,902,000 francs, registration and other fees 30,200,000 francs, succession duties 19,720,000 francs, stamps 8,700,000 francs, fines, etc., 913,000 francs, rivers and canals 2,030,000 francs, railroads 206,000,000 francs, telegraphs 9,640,000 francs, the post-office 15,783,620 francs, pilotage 1,460,000 francs, domains and forests 3,537,000 francs, bank and other profits 15,871,800 francs, and repayments 4,868,174 francs. Of the total ordinary expenditure the interest and sinking fund of the debt absorbed 130,730,570 francs, the civil list and dotations 5,047,990 francs, the Ministry of Justice 26,544,900 francs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 3,159,168 francs, the Ministry of the Interior and Public Instruction 30,563,950 francs, the Ministry of Agriculture 11,967,309 francs, the Ministry of Industry and Labor 16.250,150 francs, the Ministry of Railroads, Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones 164,560,412 francs, the Ministry of War 55.339.316 franes, the Ministry of Finance and Public Works 34,652,345 franes, the gendarmerie 7,155,863 francs, repayments, etc.. 2.076,000 francs.

The capital of the public debt on Jan. 1, 1900, was 2,604,255,114 franes, comprising three series of 3-per-cent. rentes and Belgium's share of 219,959.632 francs in the old debt of the Netherlands. The 3-per-cent. rente of 84,798 francs a year under the head of military obligations has a capital

two years when the bill was amended by the Senate to that effect. The prohibitory clause in the bill forbids all gambling in public places where stakes are generally known or are of sufficient amount to make them an object of gain.

A clause prohibiting games of chance in private as well as in public places was rejected by the Senate. The question of compensating Ostend and Spa, which had made public improvements on the strength of revenues derived from the gaming-tables, was laid over by the Senate for further discussion. When the Government old-age pension act went into force 175,000 old people applied for the pension, which is 65 francs a year, payable semiannually. A bill framed by the Government and passed by the Chambers changes the principles governing accidents to workmen and employers' liability. Under the old bill a workman claiming compensation had to prove negligence on the part of the employer. The new act provides that in all cases of disability extending beyond two weeks the employer is bound to pay half wages so long as total incapacity lasts, or, in case of partial incapacity, half the difference in earnings. Employers have the liberty of insuring their risks in the Government savings-bank or in private companies; if one does not do so he must pay a certain amount into a state bank or an insurance company approved by the state to provide for future compensation to workmen. The new bill extends the principle of compensation, hitherto confined to accidents from machinery worked by motive power, to those caused by agricultural machinery when it is driven by an elemental force. King Leopold having offered to give to the nation the greater part of the royal domains throughout Belgium, the Chamber of Representatives voted to accept the gift, but the Senate postponed action in order to determine the status of certain communes in the Ardennes. The Government agreed to grant amnesty to political offenders and persons convicted of misdemeanors connected with strikes, not including acts of violence. A Socialist motion to increase the pay of letter-carriers, which is only 2 to 4 francs a day, was rejected. A bill was adopted granting higher pensions to teachers and admitting classes previously excluded. The Socialists interpellated the Government regarding instructions a general was said to have given to the civic guards to fire on the people in case of riot, and the Government's position that good citizens should prepare to resist rioting was sustained by the votes of the Right alone, the Moderate Liberals abstaining.

The question of military reform was referred to a military commission, and on its report was based a bill presented by the Government. The commission was appointed in order to appease a feeling of alarm at the inadequacy of Belgium's defenses and a growing sentiment in favor of personal service. The Belgian Government formerly, even when it did not neglect military affairs, relied for the security of Belgium mainly on the guarantee of the neutrality and inviolability of Belgian territory by the adjoining powers. In recent years military experts have impressed the people with the idea of the instability of treaty rights and with the necessity of being able to assert and defend Belgium's neutrality. In 1870 France and Germany, on opening hostilities, both invited Belgium to defend her frontier. Before the Franco-German War Antwerp was held to be the most important stronghold, the plan being in case of attack to concentrate supplies there and await assistance from outside. Since then strategists have recognized the Meuse valley as the key of the situation, and accordingly earthworks were

erected at Liège and Namur. The idea of a central citadel was not abandoned. Gen. Brialmont favored strengthening the inner ring of fortifications, which have become obsolete. The military commission pronounced in favor of the scheme already accepted by the Government of erecting a chain of forts extending in a semicircle 25 miles round the city. The demolition of the existing fortifications, constructed in 1859, was decided on, giving room for the city to expand and providing part of the means for defraying the cost of a new inner line of forts of greatly improved type, which would absorb 41,000,000 francs in addition to the value of the site of the old forts. The fortification of the right and left bank of the Scheldt was deemed urgent, also the strengthening of the batteries at Termonde, but the fortress of Diest was regarded as no longer necessary. The principle of an effective armed neutrality was approved without qualification; yet when it came to actual army reform the Government was afraid to offend the mass of the Clerical voters by abolishing substitution or materially enlarging the army on the peace footing. The commission recommended that the annual contingent of 13,300 men be increased to 18,000, considering this to be rendered necessary by the reduction of the term of active service to twenty-two months for infantry and six months for cavalry and artillery. Otherwise the peace strength of 47,000 men could not be maintained unless more volunteers could be attracted to active service. The Government decided to keep the annual levy of conscripts at the same figure as before and to hold out inducements for volunteers to be embodied with the conscripts and counted in the annual contingent. The principle of personal service, though recommended by the commission, was discarded. The sum to be paid for a substitute was reduced from 1,600 francs to 1,000 francs or less. Encouragement is given to volunteering by the offer of the same pay to volunteers as is given to regulars. One-year volunteers up to the number of 2,000 may be engaged without remuneration with the privilege of living at home or choosing their garrison town. Soldiers are not to be detailed for non-military duties, but will be trained in military duties. throughout the shortened term of service. Preference in civil employments will be given to men who have served in the army in any capacity. The principle on which the army will be recruited is voluntary enlistment, not conscription, the annual levy in any district being fixed at the number required to fill out the contingent. The principle of volunteering is introduced in a country where conscription has been customary since the army was first created, adopted altogether as an experiment in direct defiance of the agitation that called for army reform. The war strength of the army is expected to be increased by the extension of volunteering and the reduction of the period of service with the colors from 145,000 to 180,000 men. The total period of service is eight years in the active army and five years in the reserves, which can only be called out in case of war. Volunteers are divided into those who choose the military profession, those who volunteer to draw for the contingent, those who offer themselves as substitutes, and those whose condition entitles them to special remuneration. All classes rank as regulars in regard to term of service and pay.

The Chambers had to decide in the session of 1901 the question of anexing the Congo State. Under the option of 1890, if the decision should be against annexation the loan of 25,000,000 francs. made by Belgium to the Independent State would be repayable after a further period of ten years,

but with interest added. The advances under the conventions of 1890 and 1895 were made to extricate the Congo State from financial difficulties, but now that its finances were in a flourishing condition the sovereign was reluctant to submit the administration to the caprices of parliamentary majorities. As there was opposition to annexation in certain sections of the Belgian people, M. de Smet de Naeyer proposed to adjourn the question for a further term of ten years, and in the meantime to allow the loan to stand over without interest. Ex-Premier Beernaert opposed this project, believing that the rights of Belgium would lapse. Even the Socialists, opponents of colonial expansion hitherto, demanded the assertion of those rights or a new convention to preserve them. M. Beernaert proposed a bill declaring the annexation of the Congo State and providing for the continuance of the existing administration for a year, during which the Legislature should decide on a special régime, legislative, administrative, and judicial, for the new Belgian possession. This would likely have been carried had not the sovereign intervened, declaring in a letter to M. Woeste that the Congo administration would naturally refuse to participate in that sort of hybrid government which would be chaos and would produce friction and loss, both externally and internally; and stating that the time had not yet arrived when the Free State was able to assure to Belgium all the advantages that he desired should accrue to her, while, on the other hand, Belgium was for the moment unable to set up a substitute for the present administration. This declaration was tantamount to a threat of resignation as sovereign of the Free State if the annexation scheme were pressed. M. Beernaert withdrew his proposals, and a Government bill was presented, preserving Belgium's right of annexation by reaffirming the option and suspending financial relations between Belgium and the Congo State, thereby wiping out the various loans advanced by Belgium in the event of annexation. It was thus left to King Leopold to choose the moment when he shall transfer the Free State and under what conditions. The principle was admitted by both Chambers that the organic law of the new colony must be elaborated and approved by the Legislature before annexation, but the ministers intimated the kind of administration on which the sovereign will insist, which will be one entrusted entirely to the executive power, with native affairs left completely under his own control, the only intervention of Parliament to be in financial affairs, and in those it should have only the right to make suggestions, not to vote the budget. An annual report of the financial and economical condition of the colony will be submitted to the Belgian Chambers for formal approval, and only when it is a question of borrow ing or other matter affecting Belgian taxpayers will the Legislature be called upon to take action, while King Leopold will exercise the same supervision and control that he has as sovereign of the Free State. Before the passage of the Government bill perpetuating the right of annexation, but postponing indefinitely its consummation, the French Government, which under the treaty of 1884 acquired a right of preemption, gave an assurance that it would in no way contest Belgium's right to annex the Congo territories. The total amount of the advances remitted to the Congo State as the condition of keeping the right of annexation alive is about 32,000,000 francs. The bill was passed. In the event of the King's death the Congo is definitely secured to Belgium by the King's testament.

Agitation for Electoral Reform.-More important than any question that came before Parliament was the question of suffrage which the Socialists brought to the front by a lively popular agitation. At their annual congress in April they decided to continue the struggle for the abolition of plural voting by every possible means, including, if necessary, a universal strike and street agitation. The fruit of the universal strike of 1893 in favor of universal suffrage pure and simple was the present electoral law establishing universal suffrage complicated with plural voting. This was voted in 1894 by the Catholic party then in power with M. Beernaert as Prime Minister. The tax qualification giving two votes shuts out 765,000 family men of the working class, about 70 per cent. of the total number, and the professional qualification for the triple vote gives disproportionate influence to ecclesiastics, who constitute one-sixth of the 42,000 electors so privileged. The Moderate Liberals in the former campaign for electoral reform were more averse to universal suffrage than the Clericals, who granted it because the Flemish peasants would strengthen their party as much as the working-class vote of the Charleroi and Liège districts would increase the Socialist representation, while the Liberals, their real political rivals, would derive from it little accession of voting strength. Now the Moderate Liberals were willing to support the Socialist demand. The Clerical majority, which has been preserved through the various changes in the suffrage and representation laws since 1884, has aroused much opposition by its legislation. and can hardly overcome a fusion of Liberals and Socialists at the polls. The education bill passed in 1895, prescribing religious instruction in the communal schools, unless parents apply for a special dispensation on the ground of religious scruples, this latter clause having been inserted in deference to public opinion, was never put into operation in communes where Liberalism is strong until 1901, and then only in a modified form. In Brussels the communal authorities rejected the list of priests nominated as religious instructors, and the Government law officers acknowledged that the communal council has complete administrative autonomy in school matters. The applications for special dispensation were so numerous in Brussels that religious instruction became a farce. The ministry narrowly escaped defeat in the Chamber on the question of text-books. Thus the revolt against secular education that brought the Catholic party into power has lost its motive and its energy. The Government in 1899 attempted to force through Parliament a redistribution bill that would rearrange the constituencies in such a way as to secure a permanent Catholic majority. The Moderates and Socialists saw through the maneuver, and the bill aroused such hostility that rioting took place in the streets of Brussels, and the Government yielded before the popular storm. The election of 1900 was held under the system of proportional representation enacted on Dec. 29, 1899. Voting is by scrutin de liste. The number of seats allotted to each party is proportioned to the number of times the total party vote contains the electoral divisor, obtained by dividing the total number of registered voters by the number of tickets in the field. Parties whose list of candidates obtains a less number of votes than the electoral divisor are left out of the representation, and thus second ballots are unnecessary. In the election of 1900 the Clericals won 85 seats, the Liberals and Radicals 33, and the Socialists 34. reducing the working majority of the Government from 70 to 18. In the session

of 1901 the electoral question was brought up by M. Janson, who proposed to take the opinion of the country on universal suffrage and the application of proportional representation to all elections by means of a referendum. The motion obtained 50 votes, and was rejected by a majority of only 35, although there is no provision in the Constitution for a popular referendum, which the Ministerialists described as a dangerous and revolutionary device. The Socialist party in a manifesto threatened revolution if pacific means should fail to bring about the system of one man one vote. On July 30 the Socialists in the Chamber enacted an episode of unprecedented obstruction and disorder. The Radicals and the Moderate Liberals agreed to unite with the Socialists in the campaign to secure the desired electoral reform before or by means of the election of 1902, after which Socialists and Liberals will resume their liberty of action.

BOLIVIA, a republic in South America. The Congress consists of a Senate of 18 members, 2 from each department, elected for six years, onethird being renewed biennially, and a House of Representatives containing 69 members, elected for four years, one-half being renewed biennially. The President and Vice-Presidents are elected for four years by direct popular suffrage. The President for the term beginning Aug. 6, 1899, is Gen. José Manuel Pando; the Vice-Presidents are Col. Lucio Peres Velasco and Dr. Anibal Capriles. The Cabinet in the beginning of 1901 was composed as follows: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Dr. Eleodoro Villazon; Minister of Finance and Industry, Dr. Demetrio Calvimontes; Minister of the Interior, Carlos V. Romero; Minister of Justice and Public Instruction, Samuel Oropeza; Minister of War and Colonization, Col. Ismael Montes.

Area and Population. The area of Bolivia is 567,430 square miles. The population is estimated at 2,270,000, including about 250,000 uncivilized

Indians.

Finances. The revenue was estimated in the budget for 1900 at 7,331,400 bolivianos, and expenditure at 7,930,188 bolivianos. The foreign debt in 1900 amounted to 6,550,830 bolivianos, the internal debt to 3,934,250 bolivianos.

The Army. The active army comprises 2 battalions of infantry, each consisting of 220 men divided into 4 companies, 2 regiments of cavalry, 2 regiments of artillery, 1 battalion in garrison in each department, and the military college, the total strength being 2,975 men. The National Guard, in which obligatory service for two years is prescribed by law, numbers 82,560 men, divided into three classes.

Commerce and Production.—The value of imports in 1899 was 12,839,962 bolivianos, and of exports 27,365,747 bolivianos. The production of rubber is increasing, much of it coming from the Acre district, the export in 1898 reaching 3,000 tons. The value of coca exported annually is about 3,000,000 bolivianos. The production of silver in 1898 was 9,961,433 ounces, and in 1899 it was 11,155,190 ounces. The annual production of concentrated tin ore is over 4,000 tons, and in 1899 the export of bars was 2.000 tons. About 3.000 tons of copper ore were exported. The value of silver exported was about 10,000,000 bolivianos; of rubber, 8,000,000 bolivianos; of tin, 5.000.000 bolivianos. Other exports are wool, cattle, hides, and coffee. Of the imports 27 per cent. come from Germany, 11 per cent. from Chili, 9 per cent. from Great Britain, 9 per cent. from France, and 8 per cent. from the United States. Of the exports 44 per cent. are shipped to Great VOL. XLI.-6 A

Britain, 35 per cent. to Germany, and 6 per cent. to France.

Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs.-The length of railroad in operation in 1900 was 604 miles.

The postal traffic in 1899 was 1,181,683 pieces in the internal and 536,226 in the international service; receipts were 369,715 francs, and expenses 489,173 francs.

The telegraphs in 1899 had a total length of 2,254 miles, with 4,125 miles of wire.

BOOKBINDING, SPECIAL AMERICAN. The binding of a book, though attractive to some, has had little or no significance to a very large number of persons. The majority of men could not tell the difference between a commercial or machine-made binding and a special or hand-made binding, and if the ordinary reader of the latest ephemeral but transiently popular novel were asked to pay $500 for a binding, even though it had been executed by a Cobden-Sanderson, he would feel sure that the price was extortionate, and that he was being robbed. The mass of bookreaders consider that bookbinding belongs to the publisher rather than to the purchaser of a book. Cloth is good enough for them, especially when the decorations are so ornate, as is now so frequently the case in edition binding. They know nothing of the charms of Levant morocco, tree calf, pigskin, vellum, and the like, which are curiosities to them, nothing more. It is only within very recent years that a binder whose ordinary price for covering a book with leather and for finishing it with inlay and gold tooling exceeded $50 could have found it possible to secure enough patronage to maintain an establishment. Prior to 1875 the book world had been content with a simplicity that was severe. Our forefathers dressed the New England Primers in real board covers, which were again covered with paper, pasted on. Similar bindings of thin wood appeared upon that standard book Locke on the Understanding. With the passing of bindings of this kind a dull covering of calf came into use which now lingers in multiple specimen form upon the bargain-counters of dealers in second-hand books.

The time came when collectors of books had special bindings placed upon the volumes they cherished, but to have this done properly the books had to be sent to French or to English binderies, and be subject to the perils of two transatlantic voyages. Pioneer work in fine American bookbinding was perhaps done by William Matthews, who exhibited a copy of Owen Jones's Alhambra in this class of binding at the New York World's Fair in 1853. Many notable bindings were afterward executed by him, and his reputation as a special binder is exceedingly enviable. Following him not quite thirty years later, Otto Zahn, a binder who had studied, and practised the art of fancy bookbinding in many lands, found enough encouragement to come to this country. He finally established himself in Memphis, Tenn., where he has since remained, and where he now binds for book-collectors of note throughout the United States. So great has become the demand for bindings of this class that Mr. Zahn has been obliged to limit his personal binding of books to those the minimum price of which is $100.

Other bookbinders that are or have been well known in the practise of their art in this country are as follow: Smith, McDonald, Blackwell, Pfister, Kuster. Launder, Stikeman, the Club Bindery, and Schleuning & Adams, in New York; Sanford, in Pittsburg; P. Ringer and Hertzberg, in Chicago; Peter Verburg, a pupil of Miss E. G. Starr, in