A LEGENDARY HEROINE.
Character After Whom Little Princess
Mafalda of Italy Was Named.
LittlePrincess Mafalda of lydy
It, is named after one of tlie iegenff<H!'T
f heroines of the house of Savoy, The
first Mafalda was a daughter1 of Ama
m deo III., of Savoy; she delighted in
all manly exercises, and, clad in ar
mor, led a Piedmontese contingent to
help Alii an when it was besieged by
Frederick* Karbarossa. The emperor
fell in love with her, and when she
was captured after being defeated in
a hand-to-hand fight, gave her the
choice between death and becoming
his mistress. She very properly
chose death, declaring that she be
longed to the house of Savoy and that
no member of that house had ever
been a cowarfl. Alfonso Henriquez.
who subsequently became king of
Portugal, managed-to make the em
peror give her up. and afterward he
married the princess. After her hus
band’s death Queen Mafalda became
a, nun, in the nunnery at Coimbra.
Historical dates do not tally with the
fogend, but Mafalda is undoubtedly
a historical person. Her grand
daughter, of the same name, was
made venerable in the Catholic
church on account of her piety. The
name Mafalda is explained as being
the form the Portuguese gave to the
harsh name of Mechtild or Alatilda.—
N. Y. Sun._
BUSINESS COURTESY.
A Question for Men in Commercial
Life to Settle.
“It is a nice question how long a
new tenant of a store or office ought
10 keep the address of a former oc
cupant posted up at the doors and
windows,” said a Broadway trades
man. “When I moved into my pres
ent' quarters my predecessor asked
pe rmission to put up a sign telling
his old customers and the passers-by
that he had removed to a certain
street up town, and of course I said it
would be all right. I kept the card on
exhibition for about four weeks, and
then, supposing that everybody who
had any desire to keep track of him
had found out his present address, I
took the notice down. A few days
later he came in hopping mad. Two
or three old customers had, it seemed,
boon put to considerable inconven
ience in locating him, because of the
removal of the sign, and he was out
for sati5T2'siion. I am afraid, though,
that he d idnT"gFTif, for while I am
willing to do a great deal to help a
fellow worker along, I am not willing
to advertise him indefinitely, to the
detriment of my own business, which
in this case happens to he the same as
his.”—N. Y. Times.
LEGEND OF THE CREATION.
The Hindoo Idea—Curious Notions
Entertained in the Far East.
As is generally known the earliest
source for the religion of India is the
hymns of the Rig Veda, the date of
w inch is now fixed at about 1000 B. C.
In one of these hymns we first see the
creator Purusha, who is simply a
“’magnified man.” A god-like turn
is given to this idea, however, under
w hich the Purusha becomes the “all
itl.'iII*’ tin/1 thpn hppnrnps flfwclv )is
(■(•■dated with the universe, with what
b;.s been and what shall be. All gods,
th- animals and castes are parts of
him. The moon is his mind, the
sun his eye, from his mouth sprang
Jndra and Agni, the Hindu gods of
wisdom and speech: from hi- breath
Vayu, the god of love; heaven from
his head and earth from his feet.
This spring-out theory, when freed
from all its early elements of tradi
• tkm, founds the source of the many
god idea, pure and simple. Jn accord
with this view creative activity is
carried back in other hymns to ‘•de
sire.” We also read in the stories of
gH the Veda that "desire is the seed of
the mind.”—Brooklyn Eagle.
Stars Breaking in Two.
Striking conformation of the as
tronomical theory of Prof. Darwin,
Cambridge, is being brought to
notice. He pointed out that at a cer
tain velocity of revolution on it.-axis
•—one of a few hours—a star would
tend to break in two, and before com
plete separation of the parts it would
take the form of a dumb-bell, or two
pears joined by their small ends. Just
this condition is shown by the light
changes of some lately discovered
variable stars. One southern var
iable, for instance, lias a period of
seven hours, and a study of its light
changes indicates that it is a twin
system, with the two bodies still in
contact, and revolving round the com
mon center in seven hours. Another
- variable star of the southern skies
appears to be a system in which the
tun stars have just separated, the dis
. I:|r;ve between them still small.
_
EVILS OF LOQUACITY.
Physician Says a Man Can Actually
Talk Himself to Death.
‘'Talking is an lyiprofitable busi
ness in more ways than one,” said a
man who is inclined to take the seri
ous view of life, to a New Orleans
Times-Democrat reporter, “and in
this age, when we are inclined to lay
so much stress on the achievements
along scientific lines it might be well
for us to pause for a. few moments and
reflect on the evils of loquacity. It is
an old subject, but it is one, neverthe
less, which may be approached from
new standpoints, and with much
profit. It is an old saying that the
man who talks much learns little, that
‘silence is golden,’ if J may put it in
another way, and our own Ralph
Waldo Emerson put the old saying
that a man cannot open his mouth
without putting his foot in it, in lan
guage a trifle more chaste, hut the
truth thereof was as of old. Mind you,
I do not mean to say that a man should
go through life as dumb ee &p. oyster,
and that he should make signs and
never speak. There are t imes when a
man can turn tal king to good account,
as when he speaks some word of good
cheer and' encouragement at an op
portune time, or when he speaks forc
ibly against the wrong or in favor cf
the right. But talking just to he talk
ing, and saying nothing which can be
remembered, or talking for the pur
pose of belittling the opinions and
1 wounding the feelings of oi^’s fel
lows—talk of this kind is unnrofit
able. Besides, there is a physical
strain about talking that may mean
something in the life of the individ
ual. I was talking to a physician the
other day along this very line, and he
cited a recent case of where a man had
died as the result of talking too much.
‘You have often heard of persona
talking themselves to death,’ said the
physician, ‘and no doubt you have
come to look upon the saying as a
grimly humorous comment on a very
notable weakness in mankind. Here
is where you err. Men do talk them
selves to death, and so do women.
It requires more physical energy than
you would think to carry on an or
dinary conversation. We never think
of the physical strain of talking ex
cept in connection with public ad
dresses, in connection with the efforts
of preachers, lawyers, lecturers and
statesmen. In a less degree we will
find the person engaged in ordinary
conversation undergoing exactly the
same strain. 1 have in mind the re
cent. instance of a man, a fine, robust,
vigorous fellow, who, under less try
ing conditions, would have lived
many years longer, but who died be
cause of the indiscreet use of his voice,
lie died as the result of too much talk
ing. He had a great amount of .work
to do in the way of dictating letters.
He tried to do it. The result was fa
tal. Thestrain helped to bring about
a congestion of the lungs, and he died
while yet engaged in his work. Too
much talking, a too vigorous use of
the voice, is a very bad thing.’ Here
is a case in point, furnished by the
physician, which confirms what I said
at the beginning, that talking is an
unprofitable business in more ways
than one, and not infrequently is at
tended by consequences of a disas
trous nature.”
WOULD HAVE HIS JOKE.
Billy Hurd Selling Three Two-Cent
Stamps for a Nickel.
Hilly Ilurd will have his joke. The
other day one of the grangers asked
the genial hotel proprietor if he could
buy a postage stamp at the counter,
and the following conversation en
sued;
“Certainly,” said Mr. Hurd.
“Two-ccnt ones?” queried the
stranger.
“Sure thing, only we sell 'em three
fur five cents," said the imperturba
ble Hilly.
“What's that! Uncle Sam’s good
two-cent stamps at a discount? I
didn’t know they could be bought
anywhere for that.”
“That’s our price,” said Mr. Ilurd.
And the granger planked down bis
nickel and called for three. 'The pro
prietor immediately delivered the
goods, and then had a fine time ob
serving the circulation of the story
about United States stamps being on
sale at a discount at the hotel coun
ter. Evidently more than lie saw the
joke, for there was no “run on the
bank.”—Hart ford Times.
A New Giant.
From Italy comes news of a veri
table giant. J!c is 24 years of age,
stands seven feet six inches high and
weighs about 1G stone. Four years
ago he was seven feet two inches, and
created a genuine sensation when h«
presented himself for his military
service.
-
J, PtKttPOXT SIOIUiAJf,
A recent writer has described Mr. Morgan as- the visible embodiment of twenleth
century civilization, the most prominent characteristic of which is consolidation and
concentration of all known interests. Mr. Morgan is the descendant of a line of
bankers and1 merchants. He began business life in a banking house at the. age of
20. and now at 65 counts- 45 years of unri mitting (oil behind him. Ills growth as a
financial power has been steady and conservative. He never was what is known
as a plunger, but when he once undertook a thing has never been known to make a
failure of it.
MME. SARAH HER \ HA HUT'S TOMB.
lime. Bernhardt, the ‘‘Divine Sarah” to half or more of the dramatic world,
has personally supervised the construction of a tomb for herself, which Is now com
pleted. It stands in the Pere la Chaise cemetery, Paris, close to the last resting
places of Talma, Rachel and Mile. Mars. Occasionally the famous actress visits
the cemetery andt looks complacently upon the marble as though figuring to herself
what emotions* it will raise in the bosoms of others a few years hence, when she will
be no more. The tomb was designed entirely by 1 > r If, and paid for out of her
own pocket.
M U. «KX. ADA A K. C H AFFKU.
It 1? said at the war department at Washington that Cm. Chaffee will succeed
Gen Young as lieutenant general of the army upon the retirement of Gen. Young,
who will succeed Gen. Miles' next August. Gt n. Young will retire in January, 1£X’I,
and Gen. Chaffee will serve until 194X5. <1 en. Chafte is one of the famous military
men of our country who rose from the ranks. Ho se rved through the civil war anil
later become ix great Indiixn tighter. Jfe hus hi-11 in the public cj e curing the post
three years sis commtvncl'cr ol our forces In Chinn. mid us comnmndcr in chief in
tilt* Philippines?
'»» ^ ___ _.J
VYUttiiu: iiici,ic going to dkcay.
The Grant cabin, rtandinsr in l'ai-mount park. Philadelphia, Is rapidly fallin
to decay and unless uctlve steps are taken to preserve it the country will lose a vai
uable historic souvenir that can never be replaced. From this cabin, which the
stooi'j on the bluff at City Point, Va.. Grant wrote bis elaborate letters to Llncol
and Stanton, his orders to Sherman for h!s march to the s-a, his order removln
Butler and the one which transferred Schofield across the continent. From there h
summoned Sheridan to the command of the army of the Potomac. Its preserve
lion is urged by the U. A. U.
\ A
.. ...... .
FAVORITE NOVELS. |
Fiction Which Has the Stamp of Ap
proval of Famous Novelists.
Sir Arthur Oouan Doyle is gener
pus and candid enough to declare
•.hat lie find's almost as much pleasure
in reading a good novel as in writing
one; and his tastes lie ehicliy in the
direction of fiction of past genera
tions. “If you ask me to name the
novel which in my opinion is without
a rival,” lie says, “J should without
hesitation say ‘The Cloister and the
Hearth,’ a story which, long as it is,
has genius on every page of it. The
second place I should award to Scott,
his ‘lvanhoe’ for choice; and among
recent, works of fiction Barrie’s books
have given me most pleasure.”
Of the last generation of story writ
ers, says London Tit-Bits, there was
perhaps no better critic than dames
Payn, who divided liis allegiance
equally between Scott, Dickens and
Thackeray. “To my mind ‘Ivan
hoc,’ ” he once said, “is the greatest
novel in our language and one that
will live the longest; but it has a for
midable rival in ‘Vanity Fair,’ and
perhaps in ‘David Coppcrfield’ and
‘Martin Cluizzlcwit.’ ”
The late Sir Walter Besnnt always
found a fresh charm in “Lorna
Doone,” which lie considered quite
the best novel of his time. He had
also a gerat admiration for Hardy’s
“Toss of the DTTrbervilles”and Mere
dith’s “Richard Feverel;” indeed,
with the single exception of “Lorna
Doone,” Sir Walter, like so many ex
cellent judges, hold that Meredith is
head and shoulders greater than any
recent writer of fiction.
Mr. Meredith, however, while ad
miring Sir Walter Besant’s books,
awards the palm among his rivals to
Thomas Hardy, many of whose books,
such as “Far from the Madding
Crowd” and “Under the Greenwood
Tree,” he finds unfailingly delight
ful. Of the giants who are gone he
holds Scott, Thackeray and Dickens
unapproachable.
Mr. G. A. Ilenty, the author of so
many charming stories for old and
young,admitsthat amongall the books
of modern writers that have given
him pleasure he is most indebted to
“Lorna Doone.” Mr. Rider Haggard
among living writers admires none
more than Mr. Stanley Weyman,
whose “Gentleman of France” he con
siders a masterpiece of fiction. He is
also a great admirer of Conan Doyle,,
and considers that that clever and
nopular story teller has never writ
ten anything to equal “The White
Company,” a verdict which Sir Ar
thur himself indorses.
Miss Marie Corelli confesses a lik
ing for Marion Crawford’s Italian
stories. She places the author of
“Doctor Claudius'' at the head of
present-day story tellers; but her real
heroes in fiction are George Eliot and
Charlotte Bronte, Scott and Dickens.
Edna Lyall has a similar affection
for Dickens, whose “David Copper
field” she knows from cover to cover.
Scott's novels she loves, especially
“Rob Roy;” and among other books
which hold a high place in her regard
are “Silas Marner,” “Esmond,” and
Mrs. GaskelFs “Cranford.”
Mr. Christie Murray says he has
spent his happiest reading hours
•ii /«> i n cl /-'ll • i i
wini v jinuca iu'jwc o viuioin auu
the Hearth;” but in very close rivalry
he places “David Copperfield” and
“Ivanhoe,” while he pleads guilty to
an affection for “Tom Jones.” Mr.
George Gissing's favorite authors are
Charlotte Bronte, Meredith and
Thomas Hardy, in the order named;
and of all their works he loves best
“Villette,” Richard Feverel,” and
“The Return of the Native;” and
the late Mr. R. L. Stevenson, whose
taste in fiction was as indisputable as
his gift of writing it, placed Scott at
the head of his favorite novelists, with
“Guy Mnnnering,” “Red Gauntlet,”
and “Rob Roy" as his best stories, and
of later works of fiction he had the
highest opinion of Thackeray’s “Es
mond” and George Meredith's‘‘Rich
ard Feverel.”
The Illusionary “0.”
A firm which was sued at the West
minster county court for the price oi
. a sign defended the ease on the
ground that the “0” in their name
was smaller than the other letters,
It was proved by measurement, how
ever, that it was a sixteenth of ail incl
larger, allowance having been mad<
for the fact that, owing to an optica
iilusion, the letter “O” always look:
smaller than the neighboring letters
j udgment was given for t he sign rnak
Ole.
Aged Lifebcatmen.
i -
At Winterton,noar Yarmouth, Eng
n land, there are three brothers, Wil
£ Liam, Henry and Charles Towles, age<
8U and 8xJ, who are still member:
oi the lifeboat trew.
HAPPY AT LAST.
Employer Thought His Clerk Wanted
an Increase in Salary.
There was a look of strong deter
mination on the young man’s face
as he started for the private office of
the head of the firm, such a look ns
comes in a man’s face when he has
made up his mind to do or die.
Knock! knock! knock!
“Come in.”
The young man hesitated for the
millionth part of a second, relates
London Tit-Bits, and drew a long
breath. It was against the rules of
the house for an employe to draw a
long breath during working hours,
but our hero chanced it.
“Well?” queried the head of the
firm, as lie looked up with an icy glare
in his eyes.
“Mr. Overall,” began the young
man, as lie made a great effort to con
trol his emotions, “I have been with
you over four years.”
“Yes.”
“1 trust that during this long peri
od my corn! act has been such that—”
“But this is no time to come to me
with any such request.”
“Mr. Overall, I was advised to come
to you weeks ago, hut I put it off.”
“Then put it off again. Haven’t
you got sense enough to realize that
business has been dull ns ditch water
for the last 12 months?”
“I know it lias, sir; hut one may
love during had times as well as when
times are easy, Mr. Over—”
“Love! love! What in Jericho has
love got to do with it? You are now
getting two pounds a week, 1 believe,
and if you aren’t satisfied you can
ffO.”
“Mr. Overall, you have a daugh
ter.”
“Yes, 1 know—three of’em.”
“I love the eldest—your Edith—
and I know she loves me.”
“And you want her hand in mar
riage?”
“I do.”
“Take it. Take Edith, Jane and
Sarah—all three of ’em, if they’ll
have you—and get married to-mor
row if you want to!”
“Mr. Overall, how can I ever—”
“Never mind, clear out! Great
Scot! but what a shock you gave me!
I thought you had come to askflSra
rise of live shillings a week in your
salary! Young man, next time you
want to marry into my family come in
here and jump on my neck in a busi
ncss-11ir<-i?aan ner, instead of scaring
me out of a yeaPf growth. Yes, take
’em and marry ’em and be hapes^-"—
and get out.”_
THE INTERVIEWER.
Why He Did Not Get the Information
He Was After.
“After all, a ‘turn down,’ with just
a tinge of the literary flavor, loses
much of its depressing effect,” said
the interviewer at luncheon with a
friend in a Broadway restaurant the
other day, according to the New York
Post.
“Explain,” suggested the friend
over his wedge of pumpkin pie.
“It occurred in a large office
building not very far froraflfcte place
.f refreshment,” said the interviewer.
“1 had gone there to talk to a man
about some important undertaking in
which he was interested. Somewhat
to my surprise, he seemed to feel re
sentful at the attitude of thf
paper which had dispatched me on
my mission. He was perfectly civil,
mark you. But he turned to his desk
nrid I snt listening.
'Hello!' ho said. ‘Give me President
Smith's office. Hello! Is that you,
Tom? Yes. This is Henry. I sim
ply wanted to warn you that the
hound of the Baskervilles is loose
upon our trail. He’s sitting beside
me now', representing So and So. Bar
the door when he comes up to your of
fice in the elevator, will you? Yes!
Good-by.’
“Then,” said the interviewer, “the
man turned to me with outstretched
hand and a courteous smile. ‘Noth
ing personal,’ lie said. ‘But I had to
do it.’ ”
“Did you go upstairs?” asked the
friend.
“The reward of the man who seeks
to force the Sphinx to speak is mock
ery,” replied the interviewer,sagely.
Coal Dispensable.
The town of Davos, in Switzerland,
is considering a bold scheme for the
abolition of all the ordinary forms of
fuel, it is proposed to erect an ex
tensive electric plant at the conflu
ence of two large mountain torrents,
whose united waters will supply the
necessary motive force. Already
electricity is not only used for light
ing and motive power, hut is adopted
- in many villas for cooking and heat
- ing, and in one of the largest bakeries.
1 The idea is to do away with all con
tain inaticn of the air Lj tbe use ol
fuel.