The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-03-25

TIMELY TOPICS.
The railroad war is spreading, the
Michigan Central and Michigan South
ern having begun to cut passenger fares
in order to catch some of the spring
travel now about opening. The lndi-
annapolis and ST. Louis road also hos
reduced its faro to New York. W. FL.
Vanderbilt, being interviewed few
days since on the subject, is reported
as saying that there were very few pas
sengers travelling at the present season,
and the roads were, like Kilkenny cats,
tearing each other to pieces for the
purpose OF securing shem. When the
passenger business became brisk he
predicted this kind of conflict would
cease. and the rates become firm again,
AS had been the case during former
seasons OF rallfOiu btrile'
IL the post.oiiice department were an
institution gotten up expressly for the
annoyance of the public, it could hardly
be more efficient as a nuisance than it
is. The repeated changes in the rates
of postage on printed matter are enough
to distract statesmen Themselves, let
alone ordinary men, and it is no wonder
that the public, always stupid in mat
ters that most concern it, should fail to
keep informed of all the little postal
revolutions that take place i'll tho course
of year. BY the recent change in
postal rates probably half the news
papers mailed by individuals will be
held for postage and sold for wrapping
paper. -
SAILING vessels have been decreasing
in number for the last four years. In
1870 the total number Of registered
sailing vessels in the world was 56,5l8.
In 1874 the number had decreased to
$685. AT the same time the average
size of the ships had also decreased
from 270 tons to 258 tons. The de-
crease in both cases has taken place
principally in the fleets of America,
England, France, and Germany, where
steamers are rapidly supplanting sail
ing ships, and this decrease has been
sufficient to more than counterbalance
the increase of the number of sailing
ships belonging to Greece, Portugal,
and Norway.
A LETTER from Florence, Arizona, to
the San Diego Union, gives detailed
interview with Bender, the Kansas
murderer. He confcsses that he is
John Bender, but states that he did not
commit the murders, but that John and
Kate, his son and daughter, did. He
declines to state the whereabouts OF his
family. He says they went from Kansas
to Texas, and there separated, he COM
ing to New Mexico and subsequently
to Arizona. He left John and Kate
with the old woman. A requisition
from the governor of Kansas is daily
expected, when he will be taken there.
DRs BEAM and Wagner, the German
statisticians, estimate the total popula-
tion of the globe at 1891, ,O32, 900 souls.
Asia contains over G7 per cent; Europe
less than % Africa less than Is, and
America barely per cent. The nation
of China alone embraces 425, 800, 900,
or nearly one-third of the whole world.
Hindoostsn is credited with 40,O0O,-
600, so that these two countries contain
nearly half of the human race.
DIR. DEKovEN, High Churchman,
has been rejected, and DIR. Jaggers, a
Low Churchman, whose Endorsement
OF Bishop Cheney's position before he
seeded created considerable excitement,
has received votes enough to make his
confirmation as bishop of Southern
Ohio certain beyond any doubt. The
result in these two cases settles the
status of the laity as between High
Church and Low Church.
New YORK city is on the point of try
ing new sy stem Of underground tele-
graph wires. The new venture is Great
ing so much enthusiasm that bill has
been introduced by the state assembly
providing that within six months after
it's passage all telegraphic wires in
cities of the state containing over 2OO,-
600 inhabitants shall be laid under the
street or sidewalk.
A INSTRUMENTATION boy in Paris
recently induced a companion of eleven
years of age to steal nine hundred
francs in gold, and then strangled him,
threw him into the Seine, and then
walked off with the money. He was
sentenced to twenty years in the gal
leys, "having escaped the death PEN
atty" we are told, con account of his
youth"
A CHICAGO reporter, having been IN
structed to write up the county poor
house of Cook county, clothed himself
in ragged and filthy garments, rubbed
mud on his face and got permit to the
institution, where he remained as
pauper for four days. He then slipped
away and wrote it up with ali its hor-