The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-04-16
MANKATO FREE PRESS,
DousLs TINE CIRCULATION
q AaY Paper Published h Blue Earsh cevsk.
GOSSIP OF THE DAY.

CT Aay Paper Published Ia Blue Earth csssk.
GOSSIP OF THE DAY.
vrRcfSIA is still the sod Dominion" where
Serssin ancient customs yet obtain. A petty
solei "a white man, In proof Of impartiaity to
COLOR crossed tho James river from Richmond
to Manchester and stole coat. The MAYORS
court sentenced the culprit TO receive thirty
iaShes, which were distributed with a wiskern
worthy sancho Panza. Fifteen Of them were
registered on the rascal's back at once, and the
remainder were kept In trust to be delivered the
next time he should set. foot in town.
TH people OF Brighton, England, are getting
alarmed about their beach. Happears that the
shingle always moves from west to east, and rs
some new distractions have been placed at
shorehani, the supply Is failing The beach
committee having, for many years past, allowed
builders to take away $4,000 tons of shingles
annually, are naturally beginning TO be some
what frightened. II they do not take care they
VIII ma the kings road in the sea, and the
charming lawns, with their tennis sons and
daughters at Queens Gardens, washed away al
together.
The large number Of complaints received by
the secretary OF the interior Of the squandering
by pensioners Of the money received by them
from the government has induced tho commits
s'oier OF pensions to recommend TO congress
the passage Of bill providing that, where PEN
sioners arc given TO intoxication, are insane, or
have abandoned their families, or are i'm prison,
that their pensions shall be paid TO their wives,
children or guardians. The house committee
on pensions has heard Commissioner Bentle, on
tins subject, and was SO favorably impressed
with his views that bill has been prepared and
val be submitted TO the house Immediately.
The same subject was brought to the attention |
of the senate committee on pensions, and they |
VIII also report bill to the same effect.
IHE New York SUI thinks that the China of |
to-day may prove for Russia different sort OF |
antagonist from the helpless old government |
which European nations knocked about Ms they |
pleased few years ago. Some notions Of mod |
ern warfare have penetrated the Celestial king |
dom and Cinnamon armed with rifles and drilled |
IN the use Of them might make formidable OBJ |
Ponents Indeed there are political philoso- |
pliers, fond Of indulging in visions Of the far |
future, who insist that in such a change lies the
possibility of destruction OF European cyiliza-
non as complete and terrible a. that which fol- |
lowed the fall Of the Roman empire. should |
the swarming hordes Of Asia become aware Of |
their own power and fired with a few sparks Of |
the mad ambition which stirred the Tartar con- |
querors, an Outpouring Of China against Russia |
might bring such dream within the possibili- |
ties.
In the year 1869, government commission, |
composed of General Wright, General Newton, |
and Major King, examined the Brooklyn bridge |
project on behalf of the federal government. |
The act of congress granting the right of way
across the East river contained the condition
that the channel should not be obstructed, i'm
paired or injuIiously modified; and the commits
sion decided that the structure would have to be
built at a height Of 1870 feet above mean high |
water OF. the spring tides. But the plans OF the |
bridge engineers were approved by the secretary |
of war with the proyiso that there should be
height Of not less than lS5 feet above mean
high wateriof the spring tides. General Newton
says that he is not aware that any provision has
been made to see that the condition has been car
ried out, and he does not know Of anybody whose
official duty il is TO test the matter. He thinks,
however, that the builders Of the bridge will
not be such fools as to depart from the original |
conditions.
The Island of Rotumah, which has been pro-
visionally annexed to the British empire by Sir |
Arthur Gordon at IL" request Of deputation
of the chiefs of two hostile factions who inhab-
il il, lies q little to the north and east of the
Fiji Archipelago, and was discovered by Capt.
Edwards during his search for the mutineers Of
the Bounty in 1871. Although the island is
small, its population is comparatively numer-
Gus, the shores being covered with villages,
which touch and join TO one another. The soil |
is very fertile and the small vessels which trade |
among the islands Of this section OF the South |
Pacific Ocean frequently ell at Rotumah for |
supplies Of vegetables and provisions. The in |
habitants are noted as making good sailors, and |
large numbers of the younger men adopt, at |
least temporarily, a seafaring life. This they |
do, il is stated partly TO escape from the harsh |
rule Of the missionaries who long ago estab- |
hshed themselves upon the island, and appar- |
entity have succeeded here, ~ in many other of |
the Pacific islands, in acquiring immense power.
THE Canadian minister Of agriculture has |
Just capped the climax Of a very stupid piece Of |
business. 1t has been the custom for the Can |
adam government to distribute pamphlets relat- |
ing TO land TO all Immigrants, with a view to |
getting them to settle in Canada, but it was OBJ |
served that most OF them, instead Of settling in |
Canada went 10 the United States to live. The |
secret Of this was found TO be that the agents |
of various United States land companies adver- |
tised their own lands extensively i'll the Cana |
dian pamphlets and that the superior induce |
Al.
from them. The wise minister who allowed |
himself thus to be duped took his force Of clerks
and made them tear ont all the advertisements |
of the United States people, and now comes the |
question as TO who will repay the expense Of
the advertisements, the minister or the govern |
ment, and in the present aspect of affairs it |
looks as though the former would have to incur |
the just expense Of his folly.
As time goes on and books multiply, says the |
Saturday Herieto, it must cease to DC considered
discreditable not TO have read everything above |
a certain degree of celebrity. The obvious and |
growing mpossibility Of acquiring an exhaustive |
knowledge of even standard works must force
upon us a new estimate Of what constitutes |
scholarship. The plethora Of print under which |
we are suffering will have one good effect if it |
drives us 10 ann less at the requirement Of COM |
plete knowledge than at the possesslon Of full
and well-ordered minds. To know where to |
look for any particular kind Of literary food for
which we may hunger il an advantage second
only to that Of being well supplied with it; and
for this advantage we depend in great meas
ue upon our knowledge Of unread authors. 1t
is well worth while to study the geography Of
literature, even if we cannot hope to be great
Rnrin,ru and nihor critical