The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-12-21
EDITORIAL NOTES.

According to the Norwich, Connec-
ticut, Bulletin, Norwich authority
upon meteorological phenomena is not
at all surprised that a storm did not
follow the last great circle about the
moon. He alleges that the moon is
subject to two rings, the one occasion
ed by the congregation of vapOr in the
atmosphere and the other purely cleo
trical. The last circle he pronounoes
to have been electrical and in no sense
stormy.
A consignment of fifty women will
be dispatched in few days from Bor-
deauX to Noumen at the expense of
the French government and on the
distinct understanding that on reach
ing their destination they must con-
tract marriage with those convicts
whom the local authorities wish to re-
ward for good conduct by comforting
wives upon them. 1t should be eX-
planned that these women have not
been pressed into the service. AL
though old offenders, they are going
to Noumen of their own free will to
settle down as respectable convicts'
wives. How the matchmaking will
be carried on is at present unexplained.
1t is reported in Bombay that the
coffee plant grown in the South Pacific
and Indian ocean regions is threatened
with a fate like that which menaceS
the grape and potato elsewhere in the
world. A peculiar fungus has at
tackled it. On getting upon one leaf
the fungus spreads rapidly over the
whole plant, causing it at last to die.
In this way, says local newspaper,
lit has spread ruin and dismay
throughout most districts of the hill
country of Ceylon, extending thence
to the Fiji Islands and Java, where it
is reported to be doing great mischief.
In the Fiji Islands the local govern
ment took the matter firmly and effect
ually in hand. 1t bought up the
affected plantations and destroyed all
the plants by fire. By this means the
pest was put down"
In France has Just been made
known the substance of a report on
the pledges concerning state ques-
tiOnS which were made at the last
general elections by the successful
candidates for parliament. The re-
port throws interesting light on the
strength that these questions possess.
Thus, out of 557 deputies, 1852 have
declared themselves in favor of a re-
vision of the constitution, 270 in
favor of three years military service,
230 for secular education, 1893 for a
peace policy, 159 for diSestablishment,
l4S for repeal of judicial irremovabili-
ty, 145 for reform of senatorial cleo
tions, 125 for extension of local self
government, 1913 for liberty of the
press and of public meetings, ia for
making secondary schools ac-
ceSSible to the masses and 100 for the
approximation fund for disabled ar
tiSans.
1t behooves MAN who expects to
enter the competitive examinations in
China to be sure of his physical con-
dition as well as of his intellectual at
tainments. The annual provincial
examinations were held this fall in
Hangehow, whose streets are describ-
as having literally swarmed with stu
dents of every age from fifteen to
eighty, and of all conditions. The ex-
animation "hall" was an incloSure of
about eight acres, containing ten thou
sand cells for the competitors, each
cell being three feet wide, five feet
long and seven feet high. The candi-
dates went in on the eighth day of the
eighth moon, and remained in two
nights and one day. They returned
on the eleventh and went through the
same ordeal, which was repeated again
from the fourteenth to the sixte NTH.
A candidate is occasionally found
dead in his cell,