Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-11-11

CORRESPONDENT of the Boston Advertiser
shows that the high cost of food is not due
to excessive charges upon railroads. but
rather to the heavy cost of retail distribu-
ton among the poor, who are not suffi-
GENTLY intelligent or have not the means
to deal for cash at shops where the rule is
Large sales and small profits" He claims
that the cost of distributing bread after it
is baked is from $3.50 to $3.50 per barrel
of flour at retail, while, on the other hand,
it costs but $1.54 per barrel to move wheat
from western Minnesota to Minneapolis,
and thence as -four to Boston. He further
says: s'The charge for the retail distribu-
ton of meat and probably of fish and
vegetables, bears even greater proportion
to wholesale values than in respect to flour.
II is safe to affirm that one-third of the
price of all the -four, meat and vegetables
used by the poor of Boston-probably
one-half-represents the. cost to them Of
retail distribution"
A WONDERFUL bedstead, lately finished
in Paris for an Italian prince, is described
as follows: 1t is partly made of real sill
yer, and cost many many thousand
pounds sterling. At each corner stands a
beautifully modelled female fgureQife size)
holding q delicately constructed fan, and
wearing a wig of real hair. This is to be
regularly "dressed'' by the court barber
once week. On the great potentate get
ting into bed the weight of his body sets
certain machinery in motion, the effect of
which is, so long as his royal highness en-
| joys his horizontal refreshment the silver
mai5ens gently fan the sleeper. If the
! figures at the foot of the bed are required
| to exert themselves in like manner this
can be accomplished by the aid of clock
like apparatus Moreover, should the
dusky owner of the bed wish to be lulIed
to slumber by the duclet sounds of soft
music, this can be done by touching a
spring. The bottom of the bed contains
q large musical box, which is 80 arranged
that the tunes can be loud or soft as de-
sired.
The unwilling of Gustave Dore's statue
of the late Alexander Dumas took place at
Paris Sunday, November 4th. The
weather favored the occasion and the pab-
lie focked to witness the spectacle ar
ranged by the committee. Everything
had been done to insure success The
municipality gave the ground. Jules
Ferry gave $4,000 francs. Other sums
were raised by theatrical representations.
The people at large subscribed nothing.
The oficiousness of certain Nd. Villars
| brought out the fact that tickle Paris
cared no more for Dumas. Therefore the
speakers did their best to kindle the en-
thusiasm. Only thirty minutes were al
lowed the five orators, because the ceremony
interrupted the horse-car traffic, which
on Sundays blocks the Boulevard Males
herbes- Conciseness, therefore, wss the
rule. M. de Leuven, an old friend of
Dumas, said a few words; then Father
Kaempfen, fine arts director; then M. Jules
Claretie, as a delegate of the Dramatic
Authors society, and lastly, Edmond About,
whose speech was unpetit verre de fin
champagne. Verses were distributed
among the crowd, which admired the easy
grace of the statue, representing the novel
ist in working costume-shirt sleeves,
drawers and stockings. Some praised the
figure of the girl, who is absorbed in read
ing the ''Three Musketeers." Others com
mented on the attitude of D'Artagnan in
keeping guard behind. All agree that the
general aspect was spirited and life like.
The Prince of Wales sent to express his
| deep interest in the ceremony. Several
plays of Dumas were given at the theaters
Sunday night.
SOME thirty years ago an American gen
tleman, now residing in Paris, but then liv-
ing in Springfield, Mas, went to she shop
| o. Ii Ill