Morning journal and courier., 1884-02-27

MORNlNG. FEBRJ
 of the line now than there were during the
 war. Thus in 1864 ws had l. 4s9 line oAioers;
 now ve have 1,716. Thea we had e71 ships;
 now we have 94. IL costs &21, 900 to educate
 each cadet at the naval academy or about
 seven times as much as 1t would cost at any
 of the first-grads colleges of the country
 Each of our vessels costs annually four times
 az much as do those of the same sizs in the
 British navy. We have seven times as many
 officers on each ship as they have in Eng
 land, though we have one third less sailors
 At last the improvement of the Potomac flats at Washington, matter which has been talked about for fifty years or more, seems likely to be accomplished The marsh which IS to be made into solid ground lies directly In front of the White House, and the main department buildings. It has been reposi- tory of sewage and decaying vegetable mat ter. and in the summer has been tsae source of the malarial vapors which have made that section of the capital 50 unhealthy Over 700 acres of this malarial marsh are to be re-
 
 with driveways, lawns, trees, shrubbery, etc, with lakes which will be both useful and ornamental, their main purpose being to flush the channel and the sewer canal. pub. lished plan of the improvement shows that the work will add greatly to the beauty of Washington.
 How the Lasker resolution appeared to Bismarck and his followers may be better understood when it is considered that the ministry, though invited to attend the funer- al of the late Dr. Lasker, ossentatiously re- mained away from it. that one high professor in the university, acting on inspiration from well known quarter, actually returned his invitation with the remark that his inviters must surely have made mistake; and that Prince Bismarok's special organ, the North German Gazette, has an article on the sub- ject, in which it argues that the absence of the Prussian ministry from the funeral of Dr. Lasker was no more proof of the sspo- litical dsgeneracy of morals" complained of by the liberals, than refusal of the Enelish cabinet to follow the remains of Mir. Brad laugh to the grave would warrant similar charge.
 Published tables show that out of 133 mines whose stocks are listed at the New York exchange only nineteen paid dividends in 1883, and the dividends amounted to $4,145. 900. Less than ons-third of the sixty commonly classed as dividend paying" ap- pear to have paid dividends last year. But I it is not to be inferred that the production of gold or of silver decreased in any such ratio. | On the contrary, MT. Valentines annual | statement shows that the product of mines in this country west of the Mississippi was 1884, 639, PIP against about $89, ,O00, 900 during the previous year, and about $95, ,oOO, ,oOO in the most productive year in the entire period ! covered by the Wells-Fargo reports. The explanation is that the mines which really produce the most gold and silver are not as 8 rule, those whose owners make haste to have stocks listed for sale.
 A dealer in pictures is quoted as saying that if 8 roll of formerly unsuccessful artists was to be called to-day in the New York, Boston and Philadelphia places where they resorted three months ago, net one name in twenty would be responded to. The absen- tees are earning wages of S15 to $50 8 week by making portraits. The land is overrun with canvassers in solicitation of old and new photographs, ambrotypss, dagusrrse- types even the hand drawn miniatures which preceded all forms of camera portraiturs, to be copied and enlarged in oil or water colors. About all of the book agents lightning rod and gone into the new invasion of rural homes As many as hundred of the copying estab- lishmsnts have sprung up in different parts of the country. A writer went to one man. ufactursr in the gniss of possible taksr of an agency. ''This is the boss racket and don't you let it elude you," said he. s'There ain't dwelling in the whole United States that's not full of dinRy old miniatures One half the talk necessary to sell yard of lightning rods or barb wire fence will cap. ture an order for $50 worth of copyisg. The women don't require five minutes of persuasion, and the men surrender just about l ss quick. It's walk over for the sgent- l that's what it Is. He pockets exactly half | the money on the orders that he turns in l Do think 6 novice can succeed at it? All l you've got to do is to invest $6 in what we | call an outfit; that is, some sample pictures | and megnifying glass. It's the magnifer | that mostly does it. Yoa get tho woman of | the house to show you a small picture-a | memento of some deceased relative. Then | you make her look at it through the glass, to | show her how big it would be when enlarged. 1 If there are blemishes in it-scratchss, spots rubbed of, and what not-so much the l better, for you can safely promise her that l they will all be repaired in the copy. As g | fnisher, you can guarantee bouquet In the hand, some alteration in the dress, or any rRonliaritY of comrIArinn and fhara un,, ara